“Breaking out of prison, as you can see,” he laughed, shaking his head.
“I’m surprised you lasted that long,” she tossed at him, snickering with affection. She tousled his blond hair, making a mess of it, and then frowned when she studied his face. “Oh no! Why is there a bruise on my dear Nyle’s perfect face! Who did this to my boy?”
Darren couldn’t hold in his chuckle. “You should’ve seen the other guy.”
Shifting her attention away from Nyle, she glanced at Darren and Aiden. “Oh, I bet he had it worse. And who might you two lovely gentlemen be?”
“The grumpy fake blond is the prison warden, Aiden Kesley.” Nyle scrunched his nose. “Or ex-prison warden, I guess? And the raven-haired cutie is… Darren Howe. A fellow inmate.”
The way Aiden’s forehead creased with disapproval at Nyle’s introductions made Darren stifle a snort, which in turn earned him a nasty glare.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I hope my Nyle didn’t cause too much headache,” Nan said, not sounding remotely bothered that she was technically helping criminals. “I’d love to kno—”
“Nan, you can interrogate them later,” Nyle cut in, herding them to the shuttle. “We need to go. They’ll sound the alarm any moment. Did you get the radar camo mod like I asked? We can’t have anyone picking up on our signature.”
“Yes, dear. It’s already plugged in and running.”
Nyle pecked her on the cheek. “You are a star.” Then to Darren and Aiden, he said, “C’mon, guys, hop in.”
Filing in through the driver’s and front passenger’s doors, they boarded the craft. Nan and Nyle sat at the front, while Darren and Aiden occupied the back seat, thighs and shoulders squished against each other in the narrow space.
Nan’s hearty chuckle boomed in the small space as she navigated the shuttle past the anti-collision barrier surrounding the station. “Sorry boys, if I knew Nyle was bringing friends I’d have taken the larger one,” she said, accelerating to what felt way faster than typical cruising speed.
“That’s quite alright,” Aiden quickly offered, gazing out of the window. “We are grateful for your help.”
“Oh!” the woman gasped, pointing at a group of five chrome shuttles. They were almost shapeless from this distance, but they were definitely approaching the station, and fast. “Looks like we missed them by a hair’s breadth!” Another giggle and she refocused on piloting. “Now then, where should I take you?”
Nyle craned his head back, arching an eyebrow in question.
Darren considered their options. “I have a place, but we can’t go there yet. We should probably stay off-planet for the time being. If you can get me a secure line, I’ll get in touch with one of my contacts to pick us up.”
“Hmm, I’d say that with the mess you seem to have created at Horizons, we have enough time to swing by the Owens’ main house,” Nan mused, nodding to herself. “We’ll get you that call and some food before they figure our sweet Nyle is missing, too.”
“Let’s do that.” Nyle placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “Now, shall I tell you about my time at one of the Global Nations’ flagship secure prisons?” he snorted, dragging her into a slightly exaggerated tale of his stay at Horizons.
Deciding it was best to let them have their reunion, Darren leaned back and didn’t interrupt, instead watching the soft rising and falling of Aiden’s sleeping form. He’d drifted off the moment the five shuttles were out of sight, his head propped against the cold window and his arms folded around his stomach like a protective cocoon.
Darren shifted in his seat, biting down a smile. Aiden had tried to scoot away when they’d initially boarded, but given up upon realizing the space didn’t allow for such luxury. As a result, his forearm and thigh were now pressed against Darren’s, and as much as Darren tried to ignore the warmth seeping into him through the contract, he simply couldn’t. So he accepted it, let it spread through him and settle into his chest, enjoying this stolen moment only he would remember.
Chapter 35
“Kesley.”
Someone squeezed Aiden’s shoulder gently, rocking him back and forth. The contact felt pleasant. Warm. Familiar in an unfamiliar way. It unleashed little bolts of tingling sparks down his spine that congregated in his stomach like a group of butterflies wanting to get out.
The hand shook him again, more insistently this time. Aiden frowned… Or thought about the act of frowning anyway.Had he fallen asleep?Surely not in the middle of a prison break.
The soothing contact vanished as the rocking stopped. He ached for its return immediately and grumbled a protest on the inside, but that was all he did, too tired to seek out the contact again and reclaim it. He just wanted to keep his eyes closed for a little longer, to enjoy the darkness his eyelids offered and not think about the mess his life had become.
“Kesley, wake up.”
Darren’s deep and husky voice made Aiden tremble. It was so close, so tangible, engulfing him whole. Caressing him. Then the contact was back too, the shaking this time a lot firmer, yet he still welcomed it, absorbed it, finding comfort in it that he hadn’t expected. It lit him up and made him want to feel more of it.
“Aiden.”
It was decimating, the potency of Darren’s rumbly baritone speaking his name so softly. Fondly almost, as if there was no dissonance between them, no unforgivable crime, or history that couldn’t be erased. And it did things to Aiden’s insides that he had to fight to ignore. That he had to force down and deny because he didn’t know any other way of handling such long-forgotten cravings.
Darren shook Aiden again and Aiden placed his hand atop Darren’s to still the motions. “I’m awake, Howe. You can let go,” he said, opening his eyes just as the shuttle came to a complete stop.
