Paladin - Jericho's Boys #1 - ch. 11 (Patreon)

Chapter 12 should be up by tonight. Don't kill me. LOL. Also unbeta'd blah blah blah. 

Arsen

“Shit.”

Arsen swore as his wrench slipped, pain shooting up his arm as he drove his finger into the filthy screw sticking out of the motor mount he worked on. He shook his hand out as if that might shoo away the throbbing ache left in its wake, then checked to see if he was bleeding.

He wasn’t.

This was his second injury of the morning. He was too distracted.  Distracted by Ever. Sweet, pretty Ever with his big, doe eyes and his perpetually pouty lips who smelled like Arsen’s detergent and lavender scented soap. Arsen shouldn’t find it sexy that Ever preferred Arsen’s hoodies to his own and Arsen’s bed to his own…but he did. He found everything about Ever sexy and it was driving him insane.

It wasn’t Ever’s fault he got cuter everyday. He smiled more—revealing those adorable bunny teeth—and when he did it did something to Arsen’s heart. He was still painfully shy. When they went out he rarely spoke, often making Arsen order for him while he hid behind him, his headphones firmly in place. Arsen would be lying if he said he didn’t like being the shield between Ever and the world. He needed one.

Arsen wasn’t the only one bewitched by Ever. Everywhere they went, people went out of their way to smile at him, give him things for free, try to coax a smile from him. Teen girls and boys went out of their way to flirt with him. Even Arsen’s online fans seemed to prefer Ever to him, demanding in the comments section to see him. Asking if they broke up. Begging for even a glimpse. But Ever kept his distance, Arsen just didn’t know if it was because of the audience…or him.

Despite Ever’s distance, Arsen was still doing his best to introduce him to new experiences. He went along with it without complaint, even when it was obvious he was humoring Arsen. Ever never said no. Even when he wanted to. Even if it pained him. Even when Arsen gave him an out. Every time he’d paint a smile on his face, shake his head and take Arsen’s hand, threading their fingers together like it was them against the world. And Arsen fell for him all over again.

Still, Arsen never lost sight of Ever’s need to please him. He did his best to try to gauge what Ever really wanted from barely there context clues. He was an expert at masking his feelings. Years of beatings would do that. Arsen knew from experience. Even at the doctor’s office, Ever had never once complained. He’d sat quietly through Ever test and procedure, every needle stick, a distant smile on his face.

That was how Ever was through anything unpleasant. He just forced a smile to his face no matter how miserable he was. Even when it was something he clearly hated. Like pickles. Or coleslaw. Both foods Arsen had added to his mental do-not-buy list, even though Ever insisted it was fine. Great, even.

But that was Ever. He would suffer for the pleasure of others. He wanted to please Arsen, even if it caused his own personal distress. Even when it was clear he was upset with him. Upset wasn’t the right word. Leery? Confused? After the kiss something had changed and after Ever’s conversation with Noah it had changed again. He couldn’t keep up with their ever morphing relationship.

Ever still wanted to make Arsen happy, that much was obvious. The only silver lining Arsen could see was that Ever’s need to make him happy no longer stemmed from fear but just a need to want to please him. He didn’t know how to tell Ever that just being near him was all he needed.

Even if it sometimes felt like torture, like at night when he was tucked up under Arsen’s chin, his breath puffing against his chest as he made these little half moans and whimpers in his sleep. Arsen had learned to sleep with a permanent hard-on. But his dreams were x-rated and starred Ever every time.

In his dreams, he gave in to every dirty thought he had about Ever. In his dreams, he stripped him naked, spent hours exploring his body, didn’t stop kissing and licking and stroking until he was crying and begging beneath him. He shook his head, the last thing he needed was those thoughts creeping in during his work hours. He was already a mess.

Arsen glanced up into the loft, already knowing when he did, Ever would be there, peeking over the sofa or the rim of his book, watching him. Four days ago, he would have ducked out of sight like a groundhog if Arsen had risked a glance, but now he stared back. Hard. If anyone else had looked at Arsen like that, he’d think they were plotting his murder... or maybe his seduction. Either way, Arsen would fear for his safety.

But not with Ever. No when Ever looked at him like that Arsen feared for Ever’s safety. Because it made Arsen think those very dirty thoughts that were never far from his mind when he should be changing out the motor mount on a 2008 Toyota Camry. It made him think about what noises Ever would make the first time Arsen kissed him with intent, the first time he touched his naked body, the first time he pushed inside him.

Fuck.

Arsen was half hard just knowing Ever watched him. He sat on the sofa, his cheek resting on his folded arms as he watched Arsen with an almost dreamy expression. What was he thinking about? Did he want Arsen too? Did it even matter?

When they locked eyes, Ever didn’t look away, he just sucked his bottom lip between his teeth and chewed thoughtfully. Arsen would be a liar if he said he didn’t like knowing Ever watched him. But the intensity of his gaze made Arsen…nervous?

No, that wasn’t the right word. Anxious, maybe? Not in a scary way, but in the way he felt when he played survival horror games. With every level, the intensity would rise, the anticipation would grow. Waiting for the attack was half the fun. And when it came it was cathartic. This expulsion of energy that had been building since level one.

And that’s what this felt like. It felt like…foreplay.

Arsen groaned out loud even as he waved at Ever, smiling like an idiot when Ever raised his hand and wiggled his fingers in return. Yeah, he was fucked. He wanted to play with Ever in every conceivable way.

“Arsen.”

Arsen’s head jerked towards the sound of his name. Jericho stood in the office doorway. He cocked his head, indicating he wanted Arsen to step inside. If it had been anybody else, Arsen would have thought he was in trouble, but not with Jericho.

Arsen set down the wrench and wiped his hands uselessly on the dirty rag that hung half out of his pocket. He followed Jericho inside, sparing a glance upwards at Ever, who still watched him.

Like a hunter.

Stalking his prey.

The world's most adorable predator.

Arsen fought the urge to smile.

Once inside, Jericho fell heavily into his chair, fixing Arsen with a look that set his teeth on edge.

Arsen dropped onto the other chair across from him. “What’s wrong?”

Jericho’s mouth formed a grim line. “When Charon took blood from Ever, I had her run a DNA test on him. We figured if he was a missing person, maybe we could track him through familial DNA, like they did Noah.”

Arsen’s stomach dipped like he was on a rollercoaster. Had they found Ever’s family? Were they taking him away? “And?”

Jericho shook his head. “Nothing. Not a single genetic match. No cousins, no siblings, nobody in his family has ever had their DNA collected in the US.”

“What does that mean?” Arsen asked, wiping his sweaty palms on his thighs.

Jericho sighed. “No missing persons reports from the city. No DNA matches. No fingerprint matches. Jennika wasn’t the type to kidnap a kid. If she was, there would have been more. She acquired the three girls she abused through the foster system. But there’s no trace of Ever there either. I hate to say it, but he was probably trafficked into the country.”

“Trafficked,” Arsen echoed, not because he didn’t understand but just because the word made him a little sick.

“There’s a big trafficking problem here. She had him chipped like a dog. She had some very shady known associates with ties to organized crime. She never even bothered to name him. He named himself. If she had legally adopted him there would have been a paper trail. We’d have a name or something to trace. But there’s nothing.”

Arsen’s chest was tight. Ever had been with Jennika so long, he had no recollection of his parents, where he was from, when his birthday was. He only knew his age because Jennika had let it slip. How old was Ever the first time she abused him? He must have been so tiny and so scared. Arsen felt a little like throwing up.

“Why?” he heard himself ask.

Jericho frowned. “Why?”

Arsen met Jericho’s gaze. “Why did she…buy him?”

Jericho shrugged. “The two most common reasons for trafficking are forced labor and sex work. The former is mostly adult women, the latter is women and children. I think Jennika wanted a domestic servant who she could abuse without interference. So she bought one.”

“She pimped him out to others,” Arsen said. “She beat him and sold him to men who hurt him.”

“I know,” Jericho said, quietly.

A sudden heat rushed through him, his fists clenching, jaw tight as he said, “And we can’t even tell him who he is.”

“We’re going to keep looking. All we know from his DNA is that he is of southeast Asian descent. The two most trafficked regions are Thailand and Vietnam, but that’s still millions of people. You might need to prepare Ever for the very real possibility that we might never know where he came from.”

Arsen hurt for him. “What if his parents have been looking for him all this time?”

Jericho sat forward in his chair. “I’m not going to lie, it’s possible they’re the ones who sold him in the first place. It happens. More often than it should.”

“What kind of parent sells a child?” Arsen said, disgusted.

“You know what kind. Desperate people. Evil people. We’ve seen this before. Hell, here in the US, there are baby brokers and people 'rehoming’ kids on Facebook. We know kids are worth a lot of money to the wrong people. It looks like Ever might be one of those kids.”

A sudden wave of panic welled in Arsen’s chest. “What am I supposed to tell him? That he’ll never know who he really is? That he might never meet his family? Is it even legal for him to stay? You can’t send him back to a country he doesn’t know? How does that even work? What happens to an undocumented person if they don’t even know where they’re from? Do they just guess? He wouldn’t have any family or money or speak the language. He’d be all alone.”

Jericho raised a hand to silence him. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Nobody even knows he’s here.”

“But he can’t stay a ghost forever? What if he wants to get a job or a driver’s license or go to school? He can’t stay in the loft for—.”

“Arsen!” Jericho cut him off sharply. When he looked at him he said, “We’re not going to let anything happen to him. You know the connections we have. If we have to, we’ll buy him a whole new identity. He can be whoever he wants. There’s nothing that can’t be faked so that he can stay here.”

Arsen looked Jericho in the eye. He needed him to really hear what he was about to say. “I won’t lose him. No matter what it takes.”

“I know, kid. But don’t get ahead of yourself. Go get your boy and have lunch.”

Arsen’s shoulder sagged. Jericho wasn’t his enemy. He nodded and stood, then left, shutting the door behind him. He walked to the sink and scrubbed his hands, before trudging up the stairs. When he got to the top, Ever smiled, poking a finger against the glass. Arsen couldn’t help but press his finger against Ever’s, heart tripping as he giggled.

Whatever expression Arsen had must have been bad, because Ever’s laugh died quickly, replaced by a look of dread. Fuck. He entered the room and smiled, but Ever wasn’t buying it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, fear creeping into his tone.

“Nothing,” Arsen assured, trying to brighten his smile, before he looked away. He couldn’t lie to his face.

He would tell him after they ate.

“Liar.”

Arsen’s head snapped back to Ever, whose face was a storm cloud. Was he…mad? “What?”

“You’re lying,” he said, his tone accusatory.

He was lying. But a few days ago, Ever would have never dared say so. This was progress. Arsen fought the urge to smile. He didn’t want Ever to think Arsen was laughing at him, when he was truly just happy he trusted him enough to stand up for himself. An angry Ever meant he knew Arsen would never hurt him. That was huge. That was everything.

Still, Arsen shook his head. “I’m not lying—” At Ever’s flat stare, he conceded, “Okay, I am, but only because I wanted to eat before we talk.”

Ever’s brows knitted together. Arsen could literally see the wheels in his brain turning. Finally, he said, “You’re sending me away.”

Arsen’s eyes went wide. “What? No.” He dropped down beside him on the couch, gripping Ever’s face between his palms, putting his face as close to his as he dared. “Listen to me. No matter what happens. I’ll never send you away. Ever. Do you believe me?”

Ever hesitated, his expression miserable. His gaze slid away from him and like always, he worried his lower lip between his teeth. Finally, he nodded, whispering, “Yes.”

Arsen dropped his hands, feeling something unknot in his stomach. “Okay, good.”

But Ever wasn’t done questioning him. “Then what’s wrong?”

Arsen sighed. He wasn’t going to let it go. “I just talked to Jericho. When you were at the doctor, we took some of your blood, hoping it would help us track down your family, but we didn’t find anything.”

Ever blinked at him. “Oh. Is that all?”

Arsen frowned. “Is that all? Don’t you want to know who you are?”

Ever shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it since I talked to Noah. There’s only two ways I ended up with Jennika, right? I was either sold or kidnapped. I’m not entirely sure I won’t hate my parents either way. I don’t know how to not blame them for all the things she did to me. Does that make me a bad person?”

Arsen scoffed, grabbing Ever by the back of his neck and hauling him close, pressing his lips to his forehead. “Nothing could make you a bad person.”

When he pulled back, Ever looked flustered. “Nothing?”

Arsen shook his head. “Not to me.”

“Really?” Ever asked, hesitant.

“Really, really,” he promised. That seemed to quell some of his unease. Arsen decided to change the subject. “Are you hungry? What new thing do you want to try today? Italian? Ethiopian?”

Ever shook his head, jutting his chin out in a way that made Arsen’s pulse jump. He was so cute. Even when he was being obstinate. Now that he’d seen it, Arsen hoped he never stopped fighting.

“So what new thing do you want to try?” he asked patiently, hoping this would be the day Ever made his own decision.

Ever’s brown eyes found his, his voice stern. “I want you to teach me to kiss.”

Arsen’s breath punched from his lungs. “What?”

Ever sank back against the corner of the sofa, glowering at him. “You asked.”

“I-” Arsen stopped short. “You’re right. I did.”

Ever sat forward, voice hopeful. “So you’ll do it?”

Arsen floundered. It’s not like he didn’t want to do it. He thought of nothing else. But kissing led to more. And Ever wasn’t asking for more. Arsen didn’t know if he was strong enough to not try for more.

“Do you not want to kiss me?” Ever asked, disappointment creeping into his voice.

He watched as Ever’s lower lip pooched out and he looked up at him with sad eyes through long sooty lashes. Arsen narrowed his eyes, taking it all in. It was all so…calculated. Was he…trying to manipulate Arsen into getting what he wanted.

It dawned on him then. Noah. Fucking Noah. This was his doing. It had to be. He’d taken his sweet, baby angel, Ever and turned him into a devious little shit willing to use every weapon in his arsenal to turn Arsen into his puppet.

And worse than that. It was totally working. “Of course, I want to kiss you, besenok,” he admitted. “I haven’t thought of anything but kissing you since the day we met.”

Ever’s cheeks turned pink and his lips twitched in a smile he fought to hide. “Then do it. Kiss me. For real.”

“For real?” Arsen asked, a jolt of awareness going straight to his dick.

Ever flushed, looking away. “Not like the other night. But…like how they do in my romance novels.”

Jesus Christ.

Arsen had no idea how they kissed in romance novels but he doubted very much it was anything chaste. Was Ever asking him to put his tongue in his mouth? Arsen wasn’t going to survive this. He wasn’t sure Ever would either. What the fuck was he thinking? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. He was grateful Ever had moved a few inches from him. Because he was losing all sense of rationality.

“Okay,” he heard himself say.

Ever’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

Arsen closed his eyes and nodded, resigned. He was never going to say no to Ever.

Ever.

And it looked like Noah had made sure Ever knew he had the upper hand. The bastard. “Yes, really,” Arsen promised. “But…not right now. Tonight. I only have an hour for lunch and if I start kissing you, I might never stop.”

Arsen watched as Ever’s pupils blew wide, his lips parting in a quiet gasp at Arsen’s words. He found himself staring at Ever’s open mouth, thinking about things far dirtier than kissing. He shifted in his seat, grateful he still wore his baggy coveralls.

“What do you want to eat for lunch?” he asked, pretending to ignore Ever’s shocked expression.

“Italian,” Ever whispered.

“Good.”

###

Arsen’s losing streak continued. Not only had he lost that afternoon’s battle against Ever, he lost every battle in the game until his team angrily kicked him offline, telling him to come back when his head was in the game and not up his ass. But how could his head be anywhere but with Ever, who was curled up on the bed three feet away in plaid pajama pants and a long sleeved t-shirt, pretending to read his book while he covertly watched Arsen?

The answer was, he couldn’t. Arsen had never been so…aware of another human being in his life. It felt like some kind of magnetic force pulling him towards him. No matter what he was doing, Ever was never far from his mind and getting back to him was his main priority.

Ever looked up from his book as soon as Arsen signed off. He dropped his headphones and walked to the bed. Just the act of walking towards him, knowing what they were about to do, already had Arsen half-hard. This was going to be an exercise in patience like he’d never known. Some kind of hero’s trial.

He sat in front of Ever, criss-crossing his legs. Ever’s tongue darted out to lick over his lower lip, then he marked his page and set his book down, waiting. He looked so…vulnerable, so trusting of Arsen. He didn’t want to fuck up that trust, but he was also desperate to taste him, to touch him.

So he did.

“If you want me to kiss you, you’re going to have to be closer than this,” Arsen teased, his hands gently sliding under Ever’s knees and dragging him until he almost in his lap, his small, delicate hands fisting the fabric at Arsen’s shoulders, breathing heavy like he’d run a marathon. Fuck, he was trembling and they hadn’t even started yet.

“Hi,” Arsen said, pressing his nose against Ever’s for a second, hoping to reassure him somehow. He didn’t want this to be stressful for him.

“Hi,” Ever said, breathless, his minty breath puffing against Arsen’s cheek.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Arsen asked. Ever’s rapid nod made him smile. “Okay, but if you don’t like something—if you get scared, or if I make you uncomfortable—you have to tell me to stop. Okay?”

Ever’s nod was slightly less enthusiastic. “Okay,” he said quietly.

Arsen wasn’t convinced. He took Ever’s chin between thumb and forefinger, gently forcing him to meet his gaze. “I’m serious. I won’t get mad. It won’t hurt my feelings. Just say the word and it stops. I stop. Promise me.”

Ever blinked rapidly, then swallowed hard. “Yeah, okay. I promise.”

With that out of the way, Arsen suddenly felt completely out of his element. He’d kissed more than his fair share of people, but it had never meant anything. It had never had any weight to it. It was just…perfunctory. Part of the process to get inside his partner in a far more satisfying way.

But this was important. This meant something and gazing down at Ever’s wide eyes had his heart in his throat. Arsen traced Ever’s bottom lip with his thumb, cock jumping at the tiny sound Ever made. Fuck. He couldn’t wait another second. He dipped his head, capturing Ever’s bottom lip between his own, sucking gently. Ever made a happy noise that made Arsen feel feral. He forced himself to pull back, to give Ever a chance to change his mind.

Ever had other ideas. He used Arsen’s sweatshirt to drag him back to him, their lips colliding awkwardly. He was so perfect. Arsen took Ever’s face in his hands, fixing the angle so their mouths fit better, but not daring to break the kiss, trying to ignore his already throbbing cock as Ever’s mouth opened beneath his.

He was so fucking eager, so fucking hungry…for Arsen. God, it was too much power. But Arsen didn’t feel powerful. He felt like Ever controlled his every thought. He was excited and nervous and desperate for more of him. Everything about Ever turned him on. The sounds he made, the way his hands spasmed into the fabric of his shirt each time their mouths surged against each other. Even the taste of his toothpaste, Arsen’s toothpaste. He was so gone.

Arsen wrapped his arms around him, pulling him tighter against him, making a satisfied sound as Ever wrapped his legs around his waist without hesitation, like he couldn’t get close enough to satisfy either. When he swept his tongue into Ever’s mouth, he met it eagerly with his own and they quickly found a rhythm to their kisses.

Arsen lost track of time, of everything but Ever in his arms, wrapped around him, whimpering and whining into his mouth. Every kiss had weight, binding them together on a soul searing level. It was like being drugged. He’d never tried Ecstasy but he imagined it was like this. Ever was addicting, he was Arsen’s perfect drug.

Arsen’s hands slid down to Ever’s ass, dragging him higher into his lap so he could feel how hard he was. Ever gasped into his mouth, rubbing against him mindlessly. Arsen could feel he was hard too. The only thing between them was the thin layer of Ever’s pajama pants and Arsen’s basketball shorts and it wasn’t nearly enough to provide any protection against what they both clearly wanted.

He knew he should shut it down, but instead he slid his hands up under Ever’s shirt, his fingertips trailing along his spine, then outward. Ever sucked in a breath as Arsen traced the outline of one of the scars on his back, dropping his hands to Arsen’s arms like he wanted him to stop.

Arsen pulled back. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“They’re ugly,” Ever whispered.

Arsen studied Ever’s kiss swollen lips and his lids at half-mast, so drunk on him it took a moment for him to understand what Ever meant. “Nothing about you is ugly. Trust me.”

Ever looked so pretty, so sweet, Arsen couldn’t not dip his head one more time. Ever kissed back, but more hesitantly, clearly still worried about Arsen’s hands on his bare skin.

Maybe they needed to talk more?

Arsen broke their kiss a second time, but before he could ask if he was sure he wanted to continue, Ever’s face fell. “We’re not done already, are we?”

Arsen cupped his face, his thumbs tracing his cheekbones. “I just don’t want things to go too far.”

“You don’t want to fuck me,” Ever said, sounding disappointed.

Arsen’s mouth fell open at Ever’s bold statement. Neither he nor his dick were prepared to hear that word falling from that tongue.“I’ve never heard you swear before,” he mused. “And also that’s not true at all. I do want that. All of that and so much more. I want all of the things. But I don’t want to rush you.”

Ever’s face screwed into a look of confusion. “I’ve waited nineteen years. How is that rushing?”

He had a point.

No.

Arsen shook his head. That was his dick talking, not his brain. This was all new to Ever. “I just think tonight we should stick to…making out.”

“Making out?” Ever echoed, biting his lip. His dreamy expression was driving Arsen crazy.

Ever was literally going to be the death of him. “Yes.”

Ever wiggled against him, rubbing his crotch against Arsen’s. “Does making out include this?”

Christ. “It can…yeah.”

Ever wrapped his arms around Arsen’s neck, dragging him back down for another kiss, whispering against his lips, “Let’s do that then.”

“Ever…”

Ever whined, his mouth still working over Arsen’s. “Please? This feels too good to stop.”

Ever wasn’t wrong. Arsen had never been so turned on in his whole life. His body made the decision before his brain did, upending Ever on the bed, hovering over him as his head hit the pillow.

Arsen caught his gaze, voice stern. “Clothes stay on.”

Ever sighed, tone dripping with disappointment as he said, “Fine.”

Fuck.