The Sweetheart (Twisted Boys #1)

Chapter 1

Nolan hadn’t stopped tracking the dark-haired boy from the moment he’d entered the club almost two hours ago.

He’d initially dismissed him as being too young, but there was something compelling about him that dragged Nolan’s eyes back again and again.

He’d finally given in and stared his fill, occasionally pulling from the beer in his hand while he tried to figure out what it was about the guy that had both him and his dick taking notice.

He was attractive in an obvious way. Dark wavy hair, parted in the centre, fell just past his cheekbones, paired with a strong, angular jaw.

He might have been taller than his friend, but he pulled his shoulders down like he was trying to hide behind the other guy, trying to draw the least amount of attention to himself.

It wasn’t working. Nolan glanced around the crowded club and saw several sets of eyes fixated on the pair as they sat in the middle of a small group of friends while others lingered around them.

The friend, blond and dressed in a tight, white mesh top and baggy white jeans designed specifically to draw attention, was clearly the life of the party.

His face was lit with amusement and whatever he was saying had his circle laughing gleefully.

Except for the black-haired boy. He looked around surreptitiously, sipping from his drink, not at all paying attention to what the blond was doing.

The two leaned against each other in a way that read close but not necessarily romantically so.

But it wasn’t just his looks that were dragging Nolan’s attention to him.

He seemed on edge, like he would prefer to be anywhere but there, and that nervous energy triggered Nolan’s curiosity.

“They’re so pretty, aren’t they, Uncle Nolan?”

Yes, Nolan thought automatically, then cut his gaze to the girl bouncing brightly on his brother’s lap, noticing, only then, that she was talking about the line of drag queens that had taken the stage.

Katie, who preferred to be known only as Girl when she was in her little headspace, was not his niece but his cradle-robbing older brother’s polyamorous girlfriend; barely twenty-three with a Daddy kink and a sex drive that took three men’s concerted efforts to satisfy.

Chris had been with her for well over a year, the last of the three boyfriends she’d accumulated.

Her other two boyfriends, Marcus and Lucas, sat beside them on the curved bench grinning at her excitement.

Between finishing her masters and the volunteer hours she put in advocating for Climate Forward, a local non-profit, Katie didn’t get out much.

“So pretty,” Chris said indulgently, stroking her back across the high-cut lace bodysuit she wore.

“Ooh, Daddy, can I meet them after?” she asked breathlessly, clapping her hands and leaning over the balustrade separating their elevated VIP platform from everyone else.

Nolan was immediately distracted by the object of his own attention standing and making his way to the bar.

Without making the conscious decision to do so, Nolan stood and followed, watching as his boy reached the bar and the man on his right turned to take notice of him.

Didn’t matter, though, because Nolan slid between them as if he didn’t exist, just as dark eyes turned to take him in, widening momentarily in surprise before settling on something between wariness and curiosity.

From far away, Nolan hadn’t been able to see his eyes in the dark of the club and under the curtains of his hair, but close up, they were dark pools, impossible to determine where the pupil ended and his iris began.

Nolan didn’t really understand about pheromones, but whatever it was this boy was giving off coiled deep in his gut, making him feel territorial, like he was ten seconds from dragging him into a cave and marking him as Nolan’s.

“Buy you a drink?” he asked quietly in the overly loud club. The boy hesitated and then gave the slightest nod. Nolan leaned forward just as Lourdes, the bartender, made eye contact, giving Nolan an upward nod to tell him that she’d be right over.

“What are you drinking?” he asked the boy, his eyes taking in every feature: the three lines creased between his eyebrows, his tan cheeks and straight nose. The brush of white glitter didn’t seem like his vibe, but it charmed Nolan nonetheless.

“Vodka soda.” His voice was soft, quiet and low like he wasn’t used to using it.

If Nolan’s attention hadn’t been so acute, he might have missed his answer.

Regardless, he took the opportunity to lean closer.

The boy drew back but not like he was trying to get away, just enough so he could continue to search Nolan’s face, like he was trying to find the answer to a question that hadn’t been asked.

“Do I need to check your I.D.?” Nolan joked, the corner of his mouth quirking up in a smile.

He knew the kid had to be over nineteen.

He and Chris were technically co-owners, but the club was the baby of their cousins, Jack and Kingston, and they did not fuck around with the rules.

Since all of the bouncers at the door were hand-picked by them, he knew he didn’t have to worry about that.

“Should you be offering to buy me a drink if you’re not sure I’m legal age?

I mean, I’m assuming you’re not offering just to be friendly.

” The boy’s chin tilted upward, but his gaze was more curious than accusatory.

Nolan flinched. He was pretty sure he’d just been called a creepy old man, which he kind of felt like right at that moment.

“Fair point,” he conceded but continued to stare expectantly at the younger man until he caved.

“I’m twenty-four,” he mumbled, looking away. Nolan couldn’t help but feel relieved. He was probably still going to have to stop calling his brother a cradle-robber though. Lourdes slid a fresh bottle of beer his way, looking expectantly at his companion.

“Vodka soda,” Nolan answered.

“Two, please,” a voice interrupted as Nolan was jostled from the side. He looked over and saw the blond grinning up at him flirtatiously, draping an arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Did I miss introductions?”

“Nope,” Nolan answered, amused.

“Liam. This is Kai.”

Kai. Nolan tested out the name. He looked like a Kai.

A little broody. A little bratty. Brats weren’t really Nolan’s thing, but it wasn’t a hard limit.

He’d been bitten before by brats who were less interested in a power exchange and more in a monetary one.

Good behaviour could be purchased with expensive gifts rather than disciplinary action.

Not that brats were the only ones that had shown more interest in his money than in him.

“Nolan.” He extended a lazy hand that Liam accepted with a smirk.

When Nolan offered it to Kai, he hesitated, looking down before sliding his into it.

That first touch had the beast inside Nolan biting back a growl.

Kai’s hand was smaller than his, firm and strong, his skin not as soft as Nolan would have imagined but not as rough as his own.

Now that Kai’s hand was in his, Nolan didn’t want to let it go.

He imagined it tangling in his hair, sliding down his chest, wrapping around his cock.

Kai didn’t pull away, and a fresh wave of lust coursed through Nolan at the interest that flared in the younger man’s eyes.

Lourdes slid two glasses across to them, and Kai jerked his hand away, blushing at the amused look Liam passed between the two of them.

“Put the boys on my tab tonight,” Nolan said quietly to Lourdes, leaning towards her.

“You got it, boss.”

“Thanks, man.” Liam beamed at him.

“Do I need to tell you to behave?” Nolan asked him, assessing him. Liam’s smile turned sly. Nolan’s eyes narrowed. There was something about this kid that told Nolan to keep his guard up.

“Do you want to make me?” Liam retorted, his eyes fixed on Nolan’s mouth. Kai turned a hard stare on Liam, who took it as a sign to disappear with his drink. Nolan loved knowing he wasn’t the only one feeling territorial.

“You don’t have anything to worry about.

You’ve had my undivided attention all night.

” Fresh colour bloomed across Kai’s face, and Nolan found he really liked making him blush.

“There’s a better view of the stage from up there.

” Nolan nodded towards the VIP section. He glanced up and caught his brother smirking back at him.

Kai shrugged, giving him a single nod. Nolan laced his fingers through Kai’s, leading them back to his family.

Katie’s eyes widened at their approach; she pressed back against her Daddy, her little ass wagging in his lap like an anxious puppy.

Nolan made quick introductions while Kai and Katie eyed each other curiously.

Nolan lounged against the seat, propping his arm along the back in silent invitation.

Kai took it, settling against him. Nolan could feel the tension in his body even as he tried to look relaxed. Kai chugged half of his drink.

“This your first time here?” Nolan asked. Kai nodded and drank some more, looking around nervously.

“You want to get out of here?” Kai asked.

“You in a rush to get somewhere?” Nolan quirked an eyebrow and a corner of his mouth up, amused. “Sit with me. I want to get to know you better.”

Kai turned towards him, leaning in to murmur, “I wanna get to know you better too.” His hand dropped to Nolan’s thigh, stroking towards his crotch. Nolan’s eyebrows shot upwards, and he grasped the boy’s wrist, lifting it away from him before he could make contact with his cock.

“You ask permission before you touch me,” Nolan told him quietly, hoping the lust in his eyes and the sexual tension coursing between them would soften the reprimand. Apparently it didn’t. Kai reared back like he’d been slapped. He twisted his wrist out of Nolan’s grip, jumping to his feet.

“I need another drink.”

Nolan got to his own feet, disappointment compressing his mouth into a thin line as he watched Kai push through the crowd.

Nolan tracked Kai as he made his way back to Liam, grabbing his arm and aggressively tearing him away from the dude he was wrapped up in.

Liam glanced up, confused, towards where Nolan stood, forearms braced on the balustrade, before turning back to Kai.

Whatever he said to Kai had his face clouding over in frustration.

He grabbed at his backpack, but Liam tore it from his hands, casting one last stubborn glance at Nolan before turning back to the guy he’d been making out with.

Kai stood there for a full minute, fuming silently, before turning on his heel and making his way to the bar.

Nolan watched him pound back several shots in a row before picking up a fresh vodka soda, keeping his back to Nolan and Liam.

Nolan sighed and sat back down, brooding.

His first instinct had been right. Kai was a kid.

Nolan had been intrigued by the interest that eluded him for so long, but he was too damned old for this bullshit.

Whatever Kai had going on was none of his business. He needed to leave him alone.