Stay (Men of Hidden Creek )

by Avery Ford

  “Yes,” Austin lied. He’d have to commit the number to memory.

  “HC-4045.”

  “HC-4045,” Austin repeated. It was a breeze to remember. “I’ve got it. Thank you.”

  “Thank you for taking the time to phone in your concerns about the suspected crime scene,” the woman said. “If there’s nothing more, have a wonderful evening.”

  “There’s nothing else. Have a good night.”

  The call ended. Austin took the phone from his ear, texted himself the case number so he wouldn’t forget, and leaned against the shower wall. He let out the low, slow breath he’d been holding in and counted down from five in his head.

  Five.

  I did what I needed to do to keep everyone safe.

  Four.

  The police will take care of what we can’t.

  Three.

  No harm will come to me. No one knows I’m involved.

  Two.

  But what about Hale?

  One.

  Silence. Austin scrubbed at his face and tried not to think about what could have happened, and what dangers there could still be. He’d done his part to keep the McMillans safe—it was up to Hale and Michael to do the rest.

  He stepped out of the shower, turned off the vent, and left the bathroom. Hale and Michael were still arguing. Austin headed down the hall and cut into their conversation. “I’m going to head home. We did what we needed to do, and I need some sleep.”

  Hale turned to face him. “I’ll go with you.”

  “I need some time alone,” Austin said. It hurt him to turn Hale away, but he needed time to think. It had been one hell of a day, but the terror was over, and he was happy to go on living his life. “If you want, we can talk tomorrow. You’ve got my number now. I just need to make sure I wipe my mind, and I need to do that alone. Sorry.”

  “I… get it.” Hale offered him a smile, but it fell short of genuine. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure.” It was getting awkward. Austin looked to Michael. “I’m glad you’re okay. Have a good night and get some sleep, okay?”

  “Yeah. Will do. Thanks.” Michael’s reply was terse.

  It was time to go.

  Austin turned and left. He let himself out and was glad that his apartment was just across the hall. He wanted space between himself and what was happening in Michael’s apartment. He figured that it wouldn’t be long before Hale brought Michael back to their family home, or took him to the local motel where Michael could stay the night. It wasn’t safe in his apartment. Austin thought about texting both of them to make sure it happened, but he abandoned the thought when he sank down onto the couch and his exhaustion hit in full force. Before he knew it, his eyelids were dragging themselves downward, and he was on the cusp of sleep.

  Michael had served in the Navy. He had common sense. Nothing would happen. They were out of the thick of it, and now it was up to the police to do the rest. That night, Austin fell asleep feeling accomplished. He’d seen something through to the end—something he didn’t think he could handle. Maybe it was the start of a new upward trend. God knew he needed it.

  He had no dreams, and he slept soundly—at least, until a knock at his front door in the middle of the night startled him awake.

  Chapter Twenty

  Hale

  It was late when Hale slipped out of Michael’s apartment. The sun had long ago set, and the world had gone quiet. Not even the upstairs neighbors were active anymore—although, in their defense, Hale was pretty sure that Michael’s had been the noisiest apartment in the building after the shouting match they’d just been engaged in. A shouting match that had ultimately led nowhere, to his disappointment. Michael was as stubborn as he was, and neither side had been swayed. Hale knew that their friendship would survive, but he was pissed that Michael didn’t want to be transparent about what had happened. He claimed that tomorrow, after a full night’s sleep, he’d divulge what had really happened. Hale, convinced he was stalling for time so he could slip away in the middle of the night and never be seen again, had stuck around until Michael was fast asleep and snoring.

  He wasn’t going to lose his cousin after what he’d done to make sure he came home safely. Michael could be stubborn all he wanted, but Hale wasn’t going to budge. He wasn’t going to let Michael get away with whatever he had planned. If they were going to fight this thing, they were going to do it together. Michael wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.

  But now that Michael was asleep, Hale found he couldn’t settle down. The solution to his problems was right next door. If Austin was anywhere near as concerned about what had happened as he was, he wouldn’t be able to sleep, either. Enough time had passed that Hale assumed he’d be eager for some company. Being alone got lonely after a while.

  He knocked on Austin’s door.

  A moment passed. The locked clicked and the door opened a crack. The chain was in place. Austin peeped out.

  “It’s me,” Hale said. “I, um… well, I was wondering if I could come in. I don’t really want to be alone right now.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Like, three in the morning, I think. Maybe three-thirty.” Hale rubbed his arm. “I’m sorry for just showing up. I know it’s kind of a dick move, but I thought maybe you’d like some company, too, after having some alone time, and—”

  Austin closed the door in his face. Hale frowned.

  Well, that’s a clear message if I ever saw one. I’m going to take that to mean he wants me to fuck off…

  But before Hale could go, he heard the chain slide against its holder, and the door opened again—fully, this time.

  “Come in,” Austin said. “Who cares about sleep. Humans definitely don’t need it.”

  “You were sleeping? I’m sorry.” Hale came in and stood in front of Austin, feeling a little awkward. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “It happened. It’s not a big deal.” Austin shrugged. He pushed his hair back from his face, and Hale thought he looked more handsome than ever. The only thing sexier on Austin than bedhead was sex hair, and maybe, if Austin wanted some company between the sheets, Hale could see to that, too. “I’m… sorry that I got you involved in this, even when it was clear that you didn’t want to, but I want to thank you for placating my dumb ass. You really went above and beyond, and I’m grateful for your help. I never could have brought Michael home without you there to coach me through it and help me out.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Austin led Hale back to the couch. “If I really didn’t want to help you, I wouldn’t have. You might have forced my hand and made me strongly regret my choice, but I could have stopped at any time if I’d wanted. I didn’t. You can take from that what you will.”

  “I…” Hale let go of his inhibitions. They were only going to make him look like more of a fool. He reached out and ran his hand down Austin’s thigh. “I know that you said you wanted to be alone, but it was a tough day for both of us, and I could really use some company right now. I mean, if you want…”

  “Where’s the confident kid who forced his way into my life yesterday?” Austin asked with a wry smile. “He sure as shit isn’t here right now. If you want me to take you to bed, you’re going to have to be more seductive than that, Hale. I don’t think I’m ready to do the seducing just yet.”

  Hale grinned back. Even though things were tense and a little awkward, he was glad to know that Austin still felt something for him, even if he was too unsure of his sexuality to know just what it was. Hale realized that there was a very good chance that Austin would turn him down at some point—cast him out of his life and never look back—but for now, the comfort of his body was all Hale needed. He straddled Austin’s lap and sank down so he was grinding himself against Austin’s clothed cock.

  “You don’t need to seduce me. All you need me to do is take my clothes off and present my ass, and I’ll be ready for you. I’m so fucking hot for you, Austin. I’ll be yours anytime you want.”


  “Anytime?” Austin smirked. A dark glint passed through his eyes, made even more alluring by the low light in the room. He was starting to get hard—Hale felt him through his pants as he ground down. “That’s a dangerous thing to promise. You don’t know all the inappropriate times I get hot, do you? I might need to fuck you in public.”

  Hale smirked back. “If you’re brave enough to do that, then go for it. I’ve been out since I was thirteen—you’re the one with a stake in this.”

  “Not if I drag you into a bathroom,” Austin murmured. He pushed up against Hale, working their bodies together. “Or into an alley, or somewhere nice and secluded, where I can have you whenever I want, however often I want, without any inquisitive eyes watching.”

  Heat bloomed across Hale’s cheeks. “You want me to be available to you at all times?”

  “All the fucking time,” Austin confirmed. It was lust talking, Hale knew, but damn, if what Austin was saying wasn’t hot. “There might be times we do it, and try to go about our normal business again, only for me to drag you back into whatever private corner we found so I can screw you all over again. You make me so goddamn horny, looking like you do, acting like you do…”

  “You’re that hot for me?” The heat in Hale’s cheeks spread down his neck. “Fuck, Austin…”

  “You don’t know how good you feel.” Austin reached between their bodies, undoing his fly. He eased his cock out, and Hale instinctively wrapped his hand around it and started to stroke it slowly, maintaining Austin’s erection. “Fucking you last night was paradise.”

  “Then fuck me again tonight. Let’s take the edge off together.” Hale lifted his hips. With his free hand, he undid the button of his jeans, then worked them down as best he could. He did the same with his boxer-briefs, exposing his own stiff cock to Austin. He needed to get up to take off his pants completely, but the thought of parting from Austin’s lap felt like a terrible idea. “I want you back inside me.”

  “I want back inside you, too.”

  There was lotion on the table. It wasn’t ideal, but it would work. Reluctantly, Hale slipped off of Austin and removed his pants and boxer-briefs, then grabbed the lotion and settled back straddling Austin’s lap. He squirted a palmful onto his hand and slathered Austin’s cock in it, letting it saturate. His heart rate picked up, and excitement tingled down his spine.

  It took a little while before Austin was prepared the way he wanted him to be, but once he was there, Hale wasted no time. He sank down onto Austin’s lap and guided his slick cock into his body. If it hadn’t been for yesterday, he would have been too tight, but the fit was perfect, and Hale let out a whimpered gasp and closed his eyes, resting his head on Austin’s shoulder as he sank down and took his entire length.

  “Oh fuck,” Austin murmured. He took Austin by the hips and started to guide him up and down, working him on his cock. “How do you always feel so fucking good?”

  “Because I was made for you,” Hale said with a moan, already too horny to think of anything but how good it felt to have Austin’s cock inside of him. “Want you so bad, Austin. Fuck me. Fuck me all you want. I’m yours.”

  Austin moaned. The sound was tiny, but it had a huge impact on Hale’s cock. He wiggled his hips and sank down on Austin’s lap all over again, and Austin took that moment to take hold of his chin and kiss him hard. Hale moaned into his mouth and gyrated, moving in controlled, shallow motions while the kiss turned his insides to molten lava. Austin’s tongue traced along his lips, then plundered his mouth. Hale couldn’t stop moaning. Austin filled him in every way he could, and still, it didn’t feel like enough. Hale wanted more of him—needed more of him—and he couldn’t stop.

  The kiss was erotic and sexually charged, but Hale’s heart was in it one hundred percent. He ground against Austin’s lap and gently squeezed his walls. Austin moaned into his mouth, and the sound only plunged Hale deeper into their lust. If Austin always felt like this—if they always had this crazy chemistry—they’d never be able to stop fucking. At least, Hale wouldn’t want them to.

  Under the guidance of Austin’s hands, Hale started moving on his cock again. He lifted himself up and sank down in a slow, but satisfactory rhythm that didn’t disrupt the intensity of their kiss. Hale was fine with that—he didn’t want it to stop.

  When, at last, Austin pulled away to catch his breath, his eyes were clouded with lust. Hale didn’t think he’d ever seen anything as sexy.

  “Where do you want my cum?” Austin asked. “I want to put it inside you again. It’s so goddamn sexy to feel it in you when I go back to fuck you again.”

  “Put it inside.” Hale’s cock twitched, and his balls tightened. He was going to come, too. Thinking about Austin shooting inside of him turned him on like nothing else, and even though it was irresponsible, it was what he wanted. “Wanna feel you mark me.”

  “Gonna breed your fucking ass, Hale,” Austin rasped. He started pushing up into Hale as Hale rocked on his cock. “It’s so fucking hot.”

  “Fuck yes.” Hale leaned forward and nipped Austin’s earlobe. “Fuck me, Austin. Do it. I’m fucking filthy and I want it. I want you.”

  Austin choked back a moan and pulled Hale’s hips hard down onto his lap. At the same time, he thrust up, pushing deep into Hale. Hale gasped and started to grind his hips, working himself on the cock that had started to pump him full of cum. He’d never shared something so intimate with a sexual partner before, and it made his desire for Austin swell.

  “Oh fuck,” Austin panted. His breathing was strained now, his short, shallow breaths heavy. “You feel so fuckin’ good.”

  “More.” Hale tightened around him, seconds away from coming. He could feel Austin flowing into him, and he never wanted it to stop. “Please, Austin, give me more. Give it all to me. All of it. I was good for you, wasn’t I? Doesn’t my ass deserve it?”

  Austin grunted. His whole body tensed, and he pushed Hale back-first onto the couch without breaking the contact between them. Hale adjusted quickly, wrapping his legs around Austin and pushing against his ass with his feet, forcing them deeper. Austin bucked into him a few times, already too deep to do much more than change the pressure between their bodies, but it was enough. With a startled cry, Hale clenched and came.

  “Oh fuck yes,” Austin breathed as Hale released. “Oh fuck, you’re milking me. You’re milking the cum right from me when you get tight like that.”

  “Want it all,” Hale panted. He pushed with his feet, trying to force Austin in deeper. He was on fire, and he never wanted it to stop. “Want it all inside me. Fuck me. Never stop fucking me!”

  Then, suddenly, it was over. Austin collapsed down on top of him and crushed his lips with a fearsome kiss. Hale wrapped his arms around Austin’s neck and kissed him back, not like a casual hook-up, but like a lover. In the moments following their orgasm as their minds cleared, they kept kissing. Hale knew then that Austin wanted him all the time—not just when he was horny. He wouldn’t have kissed him otherwise.

  “Take me to bed,” Hale whispered when the kiss broke.

  Austin didn’t argue. He pulled his cock free from Hale, lifted him from the couch, and carried him to the bedroom. Hale didn’t feel the tremble in his arms or think of Austin as damaged goods. In that moment, Austin was whole, and powerful, and confident, even though he was broken.

  They made love in bed that night, Austin on top, between his legs, pushing Hale down into the mattress, and Hale loved every moment of it. When they slept, they did so in each other’s arms. After one of the scariest, most intense days of Hale’s life, he’d found the perfect reprieve.

  Austin.

  He didn’t know how many more nights he’d have like this, but he intended to cherish every one of them.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Austin

  Hale took a shower the next morning, dressed in yesterday’s clothes, and was ready to go. Austin watched as he groomed himself in the bathroom mirror, enamored, even though
he knew that he shouldn’t have been. Hale looked different when he didn’t have access to his beauty products, but Austin didn’t mind the change. His hair was a little less bouncy and radiant, and his skin was a little more uneven, but Austin thought he looked flawless no matter what. It was the energy inside that made him gorgeous, not necessarily the way he presented himself on the outside.

  The realization hit home much harder than it should have, and Austin found himself understanding some of what Dr. Shimota had told him in a whole different light.

  “We have to make it look like we weren’t… you know… last night,” Hale said before they left the apartment. “I mean, unless you want Michael to know that we, um… well, that you… fuck me. You know?”

  “I know.”

  “So we’re going to say that I came to your apartment first to drag you over, okay?”

  “Wait, what?” Austin blinked. “My apartment first?”

  “Right. Before we head next door to Michael’s.”

  “Michael slept there last night?” Austin gawked at Hale. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “What?”

  “You let him sleep there,” Austin said, hoping Hale would clue in. “In his apartment. Where he was kidnapped.”

  “I stayed with him until three in the morning, when I came to see you. No one was going to do anything. They would have already come if they were going to, and they’re not going to do it now that it’s daylight. It’s too risky.”

  “Too risky?” Austin didn’t want to sound like a dick, but he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You mean like leaving Michael in the first place his assailants would think to look for him?”

  Hale sighed. “It’s not really that bad. I know it sounds bad, but I mean… I weighed the risks, and it just wasn’t something I thought was an issue.”

  “Sometimes I don’t believe you,” Austin mumbled. He wasn’t mad, but he was in a state of disbelief. “Is it a McMillan thing? Whatever Michael did to get himself into this mess had to have been pretty short-sighted, too. I guess I know why you needed my help now. I can’t believe you let him do that.”