Chapter 19 #2
If Jesse had opened a door, allowing one of those things to enter, it would make sense. At least, as far as answering how the monster had gotten in. Surely they would have heard if it’d broken a window or smashed through a wall.
“That loud sound earlier, was that you?” Rue had heard a commotion, but he’d been too busy hiding from the monster to really consider what it could be.
“No one unlocked the doors for us,” Ryker said.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t planning on leaving you out there. I wouldn’t—” Rue gasped when Ryker shoved him against the wall, the railing digging into his back. A breath later, his face was captured between strong hands, and his mouth was being devoured.
The Black Hart kissed him passionately, tongue darting between his lips, a possessive growl escaping between them as he blanketed him with his firm body. Reality slipped away, the world becoming a blur.
Ryker’s kisses were like that. His attention could block out everything around them, even flesh-eating monsters and suspicious gaming manuals with his name on them.
When he touched Rue, it was like nothing else mattered in the entire universe.
Not even his possible betrayal. So long as Rue could live in this moment for a little while, that was all he cared about.
That could make it all worth it.
“Relax, babe,” Ryker pulled back just enough to whisper against his mouth, “I trust you.”
A part of Rue shattered, the guilt growing.
But there wasn’t any time for him to confront it—or Ryker—because the sound of heavy footsteps signaled soon, they wouldn’t be alone.
Ryker grabbed his hand and raced down the other end of the hall, choosing to head away from the sounds. They tried several doors before finding one that wasn’t locked, and slipped inside yet another closet.
This one was a bit more spacious than the one inside of Cosima’s office, but no less cramped with the two of them. It was used as a storage closet, the smell of cleaning supplies tickling at Rue’s nose as he was turned to face one of the shelving units, Ryker taking up position at his back.
There was no lock on the inside, so the Black Hart eased one of the lower shelves in front of the door, trying really hard to be quiet about it.
“Do you think it’ll come this way?” Rue dared ask once Ryker had settled behind him once again.
Uriel and Ellery had opted to check the second floor, yet the monster was up here. Unless they heard the footsteps from below, they wouldn’t make it up in time to be any help. At least Ryker had the gun still, but—
“Hey.” Rue scowled when he felt the Black Hart’s hands slip around his waist, one inching down his front, heading low. He wiggled in his hold, but that did nothing to deter the other man. “Stop it.”
“Relax,” he repeated. “I’ve got you.”
“Now isn’t the time.” Rue hissed when Ryker’s left hand slid beneath the waistband of his sweatpants and found his dick. “Seriously. I’m not in the mood.”
“I’ll get you in the mood,” he reassured, breathing in Rue’s scent. “Just try to be quiet so you don’t give us away.”
“Ryker.” Admittedly, the second those warm fingers wrapped around his length, a little of Rue’s resolve shattered, but that didn’t mean all of his survival instincts had been quelled. He tried to move away again, but when that rattled some of the items on the shelf, he was forced to go still.
Ryker stroked him languidly, dragging his palm up and down Rue’s hardening shaft, fingers delving into the beads of precome dripping from his slit as soon as he started leaking.
He made another soft sound of protest when his pants were pushed all the way down, but couldn’t resist when Ryker stopped touching him long enough to help him slip his feet free.
“These are disgusting,” Ryker pointed out. “You can’t keep wearing them.”
“I’m not going around in my boxers,” he argued, but then he was being stroked again, and the rest of his complaints died on his tongue.
A whimper slipped out of him when he felt Ryker’s other hand shove his boxers to his knees before pushing between his cheeks.
The second his entrance was discovered, he found his voice once more. “Don’t.”
“Do you know how worried I was when you missed the signal time, sweetheart?” Ryker asked, finger prodding against him teasingly before one finger finally slipped inside, forcing its way past that tight ring of muscle. He clicked his tongue when Rue clenched on purpose. “Loosen up.”
“No. This isn’t the time or the place for this. There’s a monster and we—”
“We both survived,” Ryker cut him off. “Me out there, you in here. You did so good, baby, keeping yourself safe for me. Don’t you want your reward?”
Rue hated how that tiny bit of praise had his insides melting, bristling when Ryker snorted knowingly.
“There you go,” the Black Hart said, “you eased up for me. Good boy.”
“Stop.”
“Not until I’m inside you. I need more confirmation that you’re really here. With me. Alive.”
“Neither of us will stay that way if you attract the thing out there,” he pointed out, but the Black Hart merely buried his face against the crook of his neck and breathed deep.
“You smell so good. Forget that monster, I could eat you myself.” Ryker paused when he felt Rue tense. “What’s wrong?”
“I…Nothing.” Now wasn’t the time to confront him about the manual. A turned-on Ryker was still in control, but an angry one…And he would be upset, wouldn’t he? If Rue openly accused him of setting this whole thing up?
Of killing his mother?
Losing his own mother had screwed with Ryker’s psyche.
It was the major reason Rue had always imagined Ryker hadn’t bothered retaliating or causing a full-blown scene against Eulalie marrying into his family.
Even when Rue had returned to planet, Ryker had found many ways to mess with him, but harming or threatening his mom hadn’t been one of them, almost as though it was an unspoken rule between them. Something that was off limits.
Yet now, Rue’s mom was dead, murdered by one of those creatures depicted on the cover of a game manual with Ryker’s name inside.
Coincidence or design?
“Come back,” Ryker whispered against the curve of his ear before he sucked it and then nipped at his lobe.
Two fingers pumped into Rue’s hole, preparing him, as his other hand continued to stroke his hard length.
“Come back to me, sweetheart. Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re afraid of, let it go.
I’m here. I won’t let anything hurt you. ”