Stay (His Command Book 3)

by Piper Scott

  Adrian made a hitched noise in his throat. It was as much of a response as Sterling was going to get. With care, he collected Adrian in his arms and laid him down on the bed. They settled together beneath the sheets, their bodies still joined.

  “As long as you want, this can be yours.” Sterling’s hands explored Adrian’s side, then traced over his stomach. It might have been his imagination, but he could have sworn he felt a bump there—a sign of pleasure already passed. Arousal swelled in Sterling anew, and he let his fingers trail over Adrian’s stomach to milk the feeling in full. “I won’t ever let you suffer.”

  No matter the sins of his past, no matter his hang-ups, and no matter his wounds.

  They spent that night in each other’s arms, even long after Sterling’s knot had gone down and their bodies had naturally separated. It wasn’t until the cadence of Adrian’s breathing slowed that Sterling allowed himself to settle, and from there, to slowly drift off to sleep.

  There, he found the most satisfaction of all.

  Brain foggy, thoughts spiderwebbing from consciousness to dreamscape, it was easy to imagine that this would be his every day.

  Adrian. The baby. A chance to make things right…

  It was the sweetest dream Sterling could ever entertain.

  21

  Adrian

  Morning. There was no doubt that was what it was, regardless of the absence of twittering birds or the dreamy, basking light of the sun. Adrian drew in a deep breath and held it in his lungs, decoding its scents one by one.

  Flowery fabric softener. The light scent of lavender from the massage oil that still clung to his skin. Musk.

  And Sterling.

  Adrian rolled over and grabbed a pillow to hug to his chest, only to find that Sterling’s arm was already wrapped around it. The skin-on-skin contact startled Adrian, and he drew his hand back quickly. It was too late. Sterling blinked his eyes open, then yawned and tugged Adrian close.

  “Good morning,” Sterling murmured, somewhere close to half-asleep.

  “Morning.” Adrian squirmed, attempting to break free without meaning it. After what had happened last night, he had no idea how to act around Sterling. If Sterling thought he was going to act lovey-dovey just because he’d given in to what felt nice…

  Well, maybe Sterling wouldn’t be so far off the mark.

  Adrian scowled and did his best to put his walls back up, but the second Sterling’s hand traced along his stomach, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. Arousal and satisfaction swept through Adrian as one, and he felt the blush in his cheeks even as he contorted his lips to offset it.

  “Are you still tired?” Sterling asked. “You can go back to sleep, if you want. I’ll take care of breakfast this morning.”

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “You’re not hungry?”

  “I’m not going to ask you to make me breakfast. Not when I arrived at your doorstep unannounced with my brother in tow.”

  Sterling chuckled. “You think it bothers me?”

  “I don’t care if it bothers you.” If it hadn’t been for Sterling’s hand running over his bare stomach, Adrian would have pulled away, but the contact was too good to give up. “All I care about is that it bothers me. I’ll be pulling my weight around here like a roommate would.”

  “You’re pregnant.”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I’m suddenly bedridden.” To Adrian’s mild horror, his cock was responding to Sterling’s touch. It wasn’t just his morning wood doing him in—his body was trying to sabotage him. Before he could get too carried away, he swatted at Sterling’s hand and pulled away from his embrace. “So I’ll be making breakfast for Gabriel and for myself, and all you need to worry about is if we’re cleaning up behind ourselves.”

  “I can hire a maid.” Sterling’s hand reached out, and his fingers wandered over Adrian’s hip. A twist of pleasure spiraled directly between Adrian’s balls. In defiance, he rolled out of bed and went to look for his pajama pants. They were kicked to the bottom of Sterling’s bed, crumpled beneath one of his blankets. “It might be beneficial to get a cleaning crew in here, anyway. Three bodies will mean triple the mess, and I’d like to keep this place as clean as possible in anticipation of the delivery.”

  Adrian shot Sterling a look. He did his best to scowl, but resentment was hard to come by after last night. The guilt was still there if he looked for it, but it no longer plagued Adrian’s mind like it used to. “There are still six months before the baby is born.”

  “It’s never too early to prepare.”

  “We won’t be living here in six months, Sterling.” Adrian tugged his pajama pants up over his waist and tucked his erection into his waistband. It was far from perfect, but it would have to do. “As soon as I’m on my feet, I’m going to figure out a way to get an apartment.”

  Sterling, who’d propped himself up on his shoulders to watch Adrian dress, hitched an eyebrow. “Do you have a job?”

  “No.” This time, Adrian didn’t need to fake bitterness. He pushed his lips together. “But that doesn’t matter, because I will find one. I almost have my bachelor’s degree in business, and I’m a Lowe. When the right people see that name, I won’t struggle for long to find a job.”

  Impish opposition flashed in Sterling’s eyes, but all he did was lift an eyebrow and shake his head slowly. “Alright.”

  “You don’t believe me?” Adrian stood taller.

  “No, I believe you.” A crooked grin spread Sterling’s lips. “I just can’t imagine you willingly working for anyone else. You’re not exactly the kind of man who takes direction well.”

  Adrian’s cheeks heated. He snagged his shirt from where it had pooled on the floor and pulled it over his head—he’d tossed it off last night while he was dominating Sterling. “I can take direction.”

  “Mm. Well, I guess you’re right. You certainly proved that last night.”

  Heat consumed Adrian’s cheeks. He tugged at the hem of his shirt and smoothed it down his stomach. If he was lucky, he could make it to the bathroom before Gabriel was up, and behind the privacy of its locked door, he could work out his morning frustrations. Sterling wasn’t helping anything with his bed-mussed hair and the way the sheets pooled at his hip, so Adrian did his best not to look.

  “Come back to bed,” Sterling said, changing the topic. “You don’t have anywhere to be, and I don’t, either. Not until tonight, when The Shepherd opens. That means we have, what?” Sterling scooped up his cellphone from the bedside table. “…Fourteen hours, and nothing to do with them.”

  “You have nothing to do with them.” Adrian turned and headed for the door. Now that his body had reacquainted itself with Sterling’s touch, it was a struggle. “I have to tend to my brother.”

  And another, far more personal problem still gaining force behind the waistband of his pajama pants.

  The bedroom door closed smoothly behind him. Adrian left Sterling behind and located the bathroom a few doors down the hall. With every intention of showering to wash away memories of the night before, Adrian headed for the shower stall, but as he pulled the door open, he paused.

  Water beaded the frosted glass. The shower had already been used that morning.

  Frowning, Adrian closed the shower door and exited the bathroom. On bare feet, he padded down the hall and poked his head into the living room. It was empty, but the kitchen wasn’t.

  Meat sizzled. If Adrian’s nose was to be trusted, it was sausage. He glanced through the glass dividing the living room from the kitchen to find Gabriel standing in front of the stove. He prodded at sausages in a frying pan with a spatula. His hair was wet. It was the first time Adrian had seen him take initiative since he’d come home, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  Gabriel glanced in Adrian’s direction shyly, gaze lowered. When he spotted Adrian, he lifted his chin just a little and smiled. Adrian smiled back, then slipped through the doorway and came to stand by Gabriel’s side. “Sa
usage?”

  “It was in the fridge, and it was going to go bad soon, so I thought I’d cook it.”

  “I’m impressed.” Adrian leaned against the fridge. “Do you like cooking?”

  “Yeah.” Gabriel looked back at the pan, a rosy flush coloring the high points of his cheeks. “I used to… to cook sometimes. Before. My friends would… they liked it.”

  “Oh?” Adrian tried to play off his interest as casual, but he couldn’t help but perk up. Gabriel hadn’t mentioned anything about his time away from the family, and even the smallest detail would give Adrian a little more insight into what he’d been through, and how he could best help Gabriel through his trauma. “Like roommates?”

  “Kind of.” Gabriel raked his teeth across his bottom lip, then sucked it. “It’s hard to explain.”

  “You’re fine. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

  “No, it’s not that, it’s just…” Gabriel stared at the sausages frying in the pan. Grease popped, and he flinched. Then, in a small, defeated voice, he spoke. “I miss them.”

  There were so many questions Adrian wanted to ask, but before he had time, footsteps approached from down the hall. Sterling entered the kitchen moments later. Dressed in a white button-down and a pair of dark blue pants completed by a brown leather belt, he looked more casual than Adrian had ever seen him before. Adrian bit the inside of his lip and tried not to think about how goddamn stunning he looked like that. He let irritation overtake him instead.

  Gabriel had been about to speak about his past. With information like that, Adrian might have been able to help him. And here came Sterling, effortlessly owning his highbrow penthouse and somehow making it look drab in comparison, to shut Gabriel up.

  “The oven’s on,” Sterling remarked from the doorway. He slid his hands into the pockets of his pants, his thumbs hooked over the corners. “What are you making?”

  “…Potato hash,” Gabriel mumbled. “I’m sorry. I found potatoes, and there was sausage, so I thought… it would be okay to… you know…”

  “It’s more than okay. I just wish I could have helped.” The smile on Sterling’s face was genuine, and Adrian knew that it was meant to instill confidence in Gabriel, but the expression frustrated him all the same. Who did Sterling think he was to walk into their lives like he’d known them forever? Did he think he could waltz in and fix Gabriel’s problems with a little bit of alpha-inspired confidence and a few charming smiles? Life didn’t work that way. Gabriel was hurt.

  Gabriel shook his head, staring at the pan with wide-eyed fear while color flooded his cheeks. “It’s okay. I don’t need help. I used to be the only one allowed in the kitchen.”

  “Oh?” Sterling chuckled. “Did your parents not trust Adrian around the knives?”

  Adrian shot Sterling a look that would have melted steel, but it did nothing to dull the mirth in Sterling’s eyes.

  Gabriel laughed. It was subdued, but it was still a laugh, and it made Adrian perk up immediately. He turned his attention to Gabriel, startled that Gabriel was willing to engage. “No. It wasn’t our parents’ kitchen… it was Garrison’s.”

  The popping of grease on a hot pan and the sizzle of sausage on cast iron was the only sound. The mood changed, and Adrian reluctantly looked away from Gabriel to see what the matter was.

  Sterling stood in the doorway, the same place he’d been standing before, but he didn’t stand with the same easygoing posture. There was something different about the way he held himself—a tension in his face and his shoulders—that was disturbing. It was like Gabriel had admitted to something disturbingly macabre.

  “Garrison?” Sterling asked.

  “My boyfriend.” Gabriel’s cheeks burned brighter. “Out of everyone, I miss him the most.”

  The hairs on the back of Adrian’s neck stood on end. He looked between Gabriel, smiling and flustered, and Sterling, pale and serious. It was news to him that Gabriel had a boyfriend, but from what little Adrian knew about his situation, it made sense. Someone had picked Gabriel up from the mall on that day four years ago—someone Gabriel was willing to trust without question.

  “What’s he like?” Sterling asked at last. There was a chipper beat to his voice that wasn’t usually there, and Adrian identified it immediately as artificial. He hoped Gabriel, who didn’t know Sterling as well, wouldn’t be able to hear it. “How long were you together?”

  “We’re still together.” Gabriel cast a shy glance in Adrian’s direction, then looked back at the sausages. He prodded at them with the spatula, poking them until they turned over so their browned undersides faced up. “He, um… we kind of started our relationship four years ago, but it’s complicated, and I… I don’t think I should talk about it.”

  “That’s okay.” Sterling slid his hands out of his pockets. Adrian was aware of each of his movements, and he tried his best to read into them to figure out what was going on in Sterling’s head. Something had spooked him—Adrian understood that much. But what? “You know, I used to know a Garrison.”

  Gabriel’s eyes brightened, and his lips parted as he smiled. Adrian couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen his brother that happy. “Did you?”

  “Mmhm. I’m having trouble recalling his last name. Bay… Bayport?”

  “Baylor.” Gabriel set the spatula down. “Do you know where he is? I… I need to find him. We’ve been separated for almost two years now, I think, and I need to get back to him.”

  What the hell was going on? Adrian searched for meaning on Sterling’s face, but Sterling masked his true emotions behind a politely interested smile. A chill crept down Adrian’s back, and he resisted the urge to cross his arms over his chest and shrink in on himself. There had never been any doubt in his mind that what had happened to Gabriel was bad, but the things Gabriel said now were eerie in a way that Adrian couldn’t begin to wrap his head around.

  A secret boyfriend he never mentioned—a boyfriend that Sterling knew. All these years, had Gabriel been whisked away into some secret pleasure chamber deep within The Shepherd?

  Even that explanation didn’t feel right. There was a piece of the puzzle that Adrian was missing.

  “I don’t know where he is right now. We were only ever acquainted.” Sterling shifted his weight to his other foot. “Adrian and I still have to shower this morning. Are you okay cooking breakfast on your own?”

  “Yep.” Gabriel looked pleased with himself. He dropped his gaze again. “And if you think of anyone who might know where Garrison is, could you ask them for me? I miss him very much.”

  “Sure.” Sterling took a step back. He met Adrian’s eyes in a way that said Adrian needed to follow him. “Thanks for taking care of breakfast for us. That’s very kind of you.”

  “You're welcome.”

  Sterling left. Adrian watched him go until he turned down the hall and disappeared from view, then cast a final look at his younger brother. The tips of Gabriel’s ears were glowing red, and there was a tiny, pleased smile on his face that made Adrian want to shake him until he told the truth.

  What secrets was Gabriel hiding? What had gone on all those years ago? And why the hell did he get the feeling that behind the mask Sterling wore, he was actually terrified?

  “I’m going to go see how Sterling wants to organize our shower time,” Adrian said. “I’m glad that you found someone who loves you that much, Gabriel.”

  A tear slid down Gabriel’s cheek. He brushed it away with the back of his hand and nodded. “Yeah, me too.”

  It pained Adrian to leave Gabriel like this, but Sterling was waiting, and if Sterling knew anything about what was going on, Adrian wanted to know. He crossed the kitchen floor and looked over his shoulder to make sure Gabriel was okay, only to find that Gabriel had already moved on. He poked at the sausages with the end of his spatula, a small smile spread across his face that lifted the apples of his cheeks.

  Love.

  Adrian’s stomach twisted into a knot.


  His little brother was in love with a man who tripped Sterling’s warning bells. Adrian didn’t know what to think of it—not without a little more information on who Gabriel was seeing, and why Sterling had gone so silent.

  “See you soon, Gabriel,” Adrian said as he slipped through the door and started on his way to the bathroom.

  “See you soon,” Gabriel parroted back. His voice barely reached Adrian as he headed down the hall for the bathroom.

  He needed to find out what Sterling knew, and he needed to find it out now.

  22

  Sterling

  Water ran. It gushed from the faucet, colliding with the bottom of the shower stall to circle the drain. Sterling watched the mist rise and dipped his fingers beneath the stream it sprang from to test the temperature. It was warming, but it wasn’t anywhere near warm enough yet.

  Above the noise of running water, the door clicked open, then closed. There were no footsteps. Adrian occupied a spot by the door, and as Sterling turned at the hip to look at him, he crossed his arms over his chest and stood as steadfast and defiant as he had on the first day he’d come to Sterling’s penthouse.

  “Who the hell is Garrison Baylor?” Adrian demanded.

  The question didn’t come as a surprise, but Sterling was no better equipped to answer it than he had been in the kitchen, reeling from the news. He turned around to face the water again, unwilling to watch the look on Adrian’s face when he revealed the truth.

  “Garrison Baylor is a criminal.” Sterling didn’t try to pad the truth. He ran his fingers beneath the stream again, then turned on the shower and stood. As water pattered onto the acrylic floor, Sterling undid his belt. “His name has been all over the news this last year.”

  “A criminal?” Adrian’s footsteps approached, and he set a hand on Sterling’s back. “What kind of criminal? Are we talking the robbing banks kind? Mafia kingpin? Serial killer? ‘Criminal’ leaves a lot to the imagination. You’re going to need to be more specific.”