“Are you tired?”
Easton looked over at Nico’s question. His eyes shone bright with happiness. “No. I should be. I’ve been going since eight this morning.” He shrugged. “But I’m good.”
“Let me have this one,” Nico said, plucking the rainbow-colored bear he’d won from Easton’s arms. He strapped the bear to the back of the bike so they wouldn’t lose him. “There. He is good.” With the bear secured, Nico dug through his saddlebag and found a thin blanket. “Let’s go.” He held his hand out to Easton without thought. To his surprise, Easton linked fingers with him and let Nico pull him into the darkness and away from the crowd. Hand in hand, they made their way closer to the bluffs and farther away from the lights and noise. When he’d gone far enough to satisfy his need for privacy, Nico spread out the blanket and fell across it in a heap. He linked his fingers behind his head and stared up at Easton.
With a shrug, Easton joined him. Rather than settling in beside him, Easton turned sideways and used Nico’s stomach as a pillow. Easton stared at the sky. Nico stared at Easton.
“I don’t think I’ve really looked at the stars in years.”
“Why did you stop?” Because Nico needed to know every thought Easton had. He’d watched too long from a distance. Cared more than he should for a stranger.
He felt Easton shrug. “When I was a kid, I honest to god believed in wishing on the brightest star. I was absolutely certain, if I wished hard enough, the stars would see my desperation and give me what I wanted. There’s only so long you can hold on to things like that before disillusion sets in and you never look up again.”
“What did you want so badly?”
Easton crossed his arms over his chest as if protecting his heart. Nico swore he could feel Easton’s discomfort. “It’s dumb. I was just a kid.”
Nico stroked Easton’s hair, because he had to know how it felt. “I promise not to laugh. You were, as you said, a kid. Everyone has been there with the innocent mind and wishes.”
“I wished that I would die.” Easton said the words fast, like ripping off a bandage.
In his career, Nico had taken a lot of hits. He’d never been sucker punched in the chest so hard. Before he could think of a single response, Easton chuckled. There was no real humor in the sound. It was obvious he meant to laugh off his statement.
“I was a dramatic kid. Whenever life didn’t go my way, I could cry at the drop of a hat. Then, my brother, Jake, would make sure I got whatever I wanted by calmly bargaining with my parents. Since they wanted nothing more than for him to be a great lawyer—like them—they gave in if he had a sound argument.” Easton took a breath. When he spoke again, Nico could hear the smile in his voice. “Then I hit my teenage years and grew into my fabulous self. I learned that a smile got me further than tears. You know what they say—smile and the whole world smiles with you. Life was very different for me from the moment my parents realized I could charm connections they wanted to make.” Easton fell silent. Nico swore he could feel the resentment seeping from Easton’s pores. He made a dismissive gesture. “That’s enough of that. What about you? Were you always this quiet?”
Since Nico recognized he wouldn’t get more from Easton without giving a part of himself too, he answered, “Ja. I am oldest of seven, so it was be quiet or lose my voice.”
“Seven? Wow. I can’t imagine having six siblings. That must have been amazing.”
Nico chuckled at Easton’s words. Easton immediately turned his head and pressed his ear to Nico’s chest, as if pressing closer to the sound. The move left Nico staring into the sexy green eyes that captured him so long ago. “You must have a good brother.”
Easton smiled. It lit his eyes. “I do.”
“I don’t,” Nico said just as fast. He hated watching Easton’s smile fall, but he kept going. Easton wanted pieces of him. Nico would give them. “My papa was never home. My mama was very tired all the time. Sometimes, I felt like a parent. Never a child. I had to work from a very young age to help support the family. It was the only peace I got. I scrubbed floors and equipment at one of the best boxing schools in Germany. The owner, Otto, caught me mimicking the moves he taught others. So Otto offered to train me. There was a lot of resentment from other fighters. They paid good money to be there, being trained by the best. There I was, no better than a street urchin, stealing Otto’s time.”
“He must’ve seen something in you if he took a chance and trained you for free.”
Without any plan other than to feel Easton’s skin, Nico stroked Easton’s cheek. Easton didn’t push his hand away, so Nico didn’t stop. His thumb moved across the deepest scar beneath Easton’s eye. “His help wasn’t free, Knuddelbärchen. Nothing is.”
Easton took a breath. Nico felt how it shook, and he knew Easton understood. They were alike on the inside—scarred and missing parts of their soul. “What does that mean? What you just called me, that is.”
A smile touched Nico’s lips. “Cuddle bear.”
Easton’s smile made the confession worthwhile. “I don’t know who told you that you should try my bakery, but I’m glad they did. It’s been a really long time since I had this nice of a night.” He pulled an adorable face. “Or day, for that matter,” he added with a chuckle.
“We should do this again.”
Easton’s face brightened. “Okay.”
Nico rolled upward and snagged Easton, easily pulling the man into his arms. He settled onto his back again with Easton curled against his side. He didn’t press his attentions any other way. Instead, he kept his gaze locked on the sky. “So, which of these stars is the brightest? Tonight, you return to wishing.”
To Nico’s delight, Easton settled deeper into his hold. “Hmmm, that one,” he said, pointing to the left after a moment of searching.
Nico followed the line of Easton’s arm and spotted one that looked a bit brighter than the rest. “Agreed. Now, what’s your wish?” Silence filled the air. Nico turned his head. Easton’s face was inches from him. His eyes were closed. “If you don’t say it, how can I make it true?”
A shy smile crossed Easton’s lips before his eyes opened. He didn’t back away. “The stars grant the wishes.”
“You said they are bad at their job. Now it’s Nico’s job.”
“I wished you’d keep showing up.”
Nico kept his features blank. He didn’t want Easton to see how his words moved him and run. “That was already my plan. You should wish for something for yourself.”
The way Easton bit his lip made Nico wonder if he fought a laugh. “That was a wish for me.”
“Fine.” Nico turned his face toward the sky and closed his eyes. “I will wish for you.” A loud sigh came from Easton’s chest. Nico felt its vibration against his side. “There,” Nico said, turning back Easton’s way.
“What did you wish for?”
“You will know when it happens.”
Easton shook his head, rolled his eyes, and went back to staring at the sky. Nico didn’t. There was no way Easton didn’t know Nico watched him. Nico knew he had to be making the man uncomfortable. Still, Nico couldn’t stop. He’d honestly never thought he’d be here. Maybe he never would be again. It was possible Easton would wake up tomorrow and remember they’d once met and where. When. How. When that moment came, they’d likely never speak again. Until then, Nico planned to bring Easton back to life. Maybe, just maybe, Easton would stick around for him. In spite of it all. There was hope.
Something buzzed. Easton jumped and dug his phone out. He checked the face and clicked around before setting the device aside and settling back down next to Nico.
“My brother. His security app didn’t alert him I’d come home, and he was worried. I think this is the latest I’ve stayed out in over a year.”
“Your brother has an app that tells him when you get home?”
Easton cut his eyes at him and laughed. “No. The house has an alarm. It alerts his phone when I’ve come through the door. We live togethe
r,” he explained. Easton bit his lip, looking guilty. “Well, really, I live with him and his husband. They took me in last year when I was released from the hospital. After all this,” he said, absently motioning toward his face. Easton never elaborated past saying he was hospitalized and motioning toward his scars. He didn’t this time either. “Anyhow, Jake and Flynn are in New Orleans right now. They worry when I’m alone. He’ll be fine now that he knows I’m okay.”
Nico toyed with Easton’s hair. “Sounds like a good brother.”
“He is. Jake is almost two years younger than me, but he’s better than I am.” Easton’s words left Nico confused, but he didn’t get the chance to dig. Easton rolled to his side, facing Nico. “What about your siblings? Are they all brothers or do you have sisters too? Do they all live here or in Germany?”
Nico let Easton turn the conversation his way. He wanted Easton to know him, so he didn’t evade Easton’s questions. “Five sisters and one brother. The girls all have husbands and kids. They are in Germany, so I don’t see them often. In fact, I have four nieces and nephews I have not met at all. It’s a big bunch.”
“Wait,” Easton said, looking shocked, and making Nico worry their time was up. “If you’re the oldest of seven and they’re all old enough to be married, how old are you?”
A wave of relief washed over Nico. Easton had jumped to safer topics. “Forty-three.”
“Shut up.” Easton lightly smacked his chest. Nico grabbed his hand and held it there. Easton didn’t seem to notice. “You don’t look a day over thirty. No way in hell I would’ve guessed forty-three.”
“It is your turn.”
Easton’s nose curled in the adorable way Nico couldn’t resist. “I’ll be thirty next Friday.”
“Thirty is big. I will make it a special birthday.”
Even though Easton shook his head, he didn’t stop smiling. He put his head on Nico’s chest, and—like that—Nico knew he wouldn’t stop. He would do whatever it took to make Easton’s birthday the best damn day of his life, but it wouldn’t end there. He would do everything within his power to make Easton’s entire life one big wish come true. Not only did Easton deserve all the happiness in the world, Nico owed it to him. After all, it was Nico’s fault he’d stopped living in the first place.
Easton squeezed the plush bear Nico won him to his chest, while staring at the dark, blank wall in his bedroom. He saw nothing but the images inside his head. The way Nico had stood close when he dropped Easton at his car, making Easton wonder if he would kiss him, wouldn’t budge from his brain. Nico had stroked Easton’s bottom lip. He’d looked at Easton in a way Easton couldn’t describe. Hungry. Easton touched his lips. Did he want Nico to kiss him? The air left Easton’s lungs in a short pant. He didn’t know what he wanted. They were so different. Yet, they weren’t. Nico wasn’t anything like the people Easton dated in the past. Maybe that was the problem. He’d never been happy. Not once. Life was always lacking something. He’d always felt disconnected. Opening his bakery was the only time he’d felt a spark for life. Before then, he’d been going through the motions, hoping something would make him feel anything at all.
This was different. Easton’s stomach felt weird—like he was restless. He hadn’t wanted to come home. At first, he’d chalked it up to not wanting to be alone. With Jake and Flynn gone, the place was empty, silent, and scary. Every tiny creak woke him. Now that he was here, he saw the truth. Easton hadn’t wanted to leave Nico. He hadn’t wanted the night to end. The carnival. The stars. None of that was him, but he’d loved every minute. The memory of Nico staring down at him, after dropping Easton at his car, flashed through Easton’s mind again. Another nervous flutter tickled his gut. Easton rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling. Were they more than friends? Maybe Nico didn’t see him that way at all. It was possible Nico was just a physical person. Maybe he touched everyone all the time and Easton only imagined the heated looks Nico gave. Easton lost his breath. His chest hurt at the thought. Fuck. He couldn’t lie to himself. He was disappointed Nico hadn’t kissed him. Easton was equally terrified at the idea of being kissed again. A growl vibrated in his throat. Why was he like this? Had that one night fucked him up this much? Or had he always been this way?
Easton tried going through the list of ways his counselor taught him on how to sort through his feelings. Nothing helped. He needed to know what Nico’s intentions were. If they were only friends, that was fine. He could stamp out his desire before it grew, and he would be fine. If they were more, Easton needed to decide if he could handle it.
He closed his eyes, trying to force his mind blank. Easton caught himself trying to bury his head deeper in his pillow. He already missed Nico’s chest. The steady heartbeat against his ear. With another growl, Easton sat up and snagged his phone. Sleep wasn’t coming. He may as well surf the web or play a game. Any mindless thing was better than this torture.
Easton settled back down and opened his browser. He chewed his bottom lip as he stared at the blank search bar. While swallowing an odd pang of guilt, Easton typed Nico’s name. His verified pages showed up first, followed by page after page, recapping the titles he’d held and fights he’d won. His garage didn’t show up until Easton was six pages deep. Easton switched to images. He scrolled and scrolled until he hit an image of a nude Nico. Only a small white towel, covering his junk, kept Easton from enjoying the entire picture. Without an ounce of shame, he held his finger on the image until his phone gave him the option to save it. He eyed Nico’s large, hard muscles. When Easton had touched Nico, Nico’s body felt beneath Easton’s hands the way it looked under his clothes. Easton caught himself running his finger down the image, wishing the towel wasn’t blocking his view. A text message popped up, covering Nico’s face, and startling a sound from Easton he couldn’t describe. Heat exploded across his face. It was Nico. Easton laughed. Even to his ears, it sounded horrified. It was like Nico knew Easton had been drooling over his body. He opened the message.
Nico: You’re probably sleeping, but I can’t.
A huge smile pulled at Easton’s lips. He shouldn’t read too much into things, but he quickly responded.
Easton: I can’t either.
Nico: What are you doing?
Another laugh escaped Easton. He toyed with the bear and tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t make him look like an idiot.
Easton: I just searched your name online.
He hit send, dropped the phone, and covered his face with both hands. Peals of horrified laughter shook him. Why had he done that? He was so stupid. The phone vibrated. Easton took a breath and checked the message.
Nico: Find anything good?
Fuck it.
Easton: There are some interesting images of you online.
Nico: Oh. You must’ve landed on the photo shoot I did for that skin magazine. It was a bit humiliating, but they paid me a lot of money. A lot.
There were full nudes out there somewhere? He was so searching for those later.
Easton: Nooooo. LOL! I didn’t see those. Kinda disappointed now.
Even as he sent the message, he couldn’t stop laughing. This was nuts. The phone rang in his hand. Easton covered his eyes and let it ring twice more before deciding to answer.
“Hello?” Yeah, that was his squeaky voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Hello?”
“I could send them to you.”
Fuck. That deep voice and accent. Easton took a breath. He really wanted those pics. “You don’t have to do that.” Nico might want something in exchange and that wasn’t happening.
“Do you want them?”
God help him. He couldn’t say no, but Easton also couldn’t force his lips to say yes.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Nico’s claim shook Easton’s voice loose. “I’m not uncomfortable. Send them.” He covered his eyes again. Yep. That just happened. His phone shook with incoming messages. With his heart in his throat, he switched t
o speaker phone and opened the first one. Easton nearly choked on his tongue. Nico was more than nude. He was hard and his face was flushed with arousal. Easton’s body tingled as he scrolled through each one. Nico was huge in every way and beautiful. Easton had never been attracted to big, bulky men with tattoos. There was something about Nico, though. Easton fought the urge to lick his phone.
“Your silence is deafening.” Nico truly sounded nervous—like he might’ve made a mistake.
Easton cleared his throat. “I’m speechless. These are really good.” Easton picked through his words, trying not to sound as thirsty as he felt. “I’m feeling a bit inferior.” He unwillingly tacked on with a nervous chuckle.
“Why inferior?”
He rolled his eyes. Nico wasn’t blind. Easton didn’t understand why he pretended not to know Easton looked like he’d been nearly carved to pieces, because that was exactly what had happened to him. Rather than saying that, as he should, Easton lied. “I’m a little guy. You must’ve worked out since the day you were born.”
“You’re perfect.” A snort escaped Easton before he could stop it. “You are,” Nico said, sounding on the edge of anger. His rage had Easton’s mind going blank. Nico continued and Easton hung on every word. “I want to touch you way more than I do, but I hold back, because I don’t think you look at me the same way. When I dropped you off tonight, I almost took a chance and kissed you. I lost my nerve. If you want to only be friends, that’s what we’ll do. You can forget all this. I will too.”
Easton’s heart raced. His chest rose and fell at a rapid pace. He didn’t want Nico to forget this. “I like you.” Easton didn’t think he was making himself clear, but he was terrified.
“Okay.” Nico sounded confused.
Easton forced himself to try harder. “As more than a friend.”
“Oh.” That was better. Nico sounded a little better.
Sugar Sentry (Sugar Daddies Book 13) Page 3