by Cameron Dane
Standing here, Garrick wondered if death was a more welcome alternative.
If someone finds you, and you’re with Devlin, it could mean his life too.
Garrick could never let that happen.
“Bye, Devlin.” Something deep inside Garrick screamed a denial, nearly doubling him over, but he pushed away from the wood and ran down the overly bright hall toward the stairs.
A door slammed, and the sound of bare feet slapping on tile had Garrick running for what felt like his very life. He didn’t have to look back; he didn’t have to hear a voice; he knew Devlin’s presence all the way down to his very foundation. And right now, it scared him to death.
Garrick reached the door with barely a slowdown. He shoved the heels of his hands against the long metal bar, but familiar fingers grabbed him from behind and shoved him face first into the wall.
Caught.
Devlin moved in behind Garrick and put his mouth to his ear. “You left without saying goodbye. Or did you intend to send me an e-mail?” He caged Garrick in and pressed close, until his full front rode Garrick’s back like a thick blanket on a cold night. “I seem to recall e-mails are more your style.”
“Please.” Garrick only had to breathe, and the contact of their bodies drew out a whimper of dangerous need. “Let me go.” He still possessed the muscles to overpower Devlin, but right now, a kitten had more strength and self-protection than Garrick did.
With one smooth motion, Devlin spun Garrick around to face him, while still keeping him trapped. He straight-armed the wall, and his slightly shorter height somehow felt like it towered over Garrick. He studied Garrick without wavering, making Garrick feel like a bug pinned to a board.
Then Devlin abruptly leaned in, putting them nearly eye-to-eye. “I don’t know what your game is,” he hissed, “but you will not to come to my town, pretend to be someone else, and then put the moves on my sister.”
“What?” Garrick reared back in horror and smacked his head into the concrete wall. He winced as the sensation of poking pins and needles radiated down his neck and back, but he ignored it, and grabbed Devlin’s shirt. “Devlin, no.”
Devlin touched Garrick’s lips and cheek with the tips of his fingers right then, and completely stole Garrick’s voice.
He continued exploring Garrick’s face, over his forehead, and finally teased the edges of his untamed mane. Devlin’s brow crinkled, and his attention drifted up to his hand, as if dazed. “I’m not used to running my hands through your hair.” He looked Garrick over from top to bottom, and as his focus moved back up, he shook his head, and his voice lost some of its edge. “I don’t know what is real about you anymore. Not even your name.”
Devlin made eye contact again, and he slid his hand down Garrick’s back to his ass. That glint of steel came back to his gaze. “I might not know a whole lot for sure right now, but I fucking know what it feels like to be inside you.” He jerked Garrick to him, and his fingers dug into the crease of Garrick’s jeans, right over his pucker. “And you damned well know it too.”
Pressure from Devlin’s touch scraped a shocking wave of concentrated pleasure against Garrick’s asshole, and he gasped as his passage sucked in with a powerful spasm. The man dug his fingers into Garrick’s crack through his clothes again, and Garrick shot to full life, right there in the hallway, against Devlin’s stomach.
Devlin grinned like a man who understood his power. “That’s right.” He grabbed Garrick’s hand and shoved it between their bodies, forcing it over Devlin’s equally rigid cock.
Memories of Devlin’s shape and physical triggers were embedded in Garrick’s hand. His fingers automatically curled around Devlin’s shaft to the root and then moved under and tugged on his nuts. Devlin moaned the second Garrick touched him, and he jerked with the first handling of his balls.
Devlin lifted his head, made eye contact again, and seared them into one being with just a look. “I remember,” Devlin said. He moved in until their lips were mere centimeters apart, and he whispered roughly, “And you do too.”
Garrick opened his mouth, unsure what to say, and with a damning curse, Devlin claimed it with a taking, violent kiss. He slashed his lips across Garrick’s and sank his tongue inside, owning Garrick in a dominating manner that had Garrick pushing open wider and keening for more. Devlin groaned and swept deeper, tangling his tongue around Garrick’s. He sucked it into his mouth, and Garrick immediately thrust back and drank deeply, needing a piece of Devlin too.
Devlin bit Garrick’s tongue and lips, and he fought for control of the kiss with a power he hadn’t possessed in San Francisco. Garrick cried inside for more of this new Devlin, even as he panicked and pushed back with aggression of his own. Growling, Devlin kept one hand firmly on Garrick’s ass, holding him in place for a raw grinding of their bodies that matched the savagery he used to possess Garrick’s mouth. Devlin shoved his other hand into Garrick’s hair and yanked his head back and to the side, tearing their mouths apart.
Devlin’s breath came in sharp pants, and he held Garrick prisoner with the piercing, pale light in his eyes just as completely as he did with the hand he had plastered to Garrick’s ass. Devlin scraped their mouths together, made them both shiver, and swore gutturally, “Don’t you dare tell me you don’t know who I am. Don’t you dare claim that you don’t recognize the taste of my mouth, or know the shape and texture of every inch of my body.” He pushed his face into Garrick’s throat and inhaled deeply. “God knows I still remember yours.” He licked his way back up to Garrick’s mouth. “No matter what you look like now.”
Garrick had no voice, and no ability to think ahead to his best course of action. He could only feel this man against him right now, and plead in silence for forgiveness.
Devlin muttered, “Damn it, Denny,” and moved in again for another deep plundering.
The second their lips touched, the slam of a door reverberated again and ripped them apart.
Garrick glanced to the left, and Devlin did too. Wyn walked toward them, without pausing, until he stood right beside them. He shifted his attention between Garrick and Devlin, and said, “I suddenly couldn’t remember if I locked my car.”
Liar. He’s a cop, and he came out to check on his friend.
Couldn’t have been better timing for Garrick either. He put his full focus on the shiny tile floor, wiped his mouth, and tried not to notice how much his hand shook. “I-I,” he didn’t dare make eye contact with Devlin again, “I have to go.”
Before Devlin or Wyn could say a word, Garrick managed to choke out a quick “Goodbye,” and without looking up, made it to the stairwell door and pushed through it. As the door eased closed behind him, he heard Wyn say, “Is there something you want to tell me, Dev?”
Garrick picked up the pace and flew down the stairs to his truck.
He didn’t dare stick around to hear Devlin’s response.
* * * *
Twenty minutes later, Garrick let himself into his room and made a beeline for the closet. He yanked it open, grabbed his duffel bag, and pulled the handful of shirts and jeans on hangers off the rod. After throwing everything on the couch, he ripped open the top drawer of the small dresser that also served as a stand for the TV. With one sweep of his arms, he scooped up his underwear and socks and tossed them into his bag. One fast trip into the second drawer to grab his T-shirts, and Garrick started shoving as much as would fit into the duffel. For the little bit of clothing remaining, Garrick grabbed a couple of plastic grocery bags from the recycling, filled them, and tied off the handles.
As he went into the bathroom and gathered his toiletries, he wondered where in the hell he would run next, and if he could find another new name to answer to when he had just started to find his way as Garrick.
Whatever happened, this time he would have to figure it out completely on his own.
Garrick stumbled on his way out of the bathroom. His knees hit the floor, his gaze landed on his refrigerator door, and he froze. Right in his l
ine of sight was a picture of Godzilla and a monster truck in a battle, something Shawn had drawn and proudly presented to Garrick. The kid had said if Garrick fixed the truck and drove it in the fight then Godzilla didn’t stand a chance.
Son of a bitch.
Tomorrow was Saturday. His yellow Post-It note reminder that he had to be down at Grace’s house by eight-thirty in the morning glared at him like a beaming sun. If Garrick bailed like a specter in the night, he screwed over Grace’s shot at building a new life too.
He couldn’t leave that woman in the lurch.
It would crush Shawn if he disappeared without an explanation. Garrick liked the kid; hell, he liked the less trustful Chloe too. He hadn’t been in their lives long, but he didn’t want to be just another guy who didn’t say goodbye.
And the truth was, he didn’t want to leave Devlin like he had either.
That kiss...
Garrick groaned as he relived tasting Devlin and touching him again. After what had transpired in that hallway, Garrick owed Devlin a private conversation, at the very least ... and Christ only knew what else.
He pushed himself upright and unpacked his clothes. Garrick didn’t know what in the hell he was going to do tomorrow, but he definitely wasn’t going anywhere tonight.
Garrick settled onto his couch for another long sleepless night.
Chapter Five
A soft knock sounded at Devlin’s bedroom door.
In bed after midnight, unable to sleep, Devlin called out “I’m awake,” and Maddie opened his door.
Looking like an absolute train wreck in her cut-off sweatpants and a ripped white T-shirt, Maddie studied him from the doorway. “Are you all right?” she asked, as she twisted her long hair into a bun on top of her head and secured it with a fabric-covered elastic band. “You disappeared there for a while tonight, and then you were kind of quiet when you came back.”
Damn. Devlin should have known Maddie wouldn’t quietly go to bed. After Wyn had come out searching for information earlier, Devlin had found himself brushing aside the man’s curiosity rather than prodding him for information as planned. Something about that exchange with Gradyn--Garrick--in the hallway kept Devlin mum. Whatever questions Devlin ended up having answered about Gradyn/Garrick, would happen between the two of them.
And no one else.
“Dev?” Maddie stayed where she was and practically bored holes in his forehead with her glaring. “What’s going on?”
“I’m fine.” He stretched his legs under the thin sheet covering him to the waist, stacked his hands behind his head, and let out an exaggerated sigh. “Just frustrated that I can’t get back to work. I’m tired with this lack of activity.”
“Uh-uh.” She pushed away from the doorjamb, and rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard that excuse too many times before.” With three steps, she was at the foot of his bed, too close for him to hide from her laser stare. “Are you sure this doesn’t have anything to do with disappearing tonight right after Garrick left, and with you calling him some other name at the garage yesterday?”
A streak of self-preservation shot adrenaline into Devlin’s heart, and he met his sister’s gaze with an equally arched brow. “Are you sure you’re fooling anybody with your biting comments directed at Wyn, least of all Wyn himself?” Maybe it was the kiss he’d shared in the hallway with Gradyn--Garrick--whomever--that had left his mind and body humming for hours afterward, but in watching Maddie with Wyn tonight, the truth of his sister’s feelings for the man had tumbled into place for Devlin. “You’re not feuding with Wyn because you dislike him; you’re doing it because you want him, but you don’t think he wants you back, and you don’t know how to handle it. Up until a few months ago, you guys were civil and even chummy sometimes.” He drilled her with an equally probing stare. “Something changed, Maddie. What happened between you and Wyn?”
They didn’t need proper lighting for Devlin to see Maddie’s face flush with color and her lips to thin down to almost nothing. “Fine.” She practically hissed the word, then did an about-face and strode to the door. “Be a jackass. Goodnight.”
She slammed his door as she let herself out, and guilt stabbed Devlin in the stomach.
“Shit.” When cursing didn’t release enough tension, Devlin growled and pulled his hair. He didn’t want Maddie sniffing around asking questions about Gradyn--Garrick, damn it--but that didn’t give him the right to take a jab at her in order to get her off his back. He loved his sister. In many ways, with Aidan leaving them for such a long time, it had often felt like him and Maddie against the world. Aside from that, Maddie was younger and more vulnerable than he was, and in a lot of ways Devlin saw himself as her protector.
Shit. Damn. Fuck.
Devlin threw off the sheet, slipped into some shorts and a T-shirt, and treaded to Maddie’s room. He knocked softly and then eased open the door, not allowing her the chance to deny him entry. Maddie sat in a chair by her window, her legs folded up to her chest, and her cheek resting on her knees. She wasn’t crying. Devlin didn’t think Maddie would dare let herself do something as girly as shed a few tears, but he knew the rough edges that made up his sister protected lots of soft places.
He moved to her side and stooped down until he was looking up at her partially hidden face. “I’m sorry for going at you like I did. It was cruel to exploit your feelings like that, and I’ll understand if you don’t feel like talking to me for a while.”
Maddie kept her arms curled tightly around her legs, but shifted her head to rest her chin on one knee. “There was no need to hit back below the belt, Dev. I wasn’t trying to start an inquisition about you, or Garrick, or anyone. I was just curious.”
“I know, and all I can say is that I’ve never met Garrick Langley before yesterday.” A technical truth, at best, but at this point Devlin could offer nothing else other than wild speculations. “But even if I am curious about him, and even if I did disappear to talk to him tonight, that doesn’t mean I want to discuss it with anyone, even though I know you only ask because you love me, and I can already see that you like Garrick a lot too.”
“I do like him.” Her eyes suddenly widened and took over her face. “But not like, you know, like him, like him. You don’t have to worry about that.”
He squeezed her foot. “I know that.” He looked past the tear-free eyes to the young woman with a wicked-rough crush on another man. “Now.”
The unspoken “Wyn” factor stiffened her spine. “I’m not ready to talk about that.”
“Fair enough.” Using his hand to brace himself against the arm of the chair, Devlin pushed to his feet. “I’m here if you change your mind, and I promise I won’t go asking Wyn any questions behind your back.” He paused at the door, his hand on the knob. “I’m going to ask you to do the same about Garrick.”
She pursed her lips for the longest time, deservedly making him sweat, but finally said, “You have a deal. ’Night.”
“Goodnight.”
Devlin gently pulled her door closed and went back to his own room. He pushed his door shut with his foot and stripped out of his clothes before crawling back into bed. With an apology to Maddie taken care of, the second Devlin’s naked skin hit the cool sheets, his thoughts drifted right back to Gradyn--Garrick--and what had transpired in the hall. The man had hardly said a word, but his kiss and the way he had touched Devlin felt like a rebranding of the mark of ownership Gradyn had put on his body back in San Francisco.
The sensations of that weekend still deeply imbedded in all of his senses, Devlin closed his eyes against the onslaught of feelings that attacked his body and mind. The memory of the first time Gradyn had taken him was so vivid it had Devlin lifting his arms toward the corners of his bed as he relived the feel of silk binding his wrists immobile, and the hard lips of that near stranger kissing his way toward Devlin’s cock...
*
...Gradyn kissed his way down Devlin’s stomach, pausing to swirl his tongue in the smear of their combined ejacul
ate, and Devlin’s abdomen quivered in response. He’d never been with a man in quite this way before, and Gradyn’s reveling in everything they did together went right to Devlin’s head.
Both of them.
Devlin’s erection throbbed wildly with renewed life, and it pushed against Gradyn’s neck, leaving new seed in its wake. Every lick Gradyn flicked or laved over Devlin’s lower stomach had Devlin pulling in deep breaths and rocking his hips in anticipation of what would happen next.
Blood flooded his dick as Gradyn inched closer, and Devlin wrapped his hands around the lengths of silk above his bound wrists, searching for a place to cling to that would hold him in this moment. His body buzzed from top to bottom, and when Gradyn poked his tongue into Devlin’s belly button, Devlin yanked against the restraints, his hands aching to shove Gradyn down to his prick. The bindings held firmly in place; a guttural noise scratched Devlin’s throat, full of unparalleled need, and his biceps popped with tension as he pulled and crushed his fingers around the ties.
Gradyn hummed as he finally moved lower and almost wrapped his lips around Devlin’s erection. He rubbed his face and smooth, bald head all over Devlin’s rearing cock, almost like an animal, and delivered hints of contact that had Devlin bucking his hips, searching for an opening to shove his cock inside.
Oh God. Devlin whimpered with the slight touches of cheek, forehead, and nose against the tip of his rigid penis. He spread his legs, silently begging for more. I feel like I’m going to die without it.
The teasing went on. Devlin tried to grab Gradyn again, only to have his wrists snap back against the bedposts. He swallowed a cry, whether from the quick sting of pain or the agony of being denied something for so long, he didn’t know, he just felt poised at the edge of a dark cliff, barely hanging on.
