Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

Zeppelin

“ A pretty boy like you is a rare thing,” the man sitting in front of me said in a way that was almost crooning. I shivered, disgust crawling through my veins. I tried pulling at my restraints, but the two men behind me only pulled the chains around me tighter. I gritted my teeth so hard, my jaw began to hurt.

Fuck my parents for this shit. I hoped they fucking died .

“Go on and relax, boy,” the man said, lifting his cigar to his lips. “I don’t want anything from you right now. I just want to look at you. You’re so damn pretty,” he cooed.

I sank my teeth into my tongue to keep myself from saying something I shouldn’t. It hadn’t taken me long to figure out that keeping my mouth shut was the only way to even potentially make it out of this shit unscathed. These men were as abusive as they were disgusting, and they loved using their fists on disobedient boys like me.

“You’re so quiet,” he mused, running his eyes over my naked, chained form. His eyes stayed on my cock for a moment, which was soft between my legs. He licked his lips before stretching out his bare foot to caress it over my dick. I gritted my teeth, swallowing bile when the fucking thing began to get hard from the stimulation. “That’s a good boy.”

I jerked awake, sweat running down my face and making the blankets stick to my skin. My heart was slamming against my chest bone, threatening to break out and drop to the covers covering my legs.

“Hey.” A hand rested on my shoulder, and then Jaxon was pressing his chest to my back, one arm sliding around my waist. “You’re panicking. Breathe.” He splayed his hand over my chest and lightly tapped it in a steady, soothing rhythm. “Breathe with my hand, baby.”

I drew in a shuddered breath, staring at the wall across from me as I forced my lungs to work with his hand. Once my heart rate had slowed and my breathing was mostly normal, Jaxon gently nudged me out of bed before grabbing my hand and leading me out of the room. We were both still naked, but I was still too out of it to really care.

He slid open the back door quietly before leading me onto the back patio. It was still dark outside with only the moonlight providing light. Stars twinkled in the sky, seeming to almost wink at me. I drew in a deep breath of the warm, Florida air as I sank into one of the chairs nearest me. Ash softly meowed and began to wind her little body between my legs.

“Stay there,” Jaxon quietly ordered before slipping back inside. I leaned down and rubbed my hand over Ash’s fur, smiling a little when she began to purr. Why was a cat’s purr so damn soothing? There was just something so happy and settling about the sound.

“Here,” Jaxon said, coming back outside. He set a wooden box in front of me and pulled off the top, setting it aside. I stopped petting Ash and scooted closer to the table, wordlessly grabbing one of the flowers and paper so I could roll a blunt. Jaxon handed me the grinder.

“You smoke?” I asked, my voice raspy. I still felt a little disconnected from myself, but I didn’t want Jaxon to think I wasn’t grateful for his help or something.

He took the seat next to me and leaned back, shaking his head as he laced his fingers over his midsection and shut his eyes. “Nah. Logan does, though. He keeps a stash here.”

“And you condone it?” I asked, a little surprised. Jaxon seemed like the kind of parent to be a real hard ass.

Jaxon opened his eyes to look at me. “Logan is an adult, and he’s capable of making his own decisions. I’m just here to support him. I love him like he’s my own biological child—him and Ezra both. Logan’s…” Jaxon paused for a moment, letting his gaze wander. I began rolling the blunt, letting him get his thoughts together. “He’s been through some shit. I’d rather him cope with weed when life gets too hard and smoke here or at home than get involved in something darker.”

“You’re a good dad,” I told him honestly, wishing I’d had someone like him in my corner when I was a kid. I probably wouldn’t have been sold to a trafficker just so my parents could pay off their mountain of debt.

Jaxon shrugged. “I do my best, but thank you.”

Silence descended after that, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I just lit the blunt and tossed the lighter onto the table. Leaning back in my seat, I closed my eyes, letting the smoke settle in my lungs before I blew it out my mouth. When I opened my eyes again, Ash was chasing a bug around the yard, and my lips quirked up at the corners.

That cat was capable of making anyone happy.

I took another hit, glancing at Jaxon out of the corner of my eye. He was sitting in the same position—hadn’t moved one bit—and his eyes were shut again. He wasn’t asleep though. More than likely he was just… keeping me company, I guessed. Making sure I wasn’t alone with my thoughts. I was grateful. Staring at him kept me distracted.

But… why wasn’t he asking questions? Why wasn’t he sitting over there, studying me and trying to figure me out?

“Why aren’t you prying?” I blurted, frowning at him.

He hummed, still not opening his eyes. “You’ll talk when you’re ready to, Zeppelin. And I’ll be here to listen when you’re ready. But until then, I’m content to just be here for you like this.”

My heart squeezed in my chest. Why was this man so damn good? What had I done to deserve him or Eros, much less both of them? Eros had come from a good family. Granted, they were a bit distant, but they still loved their son, had welcomed me in with open arms, and never judged our lifestyle. They’d even loaned me money to open my own tattoo shop. I’d paid them back, but still. Without hesitation, they’d written me a check. Just like that.

The back door slid open, and Jaxon and I both turned to watch Eros step outside. He’d stolen Jaxon’s robe, and immediately, he walked over to me and settled on my lap, knowing I needed him without me saying a word. He straddled my lap, my cock nestling in the crack of his ass, and he settled against me, tucking his face into the crook of my neck.

I wrapped my free arm around him, squeezing him to me. My eyelids slid shut as I reveled in the feel of Eros against me—steady and strong and just always there.

When I opened my eyes again, Jaxon was gone, the back door shut, and Ash was gone with him.

My heart clenched in my chest. Was he walking away now that Eros was here?