by J P Sayle
He saw the second Nick caught sight of him. His arms went lax, and his eyes widened as he collapsed down the pole, wobbling. His lips moved, but Brody couldn’t hear the words over the loud music.
Not thinking, he swept forward and lifted Nick. He encouraged him to wrap his legs and arms around him. His breath whooshed out when sweaty arms clung to him right before Nick buried his head into his neck. A cold sweat broke out over his body at the emotions caused by Nick’s action. Cursing at the lack of privacy, he hugged Nick closer, walking back to Aaden. Brody attempted to shield Nick from the several heated stares coming from the men who made no pains to hide their interest.
“Keys. Gimme the keys. Now.” His harsh demand to Aaden was met with silence. Impatiently, he thrust out his hand, shaking it at Aaden, eyes pleading. He didn’t give two shits that he was begging. He just wanted to go someplace quieter before Nick came back to his senses.
He gave a grateful sigh when Aaden handed them over.
“I need ten minutes before you come down.” With that parting shot. Brody escaped quickly down the stairs, praying Nick would give him a chance to explain himself.
Nick
Nick struggled to pull in a breath when the overriding need to touch Brody was too much to resist. The feel of Brody’s rock-hard biceps lifting him and wrapping around him as his large hands clasped under his arse made his stomach do somersaults. The alcohol he’d enjoyed battled to stay put as the room spun when Brody whirled them around, heading to the door.
Nick felt his damp shirt cling to his torso. His thighs automatically clamped tightly around Brody’s waist, holding on for dear life when he started walking. Nick found his dizzy mind struggling to catch up, though his body was right on board with what was happening. It clung lovingly to Brody’s warm, solid frame.
A shiver rippled through his body when they exited the nightclub. Nick snuggled into the heat radiating off Brody when the bite of freezing wind cut through his thin clothing. He buried his face deeper into Brody’s neck, inhaling Brody’s familiar musky scent.
Nick’s body reacted instantly, throbbing with desire. He attempted to alleviate the pressure building between his legs by grinding against Brody. The desire built, making the urge to taste Brody’s warm scented skin, too much to resist. His mouth opened, and he nibbled at Brody’s neck. His tongue licked at the bristly skin and meandered up to Brody’s ear, finally sucking the meaty lobe between his teeth. He bit hard, enjoying the low groan rumbling up Brody’s chest.
Nick chuckled when Brody lost his footing for a moment before righting them both.
The chuckle died when his body touched freezing metal. Nick juddered at the sudden feeling of iciness penetrating his top. The abrupt wash of cold cleared his foggy brain. His senses returned, and he wanted to slap his own forehead for being so stupid to get caught up and allow Brody to steal all his willpower.
What the frigging hell am I doing?
Nick struggled to escape. He pushed away from the metal against his back, disgusted with himself when the chills assailing his body caused his teeth to chatter and his voice to warble. “Put me the fuck down, you arsehole.” He let go of Brody completely, forcing Brody to release him.
He let out a relieved sigh when he was plonked onto the ground. He stepped back, ignoring the urge to slip back into Brody’s arms when his chest tightened at the sudden loss.
The icy air hardly registered as he looked up into the dark scowling face towering over him. Nick ignored the glower, fisted his hands on his hips, and thrust his chin out. He looked up, glaring. “What the fuck are you doing here? I thought you’d gone home to make up with your boyfriend, Luke.” He spat out the words. The ugly jealousy swirled inside his heart.
“Luke and I are no longer together. I tried to explain we’d broken up before he arrived on Aaden’s doorstep. And you’d know this if you’d let me talk to y…”
Nick didn’t listen to what Brody was saying. He couldn’t see past the red mist swallowing him whole every time he thought about Luke plastered all over Brody’s big body.
“Talk. Talk, my fucking arse. What’s there to talk about, hey?” He drilled his finger into Brody’s chest, ignoring the flash of anger brewing in the dark depth of his eyes.
“What could you possibly have to say to me? Oh yeah, nothing.” He stomped his foot in full rant mode. “You were too busy having your tonsils cleaned by your boyfriend’s tongue. What do you wanna talk about? How you got off on it? Or that you were all but humping him in front of me…of us?”
Nick’s lips curled in disgust when Brody stalked away, yanking at his hair before turning back to glare at him with a heaving chest.
“He took me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting him to turn…”
Nick interrupted again. Too mad to care they were putting on a show in the street. “Yeah, is that right? Well, it didn’t stop you from sucking on his face and enjoying it.” His fists clenched at his sides with the urge to flatten Brody.
Nick staggered when Brody unexpectedly charged forward. His large body pinned him up against the van, again. He shivered, goosebumps erupting everywhere. He was unsure if it was from the icy metal or the solid arousal lying heavily against his stomach. Nick lifted his torso off the van, only to groan at the scorching heat radiating off the throbbing cock branding his abdomen. He inhaled Brody’s intoxicating scent and struggled to keep hold of his sudden desire. He could all but see it taking flight and flying off without even looking backwards at the mess it was getting him into.
Brody laid his forehead against Nick’s and asked, “Will you stop shouting and interrupting? At least let me get a word in edgeways? Fuck. Why does this have to be so hard?” Nick stopped and tried to think clearly as he heard the defeat in Brody’s voice.
The reason for the anger got buried under the need to make Brody feel better. Nick curled his hands around Brody’s neck, shifting them even closer together. The issues faded into obscurity when their eyes met and held in the dimly lit street. Nick could feel the weight of his earlier anger lift and a warm strong feeling replace it. It left him breathless when it spread quicker than boiling lava coming from an erupting volcano.
The moment of accord was broken by the sound of raucous laughter. Nick sagged as he heard Brody’s loud sigh. Peering around Brody’s broad shoulder, Nick saw Greg and the boys tugging Aaden towards them.
He reluctantly stepped away, holding on to the sigh that would have matched Brody’s. Sidestepping him, Nick was careful not to touch or look at Brody in case he did something stupid, like rip his clothes off and present his arse in front of his friends. Not that they would be bothered after what they had got up to on Christmas Eve. He’d heard a lot about the sexy shenanigans, orchestrated and filmed by Joe. He was still waiting on the doctored copy Joe had promised him. He had been quite emphatic that he did not wish to see his brother and Greg getting it on. The others, now he had no problem with that; in fact he couldn’t wait to see Joe taking Stuart apart.
Nick mentally slapped himself for his train of thought. Now was so not the time to go there. He adjusted his cock quickly, hoping no one noticed when he turned, attempting to walk normally to the curb, waiting for someone to unlock the van.
As soon as he heard the click, he slid open the door and clambered in the back. Nick shuddered. The cold shock of glacial leather made his arousal die.
He gave a grateful sigh of appreciation after his jacket landed on his lap, a second before Greg climbed in and sat next to him. Too drained emotionally to do more, he offered a small smile of thanks, shrugging on his jacket.
Nick huddled into the corner of the seat. His emotions felt torn and abused. The significance of the replay in his head showed neither of them could be trusted not to start a fight the minute they were within spitting distance of each other. And okay, recently sometimes that turned into sexy time. Did that mean there is more between us than anger and a desire to get naked?
Nick blew out a breath.
He wasn’t
sure of anything anymore. All the crap Christina spilt about putting a spell on Brody and the reasons why she did it. What did it all mean?
The word “soulmates” pinged around in his head, making his brain hurt.
Are we really soulmates?
And if that is the case, then why the fuck hadn’t Brody been able to fight the spell?
Nick shut his eyes, still no nearer to the answers.
Greg scooted closer to him and curled his arm around Nick’s shoulders, hugging tightly. Nick rested his head on Greg, letting the warmth of their friendship ease the hurt.
He kept his eyes closed, not daring to look up for fear Greg would be able to read how he was feeling. Right then, he felt too raw, and as much as he wanted to share, the fear they wouldn’t understand him or his past kept his lips firmly sealed.
He knew better than to open his past hidden in Pandora’s Box. Yet he could already feel her greedy fingers lifting the lid, taking him back to where he didn’t want to go. Images of his eleven-year-old self flashed before his eyes, fighting past his will to stay present.
Nick plonked his head onto his hands and watched the dappled sunlight flicker through the rustling branches. He sat in his favourite spot, on top of an old wooden stump. He’d found the old stomp weeks earlier, hidden from sight by the large sycamore tree, when he’d been looking for a place to hide out from Aaden. Nick had maybe, not so accidentally, ripped Aaden’s prized Marvel comic. The threat of a beating drove him into the forest boarding their home. He’d looked for a safe place to hide and came across his now secret place.
His feet dangled. Kicking his legs back and forth, he considered the angles of the wooden stump. To him it looked perfect for creating a small wooden seat. So much so, he’d even mentioned it in passing to Brian, the carpenter his dad had found when he noticed Nick’s love of all things wood. The sheer amount he’d dragged home from the forest caused his dad to give him a bit of floor space in the garage. He knew it was to get his mum off his dad’s back, but he didn’t care as long as he got somewhere to keep his prized pieces of wood.
When he’d shown a real affinity to crafting, Brian had let him bring some of his pieces of wood from home to work on. It was cool to hang with Brian because he never treated him like a kid. He’d given Nick lessons on how to work with the grain of the wood, which Nick practiced at home, using the box of chisels his dad had bought for his birthday.
Brian even helped him make a small wooden bowl for his mother’s birthday. Her tears had made his stomach hurt, but it was more than worth it when she’d smiled and put it in the cabinet where she kept all her precious knick-knacks.
He tried to hold on to that happy thought and not let the previous night bother him. He scrunched his eyes shut, not needing to see Brody and his brother snogging again. For some reason he couldn’t understand, his head wanted to replay it like a rerun of an old TV show.
He cast a wary glance over his shoulder when he heard a rustling noise, hoping it wasn’t Aaden searching for him. Their run-in this morning had their mother threaten to bang their heads together. The fight had been over nothing, but the anger inside his tummy made it hard not to get into a slanging match. Not that he ever won.
The thoughts fled from his head, and Nick gawped. He blinked, scrubbing at his eyes with his grubby fists, thinking someone was playing a trick on him when the woman descended right out of the sky. The brightness of the day, though dimmed by the thick foliage above, still allowed for him to see the woman as clear as day as she hovered above the ground. Her long hair and long green dress, which looked a bit old-fashioned to him, floated around her slender body.
Nick gripped his chest; his heart thundered against his ribs. He spoke before he could think better of it. “Are you from outer space?” He clamped his lips at his own stupidity, a furious blush covering his cheeks.
Aaden had told him he was silly to believe in aliens. The argument where he’d insisted they were real had his breath struggle to escape his tightening chest at the possible reality. He gripped his T-shirt, wringing it between his fingers. Panic flared when a musical chuckle came from the auburn-haired beauty.
He hid his face in his hands. Dizziness swept over him as he gulped, trying to take in air. Peeking out, he took a quick look from between his fingers when she spoke.
“I’m not from outer space, but I am from another time. You see, I’m a witch.” Nick dropped his hands into his lap, sensing the truth by the matter-of-fact way in which she said it. A strange eagerness to ask her questions had him bite his tongue. His mother always told him his inquisitiveness would be his own undoing. Not that he understood what she meant by that. He struggled to hold in the questions, feeling like he’d burst any minute.
“Nick, I can see you’re desperate to ask me questions. Go on, I may not answer them, but you can ask.”
Not needing any more encouragement, Nick fired off question after question. “When you said another time, what time? Are you really a witch? Can you cast spells? Are you a good witch or are you bad like the Wizard of Oz witch? She was mean and horrible to Dorothy. Why are you here? Do you have any friends? How old are you?” He didn’t draw breath; he just kept firing questions, feeling giddy.
“Dear God, please stop. You’re making me dizzy, child. I was sure you were going to run out of air at some point, but it seems I was wrong.”
Her loud sigh had Nick sink back on the stump. The wood dug into his bare legs, but he didn’t care. His lips trembled with the effort to hold in his hurt feelings. She said I could ask. Is it my fault I went off like the battery-charged bunny?
He blew his tangled blond hair out of his watery eyes.
He looked back at her face. He caught a light of fire sparking in the depth of her hazel eyes. A shiver slid down his back. Confused by the sudden cold, Nick glanced up at the sky, not sure why he suddenly felt chilly. He hugged his tiny arms around his body. The old, stained T-shirt hardly helped ward off the feeling creeping over his skin.
Nick jumped off the stump, unsure whether he wanted the answers to his questions. The air felt sticky against his bare arms. The thickness was the same as the honey seeping onto his fingers when it dribbled off the toast he ate for breakfast. He rubbed at his bare skin, half expecting to find a tacky mess. He wasn’t certain what was happening to him, but something inside told him it wasn’t good.
He darted into the woods. Not looking back, he ran as fast as he could till he reached his garden gate, panting. He kept his eyes on the front door. He ran up the path, slammed through the door, and closed it quickly. He rested his sweaty back against it. The musical voice that floated into his mind had his legs shake.
“You can’t escape, silly boy. I’m everywhere and nowhere. We’ll talk after you’ve had time to settle, but remember, this is our secret. No telling tales. You won’t like the consequences.”
Nick felt a pressure around his neck. The weight pressed hard and stopped him from swallowing. Dribble slid down his chin when he opened his mouth to shout. The feeling of a hand covering his lips made his gulp.
“Stop, you stupid boy. I won’t hurt you unless you make me.”
Nick struggled not to piss his trousers in fright. The pee was there pushing to escape as the invisible hand on his mouth pressed firmly before he was released. Nick wheezed. He dragged in a breath and rushed to the stairs, heading for the bathroom. Christina words rang in his ears like a bell tolling his doom.
Nick jolted from the past when the need to take a leak made itself known. He pushed down on his crotch. Christina’s words still rattled around in his head. She’d been right. There’d been no escape. He’d known even then he was different, and maybe that was why she’d been attracted to him. The things that appealed to him he’d kept secret. Hidden inside so no one could see he was different from his big, butch brother. The constant worry that someone would find out had been a living breathing monster inside his mind. He now realised Christina had cultivated that to make him distance himself from his fa
mily. It had left him vulnerable to her.
Fuck, even now after all these years, I’m still hiding.
What the fuck am I hiding from?
His head fired up at the sudden question. Greg jerked next to him. His shadowed eyes searched Nick’s.
His hot, alcoholic breath ghosted over his face as he leant forward and asked, “You okay, babe?”
Glad Greg couldn’t see his face clearly in the darkness, Nick gave Greg a reassuring nod. He squeezed Greg’s hand, unsure he could speak without confessing to his confusion. He leant into Greg’s side, shutting off his mind. His heavy-lidded eyes closed. The alcohol and warmth coming from the heaters, lulled him to sleep.
Nick let his eyes adjust to the light as his eyelids fluttered open. He squinted at the open curtains he must have forgotten to shut when he’d got into bed last night. The wintry sun was high in the sky, signifying it was well into the morning. He flopped onto his back, scrunching his gritty eyes to avoid the blinding light. The wave of nausea rolling around his stomach at the move forced a groan to escape. His mouth watered for a second before he could swallow the pooling saliva. He regretted it when he baulked at the stale taste of alcohol. He quickly put his hands to his mouth.
Vivid images of last night invaded his sleep-clouded mind.
He jerked up. Instantly remorseful, he clutched at his stomach. The burn at the back of his nose and throat had him dive for the door. He ran to the bathroom, burst through the door, and slammed it shut behind him. He rushed to the loo. Kneeling, he emptied the contents of his stomach.
He coughed and spluttered, weakly grabbing for the toilet roll to blow his dripping nose and wipe his wet lips.
“Have you quite finished?”
Nick froze at the amused voice coming from behind him.