“No one,” Gem replied while quickly swiping out of the app as his nosy brother asked his question. Nix always hated to be left out of things.
“Okay,” Nix drawled. “Who are you waiting on a text from?”
“None of your business, brat.” Damn it, Nix was supposed to be distracted.
“Then why did you stop when I asked?” Nix pressed. He was leaning against Evan’s legs, who sat on the couch in the same place they’d enjoyed their hot chocolate before dinner. Some ridiculous creature feature was turned on the big screen against the wall but Nix appeared to be paying more attention to him and not the movie that he insisted they needed to watch.
Not that Gem gave a shit about what they were watching. He’d never been big on movies or television shows. He much preferred a game to listen to. Since it was Christmas Eve, there wasn’t anything Gem was interested in.
Now that they’d finished eating, they’d all congregated back in the cozy sitting room since that was where Aries had left his toys. Gem was sprawled in one of the soft overstuffed chairs just relaxing in the presence of his brothers. They didn’t even need to speak for Gem to find peace with them.
Plus, he quite enjoyed the festive space and loved seeing Aries embracing his little side. He was even happy with how Evan doted on Nix, who needed a partner that could corral his exuberant side without dimming his sparkle. Gem was just anxious that the messaging app was still quiet. No notifications. Gem didn’t know what to think about that.
There was a chance that his boy’s visit with his parents was going fine but from the few things that had been shared with him, Gem doubted it. He couldn’t help but worry about his boy. Gem didn’t understand a dynamic where parents didn’t or couldn’t support their children. Sometimes there was too much support in his family.
His mom had sent a text message informing them that her and their stepdad would arrive in the next few hours. Gem was looking forward to seeing his own parents. He spoke with his mom at least twice a week. It didn’t matter that he was the eldest—his mother still considered him her baby.
It was nice even though Gem acted like he didn’t need his mom to dote on him like she did his brothers.
He might be mere minutes older than Aries and Nix, but Gem had always taken his position as the man of the house seriously. Even when he’d only been a toddler. His mom had needed his help as she had three babies on her own.
His mom was the most amazing woman that he had ever met. Admittedly, Gem had been worried when she’d first met his stepfather. Gem had attempted to run his stepfather off with months of acting the brat. He’d pulled every dirty trick that he could think of and had even used Aries and Nix in his plan. Nothing worked. His stepfather, his father, had taken everything Gem had thrown at him.
Gem eventually came around. Accepted that his mom deserved to be happy and he had been standing in her way. Gem also respected his stepfather and they had a special bond that had lasted to that very day. Gem might speak to his mom twice a week, but it was his stepfather that Gem went to when he needed to work something out or wanted advice.
His phone vibrated where it was resting on his knee as a notification popped up.
It took every bit of his self-control to remain in his seat and not show any reaction. Nix had gone back to watching the movie. Vin was moving the hockey players around on the table as Aries used a little puck that came with one, making swishing sounds. Evan had his head buried in a book.
As casually as he could, Gem rose and stretched his arms over his head. “I’m going to unpack my bags and rest until Mom and Dad get here.”
“You okay?” Aries asked as he peered up at him. The sparkling lights from the tree caught the unique blue color of Aries’s eyes, making them appear to glow.
“Fine, long travel day. Then the hockey game. Just a little tired,” Gem assured him.
“Tired,” Nix said and snorted. “Sure. Have fun…resting.”
He ignored his brat of a brother but patted Aries on the shoulder as he passed. Making his way down the hall, Gem headed for the stairs. He took them two at a time once he was out of sight of the others.
The need to check on his boy was overriding his good senses. Gem knew this was a stupid idea. There was a very real chance that Nix would try to spy on him. It wasn’t that Gem was hiding what he was doing. There was nothing wrong with the relationship he had set up with his sub. It was just uncommon even in the BDSM community.
Gem didn’t know his boy’s real name. He’d been given the moniker Ty to use although his sub had admitted that wasn’t his real name. Going with the demon mask that he’d donned on the night of their meeting Gem had gone with Beelz for the known demon Beelzebub. It was a little silly, but Gem quite enjoyed the illusion that he’d set up for his boy.
Reaching the room that he’d been given, Gem entered and turned to lock the door. Then, knowing Nix like he did, Gem grabbed the chair for the desk and placed the back under the knob. There. That should give him a little warning if Nix tried to get inside.
Each room in the house had been decorated with a holiday theme that must have been all Nix’s doing.
Gem smiled. Nix might tend to go overboard in pretty much everything in his life. He had the kindest heart. Evan obviously spoiled the brat and gave in since there was no way Evan had previously owned this many holiday decorations.
The tree in the corner had been decorated in Gem’s team colors for the Boston Beans. It amused Gem to no end.
Stripping out of his shirt, he crossed the room to where he’d left his suitcase. Dropping his phone on the mattress, Gem forced himself to wait on checking the app.
He opened the suitcase to pull out his leather pants, vest, and mask. He set them aside before going into the bathroom. Gem took a piss, washed his hands, popped in his colored contacts, then checked that his hair was still styled after his shower. Once he was satisfied that not a hair was out of place, Gem returned to the bedroom.
Donning his costume had the added effect of getting Gem into the proper headspace to take care of his boy. With his hair neatly styled, his face covered, purple eyes hidden, and the vest hiding the tattoo over his chest, Gem would be able to concentrate all his attention on his sub. Nothing identifiable was within view. Gem took a deep breath then went about preparing for the call.
He shut off the main light, allowing the only light in the room to come from the Christmas tree in the opposite corner. Gem made certain the curtains were closed. It was dark but not too dark. Returning to the bed, it only took a moment to place the suitcase aside and get settled with his back against the headboard. Gem picked up his phone and opened the app. The message he expected popped up.
