Chapter Sixteen
Cody
“Talk about opposites attract.” Lorcan dried his hair with a towel.
Despite the ride from Carter and Byron, we’d wound up pretty drenched. The skies opened up a good hundred yards from the car, and even running hadn’t saved us from the worst.
Then we’d shared the back seat with three tethered—and very wet—dogs.
I sniffed my coat as I hung it in the front hall closet. Not too bad. “Yes, definitely opposites. They met the day Carter moved into this building. He tripped over Sheffield and Rosebud. And then fell for Byron.” I held out my hand. “Want me to take your coat?”
As soon as we’d been inside, I’d grabbed a towel for him. He’d looked so miserable, I’d taken pity on him.
He removed his coat. “I should probably see if anything in the backpack got wet. I seem to recall the thing was, at some point, waterproof.”
I chuckled as he handed over the coat. “Yeah, that was some downpour.”
“Am I supposed to say I’m happy it’s not snowing?”
“Well, that depends if you have snow tires and if you get a paid day off work if there’s too much white stuff on the ground.”
“No to both.”
“Then be glad it’s just rain.”
“Fair enough.”
“I’ve got snow tires for my SUV. The ranch is up in the mountains, so often they get more snow. I’ll be able to get out there—whether or not the clients can is a whole other thing.”
“I need to get snow tires.” He winced.
“That’s a huge expense.”
“Yeah, I know. In a couple of paychecks, I should be able to swing something. Hopefully.”
He didn’t appear optimistic.
“I think I need to throw my clothes into the dryer.” I tugged on my wet jeans.
“Me too. Or at least hang them somewhere.”
“Oh, you naked? Yes, please.”
He arched an eyebrow. Then smiled. “How many years?”
I was in the middle of yanking off my sock. “Years?”
“Between Byron and Carter?”
“About fifteen? Byron’s an accountant and, believe it or not, Carter’s a successful fantasy writer. Who’s got a book being made into a streaming series right now.”
Lorcan’s mouth opened. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I chuckled. “He got started early and found the right agent, right publisher, and the right audience in that order.”
“Wow.”
“I have all his books if you want to read them. He’s so freaking talented. And I can say I knew him when—even though he was a couple of years ahead of me in school.”
“I don’t know anyone who’s done anything that impressive.”
I unbuttoned my jeans, pulled down the fly, and was about to yank them down. “Oh crap.”
Lorcan cocked his head.
I grabbed my phone and wallet from my back pockets.
“Oh.” He replicated my actions. “Although this phone is far less valuable.”
“Is that how Riley and Arnav get in touch with you?”
Slowly Lorcan nodded. Clearly, though, he was surprised at me raising the notion of his boss and his lawyer.
Does he think I don’t pay attention? “Well, then I’d say that’s a very valuable phone.” I put my stuff on the counter, along with my keys. Then I yanked down my pants and underwear.
“Right. Like I’m supposed to think straight when you’re buck-ass naked.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m still wearing my shirt. It didn’t get soaked.” Still, I liked the heat in his gaze. So I yanked the shirt off as well.
My previously flaccid cock stirred.
Lorcan licked his lips.
“Fair’s fair.” I pointed to his clothes.
“I have to sit down to take my socks off. An old guy thing. Maybe Byron could relate.” He headed toward the kitchen bar. “Or at least I need to hold myself steady.”
“I can help, you know.”
He growled. “I can take my fucking socks off.”
“Touchy.” I said the word with a smile because although he appeared annoyed, I didn’t sense menace. Just exasperation.
He leaned against the bar and yanked his socks off—one after the other.
I scooped them up, along with all my clothes. “Follow me.” I led him to the closet with the washer/dryer combo.
He peered inside. “You think you could fit in there?”
“Huh?” Then yesterday’s conversation came back to me. “If you needed a break from me? Yeah, I think I could.” I pretended to measure myself against the space. “I could definitely stand and scroll through my phone.”
“Good God.” He grazed his knuckles across my biceps. “You’re just young enough to get away with that.”
I grasped his hand, squeezing tight. “Age isn’t an issue for me, okay? Carter doesn’t give a shit that he’s in his late twenties and Byron’s in his early forties.”
“I’m double your age, Cody. That’s a lot more than fifteen years.”
“If it doesn’t matter to me, then why should it matter to you?”
“Because people might talk. Say that I’m taking advantage of you. That I’m robbing the cradle. That I’m not a good man.” He said that with pure anguish—far more than just exasperation.
I sighed. “First, I don’t give a shit what people think.
Honestly. I’m a good psychologist and that’s all that matters.
I’m a kid who had to grow up fast because of his bigoted family.
I’m someone who wants to give back. To pay forward all the help I got.
You were found not guilty, Lorcan. So, if people think something other than that, it’s on them.
Not on me and certainly not on you. Am I clear? ”
Slowly, he nodded.
“Let’s get you out of these wet clothes. We could have a bath. I’d suggest a shower, but I’m not sure I could keep my hands off of you.”
“But you can in the bathtub?”
I considered. “No, probably not. I see all that chest hair and my brain migrates to my cock and says yes, that please.”
He laughed. “I’ll take a risk with the bath.”
Which we did.
And, somehow, managed to give each other hand jobs.
When we were out and dry, I slipped into my pajamas.
Lorcan stared. “Cody, it’s just after noon.”
“It’s a cold and rainy day. We don’t have to be anywhere. You brought your pajamas too, right?” He’d said something about never needing them before his apartment but, even with a ton of blankets, he found himself getting cold.
I hadn’t asked why he didn’t just turn up the heat.
Heat cost money. Secondhand pajamas were not nearly as expensive, and they’d last for a long time.
“Plus, I saw them and I think they’re adorable.”
He rolled his eyes. “They’re reindeers.”
“Perfect for the season.” I gestured for him to go grab them out of his backpack. “We need to talk about decorating my place. I have a box of holiday décor in my storage locker. Aunt Genessa started a collection for me almost a decade ago.”
“Wow.” He paused with his pajamas half in and half out of his bag.
I moved to him. “What?”
“We—” He swallowed. “We had really nice Christmas stuff. Twenty-five years’ worth of memories in several boxes. All sold at an auction for mere dollars.”
“You really didn’t get to keep anything?”
He shook his head. “Just a few mementos. So many people lost money because of Stephen. I couldn’t justify trying to keep things that might, I don’t know—” He flapped his hand.
“I know it didn’t make any difference, not really.
But I felt like I didn’t deserve nice things.
Not when families lost their deposits. When creditors were facing bankruptcy because of the bills we hadn’t paid.
Plus, I didn’t know where I was going to end up.
If I went to prison, I wouldn’t have money to store stuff anyway. ”
My heart ached for him. For the man who’d nearly broken because of a selfish and greedy ex-husband.
I took the backpack from him. I removed the pajamas and handed them to him. “When you’re dressed, I have a treat for you.”
“Yeah?” Certainly very little enthusiasm.
“Well, yeah.” I stood straighter. “You’re going to like this treat.” Even as I said the words, though, I wasn’t convinced. Still, I conveyed the confidence I didn’t feel inside.
“Okay.” He pointed to the spare bedroom.
I nodded, trying not to feel hurt that he was putting a bit of distance between us. As he headed over, though, I asked, “Food?”
Breakfast had been several hours ago.
Slowly, he turned. “I’m not really hungry. That milkshake was filling.” Then he spun back and left the room.
The milkshake he’d barely had five sips of. He’d coaxed me into drinking most of it and, as I’d anticipated, the thing had been amazing.
Since I wasn’t hungry either, I padded into my bedroom. I pulled the box with all the dog paraphernalia off the shelf and moved it to my bed.
First, I pulled out his collar and placed it prominently. Then I laid out paws, ears, a tail, the squeaky squirrel, and a stuffie.
Then I waited.
And waited.
Part of me worried that he’d changed his mind. That he’d gotten dressed and was going to leave. Have more faith in him. Have more faith in yourself. Not everyone walks out. The irony was that I’d been the one to walk out of my family’s home. But, in every way that counted, they’d abandoned me.
Lorcan knocked on the open door, then slowly entered the room.
As I hoped, his eyes lit when he saw the various things I’d laid on the bed.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “I told you that I suspected you’d have triggers. I can be as careful as possible, but I couldn’t have predicted that a discussion about Christmas decorations would hurt you so much.”
“That’s on me.” He rubbed his sternum. His flannel reindeer pajamas bunched. “I have to learn to not be so sensitive.”
“Lorcan.” I held out my hand, beckoning him over. “Come here, Pumpkin.”
He blinked.
Oh. Have I misjudged? Timing was always tough.
“I want to be your Pumpkin.” He smiled tremulously.
I held out the ears. “Let’s see if they fit.”
He came over and sat gingerly next to me.
With care, I put the ears on his head. Then I slid the paws on his hands.
The butt plug tail would wait for another day.
I held out the squeaky toy.
He opened his mouth.
I placed it inside.
He chomped.
I laughed.
After a couple of squeaks, he got on the bed—on all fours.
I feathered my hand through his hair and scratched his chin. “Do you want to play?” I fingered the collar.
He nodded.
I put it on him.
We roughhoused for a few minutes. I tried to take the squeaky toy while he evaded me. We each took a knotted end of the rope and pulled.
I tried not to wince when he used his mouth. Seriously, I couldn’t imagine how bad that tasted.
His happy eyes assured me he didn’t care one bit.
Eventually, though, he started to flag.
I feathered his hair again. “Are you tired?”
He nodded.
“Okay. I have a bit of work to do on my laptop. Do you want to curl beside me while I work?”
He nodded.
“I just have to ask you not to look at the screen.”
“I would never.”
“I figured. I don’t use patient names, but I still—”
He nodded. “I get it. Truly, Cody, I do. I would never do that.”
“Okay. Why don’t you curl up while I get a fuzzy blanket for you?” As he did that, I headed into the main room. I grabbed my laptop off the charger as well as my phone and a blanket.
When I returned, he was curled into a ball on his side of the bed.
I placed the blanket on him.
He closed his eyes and had a serene smile on his face.
I positioned myself next to him and drew him close. Once I’d signed in using the two-factor authentication, I put my phone on the nightstand.
By the time I opened the first file, Lorcan was snoring lightly.
We’ll get through this. I know we will.
Perhaps misplaced optimism—but a guy could dream.