Chapter 5

 

He didn’t see Ludo when he knocked on the man’s door. He let himself in, concerned at first until he heard the shower running. Cavan was surprised. Twenty-four hours ago, the guy had been so frail he could hardly lift his head off the pillow and his hand shook with the effort of any activity. Cavan noticed the bathroom door ajar as he put their bowls on the portable tray now pushed against the wall.

Ludo stepped out of the shower, dripping wet and…fuck…so hot. Cavan shocked himself with such indecent thoughts. Was it wrong to look at a man who’d been so recently brutalized and be turned on by him?

He decided looking was fine. And how could he not look? Ludo’s body looked amazing as he towel dried his luxurious black hair and then his body.

His body.

Ludo’s back faced Cavan, who could see the ugly cut marks all over the man’s neck, back and buttocks. A couple of deep slices ran down his thigh and to his right ankle. But still…in just over a day they seemed remarkably…healed.

He turned and Cavan glimpsed the gorgeous cock dangling between Ludo’s thighs. He was uncut. Oh God…he’d always had fantasies about sucking an uncut cock. Ludo’s eyes remained closed as he ran the white towel around his body.

Cavan, afraid of being caught spying, made some noise as he opened their packages.

“Hey,” Ludo suddenly said, opening the bathroom door. He looked very well, much better than their visit earlier in the day.

Cavan grinned at him. “I brought soup for both of us.”

Ludo seemed pleased. “Can you hand me that hospital gown, please?”

Cavan looked to where Ludo pointed and picked up the clean, folded blue gown.

He took it to Ludo, who tossed his towel onto the bathroom sink. He smelled fresh, masculine. Cavan struggled not to stare at that beautiful cock. Hard up for manly contact, immediately thought about some of the models and gay porn stars he’d ogled recently. Ludo outshone them all. He didn’t seem uncomfortable standing naked next to him. He turned around and asked Cavan to do up the three sets of ties in back of his gown.

“It’s such a look, isn’t it?” Ludo joked. “I think this half-naked ass flapping in the breeze is very attractive. Don’t you?”

Fuck, yes. “Well, you’ve got a nice body. Ludo, you heal so fast. Those injuries looked horrible two days ago.”

“Thanks!” Ludo jumped into bed and arranged his bedding, sitting up with the expectant look of a child, his hair clean and wet, hanging in gorgeous tendrils. Christ, he was a hot man.

“My family…we’re all quick healers.” Ludo reached for the tray and winced with the effort. “I still get twinges. The doc said I will…for a while.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Yes. Please sit and eat with me. I’m glad to see you. I worried you might forget me.”

“How could I forget you?”

Ludo gave him a sweet smile. “You have a lot on your mind. Want to tell me about it?”

Cavan was surprised. “What makes you say that?”

“I can tell. Problems at work or home?” Ludo opened his soup bowl. “This smells even better than the soup you brought for lunch.”

“Good, I’m glad.”

“Sit in the brown chair,” Ludo commanded. “It’s comfortable.”

“How do you know? Have you tried it?”

“Yes, mister bossy pants.”

Cavan laughed. “Bossy pants?”

“Yes. Now…stop being the detective and tell me what’s going on.”

“Ludo…my worries are nothing compared to yours. I feel—I feel like after what you went through, mine are nothing.”

“It’s all relative. Is it home?”

“Yeah.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No.” So Ludo knew he was gay. “I don’t have one.”

Ludo was munching his way through his soup. Cavan hadn’t even begun.

“That makes two of us,” Ludo said. “So, what is the problem?”

Cavan found himself telling Ludo about his mom, about Vince and the farm…and Chelsea and his mother’s food hoarding. Ludo was a damned good listener.

“You changed the locks?”

Cavan nodded. He’d peeled and eaten two shrimp but the broth was too spicy for him.

“Want me to finish it?” Ludo’s eyes lit up.

“Sure.” Cavan let him eat the soup and felt better for having bared his soul.

“So you’re looking for a new therapist for her now?”

“Actually, I think I need someone to stay with her. She really shouldn’t be on her own, but I don’t think we can afford a nurse.”

“Someone who is company, a protector, who can cook and bully her into exercising.” Ludo grinned as he said this.

“Yes. What about you? Where is your mother?”

“In Argentina.”

“So you really are from Argentina?”

Ludo frowned. “Of course. I didn’t lie to you.”

Things had been so nice, Cavan didn’t want to pry, although he had a million questions.

“My mother is not like yours. She didn’t like my…condition.”

Cavan got the feeling Ludo’s condition was his homosexuality.

“Your mother was a senior detective. A celebrated officer.”

“How do you know that?”

“Our stories are forever entwined. They talk of us on the news.” Ludo peeled a shrimp and fed it to Cavan. Everything the man did seemed so seductive. Ludo ate the shell. Cavan still couldn’t get over it.

“Oh…the news. Right. I am so sorry that footage got leaked.”

“I’m not. I feel…I feel everything happens for a reason.”

“Have you been in Los Angeles long?” Cavan had a wild desire to know everything about the man.

“No. Not long. I was in New York for a while.”

“You had a bad relationship?”

Ludo grimaced. “Yes. And Luke Masterson offered to help me. Instead he…you know…” Pain swamped his features. Cavan had more questions but Ludo glanced at the wall clock.

“Cavan, it’s almost eight. They will come and ask you to leave. I don’t want you to go. I could talk to you all night.”

Cavan shrugged. “I feel the same way.”

“Will you come back and kiss me?” Cavan stared. Ludo blushed. “I mean, visit me?”

“Yes, tomorrow.” So Ludo had asked for a kiss earlier in the day. It hadn’t been his imagination. He couldn’t help the slow smile spreading across his face. Or the growing attraction he felt for the man.

“May I ask for something different this time?”

“Instead of a kiss?”

Ludo’s smile was so sweet Cavan’s cock wedged hard in his pants.

“Well, I still want one of those. I’d like to kiss you, but I’m also very hungry.”

“You want something now?”

“Only the kiss. I’m hungry for that.”

“Sure,” Cavan said.

“I am dying for chicken and sliced tomatoes. I normally never eat bread but since you brought bread today I am now craving a sandwich.”

“A chicken and tomato sandwich? I can do that.” Cavan stood and collected their refuse.

“Don’t forget my kiss.” Ludo’s voice was soft, his hand tentative as he reached for Cavan. “Please?”

Time stood still as Cavan bent down to him. Their mouths met in a moment of swift, but blissful heat. The kiss might have gone on. Cavan felt the powerful surge between them. Ludo pulled back.

“Wow,” he said, reclining against his pillows.

Cavan nodded. His whole body shook. He hadn’t felt quite like this since…he’d first met Vince. He held the empty food bag in front of him. Man. A boner! After just a closed-mouth kiss!

“I’ll come by as soon as I can tomorrow,” he said, but the soft sounds of even breathing told him that Ludo was already asleep.

§ § § §

Cavan stopped by the Russian supermarket on the corner of Spaulding and bought his mother some organic bananas. They had stickers on them and he hoped they were new ones for her. He cruised slowly down the streets of his neighborhood. It would be Halloween tomorrow and he looked forward to trick-or-treating with all the little ghosts and goblins who came to the house.

If he didn’t have to work late.

He returned home and found his mother and sister watching House Hunters and screaming at the couple’s choice in a home.

“Honestly…why spend eight hundred thousand dollars on a fixer-upper?” his mom asked.

“I know, right?” Dina stood and yawned.

“Organic bananas!” Mom snatched the bag from Cavan’s hand. Dina hugged him and he walked her out to the car.

“I am glad you’re here,” she said. “I know you gave up a lot moving back here. I think we’re all ecstatic that you did. You miss Klamath Falls?”

He shrugged. “Not really.”

“I hope you meet somebody down here.”

Ludo’s lovely face shot through his mind. “So do I, sis.”

He watched her drive away, then walked inside the house.

“These bananas are from Costa Rica,” his mother said. She looked overawed. “Look at this blue sticker with the white pattern. I’ve never seen this one before.”

He sat beside her and his cell phone rang. A text. It was Veo. He’d be driving with a new partner in the morning. A guy called Perrin. He returned the text. He felt restless.

“Are you okay?” his mother asked.

“I’m fine, Mom.”

He just wanted to go to bed. He was beyond tired, so much so that even when he felt the faint stirrings of an erection he was too emotionally spent to think about pleasuring himself. He wrestled with images in his mind, trying to empty his thoughts so he could sleep. Ludo’s face was right there, no matter what he did. The man’s rare and special smile did things to him. Oh, God, just thinking about those long fingers…that face…he could picture Ludo feeding him, tasting each and every ingredient the way he did. He felt himself relaxing, his body in a state of pleasant surrender. And then he was aware of another body next to his.

“Relax,” Ludo said. “This will make us both feel very good.”

Though he was aware of being asleep, Cavan felt fully awake. The moon shone through the windows. He’d forgotten to draw the blinds he’d been so tired. Moonlight was perfect. The handsome, smiling face gazing into his was perfect.

“Ludo?”

“Shh…” The man kissed his ear, trailing kisses down the side of Cavan’s face, along his jaw line and moved down his body. He came back to Cavan’s mouth and kissed him, moving away before Cavan could make it an open-mouthed kiss. Cavan was so disappointed. In his sex fantasy, shouldn’t he get what he craved? His body twisted at Ludo’s gentle but insistent touch.

Cavan silently pleaded for the man to reach his cock and just lick it. Oh, please, oh please.

Ludo moved between Cavan’s legs as they opened up to him. Cavan gazed down and saw the biggest cock he’d ever seen in his life. It had looked huge when he’d glimpsed him earlier, but erect, it was enormous. Cavan felt the long fingertips sliding down his body, teasing his nerves into a state of anticipation. Ludo’s mouth opened and engulfed Cavan’s cock.

Cavan cried out. And then, Ludo released him. Before he could protest, Ludo moved up Cavan’s body, holding his rigid cock to the side so he could lick up the line of his treasure trail. Cavan almost swooned.

And then…Ludo did an unusual thing. He licked back down, using the underside of his tongue. Cavan watched through half-closed eyes, astonished. Ludo seemed to have bristles under the tongue. It was a sensation unlike anything he’d ever experienced.

When Ludo moved back to Cavan’s cock and swallowed it, a look of feral pleasure on his face, Cavan came almost immediately. It had been so long, he could feel his heartbeat pounding furiously in his head. It swamped everything, even the expert way Ludo’s mouth worked his cock to bring him even more pleasure.

“Turn over,” Ludo said, when he’d finished licking Cavan clean.

Cavan turned and felt the other man’s face pressing into his ass cheeks. The bristled tongue worked magic on his asshole. Cavan knelt, hands and knees trembling as that magnificent tongue swirled in all the right ways.

He was surprised when Ludo began to mount him. Surprised because he seemed so hairy and Cavan needed no lube. In his sex fantasy they didn’t use rubbers, either. Ludo took his time working his way into Cavan, kissing and licking his back and shoulders, using the smooth side and rough side alternately. Cavan had never met anyone with a bristled tongue before. It sure turned him on something fierce. He came before Ludo was even fully inside him. A couple of thrusts against his prostate and Cavan went nuts. He came so hard, he couldn’t speak, but he turned to tell the man who had such command of his body not to stop.

To his shock, it wasn’t Ludo fucking him but a great, big, giant, blue-black wolf. The creature had Ludo’s eyes. For some reason, it turned him on even more.

“Don’t stop fucking me,” Cavan said, his whole body waiting for the fucking he knew he needed.

The wolf opened his mouth and roared. It wasn’t a violent roar. It was a passionate roar, like a dog mating.

His paws landed on Cavan’s hips and he began to fuck him. Hard. Cavan loved it when Ludo erupted inside him. He turned Cavan over and licked his cock again, only now he was a man, he was Ludo. Beautiful, sexy Ludo.

“You weren’t scared,” Ludo said, suddenly, his lips crowning Cavan’s cock.

“Oh, no.”

“Then why didn’t you come when I was inside you?”

“I did. As soon as you were in me.”

“Not good enough.” Ludo bent his head and sucked Cavan again. Just as he got close to coming, Ludo took his mouth away.

“Open your legs,” Ludo commanded, his huge, thick cock ready for action. He plowed right into Cavan, who watched the man above him changing back into a wolf. He’d never had such a detailed sex dream, but as his legs tightened around the muscular, hairy thighs working so hard to pleasure him, his cock exploded, shards of white fire seeming to fuse behind his eyes.

“Much better,” Ludo said and licked Cavan’s lips. His fur was soft and luxurious. It smelled wonderful. He couldn’t identify the smell but it was masculine and oddly…clean.

The dream went on and on, Ludo pleasuring him nonstop. Cavan had never had such a realistic, hot and sweaty dream, and he had never come so many times in a single night.

When his alarm went off in the morning, he could have convinced himself it was all a dream except that it was so real and…he was covered in sweat. He was totally and in every way spent. When he turned over on his bed, there were black hairs that didn’t belong to him.

He knew he was being ridiculous. Of course it was a dream. He ignored the hairs and threw on sweats. He walked through the house. The chain was across the door, his mom asleep in her chair. She’d nodded off with the TV still on.

On the TV, CNN news had dropped the report on Ludo and was now focused on an eleven-year-old boy whose father had abandoned him and their home when their property went into foreclosure. The father had vanished without a trace. Geez…what was wrong with people?

He took a shower, hesitating when he reached his hand around and touched his tender ass. Wow. It was wet. In his wild fantasy, he’d been fucked all right. He lifted his fingers to his nose. The unmistakable smell of semen. He knew his own scent, and this wasn’t his. He shook his head and soaped himself vigorously. He kept remembering the wild, erotic dream. Yes. It was a dream. Nothing more.

Ludo. He was from Argentina. Argentine mane wolf hairs had been found on Cavan’s uniform. No. It was nonsense. What was he thinking? That the guy was some kind of…werewolf? It was ridiculous. The stuff of dreams. Hot dreams. Wait. He’d eaten the unusually hot and spicy shrimp soup…not much of it but enough to affect the scent of his semen. Food did that to a man. That was it. He’d jerked off all night and shoved his fingers into himself. That was it. Yeah. That was it.

Cavan dried himself off and got ready for work. He made coffee and scrambled eggs, pleased when his mother came in with her walking stick and joined him.

He toasted a couple of pieces of bread and they ate, each enjoying the other’s chatty mood, once he’d cleared her boxes off the chairs.

“I’m putting these back in your room when I get home from work. Okay?”

She nodded. “Are you going to visit your friend in the hospital?”

“Yes, I want to. He seems…lonely, and it’s a shame. He’s such a nice man. The good news is he’s getting a lot better.”

“I heard that on the news. They say he’s very private but apparently he owns an antique store in New York and Masterson abducted him.”

“Where’d you hear that?”

“CNN. Well…he didn’t own the store, his boyfriend does and the boyfriend says Masterson abducted Ludo. He wants to see Ludo, but Ludo won’t see him.”

“He tells me his ex was abusive.”

His mother looked at him. It had been so long since he’d seen that expression on her face, that passionate inquisitiveness, he wanted to prolong the conversation.

“That explains a lot. He said he hadn’t been here long.” Cavan felt a strong protectiveness toward the man. “He says he wants a chicken and tomato sandwich. Yesterday it was shrimp. I’ll go take him a sandwich for lunch.”

His mother studied him a moment. “That seems like a simple request. You like him, don’t you.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Very much. Listen, I have no idea how late I’ll be, this being Halloween and all, but can I ask you not to open the door to any trick-or-treaters until I get home?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Cavan. It’s my one night of the year I get to dress up like a banana and pass out candy.”

“Silly me.” He reached across the table and ruffled her hair.

§ § § §

His new partner seemed like a nice guy and as soon as Cavan changed into uniform, the entire squad met in the situation room for a debriefing.

The watch commander informed them that this was the one day of the year that law enforcement hated. “We need to get out there and chase up every registered sex offender. We need to make sure they have no decorations outside their homes luring children onto their properties. We’ll make sure there are no signs advertising for trick-or-treaters, no candy in baskets.”

Cavan felt a wave of sadness. Halloween had been such a joy as a kid. Not anymore.

“We’re going to split up into teams. We have thirty-eight serious risk offenders in Westwood, twenty-eight in Brentwood, three in Benedict Hills, two in Benedict Canyon, fourteen serious risk sex offenders in West Los Angeles.” He paused. “We also have two very high risk offenders in Pacific Palisades. We’ll start with those. Reconvene in two hours for further instructions.”

The teams split up into six groups and hit their designated neighborhoods. When he studied the demographics, Pacific Palisades had just two high risk offenders as opposed to Long Beach, which had eight, but as far as Cavan was concerned, even one possible offender was one too many.

He and Perrin covered seven properties and cautioned one man who had a fake skeleton on his door.

“I ain’t done nothin’,” he sneered. “I ain’t no sex offender. Jee-zus.”

“Sir,” Cavan said, “You’re a registered sex offender—”

“Not me. My roommate.” The man ripped down the ugly plastic decoration and slammed the door.

They pretended to leave the property, but hid behind a flowering jacaranda tree that obscured the house from the street. When the man thought the coast was clear, he opened his door again and put the skeleton back up. Perrin gave him a warning and the man was moved to the top of the recheck list.

They also got numerous calls dealing with cat owners hysterical over their pets being tortured and, in one case, killed. Black cats and Halloween…Cavan thought about the black hairs on his bed and wondered where they’d come from. At one, he broke away, went to a Subway sandwich shop and bought Ludo his sandwich. It wasn’t gourmet fare, but the best he could do with only an hour to spare.

At the hospital, Ludo had company.

“Hi, darling,” Cavan’s mother said. She looked happier than Cavan had seen her. “I had to come and meet your new friend, sweetie. And he is adorable.” She pushed her wheelchair a little closer to Ludo, whose hand moved to her shoulder and squeezed it in an appreciative way.

Oh, boy they were already friends. She had brought a feast from Greenblatt’s Deli on Sunset. How in the world had she gotten here?

His sister came out of Ludo’s bathroom, a bunch of toiletries in hand. Ah, that explained things. Dina had driven her here. She was making herself at home packing the few homey elements in the sterile hospital room, but Ludo seemed happy enough for the company.

“It’s all settled,” Dina said. “Ludo’s coming to stay with you and Mom.”

Cavan didn’t respond at first. He wasn’t sure what to say that wouldn’t sound offensive. The man was recovering from severe trauma. Was he really up to a life with banana labels? On the other hand…Mom was a former cop. Maybe they’d be good for each other.

A moment of awkwardness evaporated when Ludo noticed the packages Cavan was carrying.

“What’s that you’ve got there?” Ludo asked, the smile back in his eyes.

“A sandwich. Not a very good one. Greenblatt’s is the bomb.”

“Subway? You got him a Subway? Honestly,” his mother said.

“I’ve never tried a Subway.” Ludo held out his hand for it. Cavan had chosen the flatbread option and Ludo seemed to like it. At least, he was kind enough to pretend to.

“Can you believe the hospital is discharging him today?” Dina asked.

“That’s impossible.” Cavan glanced at Ludo. “You’re not ready.”

“According to the doctor on staff he is.” His mother thumped her chair arm. “And it’s wrong. Just because he has a speedy metabolism and is doing much better, he still needs care.”

“Of course he does, but—”

“Good,” Dina said. “Because this solves all our problems. Ludo needs a safe place to stay. His boyfriend—sorry, ex-boyfriend’s already been to the hospital twice trying to see him, and the media keeps trying to get photos of him—”

“Really?” How come Cavan didn’t know about this?

“When that man,” his mother spat the words, “offered to get him away from New York, he took all of Ludo’s possessions. He stole his clothes, his wallet…he doesn’t even have clothes to put on his back!”

“Everything was in his truck when we drove across country.” Ludo’s cheeks flamed. “If you don’t want me to stay with you…I’ll understand.”

Cavan stared at him. “No…I think…under the circumstances it’s a great idea.”

“See, I told you,” his mother told Ludo, who smiled up at him.

“What about clothes? You brought up a good point, Mom.”

“The hospital has spare clothing, things people have left behind. They’re going to give him a pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt and some flip-flops.”

“You can use anything of mine that you want,” he told Ludo. Ludo’s gaze seemed to sear right through him. Cavan felt the sweat tickling the back of neck remembering his crazy dream.

“Thank you.” The smile was back in Ludo’s eyes.

“There’s just one thing…you’re still a crime victim. You were subjected to unimaginable brutality. Since people are hounding you, I don’t want anyone in this room telling anybody where Ludo is.” He fixed his gaze on his mother and sister.

“Not even my husband?” Dina asked, wide-eyed.

“Of course, sweetie. But if Ludo’s ex is sniffing around, we have to protect him. We have to keep him safe.”

“I’m no shrinking violet. I want to help you as much as you’re helping me. I looked after my mother when she was sick…and she’s back in Argentina. I miss her. I’d love to help you look after Tammie. And I can cook, too. I mean”—he held up his half eaten sandwich—“I know how to murder a piece of flatbread, too.”

The women laughed and Cavan smiled. He did oddly trust Ludo and, well…this could be the solution for all of them.

“Listen, I haven’t had a chance to get the new front door key cut.”

“I have the other copy,” Dina said. “On our way home, I’ll get new copies made.”

“And we’ll be up waiting for you,” Mom said. “Any special requests for dinner?”

He stared at her. “You’re going to make me dinner?”

“No, I am.” Ludo grinned at her. “I’ll cook for both of you.”

His mother smiled like a serene cat in the sun.

“Shouldn’t you be getting back to work?” Dina asked.

“Are you all trying to get rid of me?”

“I’m not,” Ludo said. The look in his eyes made Cavan’s cock twitch in his pants.

“He knows all about my collection,” his mother said, a strong note of pride in her voice. “His mom is a collector, too.”

“Oh, Buddha.” Cavan glanced at him. “What does she collect? She can’t possibly have a nuttier collection than Mom.”

“Ha ha.” His mother poked her tongue out at him. “She collects dirt.”

“Last time I checked, she had two thousand vials from all over the world.”

“Congratulations, Ludo, you win.”

Cavan returned to the office, not sure how he felt about having Ludo in his home, then decided that, for now, it gave the man a chance to recuperate in a safe environment without scrutiny. He thought for a moment as he pulled into the station parking lot. He took out his cell phone and called Chelsea, the physical therapist.

He left her a message saying he wanted to talk to her about his mother. He left his number, walked into the station, and filed an elder abuse report. He was just completing it when his cell phone rang. He was stunned to see it was Vince.

“How’d you get this number?” he asked without even bothering to utter a greeting.

“Hi to you, too.” Vince chuckled. Man, how had Cavan never noticed how contrived it was when Vince did that.

On her computer screen, Felicity watched a news bulletin, pretending not to listen to his call.

“What do you want, Vince?”

“I saw you on TV. Man, that was some rescue. I always thought you were kind of a geek.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“No, I mean it in the nicest way. You’re a lovable guy.”

Vince blathered on about wanting to see him. Cavan had no desire to rekindle that spent match. He was staring at Felicity’s screen. She was aware of his gaze and turned to look at him.

“What?” she asked, frowning at him.

“That man.”

“Yeah,” Vince said in his ear. “What about that man? Ludo, right? What’s he like? Have you been to see him?”

“I gotta go.” He ended the call and pocketed his cell phone.

“What is it?” Felicity asked.

“That man…I saw him on TV this morning…the guy who abandoned his kid in his foreclosed home.”

“Yeah. Nobody’s seen or heard from him since. He’s left a trail of debts and they think he might have killed himself.”

Cavan shook his head. “Hell no, he didn’t. I didn’t recognize him at first. He looks much better in this picture. This asshole is alive and well and holing up with a convicted pedophile in Brentwood. Perrin and I spoke to him this morning.”