THE SECOND TIME Robbie stepped through the revolving door of JULIEN was a much different experience than the first.

For one, it was daylight, and with the shutters open and the sunlight pouring inside, the main dining room had a much different ambience than it had that first night. With greenery now nestled into the alcoves of the interior columns, and the beautiful scrolling artwork on the walls, the place had a very European café feel to it, and Robbie thought it was just divine.

The next reason was less about the restaurant and more about, well, himself. Because come on, Robbie thought, the sexy-as-sin owner is my boyfriend. Mine. That’s right, bitches. Julien Thornton somehow belongs to me. Not even he could’ve made that shit up. But it was real, all right, and that was made crystal clear when Julien took his hand and said, “Viens avec moi. Come with me.”

Anytime or anyplace, handsome—just say the words, Robbie thought, pleased that for the moment Julien seemed happy once again. Whatever had been troubling him this morning at the condo was now forgotten as he prepared to show off his pride and joy.

“Viens avec moi,” Robbie repeated, and Julien smiled and nodded before he headed off through the empty tables, tugging Robbie along behind him.

“Where is everyone?” Robbie asked. He’d expected to see the staff, or at least the contractors, since Julien was closing in on the restaurant’s opening in a few weeks.

“They’re coming in at ten today,” Julien said as they came to a stop in front of the stainless-steel doors that led to the kitchen, and then he pulled Robbie in close to nip at his lower lip. “But I thought you and I could heat things up until then.”

Heat things up? Robbie was pretty sure if things got any hotter, he might melt on the spot. Julien looked hot as hell in his cream cowl-neck sweater and pair of blue-grey pants, as he maneuvered their clasped hands behind Robbie’s back and brought their bodies in flush against one another.

“Embrasse-moi, princesse.”

Okay, that sounded super sexy, Robbie thought, as his breathing came a little faster. “What’s that mean?”

“Kiss me, princess,” Julien whispered.

“Ohhh.” Robbie grinned. “I see what’s happening here. You’re teaching me all the naughty things first. I like your style.”

Julien chuckled. “Of course you do, troublemaker. But non, I’m just starting with the things I want to hear you say the most.”

“If you think for a second I’m going to complain about that, or the way you’re restraining me, you’re about to be disappointed. I happen to like both…very much.”

Julien tightened his grip around Robbie’s wrist. “Is that so?”

“Uh-huh. But let me see if I’ve got this right,” Robbie said. “Embrasse-moi…Jules.”

The sound that left Julien’s throat was one Robbie felt as much as he heard. It was a rumbling groan of pure pleasure, and then Julien was walking him back to the opposite wall, where he pinned their hands on either side of Robbie’s head.

Julien then lowered his mouth down over the top of Robbie’s, and sweet mother of God, it was heaven. Julien kissed with, like, his entire body. At least, that was how it felt. It started with his hands holding Robbie exactly where he wanted him, whether it was cradling his face, gripping his hair—or like now, Robbie thought, as Julien’s thumbs grazed over the pulse points at his wrists.

Then that sensual mouth joined in on the action. Biting, licking, and sucking until, oh shit, Julien took Robbie’s face between his hands and held him steady as he slipped his tongue between Robbie’s lips and devoured him.

Robbie wrapped his arms around Julien’s waist and smoothed his palms down to his ass to haul him even closer. He’d already been stopped once this morning when it came to getting off with his sexy Frenchman, and he’d be damned if he let Julien out of his grasp again today—not until he got what he wanted.

Grinding all over the muscled body pressing him up against the wall, Robbie moaned as Julien’s lips left his and started to kiss a path along his jaw and down his neck.

“If we don’t stop soon…” Julien said, but didn’t finish his thought. Instead, he raised his head and once again took Robbie’s lips in a smoldering kiss.

Robbie wound a leg up around Julien’s thigh and thrust his erection against the rock-hard one he could feel pressing against him. “Oh God. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop this time, Jules.”

“Non?” Julien whispered against Robbie’s mouth, and Robbie shook his head. “Then tell me what you want, princesse.”

Robbie flexed his fingers, digging them into the round curves of Julien’s ass, and when Julien rocked his hips forward, Robbie knew exactly what he wanted—he wanted to come—and he wanted it right now with the man licking a wicked-hot path up his neck.

“I— Ahh,” Robbie said, but got distracted as he continued to rub himself off against Julien. God, he feels amazing. Like. Holy shit amazing. Then Julien raised his head and Robbie got a look at those full, swollen lips he’d been fantasizing about for years, and he remembered a phrase that Julien had taught him long ago, unbeknownst to himself. “I want you to suces ma queue.”

Julien stilled against him, but then those lips of his slanted into a roguish grin that was so hot, Robbie thought he might lose his ability to function.

Julien shifted slightly and lowered his hands down to the button of Robbie’s jeans. As he unfastened them, Julien kept his eyes locked with Robbie’s and said, “And where did you learn that phrase?”

Robbie let out an excited gasp when Julien yanked his jeans open and cool air hit his fevered skin. “From you. You said it once on the show and I, well, Googled it.”

A provocative chuckle left Julien’s throat, and the sound raced down Robbie’s spine to his balls. “I’m glad you did, because I’m about to reward you for being so…studious.” Julien then slipped his hand inside Robbie’s tiny thong. “Stand still, princesse, and let me suck your cock.”

JULIEN TOOK ROBBIE’S mouth in a blistering kiss as he wrapped his fingers around the erect shaft he found inside Robbie’s jeans. A needy moan left Robbie as he thrust forward, shoving his dick through Julien’s fist, and Dieu, Julien wanted to see what he was holding—he wanted to taste it, too.

He removed his mouth from Robbie’s oh-so-tempting one, and when Robbie whimpered, Julien brought a hand up and traced his thumb over Robbie’s slick lips. “You asked me for something. Don’t you want me to give it to you?”

Robbie sucked in a breath and nodded as Julien went down to his knees and took Robbie’s jeans with him. When he was eye level with Robbie’s cock, Julien raised his gaze to find Robbie leaning back against the wall with wild eyes aimed down.

Robbie should’ve looked ridiculous, all things considered. But with his slim hips jutting forward in nothing more than a flimsy scrap of material, and his puffy jacket open but still on over his tight blue shirt, he looked like some kind of fashion model with his perfectly styled hair, smoky kohl eyes, and that glossy, tempting mouth.

The only thing that gives him away as the greedy sex kitten he is, Julien thought, is this.

Julien reached out and slipped his fingers into the elastic of Robbie’s black thong, and then tugged it down until Robbie’s cock sprang free, dripping in eager anticipation. Julien leaned forward and flicked his tongue over the swollen head, and Robbie reached out to grab at his hair.

“Fuck, Jules.”

Julien aimed his eyes up at Robbie and shook his head. “Uh-uh, that’s not what I taught you.”

Robbie’s body trembled as Julien circled the base of his cock, and then he said, “Putain, Jules.”

“Very good.” Julien tickled the underside of Robbie’s shaft with the tip of his tongue.

“Merci beaucoup.”

“Show-off,” Julien said, but as a reward he sucked the head of Robbie’s cock between his lips, making the man above him moan. Robbie’s hands then slid around to the back of his head, and as Julien lowered his mouth further down his length to the back of his throat, Robbie cursed.

Julien dragged his mouth back up to the tip, and when he got there, he tongued the slit before he did it again, and this time really began to suck on Robbie.

Julien could hear Robbie’s breathing escalating with every thrust and pump of his hips, and as he fucked into Julien’s mouth over and over, Julien shut his eyes and reveled in the feel and taste that was uniquely Robbie.

“I’m close, Jules. So, so close,” Robbie said as his hips pistoned faster and his dick slid inside along Julien’s tongue. “Jesus, you’re good at this. It’s those lips. I always knew those lips would be… Shit.”

Julien looked up at Robbie, and with their eyes locked, Robbie gave a final shove and got in as deep and far as he could go, and then he slammed his eyes shut as his orgasm finally took hold of him. With a loud cry, Robbie came, and Julien swallowed him down, the flavor exploding on his tongue. And as he memorized the salty essence that was all Robbie, Julien sat back on his heels and swiped his thumb over his lower lip. “Tu as un goût divin, princesse. Je pourrais te dévorer toute la journée.”

“Shit,” Robbie said, as Julien sucked his thumb clean and then got to his feet. “My brain isn’t really working right now. What did you just say?”

Julien kissed Robbie’s lips, and when the deviant dipped his tongue inside to taste himself, Julien groaned. “That you taste like heaven, and I could eat you all day.”

Robbie winked, his brain now obviously well and truly functioning once again. “I do, don’t I?”

Julien shut his eyes and gritted his teeth as he tried to rein in the urge he had to fuck Robbie where he stood. Flirty little minx.

“Wow,” Robbie said, and started to chuckle. “You look a little on edge there, Jules. I need to channel my Sandy more often. She’s clearly irresistible.”

Julien opened his eyes and pinned them on the rascal who was taking much delight in his obvious frustration, as he tried to work out what Robbie was talking about.

“Tell me about it…stud,” Robbie said in the same tone he’d demanded his kiss in earlier, and as soon as the Grease reference clicked, Julien started to laugh.

He shook his head and stepped back from Robbie pointing his finger at him. “See? You are a troublemaker.”

“I am?” Robbie’s eyes widened, and then he reached down and pulled his skimpy thong back into place. “You’re the one who just gave me head in the hallway of your restaurant.”

Julien ran his eyes down Robbie where he still stood propped up against the wall with his jeans around his ankles. “Oui, that’s true. But it’s your fault for looking so edible.”

Robbie groaned and squeezed himself. “That’s not helping me want to behave myself, just so you know.”

“You’re one to talk. Put your jeans back on. I’m already hard, and you’re making things harder by the second.”

Robbie bent down and pulled his jeans back into place as Julien walked backward and pushed open one of the stainless-steel doors. When Robbie was once again fully dressed, Julien beckoned for him. “Viens. Come.”

Robbie shoved off the wall and walked over to where Julien now stood. “I just did. But for the sake of my learning here today, I think you should come.”

Julien tapped a finger against Robbie’s chest. “You are a very dedicated student. I like that.”

“Good. So what else do you plan to teach me today?”

“How to cook, so you can make us all dinner tonight,” Julien said, and then pointed inside, finding himself delighted and fully under Robbie’s captivating spell. “Get your tempting little ass in there. You can torture me later, if you manage not to poison the three of us first.”

“Huh, well, I suppose I can agree to that,” Robbie said, before he turned to look at the pristine kitchen. Then he put a hand over his heart and said, “But watching you cook is going to be pure torture for me. Remember that when it’s my turn later.”

Julien let go of the door, and as it swung shut behind them, he smacked Robbie on the ass. “J’ai hâte.”

And all Julien heard as he walked off was Robbie calling out, “Wait…what does that mean?”

IN THE OFFICES of Mitchell & Madison, Priest walked inside his office and headed toward his desk, where he put his briefcase down and took a seat.

He shut his eyes for a moment and let Henri’s phone call from last night replay in his mind for the millionth time. It had been a long while since he’d heard from that elusive fucker, and honestly, Priest hadn’t ever expected to again. Not with the way they had left things.

Henri was one of those people he’d labeled as the past, and he’d put him in the same place he kept the rest of his baggage—far, far away from the world he now inhabited.

Priest rubbed a hand along the scruff covering his chin and eyed the phone on his desk that was mocking him. Just pick it up and call, the voice in his head told him. You’re not going to find out anything avoiding it. The problem was that Priest wasn’t sure he wanted to know more. What Henri had said last night had already caused a major shift in his universe. It had knocked the wind right out of his sails, and Priest wasn’t sure he could sustain another blow without some real damage appearing.

He shut his eyes, trying to calm the chaos that was swirling in his mind. But images, flashes, and distorted memories of a life no one should have to live flickered across his eyelids as they invaded his consciousness. Fuck.

He brought the heels of his palms up to his eyes and pressed them there, trying to rid himself of what he was seeing, but it was no use. For years he’d been trying to free himself of his past. Had been trying to outrun his family and all those connected to them. He’d done everything in his power to leave behind a legacy of pain, suffering, and blood he was somehow connected to, and replace it with something good, something…righteous. But it appeared that no matter how far he ran, no matter how well he hid, in the end, family would always catch up to you, whether you wanted them to or not.

Priest sat up in his chair and reached for the phone, and then he pulled out his cell and found the number Henri had called him from. He dialed, and as he sat back, he told himself this was just a phone call. But when the line connected and Henri said, “I wasn’t sure I’d hear back from you,” Priest recognized his lie for what it was.

“You almost didn’t. But after that message you left, it’s not like I had much choice, did I?”

“We all have a choice,” Henri said, and Priest steeled himself against the barrage of emotions that came along with the familiar voice. “I’d think you of all people would know that…Priest.”

Priest tried to bite back the urge he had to slam the phone down in its cradle. Fuck, Henri. He didn’t need this shit. He didn’t have to explain his decisions to anyone but those they concerned, and they sure as fuck didn’t involve the man at the other end of the phone anymore.

He and Henri had parted ways over a decade ago when it had become clear that their relationship would never be more than a toxic wasteland. One he visited when he was angry, depressed, or one step from homicidal. This wasn’t a hey, how you doing call, to catch up with a past fling. He was calling for one reason and one reason only. “Is it true?”

“About Big Jimmy?”

“No, about fucking Santa Claus,” Priest said. “Of course about Jimmy.”

“It’s true,” Henri said. “The feds are keeping it on the down-low for now, since news like this wouldn’t end so well for ol’ Jim, would it? Considering there’d only be one way he’d ever get a chance of freedom. But our firm was contacted the second the talk of a deal was put on the table.”

Priest scoffed. “As if he isn’t enough of a fucking disappointment as a human. Why not add turning rat to his list?” There was silence at the other end of the phone, and then Priest said, “What makes you think I won’t tell anyone?”

It was a legitimate question. The quickest way to be rid of the monster who had once terrorized him would be to go to the press, leak this news, and let someone who liked Jimmy even less than Priest finish him off.

“Because I know you, even though you like to pretend that I don’t. You picked your new name for a reason,” Henri said. “And no matter who fathered you, you are nothing like him, Joel. If you go to the news, you know he’ll wind up dead.”

“So? That’s what he deserves.”

“Maybe so, but you’ve spent your whole life trying to atone and remove yourself from his sins. From what I remember, you punished yourself daily. I doubt that’s changed. So unless you want his death on your conscience—”

“Fuck you, Henri. What do you know about my conscience?” But even as Priest squeezed his eyes shut, he knew that Henri understood him almost as well as Julien did, which only served to piss him off more. “Why tell me any of this at all?”

“Because you deserve to know. Because you would’ve told me if things were reversed. I thought you’d want a heads-up.”

Priest shook his head. What a fucking nightmare this was turning out to be. “I hope you’re not expecting a thank you.”

“From you?” Henri scoffed. “Never. But Priest?”

“What?” Priest said, as his fingers tightened around the phone.

“This number you called from today, it’s private. That’s good. But change your cell. I hate pain as much as the next man, and who knows who’s listening.”

Priest didn’t have anything to say in response to that. He knew exactly what Henri was telling him: Change your number in case someone discovers we’ve talked and they try and get it out of me.

“Consider it changed.”

“Call me next week, that’s when I’ll know more. See you around…Priest,” Henri said, and as Priest hung up, all he could think was: I sure as fuck hope not.