Chapter Two

It had been a long time since Jarek had been this ready for a day to end. He thought he had been excited to get to that park bench each night to watch Luca. Now they had met. Jarek hadn't stopped thinking about the moment Luca removed that hard hat. His stomach nearly growled at just the thought. Red hair, light eyes, and freckles combined with the tiny body and surprisingly tight round ass. Goddamn. And he seemed genuinely innocent and sweet. Fuck. He was in trouble. Jarek wasn't known for his patience. He had a feeling he would need every ounce of restraint to coax Luca from his clothes. Men had always come to him easily. That was one of the many reasons he was bored with life. There were no challenges anymore. Jarek was a competitive person, though, and he always won. This would be no different.

As he took the elevator to the seventh floor, Jarek rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows. He wished he had thought about changing clothes. While their destination was only about a thirty-minute drive, he hoped to spend more time with Luca than just a shopping trip. He wanted Luca to also have dinner with him and who knew from there? Jarek wanted to know him. He had spent the day online, reading blogs and articles about Littles, and Daddy slash Little relationships. While he had known it was a thing, he had never encountered this situation until Luca. He definitely had never seen himself as a daddy. Jarek had to admit, when Luca had said he was big and could take care of himself, something had stirred inside him. An overwhelming hunger to take that role had shocked him into silence for a moment. He had lain awake all night thinking about it and going over every second they spent together. Jarek was genuinely attracted to Luca. He supposed he would see if this was something he wanted.

Jarek counted the doors on the seventh floor until he got to the ninth one. He knocked. A bit of shuffling sounded through the thin door. Jarek winced. The place was a bit rundown. He supposed it was likely all Luca could afford while working for a box store. Still, he didn't like the idea of someone as sweet as Luca with nothing but this weak-ass door to protect him.

It swung wide. The smell of cake hit him. He caught a quick glimpse of toys and tons of already assembled Lego sets before Luca practically jumped out and pulled the door closed behind him. Then all Jarek saw was him. He wore his usual jeans and t-shirt, but he still somehow looked a little more put together—like he had tried for Jarek. That warmed his chest.

"Hi." He sounded breathless. His eyes shone bright with happiness.

"Hey. Are you ready for an adventure?"

Luca chuckled. It was adorable. He looked genuinely excited. "Yes. I'm crossing my fingers really hard they have what I need and it's not too expensive."

That wasn't a concern. Jarek didn't want to hurt his pride, so he didn't say as much. Instead, he reached into his pocket. "Before we go. Look what I found today." He didn't add how hard his assistant had searched for it. Jarek pulled a shiny three-inch sticker from his pocket. It was a bright yellow dump truck with the number nine on the side. "I imagine it's probably meant for someone's ninth birthday, but I thought you might like to have it for your door. It'll help you stand out a little."

The bright smile that exploded across Luca's face made everything worthwhile. "Oh, my gosh. That's so cute." He practically squirmed with happiness as he carefully placed the sticker directly beneath his peephole. His bright smile swung Jarek's way again. "There. Perfect. Thank you."

Something stirred in Jarek's chest. He had never seen anyone so appreciative of something so small. This was exactly what he needed. This breath of fresh air was why he couldn't stay away.

"You're very welcome." He held his elbow out like a gentleman. "Shall we?"

Luca covered his mouth, smothering another chuckle as he took Jarek's arm. They were halfway to the elevator before Jarek realized he was smiling like an idiot. They hadn't even made it to the car yet, and Jarek was already having the best time.

"How was your day?"

The question reminded Jarek he probably should make small talk to keep Luca from getting nervous. "It was long, but it's much better now. How was your day?"

Luca shrugged. "Exhausting. They're doing inventory at work right now, so I have to be there at three in the morning. That way, we can get as much done as we can before the store opens at six. It stinks."

Jarek opened the front door to the apartment building. He waited until they were outside before commenting. "What hours do you normally work?"

"I've been there since I was sixteen. That's a long time for a place like that, so I have the good hours. Seven to three thirty. Since that's pretty close to school hours, I have a lot of mean women at work who don't like me because they want my shift. I get asked a lot to give it up to someone who has kids since I don't have any." He flashed Jarek a huge grin. "I always tell them I am my kid." He laughed. "Those are my hours. At least for three more months anyhow."

Jarek opened the passenger side door on his Mercedes. "What happens in three months?"

Luca's smile fell. "I have to move." He climbed into the car. The entire mood shifted like a physical thing.

He quickly closed the door and circled the car. Jarek had to know more. He waited until he was behind the wheel and backing from his parking space before he asked any questions. Jarek didn't want Luca feeling watched if he was uncomfortable with the topic. "Why do you have to move?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw Luca twisting his fingers in his lap. "That's when my lease ends. They doubled my rent and there's no way I can afford it now. I looked everywhere, but there's nowhere nearby in my price range. Even things within a short bus ride are just way too much. Some new corporation bought out the complex. Everyone is moving. No one there can afford the new rates. I'm sure that's exactly what they hoped. You know, renovations and a higher class of people."

Jarek was the higher class of people Luca meant. There were tons of high-paying jobs in the area, and they had been gentrifying for a while. Admittedly, he hadn't considered what people who couldn't afford the new prices would do. Normally, he didn't think that was something that would bother him. But his chest hurt listening to Luca because he knew Luca was a good person who deserved better. Likely, that made him the bad guy for not thinking that about everyone who lived there.

"Where will you go?" Jarek had a car and money. He could go wherever Luca went. They could still meet for dates.

"Searchlight."

"Nevada?" Even Jarek heard the horror in his voice, but Nevada? That was not a drive he could make each night.

"Yeah." Luca sounded defeated. "I have a cousin there who has a two-bedroom apartment. She says I can stay with her until I find a job and get on my feet again. I don't want to go. In fact, I hate it. I've lived in California my whole life. I know how to be homeless here. If anything happens there, how will I get back to what I know? It's really scary."

Too many details hit Jarek at once. He had too many questions. His gaze locked on Luca at the first red light they hit. "You know how to be homeless here?"

Luca nodded. He looked completely open and unashamed. "My mom died when I was fourteen and I didn't have anywhere to go. My grandmother lives in a nursing home in West Virgina, so I couldn't go to her. The state thought my aunt intended to take me. I guess she thought she would look bad if she told them she didn't want a gay little weirdo like me. So, she agreed to take me in and then had no trouble telling me it wasn't happening." He shrugged. "I lived on the streets until I got a job and saved enough money for my apartment. It was hard, but I also had friends who would sneak me in at night, let me use their shower, and give me food." He shrugged again. "It was fine, but I don't want to do that again. Thankfully, my cousin isn't like her mom, and she's grown now. She says she can probably get me a job at the casino where she works. I guess that's something."

Goddamn. Jarek didn't know what to say. There were a lot of terrible people in the world. He should know. He dealt with them every day. At the moment, he felt like maybe he was one of them.

It was beyond obvious Luca had horrified Jarek. He always said too much. Luca silently lectured himself for the rest of the drive. Jarek didn't need to know every depressing detail about his life. This was just Jarek doing him a favor by driving him to the store. Jarek probably didn't want to hear all his drama.

Thankfully, the sign to their destination caught his attention and nearly had him shifting to his knees for a closer look. "The Lego store is at Disneyland?"

The sexiest of smiles touched Jarek's lips. "Yeah. Don't worry. You don't have to pay admission to get into the downtown district where all the stores are located."

Thank goodness. He hadn't even considered that. Luca always got his sets at the store where he worked. That way, he got a ten-percent discount. The parking lot was slammed. They had a much longer walk to get to the actual store than Luca anticipated. It was totally worth it. He froze at the first sight of the store. A fire-breathing dragon sat perched on the edge of the roof, blowing yellow blocks of fire toward everyone who entered. It was beautiful. His gaze moved in every direction. Jarek took his hand and led him forward after Luca's knees weakened. It was like staring at heaven. Then they cleared the doorway, and an entire wall of bricks came into view. He could choose anything. All the individual pieces were under a dollar. Not only could he get what he needed, but he could also add a few cool features that hadn't come with the set. He couldn't stop flitting from place to place while Jarek followed on his heels.

After he found what he needed, he couldn't help but ogle the extensive collection of sets for sale. They had everything. It was amazing. He wished he had the money and space to buy everything. His feet carried him to a huge box. It was an entire land based on one of his favorite movies. The eye-popping four-figure price tag had Luca backing away. He was happy to have found what he needed. That was enough.

He turned and found Jarek watching him. Luca held up the pieces he found. "Look. I can finish my castle."

A sweet smile touched Jarek's lips. "That's great." His gaze moved around the shop. "I've never actually been here." His gaze moved back to Luca. "Do me a favor. Go pick out a set you'd like. Call it a going-away gift."

Luca's chest tightened. He fought the sudden urge to cry. "Seriously?"

Jarek nodded. "Pick whatever you want. No holding back, okay? I'll wait here."

That was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. He shot forward and gave Jarek a quick hug. "Thank you. I'll hurry."

"Take your time."

Without looking back, Luca practically ran to inspect the sets. He knew he should say no. Jarek hadn't known him long enough to give him a going-away present. He knew it was pity, but damn. Nothing good ever happened to him. He hadn't been given a gift in years. His pride wasn't that vast. Still, he looked for the smallest and cheapest set he could find without making it seem as if it was the smallest and cheapest. That meant looking for sale items. They had a retro camera with film that looked cool and was decently priced. He grabbed it and skipped back to Jarek. Jarek smiled like a proud parent as Luca showed him the box.

"Look. It's a camera."

"That's cute." A line appeared between his eyebrows. "But is that enough? With your skill, I'd think that wouldn't take you long at all."

Luca shrugged. "That's okay. It's really cute and I don't have much space. Plus, I guess I'll have to start packing soon." The reminder made his chest hurt. He tried not to show how sad he felt, especially since Jarek was doing something really nice for him. But damn, they had just met and Luca would move away soon. He didn't understand why life was always so unfair to him.

"I had an idea."

Luca perked up at the excitement in Jarek's voice. "What's that?"

Jarek's smile was too hard to resist. "Well, since I never get to do anything fun and I've never owned a set of my own, how do you feel about helping me? I can get a set for my place and pick you up after work, however often you'd like to work on it with me."

The idea of spending time with Jarek had him practically dancing in place. "I can do that."

"Fantastic." He turned in a circle. "Let's see. How about this one?" He pointed at the huge and expensive one Luca had admired earlier.

Luca was so excited, he had a hard time hiding it. "Are you sure? That one will probably take up a lot of space."

Jarek kept eyeing the box. Finally, he gave a sharp nod. "This is the one."

A squeal rose in Luca's throat. It took all his power to hold it inside. "We'll have so much fun." His voice came out just above a whisper in his battle not to sound like a kid on a sugar binge.

The sexiest smile he had ever seen turned Luca's way. "Agreed. Come on. Let me pay for this stuff so we can get started."

Luca followed Jarek to the checkout counter with his heart in his throat and stars in his eyes. He had officially met the greatest man alive. Maybe Luca only had the summer left to spend with him, but it was enough. He had made a friend for the first time in a long time. Luca would make it the best three months ever. It would be enough. It had to be. Life wouldn't give him any other choice.