The wistful feeling in my chest intensified. I heard the back door open and shut.
“Nick?” Jeo called.
“In here!” I called back.
I heard Jeo come up behind me, but I didn’t turn around.
“Something wrong, beautiful boy?” he asked, and fuck, my whole body reacted when he called me that.
Taking me by the shoulders, Jeo turned me to face him. He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing. I told you I had to go to the bathroom. I just stopped to look at these pictures.”
Jeo kissed me, and my bare toes curled into the rug.
“You’ve been gone a while.”
“I have?” It hadn’t felt like it.
The front door opened, and Flynn stood there with Coop in his arms.
“Hey. Just wanted to let you know we’re heading home. I’ve already said goodbye to Isaac and Dante. Thanks for inviting us.”
I moved away from Jeo and approached him. Cooper’s head was on his father’s shoulder, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep. “I’m glad you could come.”
I walked outside with them and helped Flynn buckle Coop into his booster seat. When I pulled my head out of the car and shut the door, I noticed Matteo standing in the shadows. He and Flynn looked at one another for a long moment before Flynn started the car and pulled down the drive. When I turned back to Matteo, he’d disappeared down the hill.
I hadn’t realized Matteo had arrived, but now that I looked, his Fat Boy was parked under the trees.
“I think I’m going to head home too,” I told Jeo when he stepped out onto the porch.
“Already? Want me to follow you? I could spend the night.”
“To be honest, I’m not feeling so great. And since you just pounded my ass a few hours ago, well…” I was going to say, “What’s the point?” but I couldn’t bring myself to. Jeo might feel we were just playing, but it was all too real to me. So I let my words trail off.
“Okay. That’s cool. I got some stuff I should do back at Rainbow House anyway.”
I ran upstairs to get my backpack, and when I returned, Jeo took my hand, holding it as we walked to where I’d parked my car.
“Drive carefully,” he said, leaning in the window to kiss me. When he would have deepened the kiss, I pulled back.
“Probably shouldn’t kiss you if I’m coming down with something,” I said. “Goodnight.”
As I pulled down the drive and onto the main road, I considered the terrible fall I was headed for. Every time I lay beside Jeo—touched his body—let him kiss me—I was tripling the size of the cliff.
We’d stay together until after the talent show, but it was time I started letting go.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Jeo
“What are you doing here?”
Nick stood in the doorway of his apartment looking at me with surprise.
“You look like shit,” I said before pushing my way past him.
“Jeo, didn’t you get my message? I canceled tonight. I don’t feel well.”
I turned and looked at him. “And I don’t believe you. Come on, I’m all dressed up. Go get ready.”
Nick was about to argue—I could see it in the spark in his eye and tilt of his chin—so I pulled out the big guns.
“Boy, get in there and take the fastest shower you’ve ever taken in your life, then put on something that will make your Daddy proud and his dick hard.”
Several emotions flashed over Nick’s face, none of which I could read, before he turned and strode into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
I didn’t know what was going on with Nick, but ever since the barbecue at Dante’s, he’d been acting weird. He’d been making excuses not to see me, canceling dates, and then I’d gotten the message he’d left about being sick and not going to the Daddy/boy event at Lux. Fuck that, I wasn’t going to let whatever this was go on any longer.
To Nick’s credit, he got ready in record time and looked absolutely amazing in the blue button-down shirt that matched his eyes and a pair of snug black pants. God, I just wanted to fuck him right there, but we had to leave or we’d be late.
“I’ve called an Uber. Figured taking my bike might mess up our clothes.”
“You look nice,” Nick said, almost reluctantly. I flashed him a smile.
“And you look scrumptious. I’ll be taking every bit of that off you later on. Now, let’s go before we’re late.”
When we were in the Uber and on our way to Lux, I asked, “Wanna tell me why you’ve been so weird lately?”
Nick shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Is it something I’ve done?” The thought unsettled me. I tried to be a good boyfriend but sometimes my insecurities got in the way.
Was that it? Was Nick trying to let me know he’d grown tired of our relationship?
“You haven’t done anything wrong,” Nick said, taking my hand. “You’ve been great.”
Shit, that sounded like the beginning of a kiss-off, like It’s not you, it’s me. Unsettled, I turned away and looked out the window. Nick started to say something, but fell quiet as the Uber pulled into the underground parking garage at Lux.
On our way upstairs, we weren’t the only people in the elevator, so we didn’t speak, but when we walked onto the top floor, Nick laced our fingers together.
Maybe I was being paranoid. There could be another reason Nick had been breaking dates and texting me less.
I couldn’t think of one.
Walking into the ballroom with its crowd of men dressed to the nines didn’t make me feel any better. Was my suit all right? I’d borrowed it from fucking Dante, so it should be. I didn’t want to embarrass Nick by looking shabby in comparison to the other Daddies.
“Nicky!”
I turned. Royce was striding toward us, his arm wrapped around a young man with a round, sweet face that looked slightly familiar.
“Hi, Royce.” Nick smiled at his ex. He didn’t look jealous of the guy Royce was with—at least, as far as I could tell.
“Jeo.” Royce and I shook hands. “Glad to see you here tonight. I wasn’t sure you two were still together.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I snapped defensively, and Nick squeezed my hand.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us to your companion?” Nick asked Royce, who looked at me strangely. I didn’t know what his problem was. Did he think I wasn’t good enough for Nick?
“This is my boy, Brett.”
Nick smiled and shook Brett’s hand.
Brett’s eyes went wide. “Oh, you’re Daddy’s former boy. It’s nice to meet you. He’s said such nice things about you.”
Nick raised a brow at Royce. “Really?”
Royce chuckled. “We might not have been perfect for one another, but we had a nice time.”
Nick smiled softly. “Yeah, we did.”
I pulled Nick closer to me and wrapped my arm around him. When Royce’s boy looked at me, his eyes lit up with recognition.
“Jeovanni! You remember me? We met when I went to Columbia and a bunch of us were at a club. We went back to my dorm and—”
“I think we get the picture,” Nick said caustically.
“Nice seeing you again,” I said. I remembered the night, now that he mentioned it.
Royce was looking at me again, this time like he smelled something bad.
“We’re over there, if you want to join us,” Brett pointed to a table where a few other couples sat talking over drinks.
I would rather not sit with Nick’s ex, and Royce looked equally as displeased at the idea, but Brett was gazing at us expectantly, so Nick agreed.
“Do you mind?” Nick asked me as we made our way to the bar.
“What? Sitting with Royce? Not if you don’t mind sitting with…” What the fuck was his name?
“Brett.”
I reached for my wallet, about to order drin
ks, but Nick stilled my arm. “It’s covered with membership.”
“I’m not exactly a member,” I said.
“I am, though,” Nick surprised me by saying. “Royce bought me a year’s membership.”
My stomach tightened. Of course Royce did. The man had money to burn. We ordered a couple drinks and wove through the crowd to Royce’s table where he sat with Brett on his lap. I’d noticed a lot of the men had their boys in their laps, but Nick sat in the chair beside me before I could decide if we should do the same. When he would’ve tugged away, I kept his hand in mine, and he looked at me oddly before his lips turned up in a smile.
A live band had been setting up on the opposite side of the room, and when they began to play, a few people headed for the dance floor.
“Let’s dance, Daddy,” Brett said to Royce.
“Excuse us,” Royce said to me and Nick and led his boy to the floor.
“Let’s just sit here a while,” I said to Nick. The other couples at the table were deep in conversation, so I pulled him against me.
“Did you know Royce had found another boy?” I asked.
“Yeah, I’d heard.”
“Is that the reason you didn’t want to come here tonight?”
His eyes widened. “What? No! I don’t care what Royce does. Why…” he shook his head. “Sorry. I know I’ve been acting weird.”
I swallowed. It had to be said. “I meant it when I said we were in this until it wasn’t fun anymore. If you want out, you need to tell me.”
Nick’s eyes met mine. “Do you want out?”
I could say yes. Make it easier on him.
“No.”
He studied my face a moment while I continued watching him. He swallowed thickly, and when he didn’t answer, I said, “I know I’m not the ideal Daddy for you.”
Nick’s long, dark lashes swept downward, and he began fiddling with his napkin.
“I’m not rich. Can’t take you to nice places or on trips.”
Nick’s eyes shot to mine. “What the hell? I don’t want those things, Jeo.”
“Royce gave you those things.”
Nick scowled. “Yeah, and I didn’t give three fucks about them. It’s not a sugar Daddy I’m looking for. I’m looking for someone who’ll dance with me, go to the zoo with me, make me laugh.” He looked away. He sounded like he meant me, but if that was true, why had he been pulling away from me?
“Do I disappoint you in some other way?” I couldn’t believe I was asking this. I’d never tried to convince someone I was right for them. Never particularly wanted to be right for somebody. Hell, even when it came to sex, I’d never bothered with anyone who wasn’t immediately eager to be with me.
Nick shook his head and surprised me by chuckling. “Believe me, nobody was more surprised than I was that you turned out to be such a great Daddy.”
That settled me a little, but I frowned because I couldn’t understand what the problem was. “Then why are you wanting to end things?”
Nick’s brow dipped, and he looked around. “Can we go out in the hall or something? It’s loud in here.”
“Sure.”
We stood and made our way to the hall, and Nick led me around the corner to a restroom. He pushed open the door, and we took a seat on a small sofa in the outer sitting area.
“I don’t want to end things,” Nick said. “I just thought you might.”
“Why would you think that?” I asked.
Nick huffed and sat back, arms crossed. “It’s going to happen sooner or later.”
“Why do we have to worry about that now?”
Nick looked away and shrugged one shoulder. “We don’t. I just thought…I don’t know what I thought.”
I took Nick’s hand and kissed the palm. He turned to me.
“Don’t give me the sex eyes,” he said crossly.
“Sex eyes?” I asked, mouth twitching.
“Yeah, all melty and brown and full of promises.”
I scooted closer to him and ran my mouth along his neck. “Okay, I won’t.”
“That’s not much better,” Nick said, arching his neck so I had more space to roam. I smiled against his skin before licking a trail up to his jaw.
Nick whimpered.
“Daddy loves the way his boy tastes,” I said. “You know what Daddy would really like to do right now?”
“What?” Nick asked, adjusting his hard dick in his pants.
I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “Dance with his boy.”
Nick looked surprised, but he smiled and nodded.
I was feeling pretty good now that I knew my boy didn’t want to get rid of me. Time to show up Richy Royce on the dance floor.
****
Gabe had loved the idea of a talent show to raise money, and as it turned out, Rainbow House overflowed with talented residents. It hadn’t taken long to gather up enough performers.
Our first practice was underway. Morgan had gotten permission for us to use the stage at the Creative Arts Center, and his former dance coordinator, Erik, had agreed to help with the show. Morgan was discussing a dance he planned to do, while everyone else milled around the refreshment table.
I could tell the minute Nick walked into the auditorium that he was out of sorts, and all I wanted to do was take the tense look off his face.
“Hey.” I pulled him into a hug that intensified when it suddenly hit me how much I’d missed him. “Daddy’s good boy,” I murmured, and felt him shiver. “I’m coming over tonight, and I don’t want to hear any arguments.” Although things had been better since Nick and I had talked at Lux, I still sometimes felt like he was trying to pull away from me. When I looked into his eyes, they held a mixture of desire and worry.
“You feeling okay?” I asked him.
“Sure.” He looked around. “Wow, a lot of people are here. This is going to be great.”
I relaxed. “Yeah, I’m starting to get excited about it.” I squeezed his hand. “You look good.”
Nick wore a pair of snug, stretchy black pants, red sneakers, and a white V neck T-shirt that said Hot Stuff on it in red sequins. I had to agree: he definitely was hot stuff.
I kissed his hand, and we headed for the stage to get things started. We had ten acts planned with room for more, and after going through what everyone planned to do, we broke off into groups to practice. With Erik’s help, Nick and I decided on the song “I Can’t Help Myself” by the Four Tops. When he saw how well we danced together and that both of us knew a lot of moves, Erik wanted to choreograph a little scene. Dancing with Nick felt almost as carefree as it was meant to look, but I was feeling my age a little. I was going to have to struggle to keep up. I hoped it wouldn’t show. Good thing I’d quit smoking a couple weeks ago. Already my breathing came easier.
By the time we left the auditorium, the moon peered over the treetops and Nick and I were sweaty and exhausted. We grabbed a couple of bottles of water from a machine and walked outside.
“You sure you want to come over?” Nick asked. “You look kind of beat.” We reached his car, which wasn’t parked far from my bike.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to insinuate, but I’m fine. I’ll follow you.” I pecked him on the lips and watched as he slid into the driver’s seat. As I climbed on my bike, the last few minutes replaying in my head, I suddenly realized how different I was with Nick. Never in my life had I had a boyfriend who I held hands with, called before bed, and kissed when saying goodbye. I had changed. Seriously changed.
We were both quiet as we made our way up to Nick’s apartment in the private elevator. Nick seemed nervous, fingers clenching and unclenching as he watched the numbers above the doors climb.
Once in his apartment, I pulled him against me and kissed him, tongue sweeping through his mouth while I held his head in both my hands. He tensed and gripped my wrist, and for a moment I thought he was going to push me away, then he let out a strangled cry and wrapped his arms around my neck, returning my kiss eagerly.
When we finally pulled apart, he looked away and said, “I need a shower.”
“What a coincidence. So do I.” I grinned and led him into the bathroom where we quickly stripped and stepped under warm water. I couldn’t keep my hands to myself, and Nick didn’t seem to want me to. Dancing with him was always a turn on, and I hadn’t been inside him since the barbecue. I was dying to fuck him. Nick’s moans as I licked and sucked down his neck got me painfully hard, and I humped against him, seeking the friction my dick so desperately wanted.
“Such a good boy for Daddy,” I cooed in his ear, loving how hard he got when I said it. “You dance so nice, baby.”
“Oh, God.” Nick dug his fingers into my shoulder before biting down on my neck. The burst of pain fueled my fever, and I grasped his ass in my hands.
“Please. Fuck me, Daddy. Right here. Against the wall.”
He turned around, and I took my fill of his pretty ass pushed out and ready for me. I gave it a smack, watching it jiggle with hungry eyes.
Looking over his shoulder at me, Nick’s eyes held the gleam they got when he was extremely turned on.
“I don’t deserve a spanking, Daddy,” he said with a pout. His mood had changed drastically in the last ten minutes. “You said I danced well. I deserve a reward.” He wiggled his ass enticingly.
“Yes, you do,” I croaked, mouth dry. “And what would you like that reward to be?”
Nick made an impatient noise over the sound of the water and wiggled his butt again. “I told you: I want you to fuck me.” He fluttered his dark lashes at me, eyes clear, blue, and innocent. “Fuck me with your big cock, Daddy.” He pushed back against me, tearing a moan from my throat.
I reached around and played with his nipples, flicking at the little rings in them. “Oh, I will, boy. As soon as I’m good and ready.”
Nick whimpered as I continued torturing his sweet little nubs while licking and sucking at the long pale column of his neck. His cock stood out hard and needy from his body, and he kept pushing back against me, trying to get my cock between the cheeks of his ass. Steam rose around us in the shower stall.
The Diva and his Daddy Page 16