Page 36 of Charming But Reckless

ARICK

The driveto Orion’s place wasn't all that bad. Most of it was spent with us playing various car games. Sol tried to join in, though some of them were a bit too old school for him to truly understand. At the mention of VHS tapes, he decided to tap out for a short nap.

While he slept, Orion and I continued our games. It was reminiscent of our childhood, yet also firmly rooted in the present. There was no chance of me forgetting he was a big, sexy bodyguard now.

And fuck, was he sexy.

As I watched him drive, I noticed all the little things about him I hadn’t before. Like the scar behind his right ear. When I asked about it, he mentioned a mission where things got a bit dicey. He took a knife there, though thankfully it wasn’t too serious.

He’s also got some freckles along the back and side of his neck. They’re so light, it was almost impossible to see them without looking like a creeper.

Obviously, I hadn’t cared because I had no interest in the view outside the vehicle. All my focus was on the man beside me.

He held my attention like nothing else ever had. Nothing outside of chasing down leads to find my son.

But now that I had them both with me safe and sound, I was mesmerized. I felt balanced. Like everything was going right for once.

This attraction to my friend could turn out to be a problem. I didn't believe it would though.

I had seen the heat in his eyes. I had felt the passion behind that kiss. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.

There would be adjustments in our lives. For one, we were going to be living together, which created convenience for a relationship. It almost made me want to hold off until we had a place of our own because I didn't want things to be too perfect.

You know how when something feels very cookie-cutter and amazing at the start of meeting someone? People call it the honeymoon stage of a relationship. I think going straight to the part where we moved in together really amps up that feeling.

I wanted what we had to be real. I needed to know that no matter what came next, we could stick it out.

Never mind that it had been years since my last relationship. I didn't know how to do this anymore.

However, I would give it my all. Orion deserved to have someone just as committed as he was.

And sure, we would live together, which gave us easy access to one another, and we would be in each other's pockets. But it was also the fact that we could learn about the people we were now versus back then.

So much of the emotion I had attached to him was based upon how it felt to have him in my life two decades ago.

Though there were definitely present-day things that affected me, such as his looks and personality, his drive and attention to care, the way that he protected my son — which went the furthest in making me feel like he was a good person.

People's actions when you weren’t around spoke volumes.

Orion's shouted to me that he was a safe place, that he would always have my back and treat me like a partner.

When we pulled up to his brownstone, my jaw dropped. He hadn't even told me it was a brownstone until we were within the city limits. The confession should have been enough warning that he had money.

Not fuck you money, but enough money to make our previous home look more like a shack than a house.

“This is yours?” I asked him as we climbed out of the truck.

He leaned his forearms on the top and faced me. “It is. Are you going to make a big deal about it?”

I blinked at him owlishly.

“Who, me? I don't make a big deal out of things. I'm perfectly chalant. Or is it nonchalant? Whichever of those it is, that's what I am.”

He snorted a laugh, then motioned towards the back seat. "Why don't you get him out, and I'll go unlock the place. You can bring him in while I grab the bags. Deal?”

I was helpless to do anything but nod. I woke Sol up, though he was not happy about it. When he realized where we were, though, his mood improved greatly.

"This place is huge, Dad," he whispered not so discreetly.

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