As they drove away, Jack managed to stay silent in the truck for thirty seconds before he asked, “Abhorrent? You have a secret word-a-day calendar hidden somewhere in your bag, don’t you?”

Marshall gave him a wry smile through the rearview mirror. “It’s what people expect, okay? People don’t respect a guy who says things like, ‘You are in so much trouble, brah.’ Or high-fives his teammates.”

Marshall smoothed a hand over his hair and glanced back toward the house. Most of the Blaikes were still on the ground as the truck rolled back up the long driveway.

“I don’t know,” Jack drawled. “Remember the time I high-fived that nightmare in the face? He looked mighty respectful as I was unmaking him.”

Marshall laughed. Fuck, he loved his best friend so much it hurt sometimes. But instead of saying it out loud, he said, “As always, Jack, you are the exception.”

Chapter 11Cym

Cym was roasting. The hard body beneath him was radiating more heat than seemed humanly possible. He opened his eyes to see Fourteen gazing intently at something. Cym followed his line of sight and realized what he was fixated on—Cym’s hand clasped around Fourteen’s exposed wrist.

Cym released him, but Fourteen caught his hand and trapped it neatly in his own. Then with slow deliberation, he pulled the glove off his other hand with his teeth and reached out to Cym’s face, stopping when less than an inch of air was between them.

The invitation was clear—he was giving Cym the chance to refuse if he wanted to.

As if.

Cym focused his attention on his magic—the pink inferno inside himself he was only beginning to get to know. As soon as Cym nuzzled his cheek into Fourteen’s hand, he noticed a tiny flame emerge from the source of his magic and travel up his spine to spill into Fourteen where their skin made contact.

It was such a subtle sensation that if he hadn’t been paying close attention, he wouldn’t have noticed the slight warmth that spread through his body into Fourteen’s.

Fourteen’s fingers trailed over Cym’s lips, and Cym’s eyes flew to his face. Fourteen’s pupils were blown out just like they had been in the dream they’d just shared.

Cym’s mouth went dry, and he bit his lip—right where Fourteen’s fingers had been. Fourteen’s eyes tracked the motion, and he growled. The sound sent bolts of electricity all the way to Cym’s toes.

“Thank god you’re an adult.” Fourteen said before covering Cym’s mouth with his.

Everything came into sharp focus, and time seemed to stop. Cym could feel the butter-soft fabric of Fourteen’s jacket against his arm, the delicious scrape of stubble against his cheek, and Fourteen’s mouth blazing hotly against his own. Cym’s insides were liquid lightning, and he felt like his body was melting away into nothing.

Into everything.

When Cym pulled back a fraction to catch his breath, the world rushed back in on him. “Wow,” he whispered and touched his lips.

The corners of Fourteen’s mouth quirked up slightly, and he growled again. Before Cym knew what was happening Fourteen had rolled him onto his back and was smirking at him, his eyes full of the devil as he dipped his head and kissed him again.

Cym’s hands went to Fourteen’s chest, trying to get through the complicated system of straps and buckles that held his jacket closed, but Cym’s capacity for thinking was overwhelmed by the incredible things Fourteen was doing to his mouth, and he soon gave up. Instead, he allowed his hands to roam over Fourteen’s arms, appreciating the swell of his muscles under the leather.

Fourteen’s mouth moved from Cym’s, found a sensitive spot behind his ear, and nipped it, causing Cym to clutch his arms and whimper while mindlessly grinding against him. The more Fourteen’s skin touched his own, the stronger the magic in his chest flared. It was mind blowing.

Cym couldn’t think, could only feel, as Fourteen and his own magic drove him past all reason.

He had to stop, had to think. What if there was something he was missing because he was too busy getting lost in Fourteen? Cym pushed against him, needing to catch his breath and regain control of his mind. He wasn’t used to getting so carried away, and it scared him.

When Fourteen pulled back, his heavy-lidded eyes were dark and stormy like the ocean in their dream.

To distract himself from the wet dream of a man straddling him, Cym asked the first question that popped into his head. “What is this like for you now that you have your memories back? Touching me, I mean.”

Cym knew if he really wanted to get his shit together, he should stop touching Fourteen, but he couldn’t convince his body to obey that command. Instead, he tried to concentrate on the faint throbbing in his head from its unplanned contact with a wall earlier rather than the feeling of his magic as it eased into Fourteen’s body.

Fourteen blinked slowly as he processed the question. After running a gentle hand down the side of Cym’s face, he rolled off of Cym and sat up. Cym followed suit and allowed Fourteen to recapture his hand.

Fourteen played with Cym’s fingers as he responded. “I feel a little drunk, but my mind is my own, I think.”

“What is your mind like for you normally?” Cym knew he wasn’t going to like the answer but couldn’t stop himself from asking.

The warmth on Fourteen’s face retreated, and Cym hated himself for it. “Cold. Empty. It’s like I’m walking around inside a giant meat-locker with unbreakable walls. I can see what’s outside, but nothing out there can affect me. At least that’s how it was until you showed up.” There was a slight upturn to his lips at the last sentence. “After that, things got complicated. Now things break through even when we aren’t touching, and it’s disorienting.”

Fourteen moved to the head of the bed and grabbed Cym, manhandling him until his back was pressed against Fourteen’s chest and Fourteen’s back was against the wall. Cym noticed that Fourteen made sure to maintain skin contact with him the entire time.

Once Fourteen had Cym settled comfortably between his legs, he wrapped his arms around him and said sullenly, “I don’t know how normal people deal with emotions all the time.”

Cym would have given anything to not have been the one to put the lost tone in his voice. He was about to apologize when he felt another question form in his mind. He didn’t want to make Fourteen any sadder, so he tried to hold it in. As he wrestled with it, he noticed the question had a pink tinge to it.

Were the questions coming from him? Or his magic? The thought startled him, and the question broke free. “Do you want it to stop?”

“No!” Fourteen’s response was instantaneous. “Anything is better than being empty. And this? With you?” His arms tightened, hugging Cym tightly against his firm chest. “No, I won’t give it up.”

Being pressed against the hard lines of Fourteen’s body was making it hard to think. Cym squirmed and twisted until he relaxed his hold enough to allow him to turn to face Fourteen. “I’m sorry. I feel like every time you’re happy, I ask you a question that makes you unhappy again.”

Fourteen buried his face into Cym’s neck and pressed his lips against sensitive skin before pulling away to look at him once more. “It’s okay. You’re the first person in a long time to care enough to ask me anything about myself.”

The urge to protect Fourteen struck Cym like a rock to the gut.

How could anyone not have that reaction? Fourteen was a big, sexy man with soft and squishy insides, and he’d been reduced to nothing more than a weapon of mass destruction. No one should ever be allowed to hurt him again.

Cym blurted out, “I want to help you. Anything you need. Anything you want, I’ll give it to you.” He didn’t know how he’d do it, but somehow Cym would find a way to make good on his words.

A sad smile appeared on Fourteen’s face. “You’ve already done enough. There’s no need for you to do more.” He ran a hand down Cym’s arm and squeezed his hand.

“You saved my life. Several times. Even if I didn’t…” Cym bit back what he wanted to say which was something along the lines of, Even if I wasn’t becoming hopelessly attached to you, I’d still help you. He took a deep breath and tried again, but the next thing his mind offered was, Even if I didn’t want to ride you til your wheels fall off, I’d still help you.

Stupid brain. Fourteen needed help, and all Cym could think about was getting his V card punched.

He changed tactics and stopped focusing on himself and started thinking about what The Company had done to Fourteen. What kind of monsters would do such a thing to a child?

Anger surged up hot and prickly, and Cym’s hand clenched around Fourteen’s. “You didn’t deserve what they did to you. No one should have to go through what you have. Don’t norms have laws to protect people from something like this?”

“Laws don’t apply to The Company. Too many important people are in power today because of us. Because of them.” Fourteen corrected himself.

Cym threw his arms around him. The sudden movement of the hug forced Cym to break away and grab his throbbing head. He crawled off of Fourteen so he wouldn’t be tempted to throw himself again. It would be better for them to keep the cuddling and touching to a minimum until they had sorted things out more.

Once the pain in Cym’s head died down to tolerable levels, Cym promised, “They are never getting you back.”

Fourteen reeled backward like Cym had slapped him, then he repeated dully, “They are never getting me back.”