Page 21 of His Boys to Protect

Without a word, Skylar shrugged off his hoodie, rolled up the left sleeve of his t-shirt, and held out his arm.

Charlie bounced with joy and took Skylar's left hand with his own, then touched Skylar's arm with his right index finger. He always started at the empty heart just below Skylar's shoulder. Charlie touched the cleft point of the heart, traced the shape up and around to the left, then down past the heart's base point. The line continued, unbroken, slithering its way down Skylar's arm, connecting music notes, a stand of trees, a tea cup, andvarious other designs, all cleverly and seamlessly blending into one another. The line made its way back up the other side of Skylar's arm, reconnecting with the base point of the heart. Charlie followed it up and around the right side of the shape until his finger reached the starting point again.

He grinned and let go of Skylar's hand, feeling better. As soon as Skylar had the hoodie back on, Charlie grabbed his hand again, tugging him towards the garage.

Dad laughed. “Guess that's our cue to go. Alright, everyone. Let's hit the road.”

They all piled into the minivan—Dad and Mom up front, Charlie and Skylar in the middle, and Quinn with his fiancée in the back—but then Charlie had to get back out and check the house, making sure all the doors and windows were locked. Once Charlie was satisfied, Dad pulled the van out of the garage, then waited there at the end of the driveway until Charlie could see the garage door fully shut behind them.

The four-hour drive tookforever. It didn't help that Skylar fell asleep right away, lying on his left side, trapping his arm where Charlie couldn't reach it. Charlie rocked himself, staring out the window, watching the miles go past. In the front seats, his dad kept both hands on the steering wheel while Mom reached across the center console and let a hand rest on Dad's thigh, keeping them connected. In the back seat, Quinn and his fiancée whispered and giggled. The noise was grating, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Quinn's last girlfriend had been much louder, not to mention smelly. Her perfume had been so heavy, it was enough to make Charlie feel sick, especially confined in a vehicle like this.

Charlie looked down at Skylar's head, resting in his lap. He played with Skylar's hair. It was very soft! Charlie liked that. He was sorely tempted to wake him, but his Sky looked so tired. That always happened when Skylar had to change his sleepschedule. Charlie hated that. Hated seeing Skylar struggle to adjust. He wanted his Sky to have a normal routine so they could always be awake together.

Finally, just when Charlie thought he couldn't stand to be in the car for another second, they spotted signs for Paso Robles. Charlie sat forward in his seat, excitedly pointing out directions even though Dad knew exactly where they were going. They crossed through downtown, then took the country roads that went out beyond the city limits. Charlie bounced gently, trying not to disturb his Sky but also eager to get to their destination.

Vineyards surrounded them on either side as they neared Living in Zin, the bed-and-breakfast that Dakota's husband owned. The long driveway took them straight up a hill covered in grapevines. Rows of bare, scraggly branches stretched off into the distance everywhere Charlie looked. It wasn't as pretty as it had been during spring and summer. The vines were wild and crooked now rather than full and green. But as Charlie jumped out of the van, the crisp winter air made him smile. Much better than the intense heat the last time they'd come down to visit.

Dakota and his three partners—Beau, Mav, and Ryder—came out of the house to greet them. Charlie ran straight for his big brother. Dakota and Sabrina had always looked strikingly similar, despite being only fraternal twins. Charlie burrowed against him, hiding his face.

“Hey, squirmy worm,” Dakota murmured with a laugh, carefully putting his arms around him. “Merry Christmas.”

The old nickname made Charlie smile, but then the greeting made him scowl. He pulled back and signed that it wasn't Christmas Day yet.

Dakota chuckled and held up his hands. “You're right. My bad.” He turned and gestured towards the house. “Come on. I know you'll want to unpack before anything else.”

Charlie ran back to the van to grab his and Skylar's bags. Everyone else milled around, swapping greetings and hugs. It was all too noisy. Charlie hurried to get inside, following Dakota upstairs. He stopped at the room Dakota normally gave him, but Dakota kept going down the hallway.

“We've still got guests in that one,” Dakota explained, gesturing for Charlie to follow him.

Charlie scowled and pointed at the door.

Dakota shook his head. “They were in the room before you guys decided to come down. I can't kick them out. They're paying guests. But I made sure this room also has a bed pointing east, okay?”

Charlie hesitated, then trudged off after his brother. He waited for Dakota to unlock the door, then stood in the open doorway and studied the room. Charlie took a moment to orient himself, making sure the bed really did point east. Once he was satisfied with that, he stepped inside and looked around some more. The room was a little smaller than the one he was used to, but the natural light was good, and the attached bathroom layout looked the same.

“Is it okay?” Dakota asked.

In answer, Charlie left his shoes by the door, then set down the bags and started unpacking.

Dakota chuckled. “Come down when you're ready.”

Charlie was almost done unpacking when his Sky came up, still looking tired. He helped Skylar take off his shoes, jeans, and hoodie, then pulled the curtains shut to make it dim while Skylar climbed onto the bed.

“I just need a couple more hours,” Skylar promised him. “Then I'm all yours.”

Charlie considered lying down next to him, but his body rejected the idea. It wasn't sleepy time. Not for him, anyway. He didn't really want to go downstairs and have to deal with allthe people and noise, but he didn't want to sit there and wait for Skylar to wake up, either. He finally slipped out of the room and shut the door, then padded down the steps to the entryway. Voices floated out from the tasting room at the back of the house. Charlie let out a groan and headed that direction.

To get there, he had to pass through the sitting room first. Charlie stopped in his tracks, staring at one of the armchairs. That was where the nice man had been sitting the last time Charlie was here. The man had been a complete stranger, but something about him made Charlie feel safe. When noise had erupted all around him, Charlie had burrowed into the man's lap, needing the comfort.

Just a thought of the man made his penis start to get hard. Charlie frowned. He had no idea why that happened. His penis only ever got hard for Skylar. Nobody else. Yet this strange man had the same effect on him.

Charlie wanted to see him again. To sit in his lap again. He wanted to hear the man's soothing, deep voice and feel those big, strong arms around him, keeping him safe from all the noise.

But what would Skylar think if he found out?

Chapter 10

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