by Ariel Tachna
“I found my senior yearbook, you know,” Thane said in that deep, rumbly voice that did unspeakable things to Blake’s libido. “It’s probably a good thing I didn’t notice you back then. I wouldn’t have known what to do with you.”
Blake choked back a laugh at the memory of Thane’s casual announcement to the school cafeteria and the effect it had had on him. “I think you would have.”
Thane turned Blake around to face him, his heavy hands hot on Blake’s shoulders even through the layers of cloth that separated their skin. “I’m sure I would have managed to fuck you,” Thane agreed, and the thought alone was enough to make Blake weak in the knees, “but I wouldn’t have known how to treat you the way you deserve.” He stroked Blake’s cheek with one thick finger. Blake’s eyes fluttered shut despite himself. “I wouldn’t have known how to keep you.”
Blake’s eyes shot open. Thane hadn’t just said that. But Thane met his gaze steadily, not backing away from the statement in the slightest.
“Is that what you want?” Blake asked hoarsely.
Thane smiled and took a step back. “I’d be a fool to want anything less.”
Before Blake could process that, Thane turned and left, the closet door swinging shut behind him.
Oh God, how was he supposed to resist that? He’d managed up until now because he’d been convinced Thane was just looking for some fun. Now, though….
He sank to the floor and stared at the shelves on the other wall of the closet. What had he gotten himself into?
Chapter Seventeen
BLAKE eventually pried himself up off the floor of the storage closet and grabbed the nails he’d gone in there to find. Thane was nowhere to be seen when Blake came back out into the wings, but that didn’t guarantee anything. Blake was sure he was still around somewhere.
He made it through the rest of stage crew without talking to Thane again, although he caught sight of him working on the other side of the stage more than once. He appreciated Thane giving him space. He’d have lost it completely if Thane had hovered over him all afternoon.
He waited until he was sure everyone had left before turning out the lights and locking up. He half expected Thane to be waiting for him outside the theater, but no one was there except Mr. Jim the janitor. Blake lingered a moment to speak to him as he always did when he stayed late. Then he gathered his coat and keys from his office. He ought to take his briefcase home, but he was too wound up to concentrate. Everything in it could wait until tomorrow.
He got home, put some boxed Mexican rice on to boil, and called Heidi. “I’m a fool,” he said as soon as she answered.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“I wasn’t trying to be helpful. Did you actually want my advice about something?”
“Actually, yes,” Blake said. “Am I splitting hairs if I say that since Kit and Phillip are the victims, not the ones in trouble, I’m not in charge of them after their bullies have served their time?”
“He asked you out again!”
“Not quite,” Blake said, “but he all but said he was looking for a relationship, not just a bit of fun. I can’t say yes while I have an open referral that involves Kit and Phillip, but the suspension will only last another two weeks. I can ask him to wait that long. Assuming he even asks me out again before then.”
“You could ask him out, you know. Yeah, yeah, you won’t, but you could.”
He could, come summer, when Kit and Phillip were officially juniors and therefore Ms. Calhoun’s responsibility, but they both knew he wouldn’t. Not Thane. Not the ultimate bad boy who had dominated Blake’s high school fantasies.
If it were someone else, someone more like Blake himself, he might get up the courage to do it, but not with Thane.
“Listen,” Heidi said. “I can’t tell you what to do or not to do. You know the nuances of your position better than I could begin to guess at them, but do yourself a favor and don’t write this off just because it might be hard, okay? You deserve to be happy.”
“Thanks, Heidi. I’ll think about it.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Really. I will.” He couldn’t think about anything else.
BLAKE held his breath for all of Tuesday, but Thane didn’t try to corner him again or get him alone. He was always there, right at Blake’s elbow, to help with whatever Blake needed, but it was all out in full view of the students. If their shoulders bumped as they negotiated around the crowded wings or their hands brushed when Thane passed something to him, anyone watching them would have excused it as circumstances—if they’d noticed at all. Blake knew better. He recognized all too easily the hint of a smirk that played around Thane’s lips each time it happened, or the way his gaze lingered just a little too long. It left him feeling jittery and warm all over at the same time. He’d spent enough time in enough clubs to know what it felt like when someone desired him. He knew the heated looks and surreptitious—or not so surreptitious—gropes. He also knew how to shut them down if he wasn’t interested in return. He’d gotten good at figuring out which ones promised a quick tumble and which ones were interested in more than just sex.
Thane would tumble him in an instant if Blake agreed, but the heated looks didn’t just linger on his butt. They lingered just as often on his hands as he worked or on his face as they talked. And just as often, they didn’t linger. Thane didn’t just hang around at Blake’s side all afternoon. He worked.
Blake stole more than one glance of his own at Thane’s hands as he added the framing around the door they needed in one of the set walls. Blake liked to think he knew his way around a hammer and nails, a screwdriver, a paintbrush, and the other tools of the trade that he used regularly on sets, but Thane was the real expert, and Blake had always had a competence kink. He couldn’t help but wonder what else Thane could use those hands for.
He snorted. He didn’t have to wonder, not really. Even in high school, even before Thane had shocked the whole school with his frank admission, he’d had a reputation. They whispered he’d sleep with anyone who asked, but they also whispered that anyone who slept with him walked away satisfied.
No, he didn’t doubt Thane would take him to bed if he gave the slightest hint of interest and he’d walk away satisfied if it happened, but Thane wasn’t just there for that. He talked to Blake, and he listened, even when Blake had somehow ended up babbling about his favorite treats.
And that was the most gratifying of all.
WEDNESDAY passed in much the same way, except that Blake anticipated Thane’s arrival and their subsequent conversation instead of worrying what it might bring.
Thane wasn’t there yet when Blake walked into the theater, but not even his absence could puncture Blake’s good mood. Thane had a business to run. If he didn’t come to help today, he’d come tomorrow. Or Friday. Or next week. And that would be fine. More than fine, honestly, because with Thane’s help and the extra kids, they were ahead of schedule for once.
He’d just finished rearranging the platforms with Zach’s and Kit’s help when he heard the sound of heavy boots on the stage. He turned to see Thane coming around the edge of the sets, two carryout cups in his hand. “Here.” Thane handed one of them to Blake. “Sorry I’m late.”
“What’s this?” Blake asked.
“Peppermint hot chocolate. I didn’t know if you liked coffee, but you mentioned chocolate mint yesterday, so I figured this was a safe bet.”
Blake took a sip of the drink and smiled. “This is perfect. For the record, I do drink coffee, but unless I’m desperately trying to wake up, this will always be a better choice.”
“You didn’t bring me any?” Kit asked.
“You’re fifteen. You don’t need coffee.” He pulled his wallet out and handed Kit a dollar. “If you’re thirsty, I know there’s a drink machine around here somewhere.”
Kit snatched the dollar and raced off.
Blake laughed. “Some things never change.”
“You’d think I never gave him anything, the way he grabs at each thing I do give him,” Thane said with a shake of his head.
Blake took another sip of his hot chocolate and set it aside where it wouldn’t get kicked over. “That may just be the teenager part, and it may be clinging because of losing his mother. I’m not an expert at counseling, but I know one way a lot of teens cope with loss is by holding on to everything they can.”
“But he’s going to spend it,” Thane said.
“Yes, but he’s spending it on himself,” Blake said. “And if he uses the dollar you just gave him, then he doesn’t have to use the five you gave him over the weekend or the change from the twenty you gave him for lunch money last week or whatever other cash you might have given him. So he’s hoarding that money because you just gave him more.”
“If you say so,” Thane replied skeptically.
“I didn’t say it actually made sense,” Blake said. “Just that it’s common behavior. I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s adjusting. It will just take time.”
“I just wish I could help,” Thane said. “I found them sitting in Phillip’s room wrapped up in Lily’s quilt this weekend.”
Blake squeezed Thane’s shoulder. “Believe me, you’re helping. You may not see it, and they may not even see it, because they don’t know what it would be like without your help, but I’ve seen kids in every kind of situation you can imagine and plenty I wish I couldn’t. You’re helping. It’s natural to miss their mother, but they’re also here and doing well in school and participating in stage crew and making friends. They wouldn’t be doing any of that if you weren’t part of their lives.”
“I miss her so much.”
“And that’s normal too. Don’t forget to let yourself grieve while you’re taking care of them. It would probably help them to know how much you miss her too.”
Thane smiled, but the expression didn’t touch the sadness in his eyes.
“Come on. We have work to do,” Blake said.
That got a real smile out of Thane.
BLAKE wasn’t entirely sure what to expect on Thursday after the conversation on Wednesday. Thane had worked beside him the same as on Tuesday, but without the same number of sneaky touches and lingering looks. It hadn’t been uncomfortable. If anything, it had been more comfortable, with the tension ratcheted down a notch. The question remained: which version of Thane—or a different one altogether—would walk through the door that afternoon.
He started work as usual, figuring Thane would arrive when he arrived and would seek Blake out when he did. Almost an hour later, Thane still hadn’t shown up.
Blake told himself not to worry. Thane was an adult with a business to run. He’d come when he could, if he could, and if he couldn’t, he’d have a reason. And ultimately even if he didn’t have a reason, Blake couldn’t fault him for it. He was a volunteer. If he was tired of helping out, he was under no obligation to continue.
“I didn’t bring hot chocolate this time. Am I still forgiven for being late?”
“Of course,” Blake said, looking up in surprise at the sound of Thane’s voice. He hadn’t heard him approaching. “I know you’re taking time off work to be here. You don’t have to come every day.”
“I’m here because I want to be,” Thane assured him, “but the homeowner showed up right before I’d planned to leave, and he’s a piece of work. Doesn’t want to talk to anyone but me, even when Derek could have answered his questions just as easily.”
“Who’s Derek?” Blake asked. He wouldn’t get jealous. He wouldn’t get jealous.
“You remember me from high school but you don’t remember Derek Jackson?” Thane teased. “He’s been my best friend since we were in elementary school. Now he’s my business partner.”
“You’re lucky to have had a friend that long. My oldest friend is from high school,” Blake said.
Thane smirked at him. “Anyone I’d know?”
“Probably not, if you didn’t remember me. Heidi and I worked theater together. We meet up on Fridays for drinks,” Blake said. “Some days I think she knows me better than I know myself.”
Thane chuckled. “Nobody knows me better than Derek now that Lily’s gone. You should meet him sometime.”
“I’d like that,” Blake said before he could think about it.
“How about Saturday?” Thane said. “If you’re not busy. We could meet Derek somewhere for drinks and then have dinner, just the two of us.”
“I can’t,” Blake said. “I want to. Really. But until the discipline issue with Kit and Phillip is settled, I can’t be involved with you beyond working with you here at stage crew. If the parents were to find out, they could call my decisions into question, and then who would protect Kit and Phillip?”
Thane nodded. “They have to come first, but once it’s settled, I’ll ask you again, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Once it’s settled, you won’t have to.”
Chapter Eighteen
“AT this point, I consider the matter settled as long as no further bullying occurs. However—and I want this made very clear—if any further bullying does occur, I will consider it an escalation of events and will take measures to see the perpetrators removed from the campus and remanded to the alternative school for the rest of the year,” Blake declared.
Thane swallowed hard in his seat next to Kit and Phillip. Blake had called a meeting of all the students and parents involved in the bullying, and Thane had never found him as desirable as he did in that moment. Who’d have thought that standing up for his nephews would be what it took to make him weak in the knees?
“Are there any questions?”
None of the other parents or students raised any, so Blake stood. “Thank you all for your time. Boys, see Ms. Wright for passes back to class.”
The boys filed out of the room, Kit and Phillip included. The other parents shook Blake’s hand each in turn and left as well, until only Blake and Thane remained in the conference room.
“Thank you for coming too,” Blake said.
“I wouldn’t have missed it,” Thane said. “Even if I didn’t have anything to add or learn from it, Kit and Phillip needed me here.”
“Yes, they did. They may not have known how to say it, but having you here made them feel safe.”
“They don’t need me for that,” Thane replied. “They have you in their corner. They’re the safest kids in the building.”
“Now you’re flattering me,” Blake protested.
“I’m really not,” Thane said. “I know I said a lot of nasty things when we first met, and I believed most of them when I said them, but I’ve learned a thing or two since then. You won’t let anything happen to my boys any more than I would. And that’s incredibly precious to me. I hope you know that.”
“They’re very special to me,” Blake said. “I try to treat all my students the same. I want them all to feel like I’m in their corner, but every year there are a few who worm their way a little deeper into my heart than the rest. I’d still throw the book at them if they did something stupid, but they’re my kids, and I do everything I can to help them.”
“You’re a pretty amazing man, Blake Barnes. I just thought I should say that.” Thane moved around Blake’s desk so he stood within arm’s reach. “Is the case officially closed?”
Blake’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Thane wanted to bend down and kiss it, but that would have to wait until after Blake had agreed to go out with him. And until they were somewhere with a little more privacy.
“Yes, the parents all signed off on the referrals, and the bullies have completed their time in ISS. As long as they don’t pick back up where they left off, the case is over.”
“Good.”
Adrenaline pumped through Thane with every beat of his heart. He didn’t think Blake would turn him down a third time. Last week he’d said they had to wait until the disciplinary proceedings were finished, but now they were. “T
hat means you can have dinner with me this weekend.”
“Not even going to ask me this time?” Blake’s cheeks flushed adorably as he replied. Damn, Thane wanted to lean in and kiss him, but he’d imagined their first kiss more than once, and it didn’t take place in a conference room next to Blake’s office, where they could be interrupted at any moment.
“Will you do me the honor of dining with me on Saturday?” Thane infused his voice with as much haughtiness as he could muster.
Blake sputtered out a laugh. “I think I’ll take the first one. At least it was honest.”
Thane grinned. “I’m never going to be more than a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks. I don’t do fancy well. I mean, I’ve learned which fork goes with which course if I have to go to a fancy dinner, but I’m just as happy with a thick steak off a grill as I am with any five-star restaurant.” He said it nonchalantly, but he waited for Blake’s reaction with bated breath.
“I don’t need white tablecloths and bone china to enjoy a date,” Blake replied. “I just need the person I’m with to want to be there with me.”
“Not something you ever need to worry about,” Thane said immediately. “We could get McDonald’s and I’d be happy because you said yes.”
“Let’s make it a little nicer than McDonald’s, shall we?” He shot Thane a mischievous grin. “We could splurge and at least go to Panera.”
Thane laughed, the sound coming all the way from his belly. “Just for that, I’m taking you somewhere super fancy. Coat and tie required.”
Blake eyed him up and down. “Don’t expect me to turn down the chance to see you in a suit.”
Hell, if Blake was going to look at him like that, Thane would wear a monkey suit all the time. “I’ll make reservations for seven, if that suits you. That way the worst of the dinner crowd will be cleared and we’ll be able to enjoy our dinner.”
“Where are we going?”
