It’s my turn to smile now. “Good point. Now what was going on with my neck. Not that I object to you touching me.”
“Your tattoo. I saw it at the club before the night of the party; I didn’t see your face. You had shorts that had boy over your delectable arse. I was intrigued. it’s beautiful. What’s the story behind it?”
I blushed, then sighed. “Again, it’s all about you.”
“How d’you work that out?”
“It’s got the coordinates of the gym under it—from where you found me. It’s to remind me that I can find my way home. That you’re here.”
“Christ, Memphis. You’re killing me.” He shakes his head as if to clear his mind. “Why didn’t you just come home?”
“I couldn’t. I wanted to, believe me I wanted to, but I had to be sure that I would be taken seriously. You can’t say that you wouldn’t have turned me down. Calling me a brother.”
Royal doesn’t reply. Instead, he worries the corner of his bottom lip. The frown marring his forehead means he’s thinking too much. We stay silent until he parks across the road from the restaurant.
He waits for me to stand next to him, and this time, he takes hold of my hand and gives it a squeeze. We have to wait for a couple of cars before we quickly cross the road. “Is this place okay for you? I’ve eaten here a few times; the food is good.”
I nod. “Sure. As long as it’s got pasta, I’m good.”
“I promise you it has that.”
It’s not until we get our drinks that Royal draws in a deep breath and looks at me. “Why did you cut us out of your life? I can understand you wanted to leave home, but to nevercontact us again hurt me so much.” He sips at his drink. “Was it something I did?”
“I wanted to go to university, that wasn’t a secret. But I’d discovered something about myself that I needed to explore. And while it wasn’t your fault, you were the catalyst.”
Before I can continue, Royal lets out a disgruntled sigh. “I knew you’d turn this onto me.”
I stare at him as he huffs his disapproval. “If you will let me finish, you’ll find out how this is not your fault. You were a part of the reason, not the whole reason. It’s not all about you, so get over yourself.”
“I’m sorry, Memphis, this isn’t going to work.” He picks up his drink and gulps it down. He pushes his chair out to stand up, but I grab his wrist before he can.
“Sit down, Royal.” I’m not letting him leave without clearing it all up. “You wanted to know, so let me tell you.”
“You infuriate me.” He sighs, but he drops back down. “I want to spank your arse so hard.”
I snort as the waiter approaches at that exact moment, turns bright red, spins on his heels, and retreats. All the tension between us evaporates as we both burst out laughing.
“Maybe if we get through dinner, I’ll let you.” I wink as Royal shakes his head. “Can I carry on?” I don’t bother waiting for his reply and get back to my tale. “Anyway, I overheard a conversation you were having with Saint. You were talking about how you’d found your thing, that you’d spent the evening with a boy, a sub that wanted you to treat nicely. That you wanted to care for and treasure rather than dominate or inflict pain for pleasure. I’d only just worked out that I was a sub—I knew then that I wanted you to be my daddy. That I was in love with you, but I knew you didn’t see me the same way. I was just Memphis, your kid brother.”
The waiter returns, and from the shell-shocked look on Royal’s face, he needs a moment to process what I’ve said. I give my order and wait for Royal to do the same.
“I’ll have a bottle of the Montepulciano too,” he adds. I give him a quizzical look since we’d brought his car. “No, sorry, cancel that, another Coke please.”
I trace my fingertips over the knuckles of his clenched fist. “I’m sorry. I really am. I knew I had to stay away long enough for you to see me with fresh eyes. That I wasn’t a kid you helped years ago. I kept an eye on you. I watched what was going on here and saw the notification of my dad dying and used that as an excuse to come back. I was ready to come home, to see you again. I understood the relationship and dynamic of a Daddy and a boy. I’d played at clubs and found a man to be with, but I could never love him. However much I tried, I couldn’t.”
“Where did you go?”
“Lincoln. I went to university there. I met a guy called Finn on my first day. We’ve been best friends ever since. We now run a business together.”
“So, are you just visiting or do you plan to work from here?”
“No, I’m staying here. I’ve looked at a few flats, but none are what I want. I’m not running away; I’m here for good. Even if you don’t want me, or we’re not compatible, I’m back.”
“We’re compatible.” It comes out as a growl. “I’ll prove it to you later if you’d like.” The end of the sentence lifts with humour that I hope he understands. “What is your business?”
“We’re website and graphic designers. We also work a lot with indie authors, anything from website building to cover designing. We’ve recently begun offering promotional services too. We’re crazy busy. It’s grown and grown over the last four years. We still work with other businesses, too, but this has become our staple income.”
“It seems to be going well if you have that very nice car. Congratulations, boy.”
