Page 14 of Hunted

“Uh-huh,” I mumble, not taking my eyes off of Bower.

I push my fingers in hard, massaging his scalp, and he quietly moans, his fingers tightening on my skin.

“What exactly are you guys doing over there?” Reece asks, sounding a little frustrated.

“I’m rubbing his head,” I say, pressing a little harder and smiling at Bower's response as he draws me closer.

A few seconds pass before Kingsley adds, “That’s not a euphemism, Reece.”

I hear him grunt and I bend down, whispering to Bower, “What does he mean? A euphemism for what?”

He cups my face, tilting it down to his. “Just ignore him.” He gives me a quick peck on the lips and stands up.

“Reece, do you want the hammock?” Kingsley asks. I turn and try to make out where the rest of them are. Weston and Kingsley are sitting on the two side-by-side mattresses while Reece stands in the middle of the room with his arms crossed, staring in my direction.

“It’s either that or share the mattress with us.”

Reece glances around before letting his arms drop to his sides and stepping up to stand right in front of me. Placing his hands on my shoulders, he bends down, bringing his face to my level.

“You won’t leave while we’re asleep? You’ll still be here in the morning?”

I nod my head, and he persists. “Promise me, Darla.”

“Ipromise.”

He nods his head, seemingly satisfied with my answer. “Good night, darling.” He places a kiss on the top of my head and moves to the hammock.

I bite my lip as I watch him take off his shirt and push his pants down, leaving him in only his boxers. It’s the first time I’ve seen this grown-up version of him in so little clothing, even if I can’t make out much.

“You’re drooling,” Bower whispers right beside my ear, making me jump. He laughs as he nudges me towards the other two. “Come on, Tink. It’s bedtime.”

Weston reaches a hand towards me and when I grip it, he pulls me down between him and Kingsley. I realize they’re all only wearing boxers, too, as I snuggle down between them.

Weston wraps himself around me from behind and Kingsley lifts my leg up over his hip, pulling both my hands between his and holding them against his chest. Bower lays behind him, his hand grabbing my thigh and holding tight.

Are they afraid I’ll disappear in the middle of the night? I guess I do have a habit of running away. It’s a hard habit to break. Running has kept me safe. But if these men are teaching me anything, it’s that I need to start facing my fears head on.

As easy as that sounds in theory, there are some things I’d rather not think about. I just hope we don’t get another storm anytime soon. That brings one particular memory to the surface that I have no intention of ever sharing… with any of them.

Chapter six

Bower

Acreak from a floorboard wakes me, my eyes instantly flying open, looking for a threat. The past few days have been exhausting. Mentally mostly, but physically, too. I’m just a normal guy. I know nothing of mercenaries and corporate espionage, or whatever was really going on with The Danver’s Group charity division.

A dark figure exiting the hut has me sitting up, and I glance around, seeing Reece is no longer in the hammock. It must have been him.

I quietly rise to my feet and see Zee fast asleep between King and West. It pulls a small smile to my lips at how content they all look. I wish I had my phone so I could snap a photo for them right now.

Pulling on my jeans and my extra t-shirt, followed by my socks and shoes, I step out into the slowly brightening sky.

It’s still early, the sun has barely risen, and I yawn as I descend the ladder to the ground. I slowly search the area for Reece and just when I start to worry, he steps back into the clearing from behind a tree.

“Oh, hey. I was just taking a piss.”

I chuckle, pointing to some banana leaves. “Take note of these leaves, they’re the ones you’ll want to use if you need to take a shit.”

He glances at them with a look of disgust. “Let’s hope I’m not out here long enough to need them.”