Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 696(@200wpm)___ 557(@250wpm)___ 464(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry. I’m never like this,” Jake whispered, his breath hot as steam on Vars’s skin.
Vars licked his lips, watching the smooth cheek rub against the hair on his own chest. “You have a fever. Maybe we should get you some meds? You sure it’s not the punch?”
“Yes, I just need to cool off.”
Vars was getting a growing feeling that Jake had no idea what he was talking about and was trying to wait out whatever was happening to him. Then again, braving the stream of icicles was easier to bear when Jake’s body seemed to be standing solely because of Vars’s support. He wouldn’t budge. He’d be there for the boy.
Gently, Vars peeled Jake away from him and backed him against the wall. The blue gaze settled on his face, as if Jake was waiting for Vars’s next move, whatever that might be. But this wasn’t about sex. Vars was here to help this helpless young man, no matter how deliciously damp his body was and how perky his nipples.
Vars leaned in and pressed his palm against the bruises.
“Ow! Don’t!” Jake cowered, but without enough energy to pull away from the touch.
Vars ignored his protests, deciding bodily autonomy didn’t matter if Jake could drop dead because of insisting on it. He carefully examined the bruised ribs to the best of his ability. Nothing seemed crooked, so organ damage was unlikely.
Jake was still heaving, but his skin didn’t seem as hot as before, which was hopefully a good sign. His chest moved up and down rapidly, as if he were aroused. Vars would never abuse this moment of vulnerability, but in his mind, he was free, so he allowed himself to imagine Jake having this kind of reaction to a session with a leather paddle.
He would have looked beautiful with his skin pinked-up with a flogger, the crack of his ass shining from lube. Mindlessly, Vars pushed some of the damp hair off Jake’s forehead, just standing next to him in the icy drizzle. Their faces were close, their bodies touching, but he enjoyed the simplicity of such intimacy as well. Nothing beyond that needed to happen.
“I’m much better now,” Jake said. He took a deep breath and leaned his forehead against Vars’s hand. “Fuck, this water’s freezing. Why are you in here?” He leaned away to turn off the shower.
Vars frowned. “You don’t remember? You fell down and I came in to see if you were fine.”
Jake took a deep breath and Vars already missed his touch when the boy stepped away. “I do, I do… it’s just foggy.”
Vars rubbed the droplets off his arms. In contrast to the temperature of the shower, the air felt hot, and now he was simultaneously freezing and burning up. “You might want to watch that. A sudden fever without a cause? Looks worrying to me.”
Jake groaned. “I’ll get it checked out. I’m sorry you got dragged into this. And sorry for the beard thing. It was a spontaneous decision. I couldn’t sleep.”
Vars sighed, petting the top of Jake’s head before pulling away. He needed to put an end to the physical closeness. “I doubt either of us is gonna fall back asleep now.”
“True. And I’ve got stuff to do in the morning.” Jake rubbed his face and stumbled out of the stall, the curtain dragging over him like a ghost in need of love. The boy had one perfect ass. Muscled, but with a cute roundness to it right above the thighs.
Vars licked his lips, kind of tempted to make him busy, but he didn’t want to be that guy and picked up his pants instead. “You know, Jake, how far can you see from the roof?”
Jake was pulling up his pants as well, but had a genuine smile for Vars at the question. “All the way over the lake and forest. Sometimes you can see deer.”
Vars stared at the brightening sky beyond the window. “How about a smoke? Should make you feel better.”
Pale brightness foreshadowed the sun coming up as they got dressed, put on boots and hats to brave the weather, but the change in atmosphere between them was what really made Vars relax. The constant tension hadn’t been a pleasure. Jake led the way up a flight of stairs, down a labyrinth of corridors, and when they turned into another staircase, Vars was sure he’d have been lost on his own. He hadn’t even explored a tenth of the colossal building yet.
But Jake seemed to know his way around, and at the end of a corridor, Vars was about to question where they were going, but Jake stood on the windowsill of a large broken window, and reached up to the ceiling. Vars saw Jake open a latch that revealed a ladder he pulled down, ignoring the nasty screech it gave.