Are you okay?
I guess.
Do you want to come over? Sleep in my arms?A heart emoji accompanied the question.
Gladly. Thank you. I’m on my way.
“Where should I drive you?” Martin looked at him with a knowing smile.
“Can you take me to Andrew? It’s a bit of a detour for you, though.”
“No problem. He lives above his shop, doesn’t he? Collin told me.”
Curtis nodded. “Yes. He has to get up early, so it comes in handy.”
They drove in silence for some time. Finally, Martin said: “I’m happy for you, Curtis. You deserve a good man, a good Dom in your life, and Andrew seems to be both.”
“Thank you, Martin. And thank you for coming with me tonight. You were a real help.”
Martin snorted. “I didn’t do much. Just sat there and listened to you handling the situation. Which was a new experience for me.”
“I wouldn’t have been so collected without you. Knowing I had a trained bodyguard in my corner gave me the reassurance I needed.” Curtis winked.
“Don’t make me tell your master you need a spanking, boy.” Martin laughed. They talked a little about the next projects Collin had lined up and about the wedding. Martin was more than pleased that Curtis would be Collin’s best man.
“He was so excited when you said yes. It means a lot to him, Curtis.”
“It means a lot to me as well. It’s nice to have such close friends.”
Martin nodded and turned into the parking lot of Sweet Break. Curtis thanked him one more time for his help and for driving him here before he turned to the side entrance, where Andrew was already waiting for him.
ANDREW WATCHEDwith hungry eyes as his boy left the black Escalade currently parked in front of his back door. He caught a brief glimpse of Martin behind the wheel and thought the other Dom was nodding at him, but he was too focused on Curtis to react. His boy looked delicious in dark gray slacks, a lavender shirt, and those black leather loafers with the white stitching he had seen on him before. The thought that Curtis’s ex had had the pleasure of seeing him like this had Andrew’s hackles rising. Curtis was his, his alone. He reached out for his boy, drew him close to press a kiss on his mouth. The way Curtis was melting into his arms helped to mollify those unkind thoughts.
“Hello, boy. I’ve missed you.”
Curtis looked up into his eyes, slightly panting.
“And I missed you, Master. Can we go inside?”
Andrew looked around to see Martin’s Escalade was already gone. He took Curtis’s hands in his to guide him upstairs. When they entered his apartment, he tensed for a moment, remembering how perfect Curtis’s home was. He liked his place with the open-plan living/dining area/kitchen, the huge black sofa with the flat-screen TV, and the small white table with the four blue chairs where he usually took his meals. Before he’d moved to Miami, he had started painting the chairs, fully intending to turn the table blue as well; he just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Curtis looked around curiously, with a smile on his lips.
“It’s very nice. Very much you.”
Andrew raised a brow. “I’m not sure if this is a compliment.”
“Believe me, it is, definitely.”
Curtis was still staying close to him, as if he didn’t want to break the skin contact. It worried Andrew, so he gently pulled Curtis to the sofa and made him sit down next to him. “Are you sure you’re okay, boy? You seem—restless.”
Curtis sighed, snuggled even closer, his head resting on Andrew’s shoulder. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to make of this evening. I expected to feel something profound when meeting Jasper. I mean, that man has hurt me so deeply. After he dumped me, it took me almost two years to get over him. I finally realized that what hurt me so much wasn’t the love we had lost, which was never the Shakespearian kind anyway, more a very pragmatic, typically British solution, but how he had done it. My pride was hurt worse than my heart. Once I realized that, it was easier for me to move on and seeing him today, I was surprised at how little I felt. There was no real anger or hatred, just a mild annoyance because he kept me from being with you. And after he told me how badly off he was, I pitied him a bit, but no more than you would any stranger with such a story. Seeing him didn’t shake me to the core, like I thought, neither in a good nor in a bad way. I didn’t feel triumphant or overly vindictive. All in all, I felt nothing. Which in part is thanks to you. We’ve only been together for a short time, but you still showed me how much more I can expect from a real Dom. That’s nice.”
Andrew blushed. He found he liked getting compliments from his boy. “Thank you. I still get the feeling you have a huge ‘but’ looming over your head.”
Curtis started drawing circles on his chest. “There is a but. I’m a bit worried about my lack of reaction. Don’t you think it’s strange how detached I am?”
Andrew pressed a kiss on Curtis’s head. “No, it’s not. I think you’re truly over him, just like you said, so there’s no reason for you to have any lingering feelings for him. I’m aware that practically all TV series live off the opposite, but nobody can accuse TV of being overly realistic. You’re through with Jasper, for which I’m grateful. Frees you up for me.”
“Oh, I’m very free for you.” Curtis chuckled, and Andrew could feel the tension bleeding out of his shoulders.
