Page 9 of Aftermath #1

9

C am knew how important discipline was for dogs, so if he allowed Bourbon in the bed one time, he'd have to struggle all the more later when he weighed seventy pounds. It wouldn’t be so precious to have Bourbon up there then. Also, what if he was jostled awake one night by a puppy but automatically thought it was Psycho?

So…Cam sat on the floor right now, leaning back against the bed, and had his little puppy goofing around on his lap with a new chew toy while Cam watched a movie on the flat screen.

The past few days had been exhausting for Cam, so this was all he wanted this Friday. Peace and quiet. Okay, that was a fucking lie; there was something else he wanted, but that would only lead to trouble. He needed to distance himself from Austin before… before what? Before Cam craved him more? He doubted he could want Austin more than he already did.

It wasn’t purely physical, although the man had become the biggest star in his morning showers, but it was the companionship that he wanted the most. Even if they bickered like old women sometimes.

Sighing, he glanced at his phone on the low coffee table in front of him, and he debated…one text wouldn’t hurt—just to check in, to see how he was doing…but the dude could be asleep. A family man like him probably went to bed around nine. He snorted to himself and looked down at Bourbon who was chewing the shit out of that toy.

"Christ!" He nearly jumped out of his own skin when the phone rang. Bourbon barked, which was cute, not threatening, and Cam picked up his phone and made a face when he recognized the number. "Dammit."

He had erased Brian from his contact list, but he still remembered parts of the number. Mainly 'cause he'd been screwing the guy on and off for a year before he was kidnapped, but also 'cause Brian had texted him a few times in the past couple days.

Cam hadn't replied, but now he had to. "Yeah?" he muttered and reached for his beer.

"Cam!" That was Brian, all right. "Is there any way you could pick me up? Phil won't give me my keys." Now there was a pout in his voice, which just annoyed Cam. He'd never really liked guys who acted like women, but it hadn't bothered him when Brian's mouth was full of his cock. "I really wouldn’t have called you if there was anyone else."

"Fuck," Cam groaned in defeat. "It's midnight. You don’t think I got better shit to do?"

"I can make it up to you!"

Cam rolled his eyes and moved Bourbon off his lap. "I'm sure you can. Why won't Phil give you your keys?" He had met up with Brian where he worked a few times, so he knew the bouncer a little. Enough to know that Phil usually didn’t give a flying fuck about who was too drunk to drive.

"There may have been a fight," Brian said pitifully. "I'm fine! But Phil says I shouldn’t drive."

Cam sighed and got off the floor. "I'll be there in ten, idiot."

Cam pulled up outside the bar in his Dodge and grabbed the beanie from the dashboard. He looked like a fucking bum in baggy cargo pants, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and the surfer-dude hair that he hid under the beanie, but he was only here to play designated driver. Lighting up a smoke, he left the car and fired off a text to Brian that said he was here now.

"Cam?"

He spun around, only to see Austin ten feet away, leaning back against the building with his phone in hand. They frowned at each other, both surprised, and then Cam noticed the cut on Austin's eyebrow and approached.

"What the fuck happened?" He didn’t stop until he was right in front of Austin. "Why are you here?" Of all places , he wanted to add.

Reaching up, he adjusted Austin's glasses then touched the bruise forming on his jaw. The man had obviously been in a fight, but he still looked good. Damn good. Sexy, even.

Fuuuck .

"Angelo thinks I'm gay," Austin answered dumbly. It caused Cam's eyebrows to shoot up. "I wanted to go out—he said I should go to LA instead. But he mentioned this place, so…"

"And that gave you bruises," Cam said sarcastically. He took a step back and inhaled from his smoke. Being close to this man was easy, but it wasn’t right. It made Cam want more. He felt so fucking drawn to him.

"No, just…" Austin muttered something under his breath. "Some asshole wanted trouble. I let him know what I thought about it." He took a seemingly unconscious step toward Cam.

"Does he look worse?" Cam's mouth quirked up. Not for one second did he doubt Austin's strength. Yeah, he came off as a straitlaced family man, but Cam knew better.

"Damn right," Austin chuckled and touched his bottom lip. "He left a while ago."

Cam followed the movement before he looked away and cleared his throat. "So, you ended up at a gay bar by mistake, huh?" He took another pull and flicked away some ash.

Austin's eyes were intense, and there was something hidden in that gaze. Almost as if Cam was supposed to read between the lines. Then that intensity morphed into an obvious nervousness, and Austin took yet another step closer. "No." They looked down on the few inches that separated them as Austin reached for the hem of Cam's shirt. He just fidgeted with it loosely, brushing his thumb over the soft fabric. "I looked it up before I came here."

"Oh." Cam swallowed and briefly closed his eyes. He was close enough now to smell Austin, and he fought a shiver. "So, uh…" He wet his lips, his eyes flicking up to Austin's face. So close. "Why—"

He wanted to finish his fucking question about why Austin had gone to a gay bar, but Brian chose that moment to interrupt.

"My savior!" Brian dramatically clung to Cam's arm, as he reluctantly stepped away from Austin. "I'm ready to go home—oh, Austin!" He grinned, then frowned, then frowned deeper. "Do you two know each other?"

"Yeah," Cam replied, uncomfortable and irritated. He moved away from Brian. "He and I were…I mean, Austin was also one of the guys who was kidnapped."

"Oh!" Brian gasped. "That’s why you looked so familiar." He nodded sadly and touched Austin's exposed forearm. "I read about you in the papers."

"Right." Austin was uncomfortable, too. "Well, uh, I should call a cab—"

"Fuck that." Cam had a chance to see Austin; he would make the most of it. He just had to get rid of Brian first. "I'll drive you." He jerked his chin toward his car. "We'll drop off Brian first, then I can take you home."

"But…" Brian looked a bit put out. "Maybe we should take Austin home first, and then—"

Cam didn’t catch Austin's scowl that he directed at the ground.

"You live five minutes away from here." Cam grew impatient and started walking to his car. "Come on." As he threw away his cigarette, he noticed that Austin wasn’t putting a lot of pressure on his left leg, and that worried him. "You okay?" He cupped Austin's elbow to support him, remembering how Psycho had injured him in the first place. If someone had made it worse inside that bar, Cam wanted to hunt that motherfucker down and rearrange his face.

"It's nothing." Austin grimaced, swallowed his pride, and allowed Cam to help him.

The ride to Brian's apartment building was pretty quiet. He didn’t look happy about sitting in the back while Austin sat in the front next to Cam, but what-the-fuck-ever. Cam had been honest from the beginning; it was just sex. Now it was over. End of story. But Cam wasn’t stupid. He could see that Austin had gotten in the way of Brian's plans. As if Cam wouldn’t say no if they'd been alone. Fucking ridiculous.

"Thanks for picking me up." Brian sighed softly as they arrived at his place. "Maybe we can meet up sometime, Cam?"

Cam just gave him a look in the rearview mirror. He didn’t wanna be a dick, but he had more important shit going on in his life.

"Fine. Be that way." Brian offered a bitchface in return, then got out of the car. "It was nice meeting you, Austin."

"You too." Austin nodded curtly. And once Cam pulled away from the sidewalk again, he shifted in his seat. "So, you're the guy who got away."

Cam side-eyed him. "What?"

"Brian came up to me in that bar—said he was trying to get over the guy he loved or something. And coupled with his description, I'm guessing it's you."

Oh, this Cam wanted to hear. "What description would that be? By the way, tell me where to drive." He didn’t know exactly where Austin lived.

"Are you tired?" Austin asked. "Jade and Riley are in Delano over the weekend, and I really don’t feel like going home."

"My place it is." Cam made a sharp turn. "Now, that description?"

Austin had an odd look, as if something wasn’t quite right. "I think he used the words broody, bad-boyish—" Cam grunted, to which Austin laughed quietly "—and apparently there's a leather jacket to go with your attitude."

Cam rolled his eyes, and it got quiet for a beat or two.

Then Austin asked hesitantly, "Is he an ex?"

"I wouldn’t go that far." He shook his head. "We met up occasionally at his place. It was casual."

Austin hummed, now appearing guarded. "Yeah, he mentioned that. But to him it wasn’t."

There wasn’t a whole lot Cam could say in response to that, so he said nothing. For a while. Then he wanted to retract something he'd said days ago. "That’s why I have my rule. I don’t bring people home to fuck. If I did, I'd have memories to haunt me forever." He shuddered at the truth of that.

Cam could feel Austin's eyes on him for a while, though he pretended not to notice. Instead he pressed on the gas a little and sighed in contentment when he drove on to his street.

Bourbon greeted them in the hallway, and Cam groaned at the sight of more piss on the floor.

"Not cool, little guy." He bent down to scratch Bourbon behind his ears. "I took you for an hour-long walk after dinner." Plus, there was a doggy door now that led to the patio, and the pool had been covered. Straightening, he told Austin, "You know where the bathroom is if you wanna shower." He gestured at the stains of alcohol on his button-down and— shit . "Is that blood?" He closed the distance and touched Austin's ribcage.

"Not my own," he replied quickly. "But I'll take that shower. I smell like the damn bar."

Cam nodded, frowning, and stepped back. He hated seeing his friend injured. "There're towels in there, new toothbrushes under the sink, and I'll find you something to wear." Austin thanked him and headed toward the hallway where Cam's bedroom, workout room, and bathroom were. He still wasn’t putting pressure on his left leg. "Do you need any help, man?"

"No, it's okay. Thanks." Austin disappeared down the hall.

While he showered, Cam cleaned up the mess Bourbon had left him, then went to the kitchen and stood by the window and smoked a cigarette. He had promised himself no more smoking in the living room—for Bourbon's sake—and only by the kitchen window when it was dark out. Eventually, when he got over his embarrassing fear of darkness, he'd go out on the patio even at night.

After using the half-bath in the hallway to freshen up, he ended up in his bedroom where he grabbed a pair of sweats that were a size too large for Cam. He also picked out boxers, which felt odd, and a T-shirt. He didn’t know what Austin slept in, but he'd slept in sweats the last time he was here. He'd also gone commando—something Cam should probably forget.

Lastly, he changed into a pair of black basketball shorts to sleep in, and then he knocked on the bathroom door in the hall, told Austin his change of clothes was right outside, and returned to the living room.

By the time Austin appeared, Cam was idly playing with his cell phone and there was a bad movie playing in the background.

"Mind if I dim the lights?" Austin stopped in the doorway, one hand on the switch.

Cam waved a hand in go ahead then looked away, wondering about Austin's aversion to clothes. He was only wearing the sweatpants, not the shirt, and not the fucking boxers. It was way too easy to tell.

With the lights dimmed low, Austin joined Cam on the bed, but instead of sitting down next to him, Austin scooted farther in and lay down on the pillow.

"Tired?" Cam twisted his upper body and looked behind him. Austin really did look exhausted, and he wondered if the last days had been as taxing for him as they had for Cam.

"Like you wouldn’t believe." Austin reached up on the partition wall above him and placed his glasses there. Cam noticed that the bandages around Austin's wrists had been removed. There was scarring, but it wasn’t too bad. "I'll be glad when this week is over."

"Did something happen?" Cam shut off the TV and pulled the soft blanket over them, lying on his side next to Austin.

This time there were two pillows, and he didn’t know if that was a good thing or bad. Ending up close happened so naturally, so the lines blurred easily. There was no thought about offering the couch in his bedroom to Austin, 'cause they slept together. It was how it had been for several nights in captivity.

"Mostly today," Austin sighed as they shifted closer to one another. In the end, as had become common for the two men, they were close enough so their foreheads touched. "I'm pretty sure I see divorce on the horizon."

"What the fuck?" Cam's eyes widened. "I didn’t even know you had problems." He was genuinely shocked, and as the news settled, he pushed away any thoughts of what this could mean— for him .

"Neither did I," Austin chuckled mirthlessly. "Well…" He hesitated. "That was a lie. We've had problems, but I didn’t know they were this big. I don’t know." He heaved a sigh and looked down between them. "In the past few years, we've just been going through the motions. Then all this shit happened, and now she's…it's like she's looking for a way out." He faced Cam again. "She said she can't deal with the aftermath of what I've been through, but I think it's more than that."

Cam frowned, at a loss. He didn’t know enough about Austin's marriage to say a single thing. It was something they didn’t talk about, not even in captivity. Cam had never asked in that cell, 'cause he'd sensed it had been a topic that made Austin feel worse. And when Austin offered to share stories, they were mainly about Riley, his parents, stuff from his childhood…one time he even told Cam who Riley was named after.

As the silence stretched on, the subject died, and Austin looked content where he was. That comforted Cam a little, and he hoped the dude was all right. Perhaps he should ask him about it, but he honestly didn’t want to. He wasn’t very good with words, and he had no desire to listen to Austin go on about the woman he presumably loved.

"I wasn’t lying when I said you're the only one who makes sense to me," Austin murmured after a while. He cleared his throat and averted his eyes once more. "I mean, Gale helps, but…it's not the same thing."

Cam nodded slowly and instinctively moved his hand up Austin's arm, wanting to comfort. And to be closer. And to touch. And to fucking have . "I know." He did know. Since he last saw Austin days ago, he'd had two sessions with Gale, and she was good, but like Austin said, it wasn’t the same. She hadn't been in that cell with him.

As Austin tilted up his face again, their noses touched. Cam sucked in a breath, his heart suddenly pounding in his ribcage. He held that breath while Austin closed the distance between their bodies and wrapped an arm around his middle.

"Austin…" What the fuck was he doing?

Cam got his answer the second Austin brushed his lips over Cam's. Shallow breaths were exchanged while their mouths stayed connected in a ghosting touch. It was light, barely there, but fucking electrifying. When Austin applied pressure, Cam groaned in surrender and deepened the kiss further. He parted his lips and swiped the tip of his tongue over Austin's bottom lip. In return, Austin let out a quiet moan and pushed his tongue into Cam's mouth.

Their kiss grew greedier and greedier, as did their hands. No longer shying away from the blurry line of what was appropriate and not, Cam slid his hands down to Austin's firm ass and pulled him closer and closer until he could grind their hardening cocks together.

"Jesus," Austin panted. He broke away from the kiss to catch his breath, but he was back soon, only more eager in his movements. Hitching a leg over Cam's hip, he pushed himself up and ended on top. "Should I stop?" He nipped at Cam's scruffy jaw, then claimed him in another deep kiss.

"Only if you're a fucking idiot." Cam grunted and stuck his hands down Austin's sweatpants.

His blunt fingernails dug into the flesh of Austin's ass, causing him to groan and thrust his hips forward. Fuck , that felt good. He wasn’t about to get sentimental like some pussy, but there was no denying how satisfying this was on every damn level known to man. Not only was Austin sexy, but he was a good man—and an intoxicating kisser.

They kissed hard, deeply, tongues mingling, teeth nipping, and warm lips fusing. The scuff rasped tantalizingly, and it only made Cam's dick harder.

He needed to take the lead, though. Cam had no idea what was going on in Austin's head—and what had gone in there for the past few days, maybe even longer. But while the man seemed perfectly at ease with the kissing and teenage-style dry humping, Cam could sense Austin's hesitation about taking it further.

"Let me get you off." Cam's voice was gritty with lust as he rolled them over. In that metal cage they'd shared, they had seen each other naked countless times, but it hadn’t been like this. "Lose the pants, Austin." Cam dipped down and kissed him sensually, slowly, still deeply, while Austin pushed down his sweats. Then Cam let his right hand slide down to Austin's thick cock. They both shuddered. "Fuck," he breathed out. His fingers wrapped around the smooth, heavy, and steel-hard dick.

"Cam," Austin moaned. Cam stroked him teasingly, wishing he had lube nearby. Unlike him, Austin was circumcised. "Oh Christ, so good."

Cam hummed and captured Austin's mouth in a kiss, then moved his own mouth farther down. He took his time, kissing the hard planes of Austin's chest. He smelled fucking amazing, and Cam wanted to worship this body. It was a new feeling.

Settling between Austin's legs, Cam nudged them farther apart and spent some time kissing his abs, muscular thighs, and the trimmed area around his cock. His own dick was pressing against the mattress, needing friction, which made him curious as to how far Austin was willing to take this.

Burying his nose at the root of Austin's cock, he breathed in deeply, groaning at the musky scent of bodywash and arousal. His mouth watered. He moaned, and he fisted the cock harder and licked his way up the underside of it. Then he closed his mouth over the head, suckling and gently grazing it with his teeth.

"Oh, fuck." Austin let out a whimpered breath and threaded his fingers through Cam's hair. Not really guiding him—just wanting him down there. As Cam wet his lips and started sucking, he looked up to find Austin watching him with hunger and deep-rooted desire in his eyes.

Wanting to take the next step, Cam paused for a second—never breaking their gaze—and coated the tip of his thumb in saliva, then took Austin's entire length into his mouth again. The head touched the back of Cam's throat, and a small spurt of pre-come spread its flavor in his mouth. He closed his eyes and moaned around Austin's cock; at the same time, he slid his thumb down to Austin's ass. The last thing he wanted was to take it too far, but he had a feeling Austin would enjoy this.

"Jesus Christ, don’t stop, Cam." Austin threw his head back on the pillow, his body tense with pleasure. He even pulled his knees up and farther apart, exposing himself to Cam. "So fucking good," he groaned as Cam circled his hole with the pad of his thumb.

He brushed over it softly, drawing out the experience. In the meantime, he tightened his lips around Austin's dick and sucked harder, took him deeper, and sped up.

Every now and then, in small pulses, Cam tasted Austin's arousal. It drove him fucking mad with lust. He breathed through his nose, intent on giving Austin all he had—focus, attention, a good fucking orgasm. He took all of Austin's cock and sucked 'til his jaw ached. One hand teased his ass, going from stroking and rubbing to pushing and slowly pressing inside. His other hand cupped Austin's tight sac, massaging and tugging.

"Close," Austin eventually choked out. " Fuck —I'm coming."

If his body was tense before, it had nothing on this.

Cam watched the defined muscles of Austin's torso as his orgasm took over. The first release hit the back of his throat just as the last inch of Cam's thumb disappeared into Austin's ass. Austin moaned and grunted, fisting Cam's hair to keep him where he was. Not that Cam had plans to leave yet. He swallowed everything, gently fucking him with his thumb, and didn’t stop until Austin shuddered and unclenched his muscles.

Both were panting as Cam kissed his way up Austin's body again, one in need, one in obvious exertion.

Cam wasn’t gonna lie and say some kissing and cuddling would do; he fucking needed to get off. How was the only question.

But Austin didn’t appear to have plans to leave him hanging. When they were face-to-face again, Austin took control of the kiss. Their tongues met, and Cam was almost caught off guard by the possessiveness with which Austin kissed him.

He surrendered willingly, ending up on his back with Austin half on top of him and running the show. His left hand explored Cam's chest, and it was almost tender. So fucking sensual.

"I didn’t like seeing Brian so close to you," Austin admitted out of nowhere. "I have no right to feel that, but…" He didn’t allow Cam to answer right away, kissing him hard.

Cam flushed with heat and pulled Austin closer, reveling in the feeling of being claimed. God-fucking-dammit, he's sexy . He felt like he was being seduced, which Cam considered a form of foreplay he rarely engaged in. He'd had his hookups, and all he'd ever needed was a phone call to confirm. There hadn't been a man or a woman in Cam's life for a long time where he hadn't gone the fuck-and-duck route.

"He's outta the picture," Cam muttered breathlessly as Austin dragged his short fingernails over Cam's chest. "And you're killing me here." His nipples were fucking sensitive, making the skin around his cock tighten each time Austin touched him. And the kisses didn’t stop, either. Whether it was on the lips or down his neck, Austin's mouth didn’t leave his body. "Shit." He exhaled and shivered as Austin's hand trailed down to Cam's abs.

"No patience?" Austin smiled into the kiss he dropped on Cam's sternum. By now, Austin's fingers were dipping under the waistband of Cam's basketball shorts.

"Overrated," Cam grunted. He lifted his head and kissed the side of Austin's neck. The smell of sex was heavy in the air, and it was as addictive as Austin himself. "Oh fuck, yeah." Cam collapsed down onto the pillow again as Austin finally fisted his hard cock. "Keep going." He reached down and squirmed his way out of his shorts and boxer briefs.

Once Cam was completely naked, Austin positioned himself on top of him, lining up his half-hard cock with Cam's throbbing one. They moaned. Austin stroked them both at a steady pace, all while he returned to kiss whatever spot on Cam's body he could reach. The man seemed to have a thing for Cam's ink, as he often lingered there.

There were words left unsaid between the men—Cam could feel it. But maybe they weren’t ready for that shit. Words sometimes complicated things.

"Don’t you use anything when you jerk off?" Austin asked, looking down between them. "Lotion or whatever."

Cam pushed his hips forward, sliding his cock deeper into Austin's hold. "Does it look like I need it?" That was for men who were cut. Grasping Austin's chin, Cam pulled him in for a hard kiss. They moved together, two cocks rubbing against one another in Austin's hand. "Yeah, that’s it." Cam moaned.

Austin was spreading a bead of pre-come over them, making the friction slicker and hotter. Next he let go completely, but before Cam could protest, Austin licked his palm and resumed jerking them.

Austin smirked and kissed Cam's jaw. "Better?"

"Yeah." Cam nodded, feeling his balls tightening. His abs tensed. A slow burn spread throughout his body, and he started to pant. "Fuck, Austin." That name went on a loop in his head as he got closer and closer to his climax. Goddamn, he was desperate to get off now.

Without warning, Cam went rigid. Heat shot down his spine toward his groin, and it felt like his balls were gonna explode. He came with a groan, soaking them in three, four streams. Austin gathered what he caught and used it as lube, prolonging Cam's orgasm by squeezing them together harder. Cam was nearly blinded by the white-hot fire that flashed before his eyes. Austin's passionate kisses and moans only made it better.

"Fuck!" Cam gasped as his body finally relaxed. He melted into the mattress, feeling like he was made out of jelly. "God…" He swallowed, his kisses lazy and messy. "You ready for more?" He could feel that Austin was hard again.

"No," Austin chuckled drowsily, collapsing next to him. "I'm not twenty anymore." He hummed and pulled Cam close, obviously not giving a shit about the cooling release between them. "Damn, I'm tired."

"Me too." And maybe Austin didn’t care about the mess, but Cam did. "I'll be right back."

He disappeared for a minute, then returned with a washcloth. He'd already wiped himself clean, and now he zeroed in on Austin's naked body. Shit, he really was a sight. He was more tan than Cam, and in the dim light of the living room, Austin's skin looked almost golden.

"Good service," Austin murmured, his smile more evident in his eyes than on his lips.

"Don’t get used to it." Cam laughed through his nose and shook his head. He finished and threw the washcloth in the laundry before getting back into bed. "By the way—" he stifled a yawn and slid under the blanket, into Austin's waiting arms "—if you wake up tomorrow regretting this, you know where the fucking door is."

He'd said it as a joke, but he felt the truth of the statement.

"You have nothing to worry about." Austin kissed him chastely, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and wrapped an arm around Cam's waist. "I promise."

Unfortunately, Cam wasn’t so sure. His mind was already spinning. While he knew Austin was still intoxicated, he wasn’t drunk off his ass. Austin had wanted this. But maybe he was under the influence enough to ignore the obvious consequences that were about to follow. Too many things had to be taken into consideration—or rather, people. Not things. Austin's wife. Riley. Then his and Cam's friendship.

Now, Cam wasn’t some nagging woman who had to overanalyze everything, but he did need to have his facts straight. Whatever had happened tonight couldn’t be taken lightly. It would change shit.

Cam fucking hated changes.