Page 32 of Ravaged Devotion

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At some point, Rue wandered away from the rest of the group.

Ryker overheard him mention to his friends that he was going to find a spot to relieve himself, and Ryk broke off around a bend so they wouldn’t see him follow.

He kept his distance at first, keeping Rue in his line of sight as the other man crunched his way through the forest, eyes on his feet. His fear of tripping over something was going to come back to bite him in the ass; there was no way Rue was going to remember the way back.

He’d always had a terrible sense of direction, ever since they were kids. One time, Ryker had even lost him at the grocery store, eventually finding Rue waiting by the watermelons, looking like a sad puppy. When asked why he’d chosen there of all places, he’d explained his reasoning as knowing it was Ryker’s favorite fruit.

After some time, Rue found a spot he was comfortable with, and Ryker turned to give him some modicum of privacy, almost laughing at how ridiculous this all was.

How he was stalking his old flame through the forest, standing there waiting while he pissed on some bushes.

Rue signaled he was finished when his steps picked up again, and sure enough, he only made it a few feet before pausing. He turned Ryker’s way, and Ryker quickly dodged, hiding behind a tree. When he peered out again, Rue was nibbling on his bottom lip, doubt creeping in.

His eyes would be blue right now for sure.

Blue for sadness and distress.

Green for more positive emotions, or when he was turned on.

Brown for fear or pain.

Ryker had always found his mood eyes fascinating. Had gone out of his way to try and get them to change, sometimes even pushing Rue too far. Ryder had been worse, had mentioned more than once how blue was his favorite color.

Green was better. Especially when they were as bright as fresh grass, or leaves when the sunlight hit them. He’d only seen Rue’s eyes change that particular shade once, and it’d been dark.

Rue spun in a slow circle, growing more unnerved with each passing second.

Ryker bent down and picked up a small stone, waiting for Rue to be facing away before he tossed it to the left.

As soon as Rue gasped and turned toward the sound, Ryker shot out of his hiding place. He was on Rue before he could fully turn and see who was coming, hand capturing him by the throat and pinning him to a thick tree. A knee slipped between Rue’s legs, thigh pressing against him.

“Ryker,” Rue sounded breathy, both hands gripping his wrist tightly. His eyes were wide, a light shade of blue right now, and his pulse was quickening.

“Lost, little brother?” he practically purred, grinning. It made no sense—he’d been in a bad mood all week, and it was very much thanks to the man currently trembling before him—and yet now that they were touching, now that he could smell that familiar scent and see the color blooming in Rue’s irises, the heavy weight in the center of his chest seemed to ease.

“Ryker.” Either Rue didn’t know what to say, or he’d been carrying their encounter at the library, same as he had.

He hummed in acknowledgment. “Should I help you?” Ryker’s voice dropped to a mere whisper, leaning in close so the words were practically breathed against his slightly parted lips. “Should I help you find your way back to me?”

What the hell was he saying?

Where was the anger?

He needed that. Needed to remember it and call upon it now before he—

Rue shoved forward, pushing off the tree. He didn’t have to go far, sealing their mouths together with that one small move. He wasn’t tentative about it either, lips pressing almost pleadingly against Ryker’s, tongue flicking out to lick across the seam and request entrance.

Initially, Ryker kissed him back. His mind overwhelmed by need, the monster inside of him, the one that’d been raging and missing him, reacting before logic could break through and remind him of all the reasons this was wrong.

He got there eventually though.

Thinking of Ryder.

With a growl, he shoved Rue off of him and retreated a couple of steps, rubbing at his mouth as though to remove the taste and feel of him.

To his credit, Rue looked just as shocked as he was by his own actions.