Chapter 18

Aug 25, Friday afternoon

Loren opened the front door and entered the house. He was extremely tired after having spent the last two hour arguing with his head programmer over budget cuts on the company's plans for the Oriental sequel. While he still needed to clean the house, he figured it could wait another day.

When he walked into the bedroom, he was surprised to find Todd wasn't in the bed like he should have been. Quickly checking the bathroom, he found it to be empty. As he stared at the empty bed, he started fuming. Loren had the feeling Todd was still in the office. Before he’d left for work, he'd agreed to let Todd spend two hours there. But no more than that. The doctor had approved of Todd working a bit, just not overdoing it yet.

"Todd!" Loren's voice rang out sharp as he approached the office then opened the door. The moment he saw his lover on the phone and the pile of files scattered on the desk, Loren folded his arms over his chest, glaring at Todd.

"Yes, Mr. Rich," Todd said, nodding as he scribbled on a notepad. "I'll give you a call tomorrow morning." He hung up the phone and turned the chair, eyebrow lifting. "Hi, babe. Everything okay?"

"No, it's not. Why the hell are you still in here? It's 5 o'clock. You were only suppose to be working until 10."

Todd's jaw tightened and he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he reached over and grabbed his crutches and stood. "I'm fine," he said through his teeth as he headed into the living room.

When Todd just pushed past him, Loren turned and followed. "You won't be if you don't start listening to the doctor, Todd. You're still suppose to be taking it slow, remember?"

"I am not an invalid," Todd shot back as he went into the kitchen.

"You are for the fucking time being, Todd. You've only been out of the hospital for five days, dammit. Your body needs time to heal."

Todd turned an angry glare on him. "I am a grown fucking man, goddamnit! I don't fucking need a babysitter, Loren!"

Loren drew a deep breath, trying to rein in his temper. "Obviously you do or you wouldn't have been in your office for the last nine fucking hours, Todd."

"I have a fucking job to do!" Todd slammed a cabinet door shut, but managed to keep from breaking the coffee mug he'd set down none-too-gently. "If I'm such a goddamned pain, then why are you still here?"

As he stalked into the kitchen, Loren shouted right back at Todd. "If I didn't love you, I wouldn't fucking be here."

All the fight went right out of Todd with those words. "What?"

"You don't get it, do you, Todd?" Loren got in Todd’s face, too angry to back down. "No, you just do what you want to do. You want to know why the hell I'm here. It's because I love you, but I don't think you really give a damn."

Todd struggled to put his own tumultuous thoughts in order before Loren could walk away…again. Fuck. He'd been so blind to it. Fear of losing Loren crept up and Todd did the only thing he could think to do. He hooked a finger in the waistband of Loren's jeans and jerked him close, kissing Loren hard and deep, his own feelings tumbling out in a rush as he devoured Loren's mouth with his own.

He'd barely caught a breath before Todd's lips opened on his. The frustration and fear faded beneath the hungry assault, and desperately he answered the kiss. Molding his body to Todd's, Loren's arms slid around him, clinging to his lover.

When the need for air became too much to ignore, Todd broke the kiss and rested his forehead to Loren's.

"God, babe, I worry about you. You don't listen to the doctor, and you haven't been home from the hospital all that long."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "so sorry, baby. God, I'm fucking blind." He pulled back enough to see Loren's eyes, and the worry in them. He smoothed his thumb across Loren's lips slowly. "I love you, Loren. I love you so much it fucking hurts."

His anger started to evaporate with Todd's admission. "I didn't think you'd return my feelings, Todd. Most times I'm not sure of anything lately."

"Oh. Love…" Todd sighed and shook his head. "Baby, I fell in love with you a while back. I just didn't know how to say it." Arms sliding around Loren, Todd just held him close.

Closing his eyes, he rested his head to Todd's shoulder as they clung to each other. "We'll get through everything, Todd."

"Always," Todd whispered. "Always." He kissed Loren's hair softly and stroked his fingers down Loren's back. "How about we order in tonight? Pile up on the bed, eat pizza, and just relax. We've both been through hell, love."

"Get in bed, and I'll order the pizza. I want you in bed before I'm tempted to beat your ass."

Pressing closer, Todd bent his head to nip at Loren's ear. "Thought I told you talk like that is more likely to make me misbehave."

"There are occasional rewards for misbehavior. It just depends on the behavior, babe. Now get it in bed while I order the pizza."

"Mmm…tease." Todd pulled away slowly and winked before tucking the crutches under his arms and heading back to the bedroom.

Chuckling, Loren followed behind Todd and headed for the phone as Todd climbed int bed. Once he put in the order, he headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water for Todd, then returned to the bedroom. "Don't forget your meds, babe."

After he set the glass on the nightstand for Todd, Loren picked up the remote for the TV, walked around the bed, and slid in next to Todd.

Todd took his medicine, set the glass down, and plucked the remote from Loren's hand. "C'mere." Sliding his fingers through Loren's hair, he tugged Loren down.

"Love you, baby," Todd murmured, "so much. Can't ever do without you."

"You'll never have to do without me, babe. I'm in for the long haul."

Todd smiled softly and brushed Loren's lips with his fingers. "Good. I always said you were an addiction." He drew Loren down, the kiss soft and sweet.

"I think we're getting mushy, babe. Is that the manly thing to do?"

The comment made Todd chuckle. Loren nipped at his lower lip, tugging it gently before releasing him.

“I'd settle for you riding me, or me riding you," Todd chuckled, "but I'm not sure that's a good idea. However--" The doorbell cut him off and he groaned. "So much for sucking you."

"Sucking comes after eating. Didn't you ever learn that?" After giving him a quick kiss, Loren got out of the bed to go answer the door.

He returned a few moments later with the soda and a large pizza in hand. As he settled back on the bed, he flipped the box open. "Dig in so we can get to the sucking."

Todd laughed and sat up. "Gotta love a man with priorities."

Slice in hand, Loren quickly devoured it between sips of the soda he shared with Todd. "Eat up, babe. I'm betting you forgot to eat the lunch I prepared for you."

"I plead the fifth," Todd mumbled, making sure his mouth was too full of pizza to admit that the lunch was still sitting in the microwave.

"Todd." His tone held a faint warning as he shook his head. "That's the last time, I let Oliver convince me to come into work."

"I swear I won't do it again. Anything I can do to make up for it?" Sucking the pizza sauce from his fingers one after another, Todd smiled.

"Eat more pizza," he quipped dryly as he reached for another slice.

Todd stuck his tongue, but grabbed another slice anyway. "Brat."

"Occasionally your charms don't work on me, babe."

His second slice gone, Todd moved the box out of the way and put their shared drink on the nightstand. Then he pushed Loren onto his back and, moving as carefully as possible, he leaned down, working Loren's pants open. "Shut up and eat your pizza," he said before Loren could say a word.

"Okay, sometimes it does." Loren stretched out on the bed, more intent on Todd than his pizza though he did finish the slice.

Todd chuckled and reached over, grabbing one of the small pizza sauce dipping cups from the box. He pulled off the top and tipped the cup, drizzling pizza sauce along the length of Loren's cock. Then he set the cup down and drew his tongue up the shaft.

Instantly Loren's brain was in his cock as it hardened under the attention of Todd's tongue. "Fuck, babe."

Bereft of words, a low groan followed. Loren knew he was in for it, but it never once occurred to him to protest.