Page 60 of Mr. Naughty List

Aaron’s breath caught, and then he whispered, “Like I’d tell you.”

“Tell me, Mr. Danvers, or you’re going back on the naughty list.”

Aaron huffed a half-aroused laugh. “That’s a threat? If last night is what happens to people on the naughty list, why would I ever want off?”

“Because what happens to people on the nice list is even better. It comes with handcuffs and hours of edging.”

“Oh, fuck.”

RJ laughed. “So tell me, what’s the worst sin you’ve committed?”

“I’m a slut.”

“Mm, I love sluts. What else?”

“I let a former student spank and fuck me.”

“So hot. What else?”

“Oh, Jesus.”

“C’mon.”

“I hate my mother.”

“Yeah. I know you do. But you love her too.” RJ stroked his hand over Aaron’s cheek, probing one finger into a dimple when Aaron smiled. “Good work, Mr. Danvers. You’ve been promoted to the nice list now. When do you want to collect on the handcuffs and edging? Spoiler alert: not tonight. I have a show. Plus, I need to get some handcuffs first. Though duct tape could work, if you have that around.”

Aaron laughed. “Jesus, RJ. You’re ridiculous.”

“But you like me.”

Aaron grinned, heat rising up his chest and into his cheeks. “Yeah. I do.”

“Tell me more.” RJ sat back and broke the tension between them. “What do your friends think about all of this with your mom?”

“Friend,” Aaron said. “Only Lauren knows the truth about me.”

“Who’s Lauren?”

RJ was a surprisingly good listener. He didn’t try to fix things, he had appropriate responses even if it was just a sympathetic sigh, and he asked relevant, insightful questions that expanded on what Aaron was relating. He made it easy for Aaron to talk and keep talking. It was only now that they were almost done with washing the ornaments that Aaron realized he’d talked for nearly three full hours.

“Oh, man. What time do you have to leave to set up for the show?” Aaron asked, cutting off whatever it was RJ was going to ask him next.

RJ pulled out his phone, typed something into it, and said, “Joel and Casey will bring my stuff with them. So, I just need to be at Scruffy City Hall by seven, and the show starts at eight.” He smiled. “You’ll come?”

Aaron looked at the ornament in his hands, a fragile, clear glass bulb with a lonely snowman inside. “I don’t know. I should decorate this tree.”

RJ took the globe from his hand and set it back into the box of now mostly clean ornaments. He took Aaron’s fingers in his own. “I’d like you to be there.”

“RJ…” Aaron shook his head.

RJ sighed. “Okay. That’s fine.” He shrugged and stood up. “Well, I guess I should go to Mom and Doug’s, clean up a little. Give you some time alone.”

Aaron nodded glumly. He didn’t want RJ to leave, but he wasn’t sure it was a good idea to just keep on hanging out together without a break to process things. They’d been so entangled over the last twenty-four hours, and somehow so much had happened and been said that it felt like they’d been together for a week straight. Aaron did need a little space to breathe, screw his head on, and decorate his Grandma’s tree. Alone.

As good a listener as RJ was, and as arousing as the naughty vs. nice list talk had been, this was a special thing for him, having his Grandma’s tree here in his apartment. He wanted to listen to Christmas music, decorate it, and remember her and all of his childhood Christmases.

“Don’t forget to put the lemon and orange peels around the bottom of the tree,” RJ said, pulling on his leather jacket and zipping it up. He didn’t look or sound hurt, but still Aaron felt the distance expand between them, the awkward space that had opened up when he’d declined to go to the pub with RJ tonight.