Sums of the Heart (Luv by Numbers #1)

17. Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Cade

Kincade was on the edge of his seat. The first half had been glorious. Chicago was leading, sixteen to nothing. When the team came back and the defense took the field, they were savages, but a missed interception had started a rally by Denver, and it became a defensive game from then on. Chicago was trying to hold the line, but the offense was falling apart, and even the little Cade knew about the game, when the score tied, he knew it wasn’t good.

“What happened?” he asked Ford as they sat in their seats and watched the shit show together.

“Eight of the eleven offensive players for Chicago are new on the line with three rookies, two free agents, and three new players added through trades. They’re all learning to work together, and the weaknesses are part of the learning curve. The defensive line? They have six of eleven, four of which are rookies, which is why Denver’s seasoned offense, which is the same as last year, is getting through. Our guy will be pissed, I can guarantee you,” Ford told him.

Cade wasn’t exactly sure what it meant, but he was ready for anything. “So, um, should I stay at…” he began.

Ford held his hand and kissed it discreetly. “Oh, no, my love. You’re going to have to learn to deal with a pissed off football player if you’re going to be with us. Yes, he’ll aggressively bitch and moan for an hour, slamming doors and stomping around full of piss and bluster. But I believe if we… you… make him something to eat, and we pamper him with a nice bath and a massage, I think we can tame the beast. This thing with losing his mother is a bit of a monkey wrench in the usual routine, but we work with what we have, right?” Ford asked and Cade nodded, turning back to the game.

When Chicago kicked a field goal to win the game, Ford exhaled. “At least they won. He won’t be happy about how , but it’s not a terrible start to the preseason. With our newfound badges, we can go downstairs and wait for him outside the locker room, but maybe I should go wait in the Hummer. You work for him, so to speak, but I’m just a friend, so I’ll wait in the car,” Ford told Cade before he headed out of the stadium.

Making his way to the entrance of the stadium underbelly, Cade showed his credentials to get his spot outside the locker room. He wished Ford would have come with him, but maybe it was Ford’s way of giving Cade a shot at getting to know the big man’s moods firsthand. Whatever it was, he hoped it was the right thing.

Cade stood in the hallway, hearing a familiar pop song over the speakers, which sparked thoughts of a new routine for Griff and the guys at the club as he waited for Jax. The fact he had two dynamic jobs overwhelmed him for a minute because he was sure a lot of guys would kill him to take his place working for Jackson “the Ragin’ Cajun” Delacroix. Any gay boy would kill him to work for the handsome Branford Thomas. His life was spot-on for hater material.

Cade was pulled from his musings when the players started coming out of the locker room once they finished speaking with the press for the postgame analysis. Seeing and smelling them required him to take a calming breath. What honest-to-god gay man wouldn’t get aroused at seeing wet, good-smelling football players walking out in dress slacks and fitted dress shirts.

When Jackson Delacroix danced out of the locker room with a duffle over his shoulder, Cade laughed. The man was so handsome as he twirled him around; the two of them dancing down the hallway to the back exit.

When they appeared at the players’ entrance and exit, they were greeted by a large navy-blue Hummer with a gorgeous blond standing at the passenger side, a bright smile on his face. “Mr. Delacroix, I thought perhaps you and Mr. Hayes might like to ride in the back seat together.”

Jax nodded at Ford and hopped into the back seat of the vehicle as Cade crawled in next to him. Ford rushed around the front and jumped into the driver’s seat. He lined up behind the traffic to exit the players’ parking lot, and Cade saw Ford look in the rearview.

“Did you kick enough ass today so we can have a conversation, or are you sleeping on the couch? Actually, you can sleep in our bed, and I’ll sleep at Cade’s,” Ford told him with a bit of a bite in his voice.

Cade saw Jax swallow. “I owe you both huge apologies for my behavior, and if you’re going to sleep at Cade’s, then I’ll sleep on that awful fucking futon. I just need my guys to be with me,” he said quietly.

Cade glanced up to see the smile on Ford’s face before the handsome blond nodded and glanced down. Cade had a pretty good idea what he meant, so he unbuckled his seat belt and slid to the floor behind the front-driver seat.

He reached for Jax’s seat belt, undoing it before he undid the man’s belt, trouser button, and zipper. As he reached inside his pants, Jax finally looked down. “Chère? What the hell are ya…”

Cade didn’t answer. Actions allegedly spoke louder than words, and Cade had a lot to say.

Engulfing the semi-hard cock in front of him, Cade sank down as far as he could, feeling Jax’s hard-on at the entrance to his throat. He took a deep breath through his nose and relaxed, sinking down further.

“Oh, fuck. This is… no, I don’t deserve… fuck, right there, chère. God, yes,” Jax moaned as Cade moved up and down the man’s ample member. He wanted to start the evening off right, and hell, what red-blooded man would turn away a blow job… with throat? Nobody Cade knew.

“I’m calling dibs for a rain check,” Cade heard from the front seat as the vehicle inched forward toward the exit. There were a lot of honking horns, but Cade knew he had Jackson Delacroix’s undivided attention.

He worked his way up… and down… that large, throbbing cock, happy to hear the groans and hitches in Jax’s breathing at his ministrations. The feel of silk on steel was definitely intriguing, but Cade was trying to relieve the tension he felt in Jax’s body. When the big man’s hips lifted to meet his mouth, Cade knew he’d won the battle.

Jax filled Cade’s mouth, giving a bit of a rebel yell, which made Ford and Cade both laugh. He tucked the beautiful specimen into the brown boxer briefs before he zipped, buttoned, and belted the man back into his pants. He pulled the seatbelt over the sleeping giant and sat forward for a minute behind Ford. “I’ll gladly honor your rain check when we get home. Does he always pass out like that?”

Ford patted the seat next to him, so Cade climbed over the console and took the passenger seat, buckling in just as they drove out of the gate of the stadium. “Not usually so quickly, but he hasn’t really slept in days, I’d say. I’m hoping we can love him back to normal, but it remains to be seen how he’ll handle the next few weeks, I suppose.”

Ford then glanced toward Cade. “So, were you serious about honoring my rain check?” he asked as he scooted the driver’s seat back and opened his zipper, hauling out an ample cock that was drooling pre-come.

“I get a turn, you know,” Cade told him as he leaned over the console and gave Ford road head. The man’s moaning and groaning pleased him, but he had a thought he didn’t want to give headspace… are they just using me ? Was he whoring himself out to two men who would happily walk away from him if things became problematic? He’d committed himself to the two men, but had they done so in return?

Cade walked into Fairytails on Wednesday before the regular football season started. It was late August and humid as hell, but it was Chicago. Jax was at the stadium for practice. He was still looking for a new agent, but thanks to Cade, he had a talented lawyer, Mitchell Ross.

Mitch worked at the firm Cade’s mother used for all her legal issues, so Cade knew the man would be a badass in his representation of Jax. The firm had a great reputation, as his mother had told him when he’d called her for a referral. He was sure Mitch would help Jax find an excellent agent, so he wasn’t worried… about Jax’s professional status.

He was, however, worried about the status of the two of them . Since the game and the ride home, things had been rather cool between them.

Every time Cade got wound up about it, Ford reminded him Jax was unpredictable until he got into a rhythm with his team, and his behavior shouldn’t be taken personally. It wasn’t easy to do actively, but that was where Cade had to trust in the two men he’d fallen for. If they didn’t have trust, they would have nothing.

Things with Ford, however, had been glowingly wonderful. Ford had left Cade’s apartment at eight that morning because they’d slept at his place so they could watch a movie. Jax was busy watching game film from the previous week and concentrating on the upcoming opponent, so they left him alone.

Before Cade fixed him breakfast, Ford gave him a wonderful thank you for the previous night’s hospitality, nearly putting the brunet on his knees… where Ford was while blowing him. It had been astounding, but Cade was wondering when they’d get to the next step.

Ford had avoided any discussion regarding stepping up the relationship to intercourse, and Cade got it. Ford wanted to wait for Jax.

During breakfast—once Cade regained his ability to walk and speak—he and Ford had discussed the agenda for the upcoming weekend. There was a large bachelorette party on Friday night, so Ford wanted the dancers and drag queens to give a hell of a show. Cade knew it was important, so he’d called Griffon Summers to meet with him that morning.

“ Big Cade in ’da house! ” was called out behind him as he walked toward the stairs to the office. He turned to see Cleveland restocking the liquor.

He walked over to the bar and sat down. “How’ve you been, Cleve? I saw Minnie on Monday. She might have mentioned you and Chablis are through. True?” Cade asked as the man slid a glass of Coke toward him with a smile.

Cleveland took a bar towel and continued to clean bottles for a minute. “Chablis, well, she was too crass for Momma’s tastes. She doesn’t care I’m a gay man, she just wants me to… well, she wants me to meet a young man like you. Now, you need to help me find one,” the huge bar manager stated before he chuckled.

Cade laughed. “As you well know, I’ve got my hands full with two men, so I’d suggest… oh, it’s a shame Griff’s with Lonny.”

“Oh, news flash. They broke up. Griff found out over the weekend that Lonny’s moving away. He failed to mention it to Griff, but a friend of Lonny’s seemed to delight in telling Griff about it. Apparently, the guy was hooking up with Lonny before Griff came along, and he’s going to leave town with Lonny. It was an awful catfight in here the other night, but… it’s over. So? You think Griff would give me a shot?”

Cade giggled. “By the time I get done with him, he’ll be on you like white on rice. Wait, is that offensive?”

Cleveland laughed as he held Kincade’s left hand and kissed it. “Not from you, sugar. Now, go make something great happen. The boss is up in his office, and he was in a good mood.”

Cade thanked him and went to the dressing room, finding his friend Griff moping. Cade hopped onto the counter in front of the mirror where the dancers got ready for shows, but he ignored the hangdog look on Griff’s gorgeous face. “I had an epiphany last night, and I think you’re going to love it,” Cade gushed.

The cute guy looked up and gave him a half-assed smile. “Oh yeah? What?”

“Boy George and Culture Club. Their music is making a comeback, and it occurred to me we could do so much with their old songs without having to deal with the drag queens. I mean, seriously? What gay boy doesn’t love Boy George?”

He’d found several YouTube videos on his phone and turned on the speaker, moving his hips and arms in time with the beat. When Griff jumped up to dance with him, they started working out routines in the dressing room.

A few minutes later, the two of them made their way to the clubroom and cued up music on the sound system so they could choreograph some moves to teach the other dancers when they called them in to work early. Once they had the moves down, they began discussing costumes.

When they had something workable, they called the dancers in to work with them. They only had two days to get it right, and the dancers had to work the next two nights.

Cade was excited about the prospects of what he and Griffon were planning. It reminded him how much he loved working at the club. He couldn’t wait to see the end results of their efforts.

Cade was busy working out the lighting cues with Cyrus while Griffon was working with the dancers for the music they’d chosen from the Culture Club songbook. It was turning into an eighties night, and when Cade had called the bride-to-be who’d made the reservation in the first place, she squealed through the phone, nearly taking out his hearing.

The bride stated her maid of honor would be in touch to handle details and expressed how happy she was that they were having a theme party. Her comments had Cade excited, too.

Cade’s cell rang as they were figuring out the lighting changes for one of their chosen songs. As much as he hated to answer since he didn’t recognize the number, he knew it could be someone from Jax’s side of his business.

“Kincade Hayes,” he responded in the lowest voice possible. Cyrus laughed as he rushed away, not before Cade stuck out his tongue at the handsome Filipino man.

Cyrus was a fantastic guy, and Cade made it his mission to get to know the man better. He seemed like fun, and if Cade was looking for friends, well, Cyrus was definitely worthy.

“Hold for Hudson Hayes.” What Cade heard stopped him cold. He hadn’t heard from his father in so long he was stunned the man remembered him, much less tracked him down.

There was a click and then he heard the voice he’d tried to block from his memories since he was sixteen. “Kincade? How are you?”

Cade was ready to faint, but he wasn’t going to give the man the satisfaction of getting the better of him. His birthday was the next day, and he’d be twenty-three. He had to assume it was the reason his father was calling, since the man hadn’t bothered to speak to him in years.

“I’m sorry, who is this?” Cade feigned ignorance.

“It’s your father, Kincade. I was hoping to get together with you tomorrow. For your birthday. I mean, you have a brother and sister who would like to get to know you.”

Cade wished he had one of his two boyfriends with him for support, but they were both busy. While he didn’t hate his younger siblings, Cade hated how they’d come to be in his life. It suddenly dawned on him why his father had called in the first place.

“Hudson, I’m afraid I’m on Katrina’s side on this one. If I’m hauled into court, I’ll tell the truth about that weekend I babysat your children while you took your mistress away. I didn’t tell Mother back then what was going on because she seemed to love you, but I’ll sure as fuck tell her now. Don’t try to restart a relationship with me, hoping to save your fortune. I’ll testify for Mother every chance I get.”

“You’re an ungrateful little faggot.”

The phone went dead before Cade could hang up, so he slipped the device into his back pocket, returning to Griff and the dancers. He had things to do, none of which involved listening to his asshole of a father while he berated him.

After checking in with Ford, who said he wasn’t ready to go home for the day, Cade took a cab back to their apartment building. The hot blond had been busy all day with one thing or another, so Cade didn’t stick around to bother him. Ford was due his privacy and they didn’t all have to be tied at the hip.

He knew Jax was still at the stadium running through plays to counter what he and the team had seen in the game film from the previous week’s preseason game between Kansas City and Texas. They were playing Texas on September 11, and Jax had been obsessed with learning every trick play Texas had in its arsenal and planning a counterattack to stop them cold.

Cade retrieved his mail and took the elevator up to his apartment, opening the door to see candles… lots of candles on every horizontal surface. Thankfully, they were battery-operated, or the small room would likely have exploded.

He dropped his messenger bag by the door and walked into the room to see Jax standing in front of him with two stemmed glasses he recognized as his Nana’s. He stepped forward and smiled. “I thought you were reviewing game films.”

Jax pushed the volume control on his cell phone before he placed it on top of Cade’s television stand. When an old song from the early nineties began playing, Jax handed him a glass of champagne. Cade laughed because he couldn’t guess what was going on. “I give up. What’s happening?”

Jax touched his glass to Cade’s and smiled. “Drink up, chère.”

Cade downed the glass of sweet liquor, as did Jackson. Jax took his glass and placed it on the dresser before he reached for Cade and pulled him into his arms. The two began slowly dancing around the small space and Jax leaned forward and whispered the lyrics in Cade’s ear, making the younger man melt. It was probably one of the most romantic moments in Cade’s life.

“Cade, I hope you’re not pretending you have feelings for us. I know you got shoved into the middle of a disaster when I lost my mom, but I’m so grateful to you and Ford for how you helped me through that mess. I truly love you, chère, and I believe Ford does too. We… well, I want you to know how much I appreciate the fact you were there for me when I needed you and then helped with that fucking shit show with Albert Swift.”

Jax kissed him behind his ear and hummed before he spoke again. “I got a name from Tony O’Brien who I’m gonna call Mitch about to have him check out the guy and if he’s cool, I’m gonna try to have him meet with us before we go on the road to Dallas. I know you’re busy right now with Ford, but I’d like you to come with me for that game. It’s in two weeks, so you can do your things with Ford this weekend for that party and then come with me,” Jax suggested, which wasn’t something Cade ever thought Jackson Delacroix would suggest.

Cade stopped moving and pulled back, staring at Jax for a moment before the man blurted out, “Make no mistake, Cade, we both love you, but I sure could use the support at the beginning of the season, so I’d like it if you’d come with me. I’d drag Branford with us if he could get away, but he has a booming business that’s taken off more than I think he believed it would, so he needs to be here. Right now, I need you more,” he whispered as the two of them danced again around Cade’s small apartment.

A few more songs played over the playlist Jax had obviously created, and after Cyndi Lauper finished, they had another glass of champagne, and then they both collapsed onto the queen-size bed Jax and Ford had given him. Jax snuggled into his chest and sighed. “This is perfect. Thank you, baby boy.”

Before Cade knew what was happening, Jackson Delacroix was breathing heavily as his red head rested on Cade’s nonexistent pecs. It was actually a pleasant change of pace to hold Jackson in his arms to make him feel safe, so Cade closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the man’s massive shoulders. Maybe football players weren’t so tough after all?