Page 29 of Something Unforgettable

“What? Don’t tell me he’s married already or something.”

Xavier scoffed at that. “Fuck, no. He’s not married. He’s twenty-three and he hasn’t dated before.”

“Young, but you’ve dated younger. We both have. So what’s the issue?”

“I haven’t told him about me. About what I am and what I enjoy in a relationship.” He banged his head against the seatback. “Fuck, Gabe. I’ve never dated someone who wasn’t already in the scene. I’m not sure he even knows what daddy-kink is.”

“And you’re afraid you’ll scare the poor thing off if you tell him now.”

Xavier stayed silent.

Gabe sighed. “I’ve never known you to go into a situation, particularly a relationship, without a plan.”

“I had a plan,” Xavier admitted. “It was to tone down the controlling shit around him and leave kink out of it.”

Gabe barked out a laugh. “You? Pretend you’re vanilla?”

Xavier winced. It sounded bad when put like that. “I thought I could do it. He’s just—he’s so goddamn perfect. It’s all I can do not to tell him he’s being such a good boy for Daddy… Fuck. I’m so goddamn screwed.”

“You don’t say? And what does Nick think of this brilliant plan of yours?”

Why did he think calling Gabe was a good idea again? “I haven’t told Nick. He knows we went out, and that we’ve been talking, but not that it’s getting serious. At least, I think it’s getting serious.”

“Who called you to tell you your boy needed you?”

Xavier sighed. “Nick did.”

Gabe snorted. “Well that answers one question. Nick definitely knows. I haven’t got an answer for the rest of it except that you have to tell him, Xavier. It’s not fair to keep him in the dark and then spring it on him.”

“I know that. Just. How do I explain it to him? You know not everyone accepts kink, much less that their partner wants to be called ‘Daddy.’” Just the thought of Finn panicking and rejecting him put a rock in Xavier’s stomach.

“Has he given you signs he’d freak out? Is he super religious? Or, god forbid, conservative?” Gabe said it with a laugh, knowing Xavier would never start something with someone who was.

“I think he’s made for it,” Xavier admitted. “He’s eager to please—to be praised—and he responds so well to direction…” Xavier trailed off, losing his train of thought as images of Finn, naked and pleading for more, filled his mind.

“Man. You don’t need me. Tell your boy the truth, before he ends up confused by your mixed signals. Then get your ass to LA before this issue with Dalton blows up in all our faces.”

He hung up and left Xavier with his thoughts running wild. Could it be that easy?

FinnwassogladEv was here. Xavier was wonderful and all, but sometimes you just needed your best friend. The one guy who knew everything about you, who had been through all your breakdowns, listened to all your fears, who understood all of the shit that was messed up in your head and loved you anyway.

Ev was that person for Finn, and it was easy to let all of the stress, anxiety, and fear of the past two days out on Ev’s shoulder. He didn’t have to explain why the thought of his grandfather being sick sent him into a tailspin. Ev knew his history and his hang-ups. He didn’t need to apologize when he broke down over how confused Pops had been in the hospital, how he’d shouted at Finn for bringing him there before the doctors got him calmed down and stabilized. He also didn’t need to explain the bone-deep relief he’d felt when Xavier had arrived and made everything okay again. At least for a little while.

Evdidwant him to explain how they got from the hospital to sexy-times in the bathtub, but that was because Ev was nosy and didn’t have enough boundaries. Luckily, Finn was able to satisfy him with just an overview of the action.

“I like him so much, Ev,” he admitted. “But I don’t know...”

Ev rolled to his side so they were facing each other, sharing a pillow like they had back in their dorm room whenever one of them was having a hard time—though Finn admitted it was a lot more comfortable in a king-size bed, even with a broken arm that ached something fierce, than it was in a standard-size twin.

“What is there not to know?” Ev asked. “You like him. You’re having fun. He’s hot asfuck.”

Finn shoved his shoulder with a laugh. “Shut up.”

Ev gave an exaggerated moan. “Are you kidding? Lethally hot, super successful, and obviously into you? I’d give a guy like that whatever he wanted. Want me down on my knees under the desk with a mouthful of Daddy’s cock? To call me a bad little boy and spank me till I cry? I’m down for anything—or up, if you know what I mean.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Finn pressed his lips together, fighting a smile. Ev was ridiculous. “You know I’m not into that stuff.”

“You like the porn I send you well enough,” Ev reminded him, much to Finn’s embarrassment. “Listen. I know you get freaked out ’cause of what your parents did to you, but that’s bullshit. This guy is the real deal. Don’t let their mistakes dictate your future.”

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