Page 5 of Like the Season
Chapter Two
Boyd hated leaving Caleb for so long this early in their relationship, but this trip was important. He’d been absent from Ella’s life for too damn long as it was, and not by his own choosing.
He brought Caleb’s hand to his lips and kissed it. “You be my good boy while I’m gone, and I’ll be there to meet your flight when you reach Portland.”
Caleb’s green gaze met his. “Yes, Sir,” he whispered, an adorable hint of pink coloring his cheeks.
There were so many ways things could get borked between them, and life could slide sideways off a cliff.
Boyd could literally lose his job for them being in a romantic relationship right now. If Caleb turned against him, he could easily get Boyd fired. Regardless of how their shift from coworkers to lovers had happened, that situation meant Boyd could lose his pension and benefits, in addition to his job.
At work, and around Sarasota, they had to play things very carefully, very coolly, for now. Boyd was on the constant look-out for an equivalent position opening in Zoning or elsewhere for Caleb to transfer into. With Boyd the head of Planning, it wouldn’t be a problem for them to be together if Caleb was in the other department, even though the two departments worked closely together. Boyd wouldn’t be Caleb’s direct-report boss then.
Didn’t even have to be in Zoning. Any other department he could get Caleb transferred into other than his would work.
The sooner, the better.
Although with Caleb being a civil engineer, there weren’t that many departments he could transfer into and be able to make it look logical. Transportation or Stormwater Management, maybe Public Works.
But the pay would have to be equal or greater wherever he transferred to. Otherwise, it’d trigger more questions instead of solving their problem.
After dinner, Caleb walked with Boyd over to the entrance to the monorail he would take to the airside terminal. They stood off to the side, hugging, Boyd’s face buried in Caleb’s soft, black hair.
“I’m going to miss you, boy.”
“I’ll miss you, too, Sir.”
“I mean it—I want you to stay at my place, even though I’m not there.” He nuzzled his way down to Caleb’s ear and nipped. “Hell, move the rest of your stuff in.” Caleb couldn’t change his address to Boyd’s yet, though. That’d look suspicious. “I like the thought of knowing you’re asleep inmybed, even if I’m not there.” He rubbed his chin against the top of Caleb’s head.
“I will.” Caleb’s arms tightened around him. “Please be safe, Sir.”
“I will.Yoube safe, too. Send me a text when you’re home, even though I’ll be in the air by then.” He pulled back just enough he could look down into Caleb’s eyes. He was six inches shorter than Boyd’s six one, and their bodies fit perfectly together. “But I want to know you’re safe.”
“Yes, Sir. You text me when you’re on the ground there.”
“I promise.” He couldn’t bear to let him go yet. “I’ll see you next Friday, boy.”
Boyd loved the way Caleb’s lips always curved a little into a smile when he called him that. “Next Friday, Sir.”
Another kiss, because he still couldn’t force himself to release Caleb. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
One last kiss, then Boyd made himself end their embrace. He walked over to the TSA agent manning the station by the monorail entrance and showed his ID and boarding pass. When he walked down to the doors to await the next car, he glanced back to see Caleb still standing there, watching.
Boyd blew him a kiss and Caleb smiled, blowing him one back.
My boy.
The doors opened and Boyd gave Caleb one final smile before stepping in and grabbing a bar to hold on to for the short ride.
I owe Kent big time for introducing us.
* * * *
To his dying day, Boyd would never forget the sheer terror he felt when he burst through Kent’s front door that Saturday afternoon a few weeks earlier, thinking he was too late to stop the man from fucking Caleb.
Just to find out Kent—that sneaky bastard—had set him up. He’d found the man standing there, fully dressed and impatient to leave on his own date, while Caleb lay tied up and blindfolded and thinking Kent was about to fuck him with that soda can cock of his.
