Page 10

“Sleep well, Ry.”

Rylan graced him with another beautiful smile. “Goodnight, Cameron and thank you.”

And two hours later, Cameron lay wide awake, his thoughts on the man next door. So close, yet so far away.

Cameron had never experienced attraction to a man before. But if he were honest with himself, he hadn’t been attracted to a woman either. He’d never had sex. And never thought he was missing anything, because he had never connected with anyone, much less someone he wanted to become intimate with. He’d tried dating, because it was the thing to do when your friends went out every weekend trying to score, but other than a casual kiss on the cheek, he couldn’t bring himself to proceed further.

And sometimes, Cameron thought it was pathetic not to have kissed anyone properly in his life, but the alternative left him sick to his stomach. The thought of sleeping with anyone he didn’t love was, well, repulsive.

Although he understood he was odd, something changed tonight. His connection with Rylan stirred something deep inside him. Cameron’s thoughts were less than pure when he thought about the man who had enthralled him from the first moment he’d spotted him, and it had surprised him. He’d touched Rylan more tonight than he had anyone in his life, and he found it as natural as breathing.

Protective instincts flared, but it was more than his need to help Rylan, he wanted to know everything about the man. Only in the dead of night could he acknowledge to himself his undeniable attraction to Rylan. Attraction he’d never experienced before. But more than that, he hoped to persuade Rylan to live with him and get to know him better. Cameron admitted to himself he would do whatever he had to to keep Rylan safe.

A sound caught his attention and pulled Cameron from his thoughts. He lifted his head off the pillow as he couldn’t quite decipher what he’d heard. For the next minute, he tried to pick up the sound again. When he heard silence, he dropped his head back down and lost himself in his thoughts of the man next door for a few seconds before he heard Rylan scream.

He was out of bed in a second and almost ripped the bedroom door off the hinges as his adrenaline spiked.

Did the man follow them home? Was he attacking Rylan?

He rushed to Rylan’s door and threw it open. Light from the hallway flooded into the darkness and allowed Cameron to see inside.

Cameron’s heart stopped in his chest as he watched Rylan thrash around on the bed. The sheets tangled around his legs, trapping him, while his mouth opened in a silent scream.

“No!Stop, no. You’re hurting me.”

Rylan’s words jolted Cameron into action and he approached the bed, moving his right hand to cup Rylan’s face. He was unsure how to wake someone in the middle of a nightmare, but he had to try.

“Ry?” His voice quivered as he spoke and as he swallowed, the lump in his throat almost choked him.

Rylan’s eyes popped open. His gaze darted from left to right, taking in the room yet unable to focus.

Cameron understood he should keep talking. “Ry. It’s okay. It’s me, Cameron. You’re safe with me, I won’t let anyone hurt you. I promise.”

Before Cameron could blink, Rylan sat up and scrambled to stand on the bed before he launched himself into Cameron’s arms, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as he buried his face against Cameron’s neck.

He caught Rylan and held him to his chest, wrapping his arms around the skinnier body, hoping his smell and hold were a comfort. When Cameron felt Rylan shaking in his arms, he encouraged Rylan to wrap his legs around his waist as he rubbed one hand up and down his back.

Taking Rylan’s full weight made something in Cameron’s chest lighten at the trust this man put in him. “You’re okay, Ry. You’re safe with me, I promise.” He kept repeating the words over and over again.

It took a long time before Rylan released the tension in his body, breathing calming down enough he could relax in Cameron’s hold. And he, not wanting to ask Rylan if he was okay when he wasn’t, blurted out the first ridiculous thing that came to mind.

“You’re right. You need to eat more, you hardly weigh anything.”

Cameron held Rylan tighter and smiled against his soft hair when Rylan chuckled at his joke. He knew then Rylan would be okay.

Without thinking his actions through, he turned and walked both of them out the door and into his bedroom. Cameron shut the bedroom door and locked it behind him before he turned toward the bed.

He maneuvered Rylan under the covers and slid in next to him, not wanting to leave him alone for too long, in case the nightmare came back. Cameron reached for Rylan at the same time Rylan scooted closer to him on the bed. He lowered his arm and encouraged Rylan to lay his head on his chest and smiled when Rylan draped his legs over Cameron’s getting even closer.

Closing his eyes, he savored Ry’s warmth and his scent, only admitting to himself he missed being apart from Rylan in the last few hours. He squeezed Rylan once. He hoped that Rylan trusted him enough to tell him what was on his mind, and Cameron would then do his best to show Rylan he would keep him safe.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Rylan was silent for several long minutes and Cameron thought Rylan might not answer him. Cameron knew if he didn’t want to talk about it, he would never push Rylan for an answer.

But a moment later, his arm tightened around Cameron’s waist and he cleared his throat, cutting into Cameron’s constant swirling thoughts about how he could help Rylan.

“I didn’t tell you my entire history with Tristan.”