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  When Reed hung his head, shaking it as if disgusted with himself, Camden couldn’t stop himself from squeezing Reed’s hands. When the gorgeous older man looked up at him and their gazes locked, Camden surprised even himself when he admitted, “I want to talk to you, too.”

  He knew he’d said the right thing when Reed’s shoulders relaxed, and he let out a relieved breath. But Camden continued, not wanting to confuse the issue. “But, should we wait? Maybe until after I’m done with my last day on Friday?”

  Reed sighed. “We can, if that makes you feel better. That’s probably the smartest decision. I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you. I’d never do that. I hope you know me well enough to know that.”

  Camden gave a dismissive wave of his hand and then smiled, finding the guts to say, “We don’t have to wait. I just thought you wouldn’t feel so guilty about it if we did.”

  Reed chuckled and shrugged. “At this point, I’m well past the guilty stage, and I’ve moved on to the fuck it, I don’t want to wait stage. So, if you’re truly all right with talking tonight, I’ll ignore the annoying voice in the back of my head lecturing me about professional behavior. I know it’s late when we finally shut down, so if closing is too late for you, we can do it another time.”

  “Will—” Camden’s voice broke, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Will everyone be gone? I don’t want…”

  Reed’s earnest nod made him feel better. “Yes. Of course. I’ll make sure everyone knows they need to be done with closing their section and out the door by twelve-fifteen. You can come back around twelve-thirty, if that works for you.”

  Camden inclined his head, then asked, “Would you rather I just stay until then? I can finish the shift and help close down.”

  Reed stood and reached down as if he was going to touch Camden’s cheek, then pulled back and tucked his hands in his pockets. Camden couldn’t help but feel the loss of that almost-touch, but he knew Reed was warring with himself about the whole situation, and frankly, so was he. Camden stood and faced the taller man as he answered Camden’s question.

  “No. What I want you to do is take your food home, reheat it, and finish it. Can you do that for me?”

  Camden nodded. “Yes.” He knew he could promise that at least.

  Reed gave him a soft smile. “Good. After that, why don’t you rest for a while and give yourself time to think about everything? If you feel like coming back, I’d really love to see you. But, Cam, if you get home and you feel overwhelmed or change your mind, I will one hundred percent understand. There’s no pressure here. We can wait until your last day, or if the whole thing feels wrong to you, I won’t be upset with you if you decide you’d rather not take that step with me. Okay?”

  Camden bobbed his head, knowing Reed was right about him needing some time to think things over. It felt like they’d gone from zero to sixty in a matter of seconds. And yeah, hours had passed since that afternoon at Ace’s Wild, but he’d spent nearly four years having a professional relationship with Reed. Then bam, enter exhibit A…one lone cock cage…and the next thing he knew, Reed was wanting to discuss things Camden never thought he’d associate with his boss. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around it.

  Reed reached around him and picked up his food, handing it over. Camden saw a look of indecision pass over Reed’s face, but when it looked like he finally gave in to whatever he’d been thinking, Camden found himself being pulled towards Reed and felt a soft kiss on the top of his head as the food was placed in his hands. “Go on now. Go eat and get some rest. I hope I see you later.”

  He didn’t know what to say, so he didn’t say anything at all. He had no idea if he’d have the guts to come back, so all he did was nod and leave the office to head home. He made it there in a daze, and he couldn’t remember one single second of his trip. He walked in the front door and headed straight for the kitchen. But when he got there, he stalled out. It was as if his mind simply gave up.

  Camden had no idea how long he’d been standing there when he glanced up and realized he was surrounded by his people, all looking concerned at his lack of response. Jacob rubbed his arm up and down, which was probably what had brought him out of his stupor. “Hey. Cam, you okay?”

  He looked at everyone. “Yes.” He thought on that. “No.” Thought on it again. “I don’t know.”

  They all started talking at once, and he couldn’t seem to focus on any one voice, so he looked down at his to-go box, remembering the one thing he had to do. “I need to heat this up and eat.”

  Dylan grabbed the box, upended it into a bowl, and microwaved it. Adira grabbed Camden’s arm and pulled him gently into the dining room where Dylan placed his food and he sat. They all seemed to understand that was all he could do at the moment, so everyone remained quiet as he ate his late dinner. A glass of water was placed in front of him, and he drank that and finally sat back and told them everything that had happened since he’d walked in the doors to Ace’s Wild.

  No one spoke, asked questions, or made jokes. When he was done, everyone sat in silence for a good thirty seconds, and then they all started talking again. He listened with half an ear to what his friends were saying. He was dazed and couldn’t seem to snap himself out of it. But the one thing he heard from each and every one of his friends, in some way, shape, or form, was that he’d be absolutely crazy not to be there at twelve-thirty on the dot to hear what his three-and-a-half-year crush had to say.

  And Camden couldn’t come up with an argument. In fact, he didn’t want to come up with an argument. He wasn’t going to let the moment pass by him, even if it did scare the hell out of him. But he knew if he let his anxiety win in this instance, he’d regret it forever. “Thank you, guys. I appreciate your advice. He told me I needed to rest until I had to get up to go see him, and I think I need to do that.”

  He stood and reached for his dishes, but Brian grabbed them. “Go on. Get some rest, but in case we’re not up to wake you, set your alarm.”

  He wandered to his room, stripped out of his work clothes that smelled of Big D’s food and drinks, and took a five-minute shower as he did most days when he got home from work. He loved his job; he just didn’t want to crawl into bed smelling like it. He set his alarm and promptly passed out.

  Chapter 4

  Reed

  Reed had watched the clock as the minute hand ticked over to twelve-thirty in the morning—fifteen long minutes ago. Everyone else had already left, and he’d finished up all his work. He’d been ready and waiting for Camden, but now he couldn’t keep disappointment from dragging him down. He stood there behind the bar, second-guessing everything he’d said to Camden. It was exhausting.

  Reed headed towards his office, turning out the lights in the restaurant. He grabbed his keys and made his way towards the side door where he’d parked earlier that day.

  Of course, that made him think about Camden and what he’d seen that afternoon. Opening the door, Reed flicked through his keys until he found the one to lock up. He looked up when he heard a car door slam shut, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Camden running his way. “I’m so sorry! I fell asleep and set my alarm, but I wasn’t paying attention and set it for twelve-fifteen in the afternoon. I have no idea what woke me up. I got here as soon as I could.”

  Camden was gorgeous. All bright-eyed and eager for Reed to forgive his tardiness. Reed was so relieved and happy to see Cam that he was at a loss for words. There was no way around it. Startlingly bright blue eyes, cheeks pink with embarrassed excitement, wavy brown hair, probably tousled from his pillow and…brows turned down in a frown? Shit. He must have taken too long to answer because the sad look on Camden’s face made his heart constrict. “I really am sorry. I was so tired; I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

  Reed stepped close to Camden and clasped his face, searching his eyes. He couldn’t keep his gaze from taking in those beautifully plump, pink lips that seemed to be begging for a kiss. And he could
never resist a boy that begged, even when the boy didn’t know he was doing it. Reed leaned down and kissed Camden but kept it soft, a light brushing of lips before he gathered him close and whispered, “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything at first. I’m just so happy you’re here and then your sleepy appearance and pouty, full lips mesmerized me.”

  Camden sucked in a breath, wide eyed. Apparently, he wasn’t used to someone speaking so bluntly. “You look surprised. Cam, I’m always going to be open and honest with you. A lot of the men I’ve dated shied away from me because of that. It can be intense, but I never want confusion and miscommunication between me and my partners.”

  Camden had placed his hands on Reed’s sides, and with Reed’s words, Camden gripped him tighter. Reed searched his eyes, looking for any signs of tension, but all he found was Camden’s open and honest acceptance. Reed stepped closer, as Camden finally responded. “I’m glad that you’ll be open and honest with me.” He glanced down at Reed’s chest shyly. “I don’t have a lot of dating experience.” Camden shook his head, as if frustrated with himself. “I don’t have any dating experience.”

  Reed knew Camden had more to say, but they were still standing in the doorway, and he wanted them both to be comfortable while they were talking. “Hold that thought. Come on.” Reed grabbed Camden’s hand and tugged him inside. He flicked on the lights for most of the first floor and led Camden toward the bar, helping him onto one of the stools. He rounded the bar and faced Camden. “What can I get you to drink? I don’t want to cloud our discussion with alcohol, but I can get you anything else.”

  Camden bit his lip then smiled and asked for a Coke. As Reed drew one from the tap, he glanced up at Camden and saw him relaxing into a slouch, elbow on the bar, and resting his chin in his palm. He seemed to be taking Reed in. When Reed placed the Coke in front of him, he squeezed a wedge of lime in it and dropped the rest of the wedge in the Coke, stirring it in with the straw.

  Camden’s brows rose in surprise. “You know how I take my Coke?”

  Reed speared him with a firm gaze, unable to keep his voice from deepening. “I know a lot of things about you. I’m observant, and while I didn’t want to hit on you or ask you to date while you work here, that didn’t stop me from trying to learn as much about you as I could.”

  Camden blushed and pulled the Coke closer to him, swallowing a large gulp of the sweet liquid. Reed leaned forward, elbows on the bar. “Does that embarrass you?”

  Camden shook his head and then seemed to think better of it and nodded. “I’m not used to people taking notice of me. I’m kind of invisible. I can’t even believe I’m here, to be honest. I just…” He looked up into Reed’s eyes. “I don’t quite understand how a man like you could want a man like me.”

  Invisible? Is the boy crazy? “Camden, you’re anything but invisible. I see you. I see every bit of you. You’re beautiful and smart, you’re funny and sweet. I’ve been attracted to you since the moment I interviewed you years ago. I knew you needed a job more than you needed to flirt with me, and I don’t mix business with pleasure.” Reed scoffed at himself. “Or at least I never have. Until you. But I’m giving myself a bit of a pass because you only have three more shifts here.”

  Camden’s shy smile and rosy cheeks sent a little thrill through Reed’s body. He wanted to keep making him smile, not to mention blush. God, that blush. He was about to speak when Camden beat him to it. “I’ve been attracted to you since then as well. I saw the way you looked at me that day, which I played over and over in my head for longer than I care to admit.” Camden chuckled at himself, shaking his head, and brought a hand to his face, covering up his eyes in embarrassment. “But I convinced myself I’d manufactured that look in my head. Thought to myself, ‘Don’t kid yourself, he’s out of your league.’ I tried to set it aside and ignore how you made me feel for the last few years. It was really hard.”

  Reed couldn’t help it, he snorted at Camden’s “hard” comment. Camden’s hands flew up to cover his face. “Oh my god. Not like that!” Camden groaned. “Oh, who am I kidding? It was exactly like that, even though that’s not how I meant it.”

  Reed laughed when Camden peeked through his fingers and then quickly covered his eyes again, shook his head, and mumbled to himself, “Jesus, Cam, stop talking.”

  Reed leaned forward and pulled Camden’s hands away from his face. “I don’t want you to stop talking. You think I don’t like to hear you were feeling the same way? That I wasn’t alone in this?” He gestured back and forth between them. “I want to hear anything you have to say about pretty much anything. It feels amazing that I don’t have to hide what you do to me anymore. Christ, Cam, I want you to be mine and mine alone.”

  Camden blinked in disbelief and asked, “Seriously?”

  Reed’s lips quirked. “Seriously. I’m already feeling possessive of you. It’s like these feelings have been building up over the years, and I want to move fast with you. Faster than what’s wise and faster than you’re probably ready for. That’s just me being honest. I mean, Jesus, I want to grab you close and kiss the living daylights out of you right over this damn bar. But the last thing I want to do is scare you away.”

  Camden’s eyes speared him, his gaze catching and holding Reed in its clutches. “You won’t scare me away.”

  “No?”

  Camden shook his head. “No. I want those things. With you. But, like I said, I don’t know what I’m doing, and I want you to take the lead.” Camden spread his hands wide. “I haven’t been with anyone like this before.”

  Shock tore through Reed’s system and his face must have shown it because Camden groaned. “Ugh. Not like that. I mean dated, flirted, been in a relationship. I’m not a virgin. I’ve had sex. Some really bad sex.”

  At that admission, Camden’s face turned red again, and he leaned over and banged his head lightly against the bar—which was apparently a habit of his Reed was going to have to break—and grumbled to himself, “Camden Sinclair, shut up already!”

  When Camden lifted his head, Reed reached forward and grabbed his chin. “There’ll be no more of that. I want you to be open and honest with me, always. And I don’t want you hurting yourself, do you understand?”

  Camden nodded, his shimmering gaze meeting Reed’s. Reed tilted his head and Camden quickly went on to say, “Yes, Sir. I mean…” He bit his lip again, a habit Reed wanted to break to give that lip some rest, but also a habit he kind of loved because it sent a zing straight to Reed’s cock. He must have zoned out—who could blame him?—because Camden asked, “Reed?”

  “I’m sorry. I missed that. What did you say?”

  “I asked if I’m supposed to call you Sir. I don’t know how this stuff works, really. I mean, I’ve read about it. A lot. And, you know”—Camden shrugged—“watched a lot of porn.”

  Reed couldn’t help his grin; Cam was fucking adorable. But this time, all Camden did was close his eyes and shake his head, apparently giving up on trying to keep himself quiet. Good. Reed thought back on what Camden had said. “Wait. What do you mean you don’t know how this stuff works?”

  Camden’s mouth dropped open before he asked, “You’re a Daddy, right? You’re into the BDSM lifestyle?”

  It was Reed’s turn for his mouth to drop open. How the fuck? “How do you know that?”

  Camden covered his face in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  Reed reached out and clasped Camden’s hands again, pulling them away from his face. “Camden, don’t do that. I’m glad you brought it up. I would have eventually. Albeit later down the line. I’m just kind of shocked you know anything about that, or me, in that way.”

  Again, with the lip between his teeth. “Well…your boys? They weren’t always discreet. I heard several of them call you Daddy over the years. One of them even brought a couple friends in one day, and I waited on them. I heard him say you were the sexiest Daddy he’d ever had.” More blushing. “And how…uh…he loved being disc
iplined by you. He wasn’t exactly quiet about it. In fact, I got the feeling he wanted me to hear him, like he was staking claim on you and wanted me to know it. Not that he had anything to worry about.”

  “Oh, he had something to worry about all right. The only person who’s staked his claim on me in the last few years is you. Let me guess. Was it Bret?” Camden just stared at him, shocked, and not answering. “Cam?”

  “Yes. It was Bret…but…wait…” His voice squeaked when he asked, “I staked a claim on you?”

  Reed leaned his elbows on the bar, gazed at Cam, and smirked. “Oh yeah. I didn’t know it at the time, but when I look back on it now, I see it clear as day. Before you walked in here for that interview, I’d been in ‘relationship’ mode. I felt like it was time to settle down, maybe find myself a permanent bo—relationship.”

  Camden broke in. “You can say boy. I know that’s part of the Daddy dynamic. It doesn’t bother me. I actually… I really like it.”

  Reed raised a brow. “We’ll come back to that. But yes, I wanted to find myself a permanent boy. And then you walked into my office, and suddenly, I was only looking for casual relationships. Or at least, I think that’s how it happened because I started dating guys I knew weren’t the type of men I’d want to settle down with. I mean, I wasn’t aware of it at the time; it was just a shift I’d made that I only realized about a week or so ago, after I thought about it long and hard.”

  Camden pulled his lips between his teeth like he was contemplating something, when he finally asked, “The day I quit?”

  Reed nodded in agreement. “The day you quit. I’ve never been so happy for someone to quit.”