Pestilence (19 page)

“The suite you’re staying in will remain available to you for as long as you’re here.”

“Thank you, Dr. Darvi. I appreciate it.”

“Not as much as we appreciate your willingness to help us.” Darvi smiled with a distracted air.

The man wanted them to leave so he could start working on figuring out how to cure his patients. Bart caught Pest’s gaze and nodded toward the door. Pest strolled ahead of him, making it hard for Bart to keep his eyes above Pest’s waist. He watched the white braid swing with each step Pest made. He remembered how it had felt flowing around him as they had made love the night before.

With the memory came all the others of their talk afterwards. As much as Bart wanted to say he didn’t believe a word Pest said, and he thought Pest was a lunatic who’d gone insane after spending too much time by himself in that God-forsaken jungle, he couldn’t. Every word Pest spoke rang true in the deepest part of Bart’s soul. In addition, Bart had done some research on the internet and there’d been a Dr. Aldo Bianchi practicing medicine in the seventeen hundreds, or at least, that was the earliest known record of the man.

Of course, Pest could’ve just borrowed the name and made it his own. Yet descriptions and a few blurry recent photographs he’d seen of Aldo Bianchi showed a stunningly handsome man with pure white hair. That wasn’t a coincidence.

They stood outside in the hallway, and Bart studied Pest.

“What happens now?”

Pest frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”

“Are you going to leave without another word and disappear from my life? A rather odd angel of mercy in my hour of need. Or are we going to stay in touch and see where our mutual attraction takes us?” Bart stepped closer to Pest, reaching up to place a hand on the man’s chest. “I know which option I’d prefer.”

“But can you deal with who I really am, Bartholomew? All the times I’ll have to leave, but can’t tell you where I’m going.” Pest looked away, his doubt showing in his eyes. “Yet you’ll know where I’ve been by the news coverage of another epidemic.”

Bart looked around, taking in the sterile white walls and the slightly antiseptic smells of the hospital. This wasn’t the place where he wanted to declare his heart to the man who somehow had stolen it. He’d prefer somewhere private and romantic, yet it didn’t look like he was going to get it.

“I can deal with it. I thought about all you told me last night.” He cradled Pest’s face, tilting it so he could look into Pest’s black eyes. “None of it matters. I forgive you for everything you’ve ever done. Of course, I don’t think you’re guilty of anything except caring too much. Yet you seem to think you’re guilty of some crime. I forgive you, Aldo Bianchi, of everything you’ve done and everything you’re going to do in the future.”

Tears pooled in Pest’s eyes and Bart wanted to kiss him so badly, but he didn’t want to risk someone seeing them. He stepped back and grabbed Pest’s hand.

“Where are we going?”

“Back to the hotel and I’m not going to let you leave.”

Pest didn’t protest as they headed out of the hospital to the car. Bart gave Pest a gentle push toward the passenger side before climbing behind the wheel. They drove to the hotel in silence, Bart unsure of how to continue the conversation, though he knew exactly what he wanted to say. It was best to wait until they had total privacy before he spilled his secrets.

They took the elevator up to their suite and Bart pushed Pest down on the couch. Pest settled back to stare at him while he paced.

“Aren’t you going to say anything,” he challenged Pest when he couldn’t think of how to start.

“This is your show, friend. I’m just along for the ride.” Pest crossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap, his expression blank.

“You totally suck, you know that?”

Pest shrugged. “I’ve heard people say that about me.”

“Okay.” Bart shoved his hands through his hair once before he turned to face Pest. “I love you.”

Pest blinked, a hint of shock showing on his face.

“I know. It came as a complete surprise to me as well, but here we are. I love you, Dr. Aldo Bianchi, aka Pestilence, the Rider of the White Horse. I don’t care what you’ve done, or where you’ve been. I don’t care how old you are or that you can’t die. And as much as I might not like it, I accept why you can’t ever touch me with your hands.” Bart dropped to his knees in front of Pest. “Do you love me? Or are you always going to be in love with your wife?”

Reaching out, Pest ran his hand over Bart’s hair and cupped his cheek. “I’ll always love my wife and son, but they’re gone, Bart. I know and accept that. They live forever in a part of my heart, yet I’ve discovered I have more room in there for another special person. Someone who knows all my secrets and accepts me for who I am. Little did I know that person appeared the day you stumbled into my arms, sick and needing my help.”

Bart nuzzled Pest’s hand, no longer bothered by the smell and touch of leather instead of skin.

“I love you, Bart, and we’ll make this work somehow. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to live in a city though. I’ll always worry about accidentally touching someone and making them ill.”

He smiled up at his lover. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we can work out a compromise and you won’t have to leave the house ever, except when Death comes for you.”

Bart jumped to his feet and tugged Pest to his. Their lips met in a crash of passion and promise. While he devoured Pest’s mouth, he fumbled with the buttons on Pest’s shirt, trying to get the man naked as soon as possible.

They stumbled over to their bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind them. The back of his knees hit the mattress and he toppled over, bringing Pest down on top of him. He trailed kisses over Pest’s chin and neck, sucking a little on the patch of skin at the base of Pest’s throat.

“I want you in me,” Pest said, moaning softly as Bart squeezed his butt cheeks.

Easing back, Bart shook his head. “No. It’s my turn to get fucked by you. I’ve been dreaming of your cock in my ass since we met.”

Pest’s eyes widened and his cock stiffened.

“You like that idea, huh?” Bart winked and arched, rubbing their groins together.

“Oh yes.” Pest rolled off Bart and looked wildly around. “Where did we leave the stuff?”

Bart chuckled. “I put the lube and some condoms in the nightstand next to the bed.”

He wrapped his hand around his cock and started stroking, playing with himself until Pest rejoined him with the supplies. Bart hooked his hands behind his knees and lifted his legs up and apart, giving Pest better access to his ass. He gasped as the cool slick hit his heated flesh.

They both moaned as Pest pressed one finger against Bart’s tight hole and slowly eased in, one inch at a time. There wasn’t any rush. They didn’t know how they were going to make it work, but together they would find a way to have a relationship. Deep in his soul, Bart believed it would be fine.

Pest paused when his finger was in as far as it could go. “Are you okay?”

Bart nodded and clenched his muscles around Pest’s digit, letting his lover know he was ready for more. Pest smiled and removed his finger. When he pushed two in, he bent down and took Bart’s cock in his mouth. The feeling of Pest inside and around him tore a shout from Bart.

“Fuck me,” he cried.

Pest chuckled around his cock and the slight vibration sent shivers down Bart’s spine. More lube and fingers to stretch him further while Pest sucked on him like he was a Popsicle in Pest’s favorite flavor. Bart entwined his hand in Pest’s flowing white hair and tugged, asking for something, but his mind was short-circuiting and he couldn’t decide what he wanted. He wanted Pest to fuck him, but he wanted the man to keep sucking him as well.

He whimpered and trembled. Pest let him slip from his mouth and crawled up over Bart’s body to look him in the eye.

“Do you want me to fuck you, love? Is that what you’re trying to say?”

Bart nodded, having lost the ability to talk at some point. Possibly when Pest’s knuckles hit his gland the last time they thrust into him. Electricity still sparked through his nerves.

“Just a moment.” Pest rocked back on his heels and opened the foil packet he’d dropped next to Bart’s hip earlier.

Eagerly, Bart watched as Pest rolled the rubber down over his erection. Bart’s hole fluttered at the thought of being filled with Pest’s hard flesh. Pest positioned himself at Bart’s opening and started pushing in. Pest took it slow, but Bart didn’t want gentle. He wanted Pest inside him as fast and as deep as possible.

“Don’t take your time, Pest. I’m fine. I want you in me now.”

Pest eyed him as though he was trying to determine if Bart really meant what he said. Bart grabbed Pest’s ass and jerked it toward him. His eyes rolled in his head as Pest’s cock filled him to the point of being uncomfortable. As soon as Pest was all the way in, they froze, catching their breath and calming down a little.

He met Pest’s fathomless black eyes and smiled. “I love you, Aldo Bianchi. I’m not calling you Pest anymore. You’re not a Horseman in my eyes. You’re the man I love.”

Pest closed his eyes and dropped his forehead down to touch Bart’s, inhaling a shaky breath. They stayed that way for a few minutes, the air from their lungs mingling, connected in the most intimate way there could be. Finally, Bart needed to move and he wanted Pest fucking him.

“Move, baby. Make me feel you tomorrow.”

He bit his lip to keep from protesting when Pest slipped out until just the head of his cock rested in Bart’s ass.

“Yes,” he shouted when Pest slammed back into him.

All worries and hesitation disappeared as the strokes came faster and harder, drilling him with each thrust. He braced his hands against the headboard to keep from knocking into it as Pest rode him. He tightened his inner muscles with each of Pest’s retreats, enticing his lover to return quickly.

Pest gripped his hips and angled him a little more, causing Pest to nail Bart’s gland with each push in. Pleasure sparked all along Bart’s spine, pooling at the small of his back and drawing his balls tight to his body. He peeled one of his hands away to fist his cock, making a tunnel for his shaft to rub through with each of Pest’s thrusts.

He made sure his grip was strong. Bart swiped his thumb over his head, pressing into the slit, and gathering some of his pre-cum. He brought it up to his mouth and sucked on it, causing Pest to groan. He looked up into Pest’s dark eyes and smiled. Pest leaned down and kissed him. His lover’s tongue did an exact imitation of what they were in the middle of. Bart broke the kiss when he couldn’t breathe any more.

As they stared into each other’s eyes, Bart found himself wanting to say something, to tell Pest how much he loved him or something like that. One deep thrust in and Pest hit the best spot inside Bart’s body, and Bart forgot what he wanted to say. He almost forgot how to breathe. They moved together, perfectly in rhythm, like they’d become one body.

Bart’s eyes rolled in his head while shocks raced along his spine with each solid, hard stroke of Pest’s cock inside him. He grunted and tugged on his own shaft, driving himself closer and closer to the climax he longed for.

“I’m going to come soon,” he warned Pest.

“Good. I want you to come. I want to feel your body milking my climax from me.” Pest pounded him, and Bart knew he’d be feeling it in the morning.

Arching up, Bart came, shooting cum over his hand, stomach and chest in pearly strings. His strangled cry and massaging channel pushed Pest over the edge as well. Pest slammed in deep once more and threw his head back, shouting as he flooded the condom.

They shook and panted, coming down from the brilliant high. Pest slumped over Bart, bracing his body on trembling arms. Bart wrapped his arms around Pest and tugged.

“Come on. You won’t crush me.”

Pest covered him with his body and Bart lay there, listening to Pest’s breathing slow along with his heartbeat. When they could both move again, Pest climbed off Bart, and wandered to the bathroom. Bart curled up on his side and listened to the water run before dozing. The dip of the mattress alerted him to Pest’s return. He murmured a protest as Pest cleaned him up, but Pest shook his head.

“I don’t mind taking care of you,” Pest confessed before returning the cloth to the bathroom.

Bart closed his eyes again. God, he loved the man, and he would do whatever he had to keep him, even if it meant moving back down to the Amazon and living in a hut for the rest of his life. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that though. Maybe now that Pest had someone to love, he wouldn’t isolate himself away from the rest of the world.

Pest climbed in under the covers and spooned with him, resting his arm over Bart’s waist to place his hand on Bart’s chest over his heart. Bart sighed silently. They would work out the details later. At the moment, nothing mattered except the man holding him like he was the most important thing in the world.

Maybe it was all too fast. Maybe they didn’t know all the bad habits the other had or quirks that would drive each other nuts, but Bart didn’t think anything like that would matter. He knew Pest had a deep emotional need to help people, and being Pestilence hurt him in the most profound way. If Bart could lessen Pest’s pain, then he would without question or doubt.

“Rest, Bart. All the problems and issues will be there when you wake up.”

Pest’s muttered suggestion made Bart smile. His lover was right, and Bart was sure they’d be getting a visit from Death soon. He wiggled closer to Pest and shut his eyes, allowing sleep to overtake him.

* * * *

“I’m happy to see you’ve found someone to love you, Pestilence. Or maybe I should call you Aldo.”

The deep voice woke Bart up and he flipped over to see, through the open bedroom door, Pest and Death standing in the living room. Something was different about Pest, and Bart blinked to clear his vision.

He got up and pulled on a pair of sweats before joining the pair in the other room. When Pest turned to look at him, he gasped. Pest’s hair was a dark auburn, and his eyes weren’t black anymore. They were brown with a ring of gold around the irises.