by Stormy Glenn
“Billy, stay, please.”
Billy tried to swallow the lump lingering in his throat. He ached to stay, to believe in the promises simmering in Rourke’s eyes. But he knew they were lies. Rourke was just like everyone else, promising things to get Billy to do what they wanted. He didn’t really mean them.
Billy shook his head regretfully. Deep sorrow seemed to weigh him down, making each step he took away from Rourke harder. He felt like he was walking in quicksand. His life had become a bitter battle, and he was losing.
Billy’s legs suddenly gave out beneath him as the huge, painful knot inside of him expanded. He dropped to his knees, unable to keep standing, and covered his mouth as his eyes filled with tears of frustration. He just wanted it all to end.
Rourke was beside him before he even realized that the man had moved. Billy shuddered deeply when he felt Rourke’s arms wrap around him. He could no more have prevented himself from leaning into the stronger man than he could have stopped Clem from beating him.
“Billy, baby,” Rourke whispered, “it’ll be all right.”
“It won’t,” Billy insisted, sniffling.
“I’ll make it all right, baby, I promise.”
Billy felt Rourke’s mouth press against the side of his head. He bit his lip to control his sob of need. Billy would give almost anything in the world for Rourke to mean what his gentle touches promised.
“Come home with me, Billy.”
“Okay,” Billy whispered, no longer able to deny his need to be close to Rourke. A hot tear rolled down his cheek as he realized he would take whatever Rourke had to give to him, even if the man didn’t really mean it. He was that desperate to feel wanted.
Rourke helped Billy to his feet, keeping his arm wrapped around his shoulders. Billy didn’t really see where they were going. He didn’t really care. The last traces of resistance vanished from Billy as Rourke led him through the trees.
“I’m tired, Rourke.”
“I know, baby,” Rourke replied, his voice hard. “You can rest as soon as we get home.”
Home.
The effect on Billy at that word, and the way Rourke said it, was shattering. Rourke made it sound like heaven on earth, like Billy might really belong there. Billy swallowed hard and bit back his tears. He wanted it so bad. He wanted Rourke.
Billy leaned against Rourke’s bigger form and tried not to think of anything. He was pretty good at that. Usually during one of Clem’s beatings, Billy would hide inside his fantasies of Rourke. With Rourke by his side and the knowledge that the things he longed for would never come to be, Billy had to go somewhere else.
He blanked his mind and stared down at his feet, watching himself take each measured step. His mind started to wander, watching Rourke’s dark tan cowboy boots walk next to him. Rourke’s feet were so much bigger than his.
Billy cried out when a sudden hard shove against his back sent him crashing to the ground. Pain throbbed through his knees and radiated out to every nerve in his body. He looked up to ask Rourke what happened just in time to see the man fly past him.
He choked back a frightened cry when he saw another man hovering over the top of Rourke, throwing punches at him. “Clem, no!” Billy screamed as he climbed to his feet and ran toward the two struggling men.
Rourke had rolled over and started defending himself, punching Clem back, by the time Billy reached them. Billy jumped on Clem’s back, trying to distract his brother or something. He wasn’t really sure. He just knew he couldn’t let Clem hurt Rourke.
“You can’t have him!” Clem shouted as he swung his fists at Rourke again and again. “He’s mine. I won’t let you have him.”
“Clem!” Billy screamed again. He pounded on Clem’s back with his fists. “Leave Rourke alone. He didn’t do anything.”
Billy was suddenly pulled off of Clem’s back. Hard fingers wrapped around his arms and shook Billy so hard his teeth rattled.
“You’re mine!” Clem shouted.
“No, Clem!”
“Yes!” Clem shouted. His face was red with rage, his eyes wild. Billy shrank back when Clem leaned toward him. He’d never been so terrified in all of his life, not even when Clem beat him. “You belong to me, and I’ll kill you before I let them take you away from me.”
Billy’s eyes widened as Clem’s hands moved from his arms toward his throat. He knew in that moment that his brother was insane. It was disturbingly apparent in the wildness in his eyes. He also knew his brother had every intention of following through with his words. Clem was going to kill him.
Billy cried out when he was suddenly tossed aside like he weighed less than a feather. He landed hard on the ground, the air rushing from his lungs. He could hear the fight continue around him. He just couldn’t look. He couldn’t breathe. When someone suddenly leaned over the top of him, Billy shrank back and whimpered in fear.
“Ssh, Billy,” Rourke said quickly as his hands started roaming over Billy’s body. “It’s just me.”
“Clem?”
“He ran off into the woods.”
“He’s…” Billy clutched desperately at Rourke’s shirt. He had to make Rourke understand the danger he was in. “He’s crazy, Rourke. Clem’s not right in the head.”
“I know, Billy.”
“He was going to kill me.”
“I won’t ever let that happen, Billy.”
Billy could feel his body start to tremble as Rourke scooped him up and stood, starting toward the house. He leaned his head against Rourke’s chest, closing his eyes when the tress passing them by so quickly made his head spin.
“I’m not sure you can stop it, Rourke.”
“I can, and I will, Billy.” A low growl rumbled through Rourke’s chest, vibrating against Billy’s cheek.” Clem will never touch another hair on your head.”
Billy pressed his lips together and turned his face towards Rourke’s chest. He had seen the madness in Clem’s eyes. He wasn’t sure anyone could stop his brother. Billy wasn’t so worried about himself, but if Clem went after Rourke, Billy would be devastated.
“Don’t let him hurt you, Rourke, please,” Billy pleaded as he looked up at the man carrying him through the woods. “You have to be safe.”
“I’m fine, Billy, don’t worry. I can take care of myself.”
“No, you don’t understand.” Billy shook his head frantically. How could he make Rourke understand? “I don’t think I can keep you safe anymore, not now. Clem is angrier than I’ve ever seen him. I don’t know if I can keep him away from you this time.”
A tense silence grew between them as Rourke stumbled to a stop and stared down at him. Billy’s chest felt like it would burst as he held his breath. Rourke’s mouth took on an unpleasant twist.
“What do you mean keep me safe?”
Billy didn’t know what to think when Rourke suddenly lowered him to the ground, but a moment later, Rourke’s arms were once again around him, pulling him close. Rourke’s hands cupped Billy’s face and tilted it up.
“What have you done, Billy?”
“I…uh…nothing.”
“Billy.”
“I can’t tell you,” Billy whispered, quickly lowering his eyes. Rourke’s stare was too intense. Billy felt like the man could see right down into his soul and read every secret he had buried deep inside of him.
“Please, baby, I need to know what you did.”
Billy groaned because he knew he couldn’t deny Rourke’s request, not when the man worded it like that. “I just kept Clem away from you, that’s all.”
“How, baby?”
Billy shrugged. “I just gave him other things to think about.”
“Has Clem ever touched you?” Rourke’s growl sounded so fierce that Billy couldn’t keep himself from looking up. He inhaled swiftly at the pulse ticking in Rourke’s clenched jaw. Billy quickly shook his head.
“No.”
“Billy.”
“I swear, Rourke, Clem’s never touched me, not like you mean. H
e knocks me around from time to time but…” Billy shook his head again. “You’re the only one that’s ever touched me like that.”
Rourke’s facial features suddenly softened, a small grin coming over his lips. “No one has ever kissed you before?”
“N-no.” The heat that seemed to suddenly fill Rourke’s green eyes made Billy nervous. He’d never seen a look like that aimed in his direction. It made him feel achy, needy. It made him want to rub himself against Rourke and feel the man’s hands on his naked body.
And that unfamiliar feeling frightened Billy.
“Ro-Rourke.”
Rourke’s expression stilled and grew serious. His hands tightened around Billy’s face enough to hold him still but not hurt him. “I’m going to kiss you again, baby. If you don’t want me to, you need to say something now.”
Billy blinked as Rourke’s head slowly lowered toward his. He knew Rourke was giving him time to pull away and say no. Billy didn’t want to pull away. He wanted to push closer. When Rourke’s lips finally settled over his, Billy sighed deeply. He still thought kissing Rourke was one of the most wonderful things he had ever experienced.
Rourke’s hands gently moved over Billy just as his lips did, filling Billy with hot need. He remembered their last kisses and opened his mouth. The groan that came from Rourke told Billy he did good, that Rourke liked it.
The kiss became more intense. Rourke’s lips pressed harder against Billy’s. The man’s tongue came out and swept across the opening of Billy’s mouth before delving inside to explore and arouse.
Billy’s mind went into overload when he felt Rourke’s tongue brush against his, then it melted all together. Gentle hands stroked over his heated skin, moving gently down his back to cup his ass. Billy moaned and went up on his tiptoes.
His hands clenched against Rourke’s rock solid shoulders when their bodies came together, and Billy felt the hardness of the man’s cock pressing back against him. That hard cock was for him.
Him.
Billy Thornton.
“I want you, Billy,” Rourke whispered as he pulled out of the kiss and stared down at Billy with half-lidded eyes. “I want to do wonderfully wicked things to you, but I don’t want to scare you.”
“No-not scared.” Billy lied through his teeth. He was terrified, but not of what Rourke would do to him. That he wanted. Billy was terrified of how he would deal with life after Rourke no longer wanted him.
“But you are hurt, and that means I have to be careful with you.” Rourke blew out a deep breath as if he had been holding it for ages. “I swore I would never do anything to hurt you, and that includes anything that happens between us, if something happens between us. It doesn’t matter how much I want it.”
“What about what I want?”
Rourke chuckled. “Your wants are very important here, Billy.”
“Then I want something to happen between us.”
Billy almost thought Rourke was nervous when the man swallowed hard. But that couldn’t be right. Rourke was the most self-assured man he’d ever met in his life.
“Rourke?”
“You have no idea what your words do to me, do you?”
“I’m sorry.” Billy suddenly worried that he might have offended Rourke somehow. He’d never been in this position before, never expressed his desires. He didn’t know if there were boundaries, rules. He wished he’d kept his mouth shut once again.
“Don’t be, baby.” Rourke’s thumb rubbed across Billy’s lips. “I like hearing them. I like hearing anything you have to say.”
Billy decided to go out on a limb and be honest with Rourke about what he liked. “I like it when you call me baby.”
Rourke grinned, and Billy felt something flutter in his chest.
“Then I’ll call you baby from now on.”
Billy’s face flushed. Rourke was looking at him like an ice cream cone that needed to be licked. The warmth in his face seemed to spread throughout Billy’s body, heating him and making him feel anxious.
“Come on, baby, let’s get you home and cleaned up,” Rourke said as he turned Billy around and started escorting him through the woods again. “Maybe after you get some rest we can see what else you like.”
“Oh,” Billy panted softly, just imagining what they could do together, and he had a pretty good imagination. He’d been fantasizing for years. “Yes, please.”
“We’re still going to need to talk with Ma and Da about what happened in the woods with Clem. You know that, right?”
Billy shrugged, not wanting to let go of the vivid fantasy in his head in favor of thinking about his brother. “Can’t we just forget it?”
“No, baby, we can’t. Clem threatened to kill you. I can’t let that go.”
“But—”
“I will do whatever I have to do to protect you, baby. Your safety comes before everything else, understand?”
“I guess.”
“No guess about it, baby. I have a lot of plans for us, but I need you in top health for them to happen. That means time for you to heal and a safe place for you to be where no one will hurt you again.”
“With you?” Billy’s life had suddenly turned into a fantasy. He might as well dream big.
“Would you like to stay with me?”
Something inside of Billy, something he didn’t recognize, said that Rourke’s words had more meaning than their actual phrasing. Rourke was asking something important. Billy just didn’t understand what it was.
He shrugged as he tried to think of any reason Rourke might let him stay. “I can cook. Not much, mind you, but I do know how to cook,” he whispered. “And I can help around the ranch. I’ve been working a farm most of my life. I’m real good at mucking stalls, no matter what Clem says.”
“Baby—”
“I won’t make a mess, and I don’t take up much room,” Billy said quickly. He could feel Rourke’s body tensing next to him and thought the man was going to tell him he couldn’t stay with him. Billy would understand if that’s what Rourke said, but he hoped to be a little closer. “I don’t eat a lot either, and I can work for my keep.”
“Fuck, baby, stop,” Rourke groaned. “You’re killing me here.”
Billy pressed his lips together until they hurt. He’d said too much again, and he knew it. Now Rourke was going to be mad at him. Clem always got mad when he whined. Billy didn’t think Rourke would hit him, though, not like Clem. But no one liked to hear a whiner.
Billy flinched when Rourke grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to a stop. Maybe he was wrong. He tilted his head up slightly and warily watched Rourke through the fall of his hair, wondering if he was going to need to run again.
“Baby, I didn’t ask you to stay so I could make you work.”
“I’m not a freeloader.” He might not have a lot of it, but Billy did have some pride. If the Blaecleah family allowed him to stay, he’d damn well work for his keep.
Rourke sighed deeply. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose between two fingers. “Billy, you—”
“Baby.”
Rourke opened his eyes to look at Billy, dropping his hand away from his face. “What?”
“You said you’d call me baby from now on.”
“So I did.” The beginning of a smile tipped the corners of Rourke’s lips before they twisted into a wry grin. Rourke chuckled lightly. “You never cease to surprise me, baby.”
“Me?” Billy squeaked. He couldn’t tell from Rourke’s tone of voice if that was a good thing or a bad thing, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.
“As much as I want to hand Clem his head for what he did to you, I’m almost grateful.” Billy was a little confused by Rourke’s words and even more so when Rourke wrapped an arm around his waist and started leading him toward the ranch again. “I’m not sure I would have found you otherwise.”
Billy frowned as he glanced up at Rourke as they walked. “I wasn’t lost.”
“Yes, baby, you were.”
/> Billy forgot all about being lost and stumbled to a stop when he spotted the lights from the Blaecleah house shining just beyond the barn. Things seemed to be going pretty good for him right about now, and he was afraid they would stop once they entered Rourke’s home.
“Baby?”
Billy glanced up at Rourke again. “Can we just stay out here? Do we have to go inside?” he asked. “It’s nice outside right now. We could walk down by the creek or something.”
“Can you tell me why you don’t want to go inside, baby?”
“They don’t like me.”
“Billy—”
“Baby.”
“Baby.” Rourke chuckled.
“You said you’d call me baby.” Billy felt his face flush as he looked down at his fingers, absently picking at his nails. “I like it when you call me baby.” He shrugged. “It makes me feel special,” he whispered.
“You are special, baby.”
Billy melted into the strong arms that suddenly wrapped around him, resting his head against Rourke’s chest. He could hear the man’s heart beat against his ear and was surprised at how soothing the sound was.
“You think I’m special?” Billy asked as he tilted his head back to look up into Rourke’s rugged face. His heart pounded faster in his chest at the glint of something unknown he could see shining in Rourke’s eyes. He didn’t quite know what it was, but it made him feel hot and achy.
“I know you’re special, baby,” Rourke said. “Didn’t I already say that?”
Billy licked his lips and swallowed. His throat felt dry. “Wo-would you kiss me again?”
Rourke’s eyebrow arched, and for a moment, Billy thought he might have asked for something he shouldn’t have. Then Rourke’s lips swooped down and covered Billy’s. Billy groaned and leaned into the kiss. He really liked kissing Rourke.
The texture of Rourke’s lips pressed against his, the swipe of his tongue, even the way the man tasted all worked to drive Billy into a frenzy until he didn’t want anything else in the world but to be right where he was. He didn’t even mind the small ache in his back when Rourke’s hands moved down to grab his butt.