Page 28 of Something Unforgettable

Xavier shook his head and ignored the gesture, nudging Ev toward the bathroom. He disappeared for a moment, then stuck his head back out and tossed Xavier Finn’s sweats. Xavier caught them, then turned back to his mortified boy.

“Sorry about him,” Finn said, holding his hand out for the sweats. “He can be a little…” he trailed off.

“It’s fine,” Xavier said with a gentle smile as he helped Finn from the bed so he could get dressed. Finn turned away to pull the sweats on, which gave Xavier a lovely view of his tight little ass. Finn pulled the sweats up and turned back, catching Xavier staring. He ducked his head as he stepped closer. Xavier tilted his chin back up, then dipped down to give him a kiss. “I like him. How could I not? He obviously cares about you.”

Finn smiled. “I care about him too.”

Xavier dropped a second kiss on the tip of his nose and guided him back into bed. “What would you like for lunch? And what does Ev eat?”

“Ev’ll eat anything; he’s not picky. Can we have tacos?”

Xavier tugged the blankets into place and couldn’t help stealing a few more kisses. Finn was just too sweet. “Consider it done. Get some sleep and I’ll see you in an hour or so.”

He collected his phone, wallet, and keys and headed out just as Ev left the bathroom. As the door closed behind him he heard the boy exclaim, “Dude! You gotlaid! Finally!”

Xavier chuckled. Watching Finn interact with his best friend was going to be enlightening.

Xavier located the nearest restaurant that served tacos then started the car. He had a few stops he wanted to make before he picked up their food, so taking the car made more sense. He used the drive to get caught up on his voicemail. Gabriel was annoyed with him, as was Asher, his PA. Both of them had left multiple messages chastising him for canceling his meeting in LA and dropping off the grid for eighteen hours. Asher in particular sounded a bit like Ev. He never liked it when he didn’t know what Xavier was doing. It was part of what made him so good at his job. That and his ability to get people to talk to him.

Asher had been the one to warn Xavier about the state of his last relationship—if you could call something a relationship when the other party was only in it for their own benefit. He’d discovered the boy Xavier was seeing was looking for a bank account and business connections, not a boyfriend. His ex had even implied that he disliked how controlling Xavier was.

The whole thing made Xavier sick, particularly the idea that he’d been pressuring Jackson into something he didn’t enjoy. Gabe had had to talk him down and remind him that these kinds of relationships went both ways, and Jackson could have told him to stop at any time. He’d been using Xavier, and Xavier hadn’t done anything that wasn’t agreed upon. In the end, Xavier was grateful he’d gotten out of the whole thing unscathed. He was lucky to have surrounded himself with good people, despite the reputation many in Hollywood had for being solely self-serving.

After that mess, Xavier had sworn off relationships with wannabe actors. Luckily, Finn was as different as could be from Xavier’s past partners.

God, Finn had been beautiful when Xavier had helped him jerk off in the bath. He’d been so tempted to take things further. There would be a next time, though, he was sure of it. But first, he needed to figure out what to do about the fact that part of him was clamoring to make Finn his. To keep him. Protect him. To be his Daddy.

He’d never had to do this before. He’d always met the men he dated at kink clubs or through mutual friends. Finn was so new, so innocent, that Xavier feared he could scare him off or confuse him if he didn’t explain himself well. Finn was already too important. Xavier couldn’t risk losing him over this. He also couldn’t suppress the Daddy in him. He’d done a piss-poor job of it already.

Just thinking back over the last day, he couldn’t count the number of times he’d taken control. He was careful to always check for consent—and he’d made a point to let Finn set the pace of their first sexual encounter—so he didn’t have to worry about that, at least. But had he done enough? Held back enough? Was he overthinking this?

He did the only thing he could think of and called Gabriel. The phone rang once, then his business partner answered, his voice loud on the car’s speakers.

“I really hope whatever happened was a real emergency. I’ve spent the entire morning covering for your ass with your clients. Asher is fielding your emails.”

“You know me better than that, Gabe.”

“All right. Fine. I’m choosing to believe you. When are you going to be in LA? There’s some trouble brewing with your golden boy, and we need you here when it hits the fan.”

Xavier’s “golden boy” was Remy Dalton, currently the most sought-after silver fox in Hollywood. Closing in on fifty, he’d had a good run in his twenties, crashed and burned in his thirties, mysteriously vanished for a few years, then resurrected his career just after he turned forty. The rebirth had drawn comparisons to a certain other A-lister who’d made a similar comeback headlining a superhero franchise.

Remy, however, had gone the indie route, building back his reputation—with Xavier’s help—before landing a coveted blockbuster role the year before. The last thing he could afford right now was a scandal.

“Is it something Asher can handle?” Xavier asked.

Gabe paused. “All right, now I really do believe you. Asher will be fine keeping an eye on things for a few days. Remy likes him, so that’s not an issue. This ‘emergency’ must be bad if you’re having your PA handle your biggest client.”

“I met someone,” he admitted. “And he’s dealing with a lot right now. I want to be here for him.”

“You’re blowing off work—blowing offRemy Daltonfor some twink you met on vacation in bumfuck North Carolina?” Gabe sounded incredulous. “Please tell me he’s at least as serious about you as you are about him? And then tell me why you’ve never mentioned him before.”

This was what Xavier deserved. He pulled into a parking space and ran a hand through his hair, realizing for the first time he hadn’t styled it that morning—he hadn’t even shaved. He scrubbed at his scruffy jaw. He was probably a real sight. Not that the hostess would care.

“It’s still new,” he admitted. “And long distance. But he’s…” How could he describe Finn in a way that would make Gabe understand? “He’s so fucking sweet. The first time I took him out to lunch he was a nervous wreck. He memorized a list of rules for how to act on a first date. He gets adorably flustered when he isn’t sure what to say, and when he blushes I just—”

“Holy shit. Enough. You’re going to give me cavities,” Gabe said, sounding a little put out. “When’s the wedding?”

Xavier stifled a groan, but not well enough.

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