by G. R. Lyons
The memory of that moment almost made Colby giggle: seeing the ghost just whoosh right out the door, like some invisible force had sucked him out, and then watching him beat his fists on an unseen barrier. The fury on Bad Man's face had been terrifying, but he couldn't get back in. Colby was safe.
Then again, Colby was only safe as long as he stayed inside the house. If he went outside, Bad Man would be able to get him. And Vic had talked about sending Colby away, which would mean having to endure Bad Man's presence all over again. Would Ryley do another spell wherever Colby went? What if he couldn't? What if he didn't want to?
But staying meant Vic wanted to touch him.
Colby didn't want Vic to be like Bad Man, but at least staying here meant he'd be free of the real Bad Man. Staying could be scary and awful, but leaving would be worse. He'd have to face his nightmares all over again. There was no way he'd survive that. He couldn't go back to that torture, not now that he knew the alternative.
Sucking in a deep breath, Colby got up on shaky legs and finished his shower, being extra thorough. Maybe, if he was prepared, it wouldn't be so bad, wouldn't be so painful. Maybe, if he got himself ready and started accepting it now, it wouldn't be so scary. And this was Vic, after all. Vic always touched him nicely. With any luck, this wouldn't be any different. Scarier, but no different.
Once he was as clean and stretched as he could get, Colby shut off the water, dried himself vigorously, and darted out to the bedroom. He snatched up his hoodie and slipped it on, zipping it all the way to his chin. The single layer wasn't nearly enough, but it would bolster him for the walk down the hallway. It would be the little bit of security he needed to get him to his goal.
Taking another deep breath, Colby walked out the door.
* * *
VIC SAT up in bed, going through his inbox on his phone so he'd know what contracts he had to work on tomorrow. He still had to decide what to do about Colby—whether to send him away or bear the torture of letting him stay—but he didn't want to think about that at the moment. It was too hard to decide. He didn't want Colby to leave, but he didn't see how the boy could safely stay, either.
A soft, shuffling sound reached his ears, and he looked up to see Colby coming down the hallway. Vic blinked. The boy was wearing only his hoodie, his little body practically swimming inside the oversized garment without all his other layers to fill it in. The thought of Colby being naked under that thing sent an unbearable bolt of arousal straight to Vic's cock. Fuck. He bunched the sheets in his lap with one hand and clutched his phone with the other as Colby stepped into the room.
“Hey, champ.” Vic swallowed hard. “What's–”
Colby took the phone from him and set it aside, then stripped off his hoodie with shaky hands and climbed up on the bed, straddling Vic's lap.
“Don't send me away,” the boy begged.
Vic blinked, trying to process the words. “What?”
“Don't send me away,” Colby repeated. “I'll do anything you want. Just…please…let me stay.”
Vic held up his hands, his fingers twitching with the need to touch all that exposed skin. “Colby–”
“You can fuck me,” Colby pleaded. “Use me however you want. Just don't make me leave.”
Vic was pretty sure his heart was going to jump out of his chest, it was beating so hard.
Fuck. He had a lap-full of very naked, beautiful boy, fresh from a shower if the clean scent of him meant anything. His skin was even still a bit rosy from the hot water. Then again, that was probably made worse by sheer nervousness. Vic never would have imagined that Colby had the courage necessary to make such a move.
Colby was offering him the very thing he'd been aching for ever since he was a teenager—and more so since he'd met this beautiful, sweet boy. Feeling the warmth of that little body pressed up against his, Vic's imagination raced with all sorts of filthy images, every possible way he could possess this boy and make him his.
But it was all just so wrong.
“Colby,” Vic forced out, his voice breaking on the word. His cock throbbed with need, but Vic had to resist. He couldn't do this. Not to him.
“Please,” Colby whispered, pressing closer. The little guy's body trembled as his knees tightened around Vic's hips, his hands desperately clutching Vic's shoulders. Colby shifted and let out a whimper, their foreheads touching and their noses pressed alongside one another, bringing their lips within a breath's space of contact.
Fuck. Those lips. It would take the barest effort for Vic to tilt his head and capture those lips with his. Gods knew he'd fantasized about it enough, and now it was on the verge of happening, assuming he lost all self-control.
No. He couldn't do it. The whole thing was just so wrong. Vic swallowed hard and tried to take a deep breath, but his chest ached while his heart continued hammering away, his whole body thrumming with need. It was so wrong, but he wanted it so badly.
“Please,” Colby whispered again, the movement of his mouth making his lower lip brush against Vic's.
“Fuck.” Vic grabbed Colby's head with both hands and crushed their mouths together. Oh gods. Colby's lips were perfect. Full and soft and warm. A voice in the back of Vic's head screamed at him that this was so many kinds of wrong, but he couldn't help himself. It just felt so damned good.
Except Colby was still. Not kissing back at all.
Vic blew out a shaky breath as he pulled back just enough to see Colby's face. He'd crossed a line. He knew it. Now that he'd actually taken something from the boy, Colby would be sure to panic.
Except he didn't see panic on Colby's face. All the determination and fear Colby had shown when he first came to Vic's room had melted away, replaced by confusion and curiosity.
Vic blinked, trying to catch his breath, and braced himself. Maybe the panic just hadn't hit yet.
Colby met Vic's eyes for the first time since coming into the room, then flicked his gaze down to Vic's mouth. Vic groaned at the sight. Colby tilted his head, a thoughtful look on his face, then slowly leaned in.
The boy touched his mouth to Vic's tentatively, curiously. He pulled back, then tried again. Vic let out a sigh as their lips connected once more, and he gently returned the kiss, letting Colby control the pace. The boy slowly caught on, watching and feeling the way Vic's mouth moved and trying to replicate it until Colby started to kiss back like he'd been doing it all his life.
Vic felt a moan rise up from somewhere deep inside him at the same moment Colby let out a whimper, but not like any whimper he'd made before. Instead of fear, the sound was full of longing.
“Fuck,” Vic breathed, throwing his arms around Colby and holding him tight as he deepened the kiss, coaxing Colby's mouth open until their tongues were battling for contact and their breathing became so erratic that they finally had to pull back just to get some oxygen.
Colby's skin was reddened all over, his eyes wide, his pupils so large that they nearly swallowed all the color. He slowly caught his breath, then let one hand fall away from Vic's neck only to bring his fingers up to his own bottom lip, touching it experimentally. The boy lightly touched Vic's lips, then traced his own again.
“That was kissing?” Colby asked in a whisper.
Vic nodded, not even bothering to try using words.
Colby lightly stroked his bottom lip from one side to the other, then one corner of his mouth twitched, curling up into a hint of a smile. He looked up, meeting Vic's eyes.
Colby whispered, “Can we do it again?”
Vic moaned. “Oh gods.” He just caught the growing smile on Colby's face as he swooped in to kiss the boy again. He couldn't resist. He was going to hate himself once this was over, but at the moment, he couldn't stop himself if his life depended on it.
He held Colby tighter, his hands moving all over that slim, naked back, barely even noticing all the scars under his fingers. Colby tilted his head, effectively deepening the kiss, and put his arms around Vic's shoulders, his little hands scrabbling for s
omething to hold onto, his slender fingers clutching Vic's hair again as he pressed forward, their chests hard up against one another.
Colby gasped, pulled back just a bit, and looked down.
Vic blinked and sucked in a breath, trying to get his head to clear. Had he done something wrong? Had he crossed another line without realizing it?
He followed Colby's gaze, and saw the boy's hard cock jutting straight up at him, now sandwiched between their bodies.
Colby tilted his head. “That's never happened without the candy before.”
Vic blinked. “Candy?”
Colby gave a slight nod. “Bad Man's special candy. He'd make me take it when I wasn't behaving.” His frown deepened. “It made it so I couldn't move, couldn't fight them. But then that would happen,” he continued, gesturing down with his chin.
Vic stared at him. Oh gods. Ahriman had drugged the poor boy. Drugged him into submission. “And this never happened without the dr– The candy? Ever?”
Colby looked up at him and shook his head.
Fuck. Vic tightened his hands on Colby's sides, fighting the urge to touch the boy in ways he'd only dreamt about.
In ways that Colby had apparently never experienced.
He shouldn't touch the boy. He knew he shouldn't. But he had to. Otherwise, he might lose his mind.
And Colby didn't look scared. More confused than anything. It only made Vic want to touch him more, want to give the boy the kind of pleasure he'd probably never known.
Or was Vic just trying to justify touching Colby for the sake of his own pleasure? Gods knew Vic had been desperate to have his sweet boy in all sorts of filthy ways from the very first day Colby had crept out of his bedroom to watch Vic play, but following through on that desire would only make him as bad as Ahriman. As bad as all the other men who'd had Colby. As bad as the man who'd abducted Cam.
A sick feeling wormed its way through Vic's gut, but temptation was still there, his heart slamming in his chest as his fingers itched to move.
His hands inched down to Colby's hips, his thumbs resting along the creases of the boy's thighs, that hard cock jutting up between them, right within Vic's reach. A shudder ran through Vic as he fought to keep his hands still.
“Vic?”
Vic blinked and jerked his head up, tearing his eyes away from Colby's cock.
Colby frowned. “You look…” He trailed off, then reached up and gently brushed his fingertips along Vic's eyebrow.
Vic melted into the touch, letting out a sigh. Such simple contact, yet the few times Colby had done so, it always sent the tension right out of him. Vic had no idea why it worked, only that it did, and that he loved it.
“Gods, that feels so good,” he murmured.
Colby stilled.
Vic opened his eyes. Shit. He couldn't be letting Colby make him feel good, not even so innocently. The poor boy had been used for other men's pleasure all his life. Vic couldn't be just another name on that list of monsters. He didn't want to, but he had to stop this.
He opened his mouth to say something, only for Colby to swoop in and kiss him again. Vic groaned, unable to resist kissing him back. Those lips were so perfect. Vic wasn't sure he'd ever get enough.
Colby leaned closer, his cock nudging against Vic's belly, and let out a moan that sounded of half pleasure and half surprise. Had the boy ever experienced any sexual pleasure of his own? Trauma could do all sorts of unusual things to the body, and if he'd only ever been hard while under the influence of a drug, it was entirely possible that Colby had never felt an orgasm in his life.
The very idea was too tempting to resist.
“Colby,” Vic whispered, leaning into Colby's touch as the boy resumed trailing his fingers all over Vic's face. “May I touch you?”
Colby paused, tilting his head. “You are touching me.”
“No, I mean…” Vic inched his hands closer to one another, his thumbs almost brushing the base of Colby's cock.
Colby looked down, then looked back up at Vic with a puzzled frown.
“Has anyone ever touched you there?” Vic whispered.
Colby shook his head, still looking confused.
Gods, forgive me. Vic slid one hand over, gently wrapped his fingers around the base of Colby's cock, and slowly stroked up toward the head.
Colby threw his head back and gasped, then gave an involuntary thrust into Vic's fist. “Vic…” he moaned.
Vic slid his other arm around Colby's waist and urged the boy closer, bringing their foreheads back together. “Does it feel good?”
Colby let out a shuddering breath and nodded.
Vic stroked again, and Colby slowly let go of Vic's shoulders, bringing his hands down Vic's body until his little fingers curled around the waistband of Vic's pants.
“No, sweetheart,” Vic whispered, letting go of Colby just long enough to bring the little guy's hands back up to his shoulders. “Just hold on to me.”
“But–”
Vic shook his head. He knew he shouldn't be touching the boy at all, but keeping it all about Colby rather than his own pleasure was the only way he thought he could justify it. The only way he could survive it. “This is for you.”
Colby started to protest, but Vic took hold of his cock again, stroking faster and more firmly, tearing a cry out of the little guy's throat. “Vic…”
“That's it,” Vic whispered. “Just feel. Enjoy it.”
Colby whimpered and moaned again, squeezing his eyes shut and holding on to Vic so hard that his arms shook. Vic kept stroking, dividing his gaze between his hand and Colby's face, loving the view of Colby's cock sliding through the former and making sure there was no sign of fear on the latter. With another moan, Colby thrust into Vic's hand at the same moment he jerked forward, slamming their lips together. Vic sighed as he returned the kiss, clutching that little body in his arms while he kept stroking the boy faster.
“Vic,” Colby whined between kisses. “Oh gods, Vic…What…What's happ– Oh.” Colby let out a shout, and Vic felt the little guy's cock pulse in his hand, covering his t-shirt with cum. Colby held on to Vic's shoulders so tight through the release that Vic was pretty sure he was going to be bruised, but it was completely worth it. The boy let out one more moaning gasp and collapsed against him.
Vic pulled his hand from between their bodies and put both arms around the boy, holding him close as he came down. It took everything Vic had to keep still, his own cock—rock-hard and aching—pressed firmly between their bodies, but he couldn't do anything about it. Wouldn't do anything about it. This couldn't be about him. It had to be about Colby, and only Colby. It had to be about the boy's pleasure and nothing else. Otherwise, Vic couldn't live with himself.
The rise and fall of Colby's chest had just begun to slow when Colby suddenly sucked in a breath and burst into tears.
Shit. Vic loosened his hold just in case the boy wanted to get away, but Colby only clung tighter, clutching Vic's shoulders and twisting Vic's shirt in his little fists as he cried these great, screaming sobs that seemed far more intense than such a little body could manage.
Vic held him through it, stroking his back and murmuring to him, just letting him cry. Hells, the poor guy more than deserved it.
“I've got you,” Vic told him, rocking slightly as he held the boy. “My poor, sweet boy. It's alright. I've got you.”
Colby cried for almost an hour, the sobs letting up only to start afresh. Vic felt the tears soaking into his shirt, and held the boy tighter. Finally, the sobs gave way to shuddering gasps, then to occasional sniffles, then steady, shallow breathing. It was several more minutes before Colby finally lifted his head from Vic's chest, blinking heavily as he sniffed.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Vic murmured, reaching up to wipe away a few stray tears. The poor little guy looked exhausted, and his face was lined with pain. “Headache?”
Colby slowly nodded.
“Tell you what: Why don't you go stand in a hot shower for a few minutes, blow your
nose real good,” Vic said, gently rubbing Colby's back, “and I'll go get you something for that headache. How's that sound?”
Colby blinked, and started to nod again, then he gasped and reached for the waistband of Vic's pants. “I didn't–”
“Hush.” Vic caught the boy's hands and brought them up to his mouth. He kissed Colby's knuckles, taking a deep breath as he fought the urge to let Colby touch him. “I'm just fine.”
“But–”
“Let's just get rid of that headache so you can get some sleep,” Vic murmured. He reached past Colby, grabbed a throw blanket lying across the foot of his bed, and wrapped it around the boy as he gently nudged him. “Come on.”
Colby blinked again, then finally seemed to take Vic at his word and slowly got up off the bed, clutching the blanket around himself. He took one shaky step, and Vic caught him around the waist.
“I've got you, sweetheart,” Vic murmured, lifting the boy to his hip, Colby's arms immediately going around Vic's shoulders.
Vic carried Colby down the hallway and into his own room, setting the boy on his feet and getting the shower started while Colby stood there, his eyelids drooping as he rubbed his temples. He left the boy to shower, took the blanket back to his room, restored his bed to rights, then went to get a glass of water and a bottle of pain meds, setting both on the washroom counter beside a pile of clean clothing, including all of Colby's usual layers. Vic was sure the boy would put on every single one of them.
He stopped at the bedroom doorway on his way out, listening to the shower run. His traitorous mind easily conjured up images of that beautiful, naked body, all soapy and wet, warm and slick. That body that had just been in his arms, that had finally gotten to experience real pleasure, and at Vic's hands. That body that was still so close, separated by a mere wall.