Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
NICO
I rolled my new suitcase down the carpeted hallway of the first floor of Moonlight Inn. It had been a week since I discovered Gabe’s disaster of an electrical panel, and the work was finally starting today. Gabe was originally going to get us rooms at a hotel in Asbury Park, but after mentioning it to Marco, who told Liam, we were told in no uncertain terms that Sean would give us a room at Moonlight Inn.
So now we were staying in a two-bedroom suite for free for the duration of the rewire. I tried hard not to show how much trouble I was having with this temporary move. My head knew it was necessary. My body, however, had been a ball of nerves for the past week. But I absolutely did not want to go back to sleeping in Zach and Miguel’s living room. It would only end up confusing Cody. I just would power through it, like I did everything else.
Speaking of Miguel, he was the one escorting us to our room. He opened the door with an actual key, not a key card, and flung his arm out like he was Vanna White. “Your rooms, gentlemen.”
Gabe and I both rolled our eyes. I took the key from Miguel’s outstretched hand. “Is there a second key?”
“Of course,” he replied, pulling it out of his pocket.
“Tell Sean we said thank you, again,” Gabe said.
Miguel smiled. “You can tell him yourself tonight at dinner. Zach’s bringing Cody here, and we’re all going to eat in the restaurant. Be there at six.”
“Oh wow,” I said. “Okay. I guess we’ll see you at dinner.”
We walked into a small living room with a sofa and two chairs set up against a large picture window. A large, flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall across from the sofa. An outer door on the other side of the living room led to a sectioned-off portion of the porch that wrapped around the front of the hotel. A short hallway led to a bathroom with a full-sized walk-in shower and a double sink. Across from the bathroom were two doors that opened to the two separate bedrooms.
I took it all in. “Wow. This is nice.”
“It really is,” Gabe replied. He went into the first bedroom and set down his luggage. “Big bed too.”
I poked my head into his room and saw the king-size four-poster bed. I nearly choked on air when my brain spun up an image of Gabe lying naked on that big bed. I backed up, almost tripping over my own feet. “I’m…gonna go put my suitcase in the other room.” I hurried away before things could get really awkward. Jesus, after almost four years of having nearly zero libido, now my dick was starting to take notice of someone? What the ever-loving fuck?
My room was exactly the same as Gabe’s, including the four-poster bed. I took a moment to get my head on straight. Well, not-so-straight. I was in no position to start anything sexual with anyone, never mind my super-hot roommate. A few slow breaths settled me as I got to the business of unpacking.
I put my clothes in the dresser, my shoes in the closet, and hung up my coat. Looking at the otherwise empty closet, it occurred to me that I’d have to buy myself a decent suit for any security jobs in New York City. It was frustrating that I wouldn’t have my license until January. I hated asking people for rides, but rideshares were expensive, and most of the places I had to go to buy clothes were not within walking distance.
As I was leaving the bathroom after putting away my toiletries, I ran smack into Gabe coming in to do the same thing. His arms automatically went around me to steady me, and for a brief moment, I was pressed against the warmth of his hard body. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt so safe. To my surprise, I found myself relaxing in his arms. He felt so good, and my body responded accordingly. Well, shit.
All too soon, the moment was over. Gabe dropped his arms and stepped back. “Are you okay?”
My face heated. “Yeah. Sorry about that. I wasn’t paying attention.”
“No worries,” he said with a smile. “I can take a hit.”
“I’ll bet you can,” I replied without thinking. “I mean, because you’re so big.” I squeezed my eyes shut. I wanted to sink into the floor.
Gabe grinned. “You like that I’m big?”
Heat rushed up my neck to my face and blood pooled in my groin. I really, really liked that he was big. Embarrassed, I looked at my feet. “I…”
Gabe squeezed my shoulder. “I was just messing with you.” He gestured toward the living room. “We have a couple of hours until dinner. I was going to suggest watching a movie. Maybe something from the MCU?”
My mood lightened immediately. “That would be great. I never did get to see Endgame .”
“No shit. Then Endgame it is.”
We grabbed some snacks and sodas from the vending machines in the lobby and settled on the sofa. I’d seen all the Avengers movies before Endgame , but I’d been arrested just before it came out and never got to see it before I went to prison. Watching it made me want to go back and rewatch the rest of the movies in chronological order.
After the movie ended, Gabe stretched, giving me a glimpse of pale skin just above his waistband. “I’m going to shower and change before dinner.”
I dragged my gaze away from his body. “I’ll go after you’re done.”
I made my way to my bedroom and flopped down on my bed. What the hell was going on with me? I could not mess up my living situation by perving on my landlord. Ugh. He’d given me a home. I wasn’t going to take advantage of that. And why now? I hadn’t felt anything like this in years.
My brain was still whirling when I heard the bathroom door open. I grabbed the clothes I was going to change into and nearly ran into Gabe again as I headed to the bathroom. And holy mother of god. Miles of muscles covered in fair skin greeted me. And then there was the ink. In addition to the bone frog tattoo on his bicep, there was an eagle with its talons wrapped around a trident, an anchor, and a flintlock pistol tattooed in color across his broad chest. I swore I stopped breathing for a second. The man was so fine.
“Sorry,” I breathed out. “I keep running into you.”
His lips curved into a smile. “No problem. It’s a small space.” His gaze swept up and down my body before he stepped aside so I could get past him. “I’ll be in the living room when you’re done.”
“I won’t be long,” I said. I turned on the shower and got undressed. The water pressure was fantastic, which surprised me, considering how old the building was. I closed my eyes and let the warm water sluice over my body. The image of Gabe’s broad, muscular chest rose to my mind’s eye. It had been so long since I’d felt that spark of attraction, that buzz of arousal for anyone. My cock plumped as my thoughts wandered to his firm, round ass and thick thighs. The man’s body was a work of art.
I poured some body wash in my hand and gave my dick an experimental tug. I bit my lip to stifle the moan that rose from my chest. God, that felt good. A few more strokes got me fully hard, and I let my mind wander.
My hands roam over Gabe’s muscular chest, tracing the intricate tattoos with my fingers and lips. He moans softly as I swirl my tongue over first one nipple, then the other. He goes to his knees, taking my cock in his hot mouth.
I stifled the groan demanding to escape from my chest. The last thing I needed was for Gabe to hear me jerking off in the shower. I moved just enough to have the warm spray hitting my hard cock. I was so close.
Rough hands grab my shoulders, and I’m shoved violently against the cold tiles. I push myself back, struggling to get free of the painful grip. A hand closes around my throat, cutting off my air. Then there’s pain, white-hot and relentless.
I gasped for breath, my knees buckling, taking me to the shower floor. I stayed there on my hands and knees while I tried to get my breathing and heart rate under control. I tasted the salt of my tears mixed with the cooling water from the shower. I slowly stood on shaky legs and turned off the water with trembling hands. It had been over a year since I’d had an episode like that.
I choked back a sob. “Goddamnit,” I whispered. I thought I’d gotten past this.
I dried myself off, avoiding my reflection in the large mirror. I dressed and hurried back to my room, closing the door behind me. I had to get my head on straight before going out to the living room. Gabe was an observant fucker. He would know something was wrong and ask questions I wasn’t prepared to answer.
I took my time putting on my socks and shoes. I finally looked in the mirror to adjust the collar of my zippered heather-gray pullover sweater. My eyes were clear, with no trace of redness. I wiped my sweaty palms on my new black jeans and headed to the living room.
Gabe looked up from his phone and smiled at me when I entered. His eyes scanned my body with a hint of appreciation. “Nice sweater. Is that new?”
I nodded, doing my best to ignore the shiver that ran through me at his perusal. That way led to more trouble. “Yeah. I bought it after our job in the City. I figured I should start wearing nicer—and warmer—clothes.”
“Well, it looks good. Ready to go?”
“Yep.”
Zach, Miguel, and Cody were already seated at a large round table in the middle of the restaurant when we arrived. Cody jumped up from his chair and came running to me. “Daddy!”
I picked him up and held him close. “Hey there, little man. How are you doing?”
He pointed to his place at the table, where a small yellow plastic tool lay beside his napkin. “I brought my ’lectric tester. Can I help fix the house?”
I kissed his cheek and set him back on his seat. “Not this time, baby boy. It’s too dangerous.”
Tears welled in his big blue eyes. “But I wanna help.”
I sighed softly. “I know you do. And someday, when you’re older, you can help if you still want to. But not this time.”
Before Cody could go into a meltdown, Gabe came over and put his hand on his hips. “Hey, Cody. You didn’t say hi to me.” And then the six-foot-four, badass ex-Navy SEAL pouted, big bottom lip and everything. I almost choked, trying to keep myself from laughing. Zach and Miguel were no better off.
Cody sniffled and held up his arms. “Sorry, Mr. Gabe. I wanted to help fix the house.”
Gabe picked up my son and loudly kissed his cheek. “Your daddy said it’s too dangerous, and he’s right. That’s a grownups-only job.”
Cody let out a put-upon sigh. “Okay.”
Sean and Jeremy arrived at the tail end of that conversation. “Why is Cody sad?” Jeremy asked.
“I wanted to help Daddy fix the house,” the little boy said plaintively. Man, the kid knew how to milk an audience.
Sean looked over at me. “Are you going to work on it as well?”
I nodded. “The electrical contractor is friends with my old mentor. He’s going to let me help out a couple of hours a day to give me a chance to get back into it. It’ll be with supervision, of course. But I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never worked on rewiring a house, only wiring new construction.”
While Sean and I talked, Jeremy took Cody to the piano, and the two sat on the bench. Cody started to pound on the keys, but Jeremy gently admonished him and showed him how to correctly touch them and still make music. I watched in fascination as my son listened intently to the pianist’s instructions and played the beginning of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” It was the same tune Jeremy had taught Cody the last time they’d sat at the piano together.
The server came to take our dinner order. He’d also brought Cody a plate of chicken nuggets and french fries.
Sean, who’d been watching the exchange between his husband and my son with a soft smile, rose from his seat. “I’ll get Cody. When Jeremy’s in teaching mode, he tends to forget the outside world.”
Soon, we were all eating the delicious food the hotel restaurant had to offer. Right after they brought the desserts, Jeremy leaned over to me. “I think Cody might benefit from piano lessons.”
I looked at him in surprise. “Isn’t he too young?”
He waggled his hand back and forth. “A lot of people would say yes. But he has a love for the instrument already, which is a huge bonus. At first, he would only be learning about the piano, the keys, the rhythmic vocabulary, and how to use his fingers individually. It’s unlikely he’d be playing much of anything recognizable for a while.” He smiled wryly. “Except ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,’ of course.”
I glanced at my son, who was happily devouring his chocolate dessert. “Aren’t piano lessons expensive?”
Jeremy nodded. “Usually, yes. But I opened a school in Asbury Park in June that’s dedicated to giving children from low-income families an opportunity to learn how to play an instrument from a seasoned professional.”
“Oh. Wow. I would love for Cody to have that.” I looked over at Zach and Miguel. “I think it would have to wait until I got my license back and had a car. It wouldn’t be fair for me to dump getting Cody there on Zach and Miguel.”
Zach leaned forward, apparently having heard at least part of the conversation. “How about we chat about it another day and see what we can come up with that’s fair for everyone.”
I blinked. “Um. Sure. That would work.” I took in the scene around the table, at the men who had opened their homes, businesses, and even their hearts to an ex-con. I still had trouble accepting that they offered all this with no strings. But maybe I was getting there.