Deliver Us (53 page)

“Wow,” Darrek says, reaching across the table for Gabriel’s hand. “All right. No rules then. I can do that. You get what you want and I get what I want? Which is you, by the way.”

“Yep,” Gabriel nods. “Okay, my turn. I want to take you to see your family. Like a visit. They deserve to know you’re doing fine.”

“Whoa... what? Gabe....”

“No. No arguing about this. Your mom is worried about you, Dare. Your dad said so, and I don’t think it’s completely healthy the way that you’ve cut your whole family out of your life. And before you say anything, because I can see your lips moving like they’re revving up for a doozy of a comeback, I realize that saying that makes me sound like a major hypocrite. Which is why I’ve been thinking about going to Texas to face my mom and Harry, too, just to show them that I’m alive and that no matter what my stepfather did, he didn’t keep me from living my life.”

“Are you sure? That’s... a really big deal.”

“No, honestly. I’m not sure. At all. But I looked him up today online.”

“Harry?”

“Yep. Still a big shot at his stupid firm, but apparently he divorced my mom a few years ago. But let’s come back to that one. Your turn again.”

“I think we should talk about the whole visiting-our-fucked-up-families thing a little more.”

“It’s not something we have to do if you’re really against it, but I
will
insist that you at least call your mom. Just that.”

“A call. One call. I think I can do that. Okay, hmm.... Oh. Um, where’d that vacuum bed come from? Did you buy it today? Did you have it at Trace’s?”

“I borrowed it. From Ben. It’s his.”

Darrek’s eyes pop, and his eyebrows jump in surprise.

“Don’t... imagine it,” Gabriel says, holding up a hand. “Just... don’t. But that leads me to my next confession. I kind of kissed Kyle today. And Ben told me that the next time he sees you that he’s going to kiss you as, like, payback. Or something. It’s ridiculous, but I’m pretty sure he meant it.”

Darrek simply stares blankly at him for a second. Then he gets up out of his seat and slides it around the table so that he sits right next to Gabriel, knee to knee. “Okay. Um,
WHY
did you kiss Kyle?”

“Huh, uh. It’s kind of complicated. Well, first off, I went to see Dr. O’Malley today. The head shrinker. And then after that appointment I had to see you, so I went to your work. But Kyle was there and it was like he saw right into my head and figured out how freaked I was about wanting to submit to you. And he pretty much talked me into doing it. There might have been a little bit of literal pushing me up against the wall and kneeing of my crotch but he was just trying to make a point. Anyway, um. He told me that I owed it to you to trust you that much, that anything you would do with me would be done with love, and not to control me. And I felt so much better. He really, really helped me, and I was grateful, so I kissed him. Like a thank you. Plus, I kind of wanted to see what all the fuss was about.”

Darrek doesn’t say anything. His brain is pretty much incapable of processing that amount of startling information quickly enough to have any sort of reaction to it.

“So I fully give you permission to kiss Ben,” Gabriel tells him. When Darrek still doesn’t respond, Gabriel says, “You’re picturing it, aren’t you?”

“Uhh....”

“It was amazing how much Kyle was standing up for you. He’s really on your side, you know. He’s a good friend. I despise him less now.”

“You kissed Kyle. I’m ignoring the whole wall part, though, because... yeah. Brain-melting and, um....”

“Are you mad at me?”

“Um....”

“Darrek?”

“Oh god. Ben’s gonna kiss me.”

“Yeah. He’s good on the follow-through with this sort of thing. You
can
say no. You’re bigger than him anyway... could probably snap him in half if you wanted, but...”

“Gabe?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay? I mean really, really okay? Did the doctor help at all? I’m just... all this stuff with Kyle and Ben... I’m worried about
you
,” Darrek sighs. “The rest of it...” he shrugs, “Doesn’t matter to me.”

“I’m just trying to get my head on straight. I think I’ve been only half-living my life for a long time. I’m done with that though. I need to be who I am, flaws, scars and all. So, are we good? Can I go collapse in bed now?” he asks hopefully as he stands and brings his empty glass to the sink.

“Yeah. C’mon,” Darrek grins, taking his hand. “Sleep sounds good to me too.”

Ben sits restlessly on the edge of the bed as, in the next room, he hears the water in the shower turn off. His mind and body are on fire with excitement and an overload of energy, which he absolutely intends to use to full advantage on Kyle.

There’s movement and rustling as Kyle dries off. Water runs in the sink as he brushes his teeth. When he finally emerges into the bedroom, his steps falter once he sees the dark intent in Ben’s eyes.

A shiver races down his spine and he only has time to mumble, “
Fuck
ing hell,” before Ben is on him.

Kyle gets manhandled forward and slammed up against the bench in the room’s corner. Pushed down into position on the kneeler, Ben bends him sharply in half to lay facedown against the top.

“Hands,” Ben growls, and Kyle quickly plants them with his fingers spread loosely by his shoulders. Then he feels the small plug inside him get tugged out once, pushed downward firmly and painfully at his rim as it’s removed. He grunts quietly at the ache it causes. Expecting Ben to get rid of it, it just pushes back inside, along with something else, something much thicker and bigger than itself.

Kyle sputters, “S-sir?”

“Silence!”

The command is punctuated by a hard slap to the dark bruise he already carries on his backside.

The toy and Ben’s dick ease slowly, carefully inside and Kyle remains quiet, straining, breathing roughly through his nose as he grits his teeth to hold any sound in. All his fingers tense, the joints locking and splayed out in a wide fan on the bench’s top as he’s otherwise pinned down, unable to escape the two things stuffing him gradually full.

He doesn’t know if what Ben is doing has anything to do with what happened with Kyle and Gabriel earlier, if Ben is still wound-up over that or if it’s something else entirely. The most difficult part for Kyle is staying quiet. Small sounds slip out despite his best efforts, mixed with the rasping of his breathing as he drinks in every exquisite ounce of the pain.

“What do you think, kitty? Is this punishment?” Ben asks as he pushes his hips hard, watching the rest of his shaft get engulfed in the stretched-wide hole, all the way to the root. Pulling back just far enough to grab the plug and twist it, he pushes it farther in as well.

“
Ahh!
” Kyle gasps, trying to writhe away. He gets another hard slap to the side of his ass, and when
that
doesn’t have enough effect, Ben reaches under between Kyle’s spread thighs and pinches tightly at the sensitive flesh near the base of his sac.

Whining sharply, Kyle stills and quiets down.

“As I was saying.... Is this punishment for being such a dirty fucking
whore?
Or is this
prep
?” Ben asks him low and intently. “Just how many cocks do you think we can fit in you at the same time? Should we find out? I think I want to find out....”

Kyle knows better than to answer, but his eyes go wide at the implication.

An hour later, they’ve moved to the bed. Ass throbbing but sated, Kyle finishes Ben off with a thorough blowjob. He’s surprised when Ben spreads out his legs as he approaches his climax, getting them parted enough for Kyle to get a single finger inside Ben as he comes hard into Kyle’s mouth.

Kyle’s cheek rests softly in the slight concave dip of Ben’s pelvis as he recovers, and he runs a hand up and down Ben’s thigh to soothe him.

“Thank you, sir,” he whispers, wondering if Ben is going to fall asleep before he can glean what’s on his mind. He’s now very certain indeed that something is on his Master’s mind.

“I want to ask you something,” Ben murmurs, the hard edge gone from his voice for the moment. “Theoretically, in your opinion, should a dangerous person be held accountable for their crimes?”

Kyle frowns, propping himself up on his elbows to better see Ben’s face.

“Of course. Yeah,” he answers.

“What if there’s no chance that the law will do it, and the only way to stop them is to take matters into your own hands?”

“Hey, what’s this about?”

“Just answer,” Ben prods.

“Well, it depends on how dangerous they are, and who’s going to be hurt and how badly. You can’t just make a blanket statement....”

“What if the person rapes kids?” Ben says quickly. “And they’re out there,
free
, and no one knows what they’ve done... or knows what they’re probably still doing? The recidivism rate on that type of thing is through the damn roof. Guaran-fucking-teed they’ll do it again and again and again.”

Kyle locks eyes with him, then slowly nods. Aware that Ben knows he’s not dumb, this is the closest he’s going to ever come to telling Kyle flat out what’s going on here.

“The fuck are you gonna do to him, Ben?” he asks quietly. “You think Gabriel would really want you to do this?”

“I’m only talking about
justice
. Nothing extreme or unwarranted. Only justice, and only enough of it to keep more people from getting hurt. Just that. And look... you
cannot
tell Gabriel
anything
. Or Darrek. That’s a motherfucking order.”

Kyle doesn’t say anything, but keeps watching his eyes.

“We’ll be careful. You know that,” Ben assures him gently.

“You better be.”

“I’m doing this
with
you,” is the low purr of words by Trace’s ear. When Trace tightens his grip, however, the words break off and turn into a yelp. Micah had been there during Trace’s conversation with Ben. Trace has been keeping Micah on a very short leash, sometimes literally, since becoming aware of Harry’s whereabouts.

“No, you’re not. You’re staying here. Ben and I will handle the rest.”

“No. I’m coming,” he insists.

Trace rotates his wrist in a slow clockwise motion and Micah screams sharply.

“Not if I forbid it. You have no idea what you’re getting your delicate little ass into.”

Exhaling in gruff pants, he chokes out, “Fucking Harry up? Getting blood on our hands? I got it.”

Trace laughs darkly and
pulls,
hard. Moved beyond the ability to yell, Micah simply gapes soundlessly, his mouth working.

“Shhhh... good.
Good
boy,” Trace croons.

The next morning, Darrek and Kyle are seated on the same low wall that Gabriel had rested on when coming to visit the job site the day before. Darrek catches himself staring down the alleyway and imagining what had reportedly happened between his lover and his best friend. A few feet away in the basement level of the building they’re working on, the concrete has been poured and they are waiting for it to set while they have their lunch.

He had told Kyle about his plan to call home, but has yet to hear his response to the idea. Darrek thinks Kyle has been exceedingly quiet the whole morning though, and wonders if that may be guilt or confusion over his encounter with Gabriel.