Pretty Boy (Perfect Boys #1) - K.M. Neuhold Page 0,71
in seconds flat.
“It’s time to get up,” I say again.
“I hate you a little right now,” he complains when I roll off of him, but he pushes the covers away nonetheless and swings his legs over the side of the bed. His hair is messy, and his eyes are still half closed, but he’s up, so I’ll call that a win.
“Love you too,” I tease, kissing the back of his shoulder before climbing out of the other side of the bed.
Sterling shuffles into the bathroom, and by the time he re-emerges a little while later, he seems more awake and slightly less annoyed with me. “You got business meetings today?” he asks.
“Kind of,” I answer. “We’re going to head over to the vineyard I’ve invested in, and then hit a few more places. It’s somewhat informal; I just like to drop in every so often. Plus, it’s a great excuse to visit Nice.”
“You want me to come with?”
“I always want you with me.”
He seems to be in better spirits than he was last night, holding his head up as we walk down the street to jump on the tram that will take us close to the vineyard. I hold his hand and lean over to whisper things to him as we walk. He’s all smiles and sweet looks, giving me hope that even if there are hiccups like last night, his confidence is growing little by little and one day he’ll look in the mirror without quickly looking away.
When we reach the vineyard, Albert, the man who has been managing it for the past several years, meets us.
“Barrett, Bonjour, such a pleasure to see you again. Ça va?” He approaches, kissing me on each cheek.
“Ça va bien,” I answer, using most of the French I know, which is a bit pathetic considering I took years of it in all the fancy ass schools I attended, but most of it never stuck.
“You are more handsome each time I see you,” he flirts, keeping his eyes on me until I clear my throat and draw Sterling under my arm.
“Albert, this is my boyfriend, Sterling.”
Albert’s smile falls as he glances at Sterling, his attention lingering on the birthmark for far too long. To my boy’s credit, he keeps his head high, staring right back until Albert finally looks away.
“C’est fantastique,” he says, awkwardly kissing Sterling on each cheek as well.
An air of tension hangs between us for the rest of the visit. When we leave, I see Sterling visibly sag, like the effort to keep a smile on for the past hour has cost him all of his energy.
“Come on, Pretty Boy. Let’s blow off the rest of our stops for the day and hit the beach again,” I suggest.
“Yeah?” he asks, perking up. “That won’t mess everything up?”
“It won’t mess anything up,” I promise him, kissing the top of his head and leading him back to the tram.
For the rest of the trip, he’s in his own head to the point that I’m almost tempted to order him to tell me what he’s thinking. But I decide to let him have the time to work through whatever it is. Hopefully he’ll tell me once he’s ready, and if he thinks for one second that I’m going to let him go, he’s crazy.
*****
“Daddy?” Sterling’s voice cuts through the quiet of the hotel room. We’ve had a fun few days in the sun and sand with relatively few other incidents. But he’s stayed quiet and more reserved than before. I look up from my computer where I’ve been working from the living room couch while Sterling read on the balcony. A grin jumping instantly to my lips.
“Come here, Pretty Boy.” I wave him over, but he still looks unsure.
“It’s not too important if you’re busy,” he says.
“I’m not too busy. In fact, if I don’t take a break, I might start to get cross-eyed reading through all of these proposals. So, please, come save me.”
His nervous expression morphs into a reluctant smile, and he comes closer. I set my laptop aside, and pat my lap before he can wonder where I want him to sit. The answer is always on my lap.
He climbs on, tucking his head under my chin and letting out a content sigh as soon as he’s settled.
“I didn’t know you had to read all these emails yourself,” he says, gesturing to my computer.
“Not all of them.” If that was the case, I’d never get through them all. “I get so