Page 151 of His Boys to Protect

Ward paused there, his hand hovering near Charlie's wrist. But he must have seen the silent insistence in Skylar's eyes because he relented, waiting until Charlie finished the circuit before he gently grabbed the boy's hand and pulled it away.

Charlie whimpered.Hurt?he signed.

“Just a little,” Skylar admitted, eyeing the reddened skin all along the line. Charlie had never pushed that hard before. Not even close.

Charlie burrowed into Skylar and hid his face against the pillows.Sorry!he signed desperately, over and over.Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!

“It's okay, Charlie,” Skylar insisted. “It's okay.”

Ward stretched out along Skylar's other side and reached across him, pulling Charlie in close. Skylar lay trapped between them. Practically buried beneath them.

There was nowhere else he'd rather be.

Skylar closed his eyes and drifted in their warmth. Never in his life had he felt so comfortable being naked with someone. So safe. Skylar smiled to himself.

He'd made it. He'd finally made it. He was theirs. Now and forever.

Charlie squirmed and pulled away far too soon, leaving one whole side of Skylar's body feeling empty and cold. A chill ran through him. It was all he could to do stifle a shudder before Ward could notice.

“Hey, little mouse,” Ward murmured, propping himself up on his elbow, taking some of his warmth away, too. “You okay?”

Charlie scowled and got up. He stood beside the bed and fussed with the sheets, spreading his hands across them over and over, trying to smooth out a wrinkle that kept coming back. His scowl deepened as he tugged insistently. Finally, hemanaged to get one small area of the sheets to lie flat. Charlie climbed back onto the bed, sitting in that exact spot, drew his knees up, and ducked his head.

Then he started rocking.

Shit. Skylar watched him in silence, seeing the tension all through Charlie's body. He'd expected this to be an overwhelming experience, but mostly for himself, not for Charlie. At least, not to this extent. Then again, Charlie had been stuck in a car all morning. That certainly couldn't have helped matters. His senses were probably already on overload, and the time they'd spent watching TV after lunch might not have been enough to help him unwind.

Ward opened his mouth.

Skylar held a finger up to his lips and gave a quick, tight shake of his head.

Ward relented, and they waited in silence.

It was over an hour before Charlie moved. Without making a sound, Charlie got up and strode into the bathroom.

The door shut, and the shower came on.

Skylar sighed. “I'm sorry. He gets like this sometimes. He–”

“Sky,” Ward gently interrupted him. “It's okay.”

No, it's not. But Skylar kept that thought to himself. What they'd just shared had been so perfect. So achingly real. He wasn't ready to admit the moment was over.

They got up, and while Ward tidied the bed, Skylar quickly got dressed. He couldn't seem to get his clothes back on fast enough. His hands shook, and with each item he put on, rather than feeling more settled, the trembling only got worse. It spread through his entire body.

“Sky?”

Skylar yelped and jumped back, not realizing Ward was so near.

“Hey,” Ward murmured, holding up his hands and eyeing Skylar with caution. “Sweetheart? What's wrong?”

Skylar slowly shook his head while he tried to catch his breath. “Nothing. Sorry. I think I just got lost in thought.”

“You're shaking.”

“Got a chill, that's all,” Skylar said. It wasn't entirely a lie. He did feel cold, though he doubted it had anything to do with the temperature in the room.

Ward rubbed Skylar's arms. “Why don't you go take a nice, long, hot shower when Charlie's done, okay?”

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