Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Gideon
I watched from under the tent as Penn splashed around with the kids.
In many ways, he was a kid himself. His childhood hadn’t really been a childhood.
Sure, he’d had Tenny who’d cared for him at Sunshine House—the orphanage his parents had dumped him at when he was five—but the kids weren’t kind to him, so he’d missed out on a lot.
It made me happy to know he was getting to fulfill what was lost to him long ago.
“He is funny man.” Aleksei’s English wasn’t the best, but he was clear enough to understand.
“He’s a lot of things.” I smiled. “But, yes, funny is one of them.”
“Mila mentioned he had illness?” Aleksei asked, concern in his eyes.
“Not an illness, no.” I didn’t want to elaborate.
Penn’s mutation, if known to the wrong people, could be used against him and me.
If they knew he could never be afraid of them or that he couldn’t be hurt, that would lead to enemies getting creative.
I didn’t know what Alex had told Mila, but perhaps he’d said he had an illness to cover for him if she’d overheard something.
“Ah, I must have misunderstood.” Aleksei chuffed. “I do that often.”
I waved my hand. “Not to worry. Penn is as healthy as you and me.”
“Good.”
The rest of the party went well. Mila and Alex danced; there was an endless supply of food and drink. Penn mostly hung out with the kids but every so often came by to say hello and gift me with a kiss.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Hendrix, for letting Alex and me have our engagement party here.” Mila wrapped her arms around me. She was a very touchy-feely girl but also a bit of a spitfire.
“My pleasure, Mila. Anyone who can keep Alex in line is someone special.”
“Thanks a lot, Boss.” Alex smirked.
I patted Alex on the arm. “Anytime.”
“Cake!” Rita shouted. The woman didn’t need a microphone, she was that loud.
My brother, Dean, sidled up beside her and beamed. They’d been married for eleven years, and he was still smitten with her.
“Oh, cake!” Mila bounced on her toes, then dragged Alex to where the three-tiered monstrosity was being placed on a round table.
“Want some?” Penn was still in his swim trunks, but he’d put on a tank top. Little specks of water glistened on his skin, and I suddenly forgot the question. He chuckled. “Gid, babe, cake?”
Oh… I winked at him. “Sorry, you’re distracting. No, none for me.”
He pecked me on the cheek and left to go get some. He helped Olivia, Owen, and Matteo before serving himself. The three kids ran off to sit on the large hammock by the pool while Penn came over to me.
“It’s delicious. Like a lemon, sort of, but not too tart.” He licked the fork, and I was once again distracted. “Sure you don’t want some?” He held the offering out to me, but I grinned and shook my head.
“I’ll try it.” I leaned in, bypassed the fork, and kissed his sweet, flavored lips and hummed.
When we parted, his pupils were blown. “Good?” His voice cracked, and I was glad he was feeling just as needy as I was.
“Very.”
“There are children here.” Rita tsked as she walked past us.
We burst into laughter and moved to one of the tables under a tent. Alex was snuggling up with Mila at a table, the two of them lost to anything happening around them. In all the years I’d known Alex, I’d never seen him in love until now. It was a great look on him.
The party ended with fireworks as a surprise for the newly engaged couple, and by the time the last guest left I was all peopled out.
Penn and I were getting ready for bed, me brushing my teeth and Penn doing a cursory inspection of his body after our shower.
“I talked to Toni.” He came over to the sink and grabbed his toothbrush. “He’s going to find out about the threatening calls to Victor.”
“Good.” I sighed and wiped my face. “It’s been a calm couple of years, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
He nodded as he brushed. “Mmhmm.”
I gently touched his shoulder. “You have some sunburn.”
Penn rinsed out his mouth before answering. “Yeah, I tried to keep reapplying, but it was a hot day. The sun was just eating through the sunblock.”
“There’s some aloe under the sink. I’ll get it.”
He didn’t argue; he never did. It had taken some time, with him always telling us he’d survived this long doing as he was. But none of us would hear it, so he accepted it and now we were helping to keep him alive and healthy.
He was lying on his stomach, naked on the bed, when I came out. His shoulders were the only thing slightly burnt, but I was going to be double-checking…just in case, of course.
I wasn’t wearing anything either; since we’d gotten out of the shower, there was no point. I straddled his hips and pressed my cock to the crease of his ass.
“Mmm…I’ll let you aloe me down any day if you do it naked.”
I snorted. “Is that right?” I squeezed some on my hand and tenderly applied it to his shoulder. I knew he couldn’t feel the pain, but I would never be a person in his life who forgot how precious and fragile he was. I’d care for his injuries as if he experienced every ache.
“Hell, yeah. I think my penis was hurt after I did a cannonball.”
I laughed. “Oh no, how awful,” I responded sarcastically. “I will make sure to check that out, too.”
“You’re a hero.”
Once his shoulders were glistening with the aloe vera, I lifted up a bit so he could turn. His green eyes met mine, and he smiled.
“Now, let me check this cock out.” I slid until I was hovering over his hardness and, without taking my eyes off him, sucked him into my mouth.
“Damn, mmmm, yeah.” Penn gripped my hair with one hand. I waited and just before he was about to come, popped off him with an evil grin. “The hell?”
I uncapped the lube I’d brought in with me from the bathroom and coated my dick. “We come together.” I lay on top of him and gathered our cocks in my hand.
“Fuck, yeah.” Penn’s neck arched up, and I licked from his Adam’s apple to his ear as I jacked us off.
When we came, it was together and after I’d cleaned us off, we fell asleep wrapped in each other.
I wasn’t a good man, gray mostly. But every time I had Penn in my arms, I felt like the hero he claimed me to be, and I’d protect that forever.