Adrien
“Rhina and Caleb really like you,” Micah said softly, his voice making his chest vibrate against Adrien’s cheek. Pleasure unfurled inside Adrien as he continued tracing patterns along Micah’s skin.
He smiled. “I like them too.” And it was true. Rhina was sharp and funny, and he could tell she genuinely cared about Micah’s happiness by the way she’d welcomed Adrien.
Some guys may have felt threatened by Micah’s relationship with his ex, especially since said ex was a woman. Adrien found it refreshing, though he was sure his family would call him naïve especially if they ever learned that Micah lived on Rhina’s property.
Caleb was pretty cool for a teen. He looked like Micah, just slimmer and shorter. From what Adrien had observed of him at the coffee shop, he was smart, well-behaved, and responsible. He and his friends were always working on their homework, and they never left their trash or dirty dishes at the table in the coffee shop.
Adrien got to see another side of the teen at the intimate dinner as he played sous chef for his dad and contributed sarcastic rejoinders revealing a cutting sense of humor beneath the cool exterior he tried to project. Rhina had clearly done a good job raising him, and Adrien was elated that Micah was getting a shot at having a relationship with his son.
He saw a little of himself in Caleb. Behind the feigned veneer of aloofness, Caleb was a kid who adored his dad. He soaked up everything Micah shared with him about cooking, eagerly sharing his latest teen drama and academic challenges over dinner. And the joy on Micah’s face whenever Caleb turned to him made Adrien’s chest crack open with joy.
“Does my relationship with Rhina bother you?” Micah asked, strangely touching on Adrien’s thoughts.
“Not at all. I was just thinking it’s refreshing, though it is unorthodox. I’m glad you have her in your life.” And Adrien meant that.
Micah had shared stories about his home life, his neglectful parents. His words painted a picture of a lonely kid whose parents had ignored him and not given him the love he needed. It made Adrien both spitting mad and heartbroken to think of a young Micah being rejected by the people who should have loved him most.
Sure, Micah had made bad choices in his life. There were no excuses for that. But Adrien also knew that Micah hadn’t had the support and direction he’d needed growing up. But now, he’d paid his debt to society and come out on the other end a better man. A man who deserved happiness, belonging, and love. Adrien hoped that Micah was open to letting Adrien love him, because he was definitely falling for the man. He snuggled in closer.
“Besides, if Rhina hadn’t invited you to come live in the guesthouse, we would have never met, so I, for one, am incredibly grateful you’re still friends with your baby’s mama.”
Micah snickered and smacked Adrien on the ass, making him shriek a bit.
“Smart ass,” Micah said, laughing.
“Sexy ass.” Adrien wiggled his butt, eliciting another chuckle from Micah.
“No lies detected.”
Adrien loved these moments after they’d just fucked, even more than the actual fucking itself. The teasing and cuddling. He’d never felt this safe and open after sex with Reggie. Adrien traced invisible patters along the skin of Micah’s arm as he let his thoughts wander.
It didn’t matter that he’d topped Micah—he loved that Micah just instinctively knew that he needed to be held, needed this reassuring affection. But the truth was, despite the fact that Adrien had preferred to top, he hadn’t always felt comfortable with it.
He typically dated men who were bulky, muscular, and slightly taller than he was. Even though some people assumed the slighter man was the bottom—as though every gay person even engaged in anal sex—the assumption had never really bothered Adrien. Not until Reggie, anyway.
Reggie had been the definition of a power-bottom but seemed ashamed to admit it, even going so far as to imply to their mutual friends that Adrien was the bottom. But in the privacy of their bedroom, Reggie had treated Adrien like an inanimate dildo.
And then, after they finished, Reggie acted embarrassed about letting Adrien fuck him, and would verbally lash out and withdraw. He’d never wanted to cuddle or talk after—always making a beeline for the shower. Being with Micah was nothing like that.
The subject of Adrien’s thoughts smoothed a finger between Adrien’s brows, making him tip his head up. Micah brushed a soft kiss against his nose, tightened his arm around Adrien, and pulled one of Adrien’s legs up across his own so that they were wound tight as a pretzel.
“What’s on your mind, Ade? You were thinking so damn hard you gave me a headache.” Micah’s amusement disappeared at Adrien’s silence.
Tell him.
Adrien opened his mouth to speak then closed it. He wasn’t sure how to start, or if this was even the right time, but tonight, Adrien felt compelled to tell Micah more about his relationship with Reggie.
Being in Micah’s arms made him feel brave. Safe. The steady rise and fall of Micah’s chest, the faint smell of the spices he’d cooked with on his skin, it was a balm to his troubled spirit. He didn’t want Reggie’s ghost between them anymore. He wanted to purge the poison of his ex, tonight.
He traced a fingertip around Micah’s belly button, his eyes unfocused as he spoke.
“You know that Reggie was my fiancé. He—uh—died last year,” Adrien said haltingly.
Micah squeezed his hip in encouragement but stayed silent, giving Adrien room to speak when he was ready. He thought about all the things he could tell Micah. How he’d gotten involved with Reggie in the first place. How amazing he thought their relationship was before they’d gotten engaged. Then how the man had become someone else slowly then overnight. But the details mattered less than the plain truth.
“I told you he was physically violent. He used to hit me,” Adrien admitted quietly. “That last beating was the worst. He bruised my face that night. But then, on the drive home, he died in the wreck. Everyone just thought the black eye and busted lip were from the car accident.”
“That motherfucker,” Micah growled, going rigid beneath him.
Adrien closed his eyes, sucking in air through his nose to keep down the bile that rose up his throat at what he’d just admitted. The humiliation that he used to feel after every shove, punch, and kick was suddenly fresh. Reggie’s taunts and insults mixed in with his family’s criticisms of him.
Weak. Pathetic. Useless. Gullible. Naïve.
“Hey.” Micah’s voice pierced through Adrien’s dark thoughts and rising panic. “Adrien, look at me.” Micah shifted so that Adrien was in the crook of his arm, their faces close, then, gripping his chin, he lifted Adrien’s face to his, his eyes boring into Adrien’s.
What did Micah see in him? Did he see the weakness? The pathetic man too useless to stop his own fiancé from bruising and abusing him? Micah was insecure about his past—not being a good father, not making enough money. But Micah would never let someone hurt and humiliate him the way Adrien had. Micah had pride, dignity. How could Micah want him?
“It’s not your fault, Adrien. Nothing that happened to you is your fault.”
Adrien shook his head. “I shouldn’t have been so trusting. So gullible. Then I stayed after the first time, thinking it was a one-off thing. Then it got worse, and I didn’t fight back.”
“No,” said Micah emphatically, sitting up, urging Adrien up with him. Micah faced Adrien gripping his shoulders. “No, Adrien. Nothing that you did or didn’t do justifies that scumbag’s abuse.”
Adrien dropped his head, but Micah lifted his chin again.
“Everyone who opens their hearts up to another person takes a risk. That takes courage and trust. And sometimes that trust is broken. But it’s not your fault, baby.”
Adrien wasn’t sure if he believed that, so he didn’t argue that point. “I’m still ashamed it ever happened, that I didn’t defend myself.”
Micah bit his lip. “Is that why I haven’t met your family yet? Are you worried they’ll think I’m another mistake? That because of my past I might hurt you?”
Adrien pulled back, his eyes wide. “I’m not embarrassed by you, Micah. I’m proud of you and your story, how hard you’ve worked to get to this point. And they’re the last people to judge you for doing time in prison.”
“What do you mean?” Micah leaned back against the wooden headboard, pulling Adrien back with him and into his side.
Adrien had already revealed his most shameful secret, so this was nothing really, and he was surprised it hadn’t come up before.
“Well, my dad… He spent time in prison when I was a kid.”
Micah blinked, apparently at a loss for words, so Adrien filled in the blanks.
“He was an addict, used to steal to feed his habit. I once saw him boost an entire cordless phone down the front of his pants. He was pretty good at it actually.” And it would have been funny if it had not been so tragic. “Well, anyway, it all caught up to him one day, and then he was gone for years. But in the end, I think it saved his life. He’s been clean ever since.”
Micah looked stunned. “I would have never guessed, Adrien. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Adrien shrugged. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you. It just never really came up. But anyway, like I said, my family would be the last to judge you for doing prison time.”
“So that day,” Micah said, his face thoughtful, “when I came in and applied, did you give me the job because of your dad?”
Adrien placed his hand on Micah’s leg, looking into his eyes. “No, I gave you the job because I thought you had the customer service skills based on your experience at the grocery store. I thought you’d pick things up quickly, and I knew you’d be motivated because you needed this job.”
“That’s all great, and true, but you’re telling me that your experience with your dad had nothing to do with it?”
Adrien sighed. “Well, of course a tiny bit. I remember how long it took him to find a job when he came home. His frustration and embarrassment after weeks of rejections.” Adrien had been so afraid he would go back to using to dull the pain. “But someone gave him a chance that changed his life. Changed the lives of my entire family. So yeah, I guess knowing how much that chance could change your life figured into the equation.”
Micah nodded and Adrien hoped he’d satisfied the man’s apparent worry about being given a job out of pity.
“Didn’t hurt that you were sexy as fuck either,” Adrien teased.
Micah gave him a gentle shove.
“What? Eye candy is good for tips.”
Micah rubbed his chin, the corners of his mouth turning down, his head bobbing from side to side. “Antonia and Greg did say that tips have doubled since I came on. Maybe the eye candy should get a bigger cut, boss.”
Adrien snickered but then quieted, meeting Micah’s eyes.
“But seriously Micah. I’m not worried about you. I’m more worried about my family treating you unfairly because they don’t trust me. If you were just a random guy they met in the street under the same life circumstances, they’d welcome you with open arms, but I’m kind of notorious for having poor judgment. I’m hoping that you’d be willing to meet them anyway,” Adrien said.
Micah scrunched his nose. “After you said all that crap about them?”
Adrien laughed. “Yeah. I was wondering if you’d be my date to my mother’s birthday party after Christmas.”
Micah’s jaw dropped. “Really? You want me to meet your family? Are you sure your mother’s party is the best place for me to meet them for the first time?”
“Hell yes,” Adrien answered decisively. There was a reason he wanted to ease Micah into the Darling household at a well-attended party.
Micah caught on seconds later. “Ah—I see what you’re doing there. They won’t embarrass you in front of other people.”
“No, they won’t embarrass you in front of other people. They have no qualms making me the punchline in front of close friends and extended family.” Adrien laughed about it, but he could tell Micah knew it bothered him.
“Well, all the more reason for me to go, then. Of course, I’d love to be your date. But shit, from everything you’ve told me about the party, I’m going to need something to wear. I’m actually kind of excited,” Micah said, his eyes sparkling.
“Me too,” Adrien said, hoping that this time his instincts about the guy he was falling for were right.