Chapter One

Beads of water trailed down Adam's body. Pink couldn't look away. He had never been more thankful for the invention of sunglasses. His eyes wouldn't budge. Adam wasn't a bear. He was a bull. Six foot four with a massive, scary body and hard eyes. His brown eyes fascinated Pink. Adam looked like a fighter—like a man afraid of nothing. Unmovable. Solid. He made Pink hot, and he one hundred percent should not. It wasn't because he worked for the two men who had adopted him, despite him already being an adult. Adam's spot as the family butler didn't mean shit in their family. No one here was treated like an employee. Equally, it didn't matter they were opposites in every way. Pink shouldn't want Adam because he was twice Pink's age and would never, ever want Pink back.

"You should get in and cool down. You're getting too red. I don't want you overheating."

Pink drew an unsteady breath at Adam's admonishment. Oh, he was overheating. Just not for the reason Adam thought. Pink shook his head. "I need to go inside soon to get ready for my date."

Adam leaned his arms on the edge of the pool and rested his chin on them. "Date? Who is it this time? It's not that weirdo who hit on you at the grocery store, is it?"

Pink couldn't help but smile. Despite Adam obviously not caring Pink had plans with someone else, he loved how easy it was to talk to Adam. "No. It's a guy I met at school."

"How are your phlebotomy classes going?"

Pink shrugged. "Fine. I'll need someone to practice on soon. Are you game?"

Adam smiled. Pink nearly sighed. Adam wasn't much of a smiler, but when he did… wow. Deep lines formed at the corners of his mouth. His eyes crinkled. Gorgeous. "Of course. You know you can count on me. Speaking of which, do I need to get showered so I can take you to meet this guy, or is he picking you up?"

Pink snorted. "I'm not dumb enough to tell anyone where I live." He bit his bottom lip. Pink hated to make Adam give up his time off when he looked so at peace. But Pink still wasn't good at driving and driving at night made him doubly nervous. "If you want to take me, you can. But I don't want to put you out, and I'd need a ride home too." He thought about it for a second. "I guess I could Uber home. Honestly, I can Uber there."

In a show of sexy muscle flexing, Adam pushed his way up and out of the pool. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm always up for taking you anywhere you need to go, and you shouldn't give this guy any excuse to convince you to leave with him. You know how guys are."

Pink laughed. "Yeah. I am one."

Adam shot him a wry look. "You know what I mean. If he thinks he can use you not having a car to his advantage, he will. That's how it goes."

Yeah. Pink knew. That was why he was scared shitless of dating. He had recently forced himself out into the world, but it wasn't easy or comfortable. Pink had started classes to become a phlebotomist and signed up for some dating apps. After a childhood of being used as a plaything for grown men, and then months of stripping before ending up nearly kidnapped by the same group who kept him as a child, Pink lived in terror. Except he refused to fucking live like that. No matter how scared he was, Pink wouldn't hide in this beautiful life and home his new dads had given him. It was his time. Pink wanted to live. That was the only way he won. By not letting the monsters steal his future.

Adam grabbed his towel and scrubbed his skin. Pink shamelessly watched. If Adam ever noticed Pink's interest, he never showed it. After draping the towel over his shoulders, Adam reached for Pink's hand. His hand felt cool from the water as it engulfed Pink's overheated skin. He helped Pink to his feet.

"Come on. Let's get ready."

Pink grabbed his towel and phone. Together, they headed inside. Pink and Adam had rooms with French doors that led out to the pool. Even though their rooms were right next to each other, they always went in through Adam's door, since it was the closest. Pink savored the few moments it took him to walk through Adam's space. The entire room was like a mini apartment. He had his own refrigerator, living room, and bathroom, giving him space away from the family. Not that Pink ever noticed him doing that. He was at every meal and family night. The best part of the room was the way it smelled. Adam's cologne seemed to permeate the air. Pink always drew as many deep breaths as he could before making it to the door.

"What time do we need to leave?"

Pink paused with the doorknob in his hand and one foot in the hallway. "Um. About five, I think. We're meeting at that steakhouse in the parking lot of the mall. I don't know how long it takes to get there, but we're meeting at five thirty."

Adam nodded. "Five is probably a good bet. I'll be ready."

Pink stepped into the hall and paused again. "Thank you, by the way. I know it's a pain driving me everywhere."

Adam held his stare. His expression never gave away his thoughts. "No. It's not." The words were so matter of fact. Pink couldn't help but feel reassured. Adam genuinely seemed unbothered.

His shoulders relaxed. "Oh. Okay. Good." Even Pink heard the relief in his voice. It was one thing to silently obsess over Adam. It was a whole other to be a burden to him. Pink still struggled with being too much for himself. He couldn't handle knowing anyone else felt like he was too much too.

"I'll see you at five."

Adam nodded.

Pink pulled the door closed. He could do this. Pink could go on a date. He could be normal. Pink had to be. He just did.

Adam drove a visibly nervous Pink to meet his date. His date . A growl rose in his throat every time he thought about it. Pink shouldn't be dating. Men were scum. Goddamn it. He should date, though, because he was young. Adam fought the urge to tear at his hair. He had been a fucking mess for the past year. Adam honestly didn't know what had happened. Pink came to live with them nearly three years ago. At first, Adam had felt this deep need to protect Pink. Pink was young, and he had experienced a hell no one should know. The day Pink had moved in, he had tried taking his own life. Everything about the entire situation changed something inside Adam. Touched him.

Adam had grown up, going from an orphanage to a hell known as the society training camp. He had been tortured in ways no one should be forced to survive. But that was decades ago, and Adam thought he left that world behind. Then this broken boy had landed in his life, and Adam remembered too many horrors. He couldn't stop watching over him. But at some point, that constant guarding had turned into an obsession. His thoughts had gone from protecting to being the problem. One day, he had looked at Pink and they had laughed over some shared joke. Emotion had punched Adam in the chest and stolen his breath. The next thing he knew, Adam noticed everything about Pink. His dark green eyes. The way his lithe body moved with grace. The deep scars on his wrists. The etched marks on his neck from being in a collar for years. Adam wanted him. He wanted to take care of Pink. More than anything, Adam wished he could openly love him. But that made Adam no better than the adults who had used Pink as a child. Adam was too old for Pink. He had to let the dream of Pink go.

Pink twisted the tail of his t-shirt.

Adam hated how nervous Pink was about this date. "We can still turn around. You don't have to go."

At Adam's words, Pink flattened his palms on his thighs, as if forcing himself to be still. "No. I can do this. It's just dinner."

Adam wanted to rub his chest. His heart ached. Pink was twenty. He deserved to be carefree. Instead, he was nearly sick at the idea of just meeting some guy for dinner.

He tried steeling Pink's spine. "If you can work at a shady strip club for months, you can do anything. You've already proven your bravery."

Pink snorted. "There were bouncers all over that place, looking for a fight. I knew if anyone tried to touch me, they'd be out on their ass in a heartbeat. Dating isn't like that. There's nothing stopping anyone from touching me."

For a moment, rage had Adam losing sight in one eye. He had to reel himself in before he responded. Still, he heard the bite in his tone. "You absolutely have someone who'll break their goddamn hands if they touch you." Adam ground his back teeth before adding, "If it's unwanted." Fuck. He wanted it to be unwanted. Adam craved being the wanted one.

A light stroke ran down Adam's arm. Chill bumps rose on his skin. He lived for Pink's touch. "You have no idea how much I appreciate that. But at some point, I have to learn to be normal. It's just been much harder than I expected."

A lump formed in Adam's throat at the sadness in Pink's tone. He needed it gone. "Normal looks different for everyone." He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. Adam stopped at the front door to let Pink out. Before he got away, Adam tried being the man Pink needed. "Don't try to fit yourself into a box you think you're expected to be in. You only get one life. Live it your way. You don't want to wake up one day and realize you missed your chance to do what you truly wanted because you were too busy doing what you thought was expected."

Pink held his stare. He looked like he wanted to say something. After a moment, he simply smiled. "Thank you for the lift. I'll text you later."

Adam nodded. He couldn't live Pink's life for him. All Adam could do was hope he could be a part of it for as long as possible.