Page 13 of Just a Bit Guarded

“Of course,” Will said, his tone even.

It didn’t bother him anymore.

But growing up, it had bothered him a great deal. Ever since he was nine, he’d been an almost son, an almost brother.No, this is my nephew, William, he’s almost like a son to me; this one is my son, Scott.

Almost. Over the years, he’d grown to loathe the word. It only made him miss his real family. Scott’s parents had treated him well, but he’d always been an afterthought to them, the other boy, the one who wasn’t Scott. He’d even gotten birthday presents he didn’t care for because Scott wanted them and wheedled his parents into buying them for “Will.” It was fine. Will knew he’d been luckier than most orphans. He knew he should have been grateful that he hadn’t gone into the system, and he was. But it had still left a bad taste in his mouth.

And nearly twenty years later, it still did, though not to the extent it used to. The past ten years of living away from Scott and his family had helped. He’d never regretted dropping out of college—the same prestigious college Scott had been enrolled in—and making his own way in life. He’d had a decade of living inScott’s shadow; he’d be damned if he let Scott’s parents groom him into being Scott’s trusted sidekick at the family company.

“Hey, man, you didn’t take that wrong, right?” Scott said, touching his arm. “Because I didn’t mean it that way.” He sounded genuinely worried and uncomfortable, and Will shook his head.

“It’s fine,” he said. If his voice was a little more clipped than it normally was, Scott was unlikely to notice.

“Anyway, I texted Gadiel and asked him on a date. Not sure if he’ll tell you about it. If he doesn’t, he might be planning to sneak out. Then you’ll obviously turn a blind eye and let him think he successfully tricked you.” Scott smiled wryly.

“He’ll tell me,” Will said.

Scott blinked before grinning. “Man, have I ever told you that I’m super envious of your confidence? No, confidence is the wrong word—maybe self-assuredness? I don’t know, the way you just say things like you’re a hundred percent sure that they’ll happen the way you expect them to—I’ve always been jealous of that. Archie and the other guys at school always said you needed to loosen up and stop being a total bore, but I never minded that. You’re always so serious and strait-laced, and some people might find you boring, but my friends just never understood that your sense of humor was simply different from ours. That’s not a bad thing. You’ve always just been different from the rest of us.”

Will looked at his watch.

“Right,” he said. “I have to go.”

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t true. He was allowed to have one day off every week, so Will had the day to himself while one of Zain’s bodyguards substituted for him. But the thoughtof spending more time in Scott’s well-meaning but exhausting company didn’t appeal.Gadiel’s apartment would be quiet. Gadiel was likely home, but his presence didn’t grate on Will’s nerves the way Scott’s did. And Will had to admit that after a week of watching the boy 24/7, not seeing him for hours was... a bit strange.

In any case, nothing stopped him from returning to the penthouse earlier than he had to. He didn’t need to be officially guarding Gadiel to return to his room.

He just wanted some peace and quiet.

Nothing more.

Chapter 8

Having the apartment to himself for the first time in a week felt so great.

Since waking up, Gadiel had taken pleasure in walking around half-naked, just because he could. He fondled his half-hard cock all over the apartment, just because he could. Will wasn’t there. He could touch his cock whenever and wherever he wanted again. Even in the guest room. It didn’t matter that it was Will’s room for now—it wasGadiel’sguest room. So he could lie down in the bed there and touch himself. So he did, with great pleasure, deeply inhaling the faint masculine scent on the pillow. He was in a great mood. For once, everything was going right. Scott had invited him on a date. Even his infuriatingly perfect bodyguard was now no obstacle. Will’s loyalty was nowhis. The thought made Gadiel giddy, and he gripped his erection harder. Gadiel hadn’t expected how much he would actually start liking his unflappable bodyguard once he’d stopped antagonizing him. He had been stupid to think that he could scare Will off—he clearly was made of sterner stuff than that. Will was tough, unyielding… so firm…

Gadiel gasped, stroking himself faster. He must have forgotten how good jerking off outside his bedroom felt. Everything felt so much sharper, better… Gadiel fondled his tits, tweaking his nipples, while his right hand worked between his legs furiously, tugging on his aching cock. God, he wished the hands touching him belonged to someone else, not him. Howlong had it been since a big, firm hand touched his skin and pleasured him? Since he felt a man’s wide shoulders between his legs? Since he felt another man’s cock inside him?

Moaning, Gadiel turned his head to bury his face in the pillow, stroking himself faster. He was so close…so close… He tried to imagine Scott’s face to give himself a push, but he couldn’t seem able to conjure it in his mind. Only his gray-blue eyes and dark hair. But that seemed to be enough. Light eyes, dark hair, strong hands… His balls tightened, his orgasm so close he could nearly taste it—

The door opened, but Gadiel couldn’t stop—he was too close. He could only stare at Will dazedly as his orgasm ripped out of him. He whimpered, coming into his hand.

Silence.

Will cleared his throat, averting his gaze. There was some color on his cheekbones. “Have you forgotten that this is my room?”

Blushing, Gadiel fixed his clothes, wiping his hand on his pants. “You’re back already!” he said, stating the obvious. He searched for something to say, something that would distract Will from the fact that Gadiel had been jerking off in his bed. Nothing. His mind was blank. He didn’t even remember why he’d thought it was okay to jerk off here. “Fuck, this is awkward.”

Will snorted softly. “You don’t say.” Was that amusement in his eyes? “Are you planning to get out of my bed anytime soon?”

Flushing, Gadiel rolled off the bed. “I was just—I was waiting for you to come back. So I could talk to you.”

“Right,” Will said. “And naturally, you had to kill time.”

Gadiel laughed a little. “Exactly! Don’t you make fun of me. Everyone does that!”

“Usually people do it in their own rooms, in their own beds,” Will said, very dryly. “But be my guest. It’s your apartment. By the way, why is the bodyguard outside the apartment?”

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