Like a serpent, Jordan slithered onto him, easingMatt back against the bed as he climbed into place. His hard cockpressed alongside Matt’s own, then Jordan slid up, sitting onMatt’s pubic mound, Matt’s erection throbbing in the cleft betweenJordan’s buttocks. “Don’t worry about going easy on me,” Jordan wassaying, his hands slathering lubricant across Matt’s rock hardnipples as he rubbed over Matt’s dick with his balls, his ass. “Ilike it rough.”
Far away, so goddamn far that it seemed like anotherworld, another life, Matt heard glass shatter to a tilefloor. Then a flood of strength filled him, and wave after wave ofunbounded love flooded him like rising waters of a storm. Afamiliar voice spoke like a god in his mind, canceling out Jordanand everything that wasn’t the one man Matt loved.::Matty?::
Jordan leaned down close to Matt, one finger cockedunder Matt’s chin. With Matt fighting every step of the way, Jordanturned his face towards him. Just before their lips could meet,Matt took a deep breath. Perhaps Jordan thought he was givingin—something shone in his face, an eagerness, anticipatingconsent.
Then Matt screamed, at the top of his lungs, as loudas he could cry out with both throat and mind, “I’M IN HERE,VIC!”
* * * *
Chapter 28
For one glorious second, confusion flickered acrossJordan’s face. Matt felt a smug grin tug at his lips. His headfilled with a roar of vengeance so loud, Matt was surprised Jordandidn’t hear it escape like steam pouring from his ears.Saved, Matt wanted to crow, but the thought struck himspeechless. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, tofrighten Jordan, but all that came out was another shout,“Vic!”
Jordan jumped as if goosed. Before he could sayanything, the door to the bedroom was ripped from its hinges, metalsquealing in protest, wood splintering with a thunderous sound likejudgment raining down. He didn’t even have time to glance over hisshoulder before viselike fists bunched in his bathrobe and hauledhim off the bed. Matt felt Jordan’s hands scramble across his body,seeking purchase, fingers tickling over sweaty, heated flesh,trying to hold on, trying to stay in control…
Then he was chucked aside like so much dirty laundry.Matt craned his neck and saw Jordan flying across the room, wherehe struck the jamb of the closet door hard enough to crack thewooden molding. His eyes crossed, then rolled back into his headuntil the whites were exposed. A trickle of bright blood gurgledover his lower lip; it matched the blood that smeared the wallbehind him, where his head hit before his limp body sank to theground.
Matt could feel the strength surging through thehands that touched him, but they were gentle on him, loving—nothingfearful hid in those hands, nothing harmful to him. With thesoftest caress, he was rolled onto his side, his face pressing intothe dusty covers on Kyle’s guest bed as those strong fingers untiedthe knots in Matt’s bonds. He struggled against the rope, kepttrying to close his numb fingers over Vic’s, and then the tiesloosened, his hands slipped free, and his lover began to rub thefeeling back into his wrists. “God, Matty,” Vic sighed, his gruffvoice thick with emotion. “That fucker is dead. I’m telling you,he’s so dead.”
It felt wonderful to bring his arms around to thefront of his body again, to push against the bed with his hands, tograsp at the covers with his fingers. Vic untied his ankles,tossing both the rope and Matt’s shorts together to the floor. ThenMatt turned toward him, arms reaching for the safety of Vic’sembrace. “I’m sorry,” his lover was saying, his face crumpled likea used tissue. “I’m so sorry, Matty. I tried all night to findyou…”
Vic sat on the edge of the bed. Reaching for him,Matt clambered into his lover’s lap, pulling up his legs to makehimself as small as possible to fit in the span of Vic’s muscledarms. His hands ran over a smooth scalp, the nape of Vic’s neck,the shoulders that shook as Vic held him tight. Hiding his faceagainst Vic’s chest, Matt breathed in deep his lover’s scent andcouldn’t find anything to say except, “It’s all right, Vic. I’m allright.”
He clung to his lover with a fierce grip, as if thatalone could make his words come true.
They sat huddled together for long, drawn outminutes, maybe hours. Matt had no sense of time, and now with Vicholding him, no sense of urgency, either. Each passing moment, hefolded down farther into himself, letting Vic’s love fill thehollow spots inside him that Jordan had carved out of his soul. Thelonger he kept quiet, the harder it was to speak again, and hefound himself burrowing down into his own mind, content to let Victake over. Matt’s eyes were blank, unblinking, staring out blindlyas if he couldn’t be bothered to show interest in the world aroundhim. His hands gripped Vic’s shoulders, the thick biceps, holdingon as his mind slipped farther away.
Energy burst through Matt and he realized Vic wasstanding. He clawed at Vic’s shoulders, unwilling to let go justyet, but he didn’t have to worry—Vic held him as if he were aninjured child, one arm strong beneath Matt’s back, the otherholding his legs up off the ground. With a dark glance at Jordan,still unconscious, Vic muttered, “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
He carried Matt to the guest bath, just off thebedroom. From the doorway, they could see Jordan, but the bloodthat painted the wall behind his head suggested the guy wasn’tgoing to be moving any time soon. Nudging aside the shower curtain,Vic started to lower Matt into the bathtub, but Matt refused to letgo. “Come on, Matty,” Vic cajoled, the grit in his voice subdued,as if he spoke to a frightened animal. “Work with me here, willyou? I need you to wash up.”
Slowly Matt relaxed the death grip he kept on Vic,one muscle at a time. An eternity yawned before him as he stretchedone leg down, down, until his foot connected with the coolporcelain of the tub; then he lowered the other foot. But when Victried to stand, Matt reached for his tank top again, unwilling togive up
