Page 52 of Carver

There was a huff, then both of Gideon’s hands were on Carver’s face.

“No more. Want you. Please.”

He jolted at the power behind the words. He could hear the want lacing Gideon’s tone. It was obviously his way of consenting.

While Carver could appreciate the clarity there, he couldn’t shake the feeling of wrongness. His boy’s first words to him were about whether they should be intimate or not. He still wasn’t sure what all Gideon had been through. How could he provide a safe and sane experience without that information?

He couldn’t.

That was the short answer. And the reason Carver tugged his boy’s hands away and stood up.

“As much as I want what you do, we can’t. I don’t know what all went down at Mordecai’s home.”

Gideon flinched at her name. Carver hated himself for the slip. He’d been so good about not dragging those memories out. The fact that he did so now only further proved he shouldn’t agree to anything more.

“Even if you won’t talk to me, there’s Fury. He’s a trained therapist. He can listen and give advice for whatever you’ve experienced. I can’t. And even if I could, it would be a conflict of interest. I want to be with you, sweet boy. To hold you while you sleep like before. To help show you there can be positive, pleasurable things in this life. But I won’t do any of that until I get some answers.”

The scowl Gideon threw his way startled Carver. He’d never seen his boy look so angry. It was like flipping a switch on the docile version of him. Instead, he got an expression meant to relay just how much Carver was in the wrong.

“Fury?” Gideon asked.

Carver immediately wanted to punch something. To hear the sound of Fury’s name on his boy’s lips before his own was a crime. One he needed to rectify ASAP.

“Yes, Fury is the one I’d like you to talk to. You’ve met him a few times now. He helped me with my past after he became an Angel. He can help you too.”

Without saying another word, Gideon stood and dropped the towel he’d been wrapped in. Carver’s jaw dropped, though the other man didn’t even notice since he went to the dresser himself to get dressed. He slipped the baggy pants on with ease before slipping a black oversized t-shirt on as well.

Gideon then took off towards the door without looking at Carver. After he slipped through the doorway, the shock Carver felt finally cleared away enough for him to move. He chased after his boy, curious to find out what the hell was going on.

Honestly, he knew what happened.

Carver told Gideon he had to talk about his past for the two of them to be anything more. He’d said Fury would be the person to speak with. Logic suggested Gideon would go find Fury.

But would he actually speak to him?

It was something Carver couldn’t figure out. He had to see for himself whether or not Gideon would do it.

Trailing Gideon, he watched as his boy went straight into the main open space of the living area. There were people milling about everywhere, men and women alike. Carver nearly rushed to grab his boy, worried he’d panic again.

He shouldn’t have misjudged the level of focus Gideon had. It was as if the women weren’t even there. His boy scanned the group, eyes bouncing from person to person. They all stared back at him with their own form of wonder.

Gideon was truly a sight to behold, even in clothes that would normally make someone look frumpy. The sweats and t-shirt didn’t detract from his beauty. If anything, it elevated it because everything about what made him shine was natural. It came from within.

Anyone looking would notice.

When his boy began to move again, he realized Gideon must have spotted Fury. Sure enough, the other man was a few feet away, a frown on his features as Carver’s boy stomped up to him.

He pointed to Fury’s ear, then motioned for him to lean down. Fury did as asked, and Gideon whispered something to him. Carver wasn’t close enough to hear, however, the way Fury sprung up and looked around was a clear indication his boy had actually used his words.

Holy shit.

Carver would have done a fucking cartwheel at that moment had he the skill to do so. He was seconds away from jumping in the air to shout victory when Fury’s eyes met his.

In them, he saw the question. Fury wanted to know how and why Gideon had come to him.

Since they couldn’t very well have the conversation at that exact moment, Carver simply nodded to the other man. Fury returned the gesture. It was a full conversation without them having to speak.

“Do you know why he’s here? Why he spoke to me?”