Blind Spot (22 page)

“Thanks. Have you seen Tim yet?”

“No. They wouldn’t let us into his room without you,” said Yuri as they all started to walk down the hall. “What’s with the security? Does it have to do with your secret trip out of town?”

“I’ll tell you about it later.”

“You’re so damn enigmatic these days.”

“Believe me, I don’t want to be. So how goes the parent visit?” he asked Rachel and Alex, buzzing with nerves. He was both excited to see Tim and afraid there hadn’t been any change after all. What if Lisa was wrong?

“My ’rents left this morning,” said Alex. “It’s great to have the place to ourselves again.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Rachel agreed, giving Alex a knowing smile. Sam rolled his eyes.

The guard stationed outside Tim’s door—a burly guy who could have played Zangief in a
Street Fighter
movie—asked for ID and eyed all of them, including Sam, until Lisa came by and gave them the go-ahead. She was wearing scrubs covered with cats and mice playing poker.

“It’s great you got here so fast,” she said, squeezing Sam’s arm. “I think it’ll help.”

“I hope so.” Sam sidled by the guard and entered the familiar white room behind his friends. The television hanging from the ceiling was on and tuned to a sitcom with a laugh track. Lisa switched it off.

“You might not notice any change right away. He’s been vocalizing a little more each day, but it’s sporadic. Be patient.”

“Okay.”

Sam stared at the figure in the bed. The white hospital sheets were fitted snugly around Tim’s thin body. His brother’s eyes were closed, and his mouth was slightly open, as though he’d been caught midsentence.

“Hey, buddy.” Sam moved closer and carefully sat down on the edge of the bed. He could hear his friends settling in the furniture behind him, whispering quietly together, almost like they were in a museum.

He took Tim’s warm hand. It was a man’s hand, not a child’s anymore, though unblemished and pale. If Tim woke up, would he understand how much time had passed? Sam couldn’t imagine the shock of realizing years had vanished without you knowing, but Tim was still young. He had a full life ahead of him.

Sam squeezed his brother’s hand. “I hear you’ve been making a racket. I really want you to wake up, Timbo. I hope you can hear me. I love you.” He felt self-conscious talking with his friends in the room but was glad for their support all the same.

Yuri approached and stood next to the bed. “Hi, Tim,” he said.

Sam squeezed Tim’s hand again, hoping for a response or a reciprocal movement, but there was nothing. He tried to tamp down the disappointment, remembering Lisa’s injunction to be patient.

“Does he look any different to you?” Yuri asked.

Sam squinted. Instead of the usual pale, bloodless color, his brother’s cheeks were slightly rosy. He looked like he was sleeping and could wake any moment. It was enough to give him hope and brush aside some of the initial disappointment. “I think so.”

“Does this mean you’re back in town, in spite of all your weird warnings?” Yuri asked.

“For the time being.”

Yuri smiled, and his cheeks dimpled. “Good. Because I’ve got a big job coming up.”

Sam laughed and punched Yuri’s arm. “So that’s what you’re after. You got it.”

He turned back to Rachel and Alex, who were sitting side by side on two matching hospital chairs. “You guys wanna come say hi?”

Of all his friends, Rachel was the only one who’d known Tim before the accident. She stood on the other side of the bed and brushed Tim’s hair away from his forehead.

“We’re all waiting,” she said. “Whenever you decide the time is right. Your brother needs you.”

Sam swallowed down the raw emotion and stared. He could have sworn he saw Tim move.

NATHAN ARRIVED
shortly before visiting hours ended. Sam could feel the concern radiating from him when they embraced.

“How is he? Any change?” Nathan asked.

Sam couldn’t hold back his grin. “He moved his foot. I’ve never seen him do that before.” It happened a little after three o’clock, when Yuri, Rachel, and Alex had left for the day. Sam was reading a book, and he looked up to see his brother’s toes slowly flexing under the blanket. It might not have been a conscious movement, but it was still something. Tim’s body seemed eager to wake up, even if his mind wasn’t quite ready.

Afterward one of the doctors had come in to speak with Sam about Tim’s prognosis. She seemed cautiously optimistic, though she also made it clear they wouldn’t be able to determine the extent of the brain damage or the effect of the long-term coma until Tim was fully conscious. Sam couldn’t wrap his mind around the prospect that it might finally happen.

“I want to go look through his stuff, see if there’s anything in storage worth bringing over here so he won’t feel so weird when he wakes up. Mentally he’ll still be fifteen. The doctors think it might help.” Sam hadn’t visited the storage unit in years. He packed the thing with some help from Rachel, but he hardly remembered what was in it.

“That’s a great idea.” Nathan’s smile was strained as he looked from Sam to Tim on the bed. Sam realized his mouth had been running a mile a minute.

“Is something wrong? Did you finish up the report?”

“Yes. And my supervisor isn’t exactly happy about it. I think the PD down there will be getting a piece of his mind.”

Sam nodded. “Good.” He was glad Nathan wouldn’t have to keep working on a dead-end case, but he still wondered what Nathan would decide. He hoped he wouldn’t quit his job rashly and regret it. Then again, Nathan didn’t do much without thinking it through.

“What about Eric and Simon?”

“Headed back to Texas. At least Eric is.”

Sam was almost disappointed. He liked the guy, but he supposed they all had to get on with their lives.

“And we’re headed home.”

“Home?” Sam asked.

“Yes. They solved the mystery of the silver sedan. It was Judy White trailing you.”

“The mayor’s wife?” Sam couldn’t believe it.

“Yep. Looks like she’s been sleeping with the city comptroller. The two of them figured out Collins had some dirt on them, and that he’d given it to you before he split.”

Sam frowned. “But there was hardly anything incriminating in those files. White only suspected his wife was having an affair.”

“But she didn’t know that. Tony says she was worried they’d suspect her or her lover in the mayor’s murder if the cops found out about the affair. They were both at the gala.”

“So she decided to run me off the road?” Sam wrinkled his forehead. It seemed a little extreme.

Nathan shrugged. “Love makes people do strange things.”

“More like people will do anything to save their own skin.” Sam was pretty sure love had nothing to do with it.

“Touché.”

SAM FLEXED
his muscles, but his arms and legs were tied to the bed, so he could do little more than writhe. On his chest, Nathan had applied two small nipple clamps—stolen from Eric’s bounty—which were tightened to the point of pain. Nathan kissed one, and then the other, and Sam’s cock twitched.

They were both naked, but with the blindfold over his eyes, Sam could only guess where Nathan would touch him next. The sensory deprivation heightened every sensation, and Sam shivered as Nathan flicked his tongue out and teased his sore nipples. A firm hand slipped down between his legs, avoiding his cock, and Sam whined as two slick fingers breached him.

He’d never felt so helpless, and the primitive urge to fight rose up in him. He tested his bonds again, but they were strong. Nathan had used a set of four leather cuffs that linked together via nylon rope under the mattress—a contraption they purchased online but hadn’t yet used.

A surge of adrenaline pulsed through Sam’s body.

“Shh,” Nathan whispered close to his face. “Are you okay?”

The voice was familiar. Loved. Sam knew Nathan would let him go if he used their safeword. He started to relax as the fight dissipated. The cuffs weren’t there to hold him back, but to make him feel secure. They were an extension of Nathan, like his hands, or his arms. He nodded.

“Good.”

Nathan angled his fingers to rub Sam’s prostate, and his erection started leaking on his belly. He wanted something—anything—to touch it, but he knew Nathan wouldn’t give in easily. They had waited too long for it to be a quick session.

“Mew.” Shadow jumped onto the bed. Sam laughed as her cold nose tickled his side. He’d missed the little beast.

Nathan tutted. “Okay. I’m sorry, cat, but you need to go.”

Sam’s world only existed through sound and sensation—the bed bouncing as Nathan moved to exile the cat, the sound of running water in the bathroom. Then all was silent.

Sam’s eyelashes fluttered against the blindfold, but he couldn’t see more than a thin strip of light near his nose. His nipples ached. He closed his eyes and let the comforting darkness surround him.

As he listened to his own breathing—in and out, in and out—warmth spread over him. The adrenaline surge ebbed, leaving him fuzzy-headed and content, and he melted into the mattress. His cock was still hard, but it didn’t seem to matter anymore.

He waited what felt like hours, floating on the edge between wakefulness and sleep. When the mattress dipped, Sam opened his eyes to darkness. Nathan’s warm hands spread out over his chest and then pulled the clamps on his nipples. The sting traveled straight to his groin, and his cock leapt on his belly, slapped it and then rose again. It didn’t get any satisfaction. Nathan continued to ignore it and moved between Sam’s legs. Something pressed into him. Slick plastic, not quite as wide as a cock. It fit easily into his relaxed body. Nathan said something Sam couldn’t quite make out, but the tone of his voice was pleased. It made Sam proud he was doing a good job. He waited.

The plastic buzzed to life, and Sam shuddered as the unexpected sensation rocked through him. His toes curled and his adrenal glands fired. This time, Nathan fucked in and out with the vibrator as his other hand worked Sam’s cock. It was leaking profusely by then, and Nathan blew on the cool wetness, sending a shiver up Sam’s spine. The vibrator sounded loud in the quiet of the room, and Sam realized there was another noise—his own moaning. It felt so good he could hardly stand it. And then Nathan took the head of his cock into his mouth and sucked.

It was too much sensation too quickly. Sam could barely give a garbled warning before his balls contracted and he came.

He waited for the reprimand, but instead Nathan rewarded him with a long, openmouthed kiss. Their tongues slid together, tasting of come, and Sam lifted his head to get closer. His orgasm had left him weak and too sensitive. He wanted Nathan to untie him and hold him, but Nathan didn’t seem to have any intention of releasing him yet.

“That was good,” said Nathan between sweet kisses. “But don’t come again until I say. Tell me if you’re close.”

Sam didn’t think that would be a problem. He almost laughed but he didn’t dare. “Yes, sir.”

The vibrator was still inside him, angled just so, and Sam whimpered as Nathan continued to jack his softening cock, using his ejaculate as slick. Waves of pain mingled with pleasure, but Nathan was relentless, in spite of Sam’s halfhearted protests. He could safeword at any time, and Nathan would stop. But Sam wanted to keep going. He wanted to see how far they could go.

After a few minutes of steady attention, Sam’s dick started to stiffen again. His arousal was less potent than before, but grew steadily more urgent with every pull and twist of Nathan’s expert hand. Soon he was hard and throbbing, breathing in time to each slow stroke.

His mind started to wander. He imagined he could look down from the ceiling and see them both on the bed. He knew exactly what Nathan would look like, how proud, determined, and single-minded in his focus on Sam. How had he ever believed Nathan wasn’t entirely devoted to him? He felt so good. He reveled in the attention his cock was getting, especially when Nathan’s wet tongue flicked over the crown in a tease. Again Nathan’s hot mouth engulfed him, taking him to the root. Sam couldn’t thrust, and he held off. He floated on the precipice of another climax, but he wouldn’t let himself fall over.

When Nathan stopped sucking him, Sam arched off the bed, his body reacting automatically. Nathan quickly removed the vibrator, and Sam shuddered as the phantom sensation continued to echo inside him. Then Nathan was at his ankles, untying the cuffs. He pushed Sam’s legs back and slid something—a pillow—under his ass, angling him upward.

Sam’s first instinct was to hold his legs to his chest to give Nathan better access, but his arms were still bound. His heart pounded in his throat as he imagined how he looked. Earlier Nathan had instructed him to clean himself, and he’d done a thorough job. His hole was gaping, hungry for Nathan’s cock, but Nathan seemed intent on edging him into oblivion. Sam willed himself to relax.

Nathan ran his hands over the globes of Sam’s ass and spread him wide. Then he teased a finger between his cheeks and down his crack. He pushed in a little, and Sam felt himself welcome the intrusion. He wondered with breathless anticipation what would happen next.

“You look so good.” Nathan removed his hand, and Sam let out a whimper. Then, before he could adjust to the loss of sensation, he heard movement, like Nathan was repositioning himself on the bed.

Then Sam felt the wet, hot sensation of Nathan’s mouth on his hole.

“Shit,” he panted. Nathan nuzzled deeper, licking around his entrance and then kissing him above and below. He swirled his tongue and pressed it against the ring of muscle. Sam almost came as Nathan’s tongue opened him up. His cock started to drip onto his belly, and he made a nervous sound in the back of his throat. He didn’t want to come until he was told.

“Please, please.” His stomach quivered with the effort of being folded nearly in half, and his nipples ached. He sounded broken, desperate.

Nathan simply hummed against him, but he didn’t let up. He lapped and sucked, flicked his tongue, and tapped it against Sam’s balls.

“Is this heaven?” Sam groaned.