Page 9 of The Sinner’s Son (Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood #2)

Tearing his mouth free, Royce stared into the eyes of the only person who’d seen his truth and taught him how to revel in it.

Sawyer had lovingly glued each fragment of Royce’s broken heart together and declared it a work of art, even though the fissures still showed and the glue had dripped over the edges in places.

And Royce would battle to the end of the world for this man.

“We’ve spent so much time thinking about what our lives will look like next year that we risk missing out on all the little miracles along the way. ”

Sawyer shifted a hand into Royce’s hair and massaged his scalp. The urge to close his eyes and purr like Bones was strong, but he didn’t want to lose the connection with the chocolate- brown gaze he adored so much. “There’s nothing small about the miracle pressing against my pelvis.”

Royce snorted and nipped his bottom lip.

“Don’t distract me because you know I’m right.

I never want to lose sight of this—of us.

” He pressed his finger to Sawyer’s lips when they parted on a denial.

“And we will. It’s only human nature. With demanding careers and a kid, one of us is always going to draw the short straw.

” And Royce would be a complete liar if he didn’t admit that the idea terrified him more than a little.

“Just promise me we’ll always find our way back to one another. ”

Sawyer tugged his head down until their mouths were a hairbreadth away. “Easiest promise I can make.” Their lips met to seal their vow, soft and tentative at first. The slick glide of their tongues ramped up the intensity and drove away any thoughts except how they’d satisfy one another.

“Uncle Royce!” The urgent voice belonged to his oldest nephew, Jason. “You back there?” And it drew closer.

Royce scrambled off the canopy bed and frantically scanned the patio for their shorts.

A tall privacy fence surrounded their pool, so Jason would have to climb onto something to peer into the backyard.

Or open the gate. Damn, had he closed it after mowing the lawn?

“Yeah, Jay,” Royce called out. “I’m here. Hang on a minute.”

Sawyer hunkered down and duckwalked over to the castoff corner. He looked like he was dodging a hail of bullets, which Royce might’ve found funny if they weren’t minutes away from potentially exposing themselves.

“I’ve been calling and texting for an hour.” The gate rattled as Jason tugged on it. Luckily, Royce had remembered to lock it after working in the yard. “I need to talk to you right now. It’s an emergency.”

Royce’s heart skipped a beat as the many possibilities crossed his mind, each one more frightening than the one before it.

A pair of swim shorts hit him in the face, interrupting his mini meltdown.

He didn’t even look to see if they were right side out as he tugged them on.

Jason’s abrupt appearance had dumped ice water on his arousal, so at least that was one less thing to worry about.

“You good?” Royce asked over his shoulder as he crossed the patio to the gate.

“Uh, yeah. I think so.” Sawyer’s voice sounded strained, but he didn’t stop to investigate the reason.

Royce shoved the bolt to the left and swung the gate open.

“Finally!” Jason said. He took two steps forward and then lurched to an abrupt stop. “What the hell are you wearing? And gross, dude. Beastie and the Boys are trying to escape.” Jason looked beyond him to the romantic scene on the patio. His face turned bright red. “Um, oops.”

Royce looked down and realized he’d put on Sawyer’s micro swim shorts instead of his own.

They were inside out and hiked up on one side, where a testicle was hanging halfway to freedom.

The waistband hung so low on Royce’s hips that his dick was seconds away from bursting out over the top.

Turning his back to Jace, he readjusted the ridiculous shorts as best he could before meeting his nephew’s embarrassed gaze.

“What’s up? You said it was an emergency. ”

Jason averted his eyes and scuffed his shoe back and forth over the concrete. “I’m sorry I interrupted.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Sawyer’s kind voice pulled Royce’s attention to him again. Damn, he loved that man. “Let’s go inside. You can hang with Dolly and Bones while we get dressed.”

Jason nodded without making eye contact, then followed them into the house. They left him in the living room with the pets and hurried down the hallway. Sawyer collapsed against their closed bedroom door and doubled over with laughter, pointing in his direction.

Royce placed both hands on his hips and glared at Sawyer, but that only made him laugh harder.

He looked down at his crotch and noticed that the brief walk to their bedroom had completely dislodged a testicle, and the head of his dick had escaped the low-riding waistband.

Royce shoved the offending garment to the ground and stomped on it.

The fit only made Sawyer howl harder at the situation.

He slid to the floor as if his legs couldn’t hold him any longer.

“How the hell do you get your cock and balls into that stupid thing?”

Sawyer panted for breath. “Beastie and the Boys. God, I love that kid.”

Royce didn’t want to laugh at the situation, but Sawyer’s unabashed delight was contagious. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

Sawyer laughed even harder and could only shake his head.

Royce moved to the dresser and removed underwear, shorts, and a T-shirt.

“The kid didn’t run screaming into the night, so he must have serious reasons for being here.

” He’d said it was an emergency, but teenagers often exaggerated the urgency of situations.

Running out of chips and pizza constituted a disaster for some of them.

But not Jason. “We might have to pay for his therapy,” Royce said as he pulled on his underwear and shorts.

Sawyer pushed up from the floor and made his way over. “The kid is too levelheaded for that.” More reason for them to get back to the living room. Sawyer pressed a firm kiss to his lips. “Go. I’m right behind you.”

Royce hurried back to Jason, who waited for him with a lapful of dog and cat. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, I’m good.” He kept his gaze on the animals as he petted them. “I feel kind of stupid now that I’ve taken a few minutes to calm down. I’m probably overreacting.” He looked up then. “Sorry I ruined your night.”

Royce dropped into the chair across from Jason. “You haven’t ruined anything, and I’d rather you tell me what brought you here so we can work through it together.”

“You’re going to think I’m stupid.”

Royce shook his head. “I can guarantee I won’t.”

“I might get someone I care about in trouble.” Jason’s shoulders slumped under the weight of his worry. “They’re a good person doing something they shouldn’t, but only to help the people they love.”

“You can trust me. What’s wrong, Jaybird?”

The nickname made Jason smile, but it didn’t linger. “I think something bad happened to Dane.”

Royce thought back to the handsome young man who’d shown up to support Cayden at the open house.

Something poked at his brain until he remembered the awkward exchange between the brothers when Dane had tried to hand Cayden an envelope.

They’d had words, not heated but still intense, and Cayden had eventually capitulated.

What was in the envelope? Money? What illegal acts had Dane committed to give his brother the money? Drugs? Burglaries? Sex work? Hot cars?

Sawyer entered the room before Royce could press him further. “Jason, do you want anything to eat or drink?”

“No, thanks.”

Sawyer sat in the empty chair beside Royce. “What did I miss?”

“Remember the guy named Dane from the open house?” Royce asked.

Sawyer nodded. “Cayden’s older brother.”

“Did Royce tell you about their mom?” Jason asked.

“Yes,” Sawyer replied. “I’m sorry they’re going through such a tough time.”

“Their mom, Nina, is hanging on by the thinnest thread. She’s doing it for them.

Their only income is the monthly pittance she’s getting from the state.

Her employer fired her as soon as her illness made it impossible for her to work consistently.

If she dies, there’s no one to take care of Cayden.

Their dad split fifteen years ago and hasn’t paid a lick of child support since.

Hell, they don’t even know if he’s alive.

Dane and Cay don’t have any relatives to help them, and Nina’s afraid the state won’t allow Dane to be Cay’s guardian.

” Jason buried his head in Bones’ neck for a few minutes before meeting their gaze again.

“Especially if they know what he’s doing to keep food on the table. All Cay and Dane have is each other.”

“How can we help?” Sawyer asked.

“Jason had just told me he thinks something bad has happened to Dane. It sounds like he’s been doing something illegal to help make ends meet.” Royce turned back to Jason. “I need you to tell me everything if I’m going to help you out, okay?”

Jason held his gaze for several seconds before nodding. “Dane’s an escort. He hooks up with men for money.”

Royce felt like someone had punched him in the stomach. Sex work was extremely dangerous. “And you think Dane has run into trouble?”

“Yes,” Jason whispered.

“Why?” Sawyer asked.

“No one has heard from him since Wednesday night. I know that doesn’t seem like a long time, and he’s an adult who can do what he wants, but Dane doesn’t go dark for more than a few days at a time. Not with his mom so sick.”

“He handed an envelope to Cayden on Wednesday night at the open house,” Royce said. “I assume it had money in it.”

“Two thousand dollars,” Jason said.

Royce whistled in surprise. “That’s a lot of money.”

“Dane works with high-end clients. He said they paid better and were less risky.”