“His girlfriend was just waiting in the dark for you?” Beau finally says, his brows furrowed, trying to make sense of this fucked up situation. My jaw tightens at the use of the word‘girlfriend,’but I let it go. “I thought he and Tamika were going strong? At least that’s what she told me the other day at the bar.” Fuck. Somehow, it keeps getting more and more complicated. Beau inherited his mom Carol’s bar when she passed away last year, and Tamika works there as a waitress. It only makes things more uncomfortable being in close proximity to the one person who’s always got her finger on every pulse in town.
“No. It wasn’t Tamika. Although she was there. Theybothwalked in on us,” I say, and a wave of disappointment hits me. I can’t believe my son would treat women like this.
“He was playing them,” I murmur. I might not have been perfect, but I raised him better than that. God, I’m in no position to pass judgment. One, I have a secret relationship with two guys he went to school with that I’ve yet to tell him about, and two, he caught me with a woman I have since learned was his ex-girlfriend.
“Who was it, West?” Haze asks, his voice low, as if reaching inside me to steady the storm I’m feeling.
“His ex. Apparently, he had only just broken things off with her, and no one knew he had been playing both of them until they walked in and everything blew up from there. Shit hit the fan immediately, and his ex ran out of there in nothing more than her underwear, but not before telling me that she thought I was my son.”
“Oof!” Beau grimaces. “That explains why Tamika called in sick.”
“Man, I thought this kind of shit only happened in movies,” Haze adds.
“Not helpful.” I go to take another sip, but think better of it and hand the glass of sugar back to Beau. He takes it and sets it down on the table.
“How's Theo holding up?” Beau asks, leaning against the wall that separates our balcony from the other cabins, looking every bit like a tattooed bad boy. His brown hair’s a little lighter on the ends these days, probably from too much sun, and is tied up in a messy bun. His inked, defined arms flex just enough to capture my attention as he casually slides his hands into the pockets of his shorts. This man is summer in human form. Warm, golden, and impossible to look away from.
“He won't talk to me.” I feel the air leave my lungs and I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting back the emotion that threatens to spill over. Things were just starting to become good with us. He's always been a troubled kid and lately, he and I have been getting along.
His mother and I had him when we were seventeen, a one-night stand that very much changed our entire lives. As much as we tried to make things work between us, we weren't suited for each other. Back then, we both agreed to co-parent, and we’ve never had a problem with our dynamic. I don't know if this is something Theo struggled with. Hell, I don't know much about anything because he’s closed off most of the time. I just wish he'd talk to me. I understand if he doesn't want to, better than the next guy, but I'm still his father. No matter what, that will never change.
“He just needs time, babe. You and him are more alike than either of you wants to admit,” Haze murmurs, his fingers brushing softly against my hand before taking mine in his.
“You're both closed books,” Beau adds. “Give him time. He'll come around,” he says, stepping in closer and pressing a brief kiss to my forehead. They always know what I need, even if it means showing a little vulnerability sometimes. It took me a while to get here, but I trust them with my life, and nothing will ever get in the way of that. I open my mouth to apologize, not just for putting a damper on the start of what was supposed to be our romantic getaway, we're here to unwind and simply be together, after all. But also because this rift between my son and me means that I can't tell him about us yet, and as much as I’m not comfortable with waiting, I can't just drop this on him without working things out with him first.
My guys deserve to be happy.
Not to be hidden behind closed doors.
They deserve to be with someone who loves them out loud, and I do, for the most part. But not in the ways I need to—want to. Not without telling Theo first. Before I can get the words out, Beau stops me.
“In time, baby. We aren't in any hurry. We're in this for the long haul, you know that. You don't have to justify yourself.” Beau steps in closer, trailing his fingertips across my chest in that casual, intimate way that always leaves me rattled. I swallow, trying not to think about how his simple touch has me on the brink of coming undone. I raise a challenging brow, and that gleam in his eye shows that he’s aware of just how dangerously close he’s walking to the edge.
He savors every bit of it.
Beau craves the consequence as eagerly as the prize. I might be exposed right now, but they know the rules, and who sets them. They know exactly who’s in charge here. Haze lingers at my side, while Beau continues to flirt with the edges of my restraint. Tracing slow, lingering circles across my bare chest, before moving lower to the waistband of my shorts.
“Come on, old man. Stop holding back. We already know what you want. The guests are probably still settling into their cabins, so we have time to do nothing but each other,” Beau says slyly, a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his full lips as he uses the words,old manto rile me up. I’m forty-three, and while I might not be the oldest man on this fucking ship, Beau knows all the right ways to push my buttons. He and Haze are in their late twenties, but with the way they tease me, you'd think they were ready to herd me off to pasture.
Slowly, I let my gaze drop from his eyes. One blue, the other flecked with green and honey, then down to his mouth, lingering just long enough to make him squirm. Then, when our eyes meet again, I catch the heat flickering across his expression, and my cock hardens in response. Beau’s hands close around mine just as Haze’s shadow shifts at the edge of my sight, and they guide me back inside, warm, shirtless bodies pressing in close as the balcony slips behind us. A king bed awaits us, romantically staged with petals and all that sort of shit and I bite back a laugh. Not because I don’t appreciate the effort the cruise went to, I mean, it really is impressive, but because Haze is the least romantic of all of us, yet somehow the first to drop onto the mattress, eager for the version of us that only exists when the rest of the world is shut away. The tension that had been suffocating the room cracks open completely, giving way to a current of charged, teasing heat and temptation held together only by a sliver of restraint.
My thighs brush against the bed as I gaze down at Haze, his eyes dark and filled with need. I love that look. Haze is usually all work and no play. I know this because I am his boss, and he is a total hard-ass most of the time. Gives me a run for my money. But when we’re together like this. He, Beau and I, he practically begs me for it, and it just might be my favorite thing. Haze lets go of every ounce of control, surrendering to me so beautifully, socompletely, that it always makes me weak in the knees. The way they trust me. It’s intoxicating, and something I will never, ever take for granted.
I lean down slightly, letting my hand trail over Haze’s sculpted chest, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath my fingers. He shivers at my touch, barely noticeable, but I don’t miss how well his body responds to me. His dark, green eyes are full of mischief, silently pleading with me as Beau settles beside him. They turn to face each other, exchanging a look filled with passion, hunger, and impatience because patience has never been in their vocabulary when it comes to us. Beau swallows, his jaw tightening as he lifts his hand to Haze’s cheek, his thumb brushing over his stubble with a reverence that only makes my chest tighten. I watch as their bodies drift closer, caught between the sheer, desperate need for each other and self-control. Their foreheads hover close, breaths mingling as their lips barely graze in a kiss. The sight of it does something to me, but I know that’s the whole point. They’re pulling me back into the here and now, anchoring me to this moment with them, reminding me that whatever comes next, I’m not facing it alone.
They’re mine.
When Beau’s tongue darts out to briefly tease against Haze’s, a low groan escapes me, and their lips tilt up at the corners. Heat builds low in my stomach at their audacity, and my balls tighten as I watch their large, muscular bodies move together, breath by heavy breath, fully aware of the effect they have on me. They’re holding back. Not because the want isn’t there, because their order hasn’t arrived yet. They’re waiting for my permission like the good boys they are.
“Have you had your fun?” I murmur. Beau doesn’t even try to hide his excitement. His body gives him away. I let my gaze drop to the proof of what teasing me does to him, then back up tomeet his salacious grin, pinning him with a look that says I mean business.
“You and I both know that the fun hasn’t even started yet…Daddy.”
CHAPTER 5
HAZE
ALL HANDS ON DICK
