Wedding Season by Sean Ashcroft

Author:Sean Ashcroft [Ashcroft, Sean]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2017-06-17T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Oz ducked back into the hotel room he was sharing with Seth the moment he got off the phone, still numb from the conversation he’d just had. It happened in his line of work all the time, but it never got easier.

He didn’t want to bother Seth with the details. Seth had enough of his own crap going on without listening to Oz complain about what was a normal part of his work life.

One day, Oz hoped he’d have a partner who he could talk to about stuff like this. Someone to share the burden of everyday life.

“What’s wrong?” Seth asked as soon as he turned around.

Obviously, he wasn’t doing a great job of hiding it.

“I just lost a client,” Oz said.

“Oh.” Seth blinked at him, wetting his lips. “Well… you’re not exactly desperate for clients, are you? They’re not gonna find a better lawyer.”

Oz shook his head. “No, I mean lost as in he died.”

He swallowed. Mr. Perkins had been a good man, and Oz had liked him.

He’d always had sweet tea and cake to offer when he’d asked Oz to drop by for something. Not everyone did that. Some of them treated Oz like any other service provider, others treated him like a trusted friend.

Mr. Perkins was one of the latter.

“Oh,” Seth said, taking a step toward him. “I’m sorry. Was he… I mean, were you expecting it?”

“Kind of. I knew he was sick, and he was ninety-two. Apparently he went quietly. That’s better than being in pain, I guess.”

“He had a good run,” Seth pointed out, closing the gap between them.

“He did,” Oz agreed. “And it’s the thing about my job. It’s a lot more peaceful than a lot of other areas, but… clients die.”

“You said, when we met.” Seth reached out, putting his hand on Oz’s arm, then apparently changing his mind and darting in, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close with a surprising amount of strength.

Oz hadn’t expected it, but he was grateful all the same. “Thanks,” he murmured, breathing in the warm scent of Seth’s hair, squeezing him just a little.

Seth kissed the base of his throat softly, barely brushing his lips against the sensitive skin there. Oz liked the way that felt, but wasn’t sure he could give Seth what he wanted right now.

“I’m really not in the mood,” he said. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be too disappointing.

“I didn’t think you would be.” Seth looked up at him. “I find kissing comforting. I guess you might not.”

“No, uh. I do, I guess. I never really thought about it.”

Seth was comforting. For whatever reason, having him around made Oz feel more at peace. All the time, but especially now.

Normally, he’d dive into a bottle right about now. Tell himself he was celebrating a life, but really just numbing his own pain.

Cuddling seemed like a healthier response to being upset.

“Let me take care of you?” Seth offered. For the first time, Oz thought he was seeing him without walls. The real Seth, the Seth that existed under all the defenses.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.