Savior: A Tattered Club Story (Tattered Social Club Series Book 1) (8 page)

Looking out the window, unable to let Niko see the vulnerable expression on his face, he asked, “Will your girlfriend be mad that you’re bringing me home to sleep on the couch? I assume you don’t pick up strays every day.”

The car slid through traffic with Niko never taking his eyes off the road. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Ethan fought the urge to do a mental fist pump. The guy was still straight, but at least the fantasy was legit. He wasn’t trying to deceive a girlfriend or, God forbid, a wife. Ethan never wanted to play that game. Charles was a lying bastard for putting him in that situation when he’d lied about being divorced. Ethan had been blindsided when Mrs. Callahan had showed up on the doorstep one night demanding Charles sign some papers.

Charles explained Ethan was an exchange student for an inner city project, which was ludicrous considering his father was a financial competitor. In Ethan’s eyes, she’d believed the story just as Ethan had believed Charles’s story. The man was incapable of caring about either of them. Looking back, he’d been a complete idiot for starting the damn affair in the first place.

Burying the disgust, Ethan tossed the thought. “Do you live in the city?”

“No, I live in the old Palace Theater. It’s a few blocks from the shop.”

Ethan peered over, “You don’t talk much, do you?”

Was that a smile? “I guess not. Do you want me to talk more?” He turned the car into the university library parking garage. The lot was usually full this time of the day. He took the ticket from the booth. “How about you talk? Tell me how a guy your age gets with an old guy—a rich old guy. I’m not a dumbass, but something pretty fucked up must have happened to put you in that situation.”

Ethan hoped Niko would quickly find a parking spot because he needed out of the car—out of his past. “Can we get something to eat after picking up my stuff?”

“Got it. And I’m the one who won’t talk.” He pulled the car into a slot and killed the engine. “Listen, I don’t care what got you here. I’m glad...fuck. I’m glad you’re safe. That’s all that matters. That guy is a bastard. He’s starting all these projects in the neighborhoods with the intent of getting rid of the families and move in the rich assholes to make the businesses into moneymakers. The Professor’s son, Mitch, is in the thick of it. I guess he’s an asshole, too. Your sugar daddy has been trying to close the club. He was quoted in the paper saying the shop is a disgrace to the city. The asshole’s never set foot in the place.”

Ethan was no stranger to shame. Hell, for the last two years he’d taken the easy way out because his father had been not only a money tree but treated him like a second-class citizen. With an older brother who’d followed in their dad’s footsteps and a sister in medical school, Ethan was the disappointment destined to never amount to anything but a party boy.

They climbed the few steps to the library doors and walked into the spacious lobby. Ethan remained silent, hoping Niko would get the hint and stop asking questions. “My boxes are downstairs. I moved them to one of the back corners where no one uses the desks.”

Ethan felt a warm palm spread across his lower back as a guy passed by in a blur saying, “Excuse me” over his shoulder. He didn’t move, waiting for Niko’s hand to pull away, but when the thumb just above the waistband of his shorts began an agonizing back and forth motion, he held his breath. The mumbling voices and rustling of people went silent in his head. The chaos in his brain calmed to a void.

“Niko, that feels—”

The feather-like caress detached, instantly making Ethan feel more exposed than ever. The fact he was gay had never been a secret, however he figured once Niko realized students were buzzing by and possibly saw his big hand caressing a man’s back, he’d probably flip him the middle finger and stomp out of the place.

Ethan grinned when Niko’s jaw tightened. “I’ll follow you.”

They dodged several cackling girls. “Down here.” Ethan headed downstairs. “It’s okay, you know.”

Ethan curled his hands when a young woman walked by gave Niko a too-slow once over. “What’s okay?” he asked, not noticing the woman giving him an eye fuck.

“That you want me.” Ethan flashed a smile when Niko almost tripped down the last two steps.

“What the hell, Ethan? I don’t want you. I’m not gay.”

“Hey, Ethan, what’s up?” Michael stopped at the edge of the stairs with the strap of a leather bag flung over his chest.

“Nothing, just came by to…to get some notes for lit class.”

His stomach trembled when Niko closed the space and brushed his arm against Ethan’s shoulder. Surprised, but grateful for Niko’s subtle gesture, he leaned in to steal the moment.

“So,” Michael said, a bit more cautiously than he had earlier in the car. “You want to get something to eat tonight? I can pick you up.” Michael’s gaze drifted to Niko and by the look on his pale face, he decided not to glance in that direction again.

Ethan knew it was wrong to push Niko, but damn if he wasn’t ready to see what his tattooed protector would do. “Sure, that sounds—”

“He can’t,” Niko said, pulling away as quickly as he’d leaned in. “He’s got plans, and he needs to rest. Come on.” Niko moved so fast, Michael stood motionless, obviously unsure of how to react.

“Sorry.” Ethan looked over his shoulder at Michael as he started to catch up to Niko. “You didn’t have to be rude.” Confusion didn’t cover half of what weaved through his head. Hot and cold, Niko road more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. “He’s just a friend.”

“I get that. You’re gay and having dinner is code for let’s have a fuck. I wasn’t running my mouth for nothing. You don’t need that shit right now. You need to get some real fucking sleep and eat some real food. The last thing you need to worry about is getting with some guy who doesn’t mean shit to you and won’t even take you out to breakfast after. So, forget it. Let’s get your shit and head home.”

Home.
This was going to be his first time to have a place of his own. The butterflies in his stomach revved into overdrive with the thoughts of sleeping in a bed and not having to worry about what would happen when he came home from school. He’d get to eat when he wanted and walk around in his underwear. If he could take a shower at two in the afternoon without a man staring at him while he washed his balls, he would be a happy camper.

He’d be free. The heat from the ink on his side seemed like a medal of honor. Survival was his ticket to independence and finally living his life on his own terms.

“My birthday’s next month.”

Niko stopped and glanced over. “Okay?”

Despite knowing what was unhealthy, like getting his hopes up that a guy like Niko would even be remotely interested in a young college kid, he said the stupidest crap. “I don’t know why I told you that.”

Niko looked to his left. “Which way do we go?”

God, he was a loser. This wasn’t anything personal, just a guy helping another guy out. “Down here.” They walked for a few minutes and made a couple more turns until he spotted the two small plastic tubs shoved under one of the corner desks.

He leaned down and pulled them into the narrow path. There were only a handful of students in the study wing. It was musty and lit with shadowed lamps. The creative writing majors and gamers mostly met down here to discuss whatever it was those brilliant kinds of people discussed.

Ethan stacked one tub on top of the other and hoisted them against his chest. He started down the hall. “Are you coming?”

If Niko wasn’t going for the boyfriend scout badge then Ethan wasn’t as gay as a Pride parade. The hundreds of students scattered at desks, hiding behind laptop screens, took notice as Niko strolled by as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Two men walking together that looked like they did offered the contrast of a skyscraper looming over the lapping surface of the ocean. Niko, the skyscraper, tats scrolling along both arms, forearms roped with veins, carried the boxes with ease.

Ethan adjusted the strap on his shoulder. He carried his laptop stuffed in his bag everywhere he went. He wasn’t about to leave the most expensive thing he owned in a tub in the university library.

“They all notice you,” he said, alluding to Niko’s stark handsome looks, but instead it sounded like an insult. “What I mean is—”

“I get it, man. I’m the freak show in this revival tent. You think this is the first time people have stared at my tats? Every time I pay for something people stare at my hands. Let them look. I don’t give a flying fuck if they like them or not. They’re me.”

Ethan wanted Niko to dump the tubs so he could hug his arms around those stoic shoulders, or maybe jump into his arms and wrap his legs around Niko’s lean waist. Not getting punched in the face sounded like a good plan, too.

“I think your tattoos are great.” He smiled a toothy grin, feeling proud he’d sat through the pain. Every moment was worth it—from having Niko’s art permanently on his skin to having those rough fingertips slide over his body. “All because of you.”

Niko stood to the side of the heavy glass door waiting for Ethan to push it open. “Don’t get sentimental on me, skinny jeans. Let’s go home before you get gayer than you already are.”

Ethan would’ve been offended if he hadn’t caught site of the wicked grin Niko sported as he walked onto the sidewalk. “
Gayer
? Like when I wear my rainbow tutu and dance to Madonna? Is that the gay you’re referring to? You seem more like a
Vogue
man than a
Lucky Star
kind of guy.”

Niko snorted, broad shoulders bouncing up and down. “Neither. Damn, I’m a straight-up Seether kind of guy. Seriously, you like Madonna?”

They walked the short distance to the parking garage. “Yeah, I do. So, maybe that’s a cliché, but Madonna is seriously awesome.”

The sound of their voices echoed between the cars. “If you say so.” Niko stopped by the Nova and set the boxes on the pavement before unlocking the trunk. When Ethan leaned down to lift one of the tubs, Niko waved his hand away and tucked both boxes inside.

“Where do you want to eat? We can grab something on the way home.” Ethan’s stomach rumbled, calling out like a wolf stuck in a trap. Niko’s lips tightened. “Do you want Chinese?”

At that point, anything sounded edible. “Sure.” Ethan latched the seat belt.

The engine roared to life. Niko made a call to a restaurant he must’ve ordered from before because he talked quickly then looked over and asked, “What do you want?”

Ethan was going to splurge this one time and spend some of what precious money he’d saved. “Um, General Taos chicken with fried rice and an egg roll.”

Niko recanted Ethan’s order into the phone. “We’ll pick it up on the way home.” He kept his eyes on the oncoming traffic.

Ethan knew he needed to say a thank you for everything Niko had done. “Thanks for the tattoo and finding a place for me to stay. You didn’t have to do all that. I’m not used to people being so nice without expecting something.”

Ethan almost flinched when the whites of Niko’s knuckles shone as he gripped the steering wheel. “Yeah, well, sometimes people are assholes.”

“Yeah,” Ethan mumbled and turned his thoughts to the window. The tall buildings quickly made way to smaller ones. The click clack of the Metra Rail lulled him to sleep.

“I’ll be right back.”

Ethan rolled his head to the side and watched Niko shut the car door.

He sat up, grabbing his backpack to fish out the envelope holding his money. “Shit.” He opened the door in time to catch several wet drops on his arms. The sky had gone from white puffy clouds sliding overhead to heavy, grey monsters threatening to turn the city into a floodplain.

By the time he reached the restaurant, the drops had turned into showers. “Wait!” He jogged, wet hair plastered to his head, to the counter where Niko was stuffing his wallet into his back pocket. “I’ve got money.”

Niko handed over one of the plastic bags stacked with a couple containers. “Good for you. You’re soaked.”

That’s all the guy cared about? Niko had spent at least thirty dollars on their food. Ethan waited until they reached the door and attempted to slide the money into Niko’s front pocket.

“Dude, what the fuck?”

Ethan tried to ignore the stab in his chest. It wasn’t like he was trying to feel up the guy. He just wanted to pay his part. Owing someone wasn’t his style anymore. “I was just…never mind.”

“Get in the car.”

The harsh steel in his voice didn’t bring the warm and fuzzies to Ethan’s shivering nerves. “I didn’t mean to do what you think. I was trying to pay you back.” He quickly opened the door and slid inside. The warm car was a relief. He swore the wetness from his T-shirt had seeped into his bones.

Niko slid into the driver’s seat. “I know you weren’t trying to grab my dick.” Niko twisted to lay the bags on the back seat. “My dick—Jesus Christ, Ethan jumped when Niko grabbed his hand and pressed it to his crotch—“is on this side.”

Oh God, his palm perfectly cupped the bulge under Niko’s zipper. “You’ve…um…” Ethan tested the waters and gently squeezed, feeling the mound grow. “Your cock is so…”

“So what?” He slowly lifted his hips only to plant them back on the seat. Ethan rubbed faster, knowing his own cock was reacting to the tension. When Niko pressed the back of his skull on the headrest, Ethan’s lips parted at the sight of the rose tattoo on the side of his neck. He wanted to taste the colorful skin, to slide the tip of his moist tongue along the gently faded red petals.

He was leaning in, hand increasing pace, when the seat belt tightened against his chest. The pressure wouldn’t let him get in closer. Silently cursing the tight strap, he reluctantly left Niko’s hips pushing in an agonizing rhythm. The click of the seat belt must’ve brought Niko out of his dream state because he shook his head, running the palm of his hand over his face. “Shit,” he mumbled then sighed. “Put your belt back on.”

Niko fumbled with the key before finally sliding it into the ignition.

No hum of the radio to drown out the silence, no small talk, just the tap of Niko’s thumb on the steering wheel filled the void as they turned off the highway onto a road leading to one of the old neighborhoods. The once cozy car now felt sterile.