Chapter 15
Nolan fumed into his beer at eleven o’clock on Friday night.
He’d been stood up, and he was more pissed about the sick feeling in his stomach than he was about actually being stood up.
Something told him that Kai wouldn’t stand him up without a good reason, and he had made sure that Kai had his phone number.
Since he hadn’t called to cancel, every worst-case scenario played out in his head: Kai sick, Kai injured, Kai unable to call for help.
Nolan wanted to comb the streets looking for him but didn’t know where to start.
He had sat at the restaurant for far longer than a reasonable person would before going home, worried that Kai might go straight there if he thought Nolan wouldn’t wait for him.
This whole situation was his own damned fault.
He should have insisted on driving him home or picking him up or making sure he had a working phone.
There was no longer a rational part of his brain willing to argue that they’d known each other for barely a week.
Kai was his. His to take care of and his responsibility.
He’d never been more sure of anything, and as soon as he got his hands on his boy again, he was going to make sure that all of these problems were resolved.
He couldn’t even begin to entertain the idea that he wouldn’t have Kai back in his arms.
He glanced down at his silent phone, thinking of the text message that had come through just minutes ago. He’d called Myles on his way home, and he’d messaged to say that he was on his way over.
The doorbell rang sooner than he anticipated, but it wasn’t Myles standing on his front porch.
“I’m so sorry. I swear, I meant to be there…” Kai babbled explanations, fraught and shivering and looking like he was going to cry at any second, but hot relief rushed through Nolan’s body. He grabbed Kai by his upper arm, jerking him into his chest.
“Do you know how fucking worried I’ve been?
” Nolan demanded. It wasn’t until Kai sank into his hold that he noticed Kai was wet.
Not soaking, but damp and clammy. It was not quite mid-June, and even though they’d had some unseasonably warm days, the nights were still kind of cool.
Kai wasn’t shivering from emotions. He was shivering from cold.
Nolan pulled back, taking him in properly from head to toe, realizing his jeans were caked with mud and were wet, hard and cold.
“Jesus Christ, you’re frozen. Come on, let’s get you into the shower.” He tugged Kai forward, coming to a halt when Kai pulled back. He looked miserable and dead on his feet.
“I can’t stay. I have to be back at work at 6:30. I just didn’t want you to think that I stood you up or something.”
Nolan gripped the back of his neck, forcing him to look into his eyes.
“Baby, you’ll have to forgive me, but if you think I’m letting you out of my sight before I absolutely have to, you’ve got another thing coming. I’m driving you to work in the morning, and the only places you’re going tonight is into the shower and straight to bed.”
All of the fight seemed to drain right out of Kai, and this time when Nolan pulled him into the house, he went willingly.
“Why didn’t you call? I could have come get you,” Nolan growled, sliding the limp backpack Kai wore off his slumped shoulders.
The defeated look on Kai’s face was his undoing.
He was in real danger of tethering Kai to his bed and refusing to ever let him go.
He shoved the unproductive thought aside and stooped to take off Kai’s muddy shoes and followed them with his filthy jeans so that he wouldn’t track dirt all over the house.
He ushered him all the way upstairs, turning all five showerheads on so that the bathroom filled quickly with steam.
Kai stood there looking forlorn and bending to Nolan’s will as he stripped them both down and shoved him under the hot water.
Kai leaned heavily against Nolan’s chest, and, for a minute, Nolan savoured the feel of him and the sweet relief of knowing he was safe and back where he was supposed to be.
He could have stayed there forever, but from the way Kai was slumped against him and his closed eyes, his window for getting him horizontal was rapidly closing.
He grabbed the soap and washed him quickly, trying not to jostle him too much.
He flipped him around, then sank to his knees to scrub his legs, his soft cock and his crease.
Kai revived ever so slightly, smirking tiredly and pushing back on his hand in invitation.
Nolan leaned forward and nipped at his hip, amused by his dick’s half-hearted attempt to wake up.
“Brat.”
Desire flickered in Kai’s half-lidded eyes. Nola’s cock thickened without any consult with his better angels, but he ignored it, rinsing Kai down and pulling him out of the shower. He towelled them both off quickly and ushered Kai to bed.
“Wait, don’t go!” Kai grabbed Nolan’s wrist as he moved to flip the covers over him. The vulnerability written all over his face triggered every Daddy impulse in Nolan’s body.
“Move over,” he said gruffly.
It wasn’t cuddles Kai was looking for. He wrapped his arms around Nolan’s neck, sinking back into his pillows and pulling Nolan down on top of him, capturing his mouth in a hungry kiss.
When Nolan pulled away, Kai’s bottom lip trembled, tears leaking down from the corners of his eyes, past his temples, into his hair.
“What’s wrong?” Nolan brushed his thumbs across the damp streaks.
“Just a shitty day,” Kai mumbled.
Nolan’s heart squeezed painfully. “What can I do to make it right?”
“Fuck me. Please?”
“You’re tired. Don’t you want to get some sleep?”
Kai shook his head. “I need it. I need you.”
Nolan hesitated, but he knew there was no way he was going to say no. Kai needed comforting, and Nolan would do whatever was asked to give him that. He reached for the lube on the nightstand. Kai barely gave him time to coat his fingers before he pulled his mouth back to his.
“I’ve been thinking about this all day,” Kai breathed, his eyes rolling up as he ground down on Nolan’s hand. Nolan could feel Kai’s heart racing against his chest.
“Don’t worry, baby. Let me take care of you.
You’re so fucking beautiful like this.” And he was.
His head tilted up, eyes closed, a blissed-out expression on his face, he was gorgeous.
His eyes didn’t open again until Nolan pulled his fingers free, replacing it with the head of his cock.
Kai’s hands went to Nolan’s waist, pulling him closer as Nolan pressed until he was all the way in.
Just like the first time they were together, the pleasure was almost too much.
Nolan thrust once, and sparks shot up his spine.
Kai’s head tilted back again, mouth parted, his forehead creased in ecstasy. He looked exactly how Nolan felt.
“You feel so good. Don’t stop,” he whispered. “Please.”
Nolan rocked into his body in long, firm strokes, trailing kisses along every inch of exposed skin, Kai’s whole body going soft and pliant under him. Nolan had never seen him so at ease.
“You falling asleep on me, sweetheart?” Nolan asked, amused that Kai could be so chilled out while he was doing his best not to come apart. Kai wrapped loose arms around his neck, giving him a drowsy, wicked smile.
“Yes. Don’t stop though. I want to feel you.”
“You gonna come for me first?” Nolan’s hand floated from Kai’s hip to his half-hard cock, stroking him from root to tip. Kai shook his head, taking hold of Nolan’s wrist. “Is it okay if I don’t?”
“Just want Daddy to fuck you to sleep?” That was new to Nolan, but damn if it didn’t turn him on. Kai nodded. “Alright, close your eyes.” Nolan let go of his cock, and Kai burrowed into his neck.
“Come inside me. I want it,” Kai mumbled against him.
“Whatever you want, baby.” Nolan tried to control his pace, tried to give Kai enough time, but he was so damned close already.
Kai’s body was lax, somewhere between asleep and awake.
His eyes were closed, but the pleasure on his face never changed, his breath hitching with every thrust. With a groan, Nolan stopped fighting his orgasm, his hips picking up speed against his will. Drowsy eyes blinked up at him.
“I’m close.” Kai gave him a half-asleep kiss, his eyes drifting closed just as Nolan fell off rhythm, his orgasm crashing down on him with force.
Nolan caught his weight on his forearms, resting his forehead in the warm skin of Kai’s neck as he tried to catch his breath, the last aftershocks of his orgasm trembling through him.
Kai smelled like Nolan’s bodywash and something else he couldn’t name but was distinctly Kai.
He wasn’t really sure if that was a real thing or some trick of his brain but, to him, it was true.
He pressed his nose against him, breathing him in, enjoying the smooth feel of his skin and the gentle thump of his heart against his chest. He felt the exact moment that Kai fell asleep.
He wanted to hold him close, just to keep reminding himself that he was safe, but he knew he should let him rest. Plus, he had left his phone on the couch, and Myles must have already come by.
He sighed, easing off of Kai, who shifted in his sleep but didn’t wake up. Nolan grabbed a pair of boxers and Kai’s dirty clothes from the bathroom. If Kai had to work in the morning, he’d need something to wear, and there was no way he could go to work in the condition he’d come home in.
“Hey!” Nolan’s heart almost skittered to a halt, but it was just Myles in the corridor, holding Kai’s jeans and sneakers slightly aloft. Nolan cursed, gripping his chest as Myles grinned back at him.
“I guess there’s a story behind these? I was just about to go throw them in the washer. Thought you might be otherwise occupied.” He smirked, eyeing Nolan’s half-dressed body. Nolan rolled his eyes but snatched Kai’s gear out of Myles’ hands, making a left towards the laundry room. “What happened?”
“I don’t know, man. If he said, I didn’t hear it.
” Myles snickered and Nolan shot him a mildly irritated look.
“It’s not like that. When he showed up, I was just fucking relieved.
” Nolan wrenched the washer door open, shoving Kai’s shirt and his worn-out boxers inside, about to do the same with his jeans before remembering to check the pockets.
When he pulled out the contents, he was holding a fistful of Lego and a wadded-up wet napkin with the restaurant logo from their lunch date.
The number he’d scribbled on it was barely discernible, now just a smear of blue ink.
Well, that answered why he hadn’t called.
The knot in his gut plaguing him earlier twisted back to life.
Kai not being able to reach him when he needed to was not a situation Nolan was going to allow to happen again.
“Phone number on a napkin. Old school,” Myles said like he wasn’t sure what to make of this development.
“It’s mine. That’s why I needed you to run that errand. What did you get?” Nolan nodded to the boxes in Myles’ other hand. Myles hesitated but placed the boxes on top of the washer. Nolan could feel Myles’ eyes on him and his hackles immediately rose.
“Just say it.”
“I don’t give a fuck about an iPhone. I care about how deep you’re in already,” Myles said quietly.
“You don’t trust my judgment?” Nolan couldn’t keep the defensive note out of his voice as he slammed the washer door and stabbed at the buttons.
“You gave me a chance when I needed one. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t let Kai have that. You see the good in people and you’re generous. To a fault. I just don’t want to see you hurt again.”
Nolan’s shoulders slumped, all of the fight going out of him all at once.
He couldn’t deny that he’d made poor partner choices in the past, and he was definitely guilty of sticking around after love and respect had left the table, always hoping that it might come back.
Maybe he’d leaned on that gift love language a little heavily and been disappointed when it didn’t yield the result he was hoping for.
He’d made mistakes, but how did you get to thirty-three without making a few of those?
Nolan sighed. Myles might work for him, but he was also a friend and a confidante.
He didn’t hide much from Chris, but he hid almost nothing from Myles.
He was the one person that needed unfettered access to his life to make it run smoothly, and he’d proven, a thousand times over, that he could be trusted.
“Listen, I’m not going to say that there isn’t a reason for concern.
Kai has admitted to making some questionable choices.
We talked about it, and I’ve been clear that this can’t work if I feel like I can’t trust him.
I need that to be enough for now. Plus, I need you on my side.
Chris is already talking about background checks, especially with Kai and Katie spending time together.
” He met Myles’ gaze. His expression had turned serious as Nolan spoke, but after a moment, he gave him a sharp nod.
“Thank you.” Nolan looked down at the fistful of Lego on the counter, and his heart tightened in his chest. He knew it didn’t make sense being this attached this quick.
That tiny voice in the back of his head that kind of sounded like Chris questioned his judgment just a little.
Was this feeling of rightness just him deluding himself?
He didn’t know. He did know that he wanted to take the risk, and if that bit him in the ass down the road, he’d cross that bridge when he got there.