I left the bathroom and the ghosts, following the amazing scent of bacon.
Chapter 6
Jackson
I was still livid over losing my dream mansion. There had to have been some kind of bribe going on for it to not have gone through for me. After Father passed, I inherited everything. It had been such a mix of emotions that I still didn’t know how I truly felt about everything. What I did know was that walking away from his business was the best decision I’d ever made. He’d wanted me to take over and continue the family business. But the first thing I’d done was sell it. He had no more control. No more of me he owned. I was a free man.
I’d looked at houses one night for me and Mike, knowing we would both love more room. Because I’d just looked at everything except apartments, I’d seen the mansion. It was like a calling, the picture beckoned me to look further. And then I realized what Iwanted to do with my life. I could see the mansion being a safe space for people in the BDSM community. Somewhere secluded and huge for people to feel comfortable, to feel free. I wanted it to be exclusive. Have members that could pay to stay over like a sort of hotel. I’d hired a realtor and made an offer, a generous one at that, but she’d told me someone had gotten the mansion and that she thought it seemed fishy, but the owner had agreed to them getting it. A gay couple she’d said. That had just annoyed me even further. Not only had these men gotten my dream mansion, they also seemed to already live the life I’d only been able to dream about.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I almost burned the bacon. I cursed low and quickly pulled the pieces off the frying pan. Just then soft footsteps came from the hallway. I turned and was ready to greet Pete when I froze in place. Pete was wearing my T-shirt, as I knew he would be… But I wasn’t expecting how truly perfect he would look in it. Howrightit felt seeing him in my clothes. Like he wasmine.
“Hi,” he breathed, his cheeks red and skin freshly cleaned. Damn, he looked so cute and innocent like this with his damp hair looking all mussed and adorable.
“Hi,” I replied, feeling my skin itch with the need to touch him. Comfort him. The bruises on his neck looked way worse today than they did yesterday. “You thirsty?” I asked, remembering my manners.
“Some water would be nice,” he replied, sitting down at the counter on the opposite side from me. It felt so right having him here in my space, and yes, he’d visited a few times, but that was to see Mike. I liked having some time where I had his full attention.
“Coming right up,” I said, winking at him. I wanted him to feel comfortable being here without Mike. Not that I would do anything to Pete that Mike wasn’t supposed to see. I guess there had to be a bro code on not touching each other’s brothers, even if Pete was irresistible as hell in my T-shirt. I could control myself and be who Pete needed me to be right now. Even if I saw him in a new light, he was still five years younger than me, and even though I doubted Mike would be opposed to us being together, I still couldn’t put him between us like that.
“My mom won’t expect me home for the next week,” he said, taking the offered glass of water. “I hope a week will be enough.” He sounded sad, and I could imagine why. He couldn’t leave theapartment, and for a whole week. I would’ve gone crazy being locked up too.
“Is there anything I can grab from your home? Books? Laptop? I don’t want you getting bored to death here.”
Pete snickered, then composed himself just as quickly again. He blushed, like he’d thought of something funny… maybe naughty? Oh, how I wished I could read minds right now.
“I would love some of my books. I have so many I’ve yet to read and I guess now’s the perfect time to get into them.”
“I’ll drive by once your mom has left for work. You can tell her over text that you’re grabbing a few things. At least then she won’t be startled to see some of your things missing.”
“Good idea,” he smiled, then quickly tapped out a message. “I would love my laptop too.”
“You got it. You can text me everything you need.”
“Thank you.”
I grinned as I placed his plate in front of him. “Eat up.”
I had no idea if Pete had planned this, or if he’d somehow forgotten that his underwear drawer was filled with lace panties. Most of them were still new with tags on them. Was he wearing those every day? Or saving them for a special occasion? My gut churned when I remembered where we were yesterday. Pete wasn’t the innocent young guy anymore; hell, he might be getting more action than I was lately.
Closing the drawer of temptation, I quickly grabbed the rest of his stuff. He did mention underwear, just not what kind. It was solely up to me what he would be wearing for the next week. Why was that so hot?
I opened the drawer again and picked out five different colored panties, one still with the tag on it. If he was playing me, he’d underestimated how well I could play back.
His laptop was easy to find, but the books were more challenging. How would I know which ones he hadn’t read? I stepped closer to his bookshelves and sighed with relief. It was obvious now; the ones he’d read were well loved and the others in pristine condition. I picked out two of the well-worn ones for comfort reads, and then five of the new ones. I made sure they were all standalones so I wouldn’t accidentally have him angry at me if one ended on a cliffhanger and I’d failed to grab the next book in the series.
I locked up the house behind me and figured Pete would enjoy some greasy burgers for lunch. Whistling, I drove through one of the drive-through restaurants and added a few different options. I had no idea what Pete preferred, so I made sure I had a good variety.
It was lunch time and I was so glad I wasn’t actively working at the moment. Pete would have company every day until he was well again. I needed to ask him about his job. I doubted he could just take a week off. Now that I thought about it, I had no idea what he even did for a living. Mike said he’d worked since he was sixteen, I’d just never asked further questions.
I made a mental note to ask him while we ate. I found myself wanting to know much more about him. I looked forward to it, actually.
Feeling excited to see him again, I started the drive home, hoping to catch all the green lights on my way back.
Chapter 7
Pete
As soon as Jackson was out the door, I called Daisy, my medium partner.
