“You are not the president, Asher Brooks. I’m sorry, but you don’t get unscheduled stops.” Danny sighed. “No don’t give me the eyes, kid. It’s not going to work. Not this time.” Danny turned to look out the window but Asher knew he was about to cave.
“Fine. We can send someone ahead to make arrangements.” Danny nodded to the driver. “Looks like we’re going to Riverpass.”
Danny spent the entire drive on the phone making arrangements for an overnight stay at a hotel in Riverpass. Kenny stared out the window, lost in the turmoil of his thoughts, and Asher…fell asleep.
“Hey, Ash?” Kenny’s voice was a whisper in his ear.
“What?” Asher opened his eyes, confused for a moment.
“We’re almost there.”
“Oh.” Asher blinked. He’d fallen asleep on Kenny’s shoulder and somehow ended up tucked under his arm and snuggled against his side. “Sorry.” He sat up, rubbing his eyes to buy him a moment to clear his head. That didn’t stop the warmth spreading across his face. He’d made a big show of being there for his friend, and then he fell asleep. Good job, Ash.
“You can fall asleep on me anytime,” Kenny whispered, squeezing his hand.
That made Asher blush even more, eliciting a chuckle from Kenny.
“Thanks for riding home with me.”
“Yeah, sure, anytime.”
“Okay, Mr. Montgomery, here we are, safe and secure at Defiance Academy,” the driver said. “Where is your dormitory?”
While Kenny gave directions to the driver, Asher and Danny had one of their silent arguments. Danny didn’t know it yet, but Asher was staying with Kenny for as long as he needed someone.
“Thanks again, Ash.” Kenny moved to exit the car. “Maybe we can—”
“I’m coming with you.” Asher slid across the seat.
“Yeah, no, you aren’t.” Danny slid Asher back to his side.
“Follow me if you must.” Asher shrugged out of Danny’s grasp.
“Just so you know, Defiance Academy has every bit of security Asher’s school has in Washington. Probably even more since so many VIPs send their kids here to live on campus,” Kenny offered.
“Sir, couldn’t we let the kid have a moment?” one of the other agents said. “Remember what, er, Victory and Voyager said before we left?”
“Yeah, I remember.” Danny’s shoulders slumped. “It still goes against my better judgment.”
“That’s our cue to leave.” Asher took Kenny’s arm and headed toward his dorm.
“I live in that building over there.” Kenny pointed at the building behind them.
“Yeah, you should probably lead the way.” Asher nodded.
The two boys took off across the lawn, leaving the security team arguing about the best ways to keep Asher safe on an impenetrable campus. Of course, Danny sent two agents to follow them.
“You know, we could ditch Super Danny for the night if we can get inside this building before he realizes it locks behind me.” Kenny took out his access card and swiped it at the door.
“Danny will just call security to let him in after he tries to kick in the door.”
“Takes his job seriously, that one.”
“You have no idea.” Asher rolled his eyes. “It’s like having a third parent.” Asher winced at the mention of parents, not wanting to remind Kenny of his current family situation.
“Take one step inside that building without me and you’re really going to find out how much of a prison the White House can be.” Danny came charging up the steps to the door.
“After you.” Kenny held the door open for him. “Just try to keep it down so you don’t get me in trouble for breaking curfew.”
“You missed curfew?” Asher asked.
“I always miss curfew.” Kenny shrugged, following Asher into the foyer.
“Where’s your room?” Danny asked.
“Second floor, last door on the left. And try not to give my roommate a stroke when you go in there.”
“You can come up after we sweep the room,” Danny said.
“You have a roommate?” Asher hadn’t planned on that. Not that he’d really thought this through.
“Yeah, Will’s not much of a bother. He’ll be in his room by now.”
“You have separate bedrooms in your dorm?”
“We have a roommate suite. It’s tiny, but our bedrooms are connected by a shared space.”
“So, let’s go watch a movie or something,” Asher suggested. “I’m guessing you won’t be sleeping much tonight, so let me keep you company.”
“Where’s your entourage going to stay?” Kenny’s half-smile sent Asher’s heart skipping.
Asher shrugged. “I guess we’ll figure that out later.” Asher took the steps two at a time, trying to ignore the secret service following them to Kenny’s dorm room. This was starting to feel way more like a date, but with so many eyes watching them, it was impossible to enjoy it. That, and Kenny’s current family situation. Neither parent had bothered to call their son to check on him. That had to hurt nearly as much as his mother’s affair with his advisor. If Asher could continue to distract him, it was the least he could do.
“All right, this is how this is going to work.” Danny met them at the door to Kenny’s room. “The roommate is in for the night. We did a quick background check, and he’s squeaky clean.”
“Dan.” Asher groaned. “That’s so rude.”
“I don’t care. You two can stay out here and watch one movie. I’ll be in Kenny’s shoebox of a room to give you some privacy. We have agents stationed at the door to this room, all over the grounds and at the front door of the building. After your movie, we’re going to the hotel we’ve arranged for you, and then we leave for Washington in the morning.”
“Thank you, sir.” Kenny nodded. “That’s more than fair.”
“But wouldn’t it be easier to just—”
Kenny kicked him before Asher could finish protesting.
“Thank you,” Asher muttered.
“If you need me, I’ll be in Kenny’s room moving heaven and earth to make arrangements for our flight in the morning.” Danny’s voice was gruff, but when he shut the door to Kenny’s room, he shot Asher a wink.
“You have to learn to pick your battles, my friend.” Kenny flopped onto the small couch in front of the wide-screen television. The room was small, but the furnishings were high end. “What should we watch?”
“Anything. You pick.”
“You realize if you don’t choose I’m turning on a hockey game?”
“What game?” Asher sat down beside Kenny and propped his feet up on the coffee table.
“The Jackets are in Tampa, and we may actually have a shot at beating them.”
“You’re a big Columbus fan, aren’t you?”
Kenny looked at him like he was stupid. “I’m from Ohio.”
“Yeah, but that could also mean you’re a penguins fan or a wings fan.”
A dark look crossed Kenny’s face. “You take that back.”
Asher shrugged. “It’s true. Only people in Columbus are really Jackets loyalists.”
“How do you know? I doubt you even follow hockey.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Name the teams. All thirty-one of them.”
Asher’s eyes widened. “Are you serious right now? We’re really arguing about if I like hockey?” He sighed. “Fine.” He named every team.
Kenny didn’t look impressed, but Asher figured fighting about hockey was a good distraction from the craziness that was his family.
Kenny crossed his arms. “How?”
“What?”
“How do you know anything about the NHL? Back when we were friends, you couldn’t care less.”
That stung Asher. He’d gone to all of Kenny’s games, hadn’t he? So, he didn’t give one lick about the hometown Washington Capitals. He was more of a casual fan than anything else. He wouldn’t admit he’d read up on it more after the last
time he’d seen Kenny. And he definitely wouldn’t admit to watching games on TV after Kenny abandoned him as some kind of masochistic act full of self-pity. He’d missed his best friend even after said friend refused to accept him. He hadn’t been able to help it.
Instead of letting all those confessions vomit out, he shrugged. “We going to watch this? I’m always up for a game.”
“You may live to regret those words.” Kenny grinned as he turned the game on and sat back against the couch, looking somewhat relaxed after the terrible night he’d had.
Kenny’s phone buzzed in his pocket.
“Do you need to get that?” Asher asked.
“It’s Kyle. I don’t want to talk to him.” Kenny didn’t even look at his phone. “Of all the people she could have cheated with, why did it have to be Kyle?”
“It has nothing to do with you, Ken. This thing with your parents, it’s between them. Kyle is a good advisor, and he cares about your future in the NHL.”
“If he cared, he’d have kept his hands off my mom.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Ugh, I can’t even talk about it without feeling nauseous.”
“Sorry.” Asher wasn’t sure if he was helping or hurting the situation. He just knew if it was him, he wouldn’t want to be alone.
“It’s not your fault. And for the record, I’m glad you’re here.” Kenny squeezed his shoulder. “Want anything to drink? I think we’ve got some cookies too if you’re hungry.”
“I can help myself.” Asher stood. “You just sit and watch the game and try not to think about it.” Asher moved to the little kitchenette behind the tiny living room. After checking the cabinets and the fridge, he poured them each a drink and stacked a plate of cookies.
“Did you just make me milk and cookies?” Kenny stepped up behind him.
“Um, yeah. I don’t care how cool you are, no one is too cool for milk and cookies. Especially Oreos.” Asher grabbed the plate and tried to turn around, but Kenny didn’t move out of his way. Instead, he took the plate from Asher and set it back on the counter.
“You’re so adorable I can’t even handle it.” He took a step closer, pressing Asher back against the counter.
Asher lost the ability to think when Kenny stood so close. “Is that good or bad?”
“I’m not sure I know how to answer that.” Kenny’s laughter reminded him of much simpler times when they were just kids and nothing more complicated than the question of what game to play stood between them. “I screwed up your first kiss.” It wasn’t a question. “I’m sorry about that.” His fingertips trailed down Asher’s face. “I’d like a chance to fix that.”
Kenny leaned in, pressing his lips against Asher’s, the pad of his thumb grazing Asher’s jaw. Nearly as surprised as he was the night of the pool party, Asher froze, but only for a moment. Kenny’s kiss was gentle this time. The sense of urgency was there, but the pressure wasn’t. This was how it was supposed to be. Asher tilted his head back and went with it, sliding his arms around Kenny’s waist. A moan escaped him as Kenny pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around Asher, deepening their kiss with a touch of his tongue.
Kenny broke the kiss far sooner than Asher would have liked, but he pressed his forehead against Asher’s taking a deep breath—as if the kiss had affected him as much as it had Asher. “Whenever you remember your first kiss, remember that one. The first one didn’t count.”
“That’s what I said.” Asher tried to hide his trembling hands, grabbing a cookie from the plate beside him. He could play this cool. For once in your life, Ash, try to pull this off.
“Oh, you’ve been talking about me?” Kenny grabbed the plate of cookies, and Asher brought the two glasses of milk, following him back to the couch.
“I needed help translating the naked man pic.” Asher shrugged, taking his place on the couch. He tried not to show his disappointment when Kenny sat on the opposite corner, quickly becoming absorbed in the game again.
Asher studied his profile. Kenny seemed at ease after their kiss—their earth-shattering kiss—but he immediately grew distant, leaving Asher to wonder if this kiss meant more to him than to Kenny.
17
Kenny
Shouting jerked Kenny from the best sleep he’d had in ages.
“You’re my son, and this is how you treat me?”
Ohh, crap. His dad.
Kenny tried to sit upright, but a weight held him down on the couch. Asher. They’d fallen asleep watching the game and lay curled around each other. Asher’s hand found its way up Kenny’s shirt sometime in the night.
Yep, this was the scene his dad just had to walk in on.
“Dad, it’s not what it looks like.”
“The hell it’s not.” He lowered his voice. “It’s not enough to embarrass me with your antics with Nicky St. Germaine over the summer. Now, you’re using Asher Brooks to get back at me.”
“It’s not like that, Dad.” Kenny averted his eyes from his father and found Danny shutting the door into the hall. Sunlight streamed in through the windows overlooking the grassy hill rolling down toward the quad.
“Tell me, son. What is it like?”
Asher groaned as he started to wake. “Ken?” His eyes opened, and he took in his position with alarmed eyes. Was it really that bad to be here with him?
Kenny didn’t have time to consider that. There were more pressing issues. Like his fuming father or the secret service agent who for some reason allowed Asher to stay all night.
Pushing Asher off him, Kenny stood to face his father. He scanned him from head to toe, noticing not a thing out of place. The man’s wife was caught in an affair the night before, and he strode in looking like it was business as usual.
“You’re not perfect.” Kenny’s voice was so quiet he wasn’t sure his dad heard him, but the words weren’t for his benefit. For so long, his parents held themselves up as the ideal. They were what everyone should strive to be, a united couple chasing success at any cost.
And it was all a lie.
Kenny spoke louder this time. “You’re not perfect, Dad.”
His dad bristled at that. “Ken—”
“Let me finish. You’ve had eighteen years of telling me exactly what to think and do. Now it’s my turn.”
To his credit, his dad nodded for him to go on.
“It’s okay not to be perfect. That’s an impossible standard. For so long, I tried to live up to your expectations. You had no flaws other than your obvious disregard for your son. But even that I thought was my fault. I’m not a politician, Dad. I don’t want to wake up one day and realize I’ve only ever tried to project this image of myself that isn’t real.”
He took a deep breath. It was now or never. Time for courage. Time for truth. “I’m bisexual.”
His dad stared dumbfounded, but he didn’t respond.
Kenny rubbed the back of his neck. “And I think you know that. You’ve known for a long time. All that media crap over the summer? Nicky didn’t attack me. I dated him for two years before the infamous kiss. It sucked to be outed that way, but it would have been okay if my family supported me rather than trying to cover it up and shove me right back into the dark.” He breathed heavily.
Danny stepped toward Asher. “We should go. The rest of your security is waiting.”
Asher shook his head, not taking his eyes from Kenny. What did he see? A coward who’d waited this long to stand up to his dad?
Kenny didn’t think he’d been a coward, but he knew what the world saw of the closeted. He just hadn’t been ready. Even now, he wasn’t sure he was, but he knew the time had come.
“I needed you, Dad. And Mom. But you were both too absorbed in your image of the good conservative family. You abandoned me.” He glanced back at Ash. “Just like I abandoned someone.” He was no better than his dad.
“Kenneth.” His father sighed. “Your lifestyle does not fit into our world.”
“That’s just it, though. It’s not a lifestyle. It’s just
a life. I don’t want to be someone I’m not anymore. Trying to be who you want me to be has cost too much.” Anger burned in him when his father looked away. “You’re cold, Dad. Maybe that’s why Mom had to find love somewhere else.”
The back of his father’s hand struck him before he even saw it coming. Kenny stumbled back, rubbing his face and staring at his dad.
His father ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Ken. I shouldn’t have done that.” Far be it for the man to lose control. “Your mother…”
“She left you, didn’t she?”
He nodded.
“For Kyle?”
Another nod.
Even after all their problems, Kenny wanted to reach out to his dad, to still be his family. He just didn’t know if that was possible anymore.
“I’m going to fire him.”
“You don’t have to do that.” His father blew out a shaky breath. “Kyle has been instrumental in getting NHL scouts to come watch you. Don’t let your mother and I mess up your dreams.”
It wasn’t what he’d expected his dad to say. For so long, he’d wanted Kenny to become a politician, saying the odds of making it in hockey were too low.
But he didn’t get a chance to ask. Throwing a stern look at Asher, his father turned. “I just came here to make sure you were okay after the news released. I’ll see myself out.”
When he shut the door, it was as if all the air suddenly poured back into the room, and Kenny could breathe again.
He collapsed back onto the couch beside Asher.
Asher looked to Danny. “Gotta say, I’m surprised to still be here. Why didn’t you wake me up to go to the hotel?”
Danny shifted his eyes away. “I...uh…fell asleep.”
Kenny barely heard their exchange because his mind was still on his father. He’d come to check on him? It surprised him his mom hadn’t called, but during what must have been a terrible time for him, his dad showed up.
It was hard to reconcile that image with the man who refused to accept him.
I’m bisexual.
Those words actually left his mouth in his father’s presence.
Dating Him: The Series Page 38
