Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

A ll the touching, kissing, and riding with Lio pressed against him left Bel's cock in a nearly painful state of hard. He'd even had to sit in the car a few moments before he could get out—damned tight-ass jeans, and he let the women walk ahead a few paces before he fell in beside Lio on their way to the compound door.

Even after all the flirting and innuendo, Bel still had to work up the nerve to ask, "Want to come to my room?" He held his breath, waiting for an answer.

Lio squeezed Bel's hand, smiling up at him. "I was about to ask you."

The tension drained out of Bel.

"Y'all want to come to my place for coffee?" Jessa asked as they navigated their way through security and down the elevator.

"No!" Lio and Bel answered as one.

"I'm too damned tired," Arianna said. "I need to get home."

"Maybe some other time." Jessa took her heels off in the hallway, holding them in her hand.

"Good night," Bel said, stopping by Arianna's door.

"Good night." She opened the door and stepped inside.

"Good night." Jessa unlocked the door across the hall. Her eyes twinkled when she added a throaty, "See you boys tomorrow"—she ran an assessing gaze over both of them— "afternoon." She giggled as she entered her apartment.

Alone. Finally. Bel and Lio exchanged a glance, then raced down the hall to Bel's room. Bel fumbled the key card a few times before managing to open the door. He ushered Lio inside.

Lio stood in the living area, hair and clothes disheveled, face nearly glowing. For one moment, Bel wondered about Lio's Domusian form. He couldn't look any more gorgeous than right now.

Bel tore his eyes from the sight and headed toward the kitchen area. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Water, please. All that dancing left me thirsty." Lio sank gracefully onto the couch.

Bel fetched two glasses of water from the kitchen, sprawling back onto the cushions in what he hoped passed for an open pose, inviting Lio to come closer—if he wanted to.

His mind still spun from their kissing, the feel of his hands on Lio, and how perfectly they'd moved together on the dance floor. How well might they move together?—

But he was fine with simply sharing space if that's all Lio wanted.

Lio shifted closer. "I think I need to tell you more about Emilio since he has a driving effect on me. Some things I do in the future might be based on his experiences, but it'll be harder to explain them when I no longer have the memories, just the instincts. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, it does. Some of my host's memories are fading, too. Maybe that's a natural part of the process." Bel took a sip of water, prodding at the inner part of his mind where he accessed Kevin's memories. They'd definitely dulled with time. "Tell me about Emilio." Bel lifted an arm. Lio laid his head on Bel's chest.

"He was from a poor family, like I said before. His parents had to work, so they weren't around much for him and his younger brother and sister. They stayed with their grandmother a lot. Then his father took off, and Emilio never saw him again. Emilio's mother and grandmother raised the kids." Lio blew out a heavy breath. "Anyway, he quit school at sixteen to help support the younger kids."

Kevin's life had been easy compared to Emilio's, with loving parents who'd sent him to college and provided a nice home. Bel wrapped his arm tighter around Lio.

"When Emilio turned twenty-one, he went to work at a club, first as a server, then as a dancer. He met an older man there who lavished him with gifts, moved him into an apartment, and helped him get his high school equivalency. Emilio didn't love the guy, but the man wasn't mean, and he took Emilio places." Lio sipped his water and stared at a blank wall. "One of those places was Las Vegas. Emilio had heard so much about Sin City and thought it would be magical.

"He didn't know the man had a gambling problem. Emilio thought it was a joke when he said he'd bet Emilio on a game of poker—until Emilio found himself locked in a penthouse with a man called Big Tony, who owned the casino."

What? Bel wanted to find the asshole and make him pay. How dare anyone treat a human being like that? His heart ached that Lio had to live with those memories, knowing how vivid they could be, especially in dreams. No wonder Lio remained passive around others. Chances were he'd learned to hide as a survival instinct.

Lio scrubbed his hands over his face. "Big Tony wasn't too bad at first, but he expected Emilio to do whatever he said without question. Then Big Tony started forcing him to sleep with other men, sometimes to get information, sometimes to reward someone, and sometimes so he could blackmail them. Emilio hated every minute of it. Of course, he wasn't the only one Big Tony took to bed, and sometimes he made Emilio watch."

Bel's heart constricted. "I am so sorry?—"

Lio held up a staying hand. "No. I have to get this out there, or I'll lose my nerve." He dropped his hands into his lap and twisted his fingers together. "One night, Big Tony wanted Emilio to find out about a new successful blackjack player in town, and that's how he met Dave. Dave seemed to see Emilio as more than a piece of meat. They began sneaking around, and they fell in love."

Then Emilio's memories weren't all bad if he'd fallen in love. Bel would've loved for things to have looked up for the man, but recalling how Lio looked when Bel first saw him, he knew better. What could he do to ease the pain? He kissed Lio's forehead, hoping to convey I'm here for you. No one will ever hurt you.

Lio continued the story dispassionately. What must be churning through the poor guy's mind? "Emilio and Dave left for a cabin in Lake Tahoe and spent a glorious week together until Big Tony's goons caught them and brought them back to Vegas. They tortured Dave and made Emilio watch his lover die. Then, the bastards killed Emilio. Or they tried to. Somehow, I happened to be there. I offered to heal him, but he wanted to go with Dave.

"The sadistic assholes thought Emilio was still alive, and Big Tony ordered them to take me out into the desert and leave me. That's when you found me."

Bel's heart broke even as his anger boiled through him at those men and what they'd put Lio through. If he had the ability to banish humans, he'd sweep the lot of them out of existence.

"Well, fuck!" Lio exclaimed.

"What? Is something wrong?"

Lio's voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "Though I only saw them briefly once I took over Emilio's body, I swear that mixed aura thing might mean Big Tony and Bennie are travelers. Not just travelers—occisors."

If that was true, and they were still around, they'd need to be dealt with—later. Lio's tightly held control was cracking, showing just how deeply he'd been affected. As difficult as Bel's transition was, he couldn't imagine waking up being tortured, not knowing why or even who he was. While he might not know what to say, maybe he knew what to do. He opened his arms wide.

Lio climbed onto Bel's lap, dissolving into tears and sobs. Bel held him, running a hand over Lio's back, letting him get the poison out of his system. "How can someone do something so horrible to another?"

Bel held tightly while sobs eventually quieted to sniffles, then lapsed into even breathing. If and when Lio regained his memories of his true life before Emilio, Bel hoped they'd be more pleasant than the story he'd just told.

Poor Emilio. Poor Dave. But in his dying, Emilio had given Bel a gift in Lio.

He settled into the most comfortable position he could manage and held Lio while he slept.