Slade's body twitched and he let out a noise somewhere between a whine and a groan. He wasn’t at all subtle when he reached down and palmed his dick. I snatched his hand, pulling it to the side. Slade inhaled sharply; his breathing ragged as he glared up at me.
I chuckled. Jordan noticed us and quickly excused himself from the conversation he was having. “Everything okay?”
“Tell this jerk he's not my Daddy, Jordan,” Slade blurted out.
“Huh?” Jordan cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “What in the hell have I missed?”
“It seems that while you've been busy taking care of your guests, your friend here has been keeping the alcohol stash company. I’m going to run him home.” Jordan’s gaze flitted from me to Slade and back again. He hummed quietly, a small smile forming. I didn’t dare ask him what he thought he’d figured out, because I was scared of the answer.
“You don't have to do that,” Jordan insisted. “He lives in the opposite direction of your place. I wouldn't want to put you out. He can crash on the couch.”
“It's not a problem, Jordan. And I know how Eli feels about people spending the night. It'll be better for everyone this way. Besides, I'm pretty sure Slade would prefer dealing with tomorrow morning's hangover at his own place.” The boy was going to hurt, and Eli wouldn’t have mercy on him. Given the little bits I’d learned about Slade tonight, that would only make things worse for him.
Jordan snorted, and Slade's head whipped around to glare at him. “Hey man, don't blame me. I can't imagine anyone being that desperate.”
“It was good enough for you when you needed a place to crash,” Slade argued.
With every passing minute, Slade's eyes drifted further closed, and his body sagged against mine. If I didn't get him to the car soon, I would have to carry him down the stairs. I pulled out my phone and handed it to Jordan. “Enter his address into the GPS.”
Then to Slade, I said, “Where are your keys?”
He patted his front pocket. “Right here,Daddy. You going to dig them out for me?”
God help me. Part of me hoped this was all a drunken act, but I wasn't so sure it was. Slade would be a handful, and I wasn't sure I was up for meeting his level of need. I held out my hand and cleared my throat. “Keys, Slade. Now.”
He pouted as he pulled out a plain key ring with two keys, dropping them into my palm. “Happy now,Daddy?”
Not by a long shot. Tonight was supposed to be just a quick stop so Jordan didn’t think I was shunning them before heading off to The Lodge. I needed to check in with Sam and see how things were going there, but that would have to wait. Slade needed me more right now.
I gave Slade and Jordan a moment alone to say goodbye, while I found Doug and Eli to thank them for inviting me. Doug bit down on his lips to keep from laughing as I explained that I was going to give their very drunken guest a ride home.
“Play safe,” he reminded me as I gave him a quick hug. I flipped him off, then he pulled me in again. This time whispering in my ear, “Don’t fight whatever you’re feeling. He’d be a good reason for you to stop devoting every minute of your life to work. You’ve busted your ass for years, now it’s time to enjoy life a little bit.”
“Shut up, Dougie,” I hissed. If Eli found out Doug had been trying to play matchmaker, he’d join in, and the two of them would be relentless. Much better to allow Eli to think this was just a ride home. Because that’s what it was. Even if I wanted to give in to these urges, Slade was in no shape tonight.
