Chapter 12

________

WARD

WARD COULDN'T resist a smile of relief when Skylar stayed. It was still a shock to see him here so unexpectedly, but there was something right about it, too. Dressed the way Skylar was, and looking sleep-rumpled, Ward could almost believe the two of them had been on a real date last night, and now they were simply meeting casually with some friends.

As for having Charlie in his lap? Somehow, that only heightened the experience. It felt way too good to have that boy back in his arms.

Even if it had been awkward, having to face Charlie's father. Back at the party, Charlie had initiated the contact, and all the Pratts had rushed to apologize for the boy's behavior. But now? Apparently, it wasn't just Dakota who had requested Ward's presence on Charlie's behalf. Geez . Then again, Ward had half-expected Jacob Pratt to demand what Ward's intentions were. The man must have seen the look on his face. Ward was pretty sure he hadn't been able to keep all the joy and desire out of his expression.

Hell of a way to meet the parents .

Ward inwardly cursed. He was getting ahead of himself. It wasn't like this was definitely going to turn into anything romantic. But I'll be damned if I don't hope it goes that way .

He could so easily see it: two beautiful boys, all his. Ward had never in his life considered having more than one partner, but something about these two made him suddenly want just that. Of course, he'd never in his life considered he might find himself attracted to a man instead of a woman, either.

Yet here he was. Attracted to two .

Ward looked up at Skylar, at the beautiful boy standing before him with most of his walls torn down. Skylar had no costume to hide behind. No role to play. Ward saw the real him, and it was stunning. He itched to drag Skylar onto his lap. To hold both boys in his arms. But Skylar also looked like he could bolt at the drop of a hat. When the boy had begun to walk away a moment ago, it got Ward's gut all twisted up in knots.

But Skylar had stayed when Ward asked him to do so. Maybe that was a good sign.

Before Ward could say anything, Charlie gave a quick little chirp of sound, got up, and walked away.

Ward's heart lurched. He watched the boy go, feeling a sudden chill. And not just from the lack of Charlie's body heat.

Shades of Kelly—and all the others—again.

“It's not you,” Skylar blurted out.

Ward tore his gaze away from Charlie's retreating figure and looked at Skylar. “What?”

“Charlie's like that,” Skylar explained. “When he's done with something, he's done. It's not a rejection of you. He'd just reached the point of the contact being overstimulating instead of comforting, so he needed to step away so he can decompress.”

“Okay,” Ward said, dragging out the word as he took that in.

Skylar fidgeted. “It's like, you know how if you eat too much, you go from being full to being uncomfortable? It's like that. Like he got full of physical contact, and anything more would be over his limit.”

“Oh.” Ward nodded slowly. He studied Skylar's face again, trying to understand the mix of expressions he saw there. Skylar's eyes were dark but also slightly widened, as though in desperation, while his jaw was tense. As was the set of his shoulders. Ward frowned. Was that guilt he saw on the boy's face? It was hard to tell. What if the Pratts—any one of them, or maybe even more than one, for all Ward knew—were clients? Ward wasn't sure he wanted the answer, but he forced out the question anyway. “You seem to know him pretty well?”

“Yeah.” One corner of Skylar's mouth twitched, hinting at a smile as the boy shuffled his feet. “Charlie's my boyfriend.”

Ward blinked.

Oh hell . He shot out of the chair. “Geez, Sky!” he gasped, striding past the boy as he headed for the foyer. Charlie was Skylar's boyfriend? Fuck . Ward felt his face go hot with shame. First, he'd slept with Skylar, and then he'd sat there with Charlie in his lap while Skylar looked on, not saying a word.

He had to get out of there.

Skylar caught up to him, grabbing him by the wrist. The boy tugged him away from the front door and over closer to the stairs, out of sight of the sitting room and the tasting room beyond it. “Wait,” Skylar begged. “Let me explain. Please.”

Ward looked at Skylar, seeing the needy desperation on the boy's face. He crossed his arms over his chest and took a step back, feeling sorely tempted to pull Skylar against him. To comfort the boy. But he couldn't do that. Not knowing what he now knew.

Shit . “Does he know?” Ward quietly demanded.

Skylar grimaced. “He knows. He hates it, but yeah, he knows. They all do,” he added, gesturing towards the back of the house. “Charlie's been my best friend since we were kids,” Skylar went on, his eyes wide and pleading as he looked up at Ward. “I guess, technically, you could say we're more like friends-with-benefits, but it's less of a mouthful to just say we're boyfriends.” Skylar paused, then blurted out, “But I started escorting before Charlie and I started sleeping together, so he knew about it going in.”

“Oh.” Ward nodded as he processed that. The cheating rubbed him wrong, but every relationship was different. Some people didn't mind keeping things open. Even the foursome there at Living in Zin had started out that way, though they were fully committed to each other now. “And you?” Ward asked.

“What about me?”

“It didn't bother you, seeing Charlie in my lap?”

Skylar flushed and shoved his hands into his pockets, then shook his head. “You two look good together.”

“That doesn't really answer my question.”

Skylar sighed heavily. “Charlie needs someone like you, alright? And yeah, I was jealous as hell, seeing him in your lap, but you're the kind of person he'll need in the long run. Someone way better than me. But— sheesh —if I didn't want to crawl right in between the two of you. Not to separate you,” he rushed to add, “but to be surrounded by you. Because, damn, that sounds so fucking hot and sweet and perfect, and my stupid mouth is getting away from me and… Oh, hell .” He surged up, grabbed Ward's head with both hands, and crushed their mouths together.

Ward froze, caught off-guard. A moan escaped him, and he was just about to give in and kiss Skylar back when the boy suddenly pulled away.

“ Jeebus , sorry,” Skylar gasped. “I just thought I'd never get a chance to do that again, and I didn't want to miss out on–”

Ward hauled the boy hard up against his body and silenced him with a kiss.

Skylar whimpered, clinging to him. “Daddy, please,” he begged breathlessly.

“Fuck,” Ward gasped. He turned and pressed Skylar up against a wall, running his hands all over that precious, little body, anywhere he could reach, keeping the boy pinned as he claimed Skylar's mouth. Skylar whimpered and writhed and begged beneath him, trembling with desperation. A voice in the back of Ward's head screamed that this was a bad idea. That he should feel guilty as hell. Skylar was taken, after all. But the temptation was too much to resist. He'd thought he'd never get the boy like this again. Yet there Skylar was, right within reach.

“Daddy,” Skylar gasped, his little body trembling in Ward's arms. “Oh, fuck. Come upstairs with me. Please.”

Ward swore under his breath. He wanted desperately to say yes , but the faint laughter coming from the back of the house reminded him that they weren't alone. That Skylar's boyfriend—and the boyfriend's entire family—weren't far away. “I want to,” Ward blurted out in a heavy whisper. “Fuck, I want to, but–”

“I can be quick,” Skylar breathlessly promised, wedging a hand down between their bodies and giving Ward's dick a squeeze through his jeans. “And I have condoms. Need you inside me, Daddy. Please!”

Ward shuddered, unable to resist pushing against Skylar's hand. Fuck . The raw need in Skylar's voice was too much. Ward hauled the boy away from the wall and pushed him towards the stairs, but Ward barely got a foot on the first riser when he had to kiss Skylar again. He didn't want to stop, not even for the short climb. Hell, he'd have taken Skylar right then and there if he'd thought he could get away with it.

Skylar reached for Ward's dick again and let out a needy whimper.

A furious scream tore through the house. Ward couldn't even look up at the sound before something slammed against him. With one foot on the stairs and his knees weak with desire, the impact knocked him off-balance. He hit the floor with a grunt, and a weight landed on top of him.

Small fists pummeled him in the chest as the angry screams continued.

“Charlie, no!” Skylar cried out. “Stop it!”

Ward held up his hands, protecting his face from Charlie's attack. He tried to grab Charlie's wrists, but the boy was too fast, punching and flailing his arms while his screams went on and on, his beautiful face red with fury.

“Oh my god, Ward!” Skylar gasped, trying and failing to get in between them. “Please, don't hurt him. Charlie, stop it! Stop!”

Charlie's movements slowed as he sucked in a ragged breath, clearly gearing up for another round.

Skylar jumped in and threw himself onto Charlie's back, pushing him off Ward and pinning him to the floor instead. Charlie bucked beneath him, trying to claw his way free. Skylar grunted with effort, reaching out for Charlie's wrists. “It's okay, Charlie,” Skylar murmured. “Hang on. I've got you–”

Charlie threw his head back with an angry shout, the back of his head smacking right into Skylar's cheek.

Skylar let out a cry of pain and rolled away, pressing a hand to his face.

Now free, Charlie sucked in a breath and immediately started screaming again. This time, he kicked his feet while beating his fists—both on the floor and his own head—instead of aiming for Ward.

Geez . The poor boy was going to hurt himself.

Ward rolled over on top of Charlie, trying to restrain the boy the way Skylar had done. He caught Charlie's wrists and pinned them down. Charlie struggled beneath him, wriggling and squirming and jerking his arms, trying to pull free. Ward inwardly cursed. His erection had waned during Charlie's initial assault, but now, with the boy trapped beneath him and struggling the way he was? Fuck . The boy's ass rubbed against his dick, and it was all Ward could do to bite back a moan.

He had to focus. Had to get the boy subdued and calm, not upset him even more.

When Charlie turned his head to one side, Ward snagged the opportunity presented to him. He shifted down slightly, moving his aching dick away from the boy's tempting ass. Keeping one hand on Charlie's wrists, Ward used the other hand to gently but firmly press Charlie's head to the floor.

Charlie instantly stopped struggling, though his little body still jerked with whimpers and quiet sobs.

“You're a fast learner,” Skylar said, his tone full of relief.

Ward looked at Skylar. “You okay?”

“I think so.” Skylar carefully prodded at his cheek. “It doesn't hurt that bad. He startled me more than anything.”

“ What's going on in here? ”

Ward felt himself go hot all over. Oh hell . That was Charlie's dad. And here was Ward, lying on top of the man's son. But Mr. Pratt wasn't alone. The entire party had come back inside, all of them crowded into the foyer, investigating the commotion. Ward knew he should get up and move away from Charlie, but then they'd all see just how hard he was.

Geez. Could this day get any more awkward?

“It's my fault,” Skylar blurted out. “Charlie had a fit, but he's okay now. I couldn't restrain him, but Ward helped.”

Dakota crouched down beside them. “You're quick,” he said, sounding impressed, then looked down at his brother. “Hey, Charlie. You okay?”

Charlie squeezed his eyes shut and hid his face under Ward's arm. “ Hhnn .”

“Oh, honey, what happened?” Mrs. Pratt asked, kneeling beside Skylar. She reached out, stopping short of touching the bruise starting to form on the boy's face.

“It's nothing,” Skylar insisted. “I'm fine. Charlie just got away from me, that's all.”

“ Hhhnnnnnnn ,” Charlie whined.

“Okay.” Dakota held up his hands. “I know. Too loud.” He backed away from his brother. “Let's give them some air. Come on. Everyone out.” The boy got up and ushered everyone away from the room.

Ward let out a sigh of relief once the three of them were alone again, but he still couldn't bring himself to move. Did he not want Skylar to see him erect? Or was he not willing to let go of Charlie yet? Ward wasn't entirely sure.

Charlie began to struggle again, jerking his right arm, trying to pull free of Ward's grip.

Ward let go of Charlie's head and started to reach for the boy's wrist, but Skylar stopped him.

“He needs to sign something,” Skylar explained.

“Oh.” Ward released Charlie's right arm.

Charlie rolled his right shoulder back, lifting it up and off the floor, pushing against Ward as he did so. He slapped his right hand hard against his chest, then made a fist and swept the arm up and out in an arc. He repeated the motions over and over, the slaps on his chest turning almost violent. Insistent.

“What's he saying?” Ward asked.

Skylar grimaced. “ 'My Sky.' ”

Charlie started to sign something else, then pulled his hand in against his body and squeezed his eyes shut.

“That was a but ,” Skylar said. He tipped his head down, looking at Charlie. “But what?”

Charlie gave a tiny shake of his head. He curled his arm up and pressed the back of his hand to his eye, his fingers pointed down towards his chin. The move was so shy and sweet that Ward couldn't stop staring. Jealous outbursts aside, Charlie was simply too precious.

Damn it. Ward wanted more.