Page 12 of Step Daddy

Chapter Four

Gareth didn’t follow his morning routine as he ambled around the apartment. He grabbed one cup of coffee from his Keurig but didn’t bother with a second. As soon as his sleepyhead brother was awake, he’d take him to the diner he liked to hang out in with his friends on the weekend. Kit needed to relax for a bit, get his mind off things.

It was still early, only a little after nine, but he’d already spoken to his attorney about Kit’s situation. Henry was busy in court until late afternoon so he couldn’t meet up with them until later. That was also fine. Dragging Kit to an attorney’s office first thing probably wouldn’t help with the kid’s nerves.

However, Gareth was starving. He’d already warned Devon, his best buddy and fellow motocross competitor, that he was running late. As wiry and small as Dev was, he ate like a horse, so he hadn’t been amused.

Gareth crossed his arms as he stared out the tenth floor of his condo, located a couple streets off the Strip. The tallest structures were visible—most noticeably from his location the Eiffel Tower and the High Roller Ferris Wheel. The Stratosphere could be seen from almost any location in town, but he had to look to the far right to really notice it from his place.

Kit’s predicament tumbled through his head as he’d lain in bed, and was the main reason he hadn’t been able to sleep. He wasn’t sure what had possessed him to check and see if Kit was awake, but it was as if he couldn’t stop himself from seeking Kit out.

That wasn’t good. It had been particularly terrible watching his stepbrother lick whipped cream off his lips. A measure of shame still filled him that he’d rubbed one out after he’d gone back to his room.

Why did the little fucker have to be so damn hot?

“Good morning.”

Gareth yelped and slapped a hand to his chest. “Jesus, kid.”

Thankfully, the shock of Kit’s sudden appearance had killed his boner, so now he could safely turn around.

“Sorry.”

Kit was even more adorable with sleep-ruffled hair and morning stubble.

Not helping.

Gareth chuckled uneasily. “Don’t worry about it.” He cleared his throat. “How about breakfast? I’d like to take you to the diner that’s sort of my hang with my motocross buddies. It’s old school and way off the Strip, which means it’s not crawling with tourists.”

Kit gave him a shy smile. “Sure. Fair warning, though. I’m kind of socially awkward. But I’ll try not to embarrass you.”

Gareth went back to crossing his arms and fixed Kit with a stare. He regretted his actions almost immediately when Kit shrank back from him. He softened his expression and held up his hands, palms out.

“I’m not mad at you, okay? That was a knee-jerk reaction to how much I despise Ted for having eroded your self-confidence over the years. Nothing against you personally, got it?”

The tension left Kit’s body and his shoulders relaxed. “It’s okay. It was actually a knee-jerk reaction from me, too. I know I have a lot of bad nervous habits because of my upbringing.” He sighed. “What I really need is someone to point them out to me, help me get rid of them.” Kit shrugged. “But let’s be honest. That’s no one else’s problem but mine.”

Gareth almost choked. Fuck me. It was as if Gareth were meeting a potential boy for the first time and he was telling him what he’d like to get out of a Daddy/boy relationship.

“Uh…”

Gareth swallowed hard. His brain had shorted out and all he could focus on was what it would be like to have Kit in his lap, to be soothing him, to help guide him and show him how wonderful he truly was. Why the hell hadn’t he ever found a boy like that?

A complete change of subject was in order.

“I called my attorney. He said he can meet with us later today.”

Kit arched his eyebrows, undoubtedly startled at the abrupt change of subject. “Oh. Is that good? Does he think he can help?”

“He can give us advice on how to proceed, which is very good. Criminal law isn’t his area of expertise, but he’s well-connected and can steer us in the right direction.”

“Are you sure?” Kit lowered his head and started rocking side to side. “I mean, you know way more than me. It’s just that I’m worried.”

“Understandable.” Gareth moved closer to Kit. He didn’t dare touch him, but he wanted to at least give him a sense of being protected. “Henry specializes in entertainment and media law. He’s taken care of all my sponsorship deals and he knows everyone in town, no matter what their specialty. Trust me?”

Kit froze and jerked up his head. “Of course I trust you. Please don’t take it that way.”

It was bordering on the physically painful not to gather Kit in his arms. “Why? I mean, you can, I’d never let anyone fuck with you. But it’s been so long since we’ve been in each other’s lives. You have no idea who I’ve become, if I’m worthy of your trust.”

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