Page 17 of At His Wife’s Behest

“Yeah,” he whispered softly.

“I can get you some names if you want?”

He nodded, unsure. “Okay.”

She smiled. “You’ll really do it this time?”

Kellan thought back to Connor’s request. That they continue to see one another once home. “He wanted to see me again.”

“He?” She gasped. “The guy from Italy?”

Kellan nodded.

“Hon, be careful. He was there for a reason.” The implied paycheck hung in the air.

“I knew him,” Kellan said. “Before. It’s not about the money.” I hope.

Emma’s eyes widened. “Who was it?”

“I can’t say.”

She gasped again. “I know him, don’t I?”

“No.”

Emma laughed. “As I said, you’re a terrible liar. Tell me.”

“I don’t want to out him. That’s not fair.”

Emma sighed. “Fine.”

“My point is…” he said. “He asked me to see him again, and I… I wanted it. I wanted it so bad that it tore me apart to walk away.” He coughed, clearing the emotion away from his throat.

“But I heard my father’s voice in my head, and I chickened out.

I told him we couldn’t when it was all I wanted.

” He scoffed. “I implied I was just a job and he’d move on. I hurt his feelings.”

“We’ll find you someone to exorcise your demons and then you can make it up to him… if that’s what you want to do.”

He smiled. “Yeah.”

Emma pressed a kiss to his cheek. “If you enjoyed Mr. Italy’s company and he yours… don’t let him slip away.” She caressed his cheek. “You can find a way if this is what you want.”

Abigail burst into the room. “You’re taking too long, Daddy!”

He spun and forced a smile on his face. “I am?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I need my present.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Kellan said, digging through his luggage. He drew out the small, boxed presents and handed them over.

“Oooh,” Emma said, dropping to sit on his bed. She squealed when she saw the necklace. “It’s just like that one I got on our last trip!”

“The one that you loved and lost,” Kellan mentioned. He’d been so excited to find one just like it.

“Yes!” She bounded from the bed and hugged him. “You’re the best, Kel.”

Abigail lifted her wrist, showing off her new bracelet that was similar in style to the necklace. “I can wear it to school tomorrow and show everyone.”

The mention of school had Kellan’s mind spinning. In the morning, he’d come face-to-face with Connor again. What in the hell did he say?

Connor entered his apartment, his cat meowing loudly at his absence.

Checking Felix’s food bowl, he found it empty.

“Did Charlie feed you at all this week?” He moved down the hall and lifted a hand to knock when he heard a loud moan coming from behind his roommate’s bedroom door.

Connor glanced at Felix. “We’ll have to ask later. ”

The screaming in the bedroom grew louder.

Connor shook his head, wondering if he shouldn’t check to make sure Charlie wasn’t killing the guy.

After feeding Felix and dragging his luggage to his bedroom, he crashed across the surface of the bed, thoughts of Kellan on his mind.

In the morning, he’d come face to face with the man.

Did they pretend nothing had happened between them?

Connor couldn’t cut his feelings off like a switch.

He wasn’t built that way, not when the other person meant something to him.

What is it he means to me?

Connor wasn’t sure he could answer that. All he could say was he already missed Kellan’s presence.

You were a paid companion. What did you really expect once you returned? He’s way out of your league in more ways than one.

His cat pawed at the bedroom door, but he was too exhausted to get up. Connor heard Charlie’s bedroom door swing open, the murmur of voices traveling toward the front door before another click sounded.

“What the fuck are you doing, Felix?” Charlie called. He pressed Connor’s door open and startled. “Oh, hey—I didn’t hear you come home.”

“As loud as your friend was screaming, I don’t doubt it.”

Charlie grinned, a hint of pride in it. “He warned me he was a screamer. The twink didn’t lie.”

Charlie noted Charlie only had on a pair of boxers, his cock still semi-erect and poking through. “You wanna point that thing somewhere else?”

“Oh, come on, I thought you liked my dick?” He and Charlie had met on Grindr. Connor had been in a bottoming mood and big-dicked Charlie had fucked his brains out.

Connor was a switch who preferred to top.

Charlie was straight top. They’d soon realized they weren’t well suited for more than a couple of random nights.

Months later, he’d come to look at a room for rent on Craig’s List and came face-to-face with him again.

He’d hosted the hookups, so he’d had no idea where Charlie lived.

On first sight, he’d spun to leave. Charlie had stopped him, explaining his last freak of a roommate had taken off without word and left him high and dry.

After dozens of weirdos had responded to his ad, he’d all but given up.

“It’s just a room, man. I know you and I didn’t fit in the bedroom, but I still thought you were an okay guy. Please … don’t make me offer that room to one of the crackpots that have stopped in this weekend. Unless you want to see me next time on the news… after I’m murdered.”

Connor had laughed. “Guilt trip much?”

“Hey, you owe me one.”

Connor frowned. “How do you figure?”

“I thought I’d found myself a sweet piece of regular ass—and then you tried to top me and ruined my good time.”

“Poor Charlie.”

“Come on, Connor… let’s be roomies. If it doesn’t work out, we can make a change.”

That had been four years before, and they’d become best friends over that time. Charlie was a bit wild and liked screamers, but otherwise, they made great roommates.

“I might’ve enjoyed it a night or two, but that doesn’t mean I need it staring at me—especially after it was just in some guy’s ass.”

“I wore a rubber.” Charlie laughed, adjusting himself and tucking his monster back into his shorts. “How was Italy?”

Connor’s smile faded.

“That good, hmm?”

“The guy…” Connor sighed.

“I warned you when you took this line of work that you’d end up getting too close to someone,” Charlie spat. “You’re a dumbass.”

“I knew him before I went to Italy,” Connor said. “He’s one of my parents.”

Charlie paused. “Like… from your class?”

“Yeah,” Connor said. “I didn’t know it was him. He didn’t know it was me.”

“And?”

“And… he’s… he’s…” Connor didn’t know how to put Kellan into words. Or how he felt. “I’d felt an attraction before Italy.”

“One week of fucking and sucking and now you’re hooked?”

“Can’t be. He’s rushing back to the closet to hide.”

“Ouch,” Charlie said, rubbing his bare chest. “Let that one go, man. More trouble than they’re worth. You got out of it easy, my friend.” He chuckled. “And paid, too. Could’ve been worse.”

Charlie wandered out, leaving Connor to think. Had he gotten out easy?

The following morning, he arrived to work early for once. Mr. Harding, the principal, checked his watch, frowning when he saw Connor. When he lifted his puzzled gaze, Connor fought a smile.

“Your mother’s better?”

Connor nodded, his gut twisting that he’d lied about a sick mother to get the last-minute week-long vacation. “Mom’s great, thanks.”

“Good to hear.”

“I should go see what state my classroom’s in.

” Connor raced away as fast as he could without running.

He entered his room, feeling like it had been a million years since he’d last been there.

After checking messages and cleaning off his desk, he prepared for the day, his gaze flipping to the doorway every time someone passed.

“Mr. Q!” his first student yelled as he crossed the threshold. He gave Connor a hug and grinned. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too, buddy.”

One by one, his students arrived, most telling him how much they had missed him. He’d missed them, too. The final bell rang and no Abigail—nor Kellan. He forced the concern from his mind and focused on his kids. “Let’s get the wiggles out. Up! Up! Let’s shake it all out!”

He shook his arms and body, along with his students. Once they’d moved for a solid minute, he stopped. “Okay! Let’s get out our math workbooks, everyone.”

Fourteen little bodies went digging for their workbooks. And one little body arrived late, her father trailing in behind her.

“Morning, Abby,” Connor said before lifting his gaze to Kellan. Kellan’s face was pink, eyes traveling anywhere but Connor’s face. “Welcome back, Mr. Rhodes.”

When Kellan finally looked up, he noted fear in the man’s eyes. Marching closer, he paused at the front of Connor’s desk. “Can I speak with you privately for a moment?”

Connor searched his face before turning to the class. “Open up to page fifty-six and read over the first word problem at the top. I’ll be right outside, so no funny business.” He playfully glared at one of his most well-behaved kids. “That means, you, too, Jack.”

Jack giggled, and Connor turned to follow Kellan out.

Once they were alone, the awkward tension nearly choked Connor. “What’s wrong?”

“I, ah…” Kellan sighed. He stared at Connor, longing in his eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I…” He shook his head, smiling, but the fear returned to his eyes. “I just wanted to…” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Are we going to be okay, you and I? Me coming here in the mornings and dropping Abby off?”

Connor stiffened. He’d gotten the sense that Kellan was about to say something much different.

Stop getting your hopes up. “Why wouldn’t we be?

I’m a professional. You are, too. We can handle this until the end of the school year.

It’s only another month, and Abby will have another teacher next year. You can avoid me after that.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to avoid you.”

“Maybe it would be best if you did,” Connor murmured, pain lancing his chest. If he couldn’t have the man, he sure as hell didn’t want to be tormented every damned morning.

“You don’t… want me around?”

“I didn’t say that,” Connor said. Seeing you is breaking me. Why can’t you understand that? “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

Kellan stared at him, his face blank.

“If that’s all? I’ve got a class to return to.”

“Yeah,” Kellan whispered.

Connor spun, heart aching, and forced himself to get through the rest of the day without thinking about Kellan Rhodes again.