Page 3 of His Boys to Protect

Holy effing bloody hell. He'd only seen him once, and that was across a crowded room. Even at a distance, Skylar had been drawn to the man, desperately envious of Charlie, wishing he could have been sitting in Ward's lap instead.

But up close?Fuck. Ward was a god. Pure and simple. It took everything Skylar had to remember he was on a job. That he had to play a part.

Because the man he'd been daydreaming about for months was actually right there in front of him.

“Jeebus,” he swore under his breath. “You know that saying,'I wanna climb you like a tree?'I never fully understood it until now. Becauseholy shit.” He gave Ward another slow, thorough once-over and saw the man blush.Fuck. There was something incredibly endearing about seeing this big, strong man looking so shy and flattered. Almost innocent.

Then again, this was apparently Ward's first date with a boy. The scheduling coordinator had said as much. Ward had specifically requested a trans boy for tonight, but when the coordinator had asked Ward if he wanted Skylar to appear as amale or a female, the man had apparently hemmed and hawed for several moments before ultimately deciding on the latter. Skylar had been in the business long enough to know that meant Ward was curious but deeply closeted. It would be Skylar's job to put the man at ease and give him whatever he wanted. Ward was a client. End of story.

But with every passing second, it became harder to remember that.

Damn it. Skylar squirmed in his seat, both from the effort of restraint and because he wasdyingto get out of that dress. Not only because he wanted Ward all over him—because he totally did—but because he'd never wanted so badly to let everything go and just be himself. He was good at his job, for fuck's sake! Nothing stopped him from putting on the act and playing the part, no matter how much he hated it.

But a mere look from Ward, and Skylar felt all his carefully crafted walls slipping. Something about the man made him desperate to be free.

“You're paid to say things like that,” Ward mumbled. “You probably tell all your clients that they're hot.”

“True,” Skylar conceded. “But in this case?” He shook his head. “Criminy. If I'm dreaming right now, please—for the love of what little is still good and holy in this world—don't wake me up.”

Ward blushed again and tugged on his collar. He looked down at himself and blinked, like he suddenly remembered where he was. The man's expression turned serious, and Skylar felt it like a punch to the gut. “Uh.” Ward cleared his throat. “So how does this work, exactly?”

Skylar fought to regain his focus, to say nothing of some professional composure. “However you'd like,” he answered, then waved at himself. “Is this alright for the wedding? I also brought a suit, in case you changed your mind about how youwanted me to look.” He smirked. “Maybe we can be fashionably late.”

Ward's hungry gaze raked over Skylar again, and the blush came roaring back to his cheeks. “It's–” he began with a nod, then paused, cocking his head to one side. A furrow appeared between his eyebrows as he studied Skylar's face. “Areyoucomfortable like that? Or would you prefer the suit?”

Skylar's abs clenched. “It doesn't matter what I want,” he made himself reply, knowing that was the right answer while he was on the job. “I'm here for you–” He broke off and swore quietly , then blurted out, “No, I'm not comfortable like this. I'm a boy,goddamnit, but–” Skylar broke off again. “Shit. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that.” He waved a hand and shook his head. “This isn't about me. It's about what you need. And if you need to be seen with a woman on your arm tonight, that's what I'm here for.” He shifted an inch closer, making their knees touch. “But maybe later, we can explore all those secret, hidden feelings you've got bottled up inside, yeah?” When he saw Ward's eyes darken with interest, Skylar went on. “You wanna get your hands on a boy, Daddy? You wanna see a boy kneel at your feet and take your big cock?”

“Geez,” Ward swore. It sounded like he was trying to sayJesus, but aborted halfway through, like the word got cut off from a simple lack of air. Sure enough, Ward panted as he sat there, looking flushed and aroused, unable to speak.

Holy glittering fucks. This man was way too much fun. Skylar couldn't help grinning despite his personal discomfort, eager to get the wedding over with so he could get Ward alone in his room and see just how far things might go.

But he didn't want to overwhelm the big guy too quickly, either. Skylar dialed the flirtation down a notch, even shifting back in his seat to give Ward more room to breathe. “Tell me about this wedding,” he prompted.

Ward blinked again, then shook his head and pushed his hair back out of his eyes. It wasn't quite long enough to stay tucked behind his ears, so a few dark brown strands drifted right back across his temples. Skylar itched to reach out and comb his fingers through it all.Hhng. Maybe later.

“Uh,” Ward finally began, “my best friend from college. He's the one getting married. He moved up here after we graduated. Got a job doing some kind of corporate computer stuff that I can't even begin to understand. I've never met his fiancée. We haven't really been in touch in a while. My friend and I, I mean. You know. Life getting in the way.”

Skylar laughed. “I know the feeling.” It was the same with himself and Adam. The two of them had been thick as thieves back when Adam had stayed with him all those years ago, but they'd only recently had a chance to see one another in person again.

“Shit,” Ward quietly swore. “What am I supposed to say when people ask how we met?” he asked, gesturing at the space between them.

Skylar almost winced, except this was a question that came up a lot. “Well, let's start with this. What do you do? Where do you work?”

Ward smiled shyly. “I'm an assistant winemaker.”

Skylar's eyes widened. “Really?” He gave Ward another once-over. The man seemed to be built like a tank beneath that suit, so Skylar had been expecting a job that was more obviously physical and less intellectual. “Damn. You must be really smart. Not that you don't look smart,” he rushed to add. “I didn't mean it like that–”

Ward chuckled, but it had a self-deprecating quality to it. “I get that a lot.”

“Ah.” Skylar nodded. “Ex-girlfriend,” he guessed.

“More like ex-girlfriends,” Ward replied, emphasizing the plural. “I have a degree in oenology, but…” Ward trailed off with a shrug.

And still so shy and modest. Damn.Skylar squeezed his legs together. Most of his clients were cocky, aggressive assholes who overplayed their status. Ward was a breath of fresh air compared to all of them. Dominant without being intimidating or overwhelming. “I barely finished high school,” Skylar blurted out in response. “Shit. Sorry. Not supposed to say things like that, either.” He cleared his throat and charged on before Ward could comment. “Okay. So. You work at a vineyard, right?” When Ward nodded, Skylar gave him a smile. “That's easy.” He leaned closer. “I was hanging out with some friends, and we decided to go wine tasting. As we were heading into the tasting room, this big, handsome guy comes walking up, a case of wine balanced on his shoulder.” He'd seen dock workers and restaurant staff carry crates like that, one beefy arm curled up to keep the load steady, so it seemed like the right description.

Ward's eyebrows went up, and he gave a single, slow nod.

Skylar grinned. “He held the door open for me,” he went on, “and I totally tripped over my own feet, walking past him. But he just smiled and steadied me and followed me inside. I joined my friends at the counter and watched him disappear into another room. He came back without the case of wine, but before he could leave, the guys behind the counter called him over, introduced him as one of the winemakers, and roped him into describing the wines as they poured.” Skylar batted his eyelashes. “This guy took a bottle and poured a tasting for me. Grenache, he said. I barely heard the description he gave of the flavors—I was way too caught up in the way he was looking at me—but it wasdelicious. I'm only a little ashamed to say I forgot all about my friends and wound up flirting with this guy for half an hour before he finally excused himself, saying he had to get backto work.” Skylar leaned closer. “But he slipped me his number very discreetly before he left, murmuring that he'd like to take me out for coffee sometime, if I was interested.”

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