by CJ Bishop
The boy trembled in Noah’s arms. “They…” he swallowed hard and coughed as a sob stuck in his throat. “They…do?”
“Yes.” Noah drew back and wiped the tears from Noel’s face. The pinch around his eyes told Noah that he was still in a little pain, though not nearly as much as before. “They’re gonna be our family now. Our real family. I told you it wouldn’t matter to them, that they would love you anyway.”
His chin trembling, Noah whispered, “What if they change their minds later? What’ll happen to us?”
“They’re not gonna change their minds.” The fear and uncertainty in Noel’s tear-filled eyes broke Noah’s heart; he had no experience with people this good. Neither of them did. Their mom had loved them, even accepted Noel for who he was, but she had let Jim into their lives. She didn’t know what a monster he really was, but she knew enough to know he wasn’t good for her kids, and still she stayed with him. “They’re not,” Noah assured. “I promise.”
Noah didn’t know why he was so certain of this—he’d only known them for a couple days or so—but he felt it deep down. Noel surely felt it, too, at least a little bit, because he hadn’t flinched or recoiled when the cowboy had touched him.
“It’s the truth.”
Both boys looked quickly to the door, startled by Devlin and Abel’s sudden appearance.
“I’m sorry,” Devlin said softly. “We didn’t mean to overhear your conversation.”
Noah shrugged and glanced at Noel. “It’s okay,” he mumbled. Noel instinctively grabbed onto him and clung to him fearfully despite the assurances that everything was going to be okay.
“Noah is right,” Devlin told Noel gently, pausing at the foot of the bed and coming no closer. Abel stood beside him, holding his hand. “We will never send you away. Either of you. I know you feel confused about who you are and who you think other people expect you to be, but no one in this family is going to make you feel bad about yourself, Noel. We don’t do that to each other. And when you’re ready, if you want to, we can sit down and talk about this, so you feel more comfortable with yourself and how you feel inside. But only when you’re ready.” He offered a small smile. “Okay?”
Holding tighter to Noah, Noel nodded without looking directly at Devlin.
“Good.” Devlin’s smile stretched a little. “For now, I just want you to rest and not worry about anything. Tomorrow, we’ll talk about why you were in so much pain. But you’re all right now. You don’t have to be afraid that the pain will come back. It won’t.”
Noah looked anxiously at Devlin. “Can he come home?”
“It’s best if he spends tonight here in the hospital,” Devlin said. “But I’ll stay with him.”
Noel squeezed Noah’s arm in a quiet panic, and Noah whispered, “I want to stay, too. I have to.”
“We’ll all stay,” Abel spoke up. He looked at Devlin. “Savannah can stay at Max’s tonight. She’s already over there.”
Devlin nodded. “Okay.” He smiled at the two boys. “I guess the four of us will have a sleepover, then.”
♦
Axel clamped one hand on top of his cowboy hat and rode his cowboy like a seasoned rodeo star. Stiff groans rumbled in Clint’s chest, his strong hands clutched around Axel’s hips, his back pressed hard against the rear sofa cushions. His shirt was open, and the front of his Wranglers shoved down, allowing Axel’s perfect ass full access to his engorged cock.
“Fuck…” Clint’s boot heels dug into the carpet, grinding the thick threads, his thighs straining as he pumped himself balls-deep inside his lover.
Sweat glazed Axel’s face and all the rest of his naked body. Almost naked body—but for his cowboy boots and Clint’s hat. “Oh my God…” Axel swallowed hard and gripped Clint’s strong shoulders. His knees ground into the cushions on either side of Clint’s hips, the toes of his boots hooked over the edge of the sofa. “Fuck, baby,” he gasped and rocked up and down on Clint’s steel shaft. “You’re gonna make me come.” He hugged Clint’s head and crushed his mouth in a desperate, fierce kiss, puffing and panting and whimpering.
A tense growl rolled up Clint’s throat, and he shifted their position, pinning Axel on his back against the sofa cushions.
“Oh fuck, baby…” Axel shuddered and clawed fists of Clint’s hair. “Fuck me—hard. I wanna come so bad.” His legs swung around the cowboy, and he snagged the rear of Clint’s jeans with his boot heels as he shoved his pants further down, off his hips and ass.
Clint grabbed the back of the sofa with one hand and the armrest above Axel’s head with his other, gripped hard and thrust into Axel with all his strength.
“Fuck!” Axel choked out loud and clawed Clint’s rock hard ass, gouging his flexing cheeks. “Fuck—yeah! Fuck me, cowboy!”
Sweat flicked from the tips of Clint’s short hair, his whole body a furnace as he pounded Axel’s tight ass. “Uuh! Fuck!” He released the sofa and scooped Axel’s hot, sweaty body into his arms, squeezing hard, as he fucked him wild and fierce. The sofa trembled and shook, rattling the end tables. A lamp unbalanced and crashed to the floor.
“OhGod-ohGod-ohfuuuck! Clint!”
When Axel was this jacked up, he needed no hands-on help. Clint’s slick, rippled abs ground Axel’s pulsing cock between them, raking his rigid shaft until a thick, strangled wail wrenched from Axel and wads of cum shot out of him.
“Yeah, baby,” Clint panted erratically and kissed him hard, fucking him with reckless abandon. His jaw clenched, and tight groans twisted up his throat. “Uuuhh! Shiiitt!” He slammed in deep and unloaded, pumping furiously as the orgasm knotted up his muscles. “Fuuuck!”
His phone rang—muffled inside the pocket of his Wranglers—while he was still caught in the grips of the orgasm, his throat constricted and breath hissing between clamped teeth as he thrust into Axel a few more times before releasing a forceful exhale and dropping down against the younger man.
His phone continued to ring.
Axel smiled, breath ragged, and ran his fingers through Clint’s damp, heated strands. “Might be important,” he panted quietly. “I mean, who calls you just to chat?”
With a disgruntled groan, Clint backed off Axel and tugged up his jeans, then sat back heavily on the sofa, the fly still open as he dug his cell from the front pocket. He breathed deep and let it out then answered the call. “Yeah?” he muttered, his breath uneven. He wiped his damp, heated face then let his hand fall exhausted onto Axel’s bare thigh, his skin sizzling hot beneath his palm.
“Don’t mean to disturb you,” Gabriel’s voice came over the line with a note of amusement. Clint quickly noted the tense undertone, though, and had a sudden gut feeling that bad news was coming. Gabriel cleared his throat. “I wanted to let you know that Noah’s brother Noel is in the hospital.”
“What?” Clint sat forward, brow cinching hard. “What happened?”
Axel sat up, uncertainty on his face. He didn’t interrupt Clint to ask questions. Instead, he began grabbing up his clothes and getting dressed.
“He started having bad stomach pains,” Gabriel told him, his voice knotted tight. “He’s okay now. But Devlin wants him to stay in the hospital overnight. He should be back home tomorrow.”
“What was wrong?” Clint asked.
Gabriel hesitated. “It’s…complicated,” he murmured. “I don’t want to try to explain it over the phone. You need to talk to Devlin, in person.”
Rubbing his mouth and jaw, Clint asked with a brittle edge, “Does it have to do with what that motherfucker did to him?”
Another brief pause. “Yeah,” Gabriel admitted low.
“But he’s okay?”
“Yes. Scared and exhausted, but Devlin assured us he would be fine. He, Abel, and Noah are staying with him at the hospital.”
“All right,” Clint whispered stiffly. “Good.”
A dark tone crept into Gabriel’s voice as he added, “Tell me you and Cochise tortured the fuck out of that cocksucker before you sent hi
m to hell.”
Clint nodded slowly and glanced at Axel as he sat down beside him. “Yeah,” he murmured with a chilling tone and squeezed Axel’s hand. “No worries there, brother.”
♦
The dim fluorescent light above the hospital bed had been twisted down to prevent the glow from shining on the boys’ faces. Noah blinked, coming awake without even remembering having gone to sleep. Noel was asleep beside him, huddled up against Noah. For as long as Noah could remember, Noel had snuggled him in his sleep. His mom had told them that even as babies, it was like Noel clung to Noah as if somewhere deep in his infant mind he already understood that Noah was his safe haven and always would be. It was Noah he’d turned to when he had bad dreams, Noah who had protected him from the monsters under the bed and in the closet. All the monsters…except for the one who lived right out in the open.
Noah trailed his fingertip through Noel’s soft hair. He laid his cheek against his brother’s head, and tears ran down his face. “I’m sorry, Noel,” he whispered, his voice unsteady. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” He closed his eyes and pressed his lips to his hair. “I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to stop him.”
Movement in the room snapped his eyes open again. Out of the shadows near the window, the cowboy emerged.
Noah bit his lower lip as his chin trembled. “I couldn’t save him from the real monster. I-I was like his hero, but…but I couldn’t save him.”
The cowboy walked to the bed, took off his hat and placed it on Noah’s head. “Even hero’s need backup,” he murmured low and deep and dragged his fingers lightly across Noah’s cheek. “You’re not alone anymore.” He stepped back as his hand fell away from Noah’s face. “Come hell or high water…” he nodded. “We got your back.”
Noah stared up at him from beneath the brim of the hat, tears in his eyes.
Leaving his hat with Noah, the cowboy moved to the door.
“Thank you,” Noah trembled. The cowboy paused as he started to open the door and looked at Noah. The boy’s face pinched with emotion, and another tear rolled down his cheek. “For killing the monster.”
The cowboy stared at him for a long moment, then spoke low, “This is where monsters come to die.” He nodded once. “Rest easy.”
An instant later, the cowboy was gone.
This is where monsters come to die.
Noah laid his head against Noel’s hair and closed his eyes, no longer afraid of the monsters in his dreams. If they got out…they would have to face the cowboy and all the others.
Noah adjusted the cowboy hat so it rested on both his and Noel’s heads and pulled the blanket up around their shoulders. God hadn’t sent them just one guardian angel—but a whole army.
Chapter 2
Cole turned to Gabe and spoke quietly. “I think the pact can wait until tomorrow before it takes effect.”
Glancing at the others, Abel asked, “The pact?”
Angel joined in, looking at Dane. “What’s he talking about?”
Holding up his hands in defense, Dane shook his head. “This was not my idea,” he told Angel. “I just want to make that clear right from the start.”
“What was not your idea?” Max narrowed his eyes, then shifted his stare to Cole. “What have you two done now?”
“Hey,” Gabe laughed. “It wasn’t my idea, either.”
“I’m getting worried,” Horatio mumbled.
Dane interjected. “Carl challenged us to take a celibacy pact until after the wedding.” He shot a glare at Gabe. “And like fuck it wasn’t your idea, too,” he laughed. “I recall you accepting the challenge right along with Cole.”
“What?” Angel stared at Dane, eyes wide. “And you accepted, too?”
“I told you,” Dane said. “It was all them. They accepted for all of us.”
Abel blinked. “They what?” He turned on Cole. “Are you crazy, man?”
Cole chuckled. “I’m starting to see the folly of my ways.”
“I should hope so,” Abel replied. “The wedding is almost two days away. We’re not supposed to…” he cocked an eyebrow. “…for two days?”
“It could be fun,” Cole smiled. “Think how hot and wild the wedding night will be.”
Dane snorted. “Think how embarrassing it will be, all of us standing up there before God with raging hard-ons.”
“Shit,” Gabe laughed. “He’s got a point there.”
“We’re all going to have a point if we go along with this,” Angel mumbled.
Abel laughed. “No shit.”
Sighing, Devlin shook his head. “Guys, what have you done to us?”
Axel scratched his temple and grinned. “Boy, you’re lucky Clint and I aren’t one of the couples. Clint would’ve stomped your asses—then nailed me, anyway.”
“So true,” Gabe chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to be the one to tell that cowboy he’s cut off. That’d be sheer suicide.”
“Talking about me behind my back, boy?”
Gabe turned around and practically collided with Clint. “No, no,” he assured quickly and patted Clint’s chest. “I would never do that, big boy.”
The brief levity of the celibacy talk had been a welcome reprieve from the extreme stress of the evening’s events, but the light mood drifted away when Devlin asked Clint, “Were they awake?”
“Noah was,” Clint said. His face hardened, and Abel shivered at the look in his jade eyes. “We should’ve brought that fucker back to the guest room and spent a few more days on him.”
“No argument here,” Abel whispered. “I feel sick that I have his blood in my veins.”
Cole stepped over and hugged him. “You don’t anymore, baby.” He kissed his lips and murmured, “We’ve purged you.” He nuzzled his ear. “Now you only have us inside you.”
“It’s true,” Devlin nodded. “That piece of shit has no part of you.”
“You’re one of us, son,” Max smiled. “Through and through.”
Abel leaned against Cole. “That makes me feel better.”
Devlin squeezed Max’s shoulder. “There’s nothing more we can do for the boys tonight, except let them sleep,” he said. “You should all go home and try to get some rest as well.” He glanced at Cole and scowled. “On second thought, maybe you should get in as much lovin’ as you can before you have to fast for two days.”
Disgruntled glares turned on Cole.
“What is this?” Clint asked Axel.
“Don’t worry,” Axel smiled. “It doesn’t involve us. Thank God.”
“Lucky you,” Horatio mumbled with a sour smile.
♦
Although sharing his burden with another person did nothing to change the situation, Nolan experienced a sense of relief as he explained the details to Samuel. “I have no choice,” he said. “I won’t lose my son. I don’t care what I have to do.” Up until a few days ago, the arrangement—though dreadful—had nonetheless seemed bearable to some degree. Nolan hadn’t had a love life to worry about disrupting. He didn’t date. It wasn’t as if Patrice was cutting off a huge part of his social life; he had no social life. He had no romantic interest.
Until Grid.
He isn’t an option. Just get him out of your head.
“There has to be a way out of this,” Samuel told him. “Nothing is one hundred percent infallible.”
“You don’t understand the kind of power they have behind them,” Nolan said. “They will turn this into an all-out war if I fight them. I can’t put Rueben through that.” His gaze drifted to his son who was sitting on the sofa, his focus shifting between his coloring book and the cartoon playing on TV. “As soon as I found out I had a son…” he looked at Samuel. “…he immediately became the most important thing in my life. I never saw myself as a father,” he admitted. “I didn’t think I wanted all that—marriage, kids—but now, with Rueben here, seeing this…” he swallowed thickly as he looked at the boy again. “…this miracle of life I helped create…” he shook his head. “I’
m completely overwhelmed. All I want is the best for my son, and to make his life as easy as possible. And if that means marrying Patrice and spending the rest of my life with her—or at least the next fifteen or so years of Rueben’s life—then I’ll do it.”
Samuel nodded slowly. “I totally get that. I do. If I had a child, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them, either. But don’t you think that your own misery that this situation will cause…will affect Rueben as well? Especially as he gets older?”
“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” Nolan offered with little hope. “Once I comply to Patrice’s wishes, and we get settled in together, she’ll get bored with me and pretty much leave me alone.”
“And then what?” Samuel asked. “What about your own personal…needs? What’re you going to do about that?”
Nolan sighed. “She’ll still be my wife. We’ll still make love. I won’t go without. And even if I had to, I’m used to it by now.”
You “were” used to it—until Grid came along and “woke” you up.
“And having sex with her will do it for you?”
Nolan frowned, suddenly anxious by the undertone in Samuel’s voice. “What do you mean?”
♦
Samuel hesitated; regardless his own assumptions about Nolan’s happiness—or lack thereof—and his previous suspicions of Nolan’s preferences…the man had never given any direct confirmation that he liked men. “I just mean, how can it be fulfilling to you if you aren’t in love with her and, in fact, don’t even really like her?” That wasn’t what he meant, but how could he just come right out and pin ‘gay’ on the man? If he was wrong, or Nolan wasn’t ready to accept or admit it, then Samuel’s current role as friend and confidant could very well be extracted.
“Honestly,” Nolan said. “Sex isn’t that big of a deal for me. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly a ladies’ man. The whole dating scene has never been my thing. I know it’s probably hard for a hot-blooded young stud like you to imagine…” he smiled. “…but I can survive on very little sex.”