Deserted - Auctioned

Gray could’ve fuckin’ cried with relief.

Darius was quick to lock his arms around Gray and pull him flush to his body. He deepened the kiss too. It was impossible for Gray not to feel the urgency, and it provided some comfort he sorely craved. Darius needed him. Thank fuck.

Gray ran his fingers through Darius’s hair and angled his head, swirling his tongue around Darius’s.

It was the sweetest reunion, and even though the hunger for more simmered below the surface, they slowed down the kiss at the same time. They wanted the same thing. Comfort, first and foremost. Closeness.

Darius shuddered and tightened his hold on Gray, one hand sliding down to palm his ass. “I gotta have you next to me, knucklehead. I can’t let you go.”

Gray swallowed dryly and felt a shiver run through him.

Darius wasn’t done. He cradled Gray’s face in his hands and leveled him with a serious look. “I’ve formed attachments to people I’ve rescued before, but never like this. It’s never been about attraction. It’s never gone beyond wanting to protect innocence. Or shield it. No matter how obsessive I’ve been about it. You’re not like the others, Gray. You’re not like anyone.”

Gray closed his eyes as the words settled in him. The words he’d needed more than anything. Fuck, it was indescribable. Neither one of them knew what the future would hold—no one ever did—but at least now, he wouldn’t have to worry about not measuring up in the present. He didn’t have to doubt Darius’s reasons. He didn’t have to wonder why.

“Yo, Gray!” Jayden called. “I’m ready!”

Gray leaned in and kissed Darius quickly. His heart rate hadn’t calmed down whatsoever. “I think Jayden won’t mind sleeping in his bed alone.”

Darius smiled into another kiss. “Thank fuck. I want you in my arms.”

The sheer joy that spiked inside Gray was almost too much. He managed a wobbly grin and averted his gaze before Darius could see how overwhelmed he was. He had to go to Jayden anyway. He cleared his throat and let out a breath, waiting for the heat to fade from his cheeks and for his eyes to stop stinging.Save us!

Gray pushed through the thick darkness. His heart hammered against his rib cage, and the screams bounced between the…wherever he was. He couldn’t see.

Find me.

Jackie was sobbing.

Please save me.

“Hang on,” Gray croaked. “I’m on my way.”

The cries grew louder and more desperate, each one slashing through Gray like the sharpest blade.

He felt their agony. He lived and breathed it. It had his chest in a vise. He knew exactly the torture they were suffering. Rape, beatings, starvation, humiliation. He had to find them.

Gray groaned and shoved at the oily dark that kept him from going anywhere. It was humid. He couldn’t breathe. The nothingness clung to him like a wet blanket, suffocating him and drowning him at the same time.

He’d been waterboarded before.

Help!

He wanted to run toward Milo’s plea. He fucking tried.

Shh.

A cold breeze swept over him, and he stopped running. He panted. He gasped. He saw the flickers of brutal memories whizzing past like fireflies. One there, a quick flash, reminding him of the time he was dunked under ice-cold water, and then it was gone. Another flash. Showing the memory of when he got his face pressed against the inside of the crate he’d been trapped in. He remembered being called a filthy animal and a useless fuckhole. Everything reeked of piss and mildew. Nausea crawled higher up as he dragged his fingers through the film of slime that covered the boards. Old vomit. Water. Shit. The flash was gone.

He heard himself gasp. A hoarse, choking sound.

Dizziness threatened to pull him under, but he registered something else. The softest touch. Fingers brushing along his arms and shoulders. Combined with the crisp breeze, the sensations raised goose bumps across his upper body.

Come back to me, knucklehead.

Gray latched on to the voice and managed to wrench himself out of sleep.

He sucked in a ragged breath, and his eyes flashed wide open.

Darius was there right away. With a hand to Gray’s cheek, Darius made him look him in the eye without restraining him too much. He just knew what worked. He knew how easily Gray felt trapped.

“You’re okay,” Darius whispered, forehead to forehead. “I’ve got you.”

Gray gulped and nodded. He couldn’t just lie there. He had to sit up. He eased away and crawled over Darius’s body toward the open window. Darius must’ve opened it. The moon shone brightly and cast the cabin in a faint blue glow.

These nightmares were going to be the death of Gray.

Fuck.

He swallowed against the dryness in his throat and leaned back against the wall, right next to the window. Then he scrubbed his hands over his face and waited for his pulse to calm down.

“Talk to me.” Darius sat up too, and he gave the other bed a glance. Jayden was fast asleep, thank God. Gray didn’t want to upset him. “Tell me what you dream of. You were looking for Jackie.”