Chapter 10

________

WARD

WARD HEAVED a sigh of relief once San Jose was behind him. The traffic through there hadn't been quite as bad as coming out of San Francisco, but it was close. At least he was on the 101 now. No more interchanges. It would be a straight shot south, taking him home. Back to a simpler world. His simple, comfortable life.

He turned off the guided navigation on his phone and put on some music instead. Settling back in his seat with one hand on the wheel, Ward's mind began to wander. Now that he wasn't focused on heavy traffic and chaotic directions, Skylar came forefront to his thoughts.

Ward couldn't help smiling, though he also felt some heat on his cheeks. Geez . The boy had been an absolute wonder. After Skylar had left, going back to sleep had been hard. Ward missed the warmth and softness of the little body sleeping beside him. He'd gathered up the comforter, chasing Skylar's scent, wishing he could have the boy in his arms instead.

He knew it hadn't been real, but— damn it —it sure had felt that way.

At least now, Ward wasn't plagued with the uncertainty of his sexuality. Not as much as he had been, anyway. Earlier that year, when he'd found himself thinking about men instead of women for the first time in his life, it had left him a chaotic mess, unable to concentrate on anything while his mind tried to untangle that revelation. But then Charlie had dropped into his lap, and the uncertainty had begun to settle. And now? After that incredible night with Skylar? Fuck . He was pretty damned sure he wasn't just straight anymore.

Of course, he had yet to get up close and personal with another man's dick. That would be the real test. The one, fleeting moment with Skylar—wishing the boy had a dick that he could touch—had been just that. Fleeting. Reality could prove very different from his imagination.

But as Ward sat there, the miles rolling away behind him, he found himself smiling at the image his mind conjured up. Wrapping his hand around a boy's dick. Stroking it. Teasing under the head, like he did with his own. Watching the boy's face as he brought him pleasure.

He was pretty damned sure he wanted to experience that.

Ward pulled off the freeway to stop at a gas station, then had to sit in his truck for a moment while he waited for his own dick to go down. He filled the tank, got back onto the road, and let his mind wander again.

Just as he was approaching King City, his phone rang.

Ward eyed the screen with a frown. He didn't recognize the number, but it did have a San Francisco area code. Maybe the escort service? He hadn't paid Skylar for that extra time, after all. Or maybe he'd left something at the hotel? More likely a solicitor. Ward grumbled and nearly ignored the call, then answered it at the last moment, before it rolled over to voicemail.

“Hello?”

“ Ward? ” the caller asked.

Ward thought the voice was familiar, but it was hard to tell over a scratchy connection. “Yeah?”

“ Hey. It's Dakota. Dakota Pratt .”

“Oh, hey,” Ward replied as he thought, That's right . Dakota was originally from San Francisco, before he'd moved down to Paso Robles and married Beau. The boy must have kept his cell number from before he moved.

“ I hope you don't mind. Daddy gave me your number ,” Dakota went on, referring to his husband, the proprietor of Living in Zin, a bed-and-breakfast and tasting room in Paso Robles. Ward had known Beau professionally for years, but they had only recently started becoming friends.

“What's up?”

“ Are you in town, by chance? I wasn't sure if you were out visiting relatives for the holidays .”

“No, all my family are in Paso,” Ward said. The Freemans were old Roblans. They'd been around since the city's founding and not one of them had ever left the area. “But I am about an hour out at the moment. Why?”

“ If it's not terribly inconvenient, is there any chance you can come by the house? ” Dakota asked.

Ward sighed. All he wanted to do was get off this freeway, get to his apartment, and sit down to relax before he had to get ready for work tomorrow. It would be a short week with the holiday coming up, but still. His weekend had been entirely eaten up by travel.

Not that it hadn't been worth it , Ward thought, blushing as he pictured Skylar again. He shifted in his seat, tugging on his pants, but before he could reply, Dakota continued on.

“ The only reason I ask is…You remember Charlie, right? My little brother. ”

Ward almost gasped. He had to pause for a beat to make sure his voice didn't betray him before he answered, “Yeah, I remember.”

“ He's here ,” Dakota said. “ My family decided at the last minute to come down for Christmas. And Charlie…He gets hung-up on patterns and context, sometimes. So he's been pacing the sitting room, looking for you. ”

“Me?”

“ Yeah. He keeps expecting you to be here because this was the last place he saw you. ”

Ward's chest tightened. Charlie was looking for him?

“ If you could come by, even for a few minutes, I'd really owe you one. ”

Ward didn't even hesitate. “I'll come straight there.”

The relief in Dakota's voice was palpable as he gushed, “ Thank you. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. ”

“See you soon,” Ward promised. They ended the call, and Ward had to tug on his jeans again after he set down his phone. Damn . If his dick was getting hard just at the thought of seeing Charlie, he was pretty sure that made him officially bisexual. He couldn't wait to see what happened once they were in the same room. Would he get to hold the boy again? Even if it was only for a few minutes, he'd take it.

Ward thought of Skylar and winced. A tiny part of him felt guilty for going straight from one boy to another, but it wasn't enough for him to change his mind.

The next hour dragged on endlessly. The traffic suddenly seemed worse, keeping him from his destination. Finally, Ward spotted the exit he needed. He pulled off the freeway, cut through town, and took the country road that led out towards Living in Zin.

He eyed the sleeping vineyards that surrounded him. There was nothing quite like the view of all that land during the summer, when everything was carpeted in green. But there was something appealing about this, too. Seeing the vines bare of leaves, the twisted branches reaching out in every direction, looking wild and untamed, just waiting to be pruned so they could bring out fresh growth again come springtime. Ward found himself smiling as he looked all around. Over at Vista Robles Vineyard, where he worked, they'd be gearing up to start pruning here in the next few weeks. Before he knew it, the vines would start showing little pops of green here and there as new leaves grew.

Ward grinned to himself as he slowed down and made the turn up the long driveway for Living in Zin. There were only a couple other vehicles in the parking lot at the top of the hill. Ward picked an empty space, locked his truck, and let himself into the house.

He almost ran right into Dakota.

“You made it!” the boy exclaimed. “Sorry, I was looking out for you. Charlie's been getting more anxious every minute.” Dakota beckoned him farther into the house, so Ward followed.

They stepped inside the sitting room. Just beyond it, the tasting room doors stood open, allowing a view into the space. Several people were gathered there, munching on snacks and drinking wine. Ward recognized Dakota's partners—Beau, Mav, and Ryder—as well as Dakota's middle brother and his parents, whom Ward had met briefly at the party in May.

Mostly when they'd all been apologizing to him for Charlie dropping into his lap without asking.

And there stood Charlie himself. His thick, dark hair was trimmed short and neat, his handsome face clean-shaven, just as Ward remembered him. Charlie's body was slender, his skin smooth and pale. His expression appeared vacant at first glance, but something in the boy's wandering gaze spoke of a deep, quiet intelligence.

Charlie shied away from the crowd, hunched in on himself, rocking on his feet.

Dakota slowly approached him. “Hey, Charlie,” he said, his voice a gentle murmur. “Look who's here.”

Charlie looked up at Ward. The boy didn't make eye-contact, but he seemed to recognize Ward all the same. Charlie darted across the room and came to a stop right in front of Ward, rocking on his feet again.

“Hey, Charlie,” Ward murmured.

Charlie rocked harder. “ Hhnn .”

Ward looked to Dakota for help, but the boy only shrugged.

Charlie tipped his head to one side, staring at nothing in particular, then started to scowl. Ward waited, unsure what to do, when Charlie suddenly made a violent gesture: both hands had the index and middle fingers extended while the others were curled against his palms, and he slapped the two fingers of one hand down on the fingers of the other.

“He wants you to sit down,” Dakota said.

“Oh.” Ward stepped back and started to sit.

Charlie let out a whining noise and jabbed a finger at a different chair.

Ward held up his hands. “Okay.” He got back up and sat in the other chair instead.

The one, he realized, in which he'd been sitting at that party, when Charlie had curled up in his lap.

Sure enough, as soon as Ward was settled, Charlie's scowl vanished. The boy inched closer, his eyes wide as he studied Ward all over. Charlie dropped onto Ward's lap, drew up his knees, and burrowed against Ward's chest. The boy took a deep breath, let it out on a contented sigh, and closed his eyes.

Ward's heart banged against his ribs. He slowly lifted his arms, watching for Charlie's reaction as he curled them around the boy.

Charlie relaxed against him, snuggling into his embrace.

Ward inwardly cursed. He'd actually forgotten just how good it felt to have this boy in his arms. It was better than he remembered. Of course, last time, the shock had overwhelmed everything else. But now?

Geez . It was perfect.

“Hey, sweet boy,” Ward whispered. He couldn't help smiling as he held Charlie in his arms. The boy fit just right. Like he was made to be there.

Of course, Skylar had fit him just right, too.

Right as that thought hit him, Ward looked up to see someone else come into the room from the direction of the foyer. He saw a pair of worn sneakers and threadbare jeans, then spotted the sleeve of tattoos.

Ward's gaze flew right up to the boy's face. It can't be . But there he stood, all sleepy and rumpled, looking just as beautiful and tempting as he had twelve hours ago.

Skylar rubbed his eyes and yawned, then sucked in a breath, his eyes going wide when he spotted Ward.

Ward froze, the two of them staring at one another.

“Holy shit,” Skylar blurted out in a whisper. He blinked rapidly. “Am I dreaming?”

Ward's heart galloped away inside his chest. A thousand thoughts seemed to tumble through his mind all at once, almost making him dizzy.

Skylar was here. But how? And why? Ward had fully expected to never see Skylar again, yet the boy was here . And all while Ward had another boy in his arms. Was that envy he saw on Skylar's face? Or was he reading more into it than was really there?

Did he feel guilty for having Charlie in his lap after having spent the night with Skylar? Should he feel guilty? Should he explain what he was doing here? And what was Skylar doing here?

The thoughts chased one another around inside Ward's head until they all became a blur, leaving only one thought standing out on its own, becoming so clear and heavy that it blocked out all the rest.

Ward looked from Charlie to Skylar and back, the two boys who had radically rocked his world.

Oh hell . He suddenly had a new dream.