Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
NICOLO
Breakfast comes in the form of to-go boxes from some hole-in-the-wall diner in a small town we’re passing through just after nine in the morning.
The coffee is weak and far colder than I typically enjoy, with zero cream or sugar. I would’ve much preferred water or juice but I drink it anyway.
The bacon is a little overcooked but the pancakes are to die for. They melt on my tongue, a sweet mix of butter and syrup, as I hold the box steady with one hand and feed my face with the other.
I’m not the only one eating as if they’re starving. I’m not sure if Simon and Burke ate last night, before coming for me and Sebastian, but I know it’s been hours since Sebastian cooked dinner and that meal wore off sometime around three in the morning.
When I’m nearly done with my food, Sebastian tips his uneaten half into my box, and I eat that as well.
“Did you even taste it?” Sebastian bumps his shoulder against mine when the box is empty. A teasing smile, so much like the one he used to share with me, pulls at the corner of his mouth.
I poke my tongue at him and shove the box into the bag it came in. “It was delicious.”
“Good to know you still like breakfast.” Sebastian drops his arm over my shoulder and tugs me into his side after I set the bag on the floor.
Burke stops at a gas station just outside of town. While he fills the tank, Simon takes our trash and slips into the store. He returns with several bottles of water, and snacks. I happily accept a bottle and wash the taste of bad coffee away.
It would be nice to brush my teeth but my toothbrush is in a duffle bag, and I don’t think Simon or Burke are all that concerned with our dental hygiene.
We’re on the road again in under ten minutes. I’m not sure how much further we have to go but considering we’ve been in the car hours already, it can’t be much further, can it? Just how far do they plan to relocate us?
Not to New York. Neither Sebastian nor I can ever return to the state, much less the city. Hopefully not a red state. I might have several unpleasant things to say if they try to put us anywhere in the southern United States. Not just about the weather either.
I’m way too gay to live in the Bible Belt. With the way I dress, chances are I’d be the victim of a hate crime within a matter of days, and then what? Sebastian would lose his mind and commit crimes. Of that I have no doubt.
Would we be packed up and moved again? Or would Sebastian have to face the consequences of his actions in the court of law?
Neither sound appealing.
I press my lips against Sebastian’s ear. “How much longer, you think?”
He turns, his mouth brushing against my cheek. “Can’t be sure. We’re just about to leave Utah, I think.”
Utah. How can he know that? I pull back and search his face.
Sebastian chuckles. The sound is warm and soft, easing tension I didn’t even know I was still carrying out of my shoulders. “We took an exit onto I-80E just outside of Salt Lake City. I-80 stretches from San Francisco to Chicago.”
How the hell does he even know that?
I open my mouth to ask but decide to remain silent. Sebastian tucks me under his arm again before his gaze slips to the window. Ever since we woke a few hours ago, he’s paid more attention to what’s happening outside than to me. I don’t really mind. It’s nice to just exist with Sebastian again.
The soft hum of the radio and conversation between Simon and Burke lures me to sleep, even though I’m not really tired.
I wake on and off several more times. Once to stretch our legs and use the bathroom. Another time because of a phone call Simon receives. More than once to the feel of Sebastian’s fingers in my hair or running down my arm. It’s late, that time just before dusk truly sets in, when I wake again.
I clear my throat and swipe at a line of drool. “Are we there yet?”
“Seems like it.” Sebastian releases me and I sit up.
The sinking sun is hovering above a line of nearly identical homes that look as if someone pried them from the pages of a magazine. The only real difference between them is the flowers in the yard, or the paint on the doors and shutters.
Somewhere nearby children are laughing and dogs are barking. The scent of barbeque floats through Sebastian’s cracked window and my stomach grumbles.
I rub my eyes. “Do you know where we are?”
It looks like middle class suburbia.
Sebastian runs his hand down my back. “Somewhere in Colorado?”
“Come on boys.” Simon pulls open Sebastian’s door. “This is home sweet home for the next week or so.” Sebastian slides out and I unbuckle, following him. We grab our duffle bags from the back of the SUV with Simon and Burke’s help.
The inside of the house is nice, way nicer than I expected of a safehouse. It’s not an open floorplan like Sebastian’s house, but the living room is massive.
There’s a game system just waiting to be used, as well as an overstuffed bookshelf. I doubt they have any of my preferred reading materials but I can make do until I get another eReader.
“There are two bedrooms upstairs. Get settled in while I figure out dinner. Then we can talk about rules.” Simon passes the bag he’s carrying to Burke, who trails us up the stairs.
The first room has a nice-sized bed and a pretty sweet view of a well-maintained, fenced-in backyard. There’s a freaking pool. Will we be allowed to use it while we’re here?
“Okay if we share for now?” Sebastian turns to Burke.
He sets our duffle bags on the bed. “Fine by me. Come down when you’re ready.”
“Thanks,” I tell him just before he pulls the bedroom door shut behind him.
Sebastian sighs and drops his two bags at the foot of the bed. “How are you holding up?”
I shrug and set my own bags down. “Not too bad. Hungry though.”
He smiles and runs his hand over my head like he did when I was a boy. I lean into his touch. “First shower is yours. I’ll unpack. Simon should have food sorted out by then.”
If he wants to unpack while I shower, I’m not going to argue. I’m also not going to jerk off while I shower. The chances of being caught by someone other than Sebastian are way too high. The thought of Simon and Burke seeing me, hearing me moan Sebastian’s name, is enough to have my balls attempting to climb into my body while pulling my cock after them.