Russell waved Moose over to their table. “Hey, I gotta go, but Kenny is uneasy about leaving Steven alone.”

  “You didn’t have to announce that.” Kenny scowled as he kicked Russell under the table.

  Moose patted Kenny’s shoulder. “He’s in good hands.”

  “Don’t let him leave,” Kenny said, sounding more like he was begging. “He tends to wander off.”

  “I got him,” Moose said. “And no one is going to bother him, either.”

  The hard look in Moose’s eyes made him feel better about leaving Steven at the diner. Kenny had been working at the diner for two weeks and knew how fierce and loyal Moose was.

  “Can you make sure he remembers to eat?” Kenny asked.

  “Get out of here,” Moose said. “I know how to look after someone, although I think Steven is doing just fine.”

  Kenny looked over to where Steven was clearing a table. His brother was humming and wore a huge smile on face. He was scrubbing the table so thoroughly that the next customers could probably eat off the surface.

  Steven even picked up the sugar container and wiped it down, using the cloth to rub the chrome top.

  Moose chuckled. “Cyril already loves him. Steven cleans better than all of us combined.”

  “That’s Steven,” Kenny said proudly. If Moose was impressed now, he should see Steven’s apartment. Most people just wiped a mop over their kitchen floor. Not only did Steven get on his hands and knees to clean it, he moved the fridge and stove out of the way and cleaned behind them, too.

  Kenny knew why his brother was that way. When they were growing up, their mother used to yell at them about how dirty the house was—even though it hadn’t been. She made them clean it from top to bottom whenever she had a new boyfriend coming over.

  After a while, Steven started doing that every day just so she wouldn’t yell at him. Kenny loved his mom on the simple fact she was his mother. But as a person, he hated her for the way she had made Steven feel. She’d constantly called him names, smacked him around, and made him feel like a useless human being.

  When Kenny had gotten older, he’d jumped to Steven’s defense and yelled at her—which made him feel like a horrible person—but since that day, she hadn’t said a word to Steven.

  Not a single word, as if he’d ceased to exist.

  So Kenny had poured all his love into Steven, building up his self-esteem until he was the happy man he was today.

  For the past four years Kenny had seen his mother from time to time, hanging on some new guy, but she always ignored him, and Kenny had done the same.

  Russell leaned across the table and tapped Kenny’s temple. “Earth to Kenny.”

  “Huh?” He looked at Russell. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

  Kenny looked at Steven, and his heart clenched. He loved his brother so damn much.

  “Ready to go?” Russell got up, dropped a few bills on the table, and strode over to Steven. Kenny couldn’t hear what Russell said, but Steven smiled so brightly that it lit up the room.

  When Kenny joined Russell at the door, he asked, “What did you say to him?”

  “I told him to keep up the fantastic work, and when we got back, we’d take him for ice cream.” Russell winked at Kenny. “He really is a special kid.”

  “Kid?” Kenny laughed. “Steven is twenty-five years old.”

  “And I’m over two hundred,” Russell said.

  He stumbled and gaped at Russell. “You’re how old?”

  “I guess Jeremy didn’t tell you that part.” Russell opened the passenger door for Kenny to get in. When Russell slid into the driver’s seat, he said, “You’ll age just as slowly as I do now that we’re mated. And you won’t get sick, and any wounds you have will heal really fast.”

  Kenny was blown away as Russell pulled from the curb and drove two blocks over to Bristle Street, one block from Steven’s apartment building.

  * * * *

  Kenny felt as though he’d fallen through some kind of space portal. Who was he, and what had happened to the Kenny who growled at anyone who looked his way? The new Kenny had not only fully embraced being Russell’s mate but he was working next to him as Russell worked to rebuild Mr. Court’s front steps.

  Which had been broken and warped and become a complete hazard, by the way. Kenny decided that an alien had possessed his mind and body. That was the only reason behind him giving Russell goofing fucking smiles all day and learning how to build front steps.

  Thank god they worked with wood instead of concrete. Kenny had learned about joists, cleat notches, and other shit he would never remember. But he had to admit, when they were done, he felt a sense of accomplishment knowing he’d helped build them.

  His back was also killing him. “I thought Cyril gave me the day off,” Kenny whined as he pressed his hand into his lower back. “This feels too much like work.”

  Russell kissed his cheek. “And you did an amazing job for your first time.”

  “You didn’t say that this morning,” Kenny teased.

  Russell arched a brow as he began to clean up their mess. “That’s because this morning wasn’t your first time.”

  Kenny huffed. “And how do you know that?”

  Russell chuckled. “You were too well versed in the art of lovemaking.”

  He doubted Russell’s sincerity. All Kenny had done was hug the shower wall and make caveman noises.

  Russell kissed him again, but this time, a throat cleared. Kenny ripped himself away and saw Mr. Court glaring at them from behind his screen door. Kenny’s face caught fire as he looked toward the ground, desperate to find something to clean up.

  “We’re finished,” Russell said. “We just have to clear the clutter away.”

  “Didn’t know you hired an assistant,” Mr. Court said. Clearly he wasn’t happy with his handyman kissing on his front lawn. Or was it the fact that Russell had been kissing a guy?

  Mr. Court was exactly the type of people who made living in Maple Grove unbearable. Kenny would have yanked Russell down and kissed him like crazy while groping him, but he didn’t want Russell to lose any clients.

  “He’s just helping me out for the day,” Russell said as he cleaned.

  Kenny had to stop his middle finger from flying up, so he helped Russell until every tool and scrap of trash was gone from Mr. Court’s front yard.

  The old coot stared at them through the screen door with one arched brow and a scowl.

  “Is he always so grumpy?” Kenny asked when they left.

  “Yep, but I ignore him. It’s a job, not a social call.” Russell turned toward the diner. “Sometimes you just gotta let shit roll off you.”

  Kenny had never learned that talent. Any perceived wrong and he was speaking his mind. Except with Mr. Court. And Kenny was tempted to go back there, knock on his door, and at least stick his tongue out.

  He had no idea where they were going when they passed Main Street. Russell took the next right onto Cherry Drive and pulled into the gas station. It had six pumps and a large store that Kenny wandered into while Russell put some gas into his truck.

  “If it isn’t my disrespectful son.”

  Kenny closed his eyes at the sound of his mom’s voice. She usually pretended he didn’t exist. Why was she talking to him now? He turned away from the row of snacks and saw she was hanging on the arm of some grungy guy. The dude looked old enough to be her father, which was gross considering she was almost fifty.

  Kenny gave her a tight smile but kept his smartass reply to himself.

  “Where’s Steven?” she asked. “He’s usually sniffing behind you.”

  Kenny counted to ten. He hadn’t the first clue why she was baiting him, but he wasn’t going to fall for it.

  “Hey, she asked you a question,” the guy said.

  “I told you he has no respect for me, John.” Her heels clicked as she moved closer. Kenny grabbed some fruit snacks and walked in the opposite direction, going around the shelf to get away from her.

  Knowing his mom she was probably flat broke and wanted some money from him. She’d constantly stolen his money when Kenny was a teenager and had worked at the coffee shop. He’d had to get inventive on where to hide his paycheck just so she couldn’t find it.

  “Boy, she’s talking to you.” John stood in front of Kenny with his hands on his skinny hips, as though he could be intimidating. That was laughable considering they were almost the same height.

  “I’d walk away if I were you,” Kenny snarled. “I have no qualms about putting you on your ass.”

  John looked at Kenny’s mother, as though unsure what he should do. Kenny went to the counter, paid for his snack, and walked out, steaming fucking mad.

  “Kenneth, wait,” his mother called out, but Kenny made a beeline for Russell’s truck and hopped in. His leg bounced as he thought about what she’d said concerning Steven.

  God, why did he have to be born to such a wretched woman? But he was grown now and didn’t have to deal with her.

  Russell leaned his arms on the open frame of his window. “Something I need to know about?”

  Kenny’s leg kept bouncing as he swiped at his eyes. He was so embarrassed that Russell saw her heading his way. Kenny wanted to slide down to the floor and disappear.

  “It’s my mom,” Kenny said. “And she isn’t someone you want in your life.”

  Russell moved around the truck and cut her off from reaching Kenny. He watched as Russell said something, his mother glared at Kenny, and then John said something to Russell. Kenny’s window was up, so he couldn’t hear anything.

  Russell shoved a finger at John, and the guy backed down, moving to his car that was parked by the door. It was a piece of rusted shit, if you asked Kenny.

  His mom said something else to Russell before she stormed off.

  When Russell returned, Kenny didn’t bother to ask what was said. He honestly didn’t care.

  “You okay, hon?” Russell started his truck.

  Kenny tossed his bag of snacks aside, no longer hungry. “I really don’t care what shit she has to say to me, but it hurts and pisses me off when she talks down about Steven.”

  Russell’s eyes narrowed as he looked toward the piece-of-shit car that was still parked by the door.

  “Didn’t I tell you that you have to let some things roll off you?” Russell pulled from the gas station and headed toward the diner.

  Kenny’s leg finally stopped bouncing. “She just makes me so angry.”

  Russell grabbed Kenny’s hand and entwined their fingers. “Trust me, I know all about family pissing you off. Just try to breathe in and out and forget you even saw her.”

  Kenny tried to do as Russell suggested. By the time they made it to the diner and Kenny saw Steven through the window, his anger drained away.

  Russell cupped his face and gave him a quick kiss. “See, I knew you could do it.”

  For Kenny, it wasn’t so much about letting his anger go but rather him seeing the wide smile on Steven’s face. Kenny’s happiness superseded his anger. His joy had replaced it.

  When Russell started to get out, Kenny put a hand on his arm. “I just want to watch him for a second.”

  Russell settled back. “You’re a good brother, Kenny.”

  “Thanks.” He turned his attention to Russell. “What’s your family like?”

  A dark cloud moved behind Russell’s eyes before he looked away. “I just have my cousin.”

  With the way Russell reacted, Kenny regretted asking him. Still, he wanted to know more about his mate.

  His mate. Kenny smiled at that thought. “Does your cousin live around here? Is he nice?”

  “Rubin?” Russell shook his head. “He lives with his head in the clouds, always trying to make it rich off of one of his ideas. I wish he’d ground himself and get a regular job. I hate seeing him because he’s always trying to pull me into his schemes.”

  “Oh.” That conversation hadn’t gone as Kenny had hoped. “But you have me.” He smiled at Russell. “And you have Steven. He seems to adore you.”

  “He’s a good kid.” Russell winked. “I know, he’s an adult, but compared to my age, he’s a kid.” Russell squeezed Kenny’s hand. “Thanks for saying I have you.” He kissed Kenny’s knuckles. “And you have me, although I’m pretty sure you got the short end of the stick.”

  Kenny chuckled. “Don’t sell yourself short.”

  With his other hand, Russell scratched at his jaw. “How about you spend the night at my place tonight?”

  Kenny’s heart skipped a beat at Russell’s question. Alone. All night with his hot Italian stud. He couldn’t stop smiling as he nodded. “I can do that.”

  And Kenny planned on asking Russell to see his cheetah. If he was gonna be with the guy, if Russell was it for him, he needed to get used to everything about his mate.

  With that thought, Kenny climbed out the truck and walked hand in hand with Russell into the diner, the encounter with his mom and John forgotten.

  Chapter Six

  Kenny wasn’t sure why he was so nervous when Russell pulled into his driveway. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t had sex before. They’d just fucked in the shower this morning, but as he stared at Russell’s house, Kenny’s insides were twisting into a knot.

  “Let me show you around.” Russell got out, and after taking a few calming breaths, Kenny joined him. The rest of the houses on the street looked like cookie-cutter homes. Same shape, color, and manicured lawns.

  Not Russell’s. A person could tell a carpenter lived there. His porch had been extended to wrap around the side of his house. An addition had been added to the second floor, and while Russell’s beige exterior paint matched the other homes, he had added a pretty green trim instead of the white the other residents boasted.

  If Kenny had been impressed with the outside—there were plants hanging everywhere outside, along with a porch swing that begged to be sat on—the inside blew him away.

  Brightly colored walls. Shiny hardwood floors. Handcrafted cabinets. Vaulted ceilings with polished crossbeams. There was beauty everywhere Kenny looked.

  “Let me show you the most important room in the house.” Russell took Kenny’s hand and led him to a bedroom that would make any homeowner jealous. The room was huge, with a four-poster bed and a large-screen television mounted on one wall with chocolate-colored barrel chairs in front of it. The rich burgundy carpet looked soft, and Kenny wanted to walk over it with his bare feet.

  “Most important room, huh?” Kenny smirked at Russell, although his insides had yet to settle down.

  Russell moved in behind him and curled his arms around Kenny’s midsection. “It is because this is where I’ll make all your fantasies come true.”

  Damn if that deep voice didn’t send shivers down his spine and straight to his cock.

  Russell nuzzled his neck, inhaling Kenny’s scent as though the man were trying to get air into starving lungs.

  Kenny felt his hole quiver as Russell nibbled at the tender flesh of his neck, as the brush of Russell’s barely-there beard scraped along his flesh, sending rioting sensations through him. He knew going home with Russell would be a different experience than this morning, but holy fuck. He was ready to come, and they hadn’t even started anything yet.

  Before Kenny could stop the sounds from leaving his lips, he moaned and whined at the same time. God, he was so fucking needy. It seemed as though Russell was out to tease him into insanity just by his kisses alone.

  “I love the sounds you make.”

  “Didn’t you s-say something about a t-tour?” Why the hell was he so nervous? It wasn’t as though he hadn’t been with Russell before. This wasn’t their first time. So why the hell was Kenny ready to bolt from the room?

  “Tour later,” Russell said against Kenny’s ear. “I can’t wait to sink my cock into your ass.”

  Kenny’s entire body flushed at Russell's words. He loved when Russell talked dirty to him. His heart beat faster as his mate nipped his nape. One big hand rubbed the round globes of Kenny’s ass and he damn near came unglued.

  “But first I want to play.”

  Russell could do whatever he wanted with Kenny’s body. Kenny was ready to get fucked into a coma. His dick pulsed so hard behind his denim jeans that his zipper threatened to make a permanent indent in the flesh of his swollen cock. Kenny wanted out of his clothes, but he lost his train of thought when Russell started talking again.

  “You’re all mine, and I’m gonna bring you so much pleasure.”

  Holy fuck. Kenny was certain drool was leaking from his mouth. He had no idea what kind of “play” Russell wanted to get into, but Kenny was all for it.

  Even so, Kenny’s eyelids fluttered closed. This was too surreal. He still couldn’t understand why fate had given him someone like Russell—kind, caring, and hot as fuck. Kenny had way too much baggage. Someone like Russell should be with a guy who could offer him the world.

  Not with a man who was running from someone who wanted him dead and a real fucked-up mother, and Kenny didn’t even have his own place.

  Well, he did have his own place. He just couldn’t go home because of Brad.

  Fucking Brad.

  “What kind of play are you talking about?” If Russell was talking about role-playing, and he wanted to shove Kenny into a diaper, he was out of there. He liked to get as kinky as the next person, but there were some things he refused to do.

  “Nothing outrageous.” Russell continued to nuzzle at his neck as he walked them over to the bed. When Kenny lay on his stomach, he nearly fell apart when Russell blanketed him from nape to thighs, slowly grinding his denim-covered cock into Kenny’s ass.

  His breath hitched when Russell reached under him and began to unsnap Kenny’s jeans. “Relax, hon.”

  There went that deep voice again. As long as the man continued to talk to him in that husky, I’m-gonna-fuck-you tone, Kenny would be ready for almost anything.

  The anticipation of finding out what Russell had in mind was killing him. Kenny’s heart wouldn’t slow, and his body was coiled tight as Russell slid his hand down the back of Kenny’s pants, gripping his ass as he pressed his swollen cock harder against Kenny’s ass.

 

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