Gannon Morgan [Seven Brothers for McBride 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (4 page)

Alden tilted his head again like he had earlier, and Gannon still didn’t know if he was curious or simply didn’t believe him.

As slowly and clearly as Gannon could, he said, “I swear I will never put a mark on your beautiful skin.”

Alden read Gannon’s lips effortlessly. When neither man was looking at him, he found himself looking at Gannon’s mouth and wondering what he would look like in a rage. It was clear earlier that Gannon didn’t want him because of his defect, but then he’d changed his mind. Alden hadn’t seen McBride say anything, but he had a gut feeling that he had. Perhaps he told Gannon if he didn’t take Alden, then he wouldn’t get another thrall ever. Clearly disappointed, Gannon had been willing to settle, and Alden figured he was in for another series of broken bones and horrific bruises. Once Gannon found out he’d been beaten, though, his attitude was so markedly different that Alden had no doubts that Gannon would never raise his hand in violence.

“If you don’t hit me, I’ll be the best thrall you’ve ever had.”

“You’ll be the only thrall I’ve ever had.” Gannon leaned in.

Hypnotized by his mouth and the way the words rolled around his lips, teeth, and tongue, Alden had no idea what Gannon was doing until he kissed him. Shocked by the sweetness of the contact, Alden leaned into him, inadvertently deepening the kiss. Gannon’s hands tightened on his but not brutally, more like he was surprised. When Gannon let out a pleased groan, Alden didn’t hear it, but he felt the vibrations against his lips.

Slowly, Gannon pulled away. And then he smiled. “Wow.”

One word gave Alden hope that the pain and trouble that had plagued him was finally over. If it was, he swore he would do everything in his power to please his mate. The scar that had seemed so scary was less so now that Gannon was smiling.

Something passed between McBride and Gannon, but Alden wasn’t looking so he missed it.

“Thank you, but I’m okay to finish up the workday. I want full pay so I can outfit my mate in style.”

Alden was pleased but also afraid. He wanted to make sure he did everything he could to make his new owner happy. A terrible feeling that if he displeased him in any way he would be subjected to abuse or perhaps sold as a secondhand thrall made him doubly attentive to both men. It had been difficult enough to be sold the first time. After he’d been bled and fucked, it was even more likely he’d go into the hands of abusers.

“Make yourself comfortable. Please don’t feel like you need to clean up.”

“But I would like to.” Honestly, Alden didn’t think he would be comfortable if he didn’t organize the clutter. In the thrall house, he found the only way to cope with never knowing when he was going to be hit was by keeping the rest of his world in perfect order. Chaos from abuse made him crave structure.

“If you want to, then do, but don’t feel you have to.” Again, Gannon leaned close, but it was Alden who made contact by moving closer.

He discovered he liked the taste of his owner’s mouth. Alden had never kissed anyone, but he didn’t need to have vast experiences to know what he liked. He could easily fall in love with a man who kissed him like this and chose not to hit him. But it was also easy to be kind when the master’s eyes were upon him. Alden would have to wait and see what Gannon was like when McBride was not around.

“I’ll be back from work an hour before sunset.”

Alden nodded and then watched as Gannon and McBride left. He felt the most curious sense of unease. He had hated being around the other thralls because they hit him, but he’d hated being alone just as much because he was always anticipating them coming upon him unaware and hitting him. It seemed he was never comfortable unless he could brace himself alone in a room. There was a closet in the thrall house that he could sit in with his back to the door and his feet braced against the wall. They could bang all day and not reach him. But eventually, Alden had to eat or go to the bathroom, and he was fair game once again. He’d considered doing something similar in Gannon’s bathroom, but like the thrall house, there was no lock on the door and the two men would be able to kick the door down even if Alden could find something to block it.

At the lone door into and out of the tiny house, McBride turned back. He ensured Alden was looking at him before he spoke. Alden liked watching McBride talk. He made it easy because of the way he moved his mouth. Confident men were easy to lip read. It was the shy ones, the mumblers, who made it difficult for Alden to understand. Lucky was he in that his master and his master’s master were self-confident.

“If you have any trouble or need something and can’t find it, come up to the big house.” McBride pointed. “I’ll activate the butler and instruct him to assist you in any way he can.”

Before he could go, Alden touched his arm. “I’m sorry that you were swindled.”

“I don’t think I was.”

“The merchant, the one in gray, he didn’t know.” Alden didn’t want an innocent man punished should McBride decide to pursue a legal remedy.

“No?”

“No. He was very kind to me.”

“The men who beat you, did they…”

“They only hit me.” Alden knew what he was asking, but McBride didn’t want to be vulgar, which was kind but unnecessary. Alden knew what he’d been bought for. Holding on to his virginity was only made easier by the way the thrall house kept all the thralls milked. Each day they had to be electro-stimulated to release sperm. It kept them from engaging one another sexually. “They only started hitting me when I lost my hearing.”

Concern washed down McBride’s face. “Gannon is a good man.” McBride’s gaze wandered over the living room. “A messy man to be sure, but still, if he gave you his word, you can count on it. He won’t hit you not only because he isn’t like that, but also, I would not allow it on my land.”

Alden nodded, but only time would tell. The other thralls he’d lived with hadn’t been abusive either until they’d grown frustrated with his inability to hear them unless he was looking right at them. He’d learned to read lips very quickly, but he’d also learned to read body language. By the cast of their shoulders and the way they moved their hands, Alden could tell when they were likely to hit him. Ducking and dodging made him agile, but when there were multiple attackers, his only edge had been in his ability to run and hide.

“I know you won’t believe it until some time has passed, but you are safe here.”

Alden looked down at McBride’s feet. They were massive. As he looked up the length of his powerful body, he saw no tension in him until he reached his shoulders. McBride’s shoulders were held tightly, as if he were carrying a very heavy burden that he wasn’t used to. Still, he had the body of a solid, caring man. In a fight, McBride could utterly destroy another, but he didn’t have the fists of a man who struck out at others. Like Gannon, his hands were hard, but rough from work and not brutality.

“If I can ever do anything to help you with the weight you carry, you have but to ask.”

Startled, McBride moved incrementally back. “How—what makes you think I’m carrying anything?”

“Your shoulders are lifted up like they are trying to touch your earlobes.” Alden reached out as if to cup McBride’s shoulders but realized doing so was shamefully intimate and far beyond his place. Instead, he bowed and tossed up a prayer that his ultimate master wouldn’t take offense. Gannon owned him, but McBride owned Gannon, so that meant that McBride owned both of them. The last thing Alden wanted to do was upset McBride. “I thank you for saving me.”

“Saving you?”

“Had you not bought me, I would have been returned to the thrall house.” Alden didn’t have to tell him what would have happened there. It was clear from the look on McBride’s face he knew that the other thralls would have happily taken out all their fear, rage, and displeasure on him. Alden knew they didn’t hit him just because they were angry with him. They often hit him because of their own personal issues. As the closest and easiest target, Alden often had to suffer their dissatisfaction. In order to “pretty him up,” the owner of the thrall house had to segregate Alden for a month. Twice he’d been offered at a crossroad’s platform. His owner said the third time was a charm or Alden would never make it to a fourth showing.

It seemed that McBride wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. “I have to go.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” McBride looked again at the living room. “And it seems you have plenty to do today.”

“Yes.” Once the door was closed, Alden turned to the living room and sighed. He wasn’t angry at all. He was relieved. Having a mate who was a slob was far better than having twenty who wanted to pound out their frustrations on him. Alden took a moment to consider what he was dealing with, and then he decided the best thing was to put all of Gannon’s items in the chair, clean the floor, and then sort through everything and put it away.

Humming to himself, Alden tossed the mishmash of items into the big, black chair. Gannon seemed to just drop things wherever he was rather than taking them where they needed to be. There weren’t any bugs or anything truly disgusting, just the general laziness of a man who lived alone and didn’t care as long as there were rough paths that led from room to room.

In the kitchen, Alden met the cookbot, who had incredible cooking skills but wasn’t much help in the way of cleaning the other rooms. The bot’s focus was the kitchen, which was surprisingly tidy, but Alden needed help with the rest of the house. Unfazed, Alden poked around and realized there weren’t any cleaning supplies like in the thrall house. The house was mechanized and self-cleaning to a point, but not when the occupant’s items were strewn about, impeding the cleaning machines.

“I will have to improvise.” Alden went to the bathroom and checked the bathing products. They would work in a pinch, and Alden was certainly in a bind at the moment. Still, he was careful not to use too much. The last thing he wanted to do was anger his new owner.

By the time Gannon returned home, Alden had the main room cleaned up and was just getting started on the bedroom. Since the cookbot not only cooked but cleaned and organized the kitchen, Alden didn’t have to worry about that area too much. There were some piles of things but nothing as drastic as the other rooms. Tomorrow he would clean the bathroom, but he wanted a big showing when Gannon returned so the main room was the place to focus on.

Gannon stepped onto the porch of his home and stopped on the threshold with the door still open. “Is this my house?”

Alden laughed because Gannon made a great production out of looking around like he’d never seen the place before. He examined everything and then turned to Alden. He waited long enough to make sure that Alden was looking right at him.

“You’re a miracle worker.”

Alden blushed and looked away. The next thing he knew, Gannon touched his fingertip gently under his chin and lifted his head.

“You really are amazing.”

As he closed the distance between them, Alden knew what was coming, and he couldn’t wait. Somehow, in a very short period of time, Gannon had made him feel comfortable, welcome, and cherished. Things might turn ugly, but for now, they were warm and friendly and Alden was going to hang on to that feeling for as long as he could.

When Gannon deepened the kiss by pulling Alden close, he panicked. Something about his tight arms and raw hunger suddenly made Alden feel he was being crushed. Struggling, he pushed hard against Gannon’s shoulders.

Gannon let him go and watched with confused concern as Alden plastered himself against the nearest wall. Lifting his hands, Gannon tried to calm Alden, but the fear was buried too deep, and he realized that no matter what his two masters did, he would never be free of the pain that had been inflicted on him.

McBride knocked once, sharply, and then entered Gannon’s house. He’d enjoyed a nap, had somewhat reassuring news about the Larsden case, and was ready to face another evening of teaching one of his slammers how to handle his mate. What he saw almost knocked him back out the door.

Alden was plastered against the wall with Gannon standing near in his
tallos
-picking suit. It was obvious that Gannon had just stepped in from the field. It was also apparent that Alden had spent his time cleaning the living room area. Everything from the lone chair to the gaming unit was spotless. Considering what the area had looked like when McBride left, Alden was nothing short of amazing.

“What’s going on?” McBride didn’t want to make any assumptions. Alden was a delicate thrall to be sure, and McBride was furious that both he and the merchant had been swindled to a degree, but when he’d left today, he’d honestly thought that the two men would eventually bond. Love might not come from the union, but care and mutual respect would. This outcome was disturbing to say the least.

“I don’t know.” Gannon turned to McBride, his face tortured. “I just wanted to kiss him again.”

Alden shook his head so hard he tossed tears off the ends of his long lashes. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. He wasn’t hurting me. I just…”

Both of them waited, but it was Gannon who supplied, “Got scared?”

Since Alden was looking at the floor, he didn’t answer, but McBride had a feeling that was exactly what had happened. As much as he hoped the two men would hit it off, it was clear that Alden would need much more help than what the two of them could give him. McBride thought of who could offer Alden counseling, and he realized they were pretty much it. If they couldn’t help him, no one really could. Sending him away for treatment would cost far more than what a new, premium thrall would run. Even though McBride didn’t like to think of things in such harsh economic terms, he was bound by the fact he simply didn’t have the money to do something so generous even if he wanted to.