Before the Darkness (Refuge Inc.) (11 page)

Adam swept the light ahead, looking for

more black painted R's but didn't see any. "What

is it?"

Elliot rushed toward what could have

been the backyard of a house where a massive

covered wooden box sat. On closer look, Adam

knew exactly what he was looking at.

"It's a hot tub," Elliot said excitedly.

Adam grinned at Elliot's enthusiasm. "I

doubt it's hot."

"But it might have water in it." Elliot

examined the outside of the wooden cube. "It

looks good. No damage. Now help me open it."

Together they unhinged the corner locks

and removed the lid. The smell of chlorine

permeated the dank air. It looked brand new

inside with an oval shaped iberglass tub and

crystal clear water.

Elliot dipped his hand in. "It's freezing but

we can still use it to clean up."

Adam nodded. "We'll make camp here

and try to get some rest."

He shined the light at the dark, empty

house which reminded him of something from a

horror movie the way the windows were

broken and the back door swung lazily on its

hinges. The side and front of the house was

caved in, which made for poor shelter. But he

made a mental note of searching it for anything

useful before they left.

***

Titan as he limped off to explore the empty shell

of the house. The light of the ire also glowed

around the hot tub enough for Elliot to see as he

hopped in and washed off the dirt and dust that

had collected on their bodies. Adam was

courteous enough to turn his back while Elliot

bathed, awaiting his turn in the freezing water.

"Adam, what's your last name?"

He poked at the fire with a stick. "Weber."

"Adam Weber, hmm." Elliot chuckled.

"Nice."

"And yours?" The heat of the ire

increased a bit, scorching the ine hairs on his

knuckles.

"Stewart. Elliot Stewart."

"Common."

"Yeah, so is Weber." The sound of

splashing water resounded through the night.

Adam took the moment to clear up what

had been nagging at him since leaving their last

resting place. "Look, I feel bad for how I acted

earlier."

"I was just getting over it." The water

splashed as Elliot climbed out of the tub behind

him. "We don't have to bring it up."

"It's not fair to you. To lead you on. To lie.

But I'm so used to it. Lying to keep people from

questioning me. Lying to keep the people

around me happy."

"The whole 'I'm gay but afraid to admit it'

thing is pretty pitiful." Elliot snorted. "Too many

guys use that as an excuse not to get

permanently involved or fall in love."

"It's real." He glanced over his shoulder

at Elliot, and then quickly turned back to the

crackling ire. "Sorry my problems are too cliché

for you. But it's real. It exists. Messing around

with men caused me too much trouble."

"Then it's time to get over it. What do you

have to lose now anyway? Jena's already gone."

Elliot sat down on a patch of grass if front of the

warm, glowing ire. He was naked, wet and

covering his pelvic area with his dusty shorts.

"Jena's gone," he repeated as he looked into

Adam's eyes. The sadness conveyed in his

frown.

As much as he hated to believe it, again

Elliot was right. Jena remained forever gone.

And somehow the blow was more intense when

he heard it from Elliot's mouth instead of his

own. Was he really trying to fool himself into

thinking Jena still loved him? He always thought

actions spoke louder than words. Her actions

told him plenty.

The gauze on Elliot's leg sagged and

dripped with water. "Let me get that." Adam

grabbed his pack and took out the supplies he

needed to change Elliot's dressings. While

placing fresh, dry gauze on Elliot's leg he

thought aloud, "I wonder if she really loved me

at all."

Staring at his bandaged leg, Elliot's

eyebrows pulled together. "I wonder if you

really were in love with her or if you were just

using her as your cover."

Adam stared into Elliot's eyes, proving

his sincerity. "I loved Jena. As pathetic as it may

be, I loved her. I wanted a kid with her, I wanted

to marry her, and I needed her."

"Not as much as I need you." Elliot looked

away guiltily. "Look at us. We're both blaming

each other for our problems when we're

making the problems. It doesn't have to be this

way. If you let me, I can take care of you the way

you take care of me. Better than anyone ever

has." The look in his eyes was genuine. Adam

knew Elliot needed him. He didn't want to admit

it but he needed Elliot just the same. After such a

disaster, life wouldn't be the same. It made

sense. Adam understood how two lonely fools

would need one another as part of their

survival.

"Your turn." Elliot nodded in the direction

of the hot tub.

Adam walked over and removed his

clothes, fully aware that Elliot's eyes were on

him, drinking him in like a dried up sponge. He

stepped into the tub, submerging everything

below his waist in the cold water. Slowly he

brought water to his chest with a cupped hand.

He looked over his shoulder at Elliot who

watched him bathe with an aroused glint in his

eyes.

"You have a bruise on your hip," Elliot

said, standing.

Adam ran his palms over his wet cheeks.

"Crawling into that hole to get Titan."

"I did that, huh?" Elliot's voice was closer,

right behind him. "When the concrete slab got

too heavy and it grazed the back of your . .

thigh." A hand caressed his shoulder. "I wasn't

gonna drop it. Sorry for the bruise." Elliot's low

and husky voice had the sound of sexual arousal

lingering on every word.

Adam turned slowly to face Elliot. He was

naked, no longer hiding behind his shorts, and

his erection dark, stiff and pointed straight out

in front of him.

"Sorry, I can't help it." Elliot's hands

traveled down over Adam's chest and down

over his abs. "You're just so…tempting."

Heat rushed Adam so fast his skin

burned despite the freezing water he stood in.

Adam swallowed hard enough for Elliot to hear.

He could feel his cock hardening from Elliot's

soft, sensual caresses. He stared at the bruise on

Elliot's lip and for a split second he imaged his

cock between them. Elliot's cock grew irmer by

the second. He knew because he couldn't keep

from eyeing it, watching it lengthen and rise. The

deep contours on the sides of Elliot's lower

abdomen cut straight to his groin and turned

Adam on more than he knew was possible.

Elliot's tight, lat stomach with a ine patch of

dark hair below his navel made Adam's blood

race through his body.

Elliot cupped his hand and applied water

over Adam's sensitive skin. "You're so perfect."

Adam bowed his head. "Far from it."

"You're so damn beautiful."

Adam looked up, seeing the lust in Elliot's

eyes and wondered if it matched his own. He

climbed out of the tub, brushed his thumb

across the bruise on Elliot's lip and planted a

kiss there. "I—I want to but—"

"Don't say anything." Elliot grinned

flirtatiously. "You still want to get off, right? Well,

I still want to suck you all night."

Adam answered by licking Elliot's lip.

Elliot moaned and opened his mouth. His tongue

teasingly slid out to lick Adam's. Suddenly they

were licking each other's tongues and sucking

one

another's

lips,

deeply,

sensually,

passionately. Their bodies pressed together,

crushing their stiff cocks against the other's

abdomen. Elliot dropped to his knees on the

grass and left a trail of wet kisses up and down

Adam's muscled thighs. He wrapped his ingers

around Adam's thick, heavy cock and guided it

into his warm mouth. His tongue swirled around

the engorged tip and Adam huffed, rolling his

head back and closing his eyes. He leaned back

against the hot tub and a pleasing groan

escaped his lips. He'd had an indescribable pent

up need for sexual release that nagged at him

like an annoying insect ever since the camp ire

incident, and finally the relief hit him strong.

Elliot's warm, wet, tantalizing licks

traveled from the tip of his cock, down the thick

vein underneath, and further down to his heavy

balls. He shuddered as Elliot sucked his balls

into his mouth, alternating between one and the

other. He could hear Jena's angry voice yelling

obscenities in his ear and he grimaced. The

things she said, the names she called him, the

heartbreak was all there, resurfacing. Again,

second thoughts.

"Elliot, wait."

Elliot looked up, eyes low with desire,

panting like a deep sea diver who inally came

up for air. "It's okay," he murmured, the muf led

words vibrated against his balls. "You can come

on me. I like it."

With that, Adam couldn't muster the

words to stop him, to interrupt the desire that

suddenly surged through him. "You like it?" His

chest rose and fell rapidly with the thought of

seeing his milky stickiness on Elliot's moist lips.

Elliot nodded. "You can do anything you

want to me. I'll love it." He dipped his head

again, teasing his balls with quick licks of his

tongue.

Adam ran his ingers through Elliot's

dark, damp hair. Part of him wanted to pull his

head away from his body and tell him
no
. But

the other part got exactly what he wanted; Elliot

took his cock deep down his throat. He gently

pulled Elliot's head back, looking down at long

beating eyelashes. With his free hand Adam

grabbed his cock and traced Elliot's bottom lip

with the tip, coating his blushed lips with a thin

layer of pre-come.

"You like that?" The words Adam

fantasized saying to hot hungry men so many

times.

"Uh huh." Elliot nodded, licking at the

flared head.

"Open up." The fantasy played out the

way Adam had always envisioned.

Elliot opened his mouth, tongue out.

Adam placed his throbbing cock onto the tip and

slowly thrust his hips, sliding it in to the base. He

felt the tightening around the head where his

cock met Elliot's throat and he moaned as Elliot

swallowed around it.

Elliot bobbed his head, taking him in

deeper and slowly pulled back allowing his cock

to nearly slide out completely. Elliot made a

slurping sound as his cheeks hollowed from the

intense suck, and then went forward again until

his mouth touched Adam's pelvis and his cock

couldn't go any further.

An intense urge to thrust and fuck Elliot's

mouth struck him, but he gripped Elliot's hair in

his ist instead, trying to ind his self-control.

"Jesus, Elliot," he breathed, panting like an

athlete after a game.

Elliot inally pulled back and began a

rhythmic bob of his head, sucking, licking,

slurping and lapping hungrily at his swollen

cock. Adam hissed, unable to control his

responses. His toes curled when Elliot's sexual

groans and moans penetrated his ear. It amazed

him how Elliot could be so aroused by

pleasuring someone else…him. He looked down,

watching an attractive man with gorgeous, full,

wet lips wrapped around his cock. He breathed

so hard he thought he might pass out.

His cock unexpectedly popped from

Elliot's damp lips and Elliot licked his own inger

liberally, the same way he'd just licked Adam.

The same hand grazed his balls as he reached

behind them to tease Adam's hole with his wet

inger. The tip breached the outside and Adam

gasped.

Elliot grinned. "You never—"

"No, never."

Elliot stood, licking Adam's abs and