Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

"Wear these," Nicky insisted. "They make your ass look fuckable."

"Dude, my ass always looks fuckable, no matter what I wear."

"True," Nicky conceded.

"Hey, can someone give me a hand with these groceries?" Sam asked, juggling several bags in each hand.

Nicky tossed the skinny jeans he held onto the bed. "Be right there, sir."

I followed Nicky out to Sam's truck to manage the rest of the groceries. We came back inside to drop them in the kitchen, where Sam was already unloading the bags.

"These are all for our trip tomorrow. Should I order a pizza for tonight?"

"No, sir. I made other plans for us. "

Sam looked me over, finally, noticing my carefully styled hair, and the short-sleeve button-down shirt made of linen so sheer that the silhouette of my nipples shone through.

"Is this you dressing up for a date? Is Nicky supposed to be your stylist?"

"I may not have the best fashion sense," Nicky admitted, "but I know what looks hot as fuck on other men. This outfit makes me want to fuck him, so my job is done."

Sam snorted. "You would want to fuck him if he were wearing a burlap sack."

Nicky shrugged, not even trying to deny it, and I laughed because I'd never heard anything more true.

Sam shut the fridge and dropped a kiss on Nicky's cheek before settling his hands on my hips. "So what's this date I'm supposed to take you on?"

"No, sir, it's the other way around. I'm taking you out. We're celebrating."

"What are we celebrating?"

"My first paycheck from the magazine."

He tightens his grip. "I'm so fucking proud of you, baby."

"I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"The only place I want you to take me is to bed," he growled playfully, nipping at my neck.

"Sir, you have to take this seriously," Nicky urged. "This is Mattie's first date that he's paying for. It's a rite of passage. "

"Oh, yeah?" Sam transferred his kisses to Nicky's neck, making him squeal. "And how many dates have you taken your Daddy on? Or me, for that matter?"

"That's not the point. The point is…" His point was cut off by Sam when he shoved his tongue into Nicky's mouth. "Ghee dryu fwswf."

I laughed at whatever garbled mess Nicky was trying to say. Not even a kiss could shut him up.

"I'll go get ready," Sam announced, dropping one last kiss on my lips before he disappeared down the hall.

I sat down at the kitchen table and tugged Nicky onto my lap. "There's something I want to ask you."

"You can ask me anything," Nicky said brightly.

"When we come back from this trip, I want to take you to dinner."

"Me?"

"Yeah, it's a rite of passage, to treat the man you love to dinner."

"Me?" he asked again.

"Yes, you," I insisted, brushing my nose with his. Nicky turned absolutely pink-cheeked.

"Okay, I mean, I love you too. Will you wear those tight jeans for me?"

"Yes," I laughed. "Whatever you want. I couldn't have dreamed of this or made it a reality without your help. You believed in me from day one and you're not just my partner in crime, you're my rock." I squeezed him tight. "I love you, Nicky."

He sighed happily. "I love you too, Mattie."

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Anything."

"Would you ever want to live with me? If Sam and Cass were there too? If we all lived together?"

He turned on my lap, fixing me with the most awestruck expression. "Is that a thing? Like, for real?"

"Yeah, for real," I grinned.

He popped a kiss on my lips and sprang to his feet. "Gotta go," he called out, running down the hall. "My answer is yes!" And then I heard the front door slam.

As I sat there by myself, chuckling, I realized I'd never felt more sure about anything. I was headed in the right direction, with the right men by my side. My future was wide open. Nothing could stop me now.

We dined at a little Italian restaurant with white linen tablecloths and wine goblets for our ice water. I cut a piece of lasagna and forked it into my mouth.

"When we come back from Bermuda, I want to take Nicky to lunch to thank him for all of his hard work. I also saw this seahorse stuffie the other day that I thought he would go gaga over."

Sam smirked. "He already has four; does he really need a fifth? Cass complained there's barely any room for him on the bed anymore."

"I want to get him a new pair of Chucks, ‘cause his are trashed, and there's this little bathing suit he has his eye on, and then…"

"Slow down, Mattie. The whole point of earning money is to save it. You may not have any expenses, but don't blow it all on frivolous stuff." He raised his goblet to his lips, and I couldn't help but watch his throat slide as he swallowed. So fucking sexy. "It's not just about figuring out what makes you happy earning money. It's about where you want to go from here."

"I know, you're right. I'm supposed to be making smarter decisions, but this is the first time I've had money like this, and… I just… Want to spend it on the people I love."

"I know the feeling," he grinned. "I want to give you everything. I want to share my home with you. But my dream doesn't stop there. It's big and messy and unconventional. Are you sure that's what you want?"

"You mean Cass and Nicky? Yeah, I'm sure. I brought it up to him today."

"And what did he say?"

"He yelled yes just before he ran out of the house like his pants were on fire. Probably to go twist Cass's arm. It was like he was a man on a mission."

Sam laughed, gazing deeply into my eyes. "It's the kind of lifestyle you have to defend constantly, and sometimes it can hurt to defend it to certain people."

"I know what you're saying and I get it. I would fight for you and them," I swore fiercely.

"It's not us, sweetheart. You're fighting for what's in here," he rubbed his chest, "in your heart. You're fighting for what you want most."

I'd once jokingly called him the wise sex god of the seas. But every time he opened his mouth, he proved me right. It wasn't just a joke. I drank his wisdom like a thirsty, dehydrated man. "And I can because you helped make me strong."

He swallowed the last bite of his pasta and laid his fork on his plate, signaling he was finished. "Come on, if you want to spend your money on something, I have just the thing in mind."

Not far from the Italian restaurant was a strip mall. According to Sam, they had everything we needed. First, we ducked into a toy store, heading straight to the toddler section where they had a variety of stuffed animals.

"Are you looking for a seahorse?" I asked.

"Nope. A certain kind of fish." He chucked several aside, digging through the bin until he found one suited for his purpose. "This will do nicely."

The fish was pale yellow and chunky, overstuffed with filling and covered in tiny, plush nubs. It had the thickest lips I'd ever seen on a fish, and big, googly eyes.

"What the fuck is it? It barely looks like a fish."

Sam gave me the most devilish smirk. "It's a blow fish."

I had no idea what he had planned for Nicky, but I knew it was going to be good.

"Come on, I saw an adult toy store at the end of the plaza."