Played by Cara Dee

Four

They had much more to discuss, but they’d gotten a lot done too. Everyone was on board with the loose plans they’d already made, and years of experience together locked trust into place, allowing the men to relax and look to their neighbor and know they had their back.

Around midnight, Ryan and Reese raided the kitchen for chips, cheese puffs, booze, and mixers. They left the front door open, too, and put on music in the living room. Glasses seemed to be an afterthought, something Darius went in to get when Ry—a fucking bartender—wondered how the hell he was gonna mix a rum and Coke now.

Alicia was tired and decided to turn in for the night. The guest cabin was ready for all of them, and Darius had a feeling she’d snag the one room that only had a queen bed. Whereas the other two small bedrooms had bunk beds.

Tariq followed shortly, once he’d booked his flight for Vegas the next day.

The last of the early retirees was Dante, who wanted to get up with the sun to start constructing an obstacle course in the woods. He had decided to stay a week to follow the planning and begin their training. Darius had to admit he was looking forward to it.

The others were going home tomorrow, as soon as Willow had stopped by to give everyone a burner. They’d need a safe channel to communicate, and Willow had set up an encrypted server for them.

As Darius poured himself a whiskey, Ryan asked what the plan was for Gray.

“He’s in,” Darius replied. “So is Niko. But I’ll be keeping them at arm’s length for a while, so don’t discuss strategy with them.”

They just had to find Niko, though Darius had some leads to follow. The kid was rarely active in the chat Gray had set up for the boys who’d survived their time in captivity, but he’d said one thing. If ever presented with the opportunity to take Lange down, Niko wanted in. He’d been struggling to rein in his temper since he’d found out about Darius and Gray going down to California to save Jackie without saying a word.

“Let me be there when Gray finds out you’re keeping him out of the loop,” Ryan said.

Darius chuckled and leaned back. Nice to have a chair again.

“I heard through the grapevine that you brought him to the retreat in Colorado,” Elliott noted. “Are you training him?”

That grapevine undoubtedly consisted of a certain Leah Connor, who couldn’t keep her mouth shut about Darius settling down with a guy he’d once rescued. She was worried. Or some bullshit. But rather than going straight to him, she’d first called Ryan. Darius shook his head at the memory and took a swig of his drink.

“He’s kinda training himself these days,” he answered. “For physical combat, he doesn’t need me anymore. He’s already faster than me.”

Granted, Darius still defeated Gray most of the time, but that was years of field experience talking.

“They’re a fuckin’ sight, lemme tell ya,” Ryan said. “Last time we came up, I got to see them fight it out in our folks’ backyard. Ma did not like that.”

Darius grinned, remembering. It’d been a good day.

River and Reese exchanged a little smirk before Reese said, “We like good fighters.”

Gray had certainly turned into one.

“I hear y’all have met your own fighter.” Darius tilted his glass at the twins, who’d probably never dated separately. The brothers were essentially two halves of a whole through everything in life. Business and pleasure.

River nodded with a dip of his chin.

“It’s new, but…yeah. Christ.” Reese smiled and shook his head to himself, then took a swallow of his drink. “First time we really got knocked on our asses, I reckon.”

“That’s where it’s at.” Ryan bobbed his head to the beat of a country rock song and drummed his fingers along the armrests. “What about you, Elliott? Last time I saw you, you were going through a divorce.”

“Yeah, good times.” Elliott chuckled wryly, then shrugged. “Nothing to report. I’m married to my job.”

It occurred to Darius suddenly that the ones who’d stayed behind tonight were all dating dudes. Okay, so most of them would probably say bisexual. Ryan had always sampled from every pool available, Darius himself had never bothered with labels and categories but had, for the longest time, focused on physical appearance where he found women more attractive—well, until Gray—and Elliott was bi too.

Since this past winter, Ryan had suggested Darius was demisexual. He still didn’t know what that meant, and he had no interest in figuring it out. People got too tied up in that shit. How about everyone focused on finding the right person instead?

“Damn, this is a good song.” Ryan appeared restless. He’d had enough alcohol before he’d brought out whiskey, rum, and gin, and he couldn’t sit still either. If he kept this up, Darius would have to carry him to bed. “You know what I miss? Going out. Getting drunk with buddies and making some bad decisions.”

Darius lifted a brow at him.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Ryan went on. “I love my life—the whole family thing. But Jesus H, does everything have to revolve around shitty diapers? Angel has no family, and Greg isn’t really on speaking terms with his folks, so we only have babysitters for the boys when Ma and Pop are in town.” Then he jerked his thumb at Darius. “And these days, I only see this fucker when someone needs rescuin’.”

He started chugging his drink.

Darius and the others kept their amusement to themselves. It seemed Ryan had some shit to get off his chest.

“Do y’all know how fucking expensive it is to live in San Francisco?” he blurted out next. “It ain’t even worth it for Angel to go back to work, because day care for the twins is fucking insane.”

Darius and River lit up smokes.

To Darius, the solution was pretty simple. Ryan went on and on, listing all the things he was sick of, and all Darius wanted to say was Move back home, idiot. He just wasn’t sure Ryan was ready to hear it. He and his family had a plan. They were going to stay in San Francisco until Greg’s daughter was gearing up for college. As far as Darius knew, that was still several years away.

It would be nice to have his brother back in town, for many reasons. Partly because Darius got it—even more so after tonight. As much as he loved his new life with Gray and the boys, Darius had needed tonight more than he’d thought was possible. And with Ryan, the old crew could finally reunite. With partners, this time. Back in the day, it’d always been Darius, Ryan, Ethan, and Avery.

It was too easy to picture barbecues and shooting the shit in a bar every now and then.

Plenty of babysitters in Camassia too. Hell, Darius and Gray were two of them. They could take his nephews for a weekend so Ryan could have a moment alone with his partners. Then they could return the favor so Darius could get some alone time with Gray too. It was what family did, right?

He vowed to himself to plant the seed in the near future.

* * *

Darius was dead on his feet the next afternoon when he arrived at his restaurant. After getting approximately two hours of shitty sleep and then spending the morning talking some more with his buddies, he and Dante had worked up a sweat lugging logs and clearing the worst of the terrain for their obstacle course. They’d been at it until it was time to pick up Jayden and Justin from school and day care, after which he’d dropped them off at Ma and Pop’s. They would watch the kids until Gray got off work around… Darius checked his watch. Right around now.

He yawned and finished setting the last glasses back on the shelves under the counter. It had apparently been a good lunch rush, and they were a little behind.

“You look hungover, boss,” Carlos noted, arriving with another glass rack.

Christ, Darius thought he was done. “Then I look how I feel. Are there more glasses after this?” He slipped a few wineglasses between his fingers by the stems and shuffled them into place under the bartop.

“No, this is the last of it.”

“Thanks.”

Work continued, and the first dinner guests started arriving around five. Easiest part of the day for Darius, whose job consisted of pouring wine and beer. Early birds didn’t order cocktails, and it would be a few hours before the bar crowd woke up. Only the guests who sat in the outdoor dining area sometimes ventured toward a pre-dinner mojito or a spritz.

There was a lull in the service half an hour later, so Darius ducked into the kitchen and plated himself some food and grabbed a catalogue from his office before returning to the bar. He took a seat near the end and flipped open the catalogue. They’d started pouring in this month. Breweries and wineries already knew what dinner guests should be drinking this winter season.

Fuck, he couldn’t stop yawning. Sleep would hopefully find him tonight when he had Gray next to him again.

Darius had done a decent job of enjoying himself last night, and he’d only texted Gray once, mainly to wish the boys a good night. But today, he’d woken up with a void in the pit of his stomach. Part of him was just empty unless he had Gray and the kids with him. He hadn’t enjoyed breakfast at all.

Chewing on a mouthful of seared scallops and risotto, Darius circled a couple new wines he wanted his staff to try, mainly Sebastian, one of his bartenders. He had excellent taste in wine and beer.

“Who do I have to kiss to get a drink around here?”

Darius’s head snapped up at the sound of that voice, and it was fucking insane how joy fizzled up like a shaken soda within him and surged into his bloodstream.

“Your mother kindly informed me that the boys wanted to stay for dinner and dessert.” Gray smiled unsurely and slid onto a stool on the other side of the bar. “I went home, took a shower, almost had a heart attack when I saw someone chopping wood behind the cabin, and then I had the pleasure of meeting a Dante Williams.”

Darius winced. He’d forgotten to tell Gray that Dante was staying…

“I’m sorry. It completely slipped my mind to give you a heads-up.”

“It’s fine. He had some fun stories about you.” Gray leaned closer, and Darius quickly met him in a kiss. “You taste good. What’re you having?”

Darius slid the plate across the bartop and handed him his fork. “Sergio’s trying something new. I’m a fan.”

So was Gray after his first bite. Spicy and lemony scallops met rich, creamy risotto with herbs and wild garlic.

“Oh, man.” Gray tucked in. “This wasn’t why I came here, but now I’m suddenly starving.”

Darius smiled and poured the kid a glass of white. “Did you eat at work?”

“Kind of.” Gray turned sheepish. “Mom accidentally doubled her order from the bakery we use for the breakfast buffet, so I’ve been snacking on Danishes all day. I brought a bag home with me too.”

Score. Darius rested his forearms on the bartop and kissed Gray’s cheek. He had to. He wanted to be close. “Well, I’m glad you came here—for whatever reason. I missed you.”

“I needed to hear that,” Gray admitted and put down his fork. “I barely slept last night.”

Darius didn’t care it made him a douchebag to find pleasure in that. “I got two hours. Tossed and turned and woke up whenever I sought you out.”

For a moment, they just sat there and smiled at each other, and all was well in the world. No reassurance needed. No uncertainties. No doubt about their compatibility. Because clearly, they were fucking meant to be.

Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last long. Two servers arrived at the same time and needed drinks for their tables, and Darius had to get back to work.

“I’ll bring you more food if you want,” he told Gray as he started pouring new beers.

“Yeah, I think I wanna stay and just watch you for a bit.” Gray returned to devouring the meal, and it felt good. Darius breathed easier.

He’d been such a fucking idiot with his insecurities. He saw with his own eyes that Gray’s spirits lifted when they were together. It seemed they’d both taken a turn for the worse from spending last night apart. It wasn’t just Darius.

In between completing drink orders and making sure the service was running smoothly, he and Gray got to talk a little about the plans for Vegas. It helped Gray that they were in a somewhat crowded restaurant—Darius could tell—because the atmosphere didn’t allow the knucklehead to get trapped in old memories. He stayed in the present and listened, asked questions, and voiced his thoughts.

“So I guess you want Niko and me to go with these…Tenley brothers? Once you’ve made it safer in the compound, we’ll go in and rescue the trafficking victims.”

Darius nodded and grabbed a water for himself. “That’s the idea.” He welcomed another lull in the service and sat down across from Gray. Thankfully, they had the far corner of the bar all to themselves. “You okay with that?”

Gray chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. “To be honest, I’m mostly relieved this is actually happening. Not that I doubted you, but the confirmation—hearing what you’re planning—is a weight off my shoulders. I didn’t know you were this far ahead into the operation.”

“I need a clear image in my head before I’m willing to share much.” Darius took a swig of water. “Can you reach out to Niko in the chat again? I’d like to get in touch with him without hunting him down in Seattle.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll text him when I get home.” He checked his phone. “I should probably pick up Jayden and Justin before Mary lets them overdose on ice cream.”

It was a valid concern.

“Have I told you I’m glad you stopped by?” Darius asked.

Gray smiled and leaned over the counter for a kiss. “We’ll continue this tonight under the covers.”

“You bet.”

* * *

“Don’t fall asleep on me, baby.”

“Mmm…I won’t.” Darius kept his eyes closed and slid his hands up Gray’s thighs. “Keep going.”

There was something about winding down for the day with back rubs, neck rubs, foot rubs… One favorite was when Gray straddled him and brushed his fingers along Darius’s chest and rubbed his arms. Like he was doing right now. Though, neck and shoulder rubs were golden too.

Gray preferred foot rubs and scalp massages.

Darius let out a long breath and melted into the mattress. Aside from a small fire in the corner, their bedroom was cloaked in darkness, and everything was quiet. Except for the forest outside. The evening weather report had promised harsh winds and rain for the next few days.

A shiver ran through him as Gray ghosted his fingers over Darius’s skin, through his chest chair, and over both sensitive spots and numbed scarring.

“Daddy?”

Damn. Darius cracked one eye open. “Was that a you-Daddy or a me-Daddy?” It wasn’t always easy to be sure. Justin had started out with Gray as Dad and Darius as Daddy, but most of the time, he ended up calling them both the same.

“Probably a me-Daddy if he wants water,” Gray chuckled quietly. He climbed off Darius, tightened the towel from his shower around his hips, and walked out of the room. “What’s up, sweetheart? Can’t sleep?”

Darius yawned and glanced at the alarm clock next to the bed. It was almost two.

“I’m thirsty,” he heard Justin mumble.

“Okay. We might as well try the bathroom again then too,” Gray responded.

Darius stretched out and groaned as his body popped and cracked the way it hadn’t done ten years ago. Then he tugged off his own towel, tossed it on the chair in the corner, and snuck under the covers.

When he heard Gray and Justin coming up the stairs again, he pushed himself up on his elbows and spotted the two.

Justin waved and smiled. “I had water and peed.”

“That’s good.” Darius grinned tiredly. “Get some sleep now, buddy.”

Justin nodded and padded into his room. “Goodnight!”

Darius’s head landed on the pillow again. Gray tucked Justin in, then came back and closed the door almost the whole way. His towel landed on the chair too.

Fuck, he was a sight. The terrified kid who’d lost too much weight and muscle mass during his months in hell had evolved into a new man. Darius watched him hungrily in the dark, from the fading scars and six-pack to the wisdom in his eyes and his summer tan, and he didn’t know what drew him in the most. It was just the combination of everything. Everything that made up Gray Nolan.

Darius pushed the covers aside just as Gray crawled on top of him again, and neither wasted any time. They kissed passionately and moved in perfect sync, both needing the same thing. When Gray had grabbed the lube from the nightstand, Darius hauled him up on his knees so he could reach Gray’s cock, and he sucked him as deeply as he could.

Gray drew a stuttered breath and coated his fingers.

Darius hummed around Gray’s cock and traced the ridges with his tongue.

Tonight, they were eager to reconnect, literally, and every action became brief and halfhearted until Gray sank down on Darius’s cock. Only then did they slow down and revel in the moment.

Gray looked like a god in the flickering light from the fire. His skin golden, his edges dark.

“Take what you need from me,” Darius murmured.

Gray groaned under his breath and swiveled his hips over Darius’s cock, taking him as deeply as he could. They met in a deep, hungry kiss, and Darius threaded his fingers into Gray’s hair, keeping him in place.

Christ, it felt good. “Have I told you lately that I’m obsessed with your tight little ass?” Darius shifted his grip to hold Gray’s hips, wanting to control his movements, and he cursed when he felt Gray clench around him. “Jesus fuck, baby.”

Gray moaned and tilted his head back, and he increased his pace. “Take over,” he breathed. “I need you. Take me.”

Those were the magic words. Darius let his instincts consume him, and he manhandled Gray into place, pushing him down onto his back. And once he was there, Darius crawled over him, between his legs, gave himself a few quick strokes, and then pushed all the way in. Gray screwed his eyes shut and whimpered at the force, and Darius grabbed on to the headboard and started fucking him hard.

“Oh God, oh God,” Gray panted.

“Stroke your cock,” Darius gritted. “I wanna see you come all over yourself.”

When Gray’s moan turned a little too loud, Darius dipped down and kissed him.

“Quiet, boy,” he whispered, out of breath. “I don’t think I can handle an interruption now.”

But Gray couldn’t contain himself. He pulled Darius down on him, one arm locked around his neck, one hand working his cock in rapid strokes. He tried to muffle his moans against Darius’s neck, but Darius heard the pleas anyway. More. Take me harder, baby. Please, Dare. It spurred Darius on, who went harder and deeper until the bed was squeaking and protesting with every thrust.

“No more spur-of-the-moment sleepovers, you hear?” he gritted out. “Your place is right fucking here. With me.”

Gray nodded quickly, only to suck in a breath and go completely rigid.

Darius groaned at the sight of Gray coming all over his chest, and it pushed him right to the edge of his own release.

He drew in a long breath through his nose and surrendered to the pleasure. He fucked his orgasm deep into Gray’s ass and rode the waves for as long as he could. Every shiver, every whiff of their releases, every ache, and every touch prolonged the bliss.

Holy fuck, they’d needed this tonight.