“Your dick isn’t that big,” Blade noted.
“Shush, you. I’m Latino. Everything is big on me. My dick, my ass, even my personality.”
“You got that right. So what’s this secret weapon?” Caden asked. “Your ability to bore people to death?”
Ace smiled. “Nope. I’ve… got Lucas.” He turned to his best friend, whose cheeks suddenly flushed.
“Who? Sweet, golden retriever boy over there?” Reid asked, jerking his thumb toward the man sitting between Caden’s legs.
The group fell silent.
Reid looked around the campfire, appearing confused by the sudden shift in atmosphere. He looked over at Niko and gave him a confused look.
“Let’s just say, don’t ever eat or drink anything that Lucas gives you. Oh, and don’t open any bags of his.” Niko paused for a moment. “Umm, and if you see him holding anything with a pin in it? Run.”
Reid began to chuckle as he looked around the campfire nervously.
“Come on. You’re fuckin’ with me, right?Mr. Showtuneshas an evil streak?” Reid joked, his voice unsure and shaky.
Lucas shook his head.
“These guys are just fucking with you. I’m harmless. So I drugged Caden and had a little happy time with a few grenades?Big deal. Who hasn’t? Oh, and there may have been an incident with a few snakes. Nothing to be concerned about at all.” Lucas shrugged it off before turning to face his boyfriend with a concerned look on his face. “Oh, hun, did I remember to take my meds today?”
Reid’s lips parted slightly as he tried to figure out if the happy ball of sunshine was actually a demon in disguise.
“Don’t worry, I’ll sleep next to the tent door tonight. He’ll have to kill me first before he gets to you. I’m sure my screams will wake you,” Nikolai offered gallantly.
“My hero,” Reid said, fluttering his eyelids and tucking his hands between his head and shoulder.
“You fucking know it,” Nikolai responded, giving his buddy a smirk of his own. He missed this sort of banter.
Glancing over at the man sitting next to him, Niko realized that he never wanted this to end. He wanted to have Reid around… forever.
But Reid was only here for a short while. Then he would be heading back to his home in LA—if that was where he lived. He hadn’t really asked Reid that question.
That sad truth pained him. He had thought Reid was dead for nearly ten years, but suddenly, he had him back in his life. How was he ever going to survive not having him around once again?
Perhaps he could convince Reid to stay. Move to Baton permanently, or maybe move in with him if it makes things easier.
Whatever it took, he wanted Reid to stay. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing him again.
The rest of the night, he tried not to think about the sad reality that one day his friend would head back home, and Niko would lose him all over again.
25
REID
Something changed in Nikolai’s mood. He had been happy and cheerful for most of the day, but that all changed around the time of the campfire. They had all been sitting there, laughing and joking, until something seemed to dampen Nikolai’s spirits. He became quiet and distant, as if he were lost in his own little world. Reid wasn’t sure what it was, but he hated seeing his friend in this state.
Most of the guys had called it a night by the time Niko and Reid decided to head to bed.
When Reid entered the tent, he saw Nikolai moving around their sleeping bags and pillows.
Was Niko… mad?
“What are you doing?” Reid asked, wondering what he could have done to piss Niko off.
A thick head of blond hair glanced up as he adjusted one of the pillows.
