“Hey. I didn’t know you were stopping by today. Kit isn’t here.”
Matthew stooped and greeted the girls with hugs and kisses before responding. “Yeah. I didn’t see his SUV outside, but that’s sort of why I stopped by. Do you have a minute?”
Zep turned off the water and wiped his hands on his jeans. “Sure. Is everything okay?”
Matthew shrugged. “I don’t really know where to start other than to just jump right in. A few nights ago, Kit told me a story about his past. I thought he was just fucking around to get me to stop asking, but...”
Zep winced.
Matthew’s heart dropped at Zep’s expression. Matthew hadn’t wanted to worry him. He just wanted to find Kit. “Shit. Everything he said was true.”
“Kit never lies. He’s painfully honest with everyone all the time. Even if he covers his words in snark or flirting, he means them. Honestly, I’m blown away that he told you. He doesn’t tell anyone that story.”
Matthew kept playing the part, hoping for any extra info he could get. “For real, if you’d heard him tell me that story, he sounded exactly like he made some shit up on the fly to get me to stop asking. I didn’t think anything else about it until he stopped showing up.”
Zep’s eyebrows rose. “What do you mean he stopped showing up?”
Matthew shrugged again. He felt ridiculous as hell—like he had turned into a full-fledged stalker. “You know, he quit coming to yoga. He left his phone at my place and I thought he would come back for it, but nope. He just disappeared from the planet.”
Zep rushed for the stairs. His reaction was so sudden, Matthew didn’t know if he should run after him or watch the girls. In the end, he stood there like an idiot and waited. Zep was easily six-six and looked like a biker daddy. Matthew would have never thought the guy could move that quick.
“He’s gone,” Zep said, reappearing. “It looks like he took everything. What should I do? Should I file a missing person’s report? Is that an option even available to me?”
Zep sounded so panicked that Matthew felt like shit for dragging him into things.
Zep’s alarm didn’t subside. “I knew he hadn’t been home in a few days, but I thought he was with you, since he’s always with you. You say he didn’t even take his phone. Holy shit. Do you think he plans to harm himself?”
Matthew made a calming gesture, even though Zep’s fear began feeding his own. “I have some friends who work for the LAPD. I’ll give them a call and we’ll get this figured out.” Matthew didn’t think Kit would harm himself. He thought Kit was running away. Matthew couldn’t have that. Kit belonged to him. Matthew would get him back if it was the last thing he ever did. If he couldn’t, it definitely would be the last thing he ever did. Kit was the only thing left tying him to this life. Matthew was nowhere near sane enough to keep going if Kit was gone.
San Francisco didn’t have that spark Kit searched for, so tonight was his last night. Tomorrow, he would move farther north and pick a new spot. If that didn’t hold his interest, then Canada would be next. He didn’t know what would make him happy. Kit couldn’t stay in hotels forever, but he didn’t like being in a house alone. In a hotel, even though he was alone in a room, he knew he could call out for help. Someone would hear. In a house, he would be isolated with his terror.
Kit moved from suitcase to suitcase, repacking his things. He wore nothing beneath his short robe. That meant less to pack tomorrow. Kit needed to find a bookstore that sold and traded books. He’d finished his last paperback tonight and needed something new. Since he always traveled light, he had to trade his old ones to keep them from weighing him down. As he closed the lid on his suitcase, his hotel room door opened. Kit didn’t have time to be scared before recognizing his intruder. The moment Kit caught sight of Matthew, he realized he had been waiting for Matthew to find him. Matthew always did.
“I think we need to talk about your constant stalking. You have a problem.”
Matthew didn’t look the least bit guilty. “You left me.”
Kit couldn’t deny the shiver that ran down his spine. He had known Matthew would chase him. Even though Kit couldn’t explain how he knew, Kit counted on Matthew never letting him go. He needed Matthew to prove himself. Despite his hard shell, Kit was a mess on the inside. He needed someone a little crazy to hold him together.
“I do that sometimes.”
Matthew moved closer. His gaze never wavered from Kit, making Kit tense. He knew Matthew would pounce any second. “Not anymore, you don’t. You agreed we’re a couple. That means no more running away. That means you’re mine.”
Kit nervously licked his lips. He didn’t know what to say. He had already told Matthew why he was fucked up, but Matthew hadn’t believed him. There was no point in rehashing the story. He decided to go with a different truth.
“You knew I was a mess before you took me to bed.”
Matthew took off his shirt. “Pick your punishment.”
Kit’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Fuck that bullshit. If you don’t want to deal with my flightiness, you shouldn’t have messed with me. If you fall for a crazy hot mess, that’s what you’ll always get.”
Matthew didn’t appear to listen. He dug through Kit’s things until he found some lube. He set it on the table and went to work on stripping away the rest of his clothes. “Fine, if you won’t choose, I will. Apologize or you’ll never touch me again.”
Kit blinked. He had no idea how to react. That odd punishment hadn’t even been on his radar. A spanking, maybe. Never touching Matthew again, nope. That wasn’t an option for him.
Once Matthew was completely nude, he sat in a chair at the table and squirted some lube in his hand. As Kit looked on, Matthew stroked his cock, getting hard.
Kit sat on the edge of the bed. His gaze wouldn’t budge from Matthew’s erection. Lube made his cock shine. Kit’s mouth watered. “It doesn’t look like you need me.”
Matthew’s gaze hooded. He watched Kit with a hunger that was almost tangible. “You only have so long, Kit. Once I come, you’ve lost your chance. I’m walking out and you’re never touching me again.”
His body was on fire. Matthew was the sexiest man on the planet to Kit. Kit couldn’t stop watching him. A flush rose on Matthew’s cheeks. Kit swallowed. For years, Kit had loathed the thought of anyone touching him. In fact, the idea made him sick. He had never been attracted to anyone until Matthew. In a year of friendship, something had grown inside Kit. Matthew was the only person he wanted. Maybe that terrified him more than he wanted to admit. Still, he couldn’t lose Matthew just because Kit had been scared for a moment.
“Hurry, Kit. I can’t wait forever.”
Maybe he would shrivel up and die if Matthew never touched him again. “I’m sorry.”
Matthew exploded from his chair and tackled Kit to the bed. Kit didn’t have time to breathe. Matthew’s tongue was in his mouth. The two halves of Kit’s robe parted. Matthew moved against Kit’s body, making love to him with no penetration. The friction between their bodies drove Kit insane. He fought to get closer. Kit pulled Matthew’s hair and bit at his lips. He was wild with need. Nothing mattered but the release Matthew offered. When his orgasm hit, Kit cried out against Matthew’s mouth.