Lord of a Thousand Steps: An Age-gap, Sexy Babysitter, Single-dad MM Romance (Love in Laguna Book 4)

by Tara Lain

  The sound of a door opening somewhere in the house froze them both.

  “Dad?”

  Ian whispered, “Shit! It’s Jo-Jo. Stall him.”

  “What can we do?”

  “Don’t worry. Just let me handle it. Get up and meet him fast.”

  “Daddy!”

  Braden’s head snapped around. “Mireille. What the fuck?”

  Ian was out of the bed, grabbed his clothes, and vanished into the walk-in closet. Braden jumped up and grabbed his pajama bottoms from the dresser drawer. In a flash, he covered his ass, then staggered into the hall, scratching his head. “Hey, guys, what’s up?” Both kids came flying down the hall. He hugged Mireille and looked at Jo-Jo over her head. “I thought you were at your mom’s for the weekend?”

  Jo-Jo shrugged with a look of teenage disgust. “She had some kind of party to go to and wanted Elena to help her or something, so they dropped us off.”

  Shit, she wouldn’t let them come to the party at his house, but as usual, she didn’t want them around. “Well, great. I was sleeping in since the party went on all day and into the evening. Have you had breakfast?”

  “Toaster Strudel.” Jo-Jo grinned. Yeah, he knew.

  “That’s not breakfast.”

  “All the better to make you take us for enchiladas and eggs.”

  Mireille danced down the hall. “Yay, enchiladas and eggs.” She stopped at the end of the hall. “Daddy, Mr. Carney is here.”

  “W-what?”

  “He’s out on the deck.”

  “Well, my goodness. Let him in.” And he better make it good.

  He walked beside Jo-Jo into the living room, where Mireille struggled to open the folding glass doors. Ian stood outside, fully dressed, holding his sunglasses. As the door opened, he stuck his head in, then helped slide open the heavy panels.

  “Hey, sorry to bother you guys. I left my sunglasses, and I was hoping the caterers didn’t find them and take them away.” He held them up. “But nope. They were down below on the deck. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  Braden glanced at the kids. They didn’t show any signs that his story sounded fishy. “No. Actually, the kids woke me up, and we’re just about to head for breakfast. Want to join us?”

  “If I won’t be in the way?” He smiled.

  Mireille bounced. “No, come with us, pleeeease.”

  “How can I refuse such a lovely invitation?”

  Braden hugged Mireille. “Let me go change. You guys entertain Ian while I’m gone.”

  Mireille took Ian’s hand and walked him down the hall. “I can prepare you some tea.”

  Ian raised an eyebrow. “How about if I make you some tea?”

  “Oh, do you know how to use the Easy-Bake Oven?”

  Braden smiled as he walked to his room. Watching Ian with Mireille was almost as good as sex.

  After a few blocks’ walk and an hour and a half of stuffing their faces with eggs, enchiladas, black beans, and chips, they all sat holding their stomachs on the deck at Coyote.

  Ian laughed. “I’ll never eat again.”

  “Mr. Carney?” Mireille looked up with those wheedling eyes. “Does Anderson like black beans? I have some extras I could share.”

  “You know, cats mostly like meat, so I don’t think he’s fond of beans.”

  “Hmm. Perhaps we could order him some fish tacos?”

  Ian leaned back and laughed. “I believe someone around here is lobbying for a visit to Anderson. Is that right?”

  She cocked her head, blonde waves bouncing. “What’s lobbying?”

  Braden leaned forward. “It’s like trying to talk someone into something.”

  She grinned. “That would be correct.”

  “Okay, okay, I know when I’m under a spell.” Ian fished for his wallet and put money on the table.

  Braden put his hand on Ian’s arm. “I’ve got it.”

  He shook his head. “Nope. You’ve always got it. This is my treat.”

  That was sweet, but did he have to work that hard to prove they were equals? It was kind of fun taking care of him a little. “Thanks.”

  Ian grabbed his phone and gave Braden a significant glance. “Let me text real quick and see if Anderson is taking visitors.”

  Mireille gazed at Ian’s phone like it held the secrets of the universe. When it beeped at him, he glanced and smiled. “Yep. He’s ready for company.”

  “Yay.” She clapped and bounced all the way to the door of the restaurant. They walked on the sidewalk beside the highway for several blocks, then crossed and climbed the steep street to Ian’s house.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Braden held his breath as Ian led them to the front door of the beautiful sixties-modern house, opened the door, and called, “Hi. I brought company.” Maybe Ian’s text had warned his brother not to say anything about his being gone all night. Fingers crossed.

  Anderson came racing into the entry, jumped on a beautiful tansu chest, and slithered onto Ian’s shoulder. Mireille hopped up and down in excitement. “Daddy, did you see that? Will he stand on my shoulder?”

  Ian squatted next to her, bringing Anderson’s big, furry head close to her face. “He’s pretty big, so it might take some practice for you to hold him. He may not want to risk weighing you down.”

  “Hi, Anderson.” She scratched his head, and he butted her hand for more.

  “I see we have the president of the Anderson Cooper Carney Fan Club with us.” A tall, powerful-looking guy with sandy hair and a handsome face that also managed to speak of hard times and lessons learned stood in the archway to the living room, smiling. He extended his hand to Braden. “Hi. I’m Jim Carney, Ian’s brother.” He also shook hands with Jo-Jo. “Ian’s told us a lot about all of you.” He knelt down and petted Anderson with Mireille. “Especially you, since Anderson purrs about no one else.”

  She giggled. “How do you do, Mr. Carney?”

  “You could call me Jim.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do that, Jim.” Jim nodded and stood, obviously trying hard not to laugh.

  Ian made a face. “Hey, how come you’ll call him Jim but you don’t call me Ian?”

  She frowned. “Well, you’re Anderson’s father.”

  “True, but I don’t call your father Mr. Lord. I call him Braden.”

  She got a mischievous look and leaned in to Anderson. “What do you say, Anderson? What shall I call your daddy?” She nodded. “He says Ian will be fine.”

  A silky voice said, “Would anyone like some cookies?”

  Mireille’s head snapped up like a bobblehead doll. “Anderson and I love cookies, thank you.”

  Braden drew in a breath. The man who spoke had to be one of the most beautiful humans he’d ever seen—tall, Asian, with a face that defined gorgeous in any culture. The guy smiled. “I’m Ken Tanaka, Jim’s soon-to-be husband.” He stuck out his hand. “You must be Jo-Jo.”

  “Uh, yes, sir.” Jo-Jo gawked openly, whether at the guy’s beauty or the idea that big hunky Jim would soon have a husband. He managed to shake hands without falling over.

  Mireille didn’t share his compunction. “You’re a man, but you’re going to have a husband, is that right?”

  Ken nodded seriously. “Yes, it is.”

  Mireille stood. Impressive. Ken’s marital status must qualify as more fascinating even than Anderson. She walked over and looked up at Ken. “That’s extremely interesting.” She glanced at her brother. “Don’t you think so, Jo?”

  “Yes. That’s because they’re gay, Mireille. Gay people can get married.”

  “Gay? Oh, like Daddy?”

  Braden gasped. Fortunately pretty quietly. In answer to any question he had about how much Mireille picked up from the conversations around her, the answer was plenty.

  Jim and Ken definitely struggled not to split a gut.

  Braden let out his breath. “Yes, that’s right, Mireille. I’m gay too.”

  “So you can get married? After your divorce, I mean.�
��

  Holy shit. Does she miss anything? “Yes, if I fall in love with someone.” He forced his eyes away from Ian.

  “A man.”

  “Yes, it would most likely be a man.”

  She studied Ken and Jim carefully, then nodded. “That’s excellent. I’d love to see you happy.”

  His mouth opened, tears flashed behind his eyes, and he swallowed to force them down. “Thank you, dear.” He glanced up at Jo-Jo, who stared at him appraisingly. Braden took Mireille’s hand. “Now don’t you think we should pursue those cookies Ken offered?”

  “Oh yes, I’d almost forgotten.”

  As they marched into the living room, where cookies and lemonade graced the coffee table, Jim and Ken finally gave up and laughed.

  Jim and Ken sat on the sectional, with Ian near them. Jo-Jo chose to sit beside Ian, so Braden took the chair. Anderson and Mireille plopped down on the rug. She consumed gingersnaps in abundance, offering numerous bites to Anderson, who consistently refused.

  Ken kindly struck up a conversation with Jo-Jo, and Braden tried to pay attention despite the intense scrutiny Jim seemed to be giving him. Protective of his brother. Good. Still, he shifted in his seat. It’s not my fault Ian offered to be my fuck buddy.

  Ken said, “Have you thought about what you want to study in college yet, Jo-Jo?”

  Jo nodded. “I want to be an architect like my dad.” He glanced at Ian with a shy smile. “And Ian. Ian’s teaching me CAD.”

  “Oh, that’s great.”

  “Of course, he’s crap at video games.”

  Ian laughed and noogied Jo-Jo’s head. “Hey, man, you’re ruining my mystique. Here I had them thinking I was a master of all things digital.”

  Jim laughed and again glanced at Braden. Okay I get it. Ian feels just as comfortable with Jo-Jo as he does with me—probably more—and they’re closer in age.

  Braden stared at his lemonade. Every negative thing he’d thought about having a relationship with Ian seemed to shine back at him from Jim’s eyes. Too young. Too uneven in power. Taking advantage of a kid. Pervert!

  Weirdly, what Jim thought mattered to him. He liked Jim and Ken. He’d heard about Ken Tanaka at the Pacific Crest Club, where he often ate lunch. Ken was reputed to be a top cardiologist who’d entered in a love match to Jim, who was a partner in a construction firm. Clearly, Jim came off as blue-collar, but they seemed so in love and such a great pair. Hell, they even held hands sitting on the couch. What wouldn’t he give for that kind of connection once in his life? He’d like to have gay friends he admired. Hell, he’d like to have gay friends at all. Not likely to happen if they thought he was toying with Ian—literally. Shit.

  Jim sipped some lemonade. “We appreciate all the opportunities you’ve given Ian.”

  He looked up and met Jim’s steady gaze, just a shade lighter green than Ian’s. “He’s more than earned those opportunities.” He dropped his eyes first. They probably even thought he was luring Ian with promises of raises and promotions. Crap, I feel like a fucking child molester. He released his breath. “Okay, kids, let’s take off and let Ian get some rest.” He smiled, but it felt phony. “They about worked him to death at the party yesterday.” Shit, no matter what he said, it sounded bad.

  Mireille spread out to full length on the rug, copying Anderson’s posture. “Can’t I stay, Daddy? I’ll be very quiet and won’t eat many more cookies.”

  “No. We need to go.” He stood and, though Mireille’s lip stuck out six inches, she dragged herself to her feet.

  Jo-Jo got up too. He nudged Ian. “Want to come play some video games later?”

  Ian grinned, but Braden leaped in. “No. We’ve asked too much of Ian as it is. You both have to clean your rooms today anyway.” Jo-Jo looked at him like he’d been punched. Hell. Relegating him to a clean-your-room day with his five-and-a-half-year-old sister. “Sorry. I mean you need to supervise your sister for me. I’ve got a lot of work to do. Okay?”

  “Yeah.” Fourteen-year-old-boy face descended like a dark fog. He hadn’t seen it much since—since Ian came into their life. But now it returned with a vengeance. Jo-Jo stalked to the front door and walked out, not a word to anyone.

  Braden looked around at Jim and Ken, who stared at him with noncommittal faces, and Ian, who looked—hurt. Shit. Shit. Shit. He tried to smile at Ian. “Sorry. I just thought you wouldn’t want to spend another day babysitting.”

  He smiled tightly. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

  “So, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Ian’s eyes widened just a fraction. “Yes. I guess so.”

  “Do you have school?”

  “Yes. But I’ll be in about two.”

  “Good. Maybe we can work on the drawings.”

  Ian nodded, but his eyes looked deep and lost. Braden wanted to gather him in his arms and never let go. Instead, he extended a hand to Jim, who shook it. “So happy to meet you. And you, Ken. I go to the Pacific Crest pretty often, so I might see you there.”

  Ken nodded. “Maybe. I don’t frequent the club as much as I used to before I got engaged. Jim doesn’t like the place much.”

  “I see.”

  Jim said, “Ian’s and my father is on the board. Running into him is one of my least favorite activities.”

  Which just reminded him that Ian had paid righteously for being open about his sexuality while Braden had hidden behind the closet door. “Well, thanks again. Say good-bye to Anderson, Mireille.”

  She’d been petting the feline nonstop and now threw her arms around his neck. Unbelievably, he let her. “Good-bye, my friend. I’ll see you soon. We’ll go for long walks on the beach.”

  Braden extended his hand, Mireille took it, and they walked to the front door. Jim, Ken, and Ian followed, but only Jim and Ken waved good-bye before the front door closed behind them.

  Ian stared at the closed door. This seriously isn’t happening.

  Jim’s big arm surrounded his neck, half dragged him into the living room, and deposited him on the couch, where he was bracketed in his brother sandwich. Yeah, he’d been the meat filling a lot lately. Jim leaned into him. “Want to talk?”

  “Oh man, it’s such a shitload, I’m not sure where to start.”

  “What’s happened with Rico?”

  Right, he hadn’t seen them since the whole fiancé incident. He sighed so long it was a wonder he had any breath left. “It seems Rico is a lying, cheating bastard who got engaged to some German dude in Mexico and failed to mention it.”

  Jim’s arm tightened and Ken’s snaked in from the other side. “Well, shit, baby brother. What a fucking turd he turned out to be.”

  “Yep. Sadly, I had to discover all this face-to-face, because stupid asshole that I am, I went to his apartment, only to get tossed out on my ear by said fiancé, a giant guy with a tiny dick.”

  “When did all this happen?”

  “Yesterday. I’d promised I’d help with the company party, so I went straight over there. That’s why you didn’t see me.”

  “Umm. You were helping with the company party all night?”

  “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

  “And Braden Lord? Who seems like a nice but pretty confused guy, by the way.”

  “Oh shit.” He dropped his head into his hands. “I seduced him. No other description fits the events.”

  “You’re serious?”

  He raised his head and nodded. “The guy’s trying to have a life while his ex-wife is out to prove he’s unfit to have joint custody of his kids. I guess she figures she can get more money.”

  “By a life, you mean a gay life.”

  “Right. He’s never gotten to be gay. He’s pretty much desperate for sex. I took advantage of that.”

  “Because you were upset about Rico?”

  “Because of Rico or because Braden is the hottest thing on two legs, whichever is the stronger reason.” He wiped his hands across his eyes. “Anyway, I thought this could be an arrang
ement of convenience. We could be secret fuck buddies and nobody would get hurt.”

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “What?”

  “Come on, you were my greatest adviser when I was mooning over Ken, and you were only eighteen. You’re smarter than this.”

  Ian sat back. “Well, obviously Braden’s smarter than this. I never saw a guy so spooked.” He said it lightly, but the words weighed a thousand tons.

  Ken spoke softly. “He saw what he was doing through Jim’s and my eyes.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Braden’s years older than Jim and me. He’s an established professional, renowned even. The balance of power between you is out of whack.”

  Ian narrowed his eyes. “Would you say that if I were female?”

  “Yeah, actually I would. Women often bring their youth and beauty as their power in a May/December romance, but this is only May/August, and Braden is almost as pretty as you are.”

  “Prettier.”

  Jim leaned in. “The point is, Braden can influence you to do things without you even realizing you’re compromising your own principles. Neither of you would mean to, but he’s your boss, for God’s sake. And more than that, he’s someone you admire and aspire to be like. Maybe he doesn’t realize he’s giving you opportunities he might not give another person in your position, but it can happen.”

  Ian wrapped his arms around himself. “Thanks a bunch.”

  “No one thinks you’re talented more than me and Ken.”

  Ian frowned. “Your power was out of balance when you met. Hell, you were a wannabe blue-collar guy, and Ken was a big doctor.”

  Ken put a hand on Ian’s arm. “But I didn’t have anything Jim wanted. Professionally, I mean.” He smiled at Jim.

  “Unless you count a bad heart diagnosis.” Jim chuckled.

  “I don’t want anything from Braden.”

  “Really?” Ken cocked his head at him. “You don’t want him to think you’re a great designer? You don’t want him to give you plum assignments? You don’t want him to hire you?”

  “Okay, yeah, of course, but that’s separate from the sex. In the bedroom, I’m the professional and he’s just got a learner’s permit.”