Page 32 of Cover Up

Jeremiah made a soft choking noise. “Again…and?”

“Fake boyfriend,” Dei said, then covered his face and let out a loud groan. “He told his family he had a hot boyfriend, and somehow, he’s choosin’ me to be that guy.”

Jeremiah scoffed. “Take this with a grain of salt since I can’t see shit, but pretty sure it’s not somehow, bud. He’s choosing you for the reason any attractive, single man would choose you.”

“You don’t need to butter me up. My ego’s fine, thanks,” Dei said.

Jeremiah waved him off. “You like him.”

“Guilty.”

“You want to date him.”

“More’n guilty.”

“But you won’t because…”

Dei groaned again. “My life’s a damn mess, and I ain’t been with anyone since I lost my dick. Which he knows about, don’t get me wrong. Told him about it before I even considered pursuing him. But…” He trailed off. He didn’t quite know how to explain how he felt both ready and entirely unprepared and wasn’t sure that would ever be resolved.

“Did he get weird about it?” Jeremiah asked.

Dei shook his head. “Nah. He was a little curious and real sweet. And that didn’t stop him from—” He snapped his jaw shut so hard he almost bit his tongue.

Jeremiah looked like it was Christmas. “From what?”

“Uhg. Kissin’ me,” he said, and as much as he’d told himself not to breathe a word about being able to taste Felix’s lips in case it didn’t work out, it felt like a sudden and intense load off his shoulders. “We kissed, and it was amazing, and I want him so damn bad my teeth ache.”

“So your solution is to go on a trip across the country and pretend to be his boyfriend, even though you both are really, really into each other,” Jeremiah said dryly. “Sounds super healthy.”

Dei was close enough that he could lean forward and bang his forehead on the desk. “I fuckin’ know. That’s why I wasn’t jumping for joy when you approved my time off.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Dei saw Jeremiah’s fingers reach for him, and eventually, they made their way into his short hair. The blunt nails felt good along his scalp, and Dei closed his eyes, sinking into the comfort of darkness.

“Instead of thinking of it as fake dating,” Jeremiah said quietly, “why not think of it as testing the waters. You don’t mind being affectionate with him, right?”

“Hell no,” Dei said. He could survive on Felix’s touch alone, he was pretty damn sure. And also watching him enjoy Dei’s cooking.

Jeremiah laughed. “You definitely won’t mind playing it up to piss off his family.”

“Nothing would give me more pleasure.” Except maybe giving Felix a few screaming orgasms, but that wasn’t something you said to your boss, no matter how close you were.

“So do that. Bring it up to him—suggest that maybe you could use this trip to see how the both of you feel making things more serious.”

Dei snorted and lifted his head, looking into Jeremiah’s slightly off-center eyes. “Your talents are wasted in a kitchen, boss. You should have a couch and a notebook back here.”

Jeremiah shoved him away and sat back. “You couldn’t pay me to play therapist to anyone but the people I love.”

“Aww,” Dei said with a grin. He tapped the desk with his hand, then heaved himself out of the chair and steadied his balance as best he could without his cane. He stretched his arm above his head and flexed the muscles in his stump to relieve some of the tension in his back. “I’m gonna run next door and let Felix know about the plan.”

Jeremiah smirked from his chair. “You do that. And tell Max that tonight I’m going to take his shirt off and—”

“No,” Dei told him. “No matter how much I love you, darlin’.”

He left the room as Jeremiah cackled behind his desk.

It only took him a couple of minutes to get to the tattoo shop, and when he walked in, he felt everyone’s gaze on him. There were a few clients waiting on the couches, and while Dei didn’t think he was the topic of open gossip, he still couldn’t help but feel like he was under a microscope.

And it wasn’t entirely comfortable.

---