Chapter 19
T he next morning, Nathan groaned when his alarm went off, slapping it in irritation. He rolled out of bed, did his usual morning ritual, and got dressed. Troy was waiting for him by his car, as always. On the way to school, Nathan explained what had happened with Alan the previous night. He left out the sex portion of the evening, but Troy kept looking over at him, a contemplative look on his face. Finally, Nathan asked, “What? Why do you keep looking at me like that?”
Troy stopped at a red light, turned slightly in his seat, and said, “You had sex last night, didn’t you?”
“What?” Nathan squawked.
“There’s a certain… glow about you. Come on, spill. Did you and Erik get nasty together or what?”
“Jesus, Troy!” Nathan groaned and slouched into the seat.
“You did! I knew it! Come on, was it good? Did he make it good for you? He better have, or I’ll kick his ass.”
Nathan covered his face with both hands and shook his head. Heat flooded his face, and he knew he had to be as red as a tomato. He didn’t know how Troy could have even guessed. There were no new hickies, a fact Nathan confirmed this morning in the mirror.
Troy nudged him. “Come on, bro, spill.”
Sighing, Nathan knew if he didn’t at least tell Troy something, he’d never leave Nathan alone. “Yes, we did, and yes, he did.” Troy whooped and took off from the streetlight like a bat out of hell. Nathan grabbed at the dashboard. “Slow down before you kill us both, Troy!”
“Finally lost the V-card! About time. I thought for sure you’d be an old man living in one of those facilities before you got lucky.” Troy slowed down the car, finally. “Well, how did it happen?”
“I am not going into details!” Nathan protested, shaking his head.
“Did you top or did he? He did, I bet. You strike me more as a bottom.”
“Oh my God, Troy!”
“What? There’s nothing wrong with being a bottom.”
Nathan sighed. “You just don’t stop.”
“Nope, but you still love me,” Troy bragged, grinning widely at Nathan. When they pulled into the campus parking lot, Troy’s smile faded, and he gave Nathan a serious look. “I’m happy for you, Nate. Not because you lost your V-card, but because I haven’t seen you this happy since before your parents died.”
Nathan squirmed in his seat, slightly uncomfortable with the topic. They didn’t hide things from each other, and they talked about serious shit whenever the occasion rose. Especially the whole seeing ghosts thing. His discomfort came more from still feeling guilty that he was moving on from the life he’d lived for the last six years. “Thanks, Troy,” he murmured.
Troy reached out and yanked him into a backslapping hug. “It’s not a bad thing to be happy, Nate. I know you still blame yourself for what happened to your parents, but they wouldn’t want you to stop living life because they’re gone. They loved you.”
“I know,” Nathan whispered, tightening his hold on Troy for a moment. Somehow, Troy always knew what he was thinking. Maybe that came from knowing each other for so long. They broke apart, and Nathan gave Troy a wobbly smile. “You know I love you, right?”
“Of course. Who doesn’t?” Troy blew across his fingernails and rubbed them on his shirt, a teasing glint in his eyes. They both laughed before exiting Troy’s car.
“Did you talk to your friend in administration yet?”
“No,” Troy said. “She didn’t answer my texts. I figured I’d talk to her this morning before class.”
Nathan grimaced. “Okay. If you find anything out, let me know.”
“You know it,” Troy said. They went their separate ways, Nathan heading for his first class while Troy went toward the main office.
The day passed pretty much as usual. He met with Troy for lunch, grabbing something small from the cafeteria. Unless it rained, they normally sat outside. Nathan dropped onto the stone bench at the table where Troy sat. He started unwrapping his sandwich and asked, “Did you find out anything about those three classmates?”
“It’s going to take a little time. Since we don’t have last names, Megan’s going to compare the names on the roster for Alan’s classes for that year with the names I gave her. She should have something by the end of the day.”
Before taking a bite of his sandwich, Nathan said, “Tell her I appreciate it, and if there’s anything I can do for her, let me know.”
“She’s just doing me a favor.”
They spent the rest of their lunch chatting about the music store and Troy’s latest attempt to ask out the server at the café. It felt like the first normal lunch they’d had in a long time. Nathan had a smile on his face on his way to his next class. Even Professor Johns didn’t get to him despite many attempts during the hour they were with the guy.
Alan’s accident wasn’t far from his mind at any point. Nathan needed to find out who the hell had killed Alan and why. Not only to help him move on but also because it meant Erik could be in danger if it was one of his employees.
After classes were over, Troy drove Nathan to work, dropping him off at the door. “Call me if Erik can’t pick you up.”
Rolling his eyes, Nathan replied, “Yes, Dad.”
“I’m serious, Nate.”
“Yeah, yeah. He said he was coming. I don’t see why he wouldn’t.” Nathan waved Troy away and entered the store. Quinn greeted him and Nathan went into the back to drop his bag and clock in. He was glad Stuart wasn’t there. He really didn’t want the man pissing on his good mood.
“Hey, Quinn,” Nathan said. “How’s it going?”
“Good. You look different.” Quinn frowned. “Did you cut your hair or something?”
Nathan tried to hide the blush he knew colored his cheeks. What the hell? Did he have, like, a big flashing sign over his head about having had sex? “Nope. Same as always.”
“You’re wearing something new?”
He shook his head while looking over the custom orders. Quinn would have taken care of the ones which were typical, but he always left the more unique ones for Nathan. Sometimes they had to go outside their usual manufacturer to get in some of the requested albums. “Nope, pretty sure you’ve seen me in this shirt and jeans a dozen times.”
A woman came to the counter with a couple of CDs and a vinyl album and distracted Quinn for a bit. Once she’d paid and left, he turned back to Nathan. “So, you going to tell me how things are going with Mr. Tall, Dark, and Sexy?”
The blush had faded but came back with a vengeance. Quinn caught it this time. “Dude, really?”
“What?”
“You slept with him, didn’t you?”
“Oh my God. You’re as bad as Troy!” Nathan growled, glaring at Quinn.
Quinn grinned and shrugged one broad shoulder. “Sorry, but I’ve known you for over two years and to see you finally got laid is like catching Bigfoot. Congrats, dude.” He clapped one hand on Nathan’s back. “But seriously, I think I know what’s different.” Quinn paused for a second. “You look happy. You don’t have the usual dark aura to you today.”
Nathan didn’t know how to respond to Quinn. Troy had said the same thing a few hours before. He’d even seen it in the mirror in Erik’s bathroom last night. Quinn put his hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “I’m glad to see you finally enjoying something in your life, Nate. I’ve never met someone who was always so damn sad all the time.”
Surprised, Nathan turned his head toward Quinn. He hadn’t realized the careless frat boy he worked with had more to him than Nathan thought. “Thanks,” he murmured.
The moment passed and the two of them spent the rest of the shift joking around and talking like they normally did. Nathan didn’t even notice the passage of time until Quinn was ready to clock out at closing time.
Erik entered the store as Quinn was on his way out. “Evening, Quinn,” he said. “Just came to take Nathan to get something to eat after the store closes.”
Nathan was too far away to hear whatever Quinn whispered to Erik, but not far enough to miss Erik giving Quinn a brief nod and a pat on the shoulder. “Have a good night, Quinn.”
“What was that?” Nathan asked.
“What was what?” Erik replied.
“Just now. What did Quinn say to you?”
Erik gave him a confused look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Uh huh.”
Instead of acknowledging Nathan’s disbelief, Erik walked around the counter and tugged him into a hug. He captured Nathan’s mouth with his, giving him a mind-blowing kiss. He was panting by the time Erik released him and had completely forgotten whatever they’d been talking about. “That’s not always going to work, ya know?” Nathan said breathlessly.
Erik grinned and winked at him. “Hurry and close out the register. I want to get something in your stomach before dropping you at your place.”
Nathan nodded and punched a couple of keys to print out the day’s receipts. Erik didn’t say anything else, just leaned against the counter while looking out over the store. Nathan got the register closed and the deposit ready for the night, and they were out the door ten minutes later. Erik drove him to drop the deposit, then they headed to the diner for a quick bite to eat.
After dinner, Erik drove him back to his apartment as promised. The short time with Erik hadn’t been long enough and Nathan just wanted to say to hell with studying and beg Erik to take him home. But he knew he couldn’t, or he’d fail his exams for sure. Nathan went to open the door, but Erik grabbed his hand, stopping him. “Don’t I get a good night kiss?” Erik asked.
Blushing, Nathan leaned over and popped a quick kiss on Erik’s lips. Before he could move away, Erik’s hand snaked around the back of his neck and yanked him into a deep kiss. A groan slipped free from Nathan, and he carded his fingers through Erik’s dark locks while his tongue battled with Erik’s. Abruptly, Erik pulled Nathan over the center console and onto his lap. Nathan felt Erik’s obvious desire beneath his ass and his cock throbbed in memory of the previous evening.
“Erik,” Nathan rasped, moaning when Erik nipped at his chin.
Nathan shuddered when Erik slid both hands under his ass and repositioned him to straddle his lap. Erik thrust upward, grinding against Nathan. “You make me want to forget everything except being inside you,” Erik growled.
Pure lust spiraled through Nathan at his words. He sought Erik’s mouth blindly, running his hands along Erik’s muscular chest and over his shoulders, grabbing hold to anchor himself. Erik squeezed his ass, fingers kneading the flesh. Heat engulfed Nathan, lashing at his nerve endings. He couldn’t figure out which sensation to concentrate on first. Their breaths mingled between them, and Nathan could taste the sweetness of the soda Erik had with his meal.
When Erik sucked on Nathan’s tongue, it tugged at an invisible line straight to his cock. Nathan whined, digging his nails into Erik’s muscles, and squirmed in his lap, trying to increase the friction on his imprisoned shaft. A fine sweat broke out over both their bodies and Nathan couldn’t stop himself from licking at the salty sheen along Erik’s throat. Satisfaction spiked through Nathan when he felt Erik’s chest vibrate with a moan. He moved over Erik’s throat, along his jawline, and returned to his mouth. Erik slipped both hands under Nathan’s shirt to caress along his spine and the sensitive skin of his back.
He almost cried when Erik broke the kiss. He tried to capture Erik’s mouth again, but Erik stopped him by leaning his forehead against Nathan’s shoulder. Nathan panted, fine tremors racking his body. He’d never been so aroused and his entire being waited at a precipice, anticipating the fall over the edge.
Erik lifted his head from Nathan’s shoulder. “You need to go inside, angel, before I selfishly follow you upstairs and ravish this sexy body of yours until we both can’t move.”
Another shudder rippled through Nathan. Erik squeezed his ass once more and said, “After your exams, I’ll spend hours buried inside you, but for now, go. I’ll see you tomorrow night for dinner.”
Erik helped Nathan back over the console and Nathan opened his door. He looked back at Erik and said, “Good night.”
“Good night, angel. Sleep well.”
Nathan climbed out and closed the door. Erik waited until Nathan had opened his front door before pulling away from the curb. There was absolutely nothing in his life to have prepared him for the level of attraction he had to Erik. Every day they spent together, talked to each other, left him wanting more of the same. The want was slowly becoming a craving and a need. The closer he grew to Erik, the more frightened he became of losing him. He remembered the all-consuming grief he’d experienced after his parents died, and he knew it would be just as painful, if not more, if Erik hated him when he told him the truth.
Closing off his thoughts about everything, he settled down to study. He wasn’t entirely successful, but he studied for a couple of hours before he could no longer keep his eyes open. He stumbled to bed, falling across the mattress without changing his clothes, and passed out until his alarm went off at the usual time.
T he pattern of Erik picking him up for dinner, then taking him home to make out in the front seat until Erik practically pushed him out of the truck, repeated itself for the next two nights. The first day of exams, Nathan woke earlier than usual to shower, dress, and have his coffee. Nervousness caused his hands to shake, and Nathan tried to bolster his confidence as much as possible. He wouldn’t be able to relax until after the last exam for the day. Erik sent him a text a few minutes before he met Troy downstairs.
Erik : Good luck today, angel.
Nathan : Thanks.
Erik : Tonight, we’ll celebrate.
Nathan : I still have a couple more days to get through before celebrating.
Erik: Still cause to celebrate getting through your first ones then.
Nathan : I’ll see you after work.
Erik sent a kiss emoji, and Nathan grinned. He felt like a teenager in high school with his first boyfriend. He couldn’t wipe the smile off his face when he went down to meet Troy.
“What are you so happy about?” Troy asked.
Nathan shrugged. “Nothing.”
“Did you get lucky again last night?”
Nathan rolled his eyes. “Why does your mind automatically go toward sex?”
“Hey, I can’t help it. I’m a guy. It’s ingrained in our genes or some shit.”
He burst out laughing. “I don’t think that’s a proven fact.”
Troy gave him a wide grin. “Maybe not yet.”
Nathan realized he hadn’t told Troy about the company picnic, and he’d been so busy with school and Erik he’d forgotten to ask about Megan’s research. “Did you find out anything from Megan about those three people?”
Troy sighed. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about this suicide mission. She found their names, and I researched them myself. Richard Plant moved to Canada after he graduated from Webster, apparently for some job. Katie Winters started her own medical research foundation after her mother passed away from cancer. And Paul Grisotto dropped out during his last year at Webster and from what I could tell, he’s been living in South America. He posts to Facebook infrequently, but the last one was a couple days ago about catching some, and I quote, ‘gnarly waves.’ Pretty sure none of these people would have killed Allen.”
Nathan grimaced. So, the spotlight would still be on the three people who worked for Erik. He told Troy about the picnic and how Alan had shown up at his apartment a couple of nights before. “He is going to come with us to the picnic.”
Frustration and concern blanketed Troy’s features. “Nate, please be careful. If it is one of Erik’s people and they figure out you’re onto them, they could become violent. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’ll be fine. It’s not like they’re going to guess I know anything about it. I didn’t even know Erik when Alan died. How would they even have a clue?”
Troy still didn’t look convinced, but he dropped the subject. They reached the campus and split toward their respective classes. Nathan pushed everything out of his mind and tried to focus on just the exams. Thankfully, the day went by quickly, and Nathan breathed a sigh of relief when he handed in the last exam.
Of course, now that the first day of exams was over, all Nathan could concentrate on the rest of the day was being with Erik. He knew tonight they’d be doing more than just necking in the front seat of Erik’s truck. Anticipation and nervousness both hit the closer it drew to ten o’clock. Friday nights were normally busy and kept Nathan from focusing too much on his thoughts. Which really was a good thing, because it would have totally sucked walking around with a boner all night. Though when Erik walked into the store, Nathan’s body came alive.
“Okay, I’m out, Nate. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Quinn teased.
Nathan rolled his eyes at Quinn. “Well, that should be a pretty short list, considering you’d do just about anything.”
Quinn laughed on his way into the storeroom to grab his bag and clock out. “I’ll see ya tomorrow. I had Stuart put me on the schedule. Need the hours.”
“Sure, Quinn. Have a good night.” Nathan watched Quinn leave while Erik came toward the front desk. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey back, angel.” Erik swooped in for a quick kiss. “How was your day? How’d today’s exams go?”
Nathan shrugged while working on balancing and closing the register. “Won’t really know until next week or so. They went okay, though. I think.”
Erik moved around the desk until he stood behind Nathan, and then he wrapped his arms around him as he rested his chin on Nathan’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you.”
“We saw each other last night,” Nathan said, laughing breathlessly. He had to grab a deposit bag but didn’t want to move. Not yet. He leaned into Erik’s embrace and tilted his head back against his chest.
“That was yesterday, though,” Erik groused, turning his head to kiss Nathan’s cheek. It amused and delighted Nathan with how teddy bear-ish Erik was being.
“But I don’t have to study tonight,” Nathan said.
A sexy humming vibrated on Nathan’s back. “Don’t I know it,” Erik replied. He kissed the side of Nathan’s neck. “I can’t wait to get you all to myself.”
“I need to get this finished so we can leave.”
“Hurry,” Erik growled near his ear, right before nipping gently at the lobe.
Nathan moaned and tightened his fingers on the paper in his hand. “If you keep doing that, I’m not going to finish because I can’t think.”
Erik sighed and released Nathan. “I’ll be good… for now.”
Nathan couldn’t have wiped the grin off his face to save his life. He prepared the night deposit without further interruption, and then they were in Erik’s truck on the way to the bank. Hopping out, he dropped it into the slot and got back in.
“Are we going to the diner tonight?” Nathan asked.
Erik shook his head and entwined his fingers with Nathan’s. “No, I don’t want to share you with anyone tonight. I have dinner waiting for us at the house.”
Settling into the seat to get comfortable, Nathan turned his head to watch out the window at everything racing by. The lack of a full night’s sleep for the last several days took its toll on Nathan. He fell asleep not long into the journey to Erik’s. It wasn’t until Erik opened the passenger-side door did Nathan stir. Erik slid his arms under Nathan and lifted him from the truck, using his shoulder to close the door. “You don’t have to carry me,” Nathan murmured, his head lolling onto Erik’s shoulder so he could look at him.
“You can go back to sleep if you’re tired, angel.”
How Erik unlocked the front door and carried him inside without a single fumble baffled Nathan. But he also felt more awake now that they were in Erik’s house. “I’m good,” Nathan said. “You can put me down.”
“If only to get some food into you,” Erik replied. He carefully set Nathan on his feet and nudged him toward the table. “It’s staying warm in the oven, so we can eat pretty quickly.”
Nathan sat and watched Erik pull a couple of dishes out of the oven. He set them on the table, then grabbed a couple of soda cans from the fridge and handed one to Nathan. Erik had made lasagna and what looked like garlic rolls. “You made this?” Nathan asked, scooping a small piece of lasagna onto the plate in front of him.
“An old recipe of my grandmother’s. I bring it into the office a couple times a year and the crew loves it. I also have chocolate-covered strawberries and cheesecake for dessert.”
“You’re determined I gain weight, aren’t you?” Nathan took a bite of the lasagna and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. “Oh, man. This is even better than the lasagna my Aunt Becky makes. Don’t tell her I said that, though!”
Erik chuckled. “When do I get to meet these amazing aunts of yours?”
“You want to meet them?” Nathan asked.
“Of course, they’re your family.” Erik made it sound so simple, but Nathan hadn’t really thought about introducing them. Mostly because things had been so busy with studying, the situation with Alan, and his worry about being all wrong for Erik. He wasn’t sure he wanted to before he told Erik about his ability.
“Oh, um, I’m not sure when I’ll see them again, really. They were supposed to let Troy and me know when they were ready for us to move the furniture back. I hope they didn’t move it on their own.” Now he really was feeling awful. He’d completely forgotten to return and help them with replacing the furniture once the walls were dry. Everything with Erik and Alan had completely sidetracked him.
“I’m sure they know you’ve been busy with school and work. Maybe tomorrow after work, I can take you over there to help them out.”
“I really should call them before we do that. It’s a long drive from my job. Plus, tomorrow is my set at Java Bean.”
“I don’t mind,” Erik said, shrugging. “You let me know what you need. I’d love to go with you to hear you play, too.”
Nathan started asking about Erik’s company, the people who worked there, and how Erik got into architecture at all. He listened while Erik told him about having tons of Lego sets as a child, building anything he could make out of the little plastic blocks, and it grew into a love of the special flare some buildings had.
“Favorite building you ever designed?”
Erik didn’t even hesitate. “This house.”
The reminder of why he built it caused Nathan’s heart to hurt. He ached for the grief Erik must have endured after losing Alan, but he also felt a little jealous of this being Alan and Erik’s dream house. Of course, Erik hadn’t a clue Nathan knew why he’d designed it and Nathan had to pretend. “You designed this?”
“Every inch,” Erik responded while clearing the table and putting away the leftovers. “I knew what I wanted and exactly how it would look.”
“That’s amazing.” Nathan stood to help with the dishes, handing things off to Erik one at a time. Every single day, he sunk deeper and deeper into the mud of his lies and deceptions. He could only pray he would come out clean on the other side.
“Are you ready for dessert?” Erik asked. Nathan’s mind immediately went to the gutter, and he blushed. Erik grinned at him. “Cheesecake, you naughty boy.”
Nathan’s blush deepened and he shook his head. “No. I’m full right now.”
“Mmm, excellent answer,” Erik said, stalking the short distance to Nathan.