Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

“Don’t forget the beanie weenies!” Sam called.

I was about to exit the aisle, but I turned back, rolling my eyes. “Jesus Christ, Sam, we’re traveling aboard a luxury yacht, preparing gourmet meals for our guests with top-shelf liquor, and you want us to settle for fucking beanie weenies from a can? That’s where I draw the line.”

“What?” he shrugged. “They're good. I like the sauce.”

“No. I’ll buy the jerky, but not the beanie weenies.”

“What about just regular hot dogs?” Nicky asked, trying to mediate.

“No. Maybe some bratwurst, though,” I thought aloud, turning toward the meat section.

Forty-five minutes later, we pushed our full cart through the checkout line. “Hey, Cass,” Matteo greeted .

Of course, my hormonal ball of sunshine, otherwise known as Nicky, made googly eyes at him. “Hey, Matteo.”

“Who is this?” he asked, looking at Nicky.

“Hi, I’m Nicky, Cass’s…” He looked at me uncertainly. It was the first time he’d ever introduced himself as my anything, and he was stumbling over what to call himself.

Boy? Boyfriend? I was probably a little too old to feel comfortable with that word.

“Partner. Nicky is my partner.”

He beamed, and I relaxed a little, knowing I made the right decision.

“I thought Sam was your partner? Is the business doing poorly? Is that why you had to take on another partner?”

Jesus Christ. “No, not at all.” Sliding my arm around Nicky’s slender shoulders, I pulled him to me and pressed a kiss to his head. “The other kind of partner.”

“Oohhh.” He smiled awkwardly and then shrugged it off. “I’m Matt, Sam’s nephew. Step-nephew,” he clarified. “I like your necklace,” he told my boy.

Nicky touched the strand of puka shells around his neck. “Thanks! Maybe I’ll pick you up one when we head back to the islands.”

“Cool,” Matteo smiled. “Is Sam coming?”

“Do you want him to?” I asked, returning his grin.

Matteo scowled. “ Forget I asked.”

Sam chose that moment to join us, tossing a bag of jellybeans on the conveyor belt. “Don’t forget, we have to pick up the alcohol,” he reminded me. Then he noticed his nephew. “Hey, Mattie.”

“Why do you keep calling me that? It’s Matt or Matteo. I’m not fucking twelve,” he huffed.

Sam pretended not to hear him. “Didn’t I warn you about cursing on the job?”

Matteo rolled his eyes, continuing to pass the food over the scanner and bagging it. “What’s with all the seafood? Usually, it’s sardines and soup.”

“What’s with all the questions?” Sam retorted.

Poor kid. I took pity on him. He just couldn’t win with Sam. “Our client only eats seafood.”

“That’s weird. I guess some of those yacht-type people can get fancy.”

“You have no idea,” I teased, grabbing our bags.

Sam tossed a candy bar and two dollars on the conveyor belt. “For your break, Mattie,” he called out. “Let me know about that fishing trip.”

Nicky followed him out. “I like your nephew, Uncle Sam.”

“Yeah? Well, that makes one of us.”

There was nothing worse than sleeping on the boat, wedged into a tiny bunk bed that swayed and dipped with the waves with nothing but a mesh net to hold you back from head-butting the floor—except when you shared that narrow bunk with another person.

I loved sleeping with Nicky, feeling his warm body safe in my arms, his breath puffing over my arm, the feel of his heart beating beneath my hand, and the smell of his tropical shampoo. But on the boat, I was willing to give up that comfort to gain nine more inches of mattress space.

Nicky was not, however.

Somehow, he was able to roll over, and he turned his sweet face up to me, big brown eyes crusted with sleep, hair matted and wild, and he smiled the brightest, warmest smile, and I forgot all about how his tiny, hot body made me sweat all night, or how his light snuffles were punctuated by the occasional snore—it was suddenly all worth it to wake up to his smiling face.

“Morning sleepyhead.” I pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Did you sleep good?”

“Define good.”

“Daddy, I’m sorry! I’ll sleep in my own bed tonight.”

“Don’t bother, I have to steer the boat tonight while Sam gets to try his best for a good night's sleep. But I wouldn’t say no to breakfast,” I hinted shamelessly.

“Are you taking me for granted, Daddy?” He grinned playfully.

“Never. I just can’t start my day until I see you shake your ass in your plaid boxers while you’re cooking eggs.”

“I’ve got a brand-new playlist!” In the blink of an eye, he rolled out of bed, grabbed his headphones, and disappeared into the kitchen.

By the time I wandered in, he had the table set and was dishing eggs and toast onto our plates.

“When we’re finished, I’ll take a plate up to Sam and then get started on the Busiman’s breakfast.”

“No, when we’re finished, you’ll join me in the shower and wash your Daddy. Then, when I go up to relieve Sam, I’ll bring him a plate.”

“I don’t want to go to school,” he blurted, surprising me. “I know I promised, but how can I walk away from this? I’ve never felt happier than when I’m with you and Sam out on the water.”

Those words warmed my heart. “I know, but you have to do this, for your dad, and me, and yourself. For our future. Someday I’ll be too old to charter boats and island hop,” I joked. “I’ll have to rely on my wildly successful partner’s marine biologist/oceanographer’s income.” Nicky giggled, and the sound made me light up inside as it always did. “Just take it one semester at a time and think how proud you’ll make your Daddy learning about all the things I already know and love.” I could see he was coming around from the look on his face.

“Maybe we can set up a reward system for good grades,” Nicky suggested.

Of course, that would be his motive. “You’ve always been an A+ student. It’s a given that you’ll get the reward.”

“But it wouldn’t be fair if you let that stop you from offering it.”

Oh, my God, this boy could negotiate for the FBI. He was that good. “Deal, Tricky Nicky. Good grades get rewards.”

“Sexy rewards?”

A laugh burst from me. “Any kind of reward you want. You ready for that shower?”

Nicky stood and stripped, right there in the cramped kitchen-dining room combo, and practically skipped to the bathroom.

I peeled off my boxer shorts while Nicky adjusted the water temperature until steam blanketed the bathroom. Drops of water slid down his smooth skin, now tanned from the summer sun. His tiny pink nipples and flat belly gave way to a trimmed thatch of dark curls surrounding his dick. His adorably small pink dick. What was it Sam called it? A pricklet? It was the perfect descriptor. I doubted I would ever get tired of looking at him .

As soon as I climbed in, Nicky sidled up to me, soaping my chest and shoulders.

“Remember that time I got stung by the jellyfish?”

“Yeah.”

“Remember how you made it better?”

My voice sounded rougher when I answered. “Yeah.”

“What if I pretend that my leg burns right now? What would you do?”

Shit. He’d liked that? “Is that what you want, sweet boy? Do you want Daddy to take the burn away?” Nicky nodded shyly. Sliding my hand around his ass, I squeezed and pressed my dick against his thigh. “Do you want Daddy to pee on your leg?”

“Please, Daddy?”

I had to concentrate for a moment before I was able to release a stream of piss that cascaded down his leg before washing down the drain. He looked totally into it, and I became bolder, wrapping my fingers around the base of my cock and painting Nicky’s dick and balls with urine.

“So warm,” he sighed, smiling blissfully. “I feel much better now.”

A wicked thought took root in my head. “Not until you clean up the mess you started.”

Nicky peered up at me curiously. “What mess?”

Palming the back of his wet head, I pushed him down to his knees. “Clean up your Daddy. Suck me.” He gasped, but then, with his eyes focused on my face, he drew closer and closer to my dick until it bobbed in his face. Nicky’s tiny pink tongue darted out to lick the head of my cock before he daringly sucked it between his lips. “Can you taste it?” He nodded as he sucked my shaft down his throat. I didn’t need a blow job, I just wanted to push him a step further by making him taste it. “Stand up and turn around. Daddy is going to use your bottom to take my burn away now. You’re gonna make Daddy feel all better.”

Nicky pushed to his feet and braced his hands against the tiled wall. Glancing back at me over his shoulder, he asked, “Can you come inside me?”

“Don’t I always?”

“W-without a condom.”

“Oh, baby, I want that more than anything, but I can’t until I get tested. I’m fairly certain I know the results, but I can’t risk your health. As soon as we’re home, I’ll take care of it.”

Thank you, God for giving me this boy, this perfect young man, to love and cherish and call my own.

I hadn’t had the foresight to bring lube and a condom with me in the shower, unfortunately, so I improvised. Squeezing a dollop of conditioner between his slim cheeks, I slid my cock through the slippery mess, hotdogging his ass until we were both moaning and panting on the thick steam. Reaching around his hip, I jacked his tiny dick until he painted the tiles with a shout that echoed off the thin walls. I followed closely behind him, coming between his cheeks.

Nicky sighed contentedly, and I planted a kiss on his damp shoulder. The water beat down on my head, and I leaned back under the hot spray, dousing my hair. “Feel so much better now.”

“No, Daddy. You have to clean up the mess for me, too.” I opened my eyes to see him wearing the most devilish smile.

“Nicky, when did you learn to be so wicked?” I dropped to suck my cum from his ass, slurping over his hole with enough pressure and suction to make him whine. “Daddy, you’re gonna get me all messy again if you don’t stop.”

“While that would usually guarantee I keep going, we’re about to run out of hot water.” Pushing to my feet, I gripped his chin and sealed our mouths together, sliding my tongue along his to share the flavor with him. “Come on, we have hungry mouths to feed.”