A warm hand covered his shaking one. “I’m sorry about your mother. I had no idea.”
Rico gulped in air. “I don’t talk about her much. She was hit by a car. And I never got a chance to see her again, ’cause I was in school. But my father, he’s great, you know? Worked and worked to give me the best and made it so that he’s in line to be a big politician one day. Maybe even a senator. That’s all he knows—hard work, striving, pushing to be the best, number one. Number two doesn’t cut it for Leonides Estevez.”
“Okay. But I’m still not seeing where the problem is.”
Rico stared into Adam’s eyes. “While my father isn’t anti-gay, he isn’t pro-gay-rights either. Before marriage equality, he presented bills to the state legislature to proclaim marriage to be between one man and one woman.”
Dawning realization settled in Adam’s eyes. “Your father doesn’t know you’re gay.”
“Nope. And I can’t tell him. We had an argument last time we spoke when I told him Gideon and Jonah were getting married. He likes Gideon yet doesn’t understand why gay people need to marry. He called them,us—‘those people.’”
Frustrated, Rico scrubbed his face with his hands, wishing he could rub out all his problems with a magic eraser. “Now he’s up for state party chairman. He told me to make sure I don’t do anything that might get me in the press.” Bile tasted sour in the back of his throat. “Told me to stay away from women in bars. Can you imagine if it was discovered I was gay? The head of the conservative party with a gay son?”
He choked on the bitterness of his laugh. “I’m sure they only tolerate him being a minority himself because he’s so Americanized. The little Spanish I know is from my grandfather or what I picked up living in Miami.” He hardly felt Adam rubbing his shoulder. “And there’s something else.”
Something he’d never admitted to anyone, not Gideon or even himself. Adam said nothing, giving him time to unburden himself. No judgment resided in his blue eyes, only compassion and warmth.
“I’m angry at him for avoiding any mention of my culture growing up. I had mypipo, my grandfather, until he died a few years ago, but all he talked about was hating being under a dictatorship and how free America was. I grew up not knowing much else about my heritage, but that’s on me now. I can do that on my own.”
“Why didn’t you ever talk to your father about how you feel? You have a good relationship. Surely he’d understand.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” Dark thoughts settled in his mind. “We don’t, not really. Have a good relationship, that is. Not like you and your parents. Unless my father and I talk about the business or his work, we’ve got little, if anything, to say to each other. It was bad when I was younger, but once my mother died, it got even worse.”
“He probably misses her and buried himself in his work.”
Surprised by Adam’s insight, Rico agreed. “Yeah. I know he does; we both still miss her even after all these years. And I’d like to think she’d be okay with me as I am.” Avoiding Adam’s sympathy, Rico slid down the bed and curled up under the sheets. Away from Adam and his too-knowing eyes.
But Adam wouldn’t let that stop him and joined him under the covers, curving his naked body against Rico’s, firing up all the cold, dark spaces, making him wonder how he’d lived with this burden alone for so long.
“I know she would. You’re a wonderful son, a good friend, and a fabulous lover.” Kisses rained down the side of Rico’s neck. “Although that little fact is something I’ll keep only to myself. I don’t intend to share what we do together with anyone.”
“Me either.” Rico rolled over to face Adam. “Even after I do tell him, because I plan to, I’m not one to shove my personal life in everyone’s faces.”
“No kidding.” Adam rolled his eyes. “If it wasn’t for Gideon giving me your business card, I would never have gotten your number.”
“Shit.” Mentioning Gideon brought back the dread he’d pushed aside; the one he’d thought he’d gotten rid of when he and everyone else managed to pull the party off to its wild success. “I still have to call Gid and tell him the whole story now. He’s gonna freak.” He flung an arm across his eyes as if to block out all the bad news waiting.
Before he could lose it any further, Adam pounced on him and pulled the sheets off, then kissed his neck. “Forget about it. Right now it’s you and me.” He took a pointy nipple between his teeth and sucked, and Rico moaned, instantly hard and aching, all thoughts forgotten except the incredible pleasure buzzing through him from Adam’s wicked lips and tongue. “I want you again.”
“Want you too,” Rico whispered even though it was only the two of them. Their hands touched, and Adam laced their fingers together.
“Hold on, then. I’ve got you, and I’m not letting go.”
Rico gave in to the swell of desire rushing through him, and opened his mouth under Adam’s burning kiss.
*
Two days laterRico returned to the store and wanted to cry. In the harsh, bright sunlight, it looked so much worse than in his imagination. The boarded-up windows and smoke-stained brick facade left no doubt what had happened. At his side, Sean cursed under his breath.
“Shit. It really sucks. Did the insurance guy give you any idea how long it would be before the check would come through?”
Rico had spent most of the evening going through paperwork and getting everything together to reorder at least a new front counter, cash register, and cabinetry. No matter if Gideon had been with him or not, because of his dyslexia, the onus would always fall on Rico to handle the paperwork.
They’d need to go inside to the back to see if the damage had spread to the other rooms. At the very least they’d have to throw out the food, and restock, and get a painter…His head spun.
“I think Gene said next week; I’ve sent him all our receipts for everything, so now it’s a matter of hurry up and wait for the insurance company to do their thing. They know it’s a small business, so Gene promised he’d put it as a top priority, but still…” Rico pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath to steady himself.
“Well, I’m out of classes, so I’m here to do whatever you need.” As if to prove his determination, Sean tugged the ubiquitous Mets cap down farther on his head. “If we could get in there, we could see how bad it is and make a plan.”
