10. Ten

"Milk, protein powder, eggs, celery…" Bowie tipped his hat back and squinted at the shopping list I'd handed him. "What's this here?"

I leaned forward. "Non-alcoholic beer."

"Now that there's a sin if there ever was one. What the fuck's the point?"

"I want to make beer battered fish and chips, but with a recovering alcoholic in the house, I know better than to bring in the real thing."

Bowie snorted. "Poor fish. He's already dead. You don't have to abuse his corpse, Church."

I sighed and picked up my tea. It was a nice day out, nice enough that I'd told Oscar it'd be an ideal time to mow the lawn. Not that the cabin had much of a lawn to speak of. There were too many trees. But at least it kept him out of the cabin and away from Dante, who was clearly uneasy about him.

Bowie tucked the list in his back pocket and yanked the red handkerchief from his belt loop to mop the sweat from his forehead. "So how is he really? Heard he was a bit of a diva."

"Dante prefers to be called a god, not a diva." I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Not much of a difference, as far as I'm concerned. "

He arched an eyebrow. "Dante? Never seen you get so buddy-buddy with a client."

"Dante isn't the formal type," I said.

Bowie snickered and elbowed me hard enough I almost spilled my tea. "You seen him naked yet?"

I scowled up at Bowie. "That's an inappropriate question. Besides, his naked pictures are all over the internet, apparently."

"Apparently? You mean you haven't seen ‘em?" He put his hands on his hips and paced out to stand in front of me.

I sighed and put my tea aside. "If you have, then why are you asking me?"

"Because I want to know if the picture's photoshopped. You would too if you'd seen it."

"You're a complete degenerate, Bowie."

"Yeah, a degenerate who jerks off to guys with big dicks. We've established this. Now is the picture real or fake?"

I turned away and rubbed the heat creeping into my cheeks. "How would I know?"

His eyes widened, and he gasped. "Are you blushing? Holy shit! I didn't know that was possible."

I shook my head. "It's too much sun on a hot day. That's all."

"No way. You're either sick or you're fucking him." He slapped the back of his hand against my forehead. "And that's no fever."

I had his arm twisted behind his back and his face pressed against the wall before he knew what hit him. "That's enough, Bowie. It's one thing for you to run your mouth about one of us, but I won't tolerate this sort of juvenile talk concerning one of our clients. Dante's been through enough. He doesn't need you spreading vicious rumors. "

"I wasn't!" He hissed in pain as I applied more pressure and pulled up until he was on his tiptoes. "All right! Fine! Jesus, man. I was just shootin' the shit. You don't have to get all uptight about it."

I let him go, and he slid away, pushing his hat back the way it was.

"I actually think it'd be good for you. About time you found someone to dislodge that stick from your ass."

I clenched my fists. "Bowie, you're crossing a line. We have a professional relationship, nothing more."

"Whatever you say, slick." He flicked the front of his hat, making it tip back further.

I narrowed my eyes. He'd been taking notes from Xion, and when I saw that little shit again, I was going to make my displeasure about that fact known. Not that he would listen. No one ever listened to what was good for them without a threat to back it up.

The mower cut out, and Oscar let out an annoyed curse. Bowie's smug grin disappeared as he looked over while Oscar tried to get the mower running again. "So that's Nina's replacement?"

"Nina?"

He rolled his head toward me. "You know, the lady who was supposed to clean the house?"

"Ah, right. The memo Boone sent said she was in the hospital. Is it serious?"

Bowie shrugged. "They said it was accidental poisoning. Guess she must've mixed the wrong chemicals or something. Anyway, how's the new guy? He okay?"

I frowned, remembering how I'd found him standing too close to Dante. Dante had insisted it wasn't a big deal, but it was my job to keep him safe. Oscar would've been fully vetted by Boone and Leo before being allowed near Dante, so it probably wasn't an issue, but something about Oscar felt off to me. I just couldn't put my finger on what.

"He seems all right," I said and then added, "Why? Did something come up in his background check?"

"Not that I know of. The band's manager was supposed to vet him. He sent the background check to Boone and everything checked out, but I don't like last-minute changes. I'd feel better if Leo did all the background checks, you know?"

"He hasn't checked out Oscar?" I frowned. That wasn't like Leo.

Bowie shrugged. "He did a quick check, but you can never be too careful. If it were me, I'd string the fucker up until I knew his great granddaddy's blood type. But I don't trust nobody." He shook his head. "Never mind. Just me bein' paranoid, I guess." He uncrossed his arms and hopped down from the porch. "I'll be back with the groceries in a couple of hours."

"Remind Boone to send Leo out when he gets a chance," I shouted after Bowie.

He waved in response before climbing into his ugly old Ford truck and taking off.

Oscar was still trying to start the push mower, and the poor idiot had no idea what he was doing. He had it turned on its side while he poked around near the blade. The poor sod was going to cut his arm off long before he ever got the grass mowed. I sighed and walked down the stairs to join him in the yard. "You'll never fix it like that. Let me see."

"Oh, hey. Thanks. That'd be great." He put his hands on his hips and stepped back to let me have a look.

"It doesn't look clogged." I set the mower back up and pulled the starter, but it just puttered and died immediately.

"It's Church, right? "

I looked up at him.

He cleared his throat. "I heard you and Dante talking. Listen, I'm really sorry about the other day. I was just trying to be friendly. If I over stepped—"

"It's out of fuel," I said and scowled at him. "Have you never used a push mower before?"

His face flushed. "Please don't call to complain. I really need this job."

"I don't care what you do as long as you do your job and you stay away from Mr. Deluca." I stood and shoved the mower at him.

I started to walk away.

"He's a great man," Oscar called after me.

I stopped and turned around.

"Dante, I mean," he said. "He's a genius. I know you're just doing your job, but a guy like that, he shouldn't be cooped up here. That's like putting a lion in a bird cage. You're ruining him. He deserves better."

I marched back over to Oscar and grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him closer. "Dante is here to relax and to get himself better. My job is to ensure he has the space to do that. Your job is to clean his toilet and wash his dishes, and that's the closest to him you're ever going to get. Do we have an understanding?"

Oscar swallowed and nodded.

I released him. "I think it's time for you to clock out."

"But the mower—"

"I'll put it back," I promised. "But you need to go before I run out of patience."

He took two steps back before turning and practically running to his car. He hit the gas so hard, his back wheels spun out.

"My hero," Dante said dryly from the porch. "You saved me from having to sign a t-shirt for a perfectly innocent fanboy."

"I don't like him." I trudged up the stairs. "Something about that boy is off."

"Maybe." He pulled a sucker out of his pocket and yanked off the wrapper. "Who was that other guy?"

"What other guy?" Unlike the Dum-Dums Boone always kept around, Dante's sucker was big and pink. I stared at it as he rolled it over his lips like some people did with their cigarettes.

"The hottie in the cowboy hat."

I wrinkled my nose. "Bowie?"

"His real name?"

"It's David Dixon. Why?" I put my hands on my hips.

Dante shrugged and brought the sucker out of his mouth with a wet pop that left my mouth dry and my heart racing. "Is he… available ?"

"No," I growled. "He is off limits."

"Pity. I bet he knows how to ride a bull." He popped the sucker back in his mouth and winked before sliding back through the front door.

I followed him inside and swung the door shut behind me. It banged against the frame. "Stay away from him."

"What's the matter? Afraid he'll say yes?" Dante said, plopping down on the sofa. He seized a Better Homes and Gardens magazine and flipped it open, putting his feet up on the table. "Then you'd have to sit down here and listen to me fucking his brains out. I wonder if he's a screamer or a crier?"

"Neither." I shoved his feet off the table. "He's off limits."

"Calling dibs? Guess I don't blame you. There's just something naturally sexy about a man in a hat. "

I wrinkled my nose. "I'd snog a horse before I'd ever think about Bowie in that light."

"Hmm. You're right. He's not man enough to be your type. I don't think he could handle you."

"And you can?"

He smirked and wrapped his tongue around the sucker. "I don't know," he said after popping it out of his mouth loudly. "Finding out is half the fun, isn't it? Of course, there is that whole conflict of interests thing with you, isn't there? I wouldn't have to worry about that with Bowie, would I? He doesn't have to guard me."

I planted my hands against the back of the couch on either side of his head and leaned in. "I know what you're trying to do. It won't work."

His lip curled into a wicked smirk and he glanced down. "Looks like it's working pretty well so far. Or have you started keeping bowling pins in your pants?" He batted his eyelashes at me, leaned back, and gave the sucker a long, slow lick with the flat of his tongue.

My cock throbbed where it was trapped against my zipper. Christ, was I so easy to manipulate? Dante was just saying that to get under my skin. The problem was, it was working. I'd never wanted to murder Bowie before. Hurt, yes. Maim? Maybe. But kill? If he touched one hair on Dante's head, I'd rip his arms off and shove them both up his ass.

"Bowie's a braggart and a pushover," I heard myself saying. I wasn't paying attention. I couldn't when he was practically tongue fucking that sucker in front of me. "He's all bark and no bite. You don't want that. You like a challenge."

"Do I now?" He lowered the sucker and leaned forward until our lips were so close we were breathing the same air.

"Bowie wouldn't even put up a fight."

"Not like you, huh?" He sighed and fell back against the couch. "You're just being a fucking tease again, aren't you?"

"I'm the tease? You're the one giving a blowjob to a strawberry candy." I shouldn't be doing this. What the hell is wrong with me? It was Bowie's fault. Every time he came around, he got under my skin, and I was still on edge when Dante swooped in to take over. It wasn't my fault. What was I supposed to do?

"It's bubblegum," he whispered.

"Prove it."

I thought I was calling his bluff. At least, that's what I told myself. He wouldn't do it and that would prove once and for all this was just a game to him.

I should have known better.

Dante smiled and reached up to brush his fingers over my jaw. I suddenly wished I'd taken a little more time for a closer shave that morning, but he didn't complain. Maybe that was how he liked it. He leaned forward and my heart jumped into my throat.

From the way he talked, I was half expecting the kiss to be a dirty, sultry tease. Instead, it was almost disappointingly chaste the way he pressed his lips to mine briefly before retreating.

I ran my tongue over my bottom lip, chasing the taste of him. "Tastes like strawberry to me."

He gave a half-hearted smirk. "Huh. I could've sworn the wrapper said bubblegum."

"I could be wrong." My face was hot enough to fry an egg on. "Maybe I need another taste."

He pressed his lips together and tilted his head. "Maybe you'd better sit down and ask me for a better one."

I should've left. I should have shut him down, reminded him that this wasn't a pleasure cruise. It was work for me, and I was already putting my job on the line by taking things this far. If Boone found out I'd developed anything even remotely resembling feelings for Dante, he'd pull me off the job and…

And what? Fire me? I doubted he'd do that, especially as hard as he'd fought to repair things between us after we had a falling out when he met his husband. If there was one person who would understand what it was like to fall for someone on a job, it'd be him. He'd done the same thing. But I could lose my credibility, and I could lose my heart. Dante didn't want me. Once our thirty days were up, he'd go back to his groupies and his supermodels and forget all about me. Maybe he was into casual hookups, but I wasn't. This could only end with a broken heart, and I didn't know if I'd survive that.

"Sit," Dante ordered gently, and I obeyed. I was incapable of doing anything else, too caught up in the moment.

I sank into the couch cushions, my shoulders stiff, breathing heavy.

Dante pulled his knees under him and turned to face me. He touched my cheek, and I fought the urge to melt into his gentle touch. "Can I kiss you?"

No clever games. No cute euphemisms. Not even a hint of mirth in his blue eyes. Just an honest question from one man to another.

My heart thrummed so hard, my whole chest felt like it was bruised. I swallowed and nodded slowly.

Dante wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck. It was a small, meaningless gesture to him, but to me, it was everything. No one had ever touched me like that, like I was his , like he was the one that was going to save me and not the other way around.

When his lips touched mine a second time, it wasn't like before. His soft, strawberry-flavored lips kissed all over mine in a slow, seductive tease, never lingering quite long enough to give me what I wanted. Every time he pulled back, I leaned in to beg for more. Dante was all heat and fire, and I was crude oil under pressure. An explosion was bound to happen, eventually. I just never thought I'd be the one to break first.

He dragged his tongue slowly over mine, just daring me to play his game, and when I took the bait, he tried to pull away again. I couldn't take it anymore.

Dante let out a soft gasp as I lifted him and deposited him in my lap. He laughed and shifted to straddle me. "So this is how you like it, huh?"

I gripped his chin and held him in place, watching as his eyes glazed over with lust. "No more games," I said. "I mean it, Dante. If we're going to do this, I won't have you talking about being with anyone else. I don't share. I'm not good at it."

He smiled down at me and took my face in his hands. "You've got everything I want. I don't need anyone else, Church."

It was a lie. A beautiful, painful lie, but one I was willing to believe in for a little while at least.

Dante kissed me again, and I let myself get lost in it. He seemed content to take the lead, and I was happy to let him. In every other part of my life, I was the one in command, the responsible one, the man everyone went to with their problems. Even Boone leaned heavily on me, and he was my boss. It was a relief that I didn't have to be in charge of Dante, at least in this one instance. After, things could go back to the way they were, but I didn't need to worry about that now. The only thing I had to worry about was following where he led.

Our kiss quickly deepened to something dirtier, more needy. Or maybe that was just me. Having him against me felt so good, so right. Dante flung the half-finished sucker over his shoulder and put his arms around me, drawing us closer. I bit back a groan when he started grinding his cock against mine through our clothes .

"It's okay," Dante said, moving his lips to my neck. "You can be as loud as you want out here. Nobody's going to hear you."

My neck flushed even hotter. "I'll hear me."

"So?" He dragged his teeth over my pulse. "You need to learn to let go. Enjoy yourself."

"We shouldn't even be doing this." That didn't stop me from lifting my hips to chase the friction of his body. When he pulled away and denied me, an involuntary whimper of protest escaped.

"Do you want to stop?" He nibbled at my earlobe, sending a shiver down my spine.

I dug my fingers into his shirt until my knuckles ached. "No."

"Can I touch you?"

I swallowed, but my throat was dry. "You are touching me. Quite a lot."

"No, I meant here ."

I made a strangled sound as Dante's hand closed around my cock. There was still clothing between us, but that didn't seem to matter to my short-circuiting brain. All I knew was that his hands were on me, and it felt so good. I couldn't remember the last time I'd let anyone touch me like that. It'd been so long. So terribly long.

Too long.

"Does it feel good?" Dante asked as he ground his palm into my cock.

"Yes." My voice came out as a tight whisper, but I didn't even need to say it. My hips had started to rise and fall on their own, chasing more friction. Dante wasn't even stroking me anymore. I was fucking up into his fist through my clothes, as wound up as a bloody teenager. And like an idiot boy, I was already seconds away from losing control and making a complete fool of myself .

My hand shot out and, trembling, latched onto Dante by the shirt. "Dante…" My breathing was ragged already, my cock leaking everywhere. If we didn't stop, there was going to be an even bigger mess. One I couldn't blame him for because I was still doing this to myself, grinding against his hand like a dog.

Dante closed his lips over the pulse in my neck and sucked until it hurt. "This what you need, kitten?" he asked and flicked his tongue over the bruise.

"I…I can't…I need …" I gasped. Words. Where were my bloody words? What was I even going to say? I didn't want to stop. I was too close, and I needed it too bad.

"Shh. Don't worry. I'll give you what you need, kitten," Dante cooed and went back to showering my neck with sweet kisses.

There was nothing to do but bury my head against his shoulder and let it happen. It was his scent more than anything that finally pushed me over the edge, and I finally found the right word.

"Fuck…" I let out the most pitiful moan as I came in my pants like a schoolboy. Even as wave after wave of pleasure wracked my body, my face was burning with embarrassment. There was no way he was ever going to let me live that down.

"I-I'm sorry." I tugged my shirt down as if I could somehow hide what I'd done. "I don't usually…It's just…I haven't…It's been…"

Instead of the wicked laugh or the taunting I was expecting, Dante brushed his thumbs over my cheeks and lifted my head from his shoulder, smiling down at me like I'd done something amazing. "Good boy," he said and planted a gentle kiss on my lips. "You did so well. You needed that, huh?"

I wanted to melt into the floor and die of embarrassment, but I nodded anyway.

"What do you want now?" he asked .

"A shower." I winced, face still blazing. That wasn't supposed to come out. You bloody idiot, Church. You could offer the man a handie at least! But I couldn't make the words come out. I was too fucking humiliated after losing control like that, despite Dante's praise.

"Okay." Dante smiled, kissed my cheek and jumped up like he wasn't sporting an impressive erection of his own.

I frowned. "Where are you going? What about…"

"My impressive cock?" He shrugged. "My dick, my problem. Unless you want to help me with it?"

"I…" I didn't have an answer for that. A minute ago, I would have been totally on board, and there was a part of me that still was, but… What if I was making a colossal mistake? I could come back from humiliating myself by coming after a little dry humping. If I let this continue, one of us was going to get hurt, and it would most likely be me. I couldn't do casual flings, no matter how good it felt.

"It's okay if you're not ready, dude," Dante said and stretched his arms over his head. "If you change your mind, or if you need a tune up, me and my dick will be upstairs until you need us. Go shower or do…whatever. But you might want to change your pants before Bowie gets back." He paused on the stairs and looked back at me, a sly grin spreading over his face. "On second thought, leave it. I like marking my territory."

"You didn't mark me."

"Might want to ice that big hickey on your neck, then!" he shouted with a smirk and bounded up the stairs.

I slapped my hand over where he'd been sucking on my neck like a vampire. "That little shit!"