Gabe
The medics rush over and lift Jason’s limp body onto a stretcher and secure his head to protect his neck.
Seeing Jason like this, bound to a stretcher and motionless, reminds me of the worst day of my life—
I want to ask if he’s okay, but my throat closes.
My hands press against my temples, the pressure building to my breaking point, but, to my complete shock, the moment they finish strapping Jason onto the stretcher, he wakes up.
“What? What the fuck! Untie me!” Jason hollers.
I maneuver closer and hold his hand.
A medic elbows me out of the way and begins questioning him. “What city are you in?”
“What kind of stupid fucking question is that?” Jason barks.
“I need to know if you're concussed. What city are you in?” the medic clarifies.
The other medic takes a flashlight and looks at Jason’s eyes.
“I’m in Belmont,” Jason hisses, then curses the light.
“What just happened to you?” the first medic asks.
Jason huffs a laugh. “I just pulled a David and Goliath, bitch. Am I in the HellCats?”
The other medic puts his light away. “Pupils are fine. I don’t think he’s concussed, but we should monitor him for half an hour.”
“Let’s move him to a room for some privacy,” the medic with the light suggests.
“Fucking untie me first!” Jason wriggles on the stretcher, but before they can pick him up and carry him off, Tobias and Torren charge toward us.
“Look at you proving Mac wrong,” Tobias says in sheer amazement. “You proved this whole damn place wrong. You have to stop turning me on, or I’ll lose control.”
I look at Tobias, who can barely hide his hunger for Jason, which would be bad enough, but then I see Jason…
He looks so happy. His eyes shimmer with pride, and he smiles from ear to ear.
“Welcome to the HellCats, little pup,” Tobias continues. Jason’s smile would be glorious if his teeth weren’t covered in blood.
“Thank you so much,” Jason says.
Tobias signals for the medics to free Jason’s arms, and he shakes his hand.
“Never underestimate the scrappy blond with daddy issues.” Tobias winks, bringing forth a boyishly bashful aw-shucks chuckle from Jason, and I swear to God I’m going to go fucking insane.
Jason has to be in immense pain after the fight he just had, but he somehow manages to pump his fist in the air and shout, “Never underestimate me!”
“Never,” Tobias continues.
“We have to move him, sir,” the medic explains to Tobias.
Tobias waves them off, and Jason’s eyes land on me as they lift him. I move on instinct, trying to go with them, but a medic shoos me away, saying they need space.
Torren approaches and rests a hand on my shoulder. “He’ll be alright, Baby Gabe. He’s in good hands.”
Jason’s face shifts. “Baby Gabe…” he mutters with a sneer right before they carry him into a cabin.
“That’s your stepbrother, isn’t it?” Torren asks.
I turn to him with wide eyes.
How’d he clock that so fast?
I mean…he’s right, so I give a simple nod.
Torren stares at me with a raised brow. “You spoke, Gabe. I saw you speaking to him down there.”
My heart pounds. Torren is used to my silence, and he’s learned to read my body language and facial expressions like a book.
Tobias, who has been standing there this whole time, says, “I didn’t know hotshot had a stepbrother. I didn’t know you had one, Gabe.”
All I can do is shrug.
Tobias continues, “Then you should be in there with him. I’ll take you.”
One last look at Torren tells me he knows something is up.
I’ll deal with that later.
I turn on my heels and dart to where they took Jason, Tobias trailing behind.
When I enter the cabin, Jason is lying on the stretcher, spitting bloody water into a bowl.
Tobias knocks on the door. “This is family. Let him in.”
The medics nod and motion for me to come in. At first, all I can see are the wounds the medics are cleaning.
Then I see his face—he stares at me with rage in his eyes.
“What do you want?” he asks curtly.
A cold chill travels down my back in response to his tone, and my fists clench.
He’s mad at me? Me? My mouth opens, but there are too many people around us.
I clamp up—teeth clenching and look at the floor.
“Give us a minute,” Jason says to the medics.
They share a look, the two medics silently talking before one says, “I think he’s fine. We just need to monitor him for a bit.”
The other one nods and says, “Get us if you need anything.”
Together, they leave, and as soon as the door closes behind them, something cracks open inside me. All of the fear I felt watching him fight pours out of me in a rush, and I start screaming, “What the fuck was that? What are you doing, Jason? The fucking HellCats?”
“What about it?” he spits back.
I run my fingers through my hair and pace the room. “You could have died tonight. You could die working for Tobias.”
“I won’t,” he says, not even looking at me while he speaks.
“You don’t know that,” I try to explain.
Jason rolls his eyes. “What are you, my mother?”
“Don’t be a fucking asshole! When you won your first match, I ran down there. I stayed to make sure you were okay. You beat that guy because of my advice, so don’t treat me like this!”
He doesn’t like that. He opens his mouth to fight back, but all he can do is take a deep breath and look away from me.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask in desperation.
“Because what else can I do?”
“Anything, Jason. You could do anything you wanted.”
“That’s bullshit,” he yells, pointing at me with his shaking hand. “I can’t do shit, Gabe, so let me have this. Besides, your hero, Torren, created the HellCats. Don’t be a hypocrite.”
I notice the way he says hero—the bite behind it.
“Why did you say it like that?”
He narrows his eyes at me again. “Like what?”
I take a deep breath, trying to control my frustration, and close the distance between us. “You know what I mean.”
Jason tilts his head in that cocky way he does when he’s trying to size someone up. “Because he is, isn’t he? I saw the way you were with him—all smiles and googly eyes. You’re obsessed with him.”
“What? What are you even talking about?” I ask.
“I saw the way you were around him, Gabe. He’s your best friend now—maybe even more than that.” He lets that land, hitting me square in the chest.
“You’re fucking crazy. Torren is my friend—we work together.”
Jason folds his arms over his chest and says, “Yeah…friend.”
“He’s got a boyfriend. Besides, who are you to say shit about my friendship with Torren? What about the way you looked at Tobias?”
Jason’s eyes flash with shock. “I wasn’t looking at Tobias in any kind of way.”
“Bullshit! You looked so happy when he came over and praised you. You were like a little puppy, yipping and licking his fucking hand.”
“Shut your mouth,” Jason spits at me.
“It’s true! You were fucking gushing.”
“I was not! He’s the boss,” Jason hollers.
“Do you plan on fucking the boss?” I ask.
“Are you fucking your boss?” he yells back at me.
“No!”
“Are you sure about that, Baby Gabe?” he taunts, using Torren’s nickname for me.
I stare at him in utter disbelief—he’s done some shitty things, but this? He’s going to make my friendship with Torren a thing to use against me?
It’s all too much—
Then, I realize something. I’m talking. Continuously.
For him.
I feel like an atomic bomb that’s about to explode with everything I’m feeling right now…
So, I let it detonate.
“Don’t you get it? Listen to me, Jason. Listen to me.
I speak. For you. Just you. Not Torren. Not even my mom gets this, and do you know why?
Because I care about you so fucking much that I am willing to do something I said I’d never do again just for you.
I waded through that fucking crowd, fighting to get to you so I could help because I was scared for your life.
Now, do you get it? Is this enough to prove how important you are to me, you fucking asshole? ”
My chest rises and falls as I come down from my tirade.
I swallow, and it feels like trying to push glass down my throat.
Jason says nothing—just stares at me.
Then he takes a breath and asks, “Really?”
I’m so wrecked from this meltdown that I don’t even understand what he’s asking. “Huh?”
His eyes look right into mine with an overwhelming intensity. “You…you don’t do this with your mom. Talk like this?”
“No,” I say out of breath. “Not like this.”
He looks at me, stunned. “Why me? Why now?” he asks.
“Because I—”
I pause, really thinking about the question, trying to understand why, myself.
“Because you mean everything to me, and I’m terrified you’re going to get hurt working for Tobias. I can’t turn off how much I care about you. No matter how much you hate me.”
Jason’s mouth falls open, and his eyes become glassy. “I don’t hate you,” he says.
“No?”
He reaches his hand out to me. “Come here.”
I do, crossing the divide to stand right beside him on his stretcher.
He squeezes my hand. “I care about you, too.”
“Yeah?”
He nods, then asks, “D-does this mean…you’ll talk to me now? Like this?”
The way he asks it…it’s so precious.
My mouth opens, but something stops me from answering right away.
Can I?
I look into his blue eyes, wide and hopeful. The boy I’ve loved my whole life stares back at me with need.
And I need him, too.
“Yes,” I say.
Relief washes over his face. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
He squeezes my hand and whispers, “Thank you.”
I smile because, even though his face is so beaten and bruised, he looks happy.
And that’s all I’ve ever wanted for him.
Then he looks down with an embarrassed expression and mutters, “I’m sorry I was jealous of Torren.”
I bark out a laugh, surprised by this sudden shift.
I mean, if we’re really being honest here…
“I was jealous of Tobias,” I add. Jason’s face relaxes, and a smile appears, sending my heart into overdrive. “I guess we’re both jealous dickheads, huh?” I say.
Jason grins. “We’re a match made in hell.”
We stare at each other for another second, then Jason starts to snicker. “We’re a fuckin’ show, Gabe.”
That’s when we both lose it—cackling like we used to until his laugh morphs into a wheezing cough, and I panic.
“Shit. You could have broken a rib or something. I need to get the medic.”
I turn to leave, but Jason grabs my arm. “Don’t go.”
“Jason, if it’s a broken rib—”
“It’s not. I’m fine,” he tries to assure me.
“You don’t know that,” I reply.
Jason pulls me closer to him—so close our lips almost touch. “Gabe, I need you here.”
We stay like that for a moment, completely still, until he loosens his grip and threads our fingers together.
My resolve shatters.
I kiss his hand and whisper, “Okay.”
Jason nods, brushing the curls off my face, then leans forward and kisses me.
“Come,” he says, then scooches over and pulls me onto the stretcher with him.
I wedge my body next to him, careful not to bump him. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t,” Jason says.
Our lips connect, and we fall into each other's embrace, both of us clutching the other like our lives depend on it.
The kissing grows hotter, heavier. Desire takes over.
His hands travel down my back to squeeze my ass, and I respond by gripping his crotch.
He’s hard, and I’m truly shocked after the fight he just had. “I can’t believe your dick is getting hard. Aren’t you exhausted?”
Always the cocky little shit, Jason responds, “Nah, I’m fucking virile, baby.” He thrusts his hips against my hand, waggling his brows, and I can’t help but fall for it. Jason’s swagger just does it for me.
Because I know it’s a mask.
“So, you’re not too tired?” I ask while palming his bulge.
“Nope,” Jason says with a sly grin and dark eyes.
I unzip his jeans and reach into his boxers to grip his cock.
“I’m mad that you did this tonight, but I can’t deny how fucking hot you were out there.” I spit into my hand and use it as lube as I stroke his cock.
“Fuck me,” he hisses. “You liked watching me fight?”
“No, but you looked hot as hell, whooping ass shirtless,” I say as my thumb massages the head of his dick.
Jason’s feet flex, and his hips thrust into my hand. “Gabe, kiss me.”
His tongue slides into my mouth, and all I can think about is having him pressed on top of me—holding me down while he uses my body for his pleasure.
“Your lips are so hot,” he says to me.
I imagine he doesn’t have the energy to fuck me senseless, but there are other things we can do. “They’re even hotter when they’re wrapped around your dick.”
Jason’s grin is wicked. “I love when you talk like a slut.”
“I love being your slut,” I respond.
Jason’s eyes grow dark, and his tongue runs along his bottom lip. “Suck my dick, you fucking whore.”
My moan is humiliating, but I can’t help it.
“You like it when I talk dirty, don’t you?” he asks.
“I like it when you call me filthy names,” I answer, making my way down to his cock.
“Ah, I see. What else should I call you?” he asks, leaning his head against his folded arms.
“Call me whatever you want.”
“Baby Gabe?” he suggests.
I narrow my eyes and warn, “Not that.”
Jason chuckles, then tilts his head to the side once more, studying my features. A smirk appears, and he says, “Put your mouth on it, you cum-hungry pig.”
My whole body ignites. “Bingo.”
I swallow his cock to the back of my throat in one go. I don’t even try to get used to it. All I want is for him to choke me with it.
“That’s right. My piggy best friend likes choking on my dick, doesn’t he?”
Best friend.
I push his cock even further down my throat.
“Fuck! Gabe, that’s so hot.”
The sounds I make are so dirty. Spit pours out of my mouth, slicking Jason’s cock. I alternate between stroking his dick and swallowing it as deep as I can. His precum is salty, and I can feel his body writhe as I relax my jaw and fully deepthroat him.
I release his cock with a gasp and blurt out, “I’ve wanted to suck you like this for so long.”
“Because you’re a dick-slut who loves to swallow his buddy’s load, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I gasp in response.
“Who owns your mouth, Gabe?”
“You!”
“You gonna give me your ass later, too?” he asks.
“Fuck yes!”
“That's a good boy. Lick my balls, Gabe. Get ‘em nice and wet.”
I do, sucking a nut into my mouth and reveling in the way Jason responds.
“Slap my cock against your face, you whore.”
I do, and just as I’m about to swallow him again, the door to the cabin swings open.
“Holy shit!” Torren yells, and I spring from the stretcher, landing on the floor in a heap.
Tobias walks in and puts both hands on his hips. “And why wasn’t I invited?”