about any of it for too long. If Matt had told him to play dead, he would’ve probably done it.
Suddenly the guns went quiet, and Jayden allowed himself to be pulled into a strong hug as Matt rubbed soothing circles down his back. His eyes fell shut as he rested his head on Matt’s shoulder.
“Is it over?” he finally managed to get out.
“Yes,” Matt answered, hot puffs of breath trickling over Jayden’s exposed skin. “You’re safe now. Don’t you worry.”
If Jayden’s body could’ve gone any limper, he would’ve melted like ice cream tended to do if left out in the open too long.
He didn’t resist when Matt gently guided him toward a car and away from the house.
Good. He wanted to be as far away from this place as humanly possible.
When he was sitting somewhat comfortably in the backseat of the car, a woman materialized out of nowhere, cooing over his damaged wrists, putting disinfectant and some bandages on them. When everything was done, all Jayden did was simply stare ahead. Lost in the vast expanse of nothing, he didn’t even notice Matt climbing in, sitting down next to him.
“Come here,” he said, and still he didn’t react.
Matt finally took matters into his own hands, pulling Jayden close until their bodies touched. When Jayden finally gave in to his instinct to curl up and cry, Matt simply held on tight, making shushing noises at the same time.
“Shhh….” Matt tried to calm him down. “You’re safe now, don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. No one is ever going to hurt you again, I promise.”
A warm feeling started in the pit of his stomach, slowly spreading into his limbs, until he was sure his body was glowing with happiness. No one had ever offered to take care of him before, and hearing Matt offer that kind of assurance meant the world to him.
Being settled now in Matt’s strong embrace with his body pressed close allowed Jayden to finally find some peace. Only when his fear slowly slipped away did other questions materialize. Like how had Matt known where he was? Why was this supposed playboy so good at handling a gun? And who were those people with him? They had moved like a well-trained unit, like he would suppose a SWAT team would operate on missions, but neither one of those things added up to what he knew of Matt Archer.
What was going on here?
One thing Jayden knew for certain, though: those men coming to his rescue weren’t the police.
The car finally stopped, and on the way into the mansion, Jayden stumbled a few times, relying on Matt to steady him.
“I think a stiff drink would do you good.” Matt wasn’t asking, and Jayden agreed wholeheartedly. If a situation had ever called for a strong drink, this one surely qualified!
Jayden found himself in a comfortable chair with his knees pulled up to his chest when a glass was pressed into his hands. He didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t care. The liquid burnt in his chest, but despite the fact that it was entirely unpleasant, warmth started to spread from his stomach outward. Well, that was kind of nice. He quickly emptied the whole glass, and he wouldn’t have said no to more.
“Matt!”
Jayden recognized Scott’s voice calling for his friend, so he wasn’t surprised when the man barged into the room.
“Why didn’t you call me? Why did you run off half-cocked?” the man shouted at Matt, who slowly got up, arms at his side, glaring back at his friend.
Scott didn’t acknowledge Jayden’s presence. Maybe he didn’t see him, Jayden thought, because his gaze was trained solely on Matt.
Jayden watched as Matt raised an eyebrow in a wordless challenge. “Have you forgotten the plan?” he asked in a semi-amused tone, but annoyance was also clearly present. “This was to flush out the kidnappers and keep you out of danger.”
“You know I can handle myself!”
“Are we going to have the same discussion all over again?” Matt bit back with heat.
The empty
Suddenly the guns went quiet, and Jayden allowed himself to be pulled into a strong hug as Matt rubbed soothing circles down his back. His eyes fell shut as he rested his head on Matt’s shoulder.
“Is it over?” he finally managed to get out.
“Yes,” Matt answered, hot puffs of breath trickling over Jayden’s exposed skin. “You’re safe now. Don’t you worry.”
If Jayden’s body could’ve gone any limper, he would’ve melted like ice cream tended to do if left out in the open too long.
He didn’t resist when Matt gently guided him toward a car and away from the house.
Good. He wanted to be as far away from this place as humanly possible.
When he was sitting somewhat comfortably in the backseat of the car, a woman materialized out of nowhere, cooing over his damaged wrists, putting disinfectant and some bandages on them. When everything was done, all Jayden did was simply stare ahead. Lost in the vast expanse of nothing, he didn’t even notice Matt climbing in, sitting down next to him.
“Come here,” he said, and still he didn’t react.
Matt finally took matters into his own hands, pulling Jayden close until their bodies touched. When Jayden finally gave in to his instinct to curl up and cry, Matt simply held on tight, making shushing noises at the same time.
“Shhh….” Matt tried to calm him down. “You’re safe now, don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. No one is ever going to hurt you again, I promise.”
A warm feeling started in the pit of his stomach, slowly spreading into his limbs, until he was sure his body was glowing with happiness. No one had ever offered to take care of him before, and hearing Matt offer that kind of assurance meant the world to him.
Being settled now in Matt’s strong embrace with his body pressed close allowed Jayden to finally find some peace. Only when his fear slowly slipped away did other questions materialize. Like how had Matt known where he was? Why was this supposed playboy so good at handling a gun? And who were those people with him? They had moved like a well-trained unit, like he would suppose a SWAT team would operate on missions, but neither one of those things added up to what he knew of Matt Archer.
What was going on here?
One thing Jayden knew for certain, though: those men coming to his rescue weren’t the police.
The car finally stopped, and on the way into the mansion, Jayden stumbled a few times, relying on Matt to steady him.
“I think a stiff drink would do you good.” Matt wasn’t asking, and Jayden agreed wholeheartedly. If a situation had ever called for a strong drink, this one surely qualified!
Jayden found himself in a comfortable chair with his knees pulled up to his chest when a glass was pressed into his hands. He didn’t know what it was, but he didn’t care. The liquid burnt in his chest, but despite the fact that it was entirely unpleasant, warmth started to spread from his stomach outward. Well, that was kind of nice. He quickly emptied the whole glass, and he wouldn’t have said no to more.
“Matt!”
Jayden recognized Scott’s voice calling for his friend, so he wasn’t surprised when the man barged into the room.
“Why didn’t you call me? Why did you run off half-cocked?” the man shouted at Matt, who slowly got up, arms at his side, glaring back at his friend.
Scott didn’t acknowledge Jayden’s presence. Maybe he didn’t see him, Jayden thought, because his gaze was trained solely on Matt.
Jayden watched as Matt raised an eyebrow in a wordless challenge. “Have you forgotten the plan?” he asked in a semi-amused tone, but annoyance was also clearly present. “This was to flush out the kidnappers and keep you out of danger.”
“You know I can handle myself!”
“Are we going to have the same discussion all over again?” Matt bit back with heat.
The empty
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