Still Breathing: m/m crime romance (Clear Water Creek Book 3)

Still BreathingClear Water Creek Book 3Scarlet Blackwell Copyright © 2023 Scarlet BlackwellThis is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons living, dead or undead, events, places or names is purely coincidental.No part of this book may be reproduced or transferred in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Uploading and distribution of this book via the internet or via any other means without permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law.All rights reservedPublished by Scarlet BooksCover design by B4Jay Kindle Edition Still Breathing“This isn’t anything to do with Dominic, is it?” The name sounded odd on his tongue, as though Finn had difficulty working his mouth around it.An adult movie company has moved operations to an abandoned warehouse in Clear Water Creek and its stars are vanishing. The films, it seems, have a mystery backer, one who will stop at nothing for the perfect piece of celluloid.Sheriff Brandon Schofield didn’t think lightning could strike twice. Finn Austen is still struggling to overcome the ghosts of the past and his torture at the hands of his abusive partner, but Brandon’s investigation leads him back to Iowa and the scene of the crime.He wanted to burn this place to the ground.In the house of horrors Dominic Bateman kept Finn a prisoner in, he sees things he can never unsee and realizes that everything, in the end, always comes back to Finn.Themes: crime, drama, angst, hurt/comfortGenre: Dark, gritty contemporary romanceWarnings: Abuse, murder, strong language, rape, snuff, violence, homophobia. Sexual scenes. Contents Title PageCopyrightStill BreathingChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenAUTHOR'S NOTEABOUT THE AUTHOROut nowOut now Chapter One“Oh God, oh God, don’t stop.”Brandon Schofield looked up through thick lashes. He drew his head back. “When have you ever known me stop?”Finn Austen looked down at him, at his lover’s pink mouth, at the saliva glistening on his own desperate cock. “You stopped just now.”Brandon smiled. “That was more of a pause. Now, where were we?” He went back to his task, mouth sliding with practiced ease along Finn’s cock until Finn let his head drop back onto the bed, a loud groan issuing from his throat.Damn, he’d woken up so needy this morning. And Brandon, despite the risk of being late for work, was always so obliging. He’d been halfway through dressing, trying not to wake Finn, but Finn had watched him covertly, watching his man’s rippling body being covered up and he’d put his hand under the covers to jerk off.Brandon had stopped and looked. He got that gleam in his eye. “What are you doing?”“What do you think?”“Need help?”“Only if you’ve got the time. If not, I’ll carry on and you can watch while you’re dressing.”Brandon smiled. He pulled the quilt back and groaned when he saw Finn’s fingers wrapped around his tumescence. “You know I love to watch you jerk off, but you also know I want to be part of it.” He crawled onto the bed and pushed Finn’s thighs apart. “I want you to come in my mouth.” He swallowed Finn to his stones and Finn cried out.Finn kept one eye on the smooth, chiseled expanse of Brandon’s torso and wished he’d lift his hips up so he could see the bulge in his uniform pants. Even better if he took his cock out and stroked himself as he sucked Finn off. That would please him just right.He was the luckiest man in the world, he knew that.Brandon’s mouth brought him close to the end in record time. He felt his balls tighten and for a moment, that deep anxiety overcame him about coming in Brandon’s mouth. Not that his lover had ever refused or indicated he wanted it any other way but still, it was hard to shake a behavior long ingrained. Finn’s fingers tightened in Brandon’s hair, wanting to push him away.Of course, it stemmed from Dominic, who had always told Finn he never swallowed and woe betide Finn should he ever forget himself. Finn knew better than to get carried away, apart from that one night, when drunk and high on something Dominic had made him take, he’d lost control. He’d hardly been aware of where he was or what he was doing before he was coming into that hot, wet mouth, but boy, he soon found out about it.He didn’t want to think about this. He couldn’t help but think about it. It was all he ever thought about when he was with Brandon.Dominic had pulled back with a furious growl. As Finn lay ecstatic in the afterglow, on the verge of passing out, Dominic had reared over him and spat Finn’s semen into his face.Finn gasped, closing his eyes. He’d tried to curl himself up into a ball, but Dominic grabbed him and pushed him face down, where he made Finn remember why he should never allow himself to get carried away.Finn whimpered more in agony than ecstasy as he felt himself start to come. He tried to shove Brandon away. Then he felt two hands on his hips and Brandon’s mouth eased down his cock all the way. He fell back, gasping as he spurted, the orgasm ruined by the terror that consumed him whole.He lay there panting and shaking, an arm over his eyes, tears swimming in them. Brandon smoothed a hand over his belly. “Are you okay?”“Yeah.” It wasn’t like this was the first time. Mostly, Brandon let Finn push him away. On stubborn days, he clung to his task, making it clear he wasn’t—and wouldn’t ever be—Dominic. So why did Finn still get those awful flashbacks? Why couldn’t he trust Brandon with his body the way he trusted him with his heart?Brandon slid up his body. He pressed kisses to Finn’s throat, then he lay there by his side, stroking Finn’s hair back from his forehead. “It’s all right, you know.”Finn nodded shakily. “I know. I’m sorry.”Brandon drew