- 8 A Knight at Brawlers
He felt like he was on display, like some exotic animal, and it made him slightly uncomfortable. Gregory was also exhausted. How a baby only a year old could wear him out, he didn't know. He was definitely getting old. Bull couldn’t be faring much better, every noise Matty made, and Bull woke up to reach for Matty.
Really for Bull’s gruff nature and almost continuous scowl the man was sweet as hell. Gregory wouldn’t tell him that though.
He sipped his coffee that caused an argument between him and Bull. Bull was insistent if Gregory wanted an actual drink he could have one. Gregory was never much of a drinker. Maybe a glass of wine at a business dinner, besides if he drank tonight he’d be asleep on the bar stool well before last call.
“Warm that up for you?” Twitch bounced over.
He adored the small man. Gregory never met someone that happy all the time. There wasn’t anything Twitch wouldn’t do for someone he cared about.
“Please.” Gregory pushed his mug forward.
“The baby kicked your ass.”
“Completely.”
“That nephew of mine is adorable.”
“That I can’t deny.” Gregory smiled then lifted his mug to his mouth. “He’s like a mini version of Priest.”
“Well, Lucky got what he wanted. He swore he was getting a ginger out of Priest.” Twitched turned his head when someone called his name and then back at him. “You need anything just yell.”
“Thanks.”
Gregory was shocked at how his life had changed in less than a month. Until he’d come to live with the Brawlers, he hadn’t realized how miserable he was. He’d known he was unhappy, but—
“Hi, can I buy you a drink?”
Whiskey scented breath fanned his face, and he eased back to find a man about his age standing way too close. He wasn’t a bad looking guy dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that molded to a muscular upper body. At one time the stranger may have been someone he’d have a drink with, but not anymore.
“No, thanks.” Gregory turned back to his coffee hoping that was that.
“Aw, come on, one drink, I’m Neal.”
A soft fingertip ran along the wedding band he still wore, more out of habit than anything.
“Maybe come back to my place.”
The sudden smirk on the man’s face made him snarl his nose.
“Your old man will never know.”
Gregory started looking around, not for help, but to get the guy to go away. He could call Twitch over, just as he thought it he caught sight of Bull. He smiled as he noticed the tightness of Bull’s jaw and the low simmering anger in his gaze.
“Um, I’m not so sure about that.” Gregory pointed over the man’s shoulder.
Neal glanced back over his shoulder, and Gregory swore the man’s face went ashen.
“Bull, hey, man, how you doing?”
“Is there a problem here?”
Man, when Bull’s voice went gruff like that Gregory’s mind went places it shouldn’t. What the hell was it about the much older man he found so—irresistible? It went beyond the fact the man was gorgeous no matter what his age.
“I swear I didn’t know he was yours.”
“Is that right, and what the fuck you try to pull, Neal?”
“Not a damn thing.”
“He tried to get me to go home with him. Swore you’d never know.” He supplied an answer earning himself a glare from Bull and a terrified look from Neal. He did have to admit the angrier Bull became, the sexier he was, so he was likely playing with fire here.
“He’s lying, Bull, I didn’t even know—”
“If I were you, I’d be moving away from him and quick.”
Neal couldn’t get away fast enough and nearly tripped over his own feet in his haste to escape.
“Do you get that reaction a lot,” he asked with a chuckle.
“You weren’t helping.”
He found himself trapped between Bull’s body and the bar, with Bull’s arms pinning him in with his hands on the glossy surface behind him. Bull had a tendency to do that; crowd him but not in a threatening way. To be honest, it was strangely comforting.
“True.”
Bull snorted, “You gotta stop hanging out with the Twirled Crew, you’ve developed bad habits.”
“I’ve spent more time with the Brawlers Crew than the Twirled one.”
“We’ll pretend you didn’t say that. You look tired.”
“We’re never having kids,” he said it loud enough to draw stares.
Bull lowered and shook his head. “I’m too old for them anyway.”
“What were you saying in the wee hours of the morning?” Gregory pretended to think about it, “Oh yeah, something about sexy and distinguished.”
Gregory reached out and caught the sides of Bull’s t-shirt. Bull lifted his head, and Gregory studied the different shades of Bull’s eyes. He loved the contrast.
“You’re feeling exceptionally cheeky tonight.”
“I’m delirious with exhaustion.”
“But you’re smiling, so it ain’t all bad. If I get back to work, you going to behave yourself?”
“Probably not, but since everyone paying attention thinks I’m yours, I think I’ll be left alone.”
“They better. And no trying to go home with anyone else.”
Two weeks ago those words would’ve sent him into a panic, but this was Bull. He liked it a little too much. He was probably losing his mind. His husband, no, soon-to-be ex-husband turned into an insanely jealous man, but Bull’s possessiveness was sexy. Definitely losing his mind.
“Good, not in the mood for a fight tonight. Management frowns on the bouncers starting them.”
Bull leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth, the tickle of Bull’s beard teased his skin. As quick as Bull kissed him the man was gone.
“Should I get you some ice water to pour over your head,” Twitch’s teasing words came from behind him.
Gregory turned the stool back around. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Don’t give me that shit. You got that man wrapped around your pinkie finger.”
“Doubt it, but it’s nice—”
“To be able to flirt, to just be without worrying about every word or move you make.”
“Yeah, that.”
With his permission, Bull shared what happened so the others could be on the lookout for trouble. Gregory hated they had to do that for him, yet it was nice to feel protected and cared about.
“The Twirled and Brawler Crews, especially this one may have tempers that would scare a sociopath, but the ones they care about they’d go to battle in a heartbeat.”
“I’m not used to that.”
“I wasn’t either. When I started working here, fuck, I was scared shitless. I’m not exactly a fighter.”
“Heard you can swing a mean bat though.”
Twitch rolled his pretty eyes. “That was one time, and someone was going to knife Crave in the back. Everyone else was occupied. I didn’t have a choice.”
“I’m sure, isn’t that when you two hooked up?”
“It was the final straw. He’s such a caveman sometimes.”
“Did it for ya, huh?”
“Bull’s right, you’re becoming one of us quick.”
“Is that a bad thing?” Gregory asked.
He was still nervous about getting comfortable too quick. One day he was going to have to move on and leave the farm behind. Although, Gregory hoped he was always welcome and remained friends, especially with Bull.
“Not bad at all, seems like life has been more than a bit of a bitch lately.”
Arnold was still making a nuisance of himself. There were calls and texts, Arnold had even come to the office a few more times, but Landon sent the man away. He’d made Landon promise not to tell Bull. Gregory hid in his office for hours before he’d felt safe enough to make a run to Bull’s truck and head home.
“You can say that again.”
“Also…” Twitch leaned on the bar “You could do so much worse than that sexy Daddy.”
“Don’t call him that, he hates it.”
“Maybe.” Twitch winked.
Twitch skipped away before he had a chance to ask what he meant. Gregory turned to lean against the wall and immediately searched Bull out. Bull was positioned across the room beside the door. His thick, muscled arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t know why he was so fascinated with the thick hair covering Bull's arms and chest. Gregory had even noticed a small patch at the indent of his lower spine.
Hairy men were never his type, older men certainly weren’t, and he hoped it wasn’t some Knight in Scarred Leather obsession. Bull didn’t have to come to his rescue or offer him a place in Bull’s home, but he had. He was grateful, yet he didn’t feel that was all there was to it.
Sleeping in Bull’s bed the night before, even for a few hours, was the best sleep he’d had in months, maybe years. He’d woken up with his face nuzzling Bull’s chest and wrapped in Bull’s arms. While Matty was asleep in the three-sided crib. Gregory hadn’t felt safe in so long it overwhelmed him. He’d stayed as still as possible wanting just a minute to analyze it. He still didn’t have an answer.
What the hell would he even do with a man like Bull? The question brought on ideas, but he could never go through with them. Seduction wasn’t his strong suit. Arnold hadn’t had sex with him in forever, not since Arnold started taking his ring off. Their sex life had always been a bit—mechanical. Scheduled, Arnold would finish, take a shower and when he go to bed, he’d turned his back to Gregory.
Arnold hadn’t even liked to kiss him. He shook his head and turned his gaze back to Bull to find the man watching him. Bull raised a brow as if to ask was he alright. Gregory smiled in answer. He was fine, Gregory only hoped it stayed that way.