Chapter 20
Twenty
River was both exhausted and energized. Those last minutes in the car…
he’d been sure they would be his final few breaths on Earth.
The pain had faded to a dull haze, and he could barely feel Bel’s weight on him.
Everything had turned into a fog, and he’d been starting to float away, no matter how hard he’d tried to hold on to Bel.
He couldn’t leave them. Never wanted to leave them. Wyatt and Bel were his everything. Wyatt had devoted his life to protecting River. He’d been River’s only source of happiness for so long.
But then they found Bel. Their funny scientist with the enormous heart and wild hair. When he welcomed them into his home, his life, it was as equals. He fussed constantly over their care and comfort. He worried over their happiness. He risked his life and the lives of his family for them.
How could River not love the man as much as he loved Wyatt?
But he was alive. Brought back from the edge with vampire blood.
His body tingled and buzzed with new energy, and there were even more questions zipping through his brain. So much of what happened was fuzzy.
None of it mattered when they got a tired Bel naked and under the spray of hot water.
His face, neck, and hand were still healing, though they already looked much better than they had when they’d reached the laboratory.
The scabbed-over wounds were gone, and most of his injured flesh was now bright pink, as if he’d suffered a bad sunburn.
There were more spots along the left side of his body that looked burned, but the wounds were fading fast.
River helped Wyatt get Bel undressed and into the shower before he returned to the bedroom and pulled down the clean, cool sheets. When he returned to the bathroom, he slowly peeled off his own filthy clothes and left them in a pile next to Bel’s. They probably all needed to be burned.
Except they had no other clothes.
They had nothing.
His last memories of being in the house were fuzzy, but he remembered the place was on fire. Bel had lost everything. All his musical instruments, his computers, all his lab equipment. Because of them.
“River?” Bel’s soft voice rose about the pounding water and River couldn’t help a smile. His vampire could feel his grim mood and was trying to reach out to him even while he likely had his hands full of Wyatt.
“I’m fine,” River called back. “Let Wyatt wash you.”
“I want you in here,” Bel said stubbornly. He was already sounding like his clearheaded self, the last of the alpha drunkenness passing.
“If I get in there, one of us is going to end up hurt again.”
There was a low growl, but River honestly couldn’t say if it came from Bel or Wyatt.
The shower stall was large enough to comfortably fit two men, but three would have made things cramped.
Not that River minded cramped. He was more concerned with the fact that they were all exhausted and still mending.
Aiden and the brothers would not be pleased if they were newly injured so quickly.
River’s eyes jumped up to the mirror, taking in his blood-smeared skin. The wounds were completely gone. There wasn’t a fucking scratch or gouge on him. Sure, his insides felt tender and bruised still, but he looked absolutely fine. The vampire blood was some amazing stuff.
Except for that part where he sort of blacked out and came to with everyone holding him down like he was expected to tear all their throats out. He didn’t know what happened, but those answers could wait.
The shower door opened to reveal a sexy, wet Bel with a tired but stubborn expression. His vampire needed to be fucked and put to bed. River was happy to help with that.
Grabbing a towel, River started to dry off his wet lover while Bel looked over his shoulder at Wyatt.
“Stay in the shower. I’m sending him in with you,” Bel said firmly. Wyatt flashed him a relieved smile and closed the door again.
“Bel?”
“He needs you,” the vampire murmured, giving him a light kiss.
“I need you both.”
Some of the stubbornness drained away, leaving only a tired grin. “And I’ll be waiting for you both in bed. You’ve been together longer, suffered together longer. He needs you right now.”
River’s heart picked up its pace. He’d been positive there was no way to love Bel more, but he had given him yet another reason. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. Just leave me a little something when you finally stumble out of the shower.”
A smile teased Bel’s lips, and he gave a little shake of his head. At least the sparkle was back in his blue eyes. “Don’t take too long or I will force my way into that shower.”
“I’m counting on it.”
River dropped the towel and watched as Bel strolled out of the bathroom. That man had a gorgeous ass.
But it had to wait for now. He needed to see to Wyatt first.
Stepping into the cloud of steam in the shower, he was immediately wrapped in a pair of strong, wet arms. They slid around him, pulling him in against Wyatt’s larger body, until he sighed.
“You scared the shit out of me,” Wyatt growled into his hair.
“I’m sorry. I never want to scare you.”
Wyatt’s arms tightened, threatening to crack ribs, but he submitted to it all. Wyatt would never hurt him. He was just gripped with fear and the ugly memory of how close River had come to death.
“I know, baby. I just…I can’t lose you. I won’t survive if I lose you.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to remind him that Wyatt was stronger than he was giving himself credit for, that they had Bel now, he could survive for Bel, but those weren’t the words Wyatt needed to shake off the last tendrils of terror.
As Wyatt’s arms loosened a little, River turned and threw his arms around Wyatt’s neck. “Wash me. Feel that I’m healed and strong again.”
With a nod, Wyatt scooped up the thick cake of soap that was already filling the air with a fresh, clean scent.
Starting with his neck and shoulders, Wyatt slowly worked his way down his body, scrubbing away all traces of dirt, soot, and blood.
The bastard also avoided touching his straining cock, but he could feel the need already bubbling inside of Wyatt.
Not to mention the brush of his own hard dick.
When his body was clean, Wyatt picked up the shampoo and started working his fingers through River’s hair.
A low moan escaped his parted lips, and any tension still thrumming through his body evaporated.
Wyatt had amazing hands, strong and firm.
He always knew just the right amount of pressure to apply to turn River into useless goo.
As Wyatt moved him under the spray to rinse out the suds, his dick brushed along River’s hip, and he couldn’t help a snort.
“What?” Wyatt asked.
“Richard,” River replied with a little giggle.
Wyatt chuckled. “I doubt his brothers are going to let him live that down.”
River blinked away the water as he looked up at Wyatt. “Has that happened to you with a vampire? The drunkenness. Like with Brett?”
“No. Never. But then, Brett never fed from me when he was hurt. I think…I think Bel was in worse shape than he let on. The blood soaked in too fast for him.”
It was a chilling thought. Had they been close to losing their Bel and not known it?
River tossed the idea away as soon as it formed. Bel was almost completely healed now. A few hours of sleep and he’d be his usual inquisitive, overprotective self.
“Mmm…hiding something like that. Maybe Bel should be punished.”
River’s only warning was a low growl before he found himself shoved face first into the cool ceramic tiles. Wyatt stepped in close, rubbing his hard cock against his crease.
“Like you need to be punished for scaring me?”
Opening his mouth on a noisy pant, River pushed backward into that beautiful cock, desperate for every dirty thing running through Wyatt’s head. He was alive and he wanted to feel everything.
“Yes, but don’t start something unless you’ve got at least two rounds in you.” River reached back and dug his fingers into one cheek, spreading himself so Wyatt could get that much closer to his hole. “I’ve got a new fantasy I want to try out with Bel, and we’ll need that perfect cock rock hard.”
“Really?” Wyatt’s dick moved away from River’s ass, and he felt the brush of nimble fingers against his pucker. “Are you saying the only way I can properly punish you is with my cock in your ass?”
He could hear Wyatt moving behind him, but before he could turn around, his hand was knocked out of the way.
Wyatt grabbed both ass cheeks and spread him wide.
The flat of his tongue swiped across his hole.
A howl left River and he clawed at the tile in front of him as pleasure soared through his body.
It was instantly too much and so fucking perfect.
He wanted to crawl away and shove his ass closer at the same time.
“Wyatt!” he cried out as his lover sucked and licked him. River kept his hands pressed to the wall in front of him. If he touched his aching dick, he’d come, and he didn’t want to come yet. Not like this. “Please, Wyatt. Need you inside me.”
The werewolf growled and River curled his toes. God, he could feel that sound through every inch of his body. “I fuck you now, I’m coming inside you.”
“Yes, please,” River panted.
There was a long pause where Wyatt didn’t move, and River whimpered. He didn’t want him to stop. Needed him to do something.
Teeth nibbled on one ass cheek and River shivered. “You want me inside you now and you want me hard for your Bel fantasy. Now I’m very curious as to what’s in that dirty mind of yours.”
“You’ll love it. Promise.”
Wyatt didn’t need any additional prodding. He shifted to his feet and heard the plastic snap of a cap. River looked to find Wyatt squeezing lube into his hand.
“Are you kidding me? There was lube in here?”