Chapter 25

25

If Jules thought something was off with her brother, she didn't mention it.

André had been extra quiet since they left Ennis's place, and now Gideon was beating himself up for insisting André be the one to make the request of his father. He'd fucked up and was trying desperately to figure out a way to fix it. André hadn't been ready, but Gideon had forced the issue, making the plans and only letting André in on them when they were on their way to see Ennis.

He'd fucked up.

They were back home and had shared dinner with Jules, who'd done most of the talking, with André contributing single-word responses and grunts every now and then. At least dinner was over now and Jules was watching a movie with some of the kitchen staff. That gave Gideon the chance to make things up to André.

"Come on." He got up from the table and held out a hand.

Though curiosity lit his eyes, André didn't hesitate to put his hand in Gideon's, to allow Gideon to gently pull him to his feet. Gideon didn't release him; instead, he tugged the other man to his chest, pressing a kiss to his neck before leading André up to his bedroom. Inside, he closed the door and backed André up against it, taking his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry."

André blinked at him. "What?"

"I shouldn't have let you go to Ennis." He swallowed, guilt and remorse roughening his voice. "I fucked up, baby. And I'm so sorry."

André shook his head. "No. Gideon, no. It's fine." Now he was the one touching Gideon's face, soothing him. "You're fine." He sighed, then pressed his lips together briefly. "I'm just… It's all so complicated, you know?"

Gideon didn't know what it meant to not have his father around. Even when he was in hiding, Aldo had been there. If not in person, then via a phone call, letters, anything. So no, Gideon couldn't really understand not having a father around who he knew loved him beyond reason. But he'd lost his mother. He could relate to how it felt, wanting your parent around and not having them.

"Part of me wants nothing to do with him," André said as they held each other. "And the other part wants what I never had, what he's offering."

"It's okay to feel that though." Gideon pulled away and began unbuttoning André's shirt and removing it. "It's okay to be scared but to want it anyway."

André peered at him through his lashes. "You have experience with that?"

Sinking to his knees before André, Gideon grinned up at him. "Loving you." He dipped his gaze to focus on removing André's belt and undoing his pants, ignoring the growing bugle beyond the zipper, before bringing his gaze back to André's. "Loving you wasn't part of the plan," he confessed, tone soft. "Caring for you, when you're the son of my enemy?" He shook his head. "Sometimes, I imagine my father rolling over in his grave."

"Gideon." André's eyes got all sad and he cupped Gideon's jaw. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." He caught André's hand, kissing the knuckles. "I'm not sorry. Besides, I think my father would surprise me. I think he would love you and he would approve of me pivoting to a plan that didn't involve hurting you."

André's lips trembled as he stared down at Gideon. "But your father loved you."

And Ennis loved him, but Gideon didn't think André was ready to hear that. Instead, he pulled André's pants and underwear down his hips. "Lift your foot."

André followed his instructions, lifting one foot then the other as Gideon removed his shoes, and when Gideon tossed his clothes to the side, he asked, "Is there a reason you're stripping me bare, Winters?"

"Yep." Gideon stood, ignoring the way his body stirred at the sight of André standing before him in nothing but skin. Smooth, glorious brown skin. "I'm gonna bathe you. Then you'll get a massage by these hands." He held up his hands, wiggling his fingers.

André smiled. "A massage, huh? Does it come with a happy ending?"

"Play your cards right and it just might." He winked and André laughed and everything felt right. Everything felt as it should be. He wanted to make André laugh for the rest of his life, he realized as he motioned for André to enter the bathroom ahead of him. He ogled that ass, pert and taut, and started making plans. Plans that would ensure he got to have André, that he got the privilege to make the other man laugh, for the rest of both their lives.

He was supposed to bathe André, but somehow Gideon found himself in the bath too, the two of them washing each other's back. He heard his phone going off where he'd left it in his pocket back in the bedroom.

There were a million things happening at the moment, things he needed to keep on top of. But nothing was as important as making André smile, or hearing his roaring laughter when Gideon tickled him and he thrashed about in the bath, sending water splashing over the lip of the tub onto the floor. It took a lot to refrain from sitting André on his dick that throbbed and bobbed between them in the water, but he wanted to do this. Wanted to take care of André. Wanted to make him his sole focus. His soul's focus.

They touched. Because Gideon didn't have that much self-control. If André was close, then Gideon's hands just had to be on him. And André did the same, fingers trailing down Gideon's chest, across his shoulder.

By the time he climbed out of the bath and held a towel open for André, Gideon was a mess of arousal. But he held it together, drying André and ignoring his own wet skin before bringing his lover back to the bedroom and positioning him face down on the bed. After retrieving all the stuff he needed, he straddled the back of André's legs and went to work massaging André with oils that had the room smelling like citrus.

Every groan André uttered echoed in Gideon's chest. Taking care of André like this gave him pleasure. Made him feel proud that he could do it at all. Of all the plans he'd had when he'd emerged from the shadows, love had been nowhere on the list. Aldo had planned for all contingencies except that one. But he meant what he'd told André. He knew his father, and he was confident that Aldo would've championed Gideon's love for André. And his father would've been the first one to suggest they find other ways to implement their plans.

Because his father had loved him.

As Gideon kneaded the tight muscles in André's back, he thought back to their visit to Ennis. As much as he wished he didn't have to admit it, Ennis loved his son. He'd been earnest when he'd told André he wanted him in his life. And André wanted it too. He was just afraid to want it, to voice it, and then be disappointed. Gideon understood, but he couldn't see how those two could move past their issues.

Unless he helped them.

It was, after all, his duty to give André whatever his heart desired.

Snores reached his ears and he paused.

André was asleep.

He chuckled, climbing off the slumbering man and cleaning up, washing his hands and putting the oils away. His phone went off just as he was about to crawl into bed next to his man, and he grabbed it up quickly so it wouldn't rouse André.

"Yeah," he answered the call.

"Alexander Grant is on board." Ennis. As if Gideon's thoughts had conjured him. "He has agreed to take Morrow's seat."

"Excellent." It happened sooner than he'd expected, but it wasn't as if Gideon had any doubts that it would happen.

"This is you, isn't it? What's happening with Morrow, that's all you."

Gideon's gaze flicked to André snoring inches away. "What is happening with Morrow?"

Ennis snorted. "You're playing God with the wrong people's lives, Winters. Nothing good can come of it."

"As far as you're concerned, I am God because I can give you what you want."

"What do I want?"

Okay, so he was gonna make Gideon spell it out. He rolled his eyes. "You want your son. I have him."

"You—"

"I have his ear and his heart."

Ennis paused, his heavy breathing the only thing Gideon heard. But he already knew what the response would be. He didn't bluff and he didn't play games he couldn't win.

"What do you want in return?"

Gideon smiled as he dimmed the lights and got into bed. "I want to know who killed my mother." He brushed his lips to André's temple, lowering his voice when he told Ennis, "You have information." That wasn't a question. He knew the older man had information. "Dinner tomorrow night. I'll have Samir send you the details, but Ennis, you'd better come prepared to spill secrets. Otherwise, you won't leave my presence alive, and I can almost guarantee you that your son will help me bury your body."

He ended the call and tossed the phone aside, cuddling up to André and inhaling deeply.

"Almost there," he whispered to his father, to his mother, because he had no doubt they were together. "Almost there."

André opened his eyes to the sound of Gideon snoring. He smiled and rolled onto his side to face the other man. He didn't recall falling asleep last night. The last thing he remembered was Gideon massaging him and how good it felt. His nakedness told him that he'd fallen asleep under Gideon's hands.

Now, André studied the sleeping man next to him.

He looked peaceful, lashes brushing his cheek, hair a tousled mess. He liked all iterations of Gideon Winters, but André really liked when the other man slowed down. There were a million things pulling Gideon in a million different directions on a daily basis but he never complained. He always looked good handling business. And he'd put all that aside to take care of André last night.

Maybe André could do the same for him.

He got up carefully from the bed and tiptoed to the bathroom, closing the door so he wouldn't wake Gideon as he used the facilities and brushed his teeth. When he was done with that, he returned to the bedroom and crawled into the bed.

He tugged the covers off Gideon and took him in, lips lifting in appreciation. The sleeping man wore only black briefs, and André had never seen a finer specimen, honestly. He could barely remember what the men who'd come before looked like when he had a veritable feast spread out before him. Gideon was all golden skin and muscles, and André wanted to lap him the fuck up.

He dipped his head, pressing kisses to Gideon's knees, spreading them wider and nuzzling the inside of his thigh until he got to his groin. He pressed his face to Gideon's crotch, inhaling with a deep moan that echoed.

Except that wasn't his moan.

That was— He lifted his head then, gaze clashing with Gideon's half-opened blue eyes. André winked and pulled Gideon's underwear down, ripping them off and tossing them aside.

"Baby."

The raw scratchiness in his voice had André shivering. "You took care of me last night," he murmured against Gideon's hip. "Now it's my turn to take care of you." He fisted Gideon's dick, stroking it a couple of times, then holding it at the base as he ran his tongue over the crown.

Gideon cried out, arching.

André tightened his grip, dragging his tongue down the length of him. Then up. Over the crown. Repeating that movement over and over while Gideon bucked and writhed under him. André's mouth watered, Gideon's salty flavor hitting his taste buds just right. He relished it, moaning as he laved the dick in his mouth, tonguing Gideon down until his entire length was soaked and dripping and his hips were circling.

André pushed his throbbing dick into the mattress. He ached, but he focused on Gideon, on making him feel good, taking him apart.

He sucked Gideon into his mouth, and Gideon's hand settled on the top of his head as André bobbed and weaved on the dick that pulsed against his tongue, pre-cum spilling and flooding his mouth. His eyes closed on a moan, all his senses locked in on Gideon—his taste, his texture, the weight of him.

Gideon held on to him but his touch was gentle. He wasn't forcing André to take him deeper, wasn't ramming his way down André's throat. André took it upon himself to sink onto him, taking him as far as he could. Not stopping until his nose was practically buried in Gideon's pubes, his eyes were watering, and his throat was convulsing.

"Fuck." Gideon's nails dug into the back of his neck. "André. Shit." His ass came off the bed as he circled his hips.

André retreated and Gideon slid out of his mouth as saliva spilled down André's chin, soaking them both. With both palms flat atop Gideon's thighs, André dipped his head again, taking him back into his mouth, slurping him up all while he fucked the bed. Gideon's grunts and moans filled his ears, as did André's own pants and the wet sounds he made as he gobbled up the dick.

He moved one hand from Gideon's thigh and fisted his balls.

Gideon moaned his name, his body vibrating under André's touch. Releasing him, André inched lower, pushing Gideon's thighs up with both hands and dragging his stiffened tongue from his balls to his ass.

"Ugh. Fuck." He liked how Gideon's vocabulary disintegrated as if he could no longer access his words.

And pride filled André because that was all because of him. Gideon only ever presented as cool, calm, and composed to the outside world. But André knew better because he knew the things to do to get the powerful Gideon Winters stammering.

So he did them.

Using the tip of his tongue to circle Gideon's hole, then flattening and dragging it over the same spot. Gideon's legs trembled, his heavy grunts filling the room as he pushed back on André, silently begging for more.

André gave him what he couldn't seem to articulate, tonguing his hole until it was drenched, then inserting a finger, pressing in and punching deep while Gideon cried out and spread his legs wider. His own aching body was forgotten as André made it his mission, his entire identity at that moment, to make Gideon fall apart. Alternating between sucking his balls into his mouth one by one and licking his hole as he drove one, then two fingers in and out.

Gideon rode his face, fucking himself on André's fingers.

Crying out.

Calling André's name in a hoarse and broken voice.

André finger fucked him through it all, ramming into Gideon's clenching body over and over, hitting that spot, his spot, until Gideon seized up, bellowing out his release as he came. It was the way his body squeezed around André's digits that had him spilling onto the sheets, coming on himself.

He kept fucking the mattress as he wrung everything he could from Gideon, before pulling his fingers out and sagging onto him, his head half on, half off Gideon's right thigh. Their harsh, heaving breaths echoed and Gideon petted him, touching the top of his head, his ears, and his brow.

They didn't move for a long time.

Until André just had to get up because remaining in his own cum was not his idea of relaxation. He made his way to the bathroom on unsteady legs and cleaned himself up, then got a wet rag and did the same to Gideon. And the whole time he was wiping cum off Gideon's pubes and lower belly, the other man was stroking André—his thigh, his side, his butt.

André discarded the rag and got onto the bed, careful of the wet spot. He'd cleaned up the mess, but the sheets would have to be changed in a little bit. When he had the strength to do it. For now, Gideon pulled him into his arms, kissing André's eyes, his nose, his lips.

"Thank you," he whispered.

André smiled into the kiss. "For making you come?"

"No, smartass." Gideon's eyes twinkled. "For taking care of me."

André stroked his hair. "That's what we do, right? We take care of each other."

"Yeah." Gideon brought their foreheads together. "Yeah."

André hummed and kissed him again. "Go take your shower. I'm gonna have the chef make all your favorite breakfast foods and send it up."

Gideon pulled back, studying André with a gaze that was heavy, but not in a bad way. Just…heavy with appreciation. With gratitude. André was glad he'd let his instincts guide his actions. For all the money he had, for all the power he wielded, Gideon Winters was just a man who wanted to be loved, appreciated, and cared for. André would gladly take on the responsibility.

"Go." He tapped Gideon's shoulder lightly. "I know you have a lot of things waiting to be handled."

"I can put them off."

"No, you can't. Or maybe you could, but I don't want you to." He cupped Gideon's jaw. "The sooner you get it taken care of, the sooner we can get back to moments like these."

Gideon's smile bloomed like a fucking flower in slow motion. "I want more of these moments," he admitted softly.

"Me too," André whispered, pecking his lips. "Me too. Now go wash up."

Gideon bounded out of bed with a chuckle and André watched his retreat with a happy sigh. Yes, there definitely would be more of these moments.