Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

C hristmas Eve . . .

Del jumped out of his car and ran toward Matthew as he exited his apartment building. The younger man wore skinny blue jeans, red Converse sneakers, and a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer T-shirt with the nose lit up somehow. His blond hair looked like he'd just run his hands through it several times, messy yet stylish, which fit him. Clear lip gloss and a bit of black eyeliner enhanced his beautiful facial features. Damn. How had Del gotten so lucky to have found this sweet submissive?

Grabbing him around the waist, Del picked him up and swung him around, loving the feel of the slender, hard body against his larger one. He inhaled Matthew's unique scent, savoring it. "I'm so happy for you, baby. I didn't doubt that you would pass, but I kept my fingers crossed all week as extra insurance."

"So . . . did . . . I," Matthew said in between giggling in delight. He wrapped his legs and arms around Del's hips and neck.

After three back-to-back medical calls yesterday morning, he finally had a few minutes of downtime to call his parents and Del to tell them the good news. They hadn't been able to celebrate until now since Matthew had worked a hectic twenty-four hours before going home to sleep for most of the day.

Del was thrilled about his new boyfriend's achievement and couldn't be prouder. After looking up the paramedic program on the college's website, he realized just how hard Matthew had worked over the past two years to get his certification. In addition to three semesters concentrating specifically on emergency medicine classes, practicals, and clinical rotations at local hospitals or in the field with certified paramedics, other courses were also needed to get his associate's degree in Health Sciences.

During their lunch by the beach the other day, Matthew explained the difference in skills and training between basic EMTs and paramedics, and Del was blown away. Under the guidance and orders of ER doctors, paramedics could almost bring the emergency room to a scene. Advanced life support, as it's called, includes analyzing EKGs, starting IVs, administering medications, cardiac defibrillation, emergency tracheotomies, and inserting an endotracheal tube to help with respiration. Matthew had learned how to do all of that and more. And that was on top of treating trauma victims and preparing them for transport. While he assumed many TV shows exaggerated what paramedics could do in the field, Del never realized the extent of training that real paramedics had. He was in awe of Matthew for becoming one.

Setting him back on his feet, Del dipped and kissed him, not caring who might be watching them. If it was one thing he'd already learned about his submissive, it was that he was out and proud and didn't give a damn if it bothered anyone—something that Del loved about him since he shared the same viewpoint.

Yes, he used the "L" word. To anyone else, it might be too soon to think like that, but Del had never met a man as charismatic and adorable as Matthew. Everything about him —his looks, fashion sense, intelligence, adventurism, empathy, courage, brattiness, humor, and more—drew Del in like a moth to a flame. Even when they were apart, Del's mind conjured up the other man several times an hour, no matter what he tried to concentrate on.

Plunging his tongue into Matthew's mouth, he laid claim to it, just as he'd done every time they kissed. It may have been lust at first sight for Del when they met at The Covenant, but it quickly bloomed into something more. Something he'd never experienced before with another man. He wanted this relationship to work. Since he was now financially stable and no longer interested in one-night stands or short-term relationships, he was ready to find his forever love, and the man in his arms might very well be him. When they sat down to discuss their BDSM contract in a few days, he didn't want to put an end date on it. He would if Matthew insisted, but that space could remain permanently blank from Del's point of view.

A horn blared from the other side of the small apartment complex's parking lot, and Del reluctantly ended the blazing kiss and set a breathless Matthew upright. "Merry Christmas Eve, pup. I think I just licked off all your lip gloss."

Matthew reached up and brushed his thumb across Del's lips, presumably to wipe off the remnants of said gloss. "That's okay. It was worth it. Plus, I can put more on in the car."

"Ready to go?"

"We better." He furtively palmed his erection, and Del smirked as he took his hand.

"Don't do that. Otherwise, I'll drag you back into your apartment and have my way with you. I don't think the people at the shelter would appreciate their dinner being late."

They walked hand-in-hand to Matthew's truck, which was a few years old but still in good condition. Earlier on the phone, he offered to drive tonight, saying that where they were going, Del's new luxury vehicle would stand out as an invitation to steal it or, at least, break into it. Del agreed since he was still learning about the city and suburbs.

When they reached the truck, he opened the driver's door for Matthew, earning him a surprised look. After the sub climbed in, Del leaned forward and kissed his temple. "Chivalry isn't dead, pup," he whispered in his ear, causing Matthew to shiver. Smiling, Del shut the door and circled to the passenger side.

It had been ages since he wanted to be both a gentleman and a sadist toward someone. Usually, the courteous parts of him occurred outside the club with regular everyday people, while his sadistic side was reserved for the BDSM lifestyle. Occasionally, they crossed over, but rarely. That is, until he met Matthew. He wanted to satisfy the man's masochistic hunger and then pamper him for hours on end afterward, as he'd done after playing at the club the other night. The submissive had floated in subspace for longer than expected, and Del drove him home and accepted an invite to sleep over—something he hadn't done with another man in quite a while. He loved how Matthew cuddled into his side before sleep overtook them.

As they drove toward the homeless shelter, Del's anxiety rose—a rarity for him. The last time he'd experienced butterflies in his stomach was as he signed on the dotted line to sell his app. He couldn't remember when his nerves had gotten the best of him before that. He would meet Matthew's parents for the first time tonight and hoped he made a good impression on them. It'd been years since he met a boyfriend's parents. Either his relationships never got to that point, the parents weren't in the picture, as Del's weren't, or there'd been no reason since a contract with an end date had been signed. He wanted Mr. and Mrs. Behan to like him because he certainly liked their son. While they'd only been together for two weeks, Del realized how dull his life was before Matthew's bright sunshine became a part of it.

He still hadn't told the younger man about his wealth. Del was still trying to wrap his own brain around the number of zeroes in his bank account. He doubted it would make a difference to Matthew—he didn't seem like the type of guy who'd expect Del to pay for everything on their dates and buy him expensive things because he could. But exposing that part of his life to anyone made him uneasy, especially after what he went through with his father. Money made some people greedy or, as in his father's case, greedier. Very few knew about Del's fortune—mainly his accountant, his new investment broker, the company that bought the app from him, the Sawyers because of The Covenant's background check, and two longtime friends he trusted with his life.

Both Brian Hendrix and Randy Driscoll had done well in their careers and didn't lack money either. Brian decided to retire two years after playing centerfield in the Major Leagues for sixteen years, with three World Series rings among his many achievements. He lived in San Diego with his wife and three children, where he was now a hitting coach for the Padres.

Meanwhile, Randy recently took over the helm of the corporate law firm his father had founded and presided over in Morrison, Ohio, before retiring after thirty-five years. Randy had also been Del's lawyer for the app sale. He and his husband of five years adopted their second child a few months ago.

Both sets of kids called him Uncle Del, which he loved since he would never have any blood-related nieces and nephews. He may have gone overboard with all the Christmas presents he sent them this year, but it was the first time he hadn't needed to stay on a budget.

Del had never been jealous of his friends' successes in their professional and personal lives, and the three stayed in touch between visits, by talking on the phone and Skyping weekly.

They met in first grade and quickly became thick as thieves. Although Del technically had lived in a different school district, their city's socioeconomic integration program bussed him to another district. His friends were never ashamed or embarrassed by Del's lower social status and didn't allow him to be either. They stood up to anyone who tried to bully him.

It wasn't until fifth grade that he realized how often Randy and Brian loaned him clothes and toys and then conveniently forgot to get them back from him for months, and he loved his friends for it. After that, though, he drew the line whenever they tried to give him anything valuable or part of their allowances for the movies or arcades. He started finding ways to make some cash by doing errands for his neighbors and the local business owners before he was old enough for a job. Whenever he had a little extra, he'd sneak it into the plastic pink box his mother kept her waitress tips hidden in before she could bring them to the bank. Years later, he realized she noticed the additional funds because his birthday and Christmas presents had become more expensive. Not by much, but it was her way of repaying him without making a fuss.

Hmm . A thought just occurred to him. When he called Randy and Brian to wish them and their families a Merry Christmas, he should mention he was dating someone special. Their significant others had tried to hook him up with their gay friends for years. He knew Amy and David meant well, but their version of the perfect man for him was far different than his. None of the men they'd introduced him to had been in the lifestyle—not that either of his friends or their spouses knew he was a Dominant in the lifestyle. He'd never felt the need to announce it to them.

Matthew pulled the truck into a dilapidated strip mall parking lot that'd seen better days. It must have been years since it was last paved, and litter was scattered around. While the few businesses—a liquor store, a dry cleaner, a ninety-nine-cent store, and a local pharmacy—appeared occupied, their signs were old and outdated, with two missing some of their lights. It wasn't a well-kept area, but Del wasn't surprised. The shelters he and his mother had volunteered at back in Ohio were always in the same poor section of the city where they lived in a small, two-bedroom apartment at the top of a three-floor walk-up.

"It's across the street," Matthew said as he pulled into a parking spot near seven or eight other vehicles. "It's an old firehouse that was converted after a new one was built two blocks over." He tilted his head toward the sedan next to him. "That's my dad's Camry, so they're already here."

At a brick building on the other side of the street, people waited in a long line that started by the front door. The disheveled men, women, and several children looked worse for wear in dirty, ill-fitting clothes and carried what was probably their only possessions in shopping or garbage bags. The sight of the little ones caused Del's heart to clench. He thought of his nieces and nephews and was grateful they had roofs over their heads, healthy food in their stomachs, and soft, clean beds to sleep in.

Matthew opened the driver's door, but Del gently grabbed the back of his neck before he could exit, pulled him closer, and sweetly kissed him. "Put some more lip gloss on. I like it."

Once Matthew's lips shined brightly again, they climbed out of the truck and hurried across the two-lane street during a break in traffic. Instead of going in through a front entrance, Matthew led the way to a side alley where a door was propped open with a brick. Del followed him inside to an industrial-size kitchen that buzzed with activity. Matthew introduced Del to several men and women wearing white aprons, latex gloves, and hair nets as they prepped dozens of trays filled with food, but none were his parents.

A swinging door to another room flew open, and a woman who appeared to be in her late fifties bustled in. She was slender and about five feet five, and Del knew instinctively she was Matthew's mother. He'd gotten her attractive looks—from her blonde hair, which was pulled up into a ponytail, to her beautiful blue eyes and high cheekbones.

Her face lit up the moment she saw them. "Matthew, there you are! I was getting worried." She kissed his cheek and hugged him. "Hi, honey. Congratulations again on passing your test. Dad and I are so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom."

When she released Matthew, her gaze shifted to Del. "Who's this?"

"Del, this is my mom, Carla Behan. Mom, this is Delmar Sutton, my—my, um, boyfriend," he added as pink tinged his cheeks.

"Boyfriend? You didn't tell me you were dating anyone." She held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Del. I hope you realize what an honor it is since it's been a long time since my son introduced me to someone he was seeing."

Del gently took her hand in both of his. "It's an honor for me no matter what. I'm grateful he's given me the opportunity to get to know him. You've raised an amazing son, Mrs. Behan."

She blushed almost as much as Matthew. "Thank you. And it's Carla, please. Are you here to help us, too, or do you have somewhere you need to be with family tonight?"

"I'm here to help. My mother's been gone for a while now, and she was my only family. I just moved to Florida a couple of months ago, so I didn't really have any plans for the holidays." Ever since his mother's death, Randy and Brian both invited him to join one of them for Christmas each year, but he always turned them down, not wanting to intrude on their family time. This year, he was glad he had. "When Matthew told me about you all volunteering here, I offered to come with him. My mom and I volunteered at a shelter whenever we could while I was growing up."

Carla clasped her hands to her chest. "Oh, I'm sorry for your loss, dear. She sounds like she was a wonderful mother."

"She was," Del agreed wistfully. Although it had been years since his mother died, his chest still ached whenever he remembered how full she made his life, despite what little they had. He glanced at Matthew. Maybe his mother had sent him someone to fill the hole in his heart. The corners of his mouth pulled upward at the thought. She would've loved Matthew.

"Well, thank you for coming. We can use all the help we can get." Carla gestured toward the door behind her. "Let's introduce you to my husband and then put you both to work. There's still a lot to do in the dining room before we open the front door."

Del braced for impact. One parent down. One to go.