Chapter Twenty-Nine

Vargas awoke the next morning with Seth lying half on top of him, one leg over both of his, Seth’s head on his chest. Who knew he’d be such a cuddler? Had he always been?

Did it matter? Vargas could easily stand waking up this way for the rest of his life. He laid a hand across Seth’s back, relishing the warm feel of the man in his arms.

They’d fallen asleep the night before facing each other after they spent a half hour discussing how Seth felt about Prescott’s withdrawal of the appeal. The one word he kept repeating was relief. For himself. For Dylan, Aaron, and the others.

When they’d said all they could on the subject, Vargas held him again, and they ended the night with Seth whispering to Vargas all the things he wanted him to do to his body next and vice versa.

Remembering those words from the night before had Vargas tightening the embrace. Seth mumbled a low groan of approval and nuzzled into him. Vargas grinned and kissed him on the top of the head. Yeah, he could get very used to this.

Relief about how the previous two days had gone washed over him again. After what had happened when he’d shown Seth the room where Prescott had taken him captive, going into the basement next door could’ve ended with Seth walking away from that moment more damaged than ever. Instead there now seemed to be a serene, even more indomitable strength to him.

Lying there together, Seth’s breath shifted as he awoke more fully. He let out a contented sigh, cuddling up to Vargas even more, rubbing a cheek over his bare chest. “Morning.”

“You sleep okay?”

“Uh-huh.” He rolled onto his back and lazily stretched, then propped himself on one arm so he was leaning over Vargas. “You?”

Vargas reached up and ran a hand over his cheek. “Beautifully.”

Seth ducked his head and sucked the tip of Vargas’s thumb in between his lips, swiping his tongue over and around the pad of that thumb until Vargas thought his cock might go off without a touch of friction. Seth slowly, sensually released Vargas’s thumb, then leaned forward and offered a kiss. It was lazy and sloppy and warm and just about damn perfect.

When Seth pulled back, he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Oh man, it’s late. Don’t you have to work?”

“I took the day off. Tonight too.”

“Something wrong?”

“No. Thought we could spend the day together. In bed. Food, sex, nap, repeat.”

With a huge grin on his face, Seth lunged at him, dropping one quick kiss after another on Vargas’s lips and chin and cheeks, laughing at his own excitement.

That had Vargas laughing too. “So you like the idea?”

“Very much.” Seth planted more kisses on him. “I feel incredible.”

Charlie sat up from where he’d been lying on the floor beside the bed. He let out a bark and stood there waiting for them to get up.

Vargas laughed again. “I better take him out before I start breakfast.” He shifted to get up.

“Wait.” Seth gripped him by the hip, stopping him before he made it off the bed. Seth stared down at Charlie, deep lines of concentration running across his forehead. “I want to take him for a walk. By myself.”

Vargas studied him.

“It’s okay,” Seth added. “I’m ready. I am. I want to do it.”

“This isn’t the best neighborhood for a walk.”

“You’ve been going out with him every day. Besides, a block north it gets better. I’ll be fine.”

There were numerous reasons why Seth might not be fine going out alone, and none had to do with the locale. Vargas pictured him sitting on the curb, tears on his face, fear and frustration paralyzing him from moving another inch.

Despite the desperate need to protect him, Vargas offered Seth a smile of support. “If you think you’re ready, you should do it.”

Seth glanced at Charlie again. He breathed deep and nodded. “I’m going to.”

* * * * *

Ten minutes later they were dressed and Seth was headed out the door, his cell phone in his pocket. In one hand, he had the end of Charlie’s leash, and in the other was his cane. Vargas watched from the apartment door as Seth and Charlie made the trek down the hallway toward the back of the club.

Seth hesitated at the top of the stairs.

Vargas gave him a nod of encouragement. “You can do this.”

“Yeah.” Seth faced the steps once more, and without another look back, he started down.

Vargas waited until he heard the door at the base of the steps open. Before it closed, he wanted to shout that Seth shouldn’t be ashamed to call if he needed help, but he held back. Seth knew he could count on him.

The door clanked shut.

After thirty minutes, Vargas was pacing his living room, glancing at the clock on the wall every two minutes. He’d been driving himself crazy running through possible scenarios of what was happening to Seth. Hell, he would’ve gone down the back stairs and waited at the door that led to the parking lot if he didn’t think that might hurt Seth’s feelings.

He quit the pacing and dropped onto the couch. Leaning forward, he held his head in his hands. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could stand to wait.

He checked the clock again.

Then he heard low voices outside the apartment, followed by the door unlocking. He shot to his feet.

Seth opened the door, and Charlie bounded in, heading straight for his water dish in the kitchen. Seth set his phone and the dog’s leash on the hall table by the door, moving deliberately, carefully. Vargas couldn’t read the expression on his face, and he hated that. He thought he’d gotten pretty good at knowing what Seth was feeling or thinking, at least whether it was a positive or negative emotion.

Seth leaned his cane against the wall. He kicked off his tennis shoes, continuing with the measured movements. When he was done, he straightened and finally met Vargas’s stare.

The smile was immediate and lit up Seth’s entire face. “I did it.” He bounded forward and lunged for Vargas. “I did it! I did it! I did it!”

Vargas hugged him. “Yeah, you did. It went okay, then?”

Seth pulled back, that huge-ass grin still locked in place. “Yep. I didn’t freak out at all. It felt great to be outside with Charlie, in the sunshine, with the breeze and the fresh air. We made it all the way to the park on Summit.”

“That’s fantastic.”

He gave Vargas a look of appreciation. “Thank you.”

“You did this. Not me.”

“I know. But I don’t think I ever could’ve gotten here without you.”

“That’s not true at all.”

Then those stark, honest words Seth had said struck Vargas in the gut like a punch. All this time and he hadn’t ever thought that maybe…

His stomach churned as that doubt spread and took on greater life.

Seth stepped away, moving with a fluidity that he never had with the cane. “God, I feel so good.”

The last thing in the world Vargas wanted to do was deflate that happiness. He plastered a smile on his face right as Seth turned back to him.

“I feel like I could do anything.”

“You can.”

Seth nodded. “I want to go to school and study accounting.” He whirled around and took a few steps away again as if he couldn’t keep still. “That probably sounds boring to most people, but I’m really excited about it.”

“You should be. It’s a great idea.”

Seth faced him again. All at once his expression fell. He returned to stand before Vargas. “What is it?” He grasped Vargas’s face in his hands, searching his eyes for something. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” Vargas pulled away.

“Vargas.”

“I’m going to make us some of that baked apple oatmeal you like. We can climb back in bed and have breakfast there if you want.” He started for the kitchen.

“Vargas?”

He kept going. His hands shook as he got the oatmeal out of the cupboard and then went for a pot in the cabinet next to the stove. Fuck. He had to get himself together.

Seth halted in the kitchen doorway. “Why are you lying to me?”

Vargas turned away. He couldn’t face him. He got out the bag of apples and began washing them. “Can we talk about this later?”

There was a tug on his arm. Seth didn’t let up until he had him spun around. The stare was insistent. “If this thing between us is going to work, you have to talk to me. No matter what it’s about. No matter when.”

He was right about that. After all, Vargas expected Seth to do the same. He propped himself against the counter and let the words spill out. “What if you only think you love me because of everything I’ve done for you? What if your gratefulness is coloring your feelings, and you don’t even realize that. Maybe you’ll wake up one day and it’ll be clear that you only thought you loved me because I was there for you when you needed someone.”

In response, he expected either anger or acceptance of a realization neither one of them had wanted to see before then. He didn’t expect the boisterous laugh that followed. He threw Seth a confused look. Seth just laughed harder. Then he took a couple of steps back and leaned against the fridge, the laughter still pouring out of him.

“What’s so damn funny?”

“You.” Seth held his stomach as if the laughter was giving him cramps.

“It’s a legitimate concern.”

Seth shook his head, chuckling. “No, it’s not.”

“Why?”

“Because I had feelings for you before I ever woke up in the hospital and saw you sitting beside my bed.”

Vargas gaped at him. “We’d only talked once.”

“Yeah.” Seth looked away for a breath, then focused on Vargas again. “When I first came to the club for my interview and I met you, I was immediately enamored. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. I could barely form words. I made such a fool of myself, I never thought you’d approve my membership. After you walked out of that meeting, I was shattered. I knew I had to see you again, but I had no idea how to make that happen. Then I got the call that I was accepted. Most nights when I came here, at least at first, I didn’t care if I met someone or hooked up. I came to see you. I came hoping for just one glimpse, to hear your voice for one minute, to hear anything about you at all. I think, even then, I was in love with you. Or at least completely obsessed.”

Vargas took a step forward, and Seth held up a hand to stop him.

“I know you might never have noticed me or been interested in me before everything that happened. But I’m not letting that keep me from being with you, from trusting that you’re honest with me about how you feel. Dr. Arteaga said what I’ve been through has changed me and my life, but that doesn’t mean I have to settle for less. I’m going to have an amazing life. I’m going to apply to school, toss out the wheelchair, and live here with you. I’m going to love you forever.”

Vargas swallowed down the lump that had formed in his throat. He went to Seth and slipped his arms around him. “If I would’ve just opened my damn eyes, I would’ve noticed you. Trust me. That recording of you I watched all those times… It wasn’t just about me feeling guilty. I kept trying to figure out how I missed seeing you.”

Seth wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in Vargas’s chest. “It doesn’t matter. We see each other now.”

“Yeah, we do. How did I get so damn lucky?”

* * * * *

Seth thought about denying Vargas’s words and saying that he was the lucky one, but he stopped himself. He was done feeling insecure.

“I am a pretty amazing catch.”

Vargas snorted out a pleased laugh. “That’s what I like to hear.”

They held each other for several more minutes. After they parted, they made breakfast and did as Vargas had suggested earlier, returning to the bedroom to eat their oatmeal and fruit in bed. They stayed there the entire day, sans short breaks to take a walk with Charlie and to make another meal when they’d gotten famished. That’s what a day filled with alternating sessions of sex, cuddling, and sleep did to a man. Made him ravenous. For food and more sex.

By the time the sun was setting, they were exchanging slow, sensual blowjobs in the middle of the bed, their lips wrapped around each other at the same time. Vargas came first, and when he recovered, he rolled Seth onto his back and went down on him with incredible tenacity, offering no respite. Seth thought Vargas had already shown him every one of his tricks when it came to giving head. He was wrong. It was the most intense orgasm Seth had ever had in his life. When he came, he was covered in sweat, his entire body shaking, his toes clenched, his every muscle tight as an almost unbearable release rushed through him.

When it was over, he couldn’t even lift his head. “Holy hell.”

Vargas shifted around and dropped to lie beside him.

Seth sighed with a laugh. “Shit, talk about mind-blowing.” When he could move, he turned onto his side. He swept the tips of his fingers across Vargas’s chest, tracing the letters tattooed there. He followed the words along his biceps next, then his forearm. “I want to get one.”

“A tattoo?”

“Yeah. I want a mark on my body that I decide to put there. Is that weird?”

“Not at all.”

Seth traced the tattoos again, working his way back up Vargas’s body. “So what happens now?”

“With what?” Vargas asked.

“Us. We haven’t really defined things.”

“How do you mean?”

“Am I your boyfriend? Are we exclusive?” Seth looked up at Vargas, needing to see his reactions, to see his face when he answered. “What do you want us to be?”

“I thought you said you wanted to move in together? Did you mean that?”

“I did.”

“Good. Because I was pretty damn happy when you said that.” Vargas lay back and crossed his arms behind his head. “Saved me from having to convince you it was a good idea.”

Seth couldn’t help but smile at that, but a part of him also knew that Vargas wouldn’t have said anything to him on the subject. No matter what, he wouldn’t have wanted to pressure him.

“Living together,” Vargas added. “To me that means we’re committed. Exclusive. I don’t even want to think about you with another guy, and I certainly don’t want anyone else in my bed. Or in my life. I don’t want to spend another night without you, Seth. Ever.”

To hide the rush of raw emotion, Seth slid forward and laid his head on Vargas’s chest, and Vargas held him in return.

They stayed like that, bare body pressed against body, Seth’s heart nearly bursting with how much he loved this man, how happy and right he felt.

After some time passed, he lifted his head. “Would you have dinner with me downstairs in the club tomorrow night?”

“I’d love to.” Vargas studied him for a moment, then added, “But how about just the two of us the first time?”

Seth thought about that. He wanted—needed—to walk through the club when it was filled with people, but maybe starting slow, spending some significant time there alone with Vargas was a good way to go. And tomorrow night was one of the days when the club didn’t open until later for dinner. They could have an early meal, and it wouldn’t cut into regular business hours.

“I like that. Just us.”

* * * * *

Somewhere in the distance came the sound of metal doors clanking shut, keys rattling, firm footsteps clomping.

It was late, and the majority of the overhead lights in the aisleway were off as Prescott stared at the dark ceiling of his cell. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t see the dingy stained concrete. He was listening to his surroundings, trying to decide if the footsteps were fading or growing louder. That was what his days amounted to now. He listened. Waited. Hoped.

He was beginning to think Franklin Henderson had called the whole thing off and he’d lost his only chance at freedom.

No. Even if Henderson had changed his mind, Prescott would figure something else out. He had to.

The footsteps thudding against the solid floor dwindled away, then were gone. Which was why hearing his whispered name startled him.

“Prescott.”

Without a word, he got up and crossed to the front of his cell.

The guard with the lazy eye and too-big uniform stood in the center of the aisle, glancing right and left as if he expected another guard to come by at any moment. He finally let up with the nervous scanning and came forward until he was practically kissing the metal bars. “Tomorrow. After yard time. Be ready.”

Prescott gave a nod, and the guard took off like a shot. He wasn’t as quiet with his departure as he’d been sneaking up to the cell. Prescott briefly wondered if that not-so-stealthy exit should concern him, considering this was the guy who was supposed to break him out without incident. He dismissed the concern and returned to lie on his bunk. He could get the asshole to do what he needed, at least for one day.

As the footfalls faded outside his cell, a smile formed.

Tomorrow, Seth.

Tomorrow.

* * * * *

Jarrett Gates knocked on his boss’s door. “Sir, is there anything else before I leave?” It was late, and Jarrett’s boyfriend had been waiting for him for hours now, but he couldn’t leave until he knew for sure what was going to happen next. He wanted to see if he’d read the situation correctly.

Franklin Henderson signaled for Jarrett to come farther into the office. Jarrett closed the door behind him and went to stand before the desk.

Several seconds ticked by as Henderson kept scrolling through something on his cell phone. When he finally finished with the phone, he laid it down and sat back. “I need you to get me into the Haven like we planned.”

“I thought you had reconsidered the whole thing after talking to Mr. Vargas. You said you were going to stop trying to get Prescott out of prison.” Not that Jarrett had believed Henderson’s lies, not once he’d given some serious thought to what had been said, but it still pained him to be kept on the outside.

“I never reconsidered anything.” Henderson eyed him with smugness. “Had you fooled too, huh? I just needed that asshole Vargas to back off. Although I was surprised Prescott figured out that I was behind his attorney. I thought we’d covered our tracks well.”

“We did.” Jarrett tried not to let his anxiety show. He’d been worried ever since that visit with Mr. Vargas that Henderson would blame him for the fuckup and he’d lose his job. “Won’t it make things more difficult now that Prescott knows you’re coming after him?”

“Difficult. Not impossible. He’s not about to ignore the opportunity to get out. He thinks he can outsmart me.” Henderson got up and rounded the desk, heading toward Jarrett, staring him down the entire time he moved. He stopped before him. “Prescott’s going to die, and I don’t care what happens to my business or anything else in the process.”

“So you’re going ahead with everything?”

“I am. Now get me into that club. Tomorrow. Just like we planned.”

“Yes, sir. I can do that.”

Henderson laid a hand on Jarrett’s shoulder. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Everything’s going to work out just as I’d hoped.”

“And Seth Fisher?”

There was delight in Henderson’s reply. “He’s going to make the perfect bait.”