Page 63 of Pretty ’n Peak

As soon as he thought that, he knew he was lying to himself. Mateo had very much been his partner for the past two nights, even if he finished on his own, after tucking the sweet boy into bed for another night of exhausted sleep.

He’d held him for hours last night, first checking carefully for any abrasions that needed antiseptic, then gently rubbing a healing lotion into his skin. He’d given the boy tylenol and water, stripping him completely naked to clean the cum crusted against his pubes with a warm washcloth.

And then he’d simply held him, listening to the boy’s sleepy mumbles, and then his soft, even breathing.

Last night had been amazing. A shaft of pure sunlight in the midnight of his life.

But what he couldn’t untangle was the source. Was it just that enough time had passed after the stress of his unhappy relationship? Was it the excitement of leading a new sub through all of the joys of kink?

Or was it… and he hardly let himself consider it… Mateo himself?

It seemed unlikely.

Yes, there was a spark there. Hell, so much more than a spark. A bonfire of attraction. There had been practically since he first took Mateo’s trembling hand.

And when Mateo had called him Daddy last night…

God, he’d never seen the allure of that kink before. It had always felt a little weird to him, one of those things that he didn’t judge, but wouldn’t want for himself.

The way Mateo had said it, though, like he was Dom and lover and hero all rolled into one, with so much damn adoration and faith…

Fuck. Whoever Mateo’s eventual Daddy was, he’d be one lucky guy.

For a moment, Austin even wondered if he could apply for the role.

Then reality intruded. They hardly knew each other. Even superficially, they had nothing in common.

Mateo came from a noisy Mexican family who he loved to pieces, while Austin hadn’t even talked to his parents on the phone in months.

Mateo was a burgeoning young artist, content with a simple life of construction work and painting in his afternoons. Austin could barely remember when he’d had the free time for a hobby, or wasn’t stressed and exhausted from work.

Austin was proudly out, and Mateo’s closeted life made him nervous, even by proximity. Everyone had to come out at their own time, but he knew he couldn’t go back in the closet for anyone.

Not that he was really contemplating a relationship with the boy. That was impossible.

Austin frowned as the trail ahead of him, a narrow white path, mysteriously disappeared. He got closer and realized that he’d reached the end.

He approached the overlook slowly, arms out until his cane hit the bars of the railing. He could see the last hazy pinks and oranges of sunrise, over the darker shadow of the mountains.

He wished he had Mateo here to describe it to him. What fanciful words would come out of the boy’s mouth, with that soft, lilting accent?

What would it be like to turn back along the path together, tangling his fingers with Mateo’s thick, work-roughened digits?

Mateo hadn’t seemed to mind at all when they went to dinner last night and Austin teased and doted on him like they were on a date. He was sure he had the boy blushing more than once, and Mateo seemed to thrive on every minute.

Austin wanted to make sure the boy’s first experiences with kink—and even being an out, gay man—made pleasurable memories.

Mateo had so much in front of him to explore. So many more firsts. So many more scenes with Doms and Daddies who would find the tall, bulky sub with the soft voice just as enticing as Austin did.

He didn’t try to deceive himself that he might be what Mateo was looking for in the long run.

A weekend of kinky fun was very different from a long-term relationship.

Cam had shown him that well enough.

His gut twisted as he thought of his ex. He still hadn’t gotten over everything he’d heard yesterday.

There was some relief in hearing that Cam’s pushiness felt like far more than the usual brattiness from two people that he trusted. He’d been convinced for so long that he was the failure in the relationship.