Page 39 of Touch In Excess

Skye burst into laughter. ‘Sorry,’ he signed, his fist rubbing a circle around his chest. “Just don’t hate me as much as you hate everyone else for it.”

Avan scoffed, but he leaned over and shifted so he could drop his head to Skye’s shoulder. “As long as you don’t leave me behind. Pathetic and single.”

“You’ll never be pathetic,” Skye told him, resting his cheek on Avan’s hair. “And you know I’d never leave you behind.”

Avan’s silence spoke volumes. He had been left before—by family who moved away and hadn’t ever looked back. By his husband who was taken before his time. By friends who couldn’t handle Avan’s grief.

He knew Avan had never quite recovered from all of it, and he knew abandonment was his best friend’s worst fear. But Skye wouldn’t ever let anything—not even the love of his life—come between him and these people.

He didn’t think he’d have to worry about that with Rami though. The real trick would be convincing Rami that he fit in with all of them. That this could be his safe space too. But he had time for that later. He was in no rush.

He was going to take this slow and careful. For once in his life, he was going to do something right.

It was 7:00 p.m. The sun was just setting, and the sky was hazy with the fading dusk. Out of his bedroom window, Skye couldmake out a collection of the brighter stars through the canopy of trees that covered the Tower property.

There was also fog rolling in. He could smell it on the breeze and see it creeping like vining tendrils through the branches that were closer to the ground. It was his favorite kind of time, and if circumstances were different, he’d have taken his hearing aids off and gone for a long walk through the mist.

But tonight, he had other plans.

Climbing off his bed, he shut his blinds, then walked to his front and back doors to make sure they were locked. It was the property equivalent of putting a sock on the door handle, and that thought was a little embarrassing, but he was too wound up to actually care.

His laptop was waiting for him, his account freshly active, and he was currently in the queue waiting for the live to start. For Rami’s live to start.

For DuoOphis to log in. He had no idea what the name meant, but somehow, he knew it was fitting for Rami.

On a whim, he picked up his phone and sent off a text, breaking his rule that he wasn’t going to bother Rami right before a live.

Skye: I’m here. I’m watching.

Rami: I’m about to sign on. You’re ManofExcess, aren’t you?

Skye: Not very clever, am I?

Rami: I like it. I like that you’re watching me. It makes me feel safe.

Skye hadn’t expected that. He’d expected Rami to feel exposed or too seen or maybe that his space was being encroached upon. He hadn’t ever considered his presence to besomething like a ballast to another person. He knew his friends loved him, but he wasn’t ever the one they went to when they needed peace or grounding.

His whole body went warm as he settled against his pillows and pulled his laptop onto his thighs. He was naked, his cock half-hard, but he had no idea how his body was going to react to this. He wanted to see it again, of course. He wanted to watch what Rami did—watch how he pleasured himself.

Watch him be obedient to the highest bidder.

The screen flashed, then went black. Then, after a single breath, the camera came to life. It was dim, like it had been the first time Skye had seen it. This time, though, he recognized the bedroom. He knew how long the piece of art behind the frame had been hanging there. He knew the feel of the comforter, even if he hadn’t been invited to lie on it yet.

And he knew what was above that gorgeous, smooth, perfectly sculpted torso that sat down on the edge of the bed. He knew the feel of those two cocks, which weren’t hard yet but were starting to plump. He knew those fingertips and how they were smooth except when he came across bits of dried clay and calluses from working with his hands.

He knew the taste of that ink on Rami’s hip, and the curve of his neck, and the lush push-pull of his kisses.

God, he was hard. He was trembling with need. He wanted to reach through the screen and pull Rami close, but he knew he couldn’t.

A GIFT.

The words appeared on the screen, and then Rami’s delicate hands lifted something so the camera could see it. It was a cock sleeve—opaque purple, the texture like jelly. Rami twisted and turned it in his hands.

WINNING BIDDER: CARL627.

The chat window on the side of the screen exploded as Rami touched the tip of his right cock with the sleeve. In the upper-right corner, the donation amounts began to climb.

NEXT WINNING BIDDER GETS TO CHOOSE A TOY FOR MY ASS.

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