Gruff sipped at his soup, appreciating the warmth while Harry did his thing. But finally he wanted to be left alone, so he took the towel out of Harry's hands. "He's fine now. Clean his cheek and leave."
Harry gave him a ‘you’re being ridiculous’ look, but Gruff didn't care. It was his time to look after the young twink. Harry dabbed at the boy’s cheek with an antiseptic wipe, then picked up the wet clothes and left, closing the door behind him. Gruff expelled a sigh of relief,. then looked down at the boy. His eyes were still closed, his lashes fanned out on his pale cheeks.
Would he survive? He had to, surely. Gruff wasn't sure who he was praying to as he begged them to keep the boy alive. He would give all his body warmth for the young man. Gruff finished the soup and lay back down on the bed, the boy’s head on his chest, body draped over Gruff’s. He was thin for sure, but Gruff noticed defined muscle tone, as if he did manual work but never got enough to eat.
Where had the boy come from? Gruff had found bodies on the mountain before. They usually turned out to be walkers who’d lost their way and ended up miles from the trails. But generally, they were at least dressed for hiking. This boy had been wearing a thin jacket and sneakers. The chances of him getting there by mistake was very slim. Had someone tried to kill him? Had he been drugged?
“Who did this to you, my snow twink?”
Gruff’s heart ached for the young man and he resolved not to let him out of sight, because he was a Daddy and, somehow, he’d found a boy who needed his help.
Chapter Two
LYLE
Lyle’s dreams were vivid and confusing. One minute he was cold to his bones, and the next he was roasting. He dreamed of sleeping under the stars in a snowy wasteland and then being in the softest bed with a drum beating under him. He heard harsh voices, then a growl which promised safety. Hands which hurt him, followed by the gentlest of touches, but nothing made sense. He wondered if he was hallucinating. He feared he was dreaming, and he’d wake up in his hard pallet in the cold, drafty dorm, surrounded by twenty other boys. The drum beat continued, a thud thud strangely comforting, and his pillow was kind of hard and tickled his cheek.
He opened his eyes, intending to thump his pillow to try make it softer, only to discover he wasn’t sleeping on a pillow. It was a man’s chest, muscled and covered in a good amount of hair. Still half-asleep, Lyle was tempted to lie back on the gorgeous chest, stroke the fur, and let the sound of the heartbeat lull him back to sleep.
Chest?
What on earth?
Lyle tried to sit up, only to discover the man’s arms around him, pinning him tight. He looked up to see a handsome bear of a man sleeping peacefully. Lyle studied him for a moment, noting the tousled hair that needed a trim, and a beard that wasn’t quite out of control but on the verge of it. Lyle was sure he’d never seen him before. Much as his memory was all fuzzy, he was sure the man was a stranger to him.
Who was he? More to the point, where were they?
Lyle looked around the room. He’d never seen a bedroom like this, with dark blue walls and heavy oak furniture. It looked masculine and calm. There were no pictures on the walls, but crimson throws on the chair and armoire broke up the dark colors. Whoever the man was, he was very lucky to sleep in a room like this.
It still didn’t explain what Lyle was doing here. Why was Lyle in his bed? Where was his drafty dorm in the theme park? Where were the rest of the boys he’d slept with for over a decade?
Then Lyle looked down and squeaked.
Lyle was laying on top of a naked man.
He was naked.
Panicked, Lyle struggled, trying to free himself, but it was futile. The man had muscles on muscles. Lyle found himself distracted by the curve of those muscles for a moment.
“Focus, Lyle.”
He said it out loud. At the sound of his voice, the man’s eyelids fluttered open, and Lyle looked into deep blue eyes.
“Wow,” he said.
The man looked momentarily confused and then his lips curved into the broadest smile Lyle had ever seen. Lyle was transfixed by the way his smile reached his eyes. He’d never seen men smile like that before.
“You’re awake,” the man said.
“I am.” Lyle wasn’t sure what to say.
“That’s wonderful.”
“Um…who are you and where am I?”
“My name’s Gruff Brenner, and you’re in my home.”
Lyle thought Gruff was a bit of an odd name, but it suited the guy. “I’m Lyle.” He couldn’t remember his second name. No one had ever used it. “I’m in your bed.”
“Yes.”
“Naked.”
Gruff nodded. “Harry thought it would be the best thing.”
“He did? Who’s Harry?” Lyle shook his head, trying to focus on his main concern. “Why am I stark naked in your bed?”
“Harry’s my brother. I found you in the forest. You were ice-cold and in soaking wet clothes. Harry suggested skin-to-skin contact would warm you up better than blankets.”
Lyle suddenly remembered the vivid dreams of being frozen cold and falling asleep in the snow. So, they hadn’t been dreams. But how did he end up in the forest?
Meanwhile Gruff was still talking. “Nothing inappropriate happened.”
“Thank you.” Lyle held back a laugh, aware he was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. He was naked and hugging a strange man in his bed, and nothing inappropriate happened? “I’m warm now.”
“That’s good,” Gruff said enthusiastically, but although his embrace loosened a fraction, he still didn’t let go. “How did you end up in the forest?”
Lyle furrowed his brow. “I don’t remember. It’s all a blank. I woke up and I was cold and wet and walking in the snow. I don’t know how I got there.”
“How did you get the cut on your cheek?” Gruff brushed it gently and Lyle flinched. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Gruff’s touch had been soft, not meaning to cause him pain. Lyle tried to remember how he’d hurt his cheek. “I’m not sure. I remember stumbling against a tree. Maybe then?”
“Where do you live?”
“I…I don’t know.” Lyle stared at Gruff and the panic took more of a hold. “I think I sleep in a dorm room with other boys, but I don’t know where.”
Gruff made a rumbling noise and held Lyle close. “It’s okay, Lyle, it’s okay. We’ll find out. Jake’s good at that sort of thing. You’re safe here.”
Lyle found himself smushed against Gruff’s furry chest. It was like hugging a huge bear, and Lyle didn’t want to move. Gruff represented safety, and right now he was the only thing anchoring Lyle.
“Who’s Jake?” Lyle asked.
“My brother.”
“You have two brothers?”
Gruff’s chest leaped under him as he laughed. “I have six brothers.”
“Wow.”
“I know. We all live here.”
Lyle raised his head. “In the same house?”
Gruff shrugged. “Yeah, we get along most of the time, and it’s a really big house. We call it the cabin, but it’s huge.”