by Taylor Rylan
Dad, Papa, and the guys locked themselves in Samuel’s office. They had a lot to talk about and we weren’t going to be in on it. At least not yet. The story of our lives, really. The locked door was nothing new to me or Sean, but still, it did bother us. We both agreed that we had a right to know what was going on. It was our little brother who was missing. It was more than just a client. This time it was personal.
Of course, until they knew anything, they wouldn’t have any information to share. We waited. Drank coffee. Lots of coffee. Cammie was amazing, keeping the coffee pot brewed and full. Then again, we were on a working cattle ranch so coffee was a staple.
It took a few days, before Liam finally accepted that none of us blamed him for Rhett’s disappearance. It’d been several days—nothing. We were still waiting to hear any news pertaining to Rhett and his whereabouts. All we knew was that Mike could've taken him anywhere.
Liam seemed content to remain as close to me as I'd allow. I wasn’t about to push him away, either. Not only was he upset, so was I. I needed his comfort as much as he needed mine. When you spend so much time near someone, you get to know them well. I’d already learned a few things about Liam. I got to find out a lot more over those few days. I discovered that he loved caramel. Like absolutely crazy about it, so I made sure there were caramels available for him.
I also discovered that he fidgeted, a lot. Not just when he was awake either. Sleeping next to the man was an adventure. Each night he started with his head on my chest, though he didn’t stay there long. Liam was always on the move. Even when he was asleep. I discovered that his constant motion was a nervous habit. If I could redirect his thoughts, he calmed right down. A calm Liam was so much less headache inducing.
It took five days before we finally caught a break. Brian called Papa with some news, then Papa quickly called Jonathan to see if the lead panned out. We waited some more; there was nothing else we could do. We’d already waited five days. How much longer would we have to wait? Within minutes, Jonathan called again. We learned that Mike checked into a motel about forty minutes away from us. Jonathan and Travis were waiting for the rest of their crew to arrive before they called back with a plan of action.
Everyone was anxious. Waiting kept us all on pins and needles. Papa and Dad locked themselves in the office after talking to one of the crew again, and we were left to wait it out, once more. Those ten or so minutes of staring at the outside of the office door were agonizing. We heard sobbing from inside the office. That made us all even more anxious to find out what had happened. Was Rhett okay? Was he dead?
The door opened and I saw Dad holding a sobbing Papa in his arms. I squeezed Liam tight because I didn’t know what else to do. Dad wasn’t in much better shape than Papa. Both of them looking completely wrecked. For the first time in five days, I felt completely devastated, fearing the worse. That was until Dad looked at us and spoke.
“They’ve got him.” He said it so quietly that even Sean must not have heard because he asked Dad what he’d said.
"Rhett. They found Rhett. He was in the motel room where Mike was holed up. He’s alive—barely.” We let our held breath go, just to suck it in again when he finished. “Mike didn’t just kidnap Rhett; he beat and raped him repeatedly. He also stabbed him multiple times. He’s lost a lot of blood, has several broken bones, and shows signs of internal bleeding. They’ll call again later when they know which hospital he’s taken to," Dad recounted in between his own sobs. Papa was beside himself with grief and relief at the same time. He was openly crying and unable to speak at all.
We all started crying when Dad told us that Rhett had been rescued. There wasn’t a dry eye in the cabin. It was wonderful that so many people were concerned about Rhett’s wellbeing, though I wasn’t surprised. Most of Simon’s family only met Rhett a couple weeks ago, but it was easy to love Rhett. Everyone was praying for Rhett to recover from what Mike did to him. It didn’t matter if they knew him his whole life or only a short time.
Finally, we got a call telling us where Rhett was transported. We were out the door in no time, heading toward Rhett. After we arrived, we were told that Rhett had been taken in for emergency surgery.
Of course, that meant more waiting, but at least we had Rhett back and he was being cared for. It wasn’t until Sean grabbed my hand and pulled me out of Liam’s grasp that I realized that our dads weren’t waiting with the rest of us. We found them at the end of the hallway, talking to Jonathan, Travis, and Daniel. Upon our approach, Dad and Papa each wrapped their arms around us. It was a familiar gesture for sure.
We felt more stress knowing that Mike hadn’t been captured. He was still on the loose. The last thing I wanted to think about was that he was out there somewhere while Rhett was fighting for his life.
Papa assured us they would find him. When they did, he'd sure as hell pay for what he’d done to Rhett. In the meantime, we would wait and hope for the best for Rhett.
6 — Liam
When Jasper and Sean returned to the waiting room, you could tell they didn’t have good news. We were really hoping for some good news, but didn’t expect any. It was a little comforting having Rhett back. He was in surgery and who knew what would happen. I knew his family didn’t blame me. I couldn’t help blaming myself. If it wasn’t for me, Rhett wouldn’t have been kidnapped because he never would've known Mike. He wouldn’t have been on Mike’s radar.
“I can see those wheels turning in your head, and I’ll tell you once more, stop it.” Jasper surprised me when he came back into the waiting room. “This wasn’t your fault. This wasn’t your doing. This is completely on Mike. Got it?” I’d been so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn’t even notice when he, his brother, and dads returned.
I frowned and shook my head at Jasper. “How do…”
He put his hand up to halt my thought. “No, stop right now, Liam. I mean it. This was not your fault!” Jasper had been saying the same thing for days. I still felt responsible. Would they change their minds and look for someone to blame if Rhett didn’t make it?
While I was trying to convince myself that I was not to blame, a team of doctors came into the waiting room. They didn’t mince words when they told us the extent of Rhett’s injuries, Sean turned away from Simon. He threw up what little was in his stomach. I can tell you that I felt like joining him. There was no way I'd ever forgive myself for what Rhett was put through.
Rhett would be in ICU for several days in a medically-induced coma that would give his body time to heal. We waited for Jasper and Sean to peek at their brother in ICU before we retreated to the cabin. Daniel came with us. I guess he was to be our shadow. It helped me feel a little more secure, considering Mike was still somewhere out there. Would he come after me again? Would he finish what he started back in Seattle? What about everyone else who was sheltering me?
It was unnerving to say the least. I was jumpy. Every little noise freaked me out. I couldn’t help wondering if the source was Mike and if he’d found me at the ranch. I felt so bad for Jasper and Sean. Their brother was in the hospital. I needed to get my shit together so I could offer them even a little support. It was the least I could do since I knew I was at least partially responsible, even though everyone involved repeatedly told me otherwise. Try telling that to my brain, though.
I made my way toward Jasper’s room. I just took it for granted that he'd welcome me into his room again. Maybe I shouldn’t have. In thinking that, I stopped, hesitating in the doorway. I must have made a noise because Jasper turned and gave me a funny look.
“Are you okay?” Jasper turned toward me.
“I think maybe I should be asking you that. Are you okay, Jasper?”
“I’ve been better. Aren’t you coming in? I figured we should try to get some sleep.” I looked at my fingertips. “Though I doubt either of us will be able to.”
“I wasn’t sure that you would want me to share your room or if you wanted me to go back to the other room now that we know where Rh
ett is.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Get in here!” Jasper grabbed my arm and pulled me into the room. I guess that settled that; I was sleeping in his room. I sure wasn’t going to complain about that. I was still concerned about Rhett, I hoped that since he’d been returned to us, albeit in terrible shape, we could both manage a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.
“I just didn’t know if you still wanted me in here or not is all,” I replied to him meekly. What was it about Jasper that made me feel so off center? There was definitely something going on, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I’m not normally so unsure. I did have to consider that it’d been one hell of a month.
“Of course I want you in here, Liam. Why wouldn’t I? It has been very comforting to have you beside me these past several days. Why would I want that to end?”
I didn’t really know. Nor did I really care too much at that point. Really, I wanted some normalcy. A shower and curling up next to Jasper once again sounded wonderful. Who knew when he'd insist on me returning to the bedroom across the hall? If he wanted me with him for now, that’s where I would be.
“Okay, if you don’t mind, I’ll just grab a quick shower?” I managed to stammer out while walking slowly toward the ensuite bathroom.
“Sure, not a problem for me. I’ll be out here when you’re finished,” Jasper replied while sitting down to take off his boots. The last thing I wanted to do right then was go into that bathroom and shower, but that’s what I’d said I was going to do so that’s what I did.
When my quick wash and dash in the shower was complete, I brushed my teeth and made my way out into the room. I was so thankful for the thick log walls in Simon’s cabin. Despite the snow on the ground as well as the below freezing temperatures, it was still nice and cozy in the rooms, which was a good thing because I was always cold.
When I made it back into the room, it looked like Jasper fell asleep until I approached the bed.
“All finished?” he asked while sitting up.
“Yeah, I’m finished. You know I could've showered across the hall and then you wouldn’t have had to wait for me,” I replied while grabbing a pair of warm flannel pajama pants and a long-sleeve T-shirt.
“Yeah, but it’s really no big deal to wait. I’ll only be a few minutes. Go ahead and get into bed so you don’t get cold. I’ll be quick.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. After the week we endured, I was exhausted. It caught up with me all at once. I curled up on my side in the bed that Jasper and I shared for the past week, I immediately felt myself start to drift off. At the edges of my consciousness, I sensed Jasper crawl in behind me and wrap his arms around me. If I hadn’t been more asleep than awake, I'd have reacted to him kissing the back of my neck before he let out a deep breath and drifted off to sleep.
We pretty much awoke in the same position we fell asleep in; Jasper spooned behind me. Unlike other mornings, this morning Jasper’s hard cock gently pressed against my backside. When Jasper moaned quietly in his sleep, I felt myself instantly grow hard.
There was no way he'd be thrusting his dick into my ass like he was if he’d been awake. The two of us slept next to each other for a full week and never once had he given me any indication that he was interested in me, well not in a sexual way, anyway.
I tried to pull away before I embarrassed myself by moaning in pleasure. That attempt was halted by a sudden tightening of Jasper’s arms around me. He was certainly no longer asleep.
When his hips gave one last thrust, I couldn’t help the squeak that escaped from my throat. Now he was awake and rolling away from me quickly. I immediately missed his warm, hard body behind mine.
“Shit, sorry, Liam. I didn’t realize. I was asleep. I wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry.”
His apology told me that he hadn’t been dreaming of me. He didn’t desire me. His apology, his guilt, that was what I wanted to avoid. I felt a twinge of sadness because I wanted him to desire me. I wanted that more than anything. He was sorry for what happened while he was sleeping; that sure didn’t scream Liam, I want you.
I pretended like it wasn’t a big deal, like I understood how accidents happen. To me, though, it had been everything. “Don’t worry about it Jasper. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. You were probably dreaming about some hot, sexy guy next to you,” I replied before I rolled out of bed and went toward the door. I needed to escape before I made a complete fool of myself.
I reached and entered the bedroom and its adjoining bathroom across the hall before Jasper caught up with me. In my distress, I’d forgotten to lock the bedroom door so I could throw my pity party in solitude. I was simply too focused on reaching the bathroom.
Obviously, Jasper had other ideas. He grabbed my arm and spun me around to face him. When I looked up, I was face-to-face with a very pissed off Jasper.
“Why would I mean nothing by it, Liam?”
My mouth opened and shut, no sound coming out. It was quite an impressive impersonation of a fish out of water. That seemed to jolt Jasper. His anger quickly changed into something different. Something devious. Jasper picked me up and plopped me down on the bathroom counter. Damn it all if I didn’t squeak again! I really needed to do more than squeak when I was close to the man.
He pulled me to the edge of the counter and ground his still hard cock against me. My squeak turned into a gasp. When he moved forward and nibbled my neck, the gasp turned into a moan. I didn’t even think about holding back.
“Tell me something, Liam. Does this feel like I don’t want you?” Kiss. “Does this feel like I mean nothing by it?” Nibble. “I want you, and I do mean it.” Lick “Someday soon, I’ll have you.” His words sounded like a threat but there was no heat behind them. Well, not dangerous heat, anyway.
I was done for, completely turned on. Jasper could've done absolutely anything that he wanted. With his last words, he ground his hips against mine one last time. The delicious friction of his cock pressed against mine. He pulled away after placing one last gentle kiss against my neck. I got one last lust-filled smile before he gave his steel-hard cock a tug through his pants. He turned around and walked awkwardly out of the bathroom.
I couldn’t do anything except sit there on the counter and pant. Jasper made one of my most desired fantasies come true. He wanted me. That sexy man wanted me. He left me with a throbbing, leaking cock. I knew I had two choices, I could either jerk myself off in the shower, or hope and pray it went down on its own. I knew there was no way in hell it was going away without help so I opted for choice number one. I stripped out of my pajama pants and T-shirt and climbed into the steamy shower to jack-off to fantasies of Jasper plowing into me.
When I came on the shower tiles a few minutes later, I just about fell to my knees. The intensity of my orgasm roared through my body. It was so strong, my legs shook. I’d never had such a reaction to any man before. If the thought of Jasper did that, would the real thing be even more intense? Jesus, I sure hoped so. I imagined us lying on a bed, him pumping into me and my body limp as a wet noodle, satisfied and trembling with passion.
7 — Jasper
Holy shit! I couldn’t get out of the bathroom fast enough. I knew if I stayed I'd do something that I'd regret. I could have scared him off. The last thing I wanted to do was come on too strong, but I almost did. Maybe I did.
I had to remind myself that he had been put in a hospital by his boyfriend, beaten and raped, less than a month ago. He was still healing. How could I even tempt him? Why would I think he’d want to go a round or two with me between the sheets, or against the wall, or in the shower, or on the counter? My imagination was in overdrive; the possibilities with Liam were endless. He was so much smaller than me. I could easily handle his slight frame in any number of positions.
Even though I clearly turned Liam on and he wanted me, what exactly did that mean? Since Rupert, I have become extremely dominant in the bedroom and could be quite forceful. The way I wanted him in that moment, there
was no way I could have altered my primal behavior. Not even for him. I knew I had to take a step back and get my need for him under control. There was absolutely no way that I wanted to hurt him, ever.
I did the only thing I could do, I tugged my leaking cock and walked away from him. I didn’t stop until I was locked in the bathroom attached to the room Liam and I shared the past week. I didn’t even bother turning on the shower. I knew I wouldn’t be able to last long enough for the water to warm up. Instead, I stood in front of the sink. It was similar to the one I’d just set Liam on. I closed my eyes and thought about the blond-haired, blue-eyed man of my dreams. It took only a few pulls before I was painting the granite countertop with stripes of cum. Oh hell. I was in so much trouble.
After catching my breath, I decided to be my devious self and took a picture of my cum painting the bathroom sink and sent it to Liam with the attached message.
Me: Does it really look like I’m not interested? Because this is what happens when I think about fucking you against the bathroom sink.
When I didn’t get a reply back, I decided to clean up my mess and go about getting dressed. I wanted to go to the hospital and see if there was any change with Rhett. Before I could do that, I had to locate a little imp.
I found him hiding in the bedroom across the hallway. I tried the doorknob and was thankful that he still hadn’t locked the door. There was a towel wrapped around his small frame. He wasn’t wearing anything else. I couldn’t help but notice the tented towel he was sporting, which led me to believe he was pretty much in the same state as I was, completely turned on and needy.