Page 24 of His Boys to Protect

“Hey, sweet boy,” Ward whispered. He couldn't help smiling as he held Charlie in his arms. The boy fit just right. Like he was made to be there.

Of course, Skylar had fit him just right, too.

Right as that thought hit him, Ward looked up to see someone else come into the room from the direction of the foyer. He saw a pair of worn sneakers and threadbare jeans, then spotted the sleeve of tattoos.

Ward's gaze flew right up to the boy's face.It can't be. But there he stood, all sleepy and rumpled, looking just as beautiful and tempting as he had twelve hours ago.

Skylar rubbed his eyes and yawned, then sucked in a breath, his eyes going wide when he spotted Ward.

Ward froze, the two of them staring at one another.

“Holy shit,” Skylar blurted out in a whisper. He blinked rapidly. “Am I dreaming?”

Ward's heart galloped away inside his chest. A thousand thoughts seemed to tumble through his mind all at once, almost making him dizzy.

Skylar was here.But how? And why?Ward had fully expected to never see Skylar again, yet the boy washere. And all while Ward had another boy in his arms. Was that envy he saw on Skylar's face? Or was he reading more into it than was really there?

Did he feel guilty for having Charlie in his lap after having spent the night with Skylar? Should he feel guilty? Should heexplain what he was doing here? And what was Skylar doing here?

The thoughts chased one another around inside Ward's head until they all became a blur, leaving only one thought standing out on its own, becoming so clear and heavy that it blocked out all the rest.

Ward looked from Charlie to Skylar and back, the two boys who had radically rocked his world.

Oh hell. He suddenly had a new dream.

Chapter 11

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SKYLAR

SKYLAR HAD to be dreaming. That was the only possible explanation.

Ward washere.

When the Pratts had announced that they were driving down to Paso Robles instead of staying home for Christmas, Skylar immediately thought of Ward. He couldn't help it. After he'd gotten home from Uncle Zeke's apartment, Ward had been all he could think about. It took everything he had to quiet his mind long enough to snatch a couple hours of sleep before heading to the suburbs. All the while he drove, Skylar had struggled to keep thoughts of Ward locked down. He was off to spend Christmas with Charlie, after all. Their last Christmas. Skylar needed to focus entirely on him.

But one hint of the town in which Ward lived, and Skylar knew he'd failed to keep a reaction off his face. Even knowing there would be no chance of running into the man, Skylar hadn't been able to resist hoping for it nonetheless.

And there Ward sat. Deliciously muscular, gentle, quiet, and sexy as hell.

Holy Zeus in a ball pit. Had it really only been twelve hours since he'd last seen the man? It felt like a lifetime.

He was so surprised by the sight of Ward that it took him several moments to realize Charlie was in the man's lap.Again.

Skylar felt his whole body go tense, his chest tightening and his gut twisting up in knots. He wanted to be the one in Ward's lap. Wanted to be in Ward's arms again, safe and protected from the world. He wanted to disappear inside Ward's touch and forget his life, even if it were only for a little while.

But he had to admit, Ward and Charlie looked damned good together.

Fuck. He'd seen it the last time, at that party in May, but now, closer up, it hit hard. Mixed in with the surprise on Ward's face was a bone-deep peace that couldn't be disguised. It was clear as day that Ward liked having Charlie in his lap. And Charlie looked more content than Skylar had ever seen him. It was like gravity. Like the two men simply belonged together.

It was so perfect that it hurt to witness. Granted, Skylar barely knew Ward, but from what he'd seen so far, the man was quiet, patient, and gentle, exactly the sort of things Charlie needed. Ward was also big and strong, which meant he could pin Charlie down during one of the boy's fits, wrestling him into submission and helping him regain his calm. Skylar could sometimes manage it, but barely. Charlie was slightly bigger and stronger than he was, which made it a challenge to get the boy under him, let alone hold him there until the fit had run its course.

Jumping jackhammers. Ward was supposed to be a client. Nothing more. But one night with the man had gotten Skylar all messed up inside. And now he found himself back where it had all started, with him on the outside, a third wheel, looking on as the big man held his boyfriend.

It was exactly the sort of solution Skylar had been looking for ever since he'd decided to run far away once his time as an escort was over.

He'd expected it to hurt, but not this much!

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