by Cara Dee
“I’m glad you’re here,” Darius said sleepily.
Gray hummed and brushed his fingertips up Darius’s bicep, underneath his T-shirt. “Remember on the yacht…we pretended we were somewhere else? Just you and me?”
As if Darius could forget. He pressed a kiss to Gray’s forehead. “Where do you wanna be?”
“Right here.”
Darius smiled before it was cut off by a yawn. It’d been ages since he was this comfortable. He’d taken a long, hot shower, he’d had the luxury of brushing his teeth, and now he had his knucklehead in his arms. He couldn’t ask for more.
“Good answer,” he whispered.
Gray scooted up a bit so they could share the same pillow, but it seemed he had something other than sleep on his mind. He pressed a light kiss to Darius’s lips, then inched back to gauge the reaction.
Did he honestly expect Darius to protest? At this point?
“Do that again,” Darius murmured.
Gray swallowed and inched forward. The next kiss lasted longer and slowed down time for Darius, who closed his eyes and cupped Gray’s cheek. He reveled in the moment; he reveled in Gray’s freedom.
They made out languidly, deeply, and Darius shivered every fucking time Gray touched him, whether it was on his face or his back. He was suddenly hypersensitive and craving Gray’s hands on him.
Gray ghosted his hand along Darius’s hip, then dipped between them to tease his fingers across Darius’s cock as it thickened in his boxer briefs.
A hot rush of lust spread inside Darius, and he caught on quick. He rolled Gray over, deepened the kiss, swallowed a moan, and pushed his pelvis against Gray’s.
“Yes,” Gray hissed. “I need you. I need you so much.”
Music to Darius’s ears. To be needed, to be craved. Getting rid of the clothes between them, he gave Gray the answer he wanted. Underwear landed on the floor, tee somewhere by the pillows, and Gray’s sweats over the lamp on the nightstand.
Darius sensed the urgency in Gray’s touches and had no issue matching the pace. Their kiss turned wet and hungry, and Gray was rock hard in no time. A shudder of yearning ripped down Darius’s spine as he wrapped his fingers around Gray’s cock and stroked him.
“I wanna fuck you.” Darius nipped at Gray’s jaw.
“I fucking insist,” Gray moaned. “From behind. I need it hard.”
Christ, yes. Darius was pushed back some, and Gray scrambled onto all fours, which…uh, something was missing. It was too fast.
“Gray, I didn’t exactly come prepared for—”
“Oh, right. I forgot.” Gray turned around again and reached up for a quick, hard kiss. “Next time, we’ll get lube.”
Next time?
Darius lost the plot when Gray ducked his head and engulfed Darius’s cock in his mouth. He cursed, taken aback by the force, and then hnnngh. “Fucking hell,” he panted. He felt Gray’s tongue swirling around the head, massaging the vein along the underside, and tracing the ridges. Sweet mother of… Darius gnashed his teeth and slipped his hands into Gray’s hair. It was still too fast, and it was a problem because Darius had to remain in control. He couldn’t lose it, and fuck if he didn’t want to.
After everything Gray had been through though, there was no way hard actually meant…truly hard. Right?
“You may have the world’s sexiest cock, Dare,” Gray mumbled around the head.
How did one respond to that, exactly?
All he managed was a groan as his cock was pushed down Gray’s throat. “If you keep at it, I’mma lose it too fast,” he warned, out of breath.
Gray eased off. “We can’t have that.” Then he coated Darius’s cock in saliva, making it abundantly clear it was what they’d use as lube.
It was slightly worrying to Darius, someone who admittedly didn’t have heaps of experience with fucking people up the ass. “Are, uh—”
“Yes, I’m sure. Even if we had lube right now, I’d wanna go without. Seriously. You fuck like a god, baby. Lemme feel you.”
Heat bled across Darius’s face and chest. Half bewildered, half possessed by lust, he yanked Gray up for a brutal kiss. His body was tense with frustrations and emotions he couldn’t decipher; all he could pinpoint was this urge to take. Hard.
“Promise you’ll tell me if it’s too much.”
“I promise,” Gray whispered into a final kiss. Then he turned around once more and pushed his ass out for Darius. “Get it, gorgeous. It’s yours.”
Darius shook his head and released a pent-up breath. The words coming outta Gray’s mouth were something else. He was, to be honest, way out of Darius’s league. Getting into position, Darius pushed the head of his cock against Gray’s ass and rubbed in the mix of saliva and pre-come. He gripped the base and gave himself a few quick, hard strokes, and he groaned under his breath. More fluids pulsed out of his slit, and the sight of Gray’s hole glistening made Darius’s mouth dry.
He forced himself inside slowly, inch by inch, and closed his eyes when he was overcome with pleasure.
Gray whimpered. “Finally… Goddamn, Darius…your cock is just…” He moaned.
Darius managed to take it easy for a few thrusts, but Gray just felt too good. Every push was its own little release, and he couldn’t help but chase after the next one faster.
His hands roamed Gray’s ass, his back, and down his sides and thighs. The skin-on-skin contact became a necessity. He had to have more, more of Gray, more of everything.
Spurred on by Gray’s sounds, Darius set a quicker pace and got lost in the sensations. The buildup inside of him was forceful enough that it shook him, his muscles flexing and tensing up. He changed the angle slightly and hit even deeper, and he cursed roundly.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” Gray chanted. “Harder, Dare. Right there.”
Darius groaned through clenched teeth, gripped Gray’s hips tighter, and slammed in. The sound of skin slapping rapidly fueled his hunger, and he gave up on the last shred of self-control. Everything became about the orgasms—or getting there. Fast. He fucked Gray hard and mercilessly, taking out months of frustration on one tight little asshole.
“Fuck, you feel perfect, boy.” Darius looked down between them and stroked his thumb where Gray’s ass cheeks were parted. “Jesus Christ, I have no words.”
Gray cried out hoarsely and clutched the headboard with one hand. The other was moving quickly up and down his cock. “I’m getting close,” he panted. “Fill me with your come, Darius. Give it to me. My ass needs it.”
Darius hissed. The kid was fucking indecent, and those words were enough to push Darius to the brink. His fingers dug into Gray’s hips, his thighs throbbed, and his balls felt heavy and full.
The pleasure crashed down on Darius moments later, and he surrendered with two brutal thrusts before he buried himself deep and came. Gray sucked in a breath, the sound choked and breathy, and he clenched down so hard around Darius that he didn’t know what to do with himself. The bliss sent him fucking flying, and Gray’s own orgasm only fueled the thick lust in the air.
Afterward, Darius collapsed next to Gray, lungs burning, the aftershocks sending tremors through him, and his mind perfectly at ease.
Gray went down too, gasping. “Just. What. I. Needed. Hunghh.”
Darius’s chest heaved with each intake of air. “Yeah. Me too. Fuck.”
With a breathless groan, Gray rolled over, half of his body landing on top of Darius. “I didn’t wanna come on the sheets, though, so…I’ll find you a new T-shirt in the morning.”
Darius blinked, and then his body rocked with a belly-laugh.
Gray’s smile was bashful and cute as fuck. “Stop laughing at me.”
Down to chuckles, Darius rolled onto his side and hugged the knucklehead close. “I’m honored my tee saved you from sleeping in a wet spot.”
“You get it!” Gray grinned and buried his face in the crook of Darius’s neck. Next, a yawn slipped out. “Mmm, you smell good.”
“So do
you.” Darius had never really cuddled before, not like this, but it was something he could get used to. Quickly. “We should get some sleep.”
Gray yawned again. “Mmhmm, yessir.”
Darius smiled tiredly and pressed his lips to Gray’s shoulder.
Fourteen
Across the island was a private airstrip buried in the middle of the jungle. The two pilots were used to showing tourists around the islands, bringing goods to and from Nassau, and taking fishermen to the best spots for bonefishing.
The short bus ride here had been tense, the air around them full of impatience and jitters.
Even Ryan was restless.
While everyone else was heading to Florida, Ryan and Ramirez were going on the smaller plane to Nassau on fake identities. They’d fly to Mexico City, followed by Tijuana. Then they’d drive across the border around midnight local time tonight, where their families would be waiting.
Mark, Ry’s brother-in-law, had told Angel to take some time off and rest up at his house in La Jolla.
“I’m gonna miss my carbine,” Ryan said wistfully. “It was so gorgeous.”
Darius chuckled and winced, genuinely regretful about it. It just hadn’t been possible to clear it. “I’ll get you a new one.”
“Won’t be the same.” Ry looked away and lit up a smoke. “Her name was Sally.”
Ha! “You just made that shit up.”
“Yeah, but it sounded legit.”
Not really. Darius smirked and glanced over at the boys, who were basically just staring at the pilot while he got the plane ready. There was nothing else out there to watch, and they were undoubtedly sick of the jungle.
Darius looked up at the clear blue sky, more than ready to get out of the Caribbean. His soul was fucking crying for the snowcapped mountains back in Washington. Unfortunately, it would be a while before he got there.
He didn’t wanna think of the shitstorm coming their way in Florida. Agents and officers were gonna bitch over jurisdiction, one corner yelling about international waters, another claiming this was clearly a federal matter, and local authorities getting started with whatever little scraps they could scrounge up.
“Looks like it’s time for me to split,” Ryan said. He jerked his chin at the smaller plane. They’d finished filling the tank, and Ramirez was returning.
“Dinner soon,” Darius told him. They locked hands and brought each other in for a one-armed hug. “Thank you for everything.”
“No worries. And remember what we talked about.” He leveled Darius with a serious look. “You can help the kid, but you can’t do the work for him.”
“I get it, Ma.”
“Fuck you.” He smirked wryly and turned to the boys. “Yo! I’m off, guys.” He spoke again when they walked toward him, and he put on his best grin. “Remember I was never here. You haven’t met me.”
“Except, we did,” Gray said, walking up to hug Ry. “You helped save our lives, Ryan. I will never forget it.”
“Me either,” Cole murmured. Soon, they were all crowding Ryan for hugs and words of gratitude, and Darius puckered his lips at his brother to be a dick. The man got adorably mushy sometimes.
Then it was time to board.
“So, we’re good?” Darius asked the pilot for confirmation.
“We’re good, sir.” He nodded. “We are landing in twenty minutes.”
“Copy that. Thanks, buddy.” Darius clapped him on the shoulder and left the cockpit.
Going with the truth had been the best approach, as Ramirez had advised.
Darius found his seat next to Gray and buckled in, relieved and ready. Almost stateside. Almost there. And one step closer to the mountains.
“Is something wrong?” Gray wondered, a crease appearing in his forehead.
Darius shook his head. “No. But since our landing wasn’t preauthorized and we don’t have passports, we had to call in. We went with the truth, that we’re coming in with ten American citizens who’ve escaped human trafficking.”
“Oh, wow. What did they say?”
“They rerouted us to a smaller airfield and said we’d be met by the police.”
Fil piped up from a couple rows back. “Will we be arrested?”
That, for some reason, made Niko wary. “Uh, I have an impressive record, but I did my time for that.”
“Don’t worry about it, kid. And no, no one’s getting arrested,” he answered so everyone heard. “They’ll bring us in for questioning. It’s gonna be a massive case, so count on frequent trips to the precinct.” Or the office in Miami once the FBI took over. “You just repeat the story, and don’t hesitate for a second to say you want a break. You’ve been through a lot, and officers sometimes need a reminder.”
“Understood,” Cole said with a nod. “When do you think we’ll see our families?”
“We’ll reach out as soon as the police are involved,” Darius promised. “I’m guessing you’ll see them in an hour or two.”
“Jesus,” Owen chuckled shakily. His chin quivered. “I can’t believe it’s happening.”
“Is anything else going on today?” Lee asked. “I want to lock myself in a room with my family and never leave.”
The weak joke fell flat, as Darius was sure many of the boys felt that way. Some would do it too. Hiding, fleeing, fighting, suppressing… It was rare that people did what was best for them right away. He sure as hell never had.
“Hospital,” Darius replied. “You’ll be taken to a hospital pretty fast. The interviews might continue there—I’m not sure.”
Surprise flowed through the plane for a minute. Pain and suffering had been part of their existence for months, so long that they’d grown used to it. Now there would be teams dedicated to healing them, to help and to rebuild.
“We are about to land, sir,” the pilot said over the radio.
“Oh God.” Fil sucked in a breath. “This is it. We’re almost home.”
Gray clutched Darius’s hand.
Darius turned his head to see the kid had closed his eyes and looked tense. So he threaded their fingers together and gave Gray’s hand a squeeze. “I’ve got you. It’s almost over.”
He nodded jerkily.
“Is it the flying?”
Gray shook his head. “Just can’t believe we made it. Literally, my brain refuses to accept it. I keep thinking something’s gonna go wrong.”
“I understand.”
It was a sunny day outside the window on Gray’s side, with beaches and hotel multiplexes along the coastline. Every foot they descended brought them closer to a reality these boys hadn’t lived in for a long time, and it was gonna be one hell of an adjustment to realize they were free.
It was unsettling for Darius too, though in other ways. Soon, everyone would scatter. The guys’ homes were all over the country, and they’d understandably wanna get back as soon as possible. Who was gonna look after them then? He didn’t fucking trust people. Getting shuffled into the system, from one place to another, was usually what happened.
Right before they landed, Darius dug out the hoodie he’d stashed under his seat. “Might wanna put this on now, knucklehead.”
Gray cracked one eye open and was momentarily startled when the plane touched the ground. “Um, why? No, I’m good.”
Darius sighed. He was gonna get to the bottom of why Gray didn’t wanna wear shirts. “It’s not for you, Gray,” he explained quietly. “It’s for your mother.”
With an emotionally charged reunion already ahead of them, Chloe didn’t need to see the abuse Gray had taken right away. She was going to find out soon enough. She was going to see all of it.
The boys had lost a fair amount of weight, especially the ones who’d traveled the same path as Gray. Add scars, wounds, facial hair that hadn’t been there before, and they all looked ragged, shaken, and mistreated.
“Oh my God, look, guys.” It was Charlie, who was seated right behind Gray. “That’s quite the escort.”
Darius peered out the windo
w and lifted his brow at the sight of two police cars driving alongside the plane.
“Here too,” Niko said, looking out the window on the other side.
“There’s more over there,” Gray murmured. Following his gaze, Darius spotted four police cars and two ambulances.
No media, thank Christ. The pilot had, on Darius’s request, asked that the police handle this without any statement to the press until they knew more. A request they hadn’t had much hopes would work, but so far, so good.
It didn’t take many minutes after touchdown for them to arrive at the smallest terminal he’d ever seen stateside. It was a structure with two gates and an air traffic control tower.
The pilot slowed to a stop at the end of the runway, and that was Darius’s cue to get ready.
Gray reluctantly put on the hoodie, appearing genuinely uncomfortable.
It bothered Darius. And worried him. PTSD would manifest itself in multiple ways.
He would have to address that later, though.
“I’m gonna step out first,” he told everyone. “You guys wait.” Lifting the levers in the door, he opened it slowly, well aware he’d have some guns pointed his way.
The blinding sun met him first.
He blinked and held up a hand, then glanced down the lowered steps.
Before anyone could say anything, he showed his palms to indicate he was cooperating. However, he was about to be a dick. As he descended the steps, he sensed the boys behind him, and it made the police officers more alert. Six men and women stood by their vehicles, guns aimed.
“Keep your hands up,” one hollered. “Identify yourself.”
“Darius Quinn.” Darius smiled, pumped by the thrill of the tension. They’d made it, and he could afford to enjoy the adrenaline rush now. “I’m returning with ten missing persons, but I may or may not be armed.”
That had their attention. Two officers on the flanks crept closer, and fingers probably connected with triggers.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Gray hissed behind him.
