Page 122 of His Boys to Protect

He didn't deserve this kind of perfection. This kind of comfort and security. Besides, it couldn't last. Nothing ever did. Sooner or later, Charlie would move on from Skylar—as he did with all his phases and obsessions—and Ward would come to his senses or grow tired of housing a dirty whore.

Hell, even Uncle Zeke had ultimately kicked him out after breaking him in, forcing Skylar to get his own place. The man had enjoyed his bachelor lifestyle too much to have a teenager underfoot. It had been Skylar's parents all over again. Casting him aside.

The same would happen here.

But Skylar couldn't make himself leave. Not quite yet. He lay there, watching Ward and Charlie in the faint light of the streetlamps filtering through the blinds.

The two men slept so peacefully. Despite being the middle of the night, there was a constanthissof tires on the road, with Ward's apartment being so near a freeway on-ramp. Charlie hated that, but exhaustion and overwhelm from intense sex—not to mention habit and routine—had helped him fall asleep. Skylar, on the other hand, could usually sleep through anything. Hell, this level of noise wasnothingcompared to what he'd left behind in San Francisco. And, there, he'd slept like the dead.

But he didn't want to drift off. Not yet. Not while he could lie there and try to memorize the way Ward and Charlie looked in that moment. Comfortable. At peace. Safe and warm.

Charlie was in the middle, stretched out on his front, his head turned in Ward's direction. Ward lay on his side, facing both of them. Charlie had insisted that Ward put a hand on his ass, though he'd been too shy to explain why he wanted that. Still, Ward had complied. And his hand was still there, holding onto Charlie in his sleep. Skylar had also put an arm across Charlie, resting it on Charlie's waist and gripping Ward's forearm, connecting all of them. He never wanted to let go.

Eventually, he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. When he woke the next morning, the bed was empty. The apartment, silent. Skylar shivered, and not just from the cool touch of the sheets. He fled the bedroom and went to relieve his bladder, then looked for the others.

He found Charlie on the couch, a book in one hand and his phone in the other. An empty coffee mug rested on the table. Charlie quickly marked his page and set the book aside, then got up, still clutching his phone as he ran to the kitchen, gesturing at the coffee machine. From a series of rapid signs, Skylar gathered that Ward had already left for work, and Charlie had been sitting quietly, waiting for Skylar to get up. Charlie had wanted Skylar to wake up earlier, but Ward had made him promise to let Skylar sleep in. So Charlie had waited. And he'd made more coffee so that it would be ready for him.

Charlie kept eyeing his phone as he poured Skylar a cup.

“What's that?” Skylar asked, pointing at the screen.

Charlie carefully replaced the carafe, then pushed the phone towards Skylar while he doctored his coffee.

Skylar frowned as he checked the screen. It displayed the tracking app that both he and Charlie had on their phones, allowing them to see where one another was at any given time. “Is that…Ward?” he asked, eyes wide as he looked at Charlie for an answer.

Charlie gave a littlechirpand pushed the mug into Skylar's hands, freeing up his own. He signed,I make sure, followed by a sign Skylar didn't recognize.Get to work safe, Charlie finished.

Skylar paused with his mug halfway to his mouth. Charlie had made the sign forDad, but with the letterWinstead of an open hand.Holy shit. “Did you just call himDaddy?”

Charlie blushed and rolled his head, his gaze wandering away.

It was just what Skylar needed as a wave of emotion crashed through him. He held his breath, stopping whatever was trying to get out. A gasp or a sob, he wasn't really sure which. Maybe both. His hands shook as he brought the mug to his mouth and forced himself to take a sip, buying time while he got himself under control.

This was exactly what he'd wanted. And it hurt like hell.

Eventually, Charlie's focus turned back in his direction. Skylar forced on a smile and thanked him for the coffee, then stood there in silence while Charlie stared at his phone. Charlie didn't relax until the app showed Ward arriving at Vista Robles.

The boy pushed his phone aside, then signed,You sit. Breakfast time! I make!

Skylar almost protested. He wasn't sure he could eat a bite. Not with the way his stomach was churning. But he put on another smile and did as he was told. He shuffled over to the couch and sank onto it, idly watching Charlie in the kitchen as he mechanically sipped his coffee.

A soft moan escaped him.Damn it. The coffee was good. Too good. So was the setting. Ward's apartment was clean and spacious. It wasn't huge, but definitely bigger than Skylar's old studio had been. He felt like he could actually breathe in here, let alone turn around without running into a wall.

Then there was the company. Skylar had been missing Charlie like crazy over the past several months, having to workas much as he had. But now they were together. It had been so nice, spending all of yesterday in companionable silence, reading on the couch. And, all the while, knowing Ward would be coming home to them. Skylar had to choke back a sob at that thought. He never imagined he'd get to enjoy that simple anticipation.

Even the time of day felt amazing. Skylar was used to violent swings in his sleep schedule, but now he had nothing but a normal routine to look forward to. His body wasreallyliking it. And not just for the physical needs, but the emotional ones, too. He'd no longer have to claw and scrape for every tiny moment where his free, waking hours overlapped with theirs. Wouldn't have to sneak in a quick text message while he was heading to work at the same time Ward was coming home. Hell, he wouldn't have to resort to infrequent text messages at all. Charlie was right there, and Ward would return to them that evening.

It was all so fucking perfect, and Skylar didn't deserve it.

Maybe he shouldn't even wait for his car to get fixed. He should just call a car service, get a ride to the nearest airport, buy a ticket on the next flight out, no matter where it might be headed, and start over. Leave his phone behind and hide away in a new life.

But all of that would cost money, too. And as much as he knew he needed to leave, he couldn't bring himself to walk away yet. It would tear him up inside, more and more every day, but he wasn't ready to let this go. To turn his back on this kind of idyllic perfection.

He'd have to draw on all his acting skills—all the tricks that Uncle Zeke had taught him—to pretend that everything was fine, even while he felt himself dying a little more inside with every passing moment.

Skylar managed to force down the breakfast that Charlie made for him, and then they did the dishes together before sitting back down on the couch to read. It was all Skylar could do to focus on the book he chose. He found himself constantly glancing up at Charlie, soaking up his presence.

They sat facing one another, their legs tangled together. Charlie was completely absorbed in his book. At one point, Charlie started to fidget a little, but after a few minutes, the boy shook his head, let out a huff, and returned his focus to the page.

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