Beauregard and the Beast

by Evie Drae

  Bradford Littrell lived for his fans. He was a legend in the boxing world. A legend that overshadowed Adam’s every waking move, as it had since he was a child. There was no such thing as being good enough when his father was the best. Especially not when he chose to go into a “bastardized” version of fighting instead of following in his old man’s footsteps.

  The woman gave her son’s shoulder a squeeze. She murmured another apology and led the little boy away. Adam shook his head to rid it of the heavy, irritating thoughts his father’s ever-present influence always brought to mind. His jaw relaxed and a smirk worked up his cheeks when a memory of Bo overtook that moment of darkness. How many times had Bo fussed at him about tabling his outer asshole in favor of being his true self?

  “Wait.” Adam jogged toward the woman and her young son. They both turned, the mother’s brows lifted in surprise even as the boy’s face split into a grin. Adam crouched on the ground so he was eye level with the child. “Sorry for being grumpy. I’ve been studying a lot lately. It makes me kinda cranky sometimes. Are you in school, Trey?”

  The little boy’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He shot a look at his mother, who gave him an encouraging nod, then returned his big, blinking brown gaze to Adam. “Y-yes, mister. I’m in first grade.”

  Adam spent the next fifteen minutes chatting with Trey and his mother, Elsa. He urged the boy to study hard, mind his parents, and not beat on his little brother. Then he listened to the kid stumble over his own words as he told Adam about his soccer team, his latest art project, and how his best friend Niles would never believe he’d met the Beast.

  “Well, how about we give him some proof? Wanna take a selfie with me?”

  Trey squealed and tugged at his mother’s sleeve. “Momma, can we? Can we, please?”

  Elsa beamed with the soft, sweet, tolerant love of a mother as she nodded and removed her cell phone from the front pocket of her purse. They took at least a dozen different photos before Trey was satisfied. Then Adam signed the bill of his ball cap, ruffled his hair, and waved the little family on their way.

  Adam shifted to face the entrance of the gym, his gaze catching on a familiar pair of twinkling green irises.

  Bo stood several yards away, leaning against the sleek hood of Adam’s Maybach. His arms were folded, and a smug grin flashed his pearly whites.

  Shaking his head and prepared for a razzing, Adam approached his cocky little friend. “Go ahead, do your worst.”

  Arching a brow, Bo pushed away from the car. “That was precious and adorable. I’m proud of you.” Adam remained silent, waiting for the inevitable zinger, but Bo’s smirk slipped into a genuine smile instead. He snatched Adam’s gym bag off the sidewalk, grabbed his wrist, and tugged him toward the car. “We now have even more reason to celebrate. We’re official GED graduates, plus you made that little boy’s entire year. I’d say drinks are in order.”

  Adam still couldn’t believe he’d survived the GED exam. Bo’s excitement after receiving their results had been all the reward Adam needed, but Bo deserved something more. Drinks, at the very least. But he’d have to think of something else. Something bigger.

  He shook Bo loose at the passenger door and slipped into the driver’s side himself. Over the past few months, Bo’s anxiety about driving in the heavy Vegas traffic had lessened. Slightly. But whenever he could, Adam preferred to drive, if for no other reason than it allowed Bo to relax.

  They decided on the same club that had booted Bo out on his ass six weeks prior. It’d become their standard haunt since then, one Bo allowed him to pay for only because Adam had damn near gotten on his knees and begged. It wasn’t until Adam pointed out the elite club provided high-end security—something Bo had grown to respect the importance of after spending over two months by Adam’s side—that he’d finally caved. The club’s prices were well out of Bo’s means, but for the sake of their security, he allowed Adam to foot the bill.

  It wasn’t like they went out drinking on the regular, anyway. Alcohol wasn’t part of Adam’s approved diet, and Bo couldn’t hold his liquor to save himself.

  A truth that became inherently obvious a few short hours later.

  “You were so dang cute with that kid today.” Bo grinned, big and dopey. His words slurred ever so slightly, and his eyes were glassy behind the glare of his lenses. “I’m not sure you’ve ever been that stinkin’ adorable before. Like, not ever.”

  Adam chuckled and sipped at the water he’d switched to after his first drink. He was all about celebrating, but getting shitfaced wasn’t his MO. Bo, on the other hand, needed exactly one drink to get him sloshed. And tonight he was cutting loose. Three drinks in and the poor guy was a sozzled mess.

  “What do you say we head home?” Adam waved at the server for their private VIP lounge and pretended to sign the air, signaling for the check. The woman nodded and disappeared for the bar.

  “Home.” Bo hummed and closed his eyes. “I like that. I like living in your home. My home. Our home.”

  Damn. Adam straightened his shoulders. That sounded nice, didn’t it? Our home.

  Bo’s glazed eyes drifted open and met Adam’s with bleary focus. “Would you fire me if I kissed you right now?”

  “H’okay.” Adam hopped to his feet as a zing of bright hot lust arrowed straight into his groin. “It’s definitely time to get you home.”

  “You wouldn’t, would you?” Bo frowned and swayed to a standing position, stumbling as soon as he was upright.

  Adam caught him but was careful to keep distance between them. Bo’s frown deepened as he took a deliberate step forward. His slender body pressed flush against Adam’s, and for a brief pause, Adam allowed himself to press back.

  “I’mma kiss you now.” Bo snaked his arms around Adam’s waist and lifted onto his toes. His soft, plump lips brushed Adam’s chin when his senses kicked back into gear at the last moment and he turned his head.

  “Bo.” Adam gripped Bo’s shoulders and eased him away. The painful erection trapped behind the stiff fabric of his designer jeans throbbed in protest, but Adam forced the head with a brain to keep control. “You don’t want to do this.”

  “Don’t I?” Bo lifted his brows. “Says who? You gonna fire me if I do? I don’t think so. You wouldn’t. You’re too squishy-hearted.”

  Adam huffed out a laugh. “Squishy-hearted?”

  “Yup.” Bo popped the p at the end with an exaggerated smack of his lips. “You’re a big ol’ softy who I wanna get very, very naked.”

  “Fuck.” Adam groaned and held Bo firmly at arm’s distance. “You’re drunk. We can’t do this. I’m going to take you home and put you to bed.”

  Bo’s brows waggled as he struggled to free himself from Adam’s grip. “Yes. Bed. Bed’s better than a bar for naked stuff.”

  Have mercy. Adam closed his eyes and willed himself the strength to do what was right.

  The server dropped off their check, and Adam had to free Bo to sign. He wrapped around Adam like a vine, the evidence of his drunken arousal pressing against Adam’s thigh.

  “Kiss me.” Bo rocked his hips and clawed at Adam’s back. “Kiss me.”

  Adam carefully extracted himself from Bo’s arms and once again held him at bay. “Bo, listen to me. You’ve had a lot to drink. I don’t want you waking up in the morning and regretting this. Let’s get you home and put you in your own bed.”

  Bo’s brows furrowed as he yanked himself out of Adam’s hold. “I don’t care if I’m drunk. I know what I want.”

  “Okay.” Adam drew out the word. He ran a hand through his hair to give himself a moment to think. “You know I want this too. Hell, I’ve wanted to kiss you since that first day you showed up on my front porch. But there are reasons we’ve kept our relationship platonic all this time. Rational, realistic reasons. We can’t let one night of lowered inhibitions get the better of us.”

  “Fine.” Bo stomped his foot. Literally stomped his damn foot like a five-year-old throwing a tem
per tantrum. “I’ll be good for now. But you better brace yourself, ’cause it won’t be coffee I’mma use to wake you in the morning.”

  With that, Bo turned on his heel and left.

  It took Adam a full minute to get his wits about him as images of all the many, many ways he’d dreamed of Bo waking him danced through his mind. When he finally came back to earth, he cursed under his breath and hurried from the bar. He had a very drunk Bo to get safely home.

  Chapter Fourteen

  COUNTLESS butterflies attacked Bo’s queasy, hungover belly with the unforgiving beat of their wings. He groaned and placed a hand over his stomach as memories from the night before ran through his throbbing head in a taunting stream fueled by shame and remorse.

  He didn’t regret asking Adam to kiss him. Not really. Had he said yes, Bo would’ve been thrilled to wake naked in his bed rather than tangled in the sheets of his own, fully clothed. But Adam hadn’t said yes.

  It made sense. Bo couldn’t fault Adam for turning down his drunken come-on. After all, hadn’t Bo been the one making sure their relationship remained platonic the past few months? Hadn’t he been the one pushing Adam away despite the relentless pull that kept trying to draw them together?

  Without the brain-numbing power of alcohol twisting his good senses, Bo’s stupidity stood out like a shiny beacon of absurdity. Why had he tried to push himself on Adam? There was no possible positive outcome. Not because Adam didn’t want Bo, but after months of being denied, there was no way he’d accept Bo’s drunken flirtation as anything other than an error in judgment.

  But it wasn’t. Not this time. He was tired of fighting his desires and heartsick from watching Adam do the same. And why should they? Bo trusted Adam. He hadn’t at the beginning when he hadn’t known the man, but he did now. Even if giving in to their physical cravings wound up ruining their relationship, Adam wouldn’t screw him over. He wouldn’t fire Bo without warning or kick him to the streets, destitute and alone.

  At the very least, Adam would give him time to find somewhere else to go. And now that he had his GED, Bo had a better chance of getting another job. Not just a job, but a good job. One that might pay a comparable wage.

  He rubbed at his temple as he headed for the kitchen. It was Sunday, so despite his inebriated threat, there would be no waking Adam. With coffee or without. This was Adam’s only day to sleep in, so Bo wouldn’t bother him. But as soon as he got up, they could pick up where they’d left off. Hopefully with Adam’s tongue down Bo’s throat and a whole heck of a lot less clothing.

  When Bo rounded the corner into the living room on a beeline for the kitchen, his bravado drained away with a whimpered yelp. A blistering flush crept up his neck to heat his cheeks as Adam glanced up from his lounge on the couch.

  It was barely eight o’clock in the morning. Why was Adam already awake? No, scratch that, how was Adam already awake? It took Bo forever to pry him out of bed. He’d never once seen him get up under his own power before 10:00 a.m. at the earliest.

  “How are you awake right now?”

  Adam rested the book he’d been reading on his chest. He offered a shrug and a small smile. “I set an alarm.”

  Bo raised his brows in disbelief. “An alarm woke you up? How?”

  “By beeping really loud and on repeat.” Adam’s smile turned wry. “Believe it or not, I’ve been finding my way outta bed on my own for thirty-eight years before you came into my life.”

  “But I thought your PAs woke you up.” Panic had the warmth in Bo’s cheeks cranking up to a simmering scald. Had he been doing something he wasn’t supposed to do? Did Adam not want him climbing into bed with him and…. Crap.

  Adam chuckled and pushed to a sitting position. He slipped a bookmark between the open pages and set his book on the coffee table. “I usually had them pop their head in to make sure I didn’t hit snooze too many times, but that’s about it. However, when you took it upon yourself to rouse my ass with those adorably frustrated grunts and shakes, I decided it was a much more enjoyable way to wake up.”

  “You mean….” Bo’s jaw dropped. “That wasn’t part of the job? Kyle told me you were impossible to wake up. He said I’d have to ‘get physical’ and asked if I was okay with that. I never would have—”

  “Of course he did. Fuckin’ bastard.” Adam snorted. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t complaining, was I? I am a pain in the ass to wake up, but it’s usually my ass feeling the pain, not someone else’s. It was a nice change of pace. Plus, it got you into my bed. Even if it was innocent in nature.”

  Breath rushed from Bo’s lungs as his heart thrummed to life at breakneck speed. Adam wanted him as much as he wanted Adam. He couldn’t possibly doubt that. So why couldn’t he ask for what he wanted now that he was sober?

  Adam cleared his throat. “Anyway, I set my alarm because I wasn’t sure how early you’d be up and wanted to make sure we cleared the air before things had a chance to get uncomfortable. I don’t want you thinking anything’s changed. You were drinking and riding high on your GED success. Things were said you didn’t mean. That happens to us all, and it didn’t bother me in the least. Everything between us is still 100 percent as it was, okay?”

  It really wasn’t fair how perfect Adam was. He’d gotten up early on his day off to ensure Bo didn’t worry about how big of a fool he’d been the night before.

  The only problem was, Bo wanted things to change. He didn’t want things to be as they were. He was ready for more, even if that more was a gamble. It was a risk worth taking.

  “What if I meant what I said?” His voice came out gruff and pitched far lower than normal. “What if I really did want you to kiss me?”

  Adam swallowed. The lump at his throat bobbed with the exaggerated movement. He drew a knee up on the couch so he could face Bo more directly. “Did? Or do?”

  “Do. Definitely do.” A rush of courage bolstered by Adam’s low groan spurred Bo to move. He rounded the couch and stopped in front of Adam. Stormy gray irises, darkened by the desire evident in their depths, met his own hungry gaze. “What about you? Did? Or do?”

  “Fuck. Do. It’s always been do.” Adam twisted on the couch so his feet were flat on the floor. His strong fingers dug into Bo’s hips and dragged him down to straddle his lap. Their cocks grazed through the thin fabric of their pajama pants, and a mingled moan laced the air before Bo crushed his mouth over Adam’s.

  The lingering mint of Adam’s toothpaste tingled Bo’s tongue, warring with the bitter bite of his coffee. Rough lips and the burn of beard stubble paired deliciously with the dance of tongues and frantic rush of greedy hands.

  Bo couldn’t get close enough. Everything in him screamed for more. After so many months of restraint, of shoving back his wants and needs, they came rushing to the surface now with choking intensity. He rocked his pelvis into Adam, relishing the hard heat that pressed back and the strong hands, lips, and tongue that matched his desperation so acutely. He couldn’t touch, taste, or feel everything at once, but he tried.

  He slid his hands beneath the fabric of Adam’s form-fitted T-shirt. At the first touch of skin on skin, a whimper passed his lips. Adam broke their kiss, his hands gripping Bo’s hips as they both panted for air.

  “If we don’t stop now, I’m afraid I’ll push too far.” Adam’s voice was gravelly and strained. “I want this, Bo. Fuck, do I ever want this. But I need to be sure you do too. Why don’t we give ourselves some space to breathe and regroup after a shower?”

  Bo dug his fingers into Adam’s shoulders when he made to shift Bo off his lap. He wasn’t going to let Adam push him away. Not now. No frickin’ way. “Trust me, I want this. I’ve wanted it as long as you have. I’m down for a shower, but only if we’re getting one together. Either way, shower or no shower, I want you naked. Like, now. I might combust if I don’t feel your skin against mine in the next three-point-two seconds.”

  Adam growled and drew Bo down for another mind-bending kiss. When they pulled apart, minutes could
have passed. Or hours. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Adam naked and inside him. He couldn’t take the wait any longer.

  “Please.” Bo dropped his forehead to Adam’s, their erratic breaths falling into synchronized harmony as Bo rolled his hips in a matching rhythm. “I need you. I want you. Take me to bed. Please.”

  “I… shit, Bo. I can’t. Not now.” When Bo halted his movements, his heart plummeting to his stomach, Adam knuckled a finger under his chin. “Hey, look at me. I’m not saying no. I’m saying not right now.”

  Weren’t they the same thing? Bo forced a nod and pulled away. But before he could slide off Adam’s lap, Adam wrapped those strong arms around his waist and held him as a willing prisoner against the body he craved but couldn’t have.

  “I want our first time to be special.” Adam rubbed his nose over Bo’s. “I don’t have the time right now to worship you the way I want. My training camp starts this week, so my Sundays are no longer my own. I’ve gotta be at the gym in forty-five minutes.”

  Bo nuzzled into Adam’s neck to hide his pout. He was Adam’s PA. He should’ve been the one reminding Adam of his morning obligation, not the other way around. How had he forgotten about the training camp? Too much booze, that’s how. And not enough Adam. His eyes fluttered closed when Adam stroked a hand in slow, rhythmic circles over his back.

  “I know this is going to sound stupid, but I’m going to miss you.” Bo walked his fingers up the back of Adam’s neck and toyed with the hair there. “You’ll let me drive you, right?”

  Adam chuckled, and the deep, resonating tones tingled through Bo’s chest. Zaps of electricity fired under his skin as the vibrations traveled outward.

  “Why don’t you join me? Not to work out, but you haven’t been inside my gym yet. You could come see what I do there every day. Meet some of the guys. Maybe watch me kick some of their asses in the practice ring.”