Chapter 13
Ryder woke up with his entire body suffused with heat, and he sighed, humming softly.
What a lovely dream.
He’d been making love with Mister Charlie, and he’d felt sensual and sexual, aroused and arousing.
It had been magical.
Or maybe he wasn’t awake after all. There was a soft sigh beside him and, as he turned to look, he felt the arm tucked over his waist.
It was warm, perfect somehow, and he’d be damned if he did anything to wake Mister Charlie. Not now.
Not with everything so warm and right for a second.
“Good morning,” Mister Charlie whispered without moving a muscle, the words just as warm and gentle as he felt.
“Mornin’. You sleep good?” Because he’d slept like a fucking dream.
“I don’t think I’ve slept as well in quite some time.” Charles leaned closer and kissed his forehead. “I am very comfortable.”
“I’m glad.” He searched Charles’s eyes. “I thought it was a dream, for a minute.”
Charles’s gaze was steady in return. “It certainly felt like one, didn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.” A good one too. His balls were still happy.
Charles sat up on one elbow, looking right into his eyes. “We’re just people, remember.”
Okay, what did that mean?
Were they supposed to be…aliens? Monsters? Supreme beings?
“Yes, sir.”
Charles smiled gently. “What I mean is that you’re not working right now, so…” That last word had a strange emphasis, like he was supposed to know what came next.
“I don’t usually—No, I’ve never once woke up with someone I worked for before. I won’t make you sorry, though.”
“I’m not sorry. I’m happy. This is good. I believe we’ve made the right decision. I just want to know what you calling me ‘sir’ means. Right now. In bed. Since you’re not working.” Charles was still smiling at him and tugged at a lock of his hair. “I need to know who you are, Ryder.”
“I—” Oh. Oh, God. He didn’t even think about that sort of thing anymore. At all.
No matter what.
“I promise I’m not—” Bad.
“I don’t care what you’re not.” Charles cupped his cheek, the smile turning into something warm but more serious. “I want to know what you need. I’m afraid I don’t have experience in this area.”
“I don’t know what to say.” He took a deep breath, telling himself that he’d done nothing to be ashamed of. “I’m not into things like Roper is. I tried, and I’m not that. I just want to make sure you’re well taken care of.”
“Ah, yes. I remember what you told me, Roper likes trouble.” Charles spoke slowly and his tone was gentle.
Curious and also caring. “I like the way you take care of me. I never thought of myself as a man who needed taking care of, but—” Charles’s look turned thoughtful, his focus distant. “I like how you make me feel.”
“I like how I make you feel, as well. It’s necessary.” And Ryder meant it. It felt amazing, to make things right.
“Necessary. I see.” Those eyes snapped right back to his. “And you want me? You want this—with me?”
“Yes, sir.” No question. He was happy with Mister Charlie, and he wanted this position in Charles’s life.
That earned him a kiss. It was slow and heavy, and when Charles pulled away his look was serious. “We have a problem, Ryder.”
“Okay. I’ll fix it. Just tell me.”
“This is something I suppose you can fix, if you’re willing.” Charles shifted and sighed. He seemed to be taking a second to think. “I can’t pay you and also have you in my bed. So, you’re going to have to let me take care of you too.”
“I—Can you do that? I mean, obviously you can, like with money, but I mean, are you okay to do that?” He had a little savings, and if Charles decided to break up with him, he hadn’t had a job when he’d gotten his last one…
“Aren’t you kind?” Charles kissed him again, just quickly. “I am fine, thank you. I think I can figure this out. Other than disengaging with your employer and making new sleeping arrangements, I don’t suppose much needs to change. And I have friends who I can, well, whom I can consult.”
“I’m not trying to be a problem. I swear to you. I enjoy being with you, being your…good and safe place.” He had lots of thoughts about the things Roper did, about the things that he’d tried, and he was bad at them.
“If you were a problem, you’d be a good problem to have.
” Charles settled and pulled him close again, and a long, strong arm curled around his back.
“I know I’m asking a lot for you to give up your income to be with me.
It’s important to me that you have everything you need.
I don’t want you to worry about your future, no matter what happens between us.
I’ll make you whatever deal you need up-front. I’m a fair man, I promise you.”
“I guess that’s something we need to chat about, sure, but I’m not—I mean, it hasn’t been a job-job for a while now. Maybe since New York.” What this was, was more like a calling, like a bigger thing than a man could pay for.
Charles nodded. “I know just what you mean. I just don’t want to get out of bed until we’re on the same page. I want to walk out of this hotel room and know where we stand.”
“I don’t work for you. I quit. I’m here because I want to be.” That was clear, right? He’d find himself a job he could do from Charles’s.
“You’re the first person in my employ to ever quit, you know.” Charles’s chuckle rumbled in his chest, vibrating against his cheek.
“Well, I’d tell you this was the first job I ever quit, but that would be a lie.” He hadn’t lasted two weeks at the Dairy Queen.
“Goodness! If I’d known your track record I never would have hired you in the first place.” Charles kissed his scalp and nuzzled his hair. “I think you should make up for your shortcomings by starting a nice hot shower for us.”
“Mmm…” Us. He liked that idea. He liked it a lot. “Yes, sir. I’m happy to.”
He’d packed the shampoo and soap that Mister Charlie liked, so he knew that the shower would be good.
“Thank you. Then I will take you out to breakfast, and we can decide what to do with our day. Did you have thoughts before the show tonight? Do you want to check in with Roper?”
“I do. I didn’t have a drink with him last night, so hopefully he’ll want to hang out for a minute today.”
“He’s welcome to join us, or I can leave you to spend some time with him on your own. Whatever you want.” Charles sat them up and kissed his shoulder. “Go on. Shower, cowboy.”
“Shower, shower, la la la.” He winked at Charles and stretched up tall, wiggling side-to-side and loosening his spine.
“Showing off for me, are you? I’m not going to complain.” Charles wasn’t just looking, he was watching.
“I was stretching, but you can watch all you want.” He winked back over his shoulder. “Hot shower, coming up.”
“I like watching.” Charles slid out of bed after him and stretched as well, then followed after him slowly.
He made sure the soap and shampoo were out and got the water heating. Then he grabbed down the towels, then the bath mat.
Charles leaned in the doorway and just watched. “You’re graceful. Has anyone ever told you that? You move…almost like a dancer.”
“Me? I mean, not really. I did ride with balance more than strength, so maybe that’s it?” Ryder just tried to keep his feet.
“Maybe. Strength I can see. Balance too. Why is only the hair on your head white?” Charles reached out and pulled the shower curtain back so he could step in.
“It happened with our pappy the same way. We were teenagers when it started to turn, believe it or not.” He thought it was kind of cool, to be honest.
“It looks great on you. I like it very much. Genetics are fascinating, aren’t they?” Charles stepped in behind him, and the shower suddenly felt small.
“Uh-huh…” Oh, this was new.
Wonderful.
He leaned right in.
“Mm, isn’t that hot water nice?” Charles caught him with one arm and kissed him while the hot water rained down on his shoulders. It was romantic and exciting, and over much too quickly.
Charles pushed him under the spray and wet his hair, then grabbed the shampoo and massaged it into his scalp while humming something that seemed familiar. He wondered if Charles ever sang in the shower.
His eyelids went heavy as Charles rubbed his scalp, fingertips digging in hard.
Charles just kept humming, using soapy fingers as he moved lower for a neck and shoulder rub. “You are…you have become quite important to me, cowboy. I want you to know that.”
“I’m going to take good care of you. I swear to God.” Hopefully that was going to be enough.
“I know. You already do, cowboy.” Charles titled his head back and the water rained down, washing all the soap from his hair.
Lord, that felt so fine. His body responded—no hesitation, no way to hide it.
Charles squeezed out some body wash from the pumps on the wall and lathered him up—chest and abs, ass, under his balls and down the length of his prick, hands gentle but teasing. “Here I am trying to clean you up, and you’re getting dirty again.”
“All your fault.” Mister Charlie had some amazing hands on him, and they made Ryder a little stupid.
“Well, that’s going to have to wait.” Charles leaned close to his ear. “Unless you want to take care of it and show me.” Charles’s tongue slid along his jaw, and Charles kissed him before he could answer.
He whimpered, opening up even as he reached down for his heavy prick. He knew how to get himself off in short order. He was, in fact, a master of that.
But their kiss was way hotter than most of what was in his imagination. It was real.
As the kiss ended, Charles leaned back in the shower, putting enough space between them to watch him.
His cheeks heated, but Ryder reckoned if he couldn’t do this in front of his lover, he wasn’t ready to have a lover.
He was so ready to have a lover.
Charles gave him a deep nod and a smile. “You’re beautiful; do you feel beautiful? You should.”
“I feel revved up and a little nervous.” Beautiful? He didn’t see that, but he thought he wasn’t half bad.
“No need to be nervous, cowboy. Unless you don’t want to, then you can just say so, it’s okay.”