“Mmm, I’ve been waiting all day for that,” Easton mumbled against his lips.
Nico deepened their kiss once more while kneading Easton’s ass. Damn. He was enthralled with Easton. “Goddamn,” Nico growled, hauling Easton flush against him. “I’ve been missing you.”
The way Easton glowed made everything better. “Same. I have some news that should make you happy.”
“Is the news that you thought about me kissing you all over all day?”
“I always think about that, but no,” Easton said, laughing. “I hired another employee, and I gave Julie more hours so she can train the new girl. All this frees me to spend more time with you.”
Nico fought the urge to crow. Instead, he put Easton first. “I’ll cover her salary.”
“Nope. I’ve got it. You’re right. I work too much, and if I don’t want to get burned out, I need to either cut the store’s hours or hire help. So I hired help. Right now, things are going great and I can afford it. If things change, I’ll cut store hours.” He pulled an adorable face. “This is my first business. I’m still learning.” He released Nico and glanced over at the car. “Look at this, though. Wow. You did so good, baby. I’m blown away by your talent.”
Nico couldn’t focus on a word Easton said. The way Easton glowed and sparkled was always a punch to Nico’s chest. Sometimes, he thought there was no low he wouldn’t stoop to keep Easton happy. Everything was gray when he wasn’t around. Easton didn’t realize what he gave Nico. Nico came from a dark place where no one smiled or said nice things. He’d been born into an angry family and then he’d fallen into a trap of fuckery and nightmares. Fame had meant nothing beyond the money. He’d never known real happiness. Then, light green eye had focused on him through a haze of blood and pain. Nico couldn’t see anything else anymore. He’d kill anyone who came between them.
“You are beautiful. I see nothing else now that you’re here.”
Easton blushed, turning adorably shy. “I’m a mess after baking all morning.”
Nico’s gaze never wavered from Easton’s face. If he had a speck of flour anywhere, Nico was blind to it. Nico couldn’t even blink. Whiskey’s visit had reminded him of all the bad and all he stood to lose. The pressure building in his chest was crushing his heart and lungs. Easton was the only good thing.
The way Easton shifted nervously had Nico trying to get his intensity under control. His emotions weren’t listening. Easton tugged at the hem of his red shirt. His gaze bounced in every direction, trying to avoid Nico’s burning stare. “Did I miss something?” Easton sounded so fucking nervous and Nico couldn’t stop the growing desperation inside him.
It burst out in a way even Nico didn’t expect. “I love you.”
Easton’s gaze jumped to his and didn’t budge. All nervous motion stopped. Easton looked more serious than Nico had ever seen him. All bubbly charm slipped away. He was pure longing in human form, staring at Nico—like a sponge waiting to soak up everything Nico was willing to give. That was exactly why Nico loved him so fucking much, because—like Nico—Easton needed love. “Really?”
There was more hope in that one word than Nico had ever witnessed. “Yes. You are my Knuddelbärchen. I think I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you. It’s too big for me to keep trying to hide it. I love you.” Every time Nico said the words, the tightness eased in his chest.
Easton swallowed. “Will you believe me if I say I love you too? I think I have since the night we wished on the stars.” He was too serious for Nico to think he was lying. Easton meant every word.
“I believe you.” It wasn’t a passionate moment. It was an honest one, which gave their words power they might’ve lacked otherwise. “You should stay with me tonight.”
Easton nodded. Still, his gaze never wavered. “Whatever you want.”
Whatever he wanted. Nico liked the sound of that. “I want you.”
“I want you too.”
Easton sounded calm. Steady. Still, Nico felt like he was pushing. “Do I ever scare you?” Nico knew he was too much. He never wanted Easton to be scared of him.
Easton shook his head. “I trust you.”
He shouldn’t. Nico was dangerous and a liar. In truth, he was a lot of horrible things, but not when it came to Easton. “We should go home.”
“I’ll drive.” Easton headed for the door and Nico followed—like Easton had his heart on a leash. Nico wasn’t ashamed to admit Easton completely owned him. There were worse things than being a lovesick fool. Nico would know. He’d already lived through damn near everything.
Easton could feel Nico’s intense stare boring into his back. His heart raced for more reasons than one. Nico had said he loved him. Easton had said it back. He wanted to squeal like a little girl, but his body burned too hotly. Nico’s body collided with Easton’s back.
“Nico.” Even Easton heard the pained desperation in his voice.
“I will fix you,” Nico said, sweeping Easton off his feet. He veered to the left, heading toward his office.
Easton knew they weren’t alone in the building. Nico had at least two workers there, but they didn’t encounter anyone. It was as if they made themselves scarce. Once inside Nico’s office, Nico kicked the door closed behind them. He set Easton on the desk. Easton couldn’t look away from Nico’s intensity. His jaw flexed. Easton stared at the blue eyes he loved so much while Nico focused on the task of unbuttoning and unzipping Easton’s jeans. Easton lifted his hips as Nico tugged the lower half of his clothes down. With his bare ass perched on the edge of Nico’s desk, Nico fisted Easton’s cock. His expression nearly stole Easton’s orgasm right then. Nico looked like he imagined the devil would when he received a new soul. Then, Nico stroked. Easton bit his lip to stop himself from crying out. He was already on the edge.
“I want to fuck you,” Nico said, making Easton’s vision blur at the edges.
Easton whimpered. He couldn’t help it. “Please?”
“I don’t have anything here. Nothing to ease things. I won’t treat you like that. But you need release.” Another whimper escaped Easton. Nico only toyed with the tip of Easton’s cock. The teasing was merciless. Easton’s hips kept leaving the desk, seeking more, but Nico wouldn’t give it to him. Nico was mostly shaking the top two inches of Easton’s cock rather than stroking—like he would while jacking off. It was just enough to make him half insane. Easton writhed. Nico watched. Easton’s every breath was labored. He was dying. “You can do this.” Fuck. Easton didn’t even know what that meant. Then Nico stopped, and Easton thought about murder. Nico stripped away the bottom half of Easton’s clothes. “Lean back, sexy. Spread those knees.”
Easton leaned back on his elbows and spread his knees wide. Nico sucked two of fingers, wetting them before slipping them inside Easton’s ass. He curled them and rubbed, massaging Easton’s prostate as he went back to shaking only the tip of Easton’s cock. Easton’s mind was a mess. It didn’t want to focus on any one thing. His body was on fire. He wanted to come.
“Nico. Jesus. Please?”
There was no mercy in Nico’s eyes. “You’re so sexy, Easton. You have no idea how you look to me right now. I’m ready to blow in my jeans from watching you.”
Easton tried filling his lungs, but he couldn’t. He was too fucking horny to breathe. “I can’t.” Even Easton didn’t know what he couldn’t do. Anything, he supposed. He wanted Nico’s dick too much. “Please?” He couldn’t stop begging. “I need you inside me.”
“No. I won’t hurt you. You can do this.”
Fuck. Easton swallowed a growl. He didn’t know what Nico thought he could do, but it wasn’t happening. He was too fucking turned on to function. Pressure built. Easton tried fucking the tips of the fingers Nico barely stroked him with. His muscles tensed as he fought for the orgasm he couldn’t reach. Frustration clawed at his skin and brain. He was almost there. It was just out of his reach. Then, Nico released him. A cry of denial reverberated from the walls. He thought he might phy
sically fight Nico.
Nico pressed hard with his fingers—like punching a button inside him and stars popped behind his eyes. An orgasm slammed into Easton so hard, a silent scream ripped from his throat. He collapsed on the desk, twitching and incapable of stopping the involuntary spasms rocking his body. Nico kept punching that button over and over, taking Easton higher than he’d ever been. Words filled the air, coming from somewhere within his soul. Easton had no idea what he said, but it was all true.
When it was over, Easton’s entire body shook from the power of his orgasm. Even though he was a mess and his body was like gelatin, Nico gathered him into his arms and kissed him deeply. Easton’s eyes filled with tears. He swore he could feel Nico’s love like a physical touch caressing him.
Nico changed angles. “You’re mine,” he whispered before reclaiming Easton’s lips. It was true. Easton couldn’t deny it or care. Nico owned his soul and Easton was fine with it. After all, they’d made a fair trade. Nico was his.
Eight
Candlelight flickered across the menu. Delicious scents filled the air. Pressure weighed heavy on Nico’s brain, making his head pound. These moments hit without warning sometimes. Nico clenched his back teeth and fought against the oncoming panic attack. He’d been dating Easton for four months. Every day, at least four times a day, he’d look Easton’s way and see the hands on the clock ticking. He couldn’t lie forever. One day, Easton would learn the truth and he’d be gone. Nico couldn’t take it.
“I love you.”
Nico’s gaze snapped to Easton’s. His mind grasped the words but released them before Nico could retain them. He stared at Easton like an idiot, unsure of how to respond.
A huge smile stretched Easton’s lips. Easton’s knee bumped his beneath the table. “It’s okay to admit you weren’t listening,” he said with a laugh.
Like that, the panic attack was gone. “I love you too.” Nico smiled, feeling sheepish. “Sorry. I heard you. It was just one of those moments where my brain worked slower than I like.”
With a chuckle, Easton glanced around the low-lit restaurant. “This place is nice. I thought it would be more crowded than this for its opening weekend.”
Nico nodded. His gaze swept the room. Each table, covered in white tablecloths, had someone sitting at it. The place wasn’t dead, but usually new restaurants had bigger crowds the first few months after opening. “Maybe it’s the prices,” Nico said, adding his two cents. The place was ridiculously overpriced for a selection of foods that didn’t sound that great.
“Meh,” Easton hummed, still looking at the menu. “The prices aren’t as bad as the listings. Listen to this one: Linguine mixed with a combination of garlic shrimp, lemon, tuna eyeballs, and topped with red pepper flakes. What the actual fuck?”
“You might be able to ask for a version where it’s not staring back at you,” Nico deadpanned, hoping to make him laugh.
Easton’s eyes danced with laughter, warming Nico’s heart. He glanced around again, wondering if they could make a break for it, or if someone would stop them at the door.
A familiar figure cut his way through the room, catching Nico’s attention. He dropped his gaze to the table, hoping against hope he wasn’t spotted. A shadow fell over them, killing Nico’s chances of reprieve.
“Detective Harris. Wow. This is a surprise. I haven’t seen you in forever,” Easton said, coming to his feet and hugging the young detective.
“You look great.”
Nico’s chin shot up at the open interest in the guy’s voice. Fear of the guy ruining his life aside, Easton belonged to Nico. The cop would never be seen again if he thought to flirt with Nico’s man.
“Thanks. I’m feeling great.” Easton reclaimed his seat at Nico’s side. His hand slid across Nico’s knee, as if reassuring him after the dude’s flirting. Nico was only slightly mollified, especially since the young detective could ruin Nico’s life with one well-placed word.
Then Whiskey opened his mouth and did exactly what Nico feared. “I have to say, this is a surprise, seeing the two of you together. I guess tragedy makes for strange bedfellows.” Nico stared hard at Whiskey, daring him to continue. The guy’s light brown eyes didn’t show a single hint of fear. Either he didn’t care Nico could make him disappear, or he wasn’t that smart. “In my job, I see all sorts of things, so I guess I shouldn’t be so shocked.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” The nervous laughter in Easton’s voice didn’t hide his obvious confusion.
Nico felt the hammer fall before Whiskey even opened his mouth. “I just meant with Nicolaus being Jörg’s brother and all, I wouldn’t expect the two of you to be... together,” he finished lamely, as if he didn’t know how to define what he saw.
A moment of silence fell. The entire restaurant seemed to decide in unison to stop talking. A heartbeat passed. Nico had a million thoughts in the span of a second. There was one that rang out louder than the rest. He wasn’t ready for Easton to look at him with disgust and hatred.
When Easton responded, his voice turned cool, but it was directed at Whiskey not Nico. “I’m a surprising guy, I guess.”
Nico’s gaze moved between Easton and Whiskey and back again. Whiskey shifted from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable and like he’d been silently chastised. Nico was... confused. Easton had just been told he was sitting next to his attacker’s brother. Yet he hadn’t pulled away or flown into a rage. Nico sat in silence and waited for the other shoe to drop.
Whiskey rapped his knuckles on the table in a show of nerves. “Well, I just wanted to say hi. I didn’t want to walk past like we’re strangers.”
Easton’s tone brightened. “It’s a good thing you didn’t try. I would’ve tripped you.”
At Easton’s playful tone, Whiskey brightened again, obviously relieved to be out of the dog house. “Stop by the precinct sometime. I’m sure some of the other guys would love to see you doing so well.”
“I’ll do that,” Easton said, still smiling. “Maybe I’ll even bring the guys some of my cupcakes for their hard work.”
“Your cupcakes?” Whiskey sounded genuinely interested and Nico thought he would scream. Easton fell into telling Whiskey about his bakery while Nico fought the urge to put his fist through the guy’s face. He’d shattered Nico’s life and now he wouldn’t go away so Nico could explain. Fuck. The rage was real. It was all Nico’s fault, of course. He’d been the one who’d lied by omission. At any time, he could’ve admitted Jörg was his brother. He could’ve explained he’d been the one to find Easton half dead in that parking lot while looking for his brother. Nico should’ve told Easton all about driving Jörg to the police station, forcing him to turn himself in and face his punishment. He definitely wanted Easton to know how bringing Jörg to live with him was one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Easton needed to know Nico had been the one who’d checked on Easton nonstop, watching him from a distance. Nico had been the one who’d found himself drawn a little more to Easton’s light and will to survive every day until he’d finally given in and walked through the door of Easton’s Bakery. That was all on him. Silence was his sin. He should own it. Nico fell down such a deep well of self-loathing that he didn’t realize Whiskey was gone and Easton was back to reading the menu like nothing happened until he felt Easton stroke his knee again. Nico stared hard at Easton until Easton turned his head.
A sexy smile stretched Easton’s lips. His eyes shone bright with the same happiness they had since Nico admitted to loving him. “Do you think they’d tackle us if we tried to leave? I don’t know if I can stomach anything on this menu.”
Nico sucked in a breath. It felt ragged. “I love you.”
Easton’s smile faltered a bit. “I love you too. Are you okay?”
The truth slapped Nico. Easton knew everything. He probably always had. Yet he’d given Nico a chance anyhow. All the times he’d stayed silent had been for nothing. But he wasn’t the only one who’d not said a word. “How long have you known?�
�
Easton didn’t play coy. Nico realized now that wasn’t him. Easton was always straight with people. He didn’t play games. If he was scared, he said it. If he wanted anything at all, he let it be known. This was no different. “Since you let me drive the Mustang that first time. When you told me where you worked, I knew then. The police who came to the hospital to take my statement told me the owner of your shop had found me and called 911. After your brother turned himself in, Detective Harris kept me posted. He said you’d forced him to confess, but no matter how hard they’d pushed, Jörg wouldn’t give up the names of the two friends who’d been with him that night. In truth, even though it leaves me knowing the other two are still out there, I was grateful he pled guilty and took the full sentence to avoid snitching on his friends. That decision kept me from having to testify or see his face again. Plus, your brother was the ringleader.”
Nico’s eyes fell closed. In his heart, he’d known that. When his mother had begged Nico to bring Jörg to the States to get him out of the wrong crowd and Jörg had immediately found the wrong crowd here, Nico had known. It wasn’t a matter of hanging with the wrong people. Jörg was the wrong people. He’d probably refused to give up the other boys’ names because they could tell even more on Jörg than he could on them. Jörg had been saving his ass.
Easton kissed him. It was the sweetest brushing of lips, and it was enough to open Nico’s eyes in more than one way. In spite of his silence, his guilt, and his family, Easton loved him.
One corner of Easton’s mouth lifted. “You never brought it up.” He paused and shrugged. “So I didn’t see a reason that I should. That has nothing to do with us.”
“You’re so beautiful.” Nico couldn’t stop. “And amazing and strong. I’m damn lucky to have found you. There’s nothing I would not give if I could change what my brother did.”
Sugar Sentry (Sugar Daddies Book 13) Page 8
