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Huh. Was that actually some good fatherly advice? Like he…cared? I knew my father wasn’t a bad guy, but he wasn’t one to show any emotion or sentimentality.
I ran my hand over the prickly stubble covering my jaw and nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”
“Oh good,” my mom said, smiling at me. “I can make the appointment for you.”
“No, I can do it.” When her smile began to drop, I quickly added, “But thank you.”
She squeezed my hand, rubbing her thumb lightly over my skin. “Are you feeling up for breakfast? Or we can have something delivered?”
“Breakfast sounds great. I’ll just make sure to keep my sunglasses on so I don’t scare the waiters.”
“Probably a good idea,” she said with a laugh as she got to her feet. “We’ll let you get dressed and meet you out at the car when you’re ready. Unless you need help?”
“Nah, I can manage. Thanks, Mom.”
As she headed out to the car, my father closed the door to a crack and turned my way.
“I know I’ve been tough on you, and I know what you think. But I’ve never been ashamed of who you are, Grant. You’re my son, and I just…” He seemed to lose his words and swallowed before meeting my eyes. “I don’t want things to be harder for you. That’s all.”
My eyes began to burn from the sting of unexpected tears, but I wouldn’t let them fall. Not in front of my father.
“Thank you,” I said, not sure what else I wanted to add to that, but grateful he’d even said as much as he had.
He went to leave, but then hesitated. “One more thing. If your friend decides to open the door again, you might want to make sure he’s dressed. We do have our legacies to think about.”
And with that, he exited the room, leaving me stunned as I ran his words through my head again, committing them to memory so I wouldn’t forget. Never once had he been accepting of my being gay, but it sure as hell had sounded like he’d had a change of heart, hadn’t it? Maybe hearing his only son had blasted out of a jet had him rethinking things.
Yeah, I thought, as I carefully changed into a fresh shirt, I can only hope.
8 Solo
IN HINDSIGHT, MAYBE it wasn’t the best idea to open Panther’s door in only my boxer briefs, but in my defense, it was early and I was still half-asleep. I hadn’t wanted to put Panther in a bad position, especially with his family, but damn, the look on his father’s face had been priceless.
I’d watched them drive off a couple of hours ago, so I hit the gym, working off some of that sexual tension that had been so thick between us last night. By the time I jogged back to my room, Panther was getting out of the back seat of his parents’ Range Rover. I couldn’t decipher the look on his face, no way to gauge whether it’d been a good visit or one he wanted to forget.
He waved as they pulled out of the parking lot, and once they were gone, he turned to face me.
“You’re wearing more clothes than the last time I saw you.”
I grinned and wiped my forehead with the towel around my neck. “A shame, I know.”
Shaking his head, Panther reached into his pocket for his keys, and as he unlocked the door, I moved in beside him.
“Do you have plans today?” I said.
“Other than suffocating inside my four walls wishing I was anywhere else?”
“Okay, let me rephrase. Do you want to have plans today?”
A smile slowly crossed his lips. “There something you have in mind?”
“Yeah, there is. Give me an hour,” I said, backing away, and when Panther’s grin grew wider, I knew I had him.
I took a quick shower and then went to pick up a surprise. It was right at an hour later when I knocked on his door.
He opened it, his freshly showered hair still glistening at the ends, and he’d changed into shorts and a t-shirt. “Not too casual, am I?”
I trailed my eyes down every inch of him, letting him know how much I liked what I saw. “Fucking perfect. Though if you wanted to go naked, I wouldn’t complain.”
“I make it a point never to ride commando.”
“Ah, well, there’s been a change in plans.” I gestured to the sporty red convertible parked in the space I usually kept my Yamaha—which was now safely tucked away in the car rental agency’s garage—and smirked. “I know how much you like the purr between your thighs, but since you’re supposed to be taking it easy, I figured this might be more comfortable for you. And you still get the wind in your face.”
Panther stepped outside, shutting his door behind him, and whistled. “Whose car did you steal?”
