Jake took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around Vars’s waist. “It didn’t sit right with me,” he whispered. “I want what you asked for. Everything you claimed last night is yours.” A shiver went down his spine at saying those words and meaning them. Within a single night, his unwanted attraction had turned into a need he could no longer suppress. He wanted what Vars was offering. He wanted to be in his care.
Vars’s gaze, soft and inquisitive, settled on Jake for the longest moment. “From now on, you will be my boy.”
“But in secret? It’s not about you. I just don’t want any dumb questio—”
Vars gave a slow nod and kissed Jake’s forehead. “It’s fine, Jake. For now.”
Chapter 16 - Jake
Jake lived to be touched by Vars. And even when the contact was brief, almost incidental, he was still overcome by giddiness. They both stood in front of a mirror in the bathroom, in formal wear, because that was what Laurent wanted for his wedding. Vars looked magnificent in the gray suit that made him look classier and older, yet also somehow bigger in the chest and shoulders at the same time.
Jake’s own navy-blue outfit wasn’t exactly comfortable. It restrained his movements and made him feel as if he were about to apply for a job at some big-name corporation, but Vars had told him he looked great, so Jake stopped protesting and bought his first suit. Vars claimed there were moments in a man’s life when wearing a suit was necessary, even if said man was a biker and fucked all external rules, and that was what Jake wanted to be seen as—a grownass man.
Laurent had seemed pleased with the outfit too, so that won Jake some brownie points with Beast.
“Now show me if you still remember how to fix your tie,” Vars said, squeezing Jake’s shoulders.
Jake got sweaty in half a second. He wanted to prove to Vars that he’d learned, but after only ten tries, the possibility of getting it right was still small. The metal collar under his shirt wasn’t helping.
“Of course I can do it,” Jake said, though he had no certainty whatsoever.
Vars watched him, a severe presence behind Jake’s shoulder. “My father taught me for my gran’s funeral. He wouldn’t let me off the hook until I got the tie right. He was a very traditional type of guy.”
Jake looked up at him, completely thrown off his attempt at knots. Vars hadn’t mentioned his family before. “Do you still keep in touch?”
Vars looked up. “They’re dead. Gas explosion in the building,” he said curtly but waited for Jake to try yet again.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” Jake twisted the silk in his fingers but was now nervous and completely messed up the tie. “Gah! Can you do it this time?”
Vars’s eyes twinkled, and he smirked. Instead of simply grabbing the loose tie, Vars took his time massaging Jake’s neck. “All the family I’ve got left are back in Poland, but I don’t keep in touch. Bet you’re happy you won’t be meeting the parents.”
Jake stared at the mirror as Vars’s hands worked the tie proficiently, but it felt as if time stood still. If Vars’s parents were alive, would Vars actually want Jake to meet them, or was that only a joke? Were they actually boyfriends-boyfriends now? Even if in secret? He’d thought about it many times already, especially yesterday, on Valentine’s day, when he’d pondered if he should get Vars a gift or something. Because of the holiday, they’d been holding a special Valentine’s day concert for the paying public, with ‘love rooms’ available, which meant that both of them had their hands full with work. It was only at four in the morning, when everyone either left or had grown tired, that Jake ordered them a pizza to share.
A heart-shaped one. Literally cheesy because of all the cheeses it was topped with.
Vars had seemed to like it, even though he’d made sure to say that he believed Valentine’s Day was a festival of commerce rather than love. He still fucked Jake’s brains out at sunset, so there was that.
Vars adjusted Jake’s tie, but even once he was done, he lingered with his fingers loosely hanging above Jake’s chest, as if he didn’t yet want to let go.
“What about your parents? You never mention your family.”
Jake leaned back against Vars’s chest. He’d loved Vars’s size from the moment they met, but now that he got to experience the comfort of Vars’s body, he enjoyed it even more.
“They all live in and around Brecon. I don’t see them much. They’re not all that happy I’m gay, but it’s the biker thing they dislike the most. I go to my parents’ house for big family gatherings sometimes, so it’s not like I’ve been kicked out, but they don’t get me. And it’s always so tense.”