He couldn’t form sounds. He tried again. “Jason. Jason, sir, wait—wait, stop, I—I—stop, please…”
Jason bolted upright, shaking hair back, anxiety erupting from eyes and shoulders and every flexing muscle.
“No,” Colby said weakly, “no, I don’t mean stop, I mean…it’s so much…oh, drat, what’s the…cherries? Is that a good version of yellow? Not red. Just…I can’t breathe.”
The lines on Jason’s forehead did not ease. “You can’t breathe?”
“Not like that…I’m fine…it’s only. So much. I can’t—it’s not bad, it’s—I couldn’t keep feeling—it’s too much me. I need…you, I think. Does that make any sense? I’m guessing not.”
“No, I got it.” Jason moved up, swung a leg over him, knelt above Colby’s body and took Colby’s hands in his. Colby’d forgotten they remained pressed against his n*****s; Jason gat
