“I’ll see you then.”
Nic took a breath. “Okay.”
“Have a good day.”
Damn. Why did Kenneth sound so sexy? “You too.” The phone disconnected and Nic dropped his forehead onto his desk with a thump. Now he had to figure out where to take a goddamn senator to dinner. What had he done?
The house was blissfully quiet without Wendy. Without her there, Kenneth had dived headlong into full-on nosiness. He got a strange thrill from digging through old Kenneth’s things. He had inherited someone else’s life. Studying the old senator’s life was one thing, pawing through his most personal belongings was another. The guy had a sickening amount of homemade porn in his safe. Kenneth had only watched enough to know they were all of Wendy’s adult son. They were also pretty fucking heartbreaking. While Wendy’s son Chad now owned the biggest porn production company in the country, it was obvious exactly whose hands had twisted him. Chad should have been the one to kill his stepfather. Luckily, knowing who took him out, Kenneth knew the man hadn’t gotten a pleasant death. So there was some comfort there.
There was so much shit in one house, Kenneth didn’t think he would ever see it all. Then there was also the house in New York. It was even bigger than this one. Kenneth felt defeated by it all sometimes. As a child, he had owned nothing. All he had known was abuse and hunger. Seeing so much unnecessary shit felt like disgusting excess. But then Kenneth would sit outside by the pool, with the moonlight highlighting the perfect landscaping, and a peace would settle into his soul. Unlike his predecessor, Kenneth appreciated this. He recognized how much more he had than most. It felt good.
The doorbell rang, and Kenneth checked his watch. Seven o’clock had sneaked up on him. Kenneth snuffed his cigar and headed inside. When he opened the front door, an odd sensation stirred in his stomach.
“Hi.”
Damn. Nic sounded breathless. Kenneth wanted to make him do it again. “Hey.”
“Um. Did you know there are reporters in your driveway?”
Fuck. “Yeah. Sorry about that. It seems someone at the courthouse saw my divorce papers when they were filed and leaked it to the media.” He stepped back, letting Nic inside. “So, I was thinking. How do you feel about ordering in?”
Nic looked oddly relieved. His shoulders visibly relaxed. “That sounds great. Honestly, I was kind of dreading fighting my way back through the crowd. Just tell me what you’d like, and I’ll order it.”
Damn. He was obviously in a hurry. “Would you like a tour first?”
A sexy smile snapped to Nic’s lips. “Sure.”
Kenneth motioned Nic ahead of him. “Through here is the sitting room.” While Nic eyed the expensive furniture, Kenneth eyed him. The ends of his hair were wet, as if he had just showered. White jeans cupped his round ass, and a red t-shirt molded his torso. He made Kenneth’s mouth water. Nic headed for the door Kenneth had left open when the doorbell rang. He poked his head outside.
“Oh, wow. This is gorgeous.”
Something funny happened to Kenneth’s chest. It felt odd for Nic to immediately gravitate toward Kenneth’s favorite spot. “That’s where I spend most of my time. Obviously. That’s why the door was open.”
Nic stepped outside.
Kenneth followed. He watched Nic look around, seeing what he saw. The pool lit the backyard. A waterfall poured from fake rocks, keeping the pool’s water moving. Strategic landscaping made it seem like a jungle. Tropical flowers scented the air. The tall fence kept them completely hidden from the world. Until that moment, Kenneth hadn’t realized how romantic the spot seemed. He had always enjoyed the peace. The spot felt completely different with Nic there.
“We should eat out here.”
Kenneth smiled at the idea. “Agreed. Give me just a second.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and found King’s number. He hit the phone icon and pressed the device to his ear. King answered on the first ring.
“Yep.”
Kenneth fought the urge to shake his head at King’s greeting. “Nic is here.”
Nic’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say a word.
“On it.” The phone disconnected in his ear.
Kenneth set the device on the nearby table. “I knew there was no way we’d get to have a peaceful night out, so…”
Nic’s sexy smile had Kenneth incapable of looking away. “So… what?”
“You’ll see. Sit with me.”
They each grabbed a chair and sat. Before Nic could ask anything else, King stepped outside carrying two plastic bags. He set them on the table without making eye contact before leaving them alone again.
Nic stared at the King until he couldn’t see him anymore. “Who was that?”
“An employee. Tonight, I got us Mexican.”
Nic’s gaze snapped to Kenneth’s face. “I thought it was my turn to buy.”
A smile that felt evil stretched Kenneth’s lips. “I guess you’ll have to see me twice more.”
The way Nic shook his head and visibly fought a smile tugged at Kenneth’s heart. “Mexican, huh? I won’t be so easily wowed this time. Mexican is my favorite, so I’m hypercritical.”
“I’m not concerned.” Kenneth pulled out the aluminum containers and arranged them on the table. “Mexican is my favorite too, so I’ve become a bit of a snob about it.” He pulled a six-pack of glass bottles from the bag. “And, of course, orange soda.”
A laugh burst from Nic as he accepted a bottle. “Holy shit. I haven’t had orange soda since I was a kid.”
Kenneth nodded. “When I was a kid, it was my favorite, but it was rare for me to get it. It’s likely one of the more ridiculous things I used to dream about having all I wanted one day.” Nic laughed and Kenneth kept going. He enjoyed having Nic as his one-man audience. “I would daydream about having one of those tiny refrigerators in my bedroom. In my head, I would stock it with all my favorite things.” Kenneth stared at his drink, seeing nothing but the past. “Fake things. That’s how I survived.” That was still how he survived.
“It sounds strange to hear that someone raised in so much wealth had the same fantasy I had as a poor kid.”
Kenneth shook his head. Nic always made him forget he wasn’t Jared anymore. He hated having to save the moment with a lie. “I wasn’t given everything. My parents were hard people who believed in strict discipline. They were zealots. I guess that’s why I spent the best years of my life hiding everything about myself they would’ve hated.”
Nic nodded. He looked surprisingly sympathetic. “Like I said last night, my parents were older when they had me. They were extremely old-fashioned. Dad died never knowing I’m gay, and I was grateful for that. That probably makes me sound like a bad son or a coward, but I just couldn’t find the words. When you grow up in a house with nothing but negative talk toward anyone or anything different, it’s hard to be different.”
“What about your mom? Does she know?”
Nic shrugged. “Probably, but I still haven’t ever said the words to her. I’ve always just figured it wasn’t important. She lives on a different coast, and I haven’t made time for relationships anyhow.”