I woke up to the sound of crunching. It wasn’t particularly loud, but it was one of those sounds that my brain knew didn’t fit. I was alone in bed with just a pillow tucked up against my body, so I lurched upright.

“I’m right here,” I heard Aleks say.

My heart slammed against the wall of my chest as I quickly scanned the room. He was sitting on the bench that was built into the picture window that overlooked the front yard. There was a box of something between his legs.

“Sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t want to get crumbs in the bed.” He held up the box.

“It’s okay,” I said. My arm felt like it was on fire, but I ignored the sting and got out of bed. I snagged the gun off the nightstand and then went to make sure the bedroom door was locked.

It was.

I went around the bed to the bench and sat down on the opposite side. The window wasn’t big so Aleks’s legs were touching mine as I made myself comfortable. I was glad he didn’t move his legs when I was finally settled.

“What is that?” I asked.

“Con gave it to me,” Aleks said. “I needed something light for my stomach. It’s cereal.”

“You talked to Con?” I asked.

How the fuck had I managed to sleep through that?

“I went downstairs.”

“Aleks—”

“I was careful, Vaughn. I would have screamed for you if I’d needed you.”

His voice sounded surprisingly strong. As proud of him as I was that he’d ventured out on his own, now was the absolute worst time for him to exert more independence. Before I could tell him so, he said, “Why is there a rabbit on this box when all the cereal pieces are shaped like fruit or flowers? Is it because rabbits eat those things?”

I laughed as he held the box out to show me the front of it.

“I think they just needed a memorable spokesperson… or rabbit, in this case. I don’t think the cereal was always shaped like that. The more colorful and fun they can make both the cereal and the box, the more likely they are to sell it.”

“It’s good,” Aleks murmured. “Magnus only buys the cereal that has regular-looking flakes in it. Or the stuff that has nuts and raisins. He tells Dante he needs more fiber. I don’t know what that means but this is much better,” he said as he took a few more bites of the cereal.

“You should definitely try it with milk, then,” I said.

Aleks leaned back against the wall and slowly closed up the box. He seemed both relaxed and tense at the same time.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“I’m wondering what you’re going to do after you guys find Gio.”

It wasn’t a topic I was expecting.

“I’m not sure yet,” I hedged.

“Yes, you are,” he said softly as his eyes met mine. “I’m good at figuring you out too, James.”

The use of my first name was definitely a sign. He wasn’t asking just out of curiosity.

“You’re not going to go home, are you? You’re going to stay in,” he ventured.

I dropped my eyes because I hadn’t expected him to be so up front about it. I wondered where the show of strength had come from. I loved it but being the focus of it was a bit disconcerting, especially since he was bringing up a topic that I hadn’t thought through much yet.

“There’s no way to stop it, Aleks. Kids, women, even men – they’ll continue to be forced into a life they can’t escape. Not everyone has friends or family looking for them, and even if they do, most don’t have the resources to find them. You were lucky in that you had a brother who both wouldn’t give up and who had the skills to find you. Gio has an entire family with those skills and it’s not a guarantee we can get him out.” I shook my head. “I can’t save them all but I’m damn sure going to help as many as I can.”

“And your family?”

I sighed and looked at him. “We should get some more sleep. We need to get back on the road tomorrow.”

I expected him to ask me to where – it was a question I didn’t have an answer to – but instead, he leaned his head against the window.

“Where’s home for you, James?”

I almost blurted that it was here, with him. Luckily, I caught myself and said, “You look tired, Aleks. Let’s go back to bed.”

It wasn’t a lie. He did look sleepy. His lids were drooping and he was hugging the box of cereal to his chest. I could see an empty bottle of water sitting next to him. There was also a half-empty bottle of some kind of sports drink.

I knew I owed that last one to Con.

I got up and helped Aleks to his feet, taking the box from him and setting it on the bench. I grabbed the sports drink and took it with us as I led him back to the bed. When I made a move to step away from it after getting Aleks settled under the covers, his fingers reached out to grab mine.

“Stay with me,” he said softly. “Easier to sleep next to you.”

That had been my plan anyway, but for him to actually ask me and to make that physical contact with me was new.

My heart thumped in my chest and my dick reacted with anticipation.

I climbed over him and onto the bed so I wouldn’t have to let go of his hand. I faced him on the bed and expected him to just close his eyes and go to sleep. But to my shock, he released my hand and then reached up to touch my face.

“I don’t want you to give them up for me,” he whispered.

“That’s one choice that isn’t yours to make,” I said after a moment. “A lot has changed in the last eight years, Aleks. You can’t just come back from that… none of us can.”

He closed his eyes and was quiet for so long I was sure he’d fallen asleep.

“James?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you ever going to kiss me?”

My mouth went dry at that. Had he actually been thinking about that?

Clearly, he had.

“Do you want me to kiss you, Aleks?”

Aleks let out a soft sigh. His fingers were still on my face. He was toying with the hairs of my beard.

“I don’t know. No one’s ever done it before. What if I don’t like it?”

“Then I won’t ever do it again.”

He opened his eyes and stared into mine. “Would you still be my friend even if you couldn’t kiss me?”

This time it was my turn to touch his face. “Yes.”

“Good,” he said. He was about to close his eyes when I tipped his face up just a bit. He sucked in a breath and I knew it was because he thought I was going to kiss him then and there. The thought had crossed my mind, but I knew he wasn’t ready.

“Aleks,” I whispered. I could tell he was on the verge of drifting off.

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to make sure you like it, okay?”

A little smile drifted over his mouth and I found myself touching it. “Okay, James, I believe you.”

It was my turn to smile. His eyes drifted shut and then he was pushing against me. I wrapped my arms around him.

“James?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m going to like it too.”

I kissed the top of his head.

“James?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t wait too long, okay?”

“Okay, Aleks, I won’t.”

“Good,” Aleks said on a sigh.

“James?”

“Yeah,” I said, unable to stop the smile that spread across my mouth. My name on his lips was heaven.

“You’ll always come for me, won’t you, James?”

I hugged him tighter. “Always,” I assured him.

“Okay.”

We were both silent for a long time and I was sure he was out until he suddenly whispered, “I’m sorry, James.”

“For what?” I asked, but he didn’t answer. I assumed he was apologizing yet again for cutting my arm with the knife, but it wasn’t until I woke up a few hours later to a very cold, very empty bed that I knew what he was really sorry for.

Because lying on the pillow where his head should have been was a note with just nine neatly written words on it.

Nine words that sent pure terror ripping through my system all at once and had me screaming Aleks’s name in denial.

It was my choice to go with him, James.