Pound (Hard Hit #10)

by Charity Parkerson

  5

  For the tenth time, Von caught Justin fidgeting. He set his hands over Justin’s, stopping the motion. “If you don’t want to go to dinner with my friends, I can call them and make up something.”

  Justin flashed him a smile. “I’m good. Plus, it’s almost time for them to be here. You can’t call them now.”

  “It’s never too late for me to make you happy,” Von said, never meaning anything more in his life. “I know you don’t like meeting new people.” He did too, which made him wonder now why he was putting Justin through this. Yeah, he wanted Justin to meet his friends. It was like offering another slice of himself to the man who owned him, but he didn’t need this. He should call Jamie and tell him not to bother.

  Justin shut him down before he could dig his phone out. “No. I want to meet your friends.”

  Von’s gaze moved over Justin’s face, searching. “Are you sure?”

  Before Justin had time to answer, a rapid beat landed on the door. “Told you it was too late,” Justin said, heading for the door.

  Von was right on his heels. “Nope. I don’t mind slamming the door in their faces.”

  Justin looked scandalized as he met Von’s stare. “You will not.” He yanked open the door and kept a tight hold on it as if daring Von to try as he greeted their guests. “Hey.”

  Jamie and Hawke Roussel stood, wearing complete opposite expressions on the other side. Hawke’s light-brown hair ruffled in the wind and his smile warmed the outdoors by ten degrees. Jamie eyed the bushes nearby as if he expected someone to jump out at them. Still, he was the first to react to Justin’s greeting. His blue eyes swung their way. Dimples appeared, and he shook his head, forcing his choppy brown hair out of his eyes.

  “Dude, is this really your house?” Jamie asked as he strolled inside, arm slung over Hawke’s shoulders and uninvited. “I swear every rich person I know is deciding to stay humble—except for yours truly, of course.”

  “Actually, this is my house,” Justin said before Von could set Jamie straight.

  “Oh,” Jamie said, brightening. “See, that makes sense. You look like the humble sort. Von, on the other hand, is too extreme.”

  “Part of me feels like I should be insulted,” Justin said, sounding the opposite as he bit back laughter. “The rest of me is dying to know who you are.”

  Von stifled a snort as Jamie’s mouth fell open. He slapped his free hand against his chest. “You, sir, are dead to me.”

  Hawke rolled his eyes even as he gave Jamie a consoling pat. “I’m Hawke,” Hawke said, stepping out of Jamie’s hold and extending a hand to Justin. “This is my husband, Jamie. He’s not really an idiot and you’re not really dead to him.”

  Justin accepted Hawke’s handshake. “Justin.”

  Von caught himself eyeing Justin’s every reaction to Hawke. Everyone undressed Hawke with their eyes and stared at him in longing. If the man’s unique green eyes didn’t stop a person cold in the street, the man’s beautiful heart left them enthralled. Jamie might be the famous one, but Hawke always stole the show. Yet, somehow, Justin easily moved his gaze from Hawke to Jamie, as if he didn’t see what everyone else saw.

  “Why am I dead to you?”

  Jamie moved closer, eyeing Justin from head to toe. He seemed willing to give Justin a second chance. “Do you listen to grunge rock?”

  “No. It makes my ears bleed.”

  Jamie released the most dramatic gasp Von had ever heard. “You’re dead to me times two.” He grabbed Hawke’s arm. “Hold me back, baby,” he said, pretending to strain against the arm he held against his chest.

  “I’m not for everyone,” Justin said, dismissing Jamie’s antics.

  Jamie dropped Hawke’s arm and shrugged as if nothing happened. “Oh, well. I guess we won’t have to worry about you fawning over me all night, then.”

  Justin glanced Von’s way, as if seeking answers. Von decided to put the man out of his misery. After flanking Justin’s side, Von tucked the man beneath his arm. “Jamie is one of the biggest names in grunge rock. We’ll probably be dining tonight while surrounded by a security team and listening to people scream his name.”

  Jamie huffed. “You weren’t supposed to tell him, Von. When people don’t know who I am, they’re so much easier to fuck with.”

  “No one fucks with Justin but me,” Von said, sounding way more possessive than he intended.

  Rather than being put off, Jamie’s smile grew. “Yay. Jealous men rule,” Jamie said, doing a little fist pump.

  “This is the oddest conversation I’ve ever had,” Justin said under his breath, looking lost.

  Hawke glanced around the room as if looking for a place to sit. “He’s had too much sugar today,” Hawke said, heading for the nearest chair.

  “Nu-uh,” Jamie argued, tossing a wink Von’s way while Hawke wasn’t looking. Von got it. Half the time, Jamie’s outrageous behavior was for Hawke’s sake. He loved making his husband smile. He followed on Hawke’s heels. “You know Easter candy is my favorite, and I hoard that shit. If you hadn’t threatened to throw it out, I wouldn’t have been forced to eat all of it in one sitting.”

  “Easter was over three months ago, baby,” Hawke said, sounding ridiculously patient. “Half that stuff was probably out of date, and we don’t have a ton of room on the tour bus.”

  “Chocolate doesn’t go bad,” Jamie said, stamping after Hawke and hovering over him with his hands on his hips.

  “Actually, it does,” Von chimed in, not really taking sides. He just couldn’t help himself.

  “It does?” Jamie asked over his shoulder.

  “Don’t ask Von,” Justin said, leading Von toward the couch. “If it was up to him, all sugar would be banished from the planet. If you put your candy in the freezer, it’ll last longer.”

  “That’s not…” Von waved his arms wildly, reduced to speechless mimicking in his frustration. He wasn’t sure why he was arguing. Maybe it was the way Justin always dismissed his thoughts on a healthy diet. “I didn’t say anything about banishing sugar.”

  Jamie sat down at Justin’s other side, ignoring Von. “Shut. Up. You can freeze candy?”

  Justin shrugged. “Of course. At Halloween, they make these peanut butter candies dipped in white chocolate. You can’t buy them any other time of year. I always buy a ton of them and freeze them. I think Von threw them out while I was in the hospital.”

  Two sets of hostile eyes turned in Von’s direction. Hawke was the only one who looked amused by the discussion.

  “You threw out the man’s candy stash? Not cool, dude. How would you feel if he threw out your steroid stash?” Jamie leaned across Justin and poked Von’s bicep, as if emphasizing his point.

  Von swiped his hand over his face. “Jesus. I’m not on… I didn’t… for fuck’s sake,” Von said, throwing his hands in the air, before focusing on Justin. “I never left your side when you were in the hospital. If anyone threw out your candy, it was your mama. I might be opinionated, but I’m not stupid.”

  “Why were you in the hospital?” Hawke asked in an obvious attempt at calling the conversation under control.

  “Blood clot issue,” Justin answered, sounding every bit as calm. It struck Von. The two men had somehow reduced Jamie and Von to baseless arguing without once losing their cool. The thought brought a smile to Von’s face. Jamie and Hawke were the perfect couple. They were everything Von strove to be with Justin. Jamie traveled all over the world and had people of all sexes, colors, and ages throwing themselves his way, but the man never strayed. Hawke loved the goofball, no matter how outrageous he became. If Justin had the same effect on him as Hawke had on Jamie, it meant he was right. Justin was the one.

  Justin stared at Von’s slightly baffled expression and bit back a laugh. He was so in love with this gigantic know-it-all. Since he’d obviously confused the hell out of Von, Justin decided the man had enough teasing for the night.

  “By the way, Jamie,” Justin said, snagging the
man’s attention away from attempting to feel up his husband on the sly. “I was only messing with you earlier. I know who you are. Hawke called a few days ago to double check the address since the one Von gave you didn’t match the one in your address book. We talked for a couple of hours. He thought it would be funny if you met someone who didn’t know you for once. So… can I get a picture with you?” Justin bit his lip after asking the question. He felt a bit idiotic, but no way was he missing a shot at getting a photo with the great Jamie Roussel.

  Jamie shot Hawke a sly look. “You’re so bad.” Hawke blushed. “It’s hot,” Jamie added, bringing an unexpected flush to Justin’s cheeks as well. With those two words, Justin knew in his heart the pair had an amazing sex life. Before Justin had a chance to recover, Jamie slid closer. “Get out your phone. You’re my new best friend, because you like candy and me.”

  By the time Jamie finished taking pictures in as many ridiculous poses as possible, Justin’s stomach hurt from laughing. Justin turned toward Von, determined to show off his new pics to Von. Before he could say a word, Von kissed him. It didn’t matter they weren’t alone, or that Jamie flanked his other side. Von didn’t hold back. Justin couldn’t explain why Von’s actions affected him so deeply. Maybe it was pride. Von wasn’t ashamed, even with his friends sitting there. Justin tried pulling away. Von held tighter and deepened their kiss.

  “I guess we should head out.”

  At Jamie’s suggestion, heat scorched Justin’s cheeks. He pushed at Von’s chest. “We have people watching us.”

  “No worries over here,” Hawke said, his voice heavy with laughter.

  “Nope,” Jamie said, adding his two cents. “I’m only butting in because I have a security team waiting outside. But just wait until we get in the car. I love the back of a hired vehicle. It’s something to do with the lighting.” Indeed, Jamie did sound nostalgic. “I could do some naughty shit to my Hawke in the back of a hired car. In fact, I asked him to marry me in the backseat of a hired vehicle. It was awesome. He said yes and everything.”

  “Obviously,” Hawke said. The tiny smile hovering on his lips didn’t match his sarcastic tone. It took every ounce of Justin’s willpower not to sigh. They were in love. It was beautiful.

  The restaurant Jamie chose was peaceful, and more than happy to clear out a private room so they could eat in peace. They’d come in through the back and no one had spotted them. There were no screaming fans or otherwise. Once they’d settled in, Jamie had settled into his normal more subdued personality. Somehow Von had ended up with Jamie at his side instead of Justin, but he didn’t complain. Justin sat across from him and they’d played footsie under the table. A hundred different times, Von caught himself smiling over the ridiculousness of it. They were the miracle he’d never expected to find.

  “Are you moving to Phoenix with Von?”

  Von was in the middle of telling Jamie how he could make a homemade plasma cutter— because apparently, Jamie had a real interest—when Hawke’s question floated down the table. Von stopped mid-sentence. Everything inside him froze. He sought Justin’s gaze. The man’s face had gone pale.

  “We haven’t discussed it.” Justin’s words sounded hollow. Von couldn’t even blink. He should’ve anticipated this—asked Jamie and Hawke to stay quiet.

  To Von’s horror, Jamie latched on to the conversation. “Oh, yeah. I forgot Phoenix snagged you for forty-two mil and six years. That’s a sweet deal. Has your house sold yet?”

  A smile that felt brittle even to him stretched Von’s lips. “Yeah. A month ago.” His mind scrambled for a way out of this conversation. He needed to make it stop. Justin’s dead eyes said it was too late. Pandora’s box had already opened, and he couldn’t shove the topic back inside.

  Hawke smiled, obviously oblivious to the pain in Justin’s face. “Have you found a new place in Phoenix?”

  Von shook his head. Justin looked away and stared at something to his left.

  “Well, I’m sure some of your new teammates will know the right neighborhoods and whatnot.”

  “I’m sure,” Von said, pushing the words past numb lips.

  Justin glanced over, his smile brittle. “I hate to cut this short, but I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow. This has been amazing. I’ve truly enjoyed meeting both of you.”

  “Same here,” Jamie said, motioning for the check. “I have a few concerts out this way. Maybe we can get together again before we head for the west coast.”

  “I would love that.” Even though Justin’s words sounded genuine, his eyes were still flat.

  Justin’s subdued silence on the ride home had Von more frightened than he’d ever been in his life. He couldn’t lose Justin. That was why he hadn’t said anything. He’d been certain he could find a way to keep Justin and this new position if only he had enough time to think on the situation. Now, his time was up.

  Most people wouldn’t have noticed Justin’s silence, especially in light of Jamie’s upbeat chatter filling the car. Von couldn’t concentrate on anything else. He reached for Justin’s hand, half-expecting rejection. The tightness in his chest eased a hair when Justin linked fingers with him. Von ran through several speeches, discarding each. Nothing he thought to say did justice to the feelings in his heart. He always over-thought things. That was why he was awesome at all things scholarly and sucked at dealing with people. He’d never gone to school. His father had educated him, and with Von’s ability to absorb details, he’d finished by twelve. Unfortunately, that home education had given him little interaction with children his age. Hockey didn’t count. Where he was from, training wasn’t a child learning sportsmanship. It was more akin to being prepped for war.

  He didn’t need anyone psychoanalyzing him to know he’d missed key lessons on life. Everything he’d been taught at his father’s knee hadn’t covered friends, falling in love, or considering others. He brought Justin’s hand to his mouth and kissed the tip of each finger. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered Justin when taking that Phoenix contract. It was more that he’d seen it as a blessing he could share with the man he loved.

  Even after they said their goodbyes to Jamie and Hawke, and made their way inside, Justin didn’t speak. Von wished the man would rage. He couldn’t fight a reaction he couldn’t see. Justin did a damn good job of hiding his emotions.

  Von was the first to break. “Say something.”

  Justin worked his belt loose and threw it on the couch without meeting Von’s gaze. “There’s nothing I can say. It’s a done deal.”

  At odds with every reaction Von expected to have, his temper hit the roof. “Don’t you care? Does this mean nothing to you?” Von asked, motioning between them.

  Rather than matching his rage, Justin’s shoulders fell. He met Von’s gaze and every ounce of anger fled. Justin hurt. That had never been Von’s intent. “You mean everything to me,” Justin said, his words not much louder than a whisper. “But I recognize when I’m beaten. I can’t compete with your world. You were just a dream for me.”

  “Is that what you think?” Von asked, pushing the question past his rapidly swelling throat. Justin didn’t respond. Von closed the distance between them. “Do you think I’ll just pack my stuff and walk away like we never happened? All the times I’ve told you how much I love you, was it just words to you?”

  “Your job—your very demanding job—is now in Phoenix. Tell me how that’s not packing your things and walking away?” Justin didn’t sound angry, merely defeated.

  “Because you’re coming with me,” Von said without having to think it over. As the words left his mouth, all the anger, pain, and worry slipped away. In truth, Von had always known this was the only way. Not only that, but this was why he’d waited so long. He didn’t want to give Justin time to think. Von wanted the man by his side— forever.

  Justin blinked. “What?”

  Von nodded. His voice gained strength. “Forty-two million, Justin. You never have to work again. Hell, if you’re interested, y
ou can travel with me part time. See the world. We don’t have to be apart.”

  “What?” Justin repeated.

  His arms encircled Justin’s waist. He towed Justin closer, their bodies molding. There was hope in Justin’s gaze. “I want you with me, baby. Quit your job. Sell this house. Come live with me. I don’t want to be apart.”

  “Um.”

  Von kissed Justin before he could turn him down. “Keep me,” Von begged as he changed angles. He sucked Justin’s bottom lip as he worked the man’s T-shirt higher. “Please, Justin? I don’t want to lose you,” he begged as he moved to Justin’s jaw and worked the shirt over Justin’s head. He tossed the shirt aside before reclaiming Justin’s mouth. His heart couldn’t take hearing Justin tell him no. Now that his offer was out there, desperation filled him. Justin had to come to Phoenix with him.

  “Don’t think. Just say yes,” Von said as he worked the button loose on Justin’s jeans. He dropped to knees. “I’m officially begging,” he added, setting Justin’s erection free.

  Justin’s fingers ran through his hair, massaging Von’s scalp. There was so much love in Justin’s gaze, Von couldn’t look away. “Yes.” Von’s eyes fell closed as Justin handed him the world. The weight of the world lifted from his shoulders, leaving him feeling lighter than he had in ages. He kissed Justin’s crown. A low gasp reached his ears. His tongue shot out, tracing the man’s slit before circling the tip. They had forever. The realization had Von moving tortuously slow. Flipping his gaze upward, he held Justin’s stare as he opened his mouth and allowed Justin’s cock to slip inside.