Hired, page 27
Hadley’s heart grew soft. Sebastian was in his element, working on the design for the Snow Buddy. They’d come back from a quick business trip to LA earlier, another meeting with an executive who was interested in signing a contract with LeClerc to use their products, this time for an industrial cleaning company. Sebastian had decided not to go back to the office afterward but work from home, and here he was, doing what he loved.
Hadley carefully took off his headphones. “Seb, it’s time to come downstairs. My brothers will arrive any minute.”
Sebastian startled but then turned around with a big smile on his face. He rarely looked at Hadley without that dopey grin on his face, and it was adorable. “Hey, honey.”
“Having fun playing with toys?” Hadley teased him.
“I’m trying to test how we should process the video images for the Snow Buddy, how we can make the camera see shades of white.”
“I figured. Smart idea, those rugs.”
“Floris suggested it when I spoke with him earlier this week.”
Floris had talked to his wife, and his answer was now an official yes. Hadley had already started his research on the steps they’d have to take to request a work permit for Floris, which was complicated but doable. More than anything, it would take time and energy, but the odds for success were high.
“He’s a great sounding board for you.”
Sebastian sighed as he took Hadley’s outstretched hand and pulled himself up. “I should’ve taken advantage of that much sooner.”
Asking for help was hard for Sebastian, that much Hadley had learned. But he was open to Hadley’s nudges and suggestions, which was all he asked for. “You’re doing it now. But as interesting as this is, we need to head down.”
“Yes. Of course.” Sebastian’s face tightened. “I’m nervous.”
“I know, but you have no reason to.”
Sebastian snorted. “Yes, I do, and we both know it. I can be awkward as fuck with strangers.”
The softness in Hadley’s heart increased at Sebastian’s vulnerability. “They’re not strangers. They’re my brothers, and they already like you because I’m in love with you. It’s the easiest audience ever. Besides, you’ve already met one of them.”
Nordin and he had discussed how they would break the news to Sebastian that the man Hadley had been with the night of their first kiss had been his brother. Nordin had suggested waiting till the last minute so Sebastian couldn’t ask too many questions, and that had seemed smart.
Sebastian frowned. “I have?”
“That guy you met in the hotel? When you kissed me for the first time?”
Sebastian’s eyes darkened. “You mean that slimy sleazeball who had his hands on your ass?”
Fuck, Hadley secretly loved it when Sebastian got all territorial and jealous. “That’s the one.”
“What about him?”
“That’s my brother Nordin.”
“What? But he was…”
Whatever he’d wanted to say was cut off by the ringing of the gate app on Sebastian’s phone. “He was playing a role, Seb,” Hadley said quickly. “He was only riling you up. Clearly, it worked. He’s not like that in real life, I promise. Now it’s time to let our guests in.”
They all arrived at the same time, having shared a ride over to Sebastian’s house, and Hadley opened the gate for them. He had the app on his phone now too, which was even cooler than an actual key if you asked him.
They stood side by side, Sebastian’s body practically vibrating with nerves, as his brothers walked up. Hadley let them in the door, hugging them all, then said, “Guys, this is my Sebastian.” Dammit, his voice had cracked there right near the end, and Sebastian put his hand on Hadley’s shoulder. That earned him a big smile from Hadley’s brothers.
“Seb, this is Lagan, Jaren, and you’ve met Nordin, albeit it in a disguise of some sort.”
Sebastian shook their hands in the order Hadley introduced them. When he came to Nordin, his face was just a tad tighter, but he didn’t say anything. Nordin just grinned, the fucker.
“Oh my god, this house is amazing,” Lagan said, his mouth dropping open as they stepped into the living room. “Holy shit, look at that view!”
Lagan and Jaren hurried over to the windows, looking out over the river where darkness had fallen already, the city lit up under the almost full moon. “You should see it during the day,” Hadley said, making his way over as well. “I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of it.”
“It’s quite an upgrade compared to the view from your apartment,” Nordin said.
“That’s not why he is with me,” Sebastian said sharply.
Hadley’s heart skipped a beat. Why did Sebastian react so fiercely? Nordin shot Hadley a questioning look, but he signaled back that he didn’t know what was going on either.
“Of course not,” Nordin said amicably. “I didn’t even think that for a second.”
“He’s not interested in my money.” Sebastian’s tone was only marginally warmer. What was going on? Hadley’s heart grew cold. Something was wrong, but he had no idea what.
Nordin put a hand on Sebastian’s forearm. “Sebastian, I know that. Hadley didn’t choose you for any other reason than love. He’s in love with you.”
“Oh.” Sebastian deflated. “Sorry. I thought you were suggesting that…” He vaguely gestured at Hadley.
It clicked for Hadley. Sebastian had been defending him against what he had perceived as criticism, probably because his first impression from Nordin hadn’t been a good one. He rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. “Thank you for coming to my defense. That means a lot to me.”
Sebastian hugged him back, bringing his mouth close to Hadley’s ear. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want him to think that you were after my money, but I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
“No.” Hadley took his face between his hands and kissed him. “You did good, Seb. I love you for it, as does Nordin.”
“Yes, one hundred percent,” Nordin said without hesitation. “In fact, anyone who defends my brothers is already a good guy in my eyes.”
He slapped Sebastian on his back, and with that, the tension seemed gone. Phew. “Let’s go eat. We’re having tikka masala, and it turned out really well.”
Sebastian still couldn’t eat spicy food, but the gentle garam masala in the sauce was no problem as long as Hadley kept the cayenne pepper limited.
“Oh man, this kitchen is heaven,” Jaren said dreamily, looking around.
“It has a built-in air fryer,” Hadley said, not opposed to a little bragging.
“I just went for whatever the kitchen designer suggested. It’s completely wasted on me, as I’m not good with cooking, but Hadley seems to love it,” Sebastian said, shrugging sheepishly.
“I do. It makes cooking so much more fun than trying not to bump into everything in our tiny kitchen,” he said to Lagan.
“Yeah, no shit.”
Conversation flowed easily, and Sebastian, who was still a bit tense in the beginning, completely relaxed. Much to Hadley’s surprise, he hit it off with Nordin, but then again, Nordin had always excelled in conversing with people where they were at. He was able to talk to anyone about anything, which was a rare gift.
“So I wanted to ask you something,” Sebastian said to Lagan, and the room grew quiet. “I talked about it with Hadley, but he said we should discuss it with you, so that’s what I’m doing.”
Hadley suppressed a smile at that classic Sebastian approach of going directly for what he wanted.
“Hit me with it,” Lagan said, a soft smile playing on his lips. Probably because Hadley had given him a heads-up, wanting to prevent his brother from being blindsided and his boyfriend from getting rejected. Win-win, right?
“I asked Hadley to move in with me. I know it’s soon, but—” He stopped when Hadley’s brothers let out a soft “aw…”
“I want him with me so much, and I don’t want to wait,” he continued. “But Hadley said he didn’t want to agree without finding a solution for you because you can’t afford the rent of the place you now share on your own.”
Lagan nodded. “I can’t. I want nothing more than for Hadley to be happy, but financially, it poses a big problem for me.”
Sebastian took a deep breath. “I want to buy you an apartment.”
Nordin and Jaren gasped, but Lagan merely blinked. Hadley had told him Sebastian was going to make him an offer, but not the details. “You want to what?”
“I want to buy you an apartment and then rent it out to you for a price you can afford. That way it’s not charity but a smart way for me to ensure Hadley can move in with me without feeling guilty about leaving you in a pickle.”
“And I’m thinking it should be a better, slightly bigger place than where we live now because we both know that building is becoming a hazard. The landlord is not keeping up with what needs to be fixed, and sooner or later, this will cause problems that could have dangerous consequences,” Hadley said.
“Yeah, and that neighborhood has gone downhill as well,” Jaren said.
“Will you let me do that for you?” Sebastian asked. “Or rather, I’m doing it for myself and Hadley.”
Lagan swallowed. “You can afford this, right?”
“Easily. I will literally not even miss the money.”
“And you’ll set up an official lease contract and everything?”
“Absolutely. Hadley will take care of that, but we’ll make it all above board.”
“In that case, yes, I will accept your generosity. Thank you. I know you’re doing it for yourself, but it means a lot that you’re looking out for me.”
“You’re Hadley’s family, his brothers. Family matters.”
Yes, it did, whether it was family by blood or chosen family, and thank god Hadley had found himself a man who saw that.
Nordin rubbed his hands. “Let’s go apartment shopping! I love spending someone else’s money.”
Laughter filled the room, and minutes later, they all sat in front of the huge TV in the living room as Sebastian hooked up his laptop to the TV so they could all search together for a new apartment for Lagan. Hadley parked himself on Sebastian’s lap, and as Nordin did the first search on Zillow, Hadley kissed his man deeply and passionately, not even stopping when his brothers catcalled. Love was beautiful.
EPILOGUE
Seattle’s Richest Bachelor is Off the Market
Sebastian LeClerc, the richest bachelor in Seattle, is off the market after marrying his boyfriend, Hadley Foster, in a small ceremony over the weekend. Sebastian, who recently stepped down as CEO of the internationally renowned LeClerc Robotics, a market leader in robotic applications, was a fixture in the gay scene of Seattle. Rumors have it that his boyfriend and now husband started as his personal assistant, but when asked for comment, neither Hadley nor Sebastian responded. Congratulations to the happy couple and to Hadley for snagging himself one of the hottest and richest bachelors in Seattle.
Hadley rolled his eyes as he looked up at Sebastian. “How do they come up with this crap? They’re making me sound like a gold digger, like I only married you for your looks or your money.”
Sebastian grinned and put his cocktail down on the little table next to their beach loungers. “I know. It’s ridiculous, since we both know you married me for my sexual skills.”
Hadley snorted and turned off his phone. “Obviously.”
He shouldn’t read drivel like that. Sebastian had warned him how vicious the press could get, especially some less reputed online outlets that thrived on gossip. But it was hard to turn a blind eye to it when they called him a gold digger and were speculating about what a nobody like him could offer Sebastian LeClerc to keep his attention.
Sebastian took his hand. “You know better than to believe those lies.”
“I do, but it’s hard.”
“I had to learn to ignore it. It was the only way to keep my sanity.”
He shouldn’t let this ruin their honeymoon, which was pretty spectacular if he did say so himself. He’d agonized enough over their destination until he’d settled on Fiji, where they were staying in one of those over-the-water bungalows that he’d only seen in pictures and that had always seemed like the epitome of luxury. And they were. He’d been with Sebastian for six months now—officially, though they both counted the first time they had sex as the start of their relationship—but he still hadn’t gotten used to having money at his disposal.
He’d moved in with Sebastian almost right away, and true to his word, Sebastian had bought an apartment for Lagan that he rented back from him at low cost. Lagan was overjoyed with the bigger space and the increase in privacy.
Like Reid, Sebastian joined them once a month for their Friday dinners, always coordinating with Reid, and left them alone the other nights. His brothers loved coming to Sebastian’s house, which was now his house as well. Sebastian had insisted on arranging all their legal affairs so that when they were married, Hadley would own half of everything. So now he did, and he didn’t think he’d ever get used to that. Though he appreciated having a whole closet for his yarn, all neatly stored in drawers. How life had changed.
“I like this cocktail better than the last one,” Sebastian said. “It’s less sweet.”
Hadley turned his attention back to his husband, who looked delectable in a pair of skimpy black Speedos. With no one else around and complete privacy, he wasn’t even wearing that half the time, and Hadley approved. “What’s in this one?”
“It’s called a Black Pearl, and it has rum, lime juice, and some other stuff I can’t quite remember.”
Hadley chuckled. “Probably because it’s your fourth cocktail.”
“That could very well be the reason.”
“So maybe it only tastes better because you’re drunk.”
Sebastian frowned, which looked adorable. “Maybe? I wouldn’t know how to test that hypothesis.”
“I know a way…” Hadley wiggled his eyebrows, then got up from his lounger and sauntered toward their bedroom. Just before he stepped inside, he bent over and took his Speedos off, making sure to offer his husband a prime view. “You could find out if I taste better too when you’re drunk.”
Sebastian put the cocktail down, almost missing the table, and some of it sloshed over the sides. “Excellent plan.”
Hadley dropped his Speedos on the floor and rubbed his ass. “You’d better do a thorough testing, though. For science and all that.”
Sebastian got up, a big smile on his face. “Eating ass for science… You have the best ideas.”
A few minutes later, as Hadley lay over the edge of the bed, his legs spread wide as his husband was eating him out with gusto, Hadley had to agree. He really did have the best ideas.
Coming next: Loathed: Lagan. Can the mutual hate Lagan and his law professor feel for each other maybe lead to something special? Turn the page for a sneak peek of chapter one!
SNEAK PEEK OF LOATHED: LAGAN
Seattle, nine years ago
Killian couldn’t take his eyes off him. Ever since the guy had come into the gay club, surrounded by three friends, Killian had been drawn to him. He had an energy about him, an effortless magnetic sexiness, that was irresistible. The way he moved on the dance floor was smooth and elegant, his slender body dipping and swaying to the music.
He was having fun, losing himself in the music, smiling and glowing. Every now and then, when one of his friends said something, he threw his head back, laughing with abandon without being overdramatic. The affection he had for his friends appeared genuine. They formed an interesting group. One was a total flirt, one a sweet one who was batting his eyes at a big guy he was interested in, and the last one seemed more of an amused observer. And then there was him, a little shy but flirting low-key. So far, no man had managed to break them up.
The clingy, black shirt highlighted his alluring shape, and the tight jeans he’d managed to wrestle himself into made it clear to every man in the room what his sexual preference was. No strict top would ever put his ass on display like that…and what a luscious ass it was. Fuck, Killian wanted to bury himself between those ass cheeks, first with his mouth, then with his cock.
But did he even stand a chance? A year ago, he wouldn’t have asked himself that question, but everything had changed. He’d always been so confident, cocky even, but after Armando, that daring attitude had evaporated. How had he been that gullible, that stupid? Two months later and he still couldn’t figure out how Armando had gotten to him. He’d broken every single one of his rules, and for what? For a man who had turned out to be nothing but a criminal, one who excelled in lying and deceit.
Before Armando, Killian wouldn’t have hesitated. He’d never had any issues scoring hookups, either through Grindr or in person. Every twink in Boston had been willing to bend over for him—no exaggeration. He was always dressed impeccably, kept himself in excellent shape, and his cock was a work of art. Plus, he knew damn well how to use it, according to the feedback. Who wouldn’t get a boost in self-confidence from those kinds of reviews?
He’d always had a high sex drive and had many partners, but he’d never received complaints. In fact, he’d done some repeats with men who’d loved what he’d dished out, though under the strict warning that he didn’t do relationships. One guy could never be enough for him, and besides, he didn’t have the time for a relationship. He had a fantastic job as a criminal defense attorney in Boston, and he’d loved his life way too much to settle down.
But then he’d met Armando, and for the first time ever, he’d thought himself capable of settling down. Armando had made him want things he’d never yearned for before. When everything had blown up in his face, he’d started questioning himself, his morals, and above all, his judgment. If he’d fallen that easily for a con man, clearly he wasn’t as street smart as he’d always considered himself to be.
