Page 25 of Private Exhibit (Gentleman Hackers #4)

DEVON WANTED to crawl into a dark hole and hide away there forever.

Gods . He'd thought having Oliver clean him up was humiliating. This was so much worse. He didn't want Andy to see him like this. Especially not after sharing such a perfect, incredible night.

But Andy clearly knew what he was doing. The poor man had gone through exactly all of this before.

Coincidence or fate? Devon sighed. At that moment, he wasn't sure whether to curse or thank the gods.

Andy carefully lifted Devon off the bed and carried him into the washroom. He stepped right into the garden tub and set him down, then kept a hand braced against Devon's chest as he used the other hand to reach out and turn on the water.

“I can do it,” Devon mumbled.

“Not a chance.” Andy tested the water, then turned to look at him, keeping his hand right where it was.

“I left Junior alone in the bath one time,” he began slowly.

A wince flashed across his face. “He'd also wet the bed and couldn't walk, but he was feeling so raw that he insisted on washing himself. So I went to go change the sheets…” Pain flashed in the man's eyes. “The attack got worse.”

Devon gave a tiny gasp. “Total paralysis,” he guessed.

Andy nodded. “Moved from his waist to his neck, so he lost use of his arms, too.

Couldn't hold himself up. He slipped down under the water.” Andy trembled.

“Luckily, it happened right as I walked back in to check on him, but…” Andy blew out a breath.

“Scariest moment of my life. We never left him alone in the bath after that, no matter how embarrassing it was for him.”

Devon looked down. He knew how Junior must have felt. The humiliation and vulnerability of being naked and helpless. At the same time, Devon envied the boy. Junior had not only had a dad, period; he'd had a dad who cared.

“Hey,” Andy murmured. He moved in close, resting their foreheads together. “I know this isn't romantic. It's not the way you imagined things would go. But it's alright. Really.” Andy pulled back a few inches, and Devon felt the man studying his face. “Last night was good, right?”

Devon's blush came back for an entirely different reason, and he couldn't help a tiny smile that pulled at his mouth.

“Yeah,” he whispered. Just as he saw an answering smile take over Andy's face, Devon's own smile slipped.

“It's just…last night…I pictured waking up, realizing where I was, what we'd done, and then…doing it all over again.”

Andy gave a single, slow nod. “Well, I'll tell you what. Let's get you cleaned up. Then I'll make some coffee and order breakfast for us.” He leaned closer again. “And the second you're ready for more, I'll have you out of your clothes so fast, it'll make you dizzy.”

Devon gasped.

“You liked having Daddy inside you, didn't you, sweet boy?” Andy growled.

Devon nodded. “I liked it a lot,” he managed to whisper.

Andy chuckled. “Good. I liked it, too,” the man murmured over his lips before he kissed him.

Devon whimpered into the kiss. Damn it . Andy made him feel so good. Why did his stupid body have to betray him like that? He felt so turned on in his head, but there were no answering sensations between his legs. There was nothing to feel there at all.

“Hey,” Andy murmured. “Look at me. You don't have to worry about anything beyond the next few minutes, alright? Bath, coffee, breakfast. Those three things, in that order. Everything else can wait. Understood?”

Devon felt something settle inside him. “Yes, Daddy.” He paused. “Did Oliver tell you to say things like that?”

Andy chuckled as he reached over to shut off the water. “He did.” Andy grabbed the soap and held Devon as he washed him. “Better?”

Devon squirmed. “Yeah.”

Andy winced. “You can't feel it.”

“No, it's not that. I mean, it is, but…” Devon huffed out a breath.

“I hate sitting in a tub. I know I don't always have a choice, but it's a sensory thing, whether or not I can actually feel it.

I don't like the tub touching my skin. Same with the walls in a shower, unless it's just my hands…but sometimes not even then.”

Andy nodded to himself, then gave Devon a crooked grin. “So no fucking you up against the wall in the shower, I take it?”

Devon's eyes went wide.

Andy chuckled. “Besides, we wouldn't want to spoil your view, would we?” he murmured. “Too up close, and you wouldn't get the whole picture. Gods, I love the way you look at me. Then again, if we get you comfortable in front of a mirror…”

Devon blushed all over again, glancing towards the shower. Gods . Having the mirrored glass reflecting them from all sides? It sounded uncomfortable and insanely hot all at once.

“Alright,” Andy said, reaching over to drain the tub. “Let's get you out.”

Devon looked away, silently enduring Andy's help as the man dried him off and helped him get dressed, starting with a diaper. The one good thing about the whole ordeal was that Andy was quick and efficient. Oliver was helpful in this type of situation, but Andy had far more practice.

Andy got Devon settled on the couch with a mug of coffee, then excused himself to go change the sheets.

Devon winced, cradling the mug in both hands, wishing he could get up and take care of it himself, hating the thought of Andy cleaning up his mess. He took a sip of coffee, needing a distraction.

An involuntary moan tore out of him. Oh my gods . He took another sip, feeling his entire body settle.

“Dev?” Andy asked, walking back into the room, now dressed in a pair of flannel pants.

“This coffee is so good.”

A grin slowly spread across Andy's face. “Good. I'm glad.” He padded into the kitchen and came back with his own mug in hand. Andy sat down, took a little sip, let out a sigh of contentment, then reached out with his free hand and ran his fingers through Devon's hair.

Devon couldn't help smiling at that.

“Feeling better?” Andy asked.

Devon nodded.

“Good.” Andy took another sip of his coffee. “Let me know when you're ready to order breakfast. But I think I heard something about a brunch today, too?”

Devon blinked. “Oh shit,” he gasped. He'd forgotten all about it.

“Easy,” Andy murmured, shifting closer. “We've got plenty of time. Do you want to go straight from here, or should I take you home first?”

Devon squirmed. “From here?”

Andy grinned and leaned in to kiss him. “Good answer.”

Devon grinned back at him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, drinking their coffees.

Devon took the opportunity to look around.

By the light of morning, Andy's apartment looked even more stark and drab.

It felt almost too spacious, having so little furniture.

Besides the couch, there was only a coffee table on which sat a couple of game controllers.

No other cabinets or tables. No plants. Nothing on the walls except for the huge screen directly across from them. It all looked so lifeless and empty.

Not that Devon had much room to talk, considering how sparsely furnished his own apartment was. But the size of this space made it look so much worse.

“What do you usually do on the weekends?” he couldn't help asking.

Andy breathed a humorless laugh. “Watch a lot of movies. Or play video games with Junior.” He looked all around. “Honestly, I hate them,” he quietly admitted, “but Junior loves them, and I like seeing him happy. He needs some victories, no matter how small.”

“You let him win?” Devon guessed.

Andy barked a laugh. “Not even close. He trounces my ass without even trying, I'm that bad.”

Devon chuckled.

“What about you?” Andy asked. “What's your weekend typically like?”

Devon shrugged. “Oli and I pretty much spend all day on our computers.”

“Hacking?”

“Yeah.” Devon blushed and quickly added, “I mean, it's white-hat stuff. We get paid to test security, but…”

Andy couldn't seem to hold back a tiny smirk. “But?”

Devon took a sip of his coffee. “I'm also nosy,” he mumbled. “I spent a lot of time, stuck in bed, living my life through other people. But that was after I tried finding out about my parents and the people who were supposed to adopt me.”

“I'm sorry,” Andy murmured.

“It's alright,” Devon said with a shrug.

“Honestly, I didn't look for them hard enough because a part of me was always afraid that it would turn out the way it did.

Although, what they did to Hayden was worse.

I mean, growing up in an orphanage sucked, but if I'd gotten adopted and then found out I'd been taken away from my twin?” Devon shook his head.

“I don't know how he'll ever forgive them for that.” Devon laughed.

“Then again, making them go to that wedding…”

Andy frowned, looking completely lost.

“Oh, sorry. That scene at the club last weekend–”

Gods. Was that really just last weekend? How the hells had his life taken such a dramatic turn in just a matter of days?

“Dev?”

“Huh?” Devon blinked. “Oh.” He shook his head. “Sorry. I was just realizing we only first saw one another a week ago…”

“Feels longer,” Andy murmured.

“Yeah.”

“But in a good way,” Andy added.

Devon blushed.

“So what about that scene?” Andy asked.

“Huh? Oh. Right. That was a wedding. Hayden going down on Thomas in front of witnesses.”

Andy's eyebrows went up, then a thoughtful look crossed his face. “Is that like a Falsiner thing?”

“Yeah. How'd you know?”

“We studied comparative biology in med school. The man has almost all the hallmarks of Falsiner anatomy.” Andy paused. “What was with the bones in his hair?”

“Oh! Those were his kills.”

Andy blinked. “His what?”

Devon turned sideways on the couch, cradling his mug in both hands as he told Andy the story that Hayden had told him: how Hayden had been kidnapped to get ransom from Thomas.

How Thomas had found Hayden trapped in an old lumber mill, his left arm literally bolted to the floor.

How Thomas had killed the kidnappers in a fit of rage, then cut off Hayden's left hand to free him from the welded bracket holding him down.

Afterwards, before the kidnappers' bodies were cremated, Hayden had arranged to have a finger bone removed from each of them to present to Thomas as a wedding gift.

“Because Falsiners braid a bone from each kill into their hair,” Devon explained.

“Not human, usually. It's supposed to be from the animals they hunt for food.

But it's symbolic. To show a man's strength and prowess.”

“Gods,” Andy gasped, then frowned again. “But he wasn't missing a hand. Hayden, I mean.”

Devon opened his mouth to answer, then hesitated. “It…um. It was Doctor Crawford,” he said quietly.

“Oh.”

“He helped Hayden regenerate it,” Devon went on.

“Took them a whole week to do it, but it worked.” Devon saw the tight look on Andy's face, then cleared his throat.

“But, yeah. Hayden's parents were there,” he went on, getting back to the original topic.

“At the wedding, I mean. That was awkward. They looked so embarrassed.”

Andy chuckled. “The couple on the right? Yeah, they were definitely not cut out for voyeurism.”

“Yeah,” Devon said with a laugh.

“Not like you,” Andy added in a murmur.

Devon felt his cheeks go red-hot.

Andy studied him, a smile slowly spreading across his face. “You moved.”

“What?”

Andy nodded downward.

Devon looked down at himself and gasped. He hadn't even noticed the attack had ended. He'd turned to face Andy without even thinking about it.

Andy reached out and rested a hand on Devon's knee.

Devon shuddered. “Thank gods,” he whispered, feeling the touch through the thin fabric of his pajama pants.

Andy brushed a hand down Devon's cheek, then asked, “You ready for breakfast?”

Devon was about to say yes , feeling his stomach growl.

But he wanted something more than food.

Andy must have seen it on his face. The man shoved their coffee mugs aside, scooped Devon up in his arms, and ran for the bedroom.