by Evelyn Drake
A cry of rage filled Michael’s throat, but as the patio door opened far above, and the shadow of a person stepped out, Michael buried his scream. Steve’s thick fingers pushed at his flesh until Michael thought he could no longer stand it, and then Steve’s entire body shifted to lay on the cold ground next to Michael .
“I got it,” Steve said, holding up for Michael’s inspection a small, blood tinged, cylindrical object. “They put a tracking device in you .”
“They? They who?” Michael asked, his eyes wide as he stared at the tiny device in the night’s dim light .
“That, I couldn’t say. We gotta go .”
Michael rolled onto his back as Steve effortlessly pushed himself off the ground to his feet. He remained motionless as he watched Steve strip .
What is this guy, a cyborg? And, he could have been, Michael realized, as what he saw revealed as the clothes came off was a man who had to have been created in some master craftsman’s lab. Steve’s body was too perfect. Michael had known Steve was strong, but he hadn’t realized the visual perfection of muscle and shape that strength would translate to .
“Why aren’t you moving? You hurt?” Steve snapped, his impatience giving his voice an edge .
Michael shook his head, still mesmerized as Steve stripped his pants off of thighs like tree trunks .
“Get your clothes. Don’t put them on. We’ll let the lake have them once we get out into the middle .”
“What?” Michael asked, his admiring brain screeching to a halt. Before him, Steve bent and crushed the tracking device between two rocks .
“We’ll drop the clothes once we reach deep water .”
“No. No way. That water’s going to be freezing.” It took two tries and enduring several hard muscle spasms for Michael to get to his feet. “We’ll die of hypothermia .”
“This isn’t a democracy,” Steve said, grabbing the gem and their clothes into a bundle under his arm. He still wore his underwear, though Michael was stripped down to his flesh. “We swim or we die .”
“How many times do I have to say it? Kill me already !”
Steve’s huge hand was on him and wrapped around his throat before Michael had the chance to take another breath. The big man lifted him to his toes effortlessly and walked him backward into the water. Michael’s breath hissed when icy water hit the backs of his calves .
“Don’t do this,” Michael managed to squeak out. “I can’t swim !”
“You were Senior Captain on your high school swim team .”
“What? You know the first girl I kissed?” Michael’s snarky reply did nothing for his situation, and Steve’s grip didn’t slack even as Michael’s hands pulled at the big man’s forearm. The frigid waters were up to his waist .
“Sally Mae Jenkins, seventh grade .”
“You fucking dick, how long does it take me to come when getting sucked off?” Michael tried to twist out of Steve’s grip .
“On average, seven and a half minutes. Now, swim .”
Putting his shoulder into it, Steve thrust Michael backward and Michael found himself completely submerged in water too deep for him to stand. Reaching the surface, he gasped for air, his limbs jerking in the cold waters. Hypothermia would not take long to set in, he knew .
He’s killing me and he won’t even say it .
The worst of it was that it would be days before anyone found his body. He’d be dead for no good reason, and his family would be lost to that murderous psychopath Sigmund .
But turning his back to the shore, Michael swam. He swam to face to his death once and for all .
10
Michael
C old water sloshed over Michael’s face as he went under for the third time. Breaking the surface, he spluttered and coughed. Death was near, he knew it. His legs and arms no longer worked the way he needed them to, and it was hard for him to kick or paddle. His entire body shook, and his muscles were rigid .
His body no longer answered his mind’s commands. Nature had won the battle .
Let go... They were the words that had been echoing in Michael’s head since they had left the lake’s shore. It would be so easy to let go, to let death have him, but it meant his sister’s death as well .
Sara... I’m sorry. Whether he wanted it to be or not, he knew this was the end .
Michael’s face dipped below the surface and the cold waters covered him. He thrashed and jerked, but the lake continued to claim its prize and he sank deeper into its dark depths .
Breathe... breathe in. End it. He opened his mouth and willed his lungs to work, to suck in the cold waters that would hasten his death, but he couldn’t make himself do it. As he sank deeper, the water’s pressure grew and his lungs began to burn. Soon, his legs and arms kicked and jerked on their own, fighting his impending death as his brain screamed out his desperation. Yet his soul felt a beautiful peaceful comfort .
A readiness enveloped Michael, and he opened his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to suck in the freezing water. His body resisted, but he stretched his neck and prepared to invite the lake to make its home within him .
Huge, strong arms wrapped themselves around his chest. Powerful legs surged them toward the surface. Michael’s entire body was in spasm, coughing and spitting water as his lungs gasped in the sweetest night air when they broke through the water’s surface .
“Got you,” the low timbre of Steve’s voice sounded in Michael’s ear. Steve floated chest up with Michael on top of him, held steady, as Michael’s body shook uncontrollably. Steve held him as Michael’s body shook in racking, spasming coughs. Once the worst had passed, Steve swam with the backstroke of one long, powerful arm, his legs kicking outside Michael’s legs .
Michael could only tremble and hold on to Steve as he carried them through the black, frigid waters .
It was an eternity before they reached the shore. Michael’s bones ached, his hands and feet burned, and he’d lost the ability to control his muscles. His breathing came in uncontrolled, sporadic gasps, and he was sure he was still going to die. The only thing that kept him holding on were the strong arms around his waist and chest .
Steve’s arms .
“You should’ve let me die.” The words came out garbled and indecipherable .
“Can you walk?” Steve’s voice rasped into Michael’s ear. They lay on the narrow shoreline with Michael still held tight against Steve’s chest .
Michael tried to get his mouth to work, to say the words, then shook his head no .
It took three attempts for Steve to get to his feet and stand without having to steady himself with one long arm reaching for the ground. When he managed to stand upright, his chest heaved and he staggered, and Michael was sure that what they had endured was beyond what even Steve could handle. But to Michael’s amazement, the big man bent low and lifted Michael into his arms and held him against his chest. Even at the best of times this was a feat, as Michael was a big man, and that Steve could do it now with his body on the verge of shutting down was miraculous in Michael’s mind .
“You’re not human. Tell me you’re not human.” Michael said, looking up at Steve, the garbled words actually intelligible this time .
“Just stubborn,” Steve growled. He put one foot in front of another, walking the shore line. Finally, the forest that followed the water’s edge revealed a path leading up the steep hill .
Steve stumbled and fell twice on his way up the winding path, but each time he went down, he managed to protect Michael during the fall. By the time they neared the top of the hill, Steve was having to stop and rest his shoulder against whatever tree looked strong enough to hold them. Yet he didn’t give up .
They pushed on until they reached open ground, revealing a three story log cabin mansion that was almost long enough to land a Cessna on .
“Think you can get us in?” Steve asked, helping Michael stand in front of the sprawling cabin’s main door .
“There’s got to be another door,” Michael said, “a
service door or a door into the kitchen. We might be able to find a spare key for it .”
Steve staggered when he moved, and Michael did his best to step away, putting distance between them .
“I can walk,” Michael said, averting his eyes from the man who had saved his life, who was supposed to take it. But with another step, Michael’s legs gave way .
Steve’s strong arms caught him before his knees hit the rough wood of the enormous house’s front porch .
“Shut up,” Steve said, hoisting Michael into his arms once more .
They followed the long porch around the house and onto a large patio. As suspected, there was a door that looked as if it got three times as much use as the front door .
Steve put Michael down in front of the wood-framed glass door, and stretched his arm to trail his fingers over frame’s topmost edge. He found nothing .
Keeping his still trembling arms close to his chest, Michael turned and took in his surroundings. Five feet away stood a four-foot tall terra-cotta pot in which grew a stunted evergreen .
With one hand on the house for stability, Michael made his way to the pot. He felt around the plant’s moss-covered soil and found what he was looking for—a small, crumpled, plastic bag with a key inside .
Well hid, Michael thought to himself, giving a mental nod to the home’s absent owners .
Holding up the small bag for Steve to see, Michael made his way back to the door but was panting and out of breath when he reached it. Instead of feeling cold he was starting to feel hot, and his brain seem to scramble to follow even the simplest of thoughts .
When the shaking of his hands proved him unable to open the plastic baggie’s sealed edge, he poked his finger through the plastic and tore it to retrieve the key .
His hands shook so badly that he had to rest his free hand on the knob and guide his key wielding hand into position. When the lock clicked, Michael closed his eyes with exhaustion. He wanted to lie down right where he was and simply go to sleep .
Steve wasted no time pushing the door open and walking into the house with a steady certainty, as if he were the home’s owner. He paused in the lavish kitchen, taking in his surroundings before going to the refrigerator. Opening the door, he scanned its interior .
“No perishables,” he said, letting the refrigerator’s door snap shut. “Nobody’s here .”
With his back against the doorframe, Michael slowly slid to the ground .
“No, no, no,” Steve said, walking over to him. “Get up .”
“I want sleep. Just let me sleep.” Michael’s shivering had stopped, but he had a feeling that wasn’t a good thing .
“We have to get you into the shower.” Steve lifted Michael to his feet. He draped one of Michael’s arms over his broad shoulders while his large hand held Michael’s bare torso tight against his own .
Upstairs they found a bedroom with an attached bathroom. Inside, Steve set Michael down on the toilet and turned on the shower. A second later, he had his underwear pulled off and was reaching for Michael .
I must be worse than I thought, Michael thought to himself, aware of the big man’s nakedness as well as his own desire to simply curl up and sleep .
“You have to get up,” Steve said, pulling Michael’s arm over his shoulder and standing them both up .
Steve had to lift him when Michael proved too weak to step into the tub. Michael found himself held chest to chest by a naked Steve as they stood under water that was probably fairly tepid but which felt scalding on Michael’s chilled skin .
To Michael’s amazement, his trembling renewed but this time with a violence that made even his teeth chatter .
“This is good,” Steve assured. “Your body is waking back up. You were shutting down .”
“I just want to go to sleep,” Michael managed to get out past his chattering teeth. He found himself pushing into Steve’s chest as he leaned his forehead against the base of the big man’s neck. His hands were drawn up in front of his chest as if it could add to his warmth in some way. And all the while, Steve held him .
“I know, but you can’t. You can’t sleep, not yet .”
The brush of Steve’s lips on Michael’s forehead had him lifting his face to look up at Steve. The big man’s eyes were a rich, deep brown, a thousand years old. They were the purest brown Michael had ever seen. There wasn’t a speck of green in them, but there were tiny flecks of gold .
Michael’s heart skipped a beat as Steve leaned into him. Steve’s mouth covered his in a kiss that was at first hard but then softened, allowing Michael’s heartbeat to steady, and Michael’s mouth opened to Steve, allowing his depths to be invaded .
Adrenaline surged through Michael’s veins, and he shifted to wrap his arms around Steve’s back. The kiss deepened, and Steve’s growled moan into Michael’s mouth set his blood on fire .
What am I doing ?
Michael pulled away, and when Steve leaned in to kiss him again, Michael turned his cheek to Steve’s lips. The big man’s body stiffened in response to the rejection .
“What game are you playing at?” Michael asked, yet his arms remained around Steve and he continued to hold him tight .
“None. No game,” Steve said shaking his head. His eyes were filled with a longing that Michael wanted to answer. “I don’t know what I’m doing.” His eyes changed from a look of longing to one of being lost. “I just know that I feel better when I’m thinking of you... or I’m with you .”
Michael’s eyes glanced down at their shared length as they stood naked, body to body in each other’s arms. He could feel Steve’s arousal growing against him .
Michael let Steve capture his lips for another deep kiss, let him lead, before reaching up to take Steve’s head in his hands. His cold-driven trembling had almost stopped, and his strength was growing as his adrenaline surged .
Taking control, he turned them and pressed Steve’s body against the shower’s wall, sandwiched between Michael’s hardness and the cool tile. There, Michael showed Steve what it was to really be kissed. His own body grew hard and he discovered a new ache, one that called out for him to be inside the man before him .
“Have you ever given yourself to someone before?” Michael asked, his lips exploring the patch of skin below Steve’s earlobe. He was rewarded by another moan from Steve. Reaching his hand between them, Michael wrapped his long, skilled fingers around Steve’s girth .
“I don’t know what you mean,” Steve said, tilting his head back to give Michael more neck to kiss .
“Here,” Michael murmured against Steve, slipping his hand into the valley between his cheeks. The tip of one finger found his mark, and he circled the ringed hole .
Steve pushed him away abruptly and harshly, yet it was clear that the big man took care not to cause Michael to fall .
“No,” Steve said, lifting a finger to point it at Michael’s chest. “You...” Steve wagged his finger as his mouth pinched under the strain of dealing with the growing understanding of changing expectations. “I...” He pointed his thumb back at himself, beating it against his chest until there was a red angry spot. “Stay here,” he finally said, stepping out of the warm shower. “I’ll look for some bandages. Turn the temp up on the water. You’re ready for it now .”
Steve was fleeing from him, Michael knew. Yet, despite that, Steve’s shaft stood hard and ready and his tip stood out from his body, proudly angled and pointing at its greatest desire—Michael .
Michael hid his smile as he turned his shoulder to Steve and drenched himself in the shower’s warm rain, sitting down a moment later to rest, and engaging the tub’s stopper to turn the shower into a hot bath. Steve’s touch had left him feeling awake again even if exhaustion followed only a few paces behind, and he suspected he needed to conserve what little energy he had .
Michael couldn’t help his smile at the nervous virgin’s reaction to his touch, and he felt his own cock pulse in a bobbing throb of ready eagerness. Reaching a hand down his f
lat abs, he wrapped his fingers around his thick shaft and gave a tug that had his balls bouncing in the rising water .
“This is gonna be fun,” he said aloud. It had been a long time since he’d had a virgin .
11
Steve
S teve’s lips tingled and another place much lower throbbed—both from Michael’s touch. It caused an ache unlike anything he’d ever experienced, but he pushed it out of his thoughts. He rummaged through the master bathroom drawers in search of bandages .
“Who the hell does he think he is?” he mumbled to himself just before abandoning the bathroom to head to the kitchen, taking his time to get there. His nerves were growing more frayed than the first time he’d been sent out on a lone sniper mission, wondering if he would be able to go through with the job. Like then, he knew the job in front of him now. And now, like then, he had his doubts about whether or not he could go through with it .
In the kitchen, he searched the myriad of cabinets, drawers, and cubby holes and had better luck. Grabbing a small medical-aid kit, some cheese crackers, trail mix, and flavored vitamin-water, he headed back to Michael. Again, he took his time, telling himself that he had to move through the house with care lest they overlook the presence of another person. He opened every door he passed and looked in every room he found .
You’re stalling … Shut up. The parts of his brain railed at each other as he put one foot in front of the other, getting closer and closer to returning to Michael’s side .
That Michael had taken control of their kiss had left Steve unnerved. Whenever he had fantasized about the man, and those moments had happened, he’d always envisioned himself as being the one in control. He’d always envisioned himself as being the one to take Michael, and the thought that it might be the other way around had never occurred to him .
Steve thought about opening himself up to another human being—literally and figuratively—and the thought scared him to his core. Yet his body’s aching, hard readiness called for him to do just that, and it made him question everything he’d ever thought about himself .