Von barely stopped himself from chewing through his cheek. He could feel Justin’s gaze boring a hole in the side of his head as he drove. Time was short. He needed to make his confession before they reached Justin’s house, but—when it came to Justin—Von was weak.

“I have something I need to tell you.”

“Okay.” Justin sounded calm if not a little wary.

Von decided to jump in with both feet. “For the record, I did take your concerns to heart, but your parents are waiting at your house.” Von rushed to explain while Justin was still gathering his strength for the storm. Von could feel it brewing. “I get that you didn’t want them hovering while you were in the hospital. You were in no shape to be entertaining well-meaning people, but they’re your parents. I also get they couldn’t afford the trip. That’s why I paid for them to come. I’ve been keeping them posted, and your mama has been cleaning your house until it shines, hoping you won’t have to do anything for a few days.” Von recognized he was rambling. He just couldn’t seem to stop.

“Thank you.”

“Your papa mowed your grass and even changed the oil in your car. I guess so he’d have something to do, hoping to be useful. I get that.”

“You’re amazing.”

Von couldn’t stop. “Please don’t be mad. I just know if I had kids, I would want to know and be there if anything happened, even if they were grown.”

“I’m not mad.”

It finally sank in that Justin wasn’t raging against him. He glanced Justin’s way. “You’re not?”

Justin’s smile was sweet. It melted Von’s heart. “No. There was no way I could’ve avoided telling them forever, and Mom would’ve been pissed and came even though she didn’t have the money. I’ll pay you back.”

“Uh, no. You won’t.”

“It’s like you want me to be mad,” Justin said, reaching over and running his fingers through the back of Von’s hair, belying his words.

Von softened his tone. “Look, baby. You know that money didn’t make a blip in my bank account, and you also know I never do anything I don’t want to do. Just let me have this, okay?”

Justin brushed his fingers through Von’s hair again, making him want a nap. “Okay.”

Von released his breath. He had no idea why Justin was being so agreeable, but he had no intention of digging and ruining things. “Do you need anything else before we get home?”

“No. It sounds stupid, since I’ve been doing nothing except sleeping for the past three days, but I really want a nap. I’m so tired.”

“That’s probably the meds. It’ll take a while for you to get used to them,” Von said as he snagged Justin’s hand and brought it to his mouth. He could feel Justin watching him. Without thought, Von’s tongue shot out and stroked the inside of Justin’s wrist. A small sound escaped Justin at the contact. Von went hard. Everything Justin did turned him on, as if the man owned the playbook on Von’s body and knew exactly what to do, say, and what sounds to make to torture him.

Justin’s driveway came into view. Von swallowed his growl of frustration. The man’s parents were inside. Justin needed his family right now. Sometimes it was hard for Von to fight his nature. He wanted Justin alone—needed to ensure the man would be okay. For now, he would share Justin. Tomorrow, who knew? Maybe Von would finally confess everything.

Once inside, Von lingered on the fringes, watching as Kate fussed over Justin. When he’d called and offered to fly them out, she’d been understandably upset but not surprised Justin hadn’t wanted her there. Justin had always been the type to worry over everyone else’s comfort. He was also fiercely independent. No doubt, if Von hadn’t been there, Justin would’ve found a way to handle things on his own. Although Von was glad he’d meddled and gotten Justin’s parents on a plane, there was a small part of him that wished he could have Justin to himself. The man’s anger seemed to be thawing, and Von didn’t want to lose the headway they were making. Some things in life took precedence. Justin’s parents getting to see him was one of those things.

“You didn’t tell us you were dating a professional athlete,” Jeff said, speaking up for the first time. “To be honest, ever since you came out, your mom’s been hoping for a stylist. Something to do with eyebrows and threading. I don’t know. I was only half listening, but a hockey player? That’s awesome.”

At Justin’s horrified expression, Von bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. Justin had warned him once about his parents. They were Justin’s biggest cheerleaders. Unfortunately, they didn’t know what they were cheering for half the time. They just wanted Justin to be happy. Since their goals were aligned with Von’s, he wasn’t offended in the least.

“Now, your sister, I’m expecting her to bring home a girl who drives a truck and calls us all ‘dude’ any day now.”

“Jesus,” Justin said under his breath.

Von swallowed back his laughter. Justin shot him a desperate look. Von wasn’t going to make it. His face burned from the effort it took not to throw his head back in a huge guffaw. He straightened away from the wall. “I’m going to take a shower. A real one. The shower they had at the hospital was made for smaller men.”

All eyes moved his way. Kate smiled. “Okay, sweetie. I washed the clothes from that overnight bag your friend left when he dropped us off from the airport. They’re folded and on the bed. I didn’t want to go snooping through the drawers to figure out which belonged to you.”

Von flashed her a grateful smile. “Thank you. Justin hasn’t given me a drawer… yet.” Kate turned a disbelieving look Justin’s way. He made a run for it before she unleashed her lecture.

As he waited for the water to heat up, Von chuckled while he stripped. It wasn’t fair of him to make Justin’s parents believe his relationship with Justin was more than it was, but it kind of was more than Justin gave them credit for being. Maybe neither of them had admitted to deeper feelings, but they were there. If he didn’t feel anything for Justin, he wouldn’t be so pissed off all the time because Justin never called or texted. Von was always the one to make first contact. The first move. The first everything. Feeling insecure was a new thing for Von. But damn, Justin brought it out in him. Every time he thought about Justin, Von calculated the odds of them making it, and the numbers weren’t good. Von traveled six months out of the year, but fuck. He traveled six months out of the year and he’d never met anyone like Justin. The man was one of a kind.

Hot water streamed down Von’s body. Closing his eyes, he tilted his chin up. The memory of the first time they kissed flared to life in Von’s mind. Justin had been telling him a story about a teacher who’d marked him absent every day despite saying hi to him each morning when Justin entered his class. Justin had laughed. There’d been a certain light to the man Von couldn’t resist. Before he could stop himself, Von snagged the man by the back of the neck, pulled him close, and pressed his lips to Justin’s. Justin had been so surprised, instead of kissing Von back, he’d burst into laughter. It hadn’t been a small chuckle. The man had thrown his head back and roared with laughter, making it impossible for Von to kiss him. Not that Von had stopped trying. Nor had the man’s laughter ruined the moment. Instead, Justin’s laughter had been like a punch to the chest, stopping Von’s heart and sending adrenaline pumping through him. He wanted to keep him.

Fingers slipped down Von’s spine. A smile tugged at Von’s lips. His dick stood at attention at the unexpected move. “Your parents are here.”

Justin’s lips touched his shoulder. “I told them I needed some sleep.”

“You’re such a rebel.” Von’s words came out sounding more breathless than he intended.

“It wasn’t a complete lie,” Justin said. His lips moved lower down Von’s back at the claim. “I fully intend to go to bed soon. First, I need to do this.” Justin sat on the edge of the bathtub. Von slapped his hands against the wall, hanging on for dear life as Justin toyed with his asshole. He widened his stance, giving Justin all the access he needed to Von’s body. Even though Von wasn’t one to bottom, Justin knew how to make his body sing. He’d learned to let the man have his way, because Justin would make it worthwhile.

Justin rolled Von’s balls between his fingers before fisting Von’s cock. He waited until he had Von panting before slipping one finger in Von’s ass and twisting. Von’s knees weakened. He locked them to stay upright.

“You’re always sexy, but when you’re submissive, you’re beautiful.”

Von heard the words as if they came from a tunnel. All he knew was his body’s needs. “You’re supposed to be resting.” Von had no fucking clue why he was arguing. He craved the release Justin’s hands promised. Above all else, he needed Justin to be okay.

“Hey, I’m sitting.” Justin’s voice was filled with laughter.

Von pressed his forehead to the shower wall. He couldn’t argue with Justin’s logic.

“You’re being awful lazy,” Justin said, pressing against something internal and dragging a moan from Von. “It’s not like you to not take your pleasure.”

“I’m exhausted after sleeping on that cot,” Von said, rather than confessing how much he savored Justin’s touch. He’d almost lost him. Ten minutes after the doctor decided Justin had a clot in his leg, it had broken loose and almost stolen Justin’s life. Von had never been more scared. Justin was fine, and Von never wanted to let go. His man was touching him. It felt a lot like heaven.

Justin’s palm slid down Von’s erection. “I’ve got you.”

Von gasped as sparks of pleasure pulsed through him. “You always have.”

Justin’s motions stilled. “Have I?”

The sad note to Justin’s question had Von’s heart turning over in his chest. He sprang into action, pulling Justin to his feet and dragging him beneath the stream of water. His body screamed he was an idiot for pulling away while on the edge. Some things were more important. Without a word, Von shampooed Justin’s hair, gently massaging his scalp. He washed all the suds away before starting on soaping up the man’s body. Von took great care to ensure he got every inch of Justin’s body clean, leaving the man panting. He could tell Justin a thousand times he was important. Special. Von wanted to show him. Justin’s erection tapped Von’s cock. Their gazes met and held. A wave of emotion washed over Von. He opened his mouth and almost ruined his life by confessing everything.

* * *

A lump lived in Justin’s throat, choking him. The way Von stared at Justin made him thankful the man held him upright. Von’s lips parted. Justin broke. After going up onto his toes, he captured Von’s mouth. They grappled for control. He already knew Von would win. Not only was Justin weak from being ill, Von was twice his size. That last detail never stopped Justin from making Von work for it. Using his size against Justin, Von easily forced his will upon Justin. The kiss turned sweet—lips barely brushing. Justin’s eyes burned. Sometimes, Von’s actions fooled Justin, making him discontented with their arrangement. Every now and then, Von tricked Justin into feeling loved. It was a cruel thing to be held by Von—stroked and babied. When the man left again, and he would leave, Justin would fall back into the same depression he always did. Reality would crash down on his head, leaving him broken. He simply had no idea how to go from being with Von to anyone else. No one could fill the man’s gigantic shoes.

“Let’s get you dried off and into bed.”

Justin stood still, biting back a smile as Von swiped a towel down their bodies. He knew Von was turned on and had been close to orgasm before pulling away earlier. Justin also knew Von was trying to take care of him while ignoring his own body’s needs. As much as Justin appreciated the sentiment, Von was about to have the tables turned against him. Justin let Von lead him back inside the bedroom as if he would willingly go to bed. Von stumbled to a stop as the bed came into view. Justin bit his lip to keep from laughing. The sheets, blankets, comforters, and even the pillows were gone. Nothing more than a bare mattress awaited them.

“What the hell? I walked right by here on the way to the shower and the bed was made. Where did everything go?”

Justin shrugged. It was hard as hell to hang on to his innocent expression, but this was too important to fuck up. “Guess they disappeared.” While shaking his head, Justin released a heavy sigh. “I suppose this means you’ll have to go to bed with me. With these new blood thinners, I’ll freeze without something keeping me warm.”

Von glanced over. A small snort escaped Justin at the man’s expression. He’d never seen anyone look more put upon. “You hid the blankets from your own bed? That’s… I don’t even know.”

Justin blinked, trying hard to fight back his laughter. “Why would I steal my own blankets?” Justin let the towel he wore fall to the floor, leaving him nude. “You better get to warming me up. Otherwise, I might catch my death.”

Von turned. Justin had to force himself not to take a step back. A deadly light entered Von’s eyes as he closed the distance between them. “You’re such a fucking tease.” Von growled the words as he grabbed Justin by the ass and hauled him against Von’s massive frame.

A wicked smile pulled at the corners of Justin’s mouth. It was out of his control. “Nope. If you recall, I was more than willing to please you in the shower, but you chose to stop things.”

Von tilted his chin to the ceiling as if realizing how right Justin was. “Fuck. I forgot how bad your bed squeaks.”

Justin reached for Von’s hand and linked fingers before pulling him toward the bench at the foot of the bed. Bare-assed, Justin sat and stared up at Von. Von’s chin hit his chest. Hunger filled the other man’s gaze. Justin smirked. He knew what seeing him at perfect dick-sucking level was doing to Von. No doubt the man was already picturing Justin taking him between his lips. Since that was exactly his plan, Justin didn’t hesitate to lick Von from root to tip while holding the man’s stare. The man’s eyes glazed over and a flush touched his cheeks. Justin gave himself a mental pat on the back before opening his mouth and taking Von to the back of his throat.

Von pulled Justin’s hair, taking what he wanted. Justin’s balls grew heavy, reminding him that his own erection wanted attention too. While hollowing out his cheeks and sucking, Justin reached between his legs and fisted his cock. Saliva ran down his fingers as he pumped Von’s dick at the same pace. His eyes were heavy with the need to shut out the world and focus on the pleasure. Justin couldn’t stop staring at Von. In the shower, Justin hadn’t lied. When Von gave in and let Justin have control, he was the most beautiful man Justin had ever set eyes upon. Knowing he owned Von in that moment had Justin’s lust skyrocketing.

He kept a steady pace, allowing Von’s dick to scrape the roof of his mouth before sucking him down his throat and repeating the process. Justin knew he could toy with Von’s crown and balls, dragging out the man’s torture. This wasn’t about making Von last. Justin wanted to see him explode. He needed to feel the hot jets of cum shooting across his tongue. The pressure beating at Justin’s crown made him wonder if he would come first. He knew he could stop at any time and ensure Von got off before him, but everything felt too good. Von’s hands ran over every inch of Justin’s skin the man could reach. Justin didn’t want that part to ever end. There was nothing better than Von’s hands on his body.

Every muscle in Justin’s body tensed, anticipating release. He stroked faster, needing relief, even as he sucked hard on Von’s dick. A sharp gasp escaped Von, sounding loud in the otherwise silent room. Hot cum hit the back of Justin’s throat, nearly making him choke, since he hadn’t been focusing. He jerked back, swallowing, hoping to catch his breath. Von’s cum hit him in the face at the same time as his own orgasm hit. Justin didn’t have time to recover. Von’s mouth slammed down on his. The man’s tongue filled his mouth, stroking and retreating as Justin rode out the waves.

Von kissed a path to Justin’s ear. Their harsh breaths filled the air. “We need another shower.”

A low chuckle was the only response Justin could dredge up in the aftermath of Von.

* * *

He was tired, but he wasn’t. Since he’d spent the last three days sleeping, Justin’s mind raced all over the place with unspent energy while his body cried foul. Watching Von sleep seemed like a better pastime than resting. When Von smiled, he looked nice and radiated friendliness. The rest of the time, Von looked hard—like a male version of resting bitch face. He looked unapproachable in those moments. It was funny he didn’t soften in his sleep. It was his bone structure. At a skeletal level, Von was hard. He also ground his teeth in his sleep. Justin smiled at the muscle jumping in the man’s jaw.

With an inner sigh, Justin slipped from the bed, moving slowly as not to wake Von. Once he was certain Von wouldn’t stir, Justin moved to the closet and retrieved the blankets he’d stuffed inside earlier. After covering Von, Justin found some clean clothes and quietly dressed while keeping one eye locked on Von’s sleeping form. With his body sufficiently covered, Justin sneaked from the room, leaving the man in peace.

Justin found his mom on the couch, watching daytime TV with the volume turned so low there was no way she could hear it.

“Where’s Dad?”

Kate didn’t startle. It was obvious the eyes she’d grown in the back of her head the moment she’d become a mother were still in good working order. “He grabbed a cab and went out. You know being trapped in the house isn’t his thing. Knowing him, he’s probably found a sports bar somewhere and is currently bragging about his son who snagged a pro hockey player.”

Without thought, Justin rolled his eyes. It seemed that being around his parents caused Justin to revert to teenage responses. “There’s a lot more to Von than playing hockey.”

“I know, but that’s all your dad needed to know about the man to give his approval. Is he still sleeping?” Kate asked as she stood, gesturing for Justin to take the couch.

He dutifully sat, letting her baby him by grabbing him a throw blanket and tucking him in. “Yeah. All they have at the hospital are those horrible chairs that pull out to form a bed two feet too short for someone Von’s size. I’m sure he never slept more than ten minutes at a time for the past three days.”

“He’s a good man,” Kate said, claiming the loveseat.

Justin nodded. “He is.” Justin’s words came out sounding more thoughtful than agreeing.

“Then why haven’t you given the boy a drawer?”

Justin fought the urge to rub the spot in his chest that ached at her question. “Mom, he doesn’t want a drawer.”

“Yes, he does,” Von said, appearing at Justin’s side. He urged Justin over, claiming half the blanket and snuggling in close.

Justin stared at Von—shocked. “You do?”

Von smirked. It was hot. “Of course. I told you the other day I’ve been waiting for you to tell me you wanted more.”

Justin was certain Von had not said that, but with his mom sitting there, hanging on every word, Justin was in no position to argue. Instead, he stared at Von’s profile and blinked back the sting of tears as hope flared to life inside him. They weren’t supposed to be this couple. Justin wondered if Von was putting on a show because his parents were there. Once they left, no doubt Von would return to normal, and Justin would be crushed. Not that he would ever let Von know it.

“I’m starved. Is anyone else hungry?” Von asked, as if he hadn’t turned Justin’s world on its head.

Kate stood. “What would you like? I’ll fix you something.”

Von waved away her offer. “Please, sit. One of my teammates, his wife owns a restaurant that serves only clean foods. She also delivers. I’m thinking, since Justin only keeps junk food around, we should give her a call.”

Justin huffed. It was only his mom’s presence keeping Justin from telling Von where he could stick his clean diet.

“I’m always telling him he should eat better, but I’m his mom. He’ll never listen to me.”

Something in Justin’s jaw popped as he swallowed down all the words rising in his throat.

“Ja. Exactly.”

Justin couldn’t take it. He had to argue about something before he burst a blood vessel. “Did you just ‘Ja’ my mother?”

Von shook his head. His eyes took on a thoughtful edge as if he was running through the conversation in his mind. “Sorry. Yes. I’ve lived here for over twenty years, but sometimes—when I’m not thinking—I forget to speak English.”

“Don’t apologize,” Kate said, sounding scandalized Justin had made him feel the need to say he was sorry. “English isn’t your first language. I’m amazed at how fluent you are.”

“That’s because he’s a genius,” Justin said, fighting a sudden wave of exhaustion.

A tinkling laugh sounded from his mom. “So now you want to flatter him after scolding him.”

Justin closed his eyes and leaned his head back. “I’m not flattering him. Von really is a genius. He has an IQ of like 180 or some shit.”

Kate blew out a whistle. “Really? That’s amazing. Yet you chose to play sports for a living?” Kate asked, sounding more like the mother Justin knew.

Justin felt Von shrug. “180 is a bit generous, but there’s a science to winning. It fascinates me.” Von’s claim sounded as if it came from a distance, even though the man sat pressed against him. He was so warm. Justin couldn’t get close enough to Von. Von shifted next to him, pulling Justin against his chest and wrapping one gigantic arm around him. No matter how hard Justin tried to open his eyes and rejoin the conversation, he couldn’t lift his eyelids. They were too heavy. Von fell into an explanation of how he’d moved to the US with his father when he was barely a teenager. Justin listened to the words rumble against his ears until sleep carried him away.