Aftermath (14 page)

Austin couldn’t describe his own pain; it was too great, too consuming. He was dizzy with it, and he was fighting against infection. Nevertheless, it had been almost a day now, and Cam was getting worse.

A fever meant that your body was struggling—working to beat a virus…or some foreign object that simply didn’t belong in a man's shoulder. It meant your immune system was functioning. But there was no way of knowing whether you'd be able to win or lose. In Cam's case, Austin was worried. Not because he had a fever, but because he complained over the cold—when in reality, it was still humid and hot down here. Cam's teeth were chattering, which meant there was a long way to go.

Austin remembered one time Riley had been down with the flu. After a couple days, she'd begun to sweat profusely, and she had
hated
it—said it was icky and gross. But Austin's mother had explained to her it was a good thing: Riley's little body had beat the infection, and she'd be back to normal in no time.

Unless Cam's fever went down soon, there was a big risk his body would cave from fatigue and shut down. Though, this was only if there was, in fact, an infection. For all Austin knew, Cam's fever could be caused by the bullet wound itself.

"You sure about this?" Austin asked for the hundredth time as he pulled out a pair of pad-tipped tweezers. "If there's nerve damage or an artery's been hit, there's nothing I can do once the bullet is out." He'd watched enough TV to know that much. "Cam—" he cupped his cheek, forcing him to look Austin in the eye "—do you understand what I'm saying? You can bleed to death."

"My fucking choice," Cam gritted out, the sound muffled by the strip of rope between his teeth. "Get that damn bullet outta me."

Sighing heavily, Austin removed the temporary dressing Cam had applied yesterday. It didn’t bleed too much, and he was glad to see there was neither discoloration nor too much swelling. "On the count of three," he mumbled, but as he said "one" and listened as Cam released a breath, he gently slid the tweezers inside the wound.

Cam cried out through clenched teeth that clamped down harshly on the fabric in his mouth, and every muscle in his body tensed up. But Austin kept going. Holding Cam still, he continued until the rounded tips of the tool came in contact with something metallic. It was a silent little
snick
that Austin merely felt through the tweezers.

"Almost, buddy." Austin's brow furrowed in concentration, and he managed to pinch the bullet on his second try. A few beads of sweat trickled down his temples; meanwhile, Cam was shaking and his face was pale.

It was a miracle Cam hadn't gone into shock yesterday, but now Austin feared it was happening right this moment. Smoothly removing the bullet, Austin dropped it on the floor and immediately started to clean up. He spared no alcohol, and he used plenty of antiseptic cream before he sealed the wound with sterile pads and medical tape.

"It's done, Cam," he whispered and removed the makeshift rope from Cam's mouth. "It's all done." The only response he got was a weak nod as Cam's eyes fluttered closed. "No, stay with me." Austin carefully pulled him over to the blanket he'd rolled together earlier to form a long pillow. Because he'd feared this. Austin had feared Cam would either go into shock or bleed out. And if any of that was going to happen, Austin needed to stay close. "Can you open your eyes?" He made sure Cam didn’t put any pressure on his shoulder.

They both lay down on the hard floor, but it was at least warmer than the cots, and Cam needed heat. It was survival instinct that kicked in again, so Austin unceremoniously drew the second blanket over them and scooted close enough for their bodies to touch.

"Look at me." Austin palmed Cam's cheek and gently brushed away some moisture under his eyes. And at last, Cam forced his eyes to open, causing Austin to breathe out in relief. "You're going to be okay. You're not bleeding a lot at all, okay? That’s good news."

"F-fuc-ckin' c-cold," Cam exhaled, his teeth still chattering.

Austin nodded and moved even closer. "We'll get that temperature up in no time, I promise." Truth be told, he knew little to nothing about this. He'd gone hiking a lot with his dad when he was younger, so he knew a thing or two about patching up a wound, but nothing serious. Treating a shock victim…that was for doctors, for Christ's sake.

Wanting Cam to get warmer as quickly as possible, Austin tucked Cam's head under his chin and held him close to his body. In turn, Cam burrowed into Austin's heat and tried to get his muscles to relax. Maybe it was shock; maybe it wasn’t. It could be the fever, but it didn’t really matter when both things required warmth.

Both men were in an indescribable amount of pain, but exhaustion won in the end, and they fell asleep.

*

"You were so goddamn stubborn about that bullet," Austin croaked.

He blinked back tears, thinking about "what if"s, which was never a good thing. It was the main reason he couldn’t be honest with his parents. Maggie had already lost one son, and every time she saw Austin now, she drove herself to tears with what could've happened. Therefore, he acted as if life was good—or at least better. Good enough.

"I didn’t bleed out," Cam reminded him. "It worked."

"But what if—"

"Stop." Cam grabbed Austin's jaw and planted a firm kiss on his lips. "Don’t think like that." His voice softened, and there was a small smirk in place. "You'll give yourself more grays."

"Piss off." Austin's head dropped to the pillow again, and he ran a hand over his hair—
with very few grays in it
. "You could let me sleep instead. I'm so fucking tired."

Cam tsked. "Such language for Mr. MBA." His smile touched Austin's forehead. "I distinctly remember a time where you wouldn’t let
me
sleep."

Oh, Austin remembered, too. He'd never forget. But at least this memory was on the lighter side.

*

"Drink some more, but do it slowly." Austin held up the tin cup of water to Cam's mouth.

Perhaps a few would think it was an act of kindness when their captor—no, screw that; he was a damn torturer—delivered food to them without demanding they put on their cuffs first. But Austin and Cam didn’t think he had a kind bone in him. He wanted his victims to suffer, which they definitely were, and Austin supposed the asshole also knew what the men could handle. Right now, for instance, it would be nearly impossible to get around if they couldn’t use their hands. So, this was the second day Austin and Cam had received food and water, yet they were allowed to keep what was left of the medical kit, and they didn’t have to restrain themselves.

Cam was recovering at a snail's pace, but at least he could sit up—with help. He was weak, and the fever was still there, though he was more alert.

"I wanna sleep," Cam grumbled.

"Not yet." Austin, who was leaning back against the wall near the toilet—convenience and all—had Cam in front of him, seated on the floor between his legs. It offered Cam more heat, and his back to Austin's chest was a hell of a lot more comfortable than the floor. It had been months of sleeping on hard surfaces; their bodies ached in protest whenever they moved.

"I feel bad for your wife." Cam was bitching again. "You're a fuckin' doctor nazi—lemme sleep."

"She doesn’t act like a child when she's sick," Austin said, but instead of getting annoyed at Cam, there was a small smile in his voice. He was getting used to Cam's behavior. "Come on." He peered over Cam's shoulder and brought the cup closer to his lips. "Drink, buddy."

"And then you'll shut up and let me sleep?"

Austin chuckled. "Yes. I'll shut up and let you sleep."

"Jesus Christ. Fine," Cam muttered. Between a couple slow sips of water, he said, "A good nurse would at least offer a sponge bath."

"You called me a doctor nazi first. Doctors don’t give sponge baths."

Cam huffed and took another sip of water. "Nazi Nurse—that’s your new name."

"You'd use me like that, huh?" Austin cracked a grin as he gently dragged the washcloth over Cam's neck and good shoulder. "While I'd be working my skills, you'd fantasize about supermodels."

Cam hummed quietly, neither confirming nor denying.

*

"You were a fucking hard-ass," Cam chuckled. "Consider this payback."

"I eventually did let you sleep," Austin pointed out.

"You never gave me a sponge bath."

Austin couldn’t help but laugh. "At least now I know you probably wouldn’t fantasize about supermodels." It felt good to laugh, even if he was tired. While he hated to depend on somebody else, it left him more refreshed. Maybe he'd needed this. It was just so damn liberating.

"Hmmm. No. I can think something better than skinny women." Cam ran his hand down Austin's back. "Ever thought about wearing heels?"

Austin huffed. "That’s not even a little funny." He opened his eyes to see Cam failing at hiding his amusement. "Come here," he murmured, leaning in for a kiss.

It started light, but Cam had a way of evoking feelings Austin had only thought he was familiar with.

His entire body buzzed with a harsh need to claim. Ending up on top of Cam, he pushed aside his tiredness for something much more satisfactory. He kissed Cam deeply, the two exploring each other's mouths.

Austin wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be wary of anything. All he knew was that it felt freeing to be with Cam. They grabbed at each other roughly, both fairly dominant, but that didn’t mean Austin was shunning the idea of submitting. He hoped that applied to Cam, too. Because the closer they were, the better it felt. There was no thought about semantics or details—as long as he could ravish and be ravished in return.

"Christ, you're sexy," he muttered as the thought hit him. But it was true. Cam was a fucking vision. So different from what he was used to, yet appealing all the same. Austin was drawn to Cam's masculinity—his swimmer's body, his strength, his damn voice, and his rough-around-the-edges personality.

Austin could let himself be comforted by all that hardness. But at the same time, he was equally attracted to Cam's softer sides. The vulnerability he tried so hard to hide, the insecurities, and the sometimes-awkward fumblings with words. Those were the traits that brought out Austin's inner caveman, for reasons unknown to him.

Feeling Cam's hard cock grinding against his own, he pushed his hips forward and moaned into their sloppy kiss. "I want you." Understatement. He'd wanted more last night, too, but he was slightly self-conscious about the fact that he'd never been with a guy before. He wanted it to be good for Cam, so he'd chickened out when it came to oral sex. But now… "Stand up." Breathing heavily, he rolled away and pointed to the space between the bed and the coffee table.

"I thought you were tired." Cam's voice was thick with lust as he gave Austin a final kiss before complying. In answer, Austin just shook his head—half a lie. He was tired, but not enough to shake off the desire to taste Cam. "Now what?" Cam cocked a brow once he was standing, his hands on his hips, and he was watching Austin with a small dare in his eyes.

Austin just smirked to himself and scooted to the edge of the bed. His feet hit the hardwood floor, one on either side of Cam, and he leaned forward to kiss his thigh. As Cam sucked in a breath, Austin hooked his fingers underneath the waistbands of shorts and boxers, tugged both down Cam's legs, and exposed him fully.

"You don’t have to—" Cam started to say in a rush, but he stopped himself and ran a hand through his hair. "Fuck that. Only an idiot would say no, and I've pictured this too many times. Keep going."

Austin chuckled under his breath and nuzzled the soft skin of Cam's hip. Slowly, he slid his hands up Cam's thighs, refusing to get nervous. A guy didn’t find a blow job bad. There were good ones, great ones, and goddamn glorious ones. Austin knew what he wanted for himself. Not too much teasing—that was just irritating. A lot of suction, wetness, and his balls massaged. He could do that.

Right?

Austin hummed, turned on by the musky scent of Cam's arousal. He was hard, uncut, long, not too thick, and the area around was smoother than he expected. Austin trimmed sometimes, but it wasn’t a habit.

Kissing the root of Cam's cock, he gripped the length of it and stroked slowly but firmly. At the same time, he licked his lips and began to kiss his way to the head.
Jesus Christ
. He got into it. More than he thought he would. With his lips wrapped around Cam, he took him as deep as he could.

"Fuckin'…oh,
fuck
." Cam trembled with a shudder and wove his fingers through Austin's hair. "That’s it—oh, yeah."

Austin closed his eyes and swirled his tongue around the swollen tip, and when he suckled it, he got the first taste of Cam's pre-come. It was salty and smooth on his tongue.

He wasn’t crazy about the taste, but it did excite him more than he could've imagined.

He groaned and took another inch, a bit more than he could really handle, but that didn’t stop him. He sucked hard and made sure to use his tongue a lot. In return, Cam moaned and cursed.

After a few minutes, he began to fuck Austin's mouth, though he did so with caution. Which Austin didn’t like. Moving his free hand to Cam's ass, he silently told him to let go. At least a bit more. Then Austin moved to stick that same hand down his own pants and stroked himself at the same pace he sucked Cam.

With each thrust of Cam's hips, Austin grew more confident. He cupped Cam's balls and tugged when he did the same to himself. He suckled the head of Cam's dick when he smeared a bead of pre-come over his own cock with his thumb. It was one of the most erotic things he'd ever done, including the early years in his marriage when Jade had been more adventurous.