Deserted - Auctioned

Gray caught the hand on his neck, kissed the top of it, and threaded their fingers together on his leg instead.

Darius gave his hand a squeeze.

“We should stop and get something to eat soon,” Gray murmured. “Do you have any other friends you’d like to visit?”

Darius snorted in amusement at the joke, and he leaned forward to check the GPS. “Ironically, I have a couple buddies nearby.” He tapped the point of interest that read Edwards Air Force Base. “You don’t make friends with Air Force pilots, but the technicians are just crazy enough to get jobs in the private sector.”

Gray chuckled and lifted his gaze to the rearview. “Jayden, what’re you in the mood for? We’re stopping for dinner in a bit.”

“Nothing with salad,” Jayden replied.

What a shock. “What happened to ‘food is food’?” Gray teased.

“Nuthin’. But you give me a lot of vegetables.”

“I feel ya, buddy.” Darius looked back at the boy. “Remember, he tried to order me chicken yesterday. That’s practically broccoli.”

“Oh my God,” Gray muttered. “Chicken is good for you.”

“Only when it’s fried, baby. I tolerated it in Colorado, but I have limits.”

Jayden found their discussion hysterical for some reason.

It was two against one, and it was how they ended up at a Jack in the Box twenty minutes later, where Jayden declared he’d found the best burger in the world. Darius wouldn’t go that far, but he was definitely enjoying his food. The two sat next to each other and devoured what Gray could only describe as grease bombs.

It felt ridiculous, to be honest. Gray could chow down on unhealthy food like a champ and went nuts over cheeseburgers, but Darius and Jayden were on another level. Gray just couldn’t compete with his junior-size sandwich and side salad.

“Can you quiz me?” Jayden asked Darius and stuck a curly fry into his mouth.

Darius nodded and chewed what was in his mouth. “What political party should you support, Democrat or Republican?”

Gray’s eyebrows went up.

Jayden raised a finger. “Trick question! Neither.”

“Uh…” Gray managed to utter.

“What?” Darius smirked and bit into his burger. “I’m bestowing my libertarian wisdom upon him.”

Oh Jesus Christ. Gray faced Jayden. “When it comes to politics, you’re gonna wanna form your own opinion and understand why you support something. And it can be complicated for an adult—it’s nothing you’d learn in school at your age.”

“But Darius taught me the First Amenyment already.”

Darius smiled.

Gray’s heart fucking melted at the boy’s pronunciation, but that was beside the point. “That’s terrific,” he praised. “Keep learning. You’re doing a great job, Jayden. Just—” He slid Darius a quick, pointed look before making eye contact with Jayden again. “Maybe wait with political affiliations for a bit.”

“Buzzkill,” Darius said around his burger. “All right, back to geography. Name a city where all they do is smoke weed and eat organic rabbit food.”

“Portland!”

“Good boy.”

Gray kicked Darius under the table, but all Darius did was lock their feet together. And his eyes danced with amusement that made him so goddamn beautiful Gray couldn’t push an argument.

That said, it was becoming abundantly clear that Gray would have to sit in on these lessons more often.

Except, you’re handing Jayden over to a shelter in a few days.

Fuck.“Pull over after the lights, knucklehead.”

“Have you found the place?” Gray peered around them, but all he saw was a Taco Bell and, on the other side of the road, some body shops. They’d been looking for Darius’s friend’s location for the past ten minutes. It was supposed to be on this street, conveniently right next to another car rental place.

“No, something better.” Darius pointed to a couple cars that were parked outside a garage bay. “See the old Grand Wagoneer at the end?”

Gray flicked a glance at the lights before following Darius’s gaze. Okay, so, two vehicles. One pickup truck and one ugly-as-shit behemoth from before the wheel was invented. His grandparents used to have one like that. It was a dark burgundy and had the wood paneling on the sides that you thankfully didn’t see much anymore.

“What about it?”

Darius smiled. “It was my first car. Jake and I fixed her up over a summer—though not nearly as well as whoever restored this one.” He paused. “I wanna take a look at it. There’s a for-sale sign in the window.”

He was nuts. They were supposed to find the place where they’d drop off the Jeep, rent another car, then hopefully make it to Monterey before it got too late. But the sun was already dipping low, and Monterey was four hours away.

The light turned green, and Gray checked the rearview before switching lanes and driving ahead of the truck that was coming up behind them. Then he pulled into the auto shop and parked next to the two vehicles that were for sale.

Darius stepped out of the Jeep before opening the door for Jayden. “Come on, buddy. I’mma show you a cool car.”