by Cara Dee
It only got more intense when their tongues met, and the heat consumed Gray quickly. He wasn’t here on this yacht. He wasn’t someone’s property. He was somewhere else, where he had a choice, where his will was free, and he was making out with the sexiest man he’d seen.
There was nothing practiced or mechanical about this kiss. Darius was going all in, and it didn’t take long before Gray found himself underneath him. The back of the lounger was lowered without the kiss ever breaking. Gray sucked in a breath and exhaled around a groan. His hands roamed Darius’s back, his solid thighs, and up his incredible arms.
Desire shot through him at the feel of Darius’s cock against his own. It was less of a surprise that Gray was getting hard, but Darius… Unless he’d taken a magic blue pill in the past three or four hours… Or he was fantasizing heavily about women right now. Did that even work?
Gray didn’t care. Not right now. The bad memories were getting fuzzier and easier to push aside.
Swirling his tongue around Darius’s, Gray slipped a hand between their bodies and felt around Darius’s cock. Oh God. A full body shudder rocked Gray. He’d always loved the feel of a thick cock growing harder and harder. He made quick work of Darius’s pants and pushed them down his hips.
“Jesus fuck.” Darius drew a sharp breath and gripped Gray’s jaw. Their foreheads touched, and the sheer hunger in Darius’s eyes—
“Mr. B—oh. Ah… Sorry, sir, but we have to search—”
“Goddammit!” Darius growled furiously. “Can a man get some privacy around here?” In a second, he went from looking like he wanted to devour Gray, to wanting to fucking murder the two guards who now stood a couple loungers away.
Gray hid and reveled in the protection of Darius’s body, and maybe he’d gone too far. He was too ravaged by need, so he kept kissing every inch of skin he could reach. Darius’s neck, where he smelled fucking amazing, his shoulder, where Gray sank his teeth into the muscle and sucked at the flesh.
One of the guards got flustered, judging by the tremor in his voice, and Gray easily tuned the fucker out. ’Cause at the same time, Darius gave Gray a quick, drugging kiss and told him to get on his stomach.
Fuck yes.
We’re not here. We’re somewhere else. Just you and me.
As soon as Darius sat back on his heels, Gray stretched like a cat and rolled over, all too happy to shimmy out of his underwear. You want it, so it’s okay. It’s okay. You have a choice. He gasped as Darius’s warm body covered him, his scruff tickling his neck.
“They’re leaving,” Darius whispered.
Gray grunted something and blinked through the haze. The two guards were by the table now, paying them no mind.
“I want it…” Even to Gray’s ears, his plea sounded desperate.
Darius chuckled huskily. “Cocktease,” he accused under his breath. Reaching over to the table, he turned the little paper bag upside down, and a bottle of lube tumbled out.
“Oh yeah,” Gray exhaled. He rubbed his butt against Darius’s crotch. “You gonna give me that big, beautiful cock now?”
Darius coughed. “What the—the mouth on you, boy.”
Oh, whatever. Gray felt more like himself than he had in months. Could he have these minutes before they returned—stop it. Not going there. They had this moment.
He waited somewhat patiently while Darius lubed up his dick, and Gray squirmed every time he came in contact with the wetness. His own cock strained, trapped against the thin cushion.
We’re not here. We’re somewhere else. Just you and me.
He shivered and gusted out a long breath when he finally felt Darius between his legs. His long, thick, hard cock glided along Gray’s ass cheeks, slowly pressing between.
“Stop teasing, Darius.” Gray groaned and wriggled against the cock he wanted buried balls deep inside of him. “Please.”
“I’m not the one doing the teasing here.” Darius grazed his teeth along Gray’s neck. “One of us has gotta have some self-restraint, so—fuck—so quit it. You have a fuckable little ass, knucklehead. If you keep moving like that, I won’t be able to keep it at pretending.”
Pretending? No…fuck pretending! Gray made a frustrated sound and shoved back firmly enough to make Darius ease off. Then he turned onto his back again and pulled Darius down on him for a hard kiss.
“If you want my ass, it’s yours. I’m—” begging you. He froze for a millisecond. Kissing Darius, tasting him on his tongue, helped him relax once more. Okay, so he couldn’t beg. The notion was all but revolting, but he did want it. He wanted Darius so fucking much.
He could make Gray forget.
“Fuck me,” he whispered against Darius’s lips. “The only thing I wanna pretend is that we’re not here. We’re somewhere else.”
Understanding dawned in Darius’s severe gaze. They were so close, noses almost touching, breaths mingling, bodies flush. Gray could see the concerns Darius had. The extent of Gray’s abuse these months, if there were any triggers, if this would cause more harm…but sometimes a quick fix was needed.
“Somewhere else.” Darius’s quiet echo of Gray’s request settled it, and they’d run out of things to say. Their next kiss was slow and simmering with promise. It sent a heat wave through Gray, who melted underneath Darius.
Possibly not entirely convinced yet, Darius moved forward at a pace that should have been outlawed. He teased Gray’s ass with his fingers, then the head of his cock, for half an eternity, until Gray couldn’t help but puff out a breath and grin and ask if this was his first time.
Darius chuckled into a kiss. “Shut the fuck up, I’m tryna be a gentleman here.”
“Well, it’s not my first time…” Gray dug his heels into Darius’s ass. “By the way, I’m shit out of luck if I’m supposed to look like I don’t want this.”
“We’ve done enough to secure our cover.”
“That’s gotta be the unsexiest way ever to tell someone you’re wearing a condom…which you’re not.” Gray smiled to show he was kidding. And that it was literally the least of his worries.
“You really need to be quiet now.” Darius knew exactly how to silence him too. He pushed forward in one long, slow thrust and buried himself.
Gray hauled in a breath and screwed his eyes shut. He clung to the fiery sensations, although he realized now Darius had been going slow for a goddamn reason. Holy fuck, he stretched him good.
“Christ,” Darius hissed through clenched teeth.
“Mother of monster cocks,” Gray gasped, shifting carefully to get another spark of delicious pain bolting through him. “Keep g-going.”
Darius smirked against Gray’s jaw, out of breath, and started moving unhurriedly. “You’re something else, knucklehead. Are you okay?”
Gray nodded, slipping a hand between them to stroke himself. “As long as you don’t stop.”
There definitely wasn’t any stopping. They found a rhythm, a seductive push and pull that finally swept Gray away from everything else. Darius had the most sensual moves, and he seemed to have a big appetite for Gray.
“Tell me where we are, Gray.” Darius hooked his arm under Gray’s leg and drove in deep.
Gray inhaled sharply and threw his head back, ripples of burning pleasure coursing through him. He blinked at the sky and thought he was seeing things at first. But the black canvas of the sky really was filled with stars. Millions and millions of glittering dots.
“Somewhere else,” he whispered, pressing his lips to Darius’s shoulder. “Holy fuck, that feels good. Again.”
But Darius had something else in mind. They changed positions so Gray could be on top, and he sank down on Darius’s cock with a breathy moan. Instantly, Darius’s hands were all over Gray. In rough, greedy strokes, he manipulated Gray’s flesh and kissed him just as hungrily.
There was laughter… Red’s here. She’s at the table with the others… Gray shook his head and silenced the background noise. Then he cupped Darius’s jaw and threw himself into a
passionate kiss. We’re not here. We’re somewhere else. Just you and me. He rolled his hips and took Darius’s cock deep inside his ass, he sucked on Darius’s bottom lip and traced the texture with the tip of his tongue, he felt the coarse rasp of Darius’s scruff under his fingertips.
“You feel fucking incredible.” Darius ran his hands down Gray’s chest, up and down his thighs, and moved closer to his cock. “Use my hand.” He circled his fingers around the base of Gray’s dick and stroked upward until he could swipe his thumb over the wet tip.
Gray shuddered and wrapped his hands around Darius’s, and he got completely lost. He took Darius deep on every shift of his body but kept it slow in an attempt to draw it out. He didn’t want the moment to end. The kisses made everything foggy, and Darius’s hands on him made him feel so fucking desired.
“I don’t wanna be close already,” he panted. He could feel it, all the sensations dropping lower and growing more powerful.
“I shouldn’t be close already…” Darius was out of breath too, though it didn’t stop him from ravaging Gray in another deep kiss. Breathing was overrated anyway, and Gray let himself be swept away by the euphoria.
He cupped Darius’s cheeks, their tongues and breaths mingling, and rolled his hips hard to meet every thrust. Knowing that Darius was almost there pushed Gray closer to the brink.
“Come,” Gray whispered. “I wanna feel you.”
Darius groaned into the kiss, and his thighs tensed up. “Jesus Christ, Gray…” He circled his free arm around Gray and pulled him down on his cock, simultaneously stroking Gray off faster.
It was the urgency in the air that sent Gray flying. Darius’s erratic breathing, his gritty curse, how his muscles flexed. The second Darius went under and started coming, Gray was surrendering too. The orgasm pummeled through him like the sweetest fucking relief.
We’re not here. We’re somewhere else. Just you and me.
.
Twelve
Jonas was kneeling with his head bowed outside the door when Gray and Darius returned to their cabin.
A guard was standing there too, one whom Darius seemed pleased to see.
“Another night shift, I see.” He smiled and shook hands with the guard, as if they were buddies.
“Yup, just started, sir.” The guy chuckled and stifled a yawn. “I brought you your staff toy. Given the hour, Ms. Valerie could only allow two hours. I’ll be back then to pick him up, and if you need medical assistance for him, just call ahead.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Darius kept his face composed, which was more than anyone could say about Gray. He was sickened.
A reality check was what it was. The hour he’d spent on the top deck had given him a reprieve, and now they were back. He listened with one ear as the guard went on and advised Darius to keep his toys restrained, since there were two now, and that assistance was only a call away.
Jonas didn’t look up even once.
“I thought I’d catch Valerie before she goes to bed,” Darius said, opening the door to their suite. “Help me tie the pets.”
Man, this really was gonna be a long night. Gray had hoped they could postpone the shit with Valerie till tomorrow. Couldn’t they have breakfast together instead? Why did they have to meet up at a time of the day when some tipsy bitches were looking to score?
“You wanna miss out on your playtime to see Valerie?” The guard quirked a grin but was quick to do as told. He got Jonas on his feet and aimed for the hooks next to the bathroom door in the stateroom. It was the same spot Gray had sat on the floor and eaten from a dog bowl.
“If I get my way, my fun with this little thing won’t be temporary.” Darius patted Jonas on the head before ushering Gray to the bed. “Valerie’s the woman to see when you wanna discuss a price tag.”
“Understood, sir.” The guy secured Jonas to the wall while Gray ended up restrained to the bedpost on his side of the bed.
Darius slipped the key to the cuffs into Gray’s hand. “Be good for me. I won’t be long.”
Gray nodded once and worried his bottom lip with his teeth. Despite reassurances, he wasn’t sure they were in the clear from earlier. Occupying that lounger had possibly only delayed the search. Darius had seemed confident, but he couldn’t be one hundred percent certain. He’d said he had studied the guards who worked that shift enough to know they’d just skip the little supply closet where the lifeboat was hidden. With the gun.
Darius had mentioned the shift change too, and that the new guys who worked during the night had other tasks to focus on.
Still. What if they found the stuff Darius’s brother had hidden?
“Anything else you need from me, sir?” the guard asked.
Darius shook his head, only to think of something. “Actually, is everyone asleep? We were the last to leave the upper deck.”
“A couple gentlemen are gathered on the aft deck for brandy and cigars.”
“Thank you.” Darius dismissed the guard and closed the door, though he didn’t let go of the handle. He gave Gray a pointed look. “You know what to do, yeah?”
Gray nodded. “Unless the plans have changed again.”
“No, smartass, they haven’t changed.” His mouth twisted up a little. “I’ll be back as soon as I can—and quit worrying about the lifeboat.”
“How come you aren’t worried?” Gray blurted out, because he didn’t get it.
To Darius’s credit, he didn’t lose his patience. Instead, he walked over and squatted down in front of Gray. “You have to consider the leap, knucklehead. Valerie ordered that search to appease us, not because she’s actually worried. A crowbar is nothing when there’s no suspicion. You and I may see hiding spots and risks of guns being found, but they don’t know what we know.” He gave Gray’s leg a squeeze and stood up again. “They’re most likely thinking it was left behind from some maintenance shit. So when you’re not expecting to find anything, you won’t look as hard. Okay?”
Gray gave another nod, and he mulled over what Darius had said. It made sense when he put it like that.
Darius left shortly after, and Gray didn’t waste any time uncuffing himself. Jonas lifted his gaze and observed Gray as he slid farther down the bed and held up the key between his fingers.
“We can trust you, right?”
Jonas’s expression didn’t change. It stayed empty, and maybe a little curious. “I have an eight-year-old brother I have to get back to. He’s on his own—or stuck in the system, I guess. I haven’t seen him in over a year.”
Good enough. There was no way to confirm anything out here, and they didn’t have the time to take any more steps back. Gray leaned forward and turned the key in the lock.
“Thanks. What do you need from me?” Jonas looked up at him with big light-brown eyes, and it tugged at Gray. They were close in age and body build, but there was an innocence about Jonas that had been tainted by horror. The guy had seen too much, and it showed.
“I don’t know yet,” Gray admitted. “Darius will fill you in about tomorrow when he comes back.”
“Darius,” Jonas replied softly to himself. He pulled up his knees and hugged them to his chest. “I’m still expecting this to go to shit.”
“You and me both.” Gray snorted and rounded the bed to check the fridge under the desk. Darius had saved some leftovers for them, and there was plenty of water and juice and snacks. “Are you hungry?”
“A little.”
Gray grabbed what he could carry and returned to his side of the bed. “So, um…do you mind if I ask some questions?”
“Go for it.” Jonas nodded in thanks and accepted a bag of chips, and it just wasn’t good enough. Sensing his apprehension, Gray asked if it wouldn’t be more comfortable to sit on the bed. Or if he’d like to sit at the desk; either way, he didn’t want Jonas to sit on the floor.
Jonas cleared his throat and awkwardly got off the floor, then settled down on the bottom corner of the bed. It was as if he was afraid the bed was gonna
bite him.
Actually…it was as if he didn’t have any good memories from being in a bed lately.
“Darius won’t lay a hand on you,” Gray murmured. “You’re safe here.”
“He’s been vicious with you.” Jonas glanced at him hesitantly. “I was in the central den the night he bought you. I saw what he did.”
Gray swallowed hard. “What he had to do,” he corrected, gingerly feeling the scarred digits along the back of his neck. “He didn’t have a choice. He has to make sure our cover isn’t blown.” The markings were healing slowly, though without infection. The same couldn’t be said for the tattooed barcode, which reminded Gray to take his antibiotics.
“I hope that’s true.” Jonas stared at his lap and opened the bag of potato chips. “He’s been watching me a lot, and I don’t wanna be the next one who gets tortured to death.”
Gray flinched, even as he registered the hint of dark humor, and managed a forced smile. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that he’s always planning the next strategy if one fails.” He paused and opened a bottle of water. “Look, I have doubts too. I’m scared shitless to believe this might work. But if there’s anyone who can get us out of here, it’s him. That, I believe with all my heart.”
Jonas nodded once and chewed slowly on a handful of chips. “Okay. Ask your questions.”
Releasing a breath, Gray gathered his thoughts and went through the things Darius had told him. Mainly, he was interested in the organization’s operations, how big it was, and what kind of trouble they could expect.
Hopefully, Jonas would have some intel.
“Do you know exactly how many are on board?” Gray asked first. “In terms of security, other staff, buyers…”
Jonas squinted at nothing and scratched his thigh. “I know there should be five buyers left, and one of them has a girlfriend or wife on board too.” That had to be Charlie’s owner. Which meant Linus’s buyer had left with a woman too. “Security and staff… Those lines are blurrier. There are ten of us who—well…eight now. Who do the stuff I do. Bartend, serve dinner…” He trailed off and looked away for a moment, and Gray could fill in the rest of that sentence on his own. Jonas and the others on the waitstaff were disposable. “I’m not sure exactly how many guards there are—maybe nine or ten. Two of them are here against their will too.”
