“About half an hour.”
Phex groaned. How could he have been this selfish after already making Devlin wait that long? “You must think I’m the biggest asshole on the planet for leaving you on your own again.”
“Why do you think I suggested we go swimming?”
Devlin pointed at the spot between his legs on the stairs, and Phex sat down, unable to resist the quiet command in Devlin’s eyes. “I don’t know, actually.”
“When you were solving your problem at work, I gave myself a tour of your house, and I noticed pictures of you on the swim team in college. I figured you had a reason for a pool this size, and that explained it. For most athletes, exercise is a stress reliever. It’s always been for me when I played football. That’s why I suggested going outside so you could get some laps in.” He chuckled. “I’d expected to have to convince you, but you were off the second your body hit the water.”
Devlin had really paid attention, and the thought made Phex warm inside. “I suck really bad at self-care,” he admitted.
Devlin put his hands on Phex’s shoulders, waited a beat, then dug his thumbs into his sore muscles. Oh god, that felt good. He leaned back, smiling when Devlin’s hard cock bumped his back.
“I had a sneaky suspicion. Hence your escape to Paradise, right?”
“Swimming and being Mikey are two things I need, aside from the fact that I should get more sleep and eat healthier, but all those are so hard for me to realize.”
“Why?”
The question held no judgment, only honest curiosity. If it had, Phex would’ve refused to answer it. But even knowing that Devlin wanted to understand without judging didn’t make answering easy. He’d never been able to figure it out himself. “I don’t know. My perfectionism plays a role, I’m sure, but I’m just really bad at relaxing and taking care of myself. Like deep down, I feel like I don’t deserve it. It makes no sense, but it’s been like this for years now.”
Meanwhile, Devlin kept massaging his neck and shoulders, and Phex closed his eyes, leaning into him. The tension wasdissipating from his muscles, making his entire upper body tingle.
“Do you want help with that?”
“Are you offering?”
“I am.”
Phex groaned as Devlin kneaded a new knot in his shoulders. “Why?”
“Why do I want to help you?”
“Mmm.”
“I would think that’s rather obvious. I’m a Daddy, and you’re a boy in desperate need of help.”
As much as he loved Devlin’s hands on him, he needed to face him for this conversation, and so he gently nudged Devlin’s hands away and turned around, then kneeled on the stairs, still between his legs. Their faces were only inches apart, and he was once again struck by Devlin’s eyes. They were so warm and kind, like the loyal eyes of a dog who would happily die for you to keep you safe.
“Why me? I can’t be the only boy who needs a Daddy. Or who needs help.”
Devlin cupped his cheek. “You touch my heart. I can’t explain it better than that. For some reason, from the moment I saw you sleeping on the floor in Paradise, you were in my heart.”
Phex swallowed, seeing much more in Devlin’s gaze than he had counted on. “That doesn’t sound like a casual arrangement with no strings attached.”
Devlin smiled. “I promise, no expectations. If I end up getting hurt, that’s my choice…and a risk I’m willing to take.”
“So what are the rules here? If I decide to accept your help.”
“Whatever you’re comfortable with, with a few nonnegotiable base rules.”
“Sex?”
Devlin grinned. “Yes, please. As often as possible.”
Phex barked out a laugh. “That’s crystal clear, thank you.”
“No reason to be coy about that. I think you’re extremely sexy, sweetheart, both as Phex and as Mikey. But if you want sex off the table, then I’ll accept that.”