Page 72 of Dirty Love

Less than a minute later, he carefully walks inside and looks around, avoiding our eyes while he studies the dusty black walls and the chairs stacked up on the tops of the tables. We finally bit the bullet a few months ago, sold the cabin we haven’t been to in years and used the cash to buy this place. We’re not open yet because it’s still a shit hole, even after three weeks of constant work being done, but it’s our shit hole and we like it.

The blond guy clears his throat and shoves his hands into the pockets of his shorts, clearly unsure where to put himself. “Look, I’m sorry if I’m not allowed to park—”

“Sit down.”

He blinks at my tone but does as he’s told, awkwardly dropping his ass onto one of the stools in front of the bar. We walk around to the other side and I take a bottle of whiskey from the box on the floor, grabbing three clean glasses to set them down in front of him.

“I’m Nicky and that’s Kade,” Nicky offers, tossing our empty to-go cups in the trash. “What’s your name?”

“Cameron,” he answers, relaxing a little bit at my brother’s sweet demeanor.

I fight a glare and twist the cap off, holding my hand out while I pour us all a drink each. “You’re twenty one?”

He nods and pulls his wallet from his pocket, still avoiding eye contact with me while he passes me the card. I scan it for his date of birth and then give it to Nicky, gently running my hand over the back of his neck while he leans over to grab his laptop. He shivers again and flips it open, pushing his ass back into my thigh while he taps away on his keyboard. Cameron’s brows dip but he doesn’t ask questions, proving he’s not as stupid as I thought he’d be.

“Are you still in school?” I ask, deliberately playing with my baby’s hair while I pass him a glass.

“Yeah, I… I’m a junior on a partial scholarship but my parents just stopped paying for my apartment.”

“What are you studying?”

“Football,” Nicky answers for him, making him frown.

“How did you know that?”

“Lucky guess,” he says vaguely, biting his lip when I move my hand down to his waist.

“Why’d your parents cut you off?”

“Because they caught me fucking a boy,” Cameron mutters, clearing his throat when my eyes hit his. “I mean, actually, I was the one getting—”

“Stop talking.”

“Sorry.”

Nicky laughs to himself and dips his head, discreetly nodding at me once he’s finished his checks. I hesitate for a few seconds and he kicks my ankle, widening his eyes with a look that says do it or I will.

The things I do for this fucking boy.

“You need a job?”

“Um, yeah, actually. I’ve applied everywhere but—”

“You ever worked in a bar before?”

“No, but I’m a fast learner.”

I search his eyes and swallow the last of my drink, tilting my head towards Nicky while I set my glass back down between us. “You think he’s hot?”

“I…” he trails off, blushing a little bit as he looks at Nicky for help. “Dude, what’s the right answer?”

Nicky hides a grin and I slide my fingertips over the curve of his spine, raising a brow while I wait for Cameron to tell me yes or no.

“Uh, no—I mean, sure, I guess, but I’m a bottom so… I think you’re… hot,” he finally finishes, wincing at Nicky when he catches the look on my face. “That wasn’t the right answer, was it?”

“Nope.”

He chews his lip and I take the spare set of keys from my pocket, surprising them both when I toss them into Cameron’s hand. “Go grab yourself some food if you haven’t eaten already. Get all your shit from your car and lock both doors behind you. There’s another studio upstairs you can crash in until you find your own place. Meet us down here at eight tomorrow morning so Nicky can put you on the books.”

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