by KD Ellis
Ian let Teddy cry against him until the sobs quieted, then shifted back slightly to wipe at the tears that smeared the boy’s makeup. “So you owe the cartel money? For your surgery?” Teddy nodded, digging into his lip with his teeth until Ian plucked it free. “If you paid them off, would they leave you alone?”
Teddy shrugged. “I…I don’t know. I owe them more money now than when I started. I think…” Teddy dropped his gaze to his wringing hands. “Julian said at the beginning that…that I could pay him off in…in a different way, and I said no, but…I keep wondering if that’s why he keeps upping my payments?”
Ice formed in Ian’s stomach and he barely recognized the growl that came out of his mouth as his. “No. Not happening. I promise, baby, that we’ll get this figured out without resorting to that.” Ian hesitated, not wanting to make Teddy angry by asking the question that circled through his mind, but knowing, both as a boyfriend and as a federal agent, that he had to. “Why didn’t you go to the police, baby?”
Teddy cringed, looking away in what appeared to be shame. “After…after Lucas died, I think Julian knew I wanted to. He showed up at my apartment with one of his men, Hugo. And…and he had a gun. I thought… I thought he was going to shoot me too. But he just gave me some molly and told me to…to make a little video with his friend. For insurance.” Teddy spat out the last word in disgust. “I didn’t…I didn’t want anyone seeing that. Seeing me like that, and…and I didn’t want to get arrested for using drugs.”
Ian sat back slightly, thinking for a few moments before asking, “Are you still worried about it?”
Teddy shrugged. “I…I don’t know. Hugo said that I should go to the police—that what they had over me was nothing, not in the grand scheme of things, and that they probably won’t arrest me for using a little molly under duress. But it seems so dangerous, and—”
“Hugo… Hugo Ward?” Ian frowned, wondering why one of the cartel enforcers would be telling Teddy to narc.
Teddy stilled, his eyes darting up to Ian’s. “How do you know that?”
Ian was torn, balanced on a cliff. He could shrug, lie…or he could trust Teddy and throw himself over the edge. “I’m going to tell you something. You can’t tell anyone, not even Shiloh. It’s very important, okay?”
Teddy gave a small nod.
“When I left, I didn’t go to Chicago to be an accountant,” Ian admitted. “I was pissed that the people who killed my brother were going to get away with it, so I finished my degree online and joined the organized crime division of the FBI. I’ve been working undercover for the past three years to put away gangs and cartels.”
Teddy flinched back, though Ian suspected it was from surprise. “You… So, you’re back in Austin to…”
“To investigate the La Familia cartel. Yes.”
“Which is—”
“The cartel that killed Lucas. I thought I was here to get justice for Lucas, but…maybe I’m really here to save you instead.” Ian didn’t care if it sounded cheesy. He meant every word. Now that he knew Teddy was involved, he felt his priorities shifting. He wanted to bring the cartel down, but now it seemed even more important. He wasn’t going to let the cartel take someone else he loved from him.
Someone else he… He felt his heart jump at the realization that he loved Teddy. That he’d loved Teddy for years, and no amount of running had been enough to bury his feelings completely.
“You…you should hate me,” Teddy whispered, his words shaky but filled with enough self-loathing that Ian knew he believed the words wholeheartedly.
Ian lifted his hands to cradle Teddy’s head, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss on the quivering lips. “How could I hate you, Teddy? I love you.”
Teddy pulled back from Ian’s lips with a gasp, his eyes wide in disbelief. “You…you love me?”
Ian’s lips were curved like a Cupid’s bow and soft as silk. “Of course. You don’t have to say it, but you do have to believe it.”
“I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen,” Teddy immediately answered, his voice coming out stronger than he realized. He’d dated during Ian’s absence, but he’d always known that whoever he ended up with would always come in second to his memories.
Ian laughed. “Don’t make it creepy, papillo.”
Teddy blushed. “What can I say? I was an early bloomer.”
Ian smiled, but when he took Teddy’s hands in his, his expression grew more serious. “No more secrets between us. This…this thing we have… It won’t work without honesty.”
“No more secrets,” Teddy agreed, squeezing Ian’s hands. His own smile slid from his face like water. “I don’t know what to do.”
“You need to report this—not to the police, though. I think that you were right to be worried. A cartel this size definitely has moles in the police force, and I can’t be sure that we’ve uncovered all of them. They’d know within minutes of you showing up. But I can make the report to my supervisor, and you’d officially be an FBI informant. That would keep you out of trouble for the ecstasy. Hugo was right about that part. There’s not much that can be done about the video, though.” He frowned, hating the thought of Teddy having to deal with that and not being able to fix it.
“I…I don’t care about the video as much anymore. It’s not like anyone will care about a bartender’s sex tape, right?” Teddy gave a shaky laugh. “It’s not like I’m an architect now.”
“Baby, if you want to be an architect, we’ll make that happen,” Ian promised, stroking his thumb over Teddy’s palm. “But as for the cartel, I want you to let me get you caught up on your payments. Don’t argue. I have the money. I make a good salary and I don’t use it for much. I’ve been too focused on getting back to Austin. I’m not letting anything happen to you when I have the means to prevent it.”
“That’s… It’s a lot of money, Ian.” Even just getting caught up would take several thousand dollars.
“When you called me Daddy, did you mean it?” Ian repeated the question Teddy had asked him earlier, looking straight into Teddy’s eyes.
Teddy bit his lip but nodded. “Yes…” he finally whispered.
“Then let me do this. I can’t bring the cartel down yet, not without more evidence, but I can do this much.” Ian waited for Teddy to nod again, then smiled. “Good boy.”
He leaned back so he could reach the coffee table drawer, tugging it open and pulling out a yellow legal pad and a pen. “I know this will probably be difficult, but I need you to tell me anything you can about the cartel, starting with Hugo.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Monday morning rose cloudy and gray, foreshadowing a much-needed rain unlikely to fall. Teddy was glad that despite the bleak weather, the atmosphere between him and Ian was cloud-free. He kept waiting for Ian to treat him differently, to finally be angry over his revelations, but Ian was as thoughtful as ever, going so far as to remind him to have a healthy breakfast before heading downstairs to work on some paperwork for the club. Teddy had offered to help, but Ian had just shaken his head and told him to ‘rest.’ He could totally rest downstairs at the club, though, right?
Teddy drank half a pot of coffee before he even started digging through his drawers—God, it felt strange to say his—to pull out a pair of lavender skinny jeans and a Tiffany-blue blouse that matched his second favorite Chucks.
He wasted just enough time on his makeup to cover the still cringe-inducing bruises on his cheekbone and jaw, but there was nothing he could do about the partially healed split on his lower lip, so he gave up and headed downstairs. The club was quiet without the pulsing of bass—and without the attempts to holler drink orders over the top of it. It was almost too quiet, and Teddy shivered as he slid onto one of the dozen barstools, his back to the empty dance floor. The flesh on the base of his neck itched and he fought the urge to scratch it.
Instead, he twisted around, his gaze probing the darkened shadows beside the DJ booth, then drifted to the Stygian hallway. The omi
nous red pinpricks of light were likely the exit sign, but he couldn’t not see a pair of glowing scarlet eyes. He shuddered—then shrieked as something touched him. If it weren’t for the hand that gripped his arm, he’d have fallen off the stool.
“Shit, sorry!” Ian cursed, guiding Teddy fully back onto the stool and spinning it to face him. He must have left the office and rounded the bar without Teddy even realizing it. “I thought you heard me.”.
“Sorry,” Teddy flushed, embarrassed that Ian, of all people, had seen him jump.
“You’re supposed to be resting,” Ian said, after brushing a strand of hair out of Teddy’s eyes.
Teddy tried to look properly innocent as he glanced up through the fan of his lashes. “I am resting. My butt is resting on this stool.”
“Cheeky brat,” Ian teased. “You’re lucky your butt is on the stool or I might decide to rest my palm on it instead.” Heat surged through Teddy’s core and he whimpered before he could stop himself. The smirk that lifted the corner of Ian’s mouth didn’t help, either. “I think someone likes that idea.”
Teddy bit his lip to hold back a moan, then winced as his teeth caught the tender flesh.
Ian’s fingers gently soothed the soreness away. “The only one allowed to bite that lip is me,” Ian murmured, “so let it heal for me like a good boy.”
Teddy’s lips parted on a gasp and Ian took it as an invitation, slipping a finger between them. Teddy’s arousal waxed higher and he sucked on Ian’s finger the way he wanted to suck something else.
“Naughty boy,” Ian scolded, but his eyes glimmered with amusement. “I didn’t tell you to suck. Open those pretty lips for me.”
Teddy whimpered but he parted his mouth. Ian rested two fingers on his tongue, stroking over it just firmly enough not to tickle. There was something so perfectly dirty about sitting submissively while Ian used his mouth with his fingers. He shuddered, a keening, pleading cry escaping from his throat as Ian ran his fingertips over his teeth, then petted the inside of his cheeks, as though he were mapping out Teddy’s mouth.
“You’ve got such a hot mouth, baby,” Ian groaned, pulling his spit-dampened fingers free. “Can’t wait to feel it wrapped around my dick. Is that what you want, baby?”
“Please,” Teddy whimpered, unable to stop his hips from thrusting upward, unconsciously humping the air.
“You want it, baby? Or is this what you want?” Ian flicked open the button of Teddy’s jeans before shoving his hand into the waistband, curling his wet fingers around Teddy’s cock. He moved it slowly, jacking Teddy off with his own spit, and the thought alone was enough to push Teddy right to the edge.
“Yes, that. I want that…this. Please, Daddy, don’t stop.” Teddy’s hips jerked up, until Ian’s other hand curled around his left thigh, pinning him.
“Uh-uh. Be a good boy and take what Daddy gives you.” Ian worked his hand faster, driving Teddy closer and closer to his climax, until—
He stopped, pulling his hand free just as Teddy was almost there, nipping his orgasm in the bud right before he could spill over. Teddy cried out at the absence, but Ian chuckled. “Naughty boys who don’t listen to their Daddy don’t get rewarded, do they?”
“I can listen,” Teddy promised, struggling to keep his hips from chasing his orgasm on their own. “I can listen so good, Daddy.”
“I don’t know. What did Daddy ask you to do this morning?” Ian stepped closer, into the cradle of Teddy’s thighs, and rested his hands on the bar behind him, effectively closing him in. Rather than feeling claustrophobic, however, Teddy felt safe. Protected.
“To…to rest?” Teddy said, though it came out like a question. It was hard to think with Ian so close, his scent filling Teddy’s nose. Teddy’s gaze dropped to the straining zipper of Ian’s jeans, where the large erection was practically begging to be released.
“And?” Ian prodded when it became clear that Teddy was distracted. Though Teddy hardly thought that was his fault. Ian was large, and his jeans were so tight that Teddy wanted to trace the prominent bulge with his tongue.
“And…” Teddy struggled to think, then his stomach dropped nearly to the floor. “And to eat a good breakfast…”
“And did my boy eat a good, healthy breakfast this morning?” Ian asked, and he sounded so certain that Teddy wondered if he’d been watching the cameras he’d noticed tucked into the corner of nearly every room upstairs.
Teddy’s chin dropped to his chest as he shook his head. He’d been so preoccupied with getting ready to come down and see Ian that he’d forgotten. “No, Daddy.” Tears burned his eyes at the realization that he’d disappointed Ian already.
Ian dipped his fingers under his chin and lifted it until Teddy’s eyes met his. “Oh, baby, I’m not mad. I just want you to be healthy. Come on. Hop down.”
Teddy curled in on himself as he carefully slid off the stool. “Are you going to spank me now?”
Ian smoothed his thumbs over Teddy’s cheekbones, wiping away the dampness. “No, we’re going to go get breakfast.”
* * * *
Teddy crossed his legs under the table in an attempt to hide the obvious erection pressing against the front of his tight lavender jeans as Ian ordered for both of them. “I’ll have the Tortilla Espanola, substitute egg whites, with a black coffee.” Ian glanced at Teddy over the top of his menu, then passed it to the waiter, a young, bespectacled man with a Clark Kent curl. “For him, we’ll have the veggie frittata with a side of sausage and a”—Ian paused, lifting a brow at Teddy in question—“chocolate milk?”
“Coffee,” Teddy corrected.
“You already had half a pot,” Ian pointed out, proving that he had indeed been watching the security videos. “Juice or milk.”
“Chocolate milk is fine,” Teddy agreed, feeling his skin pinken at the show of dominance. He’d wondered if Ian daddy-ing him in public would make him uncomfortable, and now he had his answer. The only way it made him uncomfortable was in the tightening of his jeans.
The waiter took the menus and left to get their drinks. Ian waited until they were alone to turn to Teddy. “Should I have asked before ordering for you? I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t,” Teddy looked down, feeling his cheeks warm even further. “I…I liked it.”
He heard the relief in Ian’s voice when he answered, “Good. But don’t ever hesitate to tell me if I go too far, okay?”
Teddy shifted in the booth, less than subtly rearranging himself, then smirked up at him. “I don’t think that’s possible.” Heat darkened Ian’s eyes as he seemed to recognize the source of Teddy’s discomfort. “Actually, I’m hoping we can go a bit…farther…tonight.”
“Oh, I’m sure we can come to an agreement.” Ian murmured, dropping his hand below the table, and Teddy had a feeling there was some rearranging going on over there, as well.
Before Teddy could make a flirty comment, though, their waiter returned with their drinks. Teddy groaned.
It was going to be the longest meal ever.
Ian loved the flushed, almost desperate look on Teddy’s face. It made him want to dirty the boy up, lay him out across the table in front of everyone and feast on him. Thankfully, the larger, more rational, part of him was still thinking with his upstairs brain. So he settled instead with teasing his boy throughout the meal.
He couldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t doing it for enjoyment, because he certainly loved the way the pale cheeks turned pink and the lust-dazed blue eyes that blinked back at him, but a smaller part of him hoped that keeping Teddy on one edge would keep him off another. He couldn’t get rid of the sight of Teddy the night before, shaking and scared as he recounted his experiences with the cartel, starting from the beginning and ending with Teddy nearly in panic mode as he recounted being buried alive. All Ian wanted to do was tuck Teddy away safely into bed before tracking down each and every one of the people involved until he could put them in graves of their own.
Since he
couldn’t act on that desire without compromising his honor—and his duty as an agent—he settled on keeping his boy distracted instead. He waited for Teddy to clear his plate before he lifted his foot and ran the toe of his black oxfords along the outside of Teddy’s calf and up to his thigh, enjoying the visible shudder his boy made. “Ready to go?”
“Ready for something,” Teddy mumbled, eyes half closing, throat moving as he swallowed.
Ian left enough money on the table to cover the bill, plus a substantial tip, then stood, holding his hand out to Teddy, who took it without question. Teddy’s blissed-out look stayed firmly in place as they climbed into the truck and started driving, only fading when Ian parked in the lot outside Teddy’s apartment.
Ian reached over to carefully remove Teddy’s delicate lip from his teeth. “Remember what Daddy said about that lip.” Teddy whimpered, and he seemed to lose some of his trepidation. Ian ran his finger over the lip one more time before pulling away. “Let Daddy get the door for you.”
“Yes, Daddy,” Teddy whimpered, and obediently stayed in his seat until Ian rounded the car and opened the door. Ian depressed the button on the seat-belt hooker, curling his fingers around the belt as he guided it back into place, skimming his knuckles along Teddy’s chest, so he felt the shiver that spread through his boy’s body and heard the indrawn breath.
Ian palmed the rock-hard bulge beneath the soft jeans. “The sooner we get your apartment cleared out, the sooner we can go home.”
“What are we waiting for, then?” Teddy’s voice was breathy, but a wicked smile lit up his face and he practically leapt out of the seat to run toward the door.
“Look for cars!” Ian called after him, shaking his head as Teddy skidded to a stop, barely on the sidewalk, head bobbing as he looked both ways, before taking off running again. Ian refused to give chase, mostly because he didn’t want to look like a creeper. Teddy didn’t go far, anyway. He stopped at the door and rocked back on his heels to wait, his hands finding their way into his back pockets.