“Who’s coming?” I asked, not liking the seriousness in his tone. My son was jovial, and his personality was one of the reasons I had told him not to return to Smoky Vale after he finished law school. I would arrange to visit him if he needed to see me, but I wanted him as far away from my lifestyle and this town as possible.
People said that nothing good came out of Smoky Vale, but I knew firsthand that was far from the truth. My son and his friend were everything good, and Smoky Vale didn’t deserve them. I didn’t deserve them. They shouldn’t rot here like the rest of us would.
“Jamie,” he answered, and the name alone sent a shiver down my spine. “I tried to talk him out of it. I swear he’s insane, but his heart is set, and Jesus Christ, I don’t know what to do, Dad!”
“Slow down. You’re not making any sense. What do you mean, Jamie is coming?”
Fuck, even at the impossible boy’s name, my dick’s already found what excites it.
“He’s moving back to Smoky Vale.”
I frowned, shaking my head. “Like what? Visiting his old man?”
“No, permanently.”
“What?” I bellowed in the phone, heart racing. “He can’t move back here. You said he got that residency at the hospital.”
“He didn’t accept the residency,” he explained. “He’s instead doing it at Smoky Vale Hospital. Dad, he’s about to ruin his future.”
A part of me wanted to protest. We both knew why Jamie was returning to Smoky Vale. I’d never believed him when he’d made that promise the last time we met, that he was coming back for me. I’d thought he’d been talking bullshit.
Anyone who was acquainted with Jamie knew he spoke like a crazy kid whenever he was around me. I’d thought for sure once he was out there in the world, he would forget all about me. I had hoped he would. Smoky Vale wasn’t a place for him and my son. They were better than this town.
“He can’t return!” I barked into the phone. “You need to keep his ass right there in Boston.”
“I can’t! I tried!”
“What the fuck is wrong with that kid?” I growled, running my fingers through my hair. “Does he have a death wish or something?”
“Or something. Dad, he’s in love with you.”
I closed my eyes, wishing he hadn’t said the words. “He thinks he’s in love with me. He doesn’t know what love is. He’s never given himself the opportunity to fall in love with someone. Stupid kid.”
Joel gave a hollow laugh that cracked. “If only that were true. We both know he’s the smartest kid to ever grace Smoky Vale.”
“If he’s so goddamn smart, Joel, why doesn’t he get it that Smoky Vale is not the place for him?”
“Love makes you do stupid things, I guess,” he responded, tone low. “I swear I tried talking him out of it. He didn’t care. His mind is made up, his bags are packed, and his flight is leaving tomorrow.”
“Goddammit!” I hit the dresser with my fist, my heart clenched in fear. If he returned… He couldn’t return. I’d waited years for him to get out of town so his flirting could stop. He had been throwing himself at me since he was sixteen. It had gotten so bad that when I’d discovered him in my bed once, wearing nothing but a hot pink jockstrap, I’d found myself at the end of my tether.
I’d put him across my knees to his delight until he realized there was nothing sexy about the way I had spanked his ass. My son had stood in the doorway, watching us, alarmed to find his best friend crying, begging me to stop. I hadn’t until I was satisfied he got the message.
“You’re fucking jailbaiting me, kid!” I shout at him as I jerk him upright. My heart feels ripped into a million pieces at his shaking shoulders, the tears running down his face mixed with snot. I spanked him so hard his ass is a bright shade of red and my hands are throbbing. I hate the idea of causing him such physical pain, but this shit has to stop.
“I-I-I’m so-sorry,” he wails, cupping his naked ass with his hands.
“You better be sorry,” I throw at him, my body coiled in anger. “What the fuck do you want to do? Get me sent to prison? Your father’s a fucking cop. And even if he wasn’t, I wouldn’t touch you with a six-foot pole. You’re a minor. If you’re fucking horny, go hook up with someone your age, for God’s sake. Don’t come crawling into my bed and bring all this trouble into my house. Got that?”
He nods as he cries, trying to rub at his ass while swiping at the snot. “Yes, s-s-sir.”
“I swear if you pull this stunt again, your ass isn’t welcome in my house anymore.” I turn to my son, who is watching everything quietly from the doorway. “If you can’t control your friend, I don’t want him here.” My son’s face pales, and I hate doing this to him. He and Jamie are close friends, but there’s only so much a man can take and no more.
Jamie hadn’t flirted with me again, but whenever I caught him looking at me, I always saw the interest in his eyes. It wasn’t until he was leaving for college that he’d made the ominous statement. Threat. Promise. All the same damn thing.
I’m coming back for you.
“Dad, when he gets there, will you take care of him?” Joel asked, the fear evident in his voice. Unlike his silly twit of a friend, he knew damn well Smoky Vale wasn’t the safest place to be. He knew why I wanted them both out of this godforsaken town.
“Joel, I can’t,” I replied, scratching my beard. “His dad is the chief. He can deal with the brat himself.”
“You know his dad can’t handle him,” he said. “You’re the only one who can. Remember all the trouble he got us in all the time and how you had to be bailing us out constantly? He hasn’t really changed, Dad, and only you have been able to get through to him. He’ll listen to you.”
“I can’t be around him, Joel.”
“You think he’s going to let that happen? He’s stubborn, and he won’t stop until he gets his way. He will be around you. Just…Just don’t hurt him.”
“Me? Hurt him?”
“Yes, he acts tough, but he’s not so strong when you get to know him.”
Like he needed to tell me that. I watched that boy as he grew up, and I was aware of how far his tough exterior stretched. He was sassy as hell, but he’d never quite gotten over his mother leaving him and his dad nor the latter’s disapproval of his feminine style.
“Who’re you talking to?” I heard Jamie’s voice in the background. “Is that my Daddy Grimm? Are you giving him the good news?”
“Do you mind, Jamie?” Joel said. “I’m having a private conversation with my father.”
“Are you two talking about me?” Jamie pushed. That kid always pushed, never knowing the fucking limit.
“No, we’re—Jamie, don’t steal the darn phone!”
Before I could hang up, my worst nightmare appeared on the line. “Hi, Daddy Grimm! Did Joel tell you the good news? I’m moving back to Smoky Vale!”
“Like hell you are, kid,” I growled at him, putting as much menace as I could in my tone. “You keep your ass safe in Boston. Smoky Vale isn’t a place for the likes of you.”
“Maybe not,” he agreed. “But you’re there, and I did promise I’d be back. We know promises mean a lot to you. Didn’t you say a man was as good as his word, and if a man didn’t hold to his word, he was useless in the club?”
“I don’t need your promises, and I don’t need you to keep them. I swear to God, Jamie, you take your ass here to Smoky Vale, and I’ll whip you so hard you’ll wish you never showed up.”
He squealed in delight. “Ooh, goodie. I’m all legal now, so go right ahead. I’m sure I’ll love every bit of it.”
Infuriating boy. I hung up the phone, but his laughter stayed with me. I was so mad I marched over to the boy on the bed and jerked him toward me. His eyes showed a hint of fear, but he didn’t hesitate to spread his legs for me and lock them around my waist. When I fucked him, I didn’t see him. I didn’t hear his moans or his loud cries. All I heard was his promise.
I’m coming back for you.
<
br /> Chapter One
Jamie
I hadn’t seen my father since Christmas, and his naked backside greeting me when I carefully cracked his bedroom door open, was not exactly the first thing I’d expected when I arrived home. It was somewhat of a blurry, hairy view, thank God. He was thrusting so hard I was confused at first about what was happening.
The bed rocking like crazy didn’t help at all. I almost believed an earthquake was in progress. The headboard slammed into the wall with each thrust, and I winced at the abuse the poor wall was taking.
His bedroom door had to be damn soundproof as I hadn’t heard a thing on the other side. But then again, I was so preoccupied with my anxiety that the sounds probably just didn’t register. Hard to believe with all the grunting and sex. Yes, sex definitely had a sound, and right now, my dad was making it.
My jaw went slack, and I wished for the invention of eye bleach. I’d have taken a pair of brand-new eyes just to unsee it all. But there was no such thing as eye bleach, and there was no such thing as ever forgetting the two very hairy masculine legs that lay over my father’s shoulders, the toes curled to the ceiling.
I knew that toe-curling well, given that mine reacted pretty much the same way when I watched my favorite porn scenes and thought about Daddy Grimm.
I should have done the decent thing—the only thing there was to do when you caught your very straight father fucking some guy in the privacy of his bedroom. I should have closed the door and pretended like hell I hadn’t seen a damn thing. I blamed my four-hour plane ride on a red-eye flight, unable to sleep because I had been preparing for war with said father.
Little did I know I would catch him waging his own version of war in bed.
As ridiculous as it sounded, seeing my father that way finally laid a mystery to rest. My ass was a product of my father’s genes. It was the wildly inappropriate thought that did the damage—round and firm. A nervous giggle escaped me, and once it started, I couldn’t stop. At first, they didn’t realize, but then my father halted midstroke, his head whipping around in my direction.
The look on his face was Snapchat-worthy. No filter required. He went white, his face draining of its natural color before a surge of red flooded his cheeks. The chief of police, Mason Dehaney, was well and truly caught red-handed—better yet, cock-deep.
“Jamie!” He startled, pulling away from his lover and throwing the guy’s legs from his shoulders. “Jesus Christ, Jamie.” He grabbed at the bedsheets, but they were a tangled mess on the floor. When he shifted to snag them, I caught a glimpse of who his lover was, and I clung to the door to steady myself.
During their rookie years, Dad and Ben Witter had been partners. They had remained buddies throughout their different promotions, and I’d always thought of Ben as my unofficial uncle. He was always around at every birthday party, my high school graduation, and even holiday dinners. Never in a million years would I have thought of them as a couple, though. How long had they been doing this?
“Surprise?” I said on a squeak. The damn situation was already so hilarious the least I could do was to maintain a cheery tone. I needed him in a good mood anyway, and I couldn’t see him smiling at me when I’d just discovered something he’d clearly intended to be a secret.
“What are you doing here?” Dad demanded, the sheet planted firmly in his lap to hide his arousal. Uncle Ben remained quiet, but he pulled the sheet up over his waist, his face just as red as Dad’s.
“Umm, maybe we should talk about that later,” I answered, my legs finally working well enough to back out of the room. “I’m really sorry for barging in unannounced, but I thought you would be alone. And uh—hello, Uncle Ben.”
Uncle Ben didn’t react beyond a halfhearted wave and a wan smile. I felt bad for interrupting their lovefest. I was still shocked that my father liked men, and a little disappointed he’d said nothing to me about it. I was his gay son, and if we couldn’t talk about things like these that we had in common, then what could we talk about?
We’d always had our differences while I was growing up. My father had never condoned my friendship with Joel. It was always a sore point between us and the reason our relationship was not as close as it could have been. Granted, since moving away to Boston, we got along much better.
Whenever he visited me, he was always in good spirits. It was when I returned for a vacation that he was usually skeptical all over again. He needn’t have bothered. The man I always longed to get a glimpse of was never around during those stays.
My bags were already in my bedroom, but I didn’t feel like unpacking. I descended the stairs, barefooted. My feet had been stuffed into my shoes for so many hours I wiggled them on my way to the kitchen. I giggled, thinking of curling toes pointed at the ceiling and whether or not mine would get their first demonstration by someone else’s efforts other than my own.
I wanted only one man to curl my toes, and I had been waiting years for today—the day I moved back to Smoky Vale. It wasn’t a perfect situation. I needed my own apartment, but I figured I could stay with Dad for a couple of weeks until I was able to find somewhere reasonable to live.
There was nothing worse than living with your old man when he opposed the existence of the very man you adored. I already knew this when I’d fallen head over heels in love with Grimm, but not even the fact that he was on the wrong side of the law could get me to back off.
Coffee was already made, a surprise, given Uncle Ben and Dad were upstairs bumping uglies. If Dad didn’t have his coffee first thing in the morning, it was useless to have a conversation with him. He was all grunt and spoke only bear until at least one cup was sloshing in his belly. Hmm, maybe Uncle Ben had made the coffee first and brought Dad a cup before they went about demolishing the bed. For some reason, thinking of him making himself coffee before morning sex made me giggle.
A cup poured, I found bread in its container on the counter and popped two slices into the toaster. I was ravenous. The only thing I’d gotten on the flight in was a cup of apple juice and a pack of salted nuts. Airport meals were way too expensive, and I hadn’t bothered to buy anything when we stopped for my connecting flight.
I polished off my dry toast and drank a second cup of coffee—I needed it to face Dad. When he finally entered the kitchen, I glanced up at him over a copy of yesterday’s newspaper he’d left out on the counter. His short, curly brown hair, so like mine, was limp from his shower. I wondered if he’d finished what I’d interrupted, and if that was the reason he took so long to get down here.
He didn’t say a word to me. In fact, he downright ignored me. I watched him as he strode to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup. Still standing, he guzzled it down like it wasn’t hot, which I knew from the steam coming from mine wasn’t the case.
He got a second cup and finally came over to me. He pulled out the chair opposite me, placed the mug on the table, and tugged at the newspaper. I gave in without a fight.
“Want to tell me what you’re doing here?” he growled at me.
“Geez, Dad. I didn’t know we had a rule in Smoky Vale that says I can’t visit my father.”
He pointed a finger at me, his face stern. “Don’t bullshit me, Jamie. I need a straight answer. Why aren’t you in Boston, and why are four suitcases of yours sitting in your old room? Goddammit, why, Jamie?”
I didn’t get the opportunity to answer as a shadow fell just inside the kitchen. Both Dad and I glanced toward the entrance at Uncle Ben. His hair was damp, and the clothes he had on were wrinkled.
What exactly was going on between them? My eyes darted from one to the other as if that would solve the puzzle. Uncle Ben was an attractive man, and he kept himself in shape, just as my dad did. They were both equal physically, and I couldn’t be displeased about Dad’s choice. Uncle Ben was a good man, a second father to me.
“Uh, I’m about to go,” he said, looking so uncomfortable I felt sorry for him. “It was nice seeing you again, Jamie. We should catch up sometime.
”
“You’re a terrible liar, Uncle Ben,” I responded, failing at covering up my snicker. There was no way it was nice to see me again under these circumstances. “I hope you join us for dinner later so I can officially welcome you to the family.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Dad snapped at me, then trained his eyes on Uncle Ben. “I’ll see you around the station. We need to talk.”
Uncle Ben went rigid, and a slight panic flashed in his eyes before he gave a sharp nod, spun around, and walked away. He was moving a bit funnier than I remembered, though, and I lowered my eyes into my coffee cup, stifling my chuckle.
Don’t I wish I knew what that felt like?
“Just so you know, I’m quite fine with your relationship,” I quipped, taking the initiative. “Although I could have done with finding out over dinner. I didn’t need the 3-D version live starring Dad and Uncle Ben.”
“There’s no relationship,” Dad stated, running the fingers of his right hand through his hair. “It’s just— Look, Jamie, it’s none of your business, and stop trying to change the subject. Why aren’t you in Boston?”
“Now, don’t get mad,” I said, eyeing him warily. “I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise you won’t get all huffy and argue about it.”
He gripped the edge of the table. “Spit it out, Jamie!”
I shifted in my seat, fiddling with my cup, my heart pounding in my chest. I had sworn to myself that it didn’t matter what he thought, but I’d been lying to myself. His opinions mattered to me, even if we always fought about them.
“I’m here to do my residency at Smoky Vale Hospital.”
He blinked at me several times. “You were matched with the Massachusetts General Hospital. You told me it has one of the best internal medicine residencies in the country.” His voice rose as the meaning of what I’d said sank in. “What the hell do you mean you’re doing your residency at Smoky Vale Hospital?”
Biker Daddy (The Grimm Tales of Smoky Vale Book 1) Page 2