with a grace that always took Craig’s breath away. He bowed his head.
“Good boy.”
Craig ran his hand over Louis’s head, feeling the boy shake. He pulled over one of the chairs in front of Louis’s desk and sat in front of him. Then he raised Louis’s head. Louis wasn’t calm. From the sparks in Louis’s eyes he was angry. Craig waited. Louis didn’t safe word.
“I know you’re angry,” Craig began. “You’ve just gone through another traumatic experience. You feel betrayed.”
Craig would deal with the rudeness another time. He needed to calm Louis before they faced the cops.
“The next few hours are going to be hard. Take five minutes with me to relax before we have to deal with the fallout.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was an order. Louis pressed his lips together, but he didn’t say anything. Craig could tell Louis wanted to yell at him, but he stayed silent and shaking.
Craig cupped his jaw with both hands, stroking it gently with his thumbs. He looked into Louis’s eyes, hurting at the pain he saw there.
“It doesn’t matter what happens, you’re safe. I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere.” Louis let out a sob, but Craig kept his gaze firmly on him. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, my boy. You’re mine. I’ve got you.”
It was working. Craig felt the trembling ease gradually. He kept his breathing calm, his voice soothing, his touch tender. Louis started breathing in time with him. Someone knocked at the door. He ignored them. His whole focus was on Louis. The rest of the world could wait.
Finally, Louis sighed and sat back on his heels. He looked calmer than before. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“Being rude to you.”
Craig inclined his head. “We’ll work out a punishment for that later. But for now, how are you feeling?
Louis ran his hand through his hair. “Like crap. But better. Thank you.”
Craig took Louis’s hand and kissed the inside of his palm. “Always.”
“We’d better deal with the cops.” Louis spoke with the resignation of someone who’d had to deal with them many times.
Craig stood and pulled Louis up with him. “I’ll be with you,” he assured him. He tugged his boy into his arms. “You handled Carter extremely well.”
“I’ve been in the game a long time. I’m not hurt by his accusations. I offered Green-Wright all the help I could, including Jamie’s assistance as an assistant manager. He could have kept his club, but he refused to take it. What hurts is Dan could have been so much more and now he’s wrecked his life and probably his family’s, all because his father was too proud to tell him.”
“That’s not your fault,” Craig assured him.
“I know.”
Craig knew Louis well enough to know he’d still be trying to find a way to help the family.
Another knock at the door. This time more insistent.
“Craig, the cops are here,” Jace said.
“Okay, we’ll be out in a minute,” Craig called.
He looked down at his boy. “Are you ready?”
“With you by my side? I’m always ready.” Louis gave a wry smile. “You know Jamie’s going to kill me for letting Dan Carter back in the club, don’t you? And Vera! I’ll be lucky if she lets me out of the kitchen.”
“You really ought to let them take over the club.”
Craig had said it as a joke, even though Jamie and Vera were more than capable of running the club. All they needed was a strong personality behind the bar and they were set.
“I think you might be right,” Louis agreed.
Interesting. Is Louis ready to step back? Craig decided to follow that up later.
He tucked Louis’s hair behind his ears, held out his hand, and led him to the door. Time to face the world.
Chapter 16
Louis
“I’m too old for this,” Louis muttered under his breath.
His knees hurt and his back ached.
He was too old to be kneeling in the corner of the guest bedroom.
But here he was. Put there by his Daddy for his rudeness earlier in the day.
If he thought Craig had forgotten about it, he was very much mistaken. They’d dealt with the cops, come home and had dinner. Louis had expected a quiet evening on the couch. Instead he was led to the guest bedroom and told to kneel in the corner until Craig said otherwise.
He was too old for this.
Then safe word.
Dammit. Louis cursed again. He knew if he said the word, Craig would let him free.
Then he’d put me over his knee for using my safe word when I didn’t need to.
Just