“Then stop fighting me. Trust me to know when you’re ready. Let me take care of you.”
“Will you take care of me now?” Wyatt whispered, taking Linc’s hand and placing it on his half-hard cock.
Something behind Linc’s ribs unknotted just the slightest bit. This conversation had healed nothing but maybe it had stopped the bleeding just a little. He could give Wyatt this. He wanted nothing more. This was easy. This was what he knew. “Yes, baby, but first let’s finish getting you cleaned up. I want you to come with my tongue inside you.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
Wyatt couldn’t sleep. Two days had passed since his fight with Linc and even though they’d fallen back into a comfortable routine, Wyatt couldn’t shake the feeling they weren’t okay. The thought left him restless, his mind racing with fatalistic fantasies. It was like he could feel every moment race by, and soon Linc would be gone and Wyatt would be left alone to deal with reality once more.
Linc’s chest rose and fell beneath Wyatt’s head, his heartbeat as steady as a metronome. Wyatt might have found it hypnotic if not for the ungodly noise emanating from Linc’s face.Hewas clearly not having trouble sleeping. Wyatt worried he might have trouble breathing. Was forty too young for that sleeping disorder that required people to wear masks like Bane in the Batman movies?
Wyatt wouldn’t find Linc less attractive in one of those weird masks, he supposed. It’d probably become another odd kink. Honestly, he was grateful Linc seemed to be sleeping so soundly. The last two nights, he’d been plagued with nightmares, crying out in his sleep, kicking off the covers, once even sobbing into his pillow. Wyatt had taken to the internet, looking for any way to help Linc with his episodes, but the articles all said the same thing… leave him be. So, that’s what Wyatt would do. He’d take his blanket and curl up in the chair and wait for Linc to settle once more. Neither of them would mention it in the morning.
Tonight, however, Linc was sleeping far deeper than usual. Wyatt shook with laughter as Linc’s snores only grew louder, a crescendo in the world’s worst orchestra. It just didn’t seem possible that somebody that hot could make a noise so unattractive, like a chainsaw being put through a woodchipper. It was kind of adorable. A thought he’d never share with another living soul.
Something about Linc’s snoring made him seem more real, more human and less superhero. It didn’t happen every night, only the nights when Linc slept hard. And it wasn’t his snoring that kept Wyatt up, just his own intrusive thoughts. He could literally sleep through anything. His mother loved to tell the story of how he once slept through an entire brass band performance at his father’s rally.
He rolled away from Linc, snagging his phone from the side table and clicking his text app, pulling up the only other person he still associated with that would be up at that hour.
Whatcha doing?
Three dots bounced for what seemed like forever before her response appeared.About to seal the deal with an Olympic skier and his perky-breasted ice-skater girlfriend.
After a moment a picture appeared. Charlie sat in a smoke-filled night club, backlit by multicolored lasers. She wore some kind of silk romper that plunged to her belly button and khaki boots that went over the knee. She sat in the lap of a guy who looked like he should be on the cover ofViking Monthlywhile some tiny pale redhead bit down on her earlobe. Charlie was right. The girl did have perky breasts. He sighed.
I’m bored. Call me. Better yet. Come over.
No can do. These two are locked and loaded and we have a suite booked upstairs. I love you but I’m not wasting this Molly on you. Where’s Father Time?
Sleeping. I think I wore him out.Wyatt rolled back over, nestling his head next to Linc’s before snapping a pic. Wyatt looked mussed. Linc looked like he’d died in his sleep. Wyatt snickered and sent it.Delete that and never tell him I sent it.
Well, you two look downright fucking domestic. Sorry you’re bored. It’s the hazard of banging geriatrics, boo. But I gotta run.
Noooo. Don’t leave meeeee…
Hey, don’t be mad at me that your man can’t keep up with your twenty-two-year-old libido. Go watch porn and jerk off.
The idea had merit, but there was only one problem.I’m not allowed to do that without permission. And I’m not waking him up for that. He needs his rest.
OMG. You kinky little fucks. I can’t help you, young Padawan. Go play one of your dumb video games you love so much. Just not Fallout cause I like to watch you play that one and we were in the middle of a game. Now stop bothering me so I can go get laid. Byeeeeee.
Bitch, he thought to himself before setting down his phone and sitting up. He poked Linc twice in the chest to see if it would disturb him. Linc made a strange guttural noise, rubbing his forearm over his face before throwing it over his head, the other hand twitching where it lay on his belly. There was a moment of silence and then Linc’s snores went nuclear, the sounds falling from his lips causing Wyatt to collapse with laughter. He considered recording Linc’s snores for Charlie but then thought better.
He snagged his shorts from the floor where he’d dropped them earlier, closing the door behind him before padding barefoot into the living room. He flipped on the television, cueing up his PS4 and flopping onto the sofa, tucking his legs beneath him as he waited for it to boot up.The title page faded into view.Call of Duty 4. He hadn’t played in weeks.
Wyatt’s finger hovered over the button as he gazed toward the hallway. He’d avoided his games for a reason. There were bombs and grenades and machine gun fire. He didn’t want to trigger another of Linc’s attacks. Wyatt chewed on his bottom lip. Linc was sleeping, dead to the world for all intents and purposes. Wyatt would just keep the sound low.
He adjusted the volume and settled in, losing himself in the game. It was easy to free his mind when he had a mission with specific tasks to complete. It quieted the voices in his head, helped loosen the knot that seemed to live in his throat.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been playing when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. He sucked in a startled breath at the sight of Linc silhouetted by the dim light of the hallway. He jabbed his finger down on the pause button, jerking to his feet. “Hey, sorry if I woke you.”
Linc said nothing, didn’t acknowledge Wyatt, just stood with his hands fisted at his side, motionless. Wyatt’s heartbeat skyrocketed as he crept toward Linc, stomach churning. How long had he just been standing there? “Linc?”
Wyatt stood beside him, but far enough away he could avoid his reach if he had to. Linc didn’t seem to even see him at first, his sharp gaze darting around the room like he was scanning for something in the distance, seeing something Wyatt couldn’t. “Linc?” Wyatt said for what felt like the hundredth time.
Linc’s gaze snapped to him. “Keller. Where’s Robins? Where’s Martinez? We gotta move. We gotta get out of here,” he said in a harsh whisper. He pointed upward. “They’re on the roof. Stay with me and stay quiet.”
Wyatt could do this. He’d read about this. He just had to remind Linc where he was, remind him it wasn’t real. “Linc. It’s me. It’s Wyatt. We’re at the penthouse. Remember? Can you hear me?”
