Beauregard and the Beast Read online

  “Fuck. Me too, babe.” Adam held Bo close, dropping a kiss to the crown of his head. “One and a half more nights, then we can spend an entire day in bed. To hell with the training camp. I’ll let you work me out instead.”

  Bo nodded against Adam’s chest. “Sold. But you have to come out with Lulu and me tomorrow.” He peeked up at Adam and grinned. “I might’ve let it slip you’re gay when she wouldn’t give up her story. It took one glance at my face for her to guess we’re sleeping together. That flipped her switch. All she could talk about after that was you. And us. She asked me about a hundred questions, and the only way I could get her to go to bed was by promising to let her apologize over dinner tomorrow. She wants to get to know you. If that’s okay.”

  Adam beamed, his cheeks cramping under the strain. As far as he was concerned, it was more than okay. “Does that mean I’m allowed to steal a kiss right now?”

  “I’ll do you one better and say, not only can you steal all the kisses you want, but Lu yelled at me for treating her like a child by sleeping in separate bedrooms.”

  Adam scooped an arm under Bo’s knees, swept him against his chest, and headed for the stairs. “Thank fuck. I’m not sure I could’ve survived two nights without sleep during a training camp. I’ll be sure to thank the little monster in the morning.”

  Chapter Twenty

  BO let his head fall against the seat back behind him. He grinned at the ceiling, cringing as the two idiots in the front seat hit another off-key note.

  What were the chances his baby sister would have a voice as terrible as—if not more so than—Adam’s? It was no wonder he’d never heard her sing before now. She probably broke a few mirrors or shattered a water glass or two as a child and decided to avoid it for the sake of their family’s finances.

  Because, holy cow, those two were a special kind of terrible. And together? They might legitimately damage his eardrums. “Could you two take it down a notch? I’d prefer not to get a brain bleed at twenty-five.”

  Lulu spun around in the passenger seat. A comical grin spread her cheeks, and she bounced her head back and forth to the rhythm of the music. “The night is young, big brother. There’s more where this came from. Consider yourself blessed to be surrounded by such talent and skill. It isn’t every guy who has a sister and a boyfriend who can sing like angels.”

  Adam offered Lulu a high five and winked at Bo from the rearview mirror. He cranked the volume on his satellite radio, and the caterwauling continued, unhindered by Bo’s request for reprieve.

  Which, for the first time all night, didn’t matter. Bo was no longer paying attention to the tone-deaf wailing. He’d latched on to a single word in Lulu’s assertion and couldn’t get his brain to let it go.

  Boyfriend? Adam Littrell was not his boyfriend. Boss, yes. Friend, for sure. Friend with really awesome benefits, no doubt. But boyfriend? Not happening. Did Bo dream of such a thing? Yes, every night, but that wasn’t in the cards. Adam didn’t do romantic, long-term relationships. He’d tire of Bo eventually, and when that happened, they’d either slip back into their boss-employee relationship or Bo would be scrambling to find a new job.

  That didn’t terrify the ever-loving daylights out of him because things were so perfect right now. No way Adam would tire of what they had anytime soon. Not when the sex was as good as it was. And even though they hadn’t done more than curl up together, fully clothed, he’d seemed genuinely pleased to get Bo back into his bed the night before.

  By the time they pulled into the garage, Bo was back to covering his ears and griping at every pause in the tuneless warbling drifting from the front seat. Neither Lulu nor Adam seemed to care, as they both decided it’d be a grand idea to bust out Rock Band on Adam’s Xbox as soon as they entered the house.

  Even though only one of them could control the microphone portion of the game, they continued to croon the songs together, taking turns pounding on the drums or strumming the guitar as they did. They tried to get Bo to participate, but he accepted his musical inabilities and chose not to curse those around him with his own faults. Unlike his beloved sister and boss.

  The night eventually wound down, and they stretched out on the couch to watch Saturday Night Live. Bo drifted to sleep and startled awake as the show wrapped up. He’d somehow migrated from the middle cushion to practically lying on top of Adam. He gave himself a moment to enjoy the warmth of Adam’s embrace before pulling free.

  At the other end of the couch, Lulu smirked in his direction. “Okay, kids, it’s time for bed.” She made an exaggerated show of stretching and yawning. “Bo, will you tuck me in? For old time’s sake?”

  When she fluttered her lashes at him, Bo laughed. “Brush your teeth. I’ll be up in a minute.”

  Lulu hopped to her feet and stopped in front of Adam. She held out a fist and grinned when he pounded it with his own. “G’night, you grumpy bastard. Thanks for hanging. You’re loads more fun than my lame-o brother.”

  “Sweet dreams, mini monster.” Adam returned her smile and pulled Bo back into his arms. “You’re welcome here anytime.”

  She shoved a finger down her throat, made a gagging noise, then winked. “Get a room, you guys. You’re tainting my innocence.”

  “Innocence, my ass.” Adam chortled and pointed up the stairs. “Brush your teeth. I want a minute with your brother. Unless you want to stick around and watch me shove my tongue down his—”

  “Ohmygod. Don’t you dare.” Lulu covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m going. I’m going. No kissy noises until I’m safe in my room with the door shut.”

  She bolted up the stairs, and Adam turned to Bo with a self-satisfied grin squinting his eyes. “I like her. She’s a pain in my ass, but overall, she’s a pretty cool cat.”

  A warmth that had no right to exist wrapped itself around Bo’s heart. Adam liked his kid sister, and she clearly liked him in return. It shouldn’t matter, but it did. It really, really did. He shifted so he could snake his arms around Adam’s ribs. “Is it okay if I join you again tonight?”

  Adam narrowed one eye and popped the opposite brow. “Why is that a question?”

  “Because with Lulu here, we can’t, you know, do anything.” As ridiculous as it was, Bo’s cheeks heated. “I wanted to make sure you wouldn’t rather have your bed—”

  “Our bed, and no, I absolutely would not rather have it to myself, if that’s what you were gonna say.” Adam pulled Bo the rest of the way into his lap and threaded his fingers along the back of his neck. He tipped his chin and brought their lips together for a soft, chaste kiss. “I don’t need sex to sleep, but I do need you.”

  Ten minutes—and lots of decidedly unchaste kisses—later, Bo entered Lulu’s room in a dopey half daze. She was already in bed, propped against the headboard and thumbing through the glossy pages of a fashion magazine.

  Pursing her lips, Lulu set the magazine on her lap and tilted her head. “You’ve got some stubble burn there, bro. Glad I exited stage left when I did. From the looks of it, he tried to suck your whole face off.”

  Bo rolled his eyes and leaned a hip on the edge of Lulu’s bed. “Bite me.”

  “I think Adam did enough of that for the both of us.” She snorted, then immediately sobered. Her brows drew together, and her lips turned down. “Is he treating you right?”

  Leave it to Lulu to worry about him when she had her own stuff weighing her down. He might’ve been the one who took on faux parent status, but she’d mothered him nearly as much as he’d fathered her over the years. “Seriously, Lu?” Bo chuckled and gave her knee a squeeze. “I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”

  Her brows crinkled further. “I don’t like that answer. Is he taking advantage of you? Using his boss status to make you do things you don’t want? I thought he was making you happy, but if he—”

  “He is, girl. Relax.” Bo shook his head and grinned. “Adam’s a good guy. There are no power-dynamic issues. I promise. Everything we do is because we
both want to. End of story.”

  She worked her jaw back and forth. “Do you love him?”

  “Okay, that’s so none of your business.” Bo closed his eyes and blew out a breath. Lulu never shied away from the tough questions, nor did she excel at keeping her nose out of places it didn’t belong. “Adam and I don’t have that kind of relationship. It isn’t romantic. We’re friends, having a little fun.”

  “I call bullshit.” Lulu folded her arms and smirked. “That ginormous brick wall of a man goes positively gooey at the center when he looks at you. It’s nauseating, really, but because you deserve to find some frickin’ happiness for yourself for once in your life, I’m willing to keep antivomit meds on hand when I visit.”

  Bo glanced over his shoulder to be sure Adam wasn’t lurking in the hallway listening to Lulu’s lunacy. When he turned back, her smirk had grown. He narrowed his eyes and ran his tongue along the back of his teeth. “You’re imagining things. He’s my boss, Lu. We’re keeping things casual.”

  “Sure, casual, right.” Lulu’s eyes disappeared into the back of her head. “Adam looks at you like you’re Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas morning all wrapped into one, but that’s nothing on how you look at him. I know you better, so maybe it’s easier to catch your tells, but for real, yo… it’s love. With a big ol’ capital L. And you’ve both got it. Bad.”

  Bo didn’t love Adam. Absolutely no way would he be that stupid. He cared for him, as a person, as a friend, and as a boss, but no more. Why would he put his heart on a guaranteed path to destruction? It was bad enough he risked the stability of his and Lulu’s financial future for a few selfish moments of ephemeral joy. He couldn’t endanger his emotional sanity as well. What good would he be for his sister if he was penniless and heartbroken?

  “Go to sleep, Lu.” He bent over and kissed her forehead. “Dream sweet dreams, and tomorrow? We’ll talk. Not about me, and not about Adam, but about you. You’re not going back to Cali until I know you’re okay.”

  “What, you gonna hold me hostage?” She curled her lip, but her eyes shone with sisterly love. “I don’t think ol’ Mr. Boss Man would be too pleased with that idea.”

  Bo stood and ruffled her hair. “Your happiness comes before anything else, Lu. I’m here for you, no matter what that means. I can always find another job, but I’ve only got one little sister.”

  “Thank you for letting me visit.” Lulu tossed her magazine on the nightstand and slid under the covers. “It’s been just what the doctor ordered.”

  He stopped at the door, his hand resting on the knob, and smiled. “I love you, kid. Sleep tight, and don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

  Lulu groaned at his use of their father’s favorite bedtime saying. It was a tradition Bo had carried on after his death. Every single night, he’d tuck her in, kiss her brow, and swear away the bed-sharing creepy-crawlies. She liked to pretend she was too old for the childhood phrase, but the grin accompanying her moans told a different story.

  “I love you too, Bo.” She yawned and closed her eyes. “Now turn off the lights and get your butt to bed. I betcha there’s a gooey-centered Beast already there, waiting impatiently to give you more scruff-burn. Don’t keep the poor man waiting any longer than you already have. He might implode.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “THE room’s ready.” Adam slid an arm around Bo’s slim shoulders and dropped a kiss to his brow. “Do you want to leave our stuff with the concierge and have them deliver it, or should we drop it off ourselves and check out our digs for the night?”

  Bo wiggled against Adam’s side, beaming up at him with a twinkle in his eye. “If we go to an empty hotel room now, we’ll never make it to dinner.”

  Adam guffawed and drew Bo closer. He sealed their lips for a far-too-brief kiss, ever cognizant of their public locale. Bo had a point. The past month had flown by in a blur of heavy-hitting exercise, comatose sleep, and Bo. Even with all the extra energy he burned during his intense training camp workouts, he was never at a loss when it came time to get his man naked.

  And that’s exactly what he was, even if Bo didn’t want to call it that. Adam had broached the “boyfriend” subject a few weeks prior and been shot down. Nicely, and with amazing conciliatory sex afterward, but shot down nonetheless. Hell, he would’ve been happy wrangling any sort of commitment out of Bo, but he’d held strong.

  Bo insisted they couldn’t date while he worked for Adam. When Adam made the mistake of suggesting he didn’t need to work, Bo came up with a hundred reasons why he did. Which Adam respected. Bo didn’t want to risk his and Lulu’s financial freedom on something as unreliable as a romantic relationship. Instead, he aimed to keep Adam at a distance and assure their relationship remained at least somewhat professional.

  Unfortunately, Adam’s heart was less inclined to follow such a prudent path. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly when, but at some point, he’d fallen in love. Hard. And how could he not? Bo was everything he’d never known he needed and more. The thought of losing him terrified Adam. Far more than the idea of losing his upcoming title defense.

  Retirement used to be the only thing that could scare the Beast. Now he quivered in his boots thinking about an empty bed. Not because Bo was the best lay he’d ever had—which he was, by a long shot—but because he’d grown to depend on Bo’s closeness at night. He relied on his smiles to brighten his days, his laughter to carry him through the tough times, and his stubborn mothering to keep him going.

  Where would he be if Bo left?

  “Earth to Adam.” Bo waved a hand in Adam’s face, his brow popped in question. “You okay, baby?”

  To hell with the public. Adam crushed his mouth over Bo’s, drinking every ounce of unquestioned courage and strength he offered. Now wasn’t the time to worry about Bo leaving. For now, that wasn’t a concern. The man he loved might not feel free to love him in return, but he wasn’t going anywhere. Of that much, he was sure.

  When Adam finally let Bo go, he planted one final kiss on the tip of his nose. “I’m doing great. You ready?”

  Bo nodded, reaching out a hand to thread their fingers together. “Lead the way, oh great surprise-bearer.”

  Adam brought their linked hands to his lips and brushed a kiss over their joined knuckles. Bo had asked for him to plan a night out. Something special to celebrate Lulu passing her first semester of school and Adam making it three-quarters of the way through his training camp. Something he’d promised to let Adam pay for without grumping or groaning.

  Which meant Adam had gone all out. He’d gotten them the Presidential Suite at the Bellagio—something Bo had yet to discover, as they hadn’t made it to the room—as well as VIP tickets to Cirque du Soleil’s O, housed at the Bellagio’s main theater. They even had reservations at Michael Mina, also on site. He didn’t want to waste a bunch of time walking or cabbing it up and down the Strip. He wanted their night to be special, but he also wanted time to get Bo naked and enjoy all the soft, flat surfaces in their suite.

  By the time they’d finished dinner and the show, Adam buzzed with excitement. Thus far, the evening had gone off without a hitch. The dinner had been superb and the show magical. Not the standard result following one of his surprise attempts, but he wasn’t about to complain.

  As they made their way to the elevator to begin the next leg of their celebration, a couple of tipsy women stumbled into their path. Adam grabbed for Bo to keep him from tripping, but the women crowded their space and forced the two apart.

  “Holy friggin’ hell, Brittany, I told you it was him!” A coppery-haired pixie squealed and clapped her hands together before latching on to Adam’s forearm. Her lavender claws dug into his skin. “I am such a fan, Mr. Littrell. Like, possibly your biggest. The girls and me? We have tickets to your big fight in a few weeks. We’re, like, so friggin’ excited to watch you kick that guy’s butt.”

  Adam caught Bo’s gaze. He looked dazed but amused. He tipped his chin in encouragement, and Adam nodded his unders
tanding. The Beast didn’t belong outside the ring. If he wanted to interact with his fans, he damn well could. “That’s great. I hope it’s a good show.”

  A brunette with long spiral curls bounced in place beside the redhead still clinging to Adam’s arm. “We’ve got one of the two-bedroom suites for the night. It’s packed with booze, and Shaina and I love to share. Like, everything.” The woman, who Adam assumed to be Brittany, waggled her brows. She stroked a knuckle down his bicep. “Why don’t you join us? We could have so much fun.”

  Being nice to a fan was one thing, but tolerating sexual proposals while the man he loved stood only a few feet away was a whole other beast. Rather than slipping into the grumpy asshole he was used to showing the world to get out of their offer, Adam reached around Shaina, grabbed Bo’s wrist, and tugged him against his side. “Sorry, ladies, but I’m already taken.” With that, he swept a hand behind Bo’s back and bent him into an exaggerated kiss.

  The two women squealed and giggled. Shaina slapped her palms to her cheeks. “Oh my friggin’ hell, that was the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.”

  Brittany sighed and clutched at her friend’s arm. “Yeah, if I hadn’t already been crushin’ on you, it would be over after that. Why are all the good ones gay or taken?”

  “Or both, apparently.” Shaina grinned.

  Adam tucked Bo under his arm and returned the woman’s smile. “Why don’t you ladies give me your names? If you can make it a bit early, I’ll make sure there are some meet-and-greet passes waiting for you after the weigh-in.”

  It took a few minutes to coordinate, because no one had a pen handy, but Bo finally suggested he put their names in his phone. They took a couple of selfies, and Adam promised to sign something at the weigh-in. Then they were off to find some other poor soul to lure to their hotel room. With any luck, the next one they tried to snare would at the very least be straight, and at the most, not hopelessly in love.