A Bit of You (10 page)

Any time his newly found confidence wavered, Billy reminded himself of Liam’s touch, his assurance that Billy deserved better. Liam had helped him to see something Billy had only barely grasped at the edges of. Now, Billy knew he’d handed himself out so easily because he’d thought he didn’t deserve any better. But Liam believed in him, and it helped Billy to see just how destructive his promiscuous behaviour had been.

It was incredible, really. Liam hardly even knew him, they’d not spent much time together face to face, yet Liam
knew
him in a way Billy was just learning to know himself.

Liam had shown Billy so much and asked for so little. It still blew Billy away. Here was a man who, having only glimpsed Billy in a club, had seen something in him, something worthwhile, something even Billy hadn’t been aware of. Liam hadn’t let rumours or anything else interfere in his opinion of Billy.

Hell, Billy thought, Liam had to know some of the rumours were true, yet he’d looked beyond them into a dark little place in Billy, straight to the spot that longed for love and affection. How he’d done it Billy couldn’t imagine, but Liam had, and Billy knew he was already half in love with the man for it.

His cell phone vibrated in his jeans pocket and he bounced up on to his toes. He pushed a box of plastic highball glasses further back on the shelf before backing down the aisle, dancing a happy dance as he pulled the phone from his pocket.

Cheeks hurting from grinning like a loon, Billy snapped his phone open and thought his heart was going to thud right out of his chest as he read the message.
Miss you.
Just two words, but they meant more to Billy than a long rambling text ever would have. He could www.total-e-bound.com

A BIT OF YOU

Bailey Bradford

59

even imagine Liam’s deep voice rumbling in his ear, the way his warm breath would feel as Liam said those two words.

Billy’s bouncing stopped as his cock hardened, not a comfortable thing to experience in his skin-tight jeans, and definitely not when he’d packed down his thigh rather than up front to show off his package like he usually did. Pinching at his jeans, trying to make a little space, he whimpered when he only succeeded in making himself more uncomfortable.

Billy took a few steps back down the aisle then rubbed his erection with one hand while staring at Liam’s message. What should he say back?
I miss you too?
It’d be the truth, even if Liam had only been gone for ten hours and thirteen minutes. Or should he be more creative, or maybe he could get Liam to have phone sex or—

“Right,” Billy snorted. Liam was working and likely wouldn’t appreciate a text worded in way that might give him wood. Plus it probably wasn’t smart for them to sext. Billy didn’t know if Liam was out at work, and if someone saw the messages Billy’d like to send… Well, it was just a bad idea for now at least.

Billy hit reply and stared at the little white box for so long his eyes crossed. How could he put everything he wanted to say into such a tiny spot? Oh he knew he could send as long a message as he wanted to, but Billy was stumped and couldn’t figure out where to start.

Granted, he wasn’t going to send Liam a never-ending text message, but he wanted to send him the perfect one. And his brain had decided to mutiny or something, because all Billy could do was sweat and stare. He just about pissed himself when Troy spoke from the aisle opening.

“Got a problem, Billy?”

Billy’s cheeks burned at the squeak that slipped past his lips, but the fright succeeded in killing off the lingering hardness in his dick. Maybe now some of the blood would rush back to his brain…if it ever managed to get past his cheeks.

Troy chuckled and walked down the aisle, his gaze lighting on the cell phone. His lips twitched and he gestured to the phone as he patted Billy’s back. “Are you goofing off on the clock?” There was enough tease in his voice to let Billy know Troy didn’t care. He smiled and Troy scowled. One big thumb gently touched Billy’s bottom lip, still swollen from Randy’s fist. “You okay, Billy?”

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A BIT OF YOU

Bailey Bradford

60

There was nothing sexual in the touch, but it still made Billy feel warm and tingly. He wasn’t used to the snarky bartender being so nice to him. Billy bobbed his head and Troy pulled his hand back, but he still stared at Billy’s lip.

“Maybe it’s too late for him,” Troy mumbled, and Billy wondered who the hell he was talking about, but, before he could ask, Troy took a step back and swiped the phone from Billy’s hand.

If Billy thought his cheeks were hot before, it was nothing compared to the fire burning them now. He itched to snatch the phone back, but there wasn’t any point. Troy’s whole face was lit up with amusement; he’d already read the message and seen who it was from.

“This message is from ’Mine’?” Troy asked, chuckling as he looked at Billy. “I take it this is from the hot FBI agent who practically lived at the hospital while you were there?”

Billy wished he’d just put Liam’s name in now, but he’d been so excited and stunned to find himself with a boyfriend…Well he’d just wanted to proclaim it to the world. He’d settled for proclaiming it to his cell phone, and Xav. At least one of those two wouldn’t narc on him.
Stupid cell phone!

Troy smirked and tapped the screen. “Aw, I think it’s cute.”

“Jackass,” Billy sniped, snatching the phone back from Troy’s unresisting fingers. He started to stuff the phone in his pocket, but he still needed to reply.

“So is your FBI stud the reason why you were standing there looking stumped and horny when I found you?” Troy asked, looking entirely too delighted as he continued, “You didn’t even hear me calling you, but I guess you had something
else
on your mind.”

Billy started to glare at the big idiot, but Troy was looking at him with a mix of affection and amusement, and Billy realised the bartender wasn’t making fun of him, not really. Troy looked happy for him, which pulled a grin right out of Billy.

“So why don’t you just tell him you miss him back?”

Billy shrugged and glanced at his phone. “I didn’t want him to think I’m just, I dunno, copying what he says. I don’t want him to think I’m saying it back out of a sense of obligation, or worse, I don’t want him to think I don’t mean it, I guess.” Billy huffed and stood on his toes, waving his hand in the air. “I don’t know how to do this! And I don’t want to screw it up! I haven’t had anyone like… I mean, I haven’t had a relationship, not—not—”

Billy stuttered to a halt when he heard how pathetic he sounded. Troy had to think he was a total loser.

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A BIT OF YOU

Bailey Bradford

61

Or not.
Troy dropped an arm around his shoulder and gave Billy a hug. Billy thought it was one of the signs of the world coming to an end, and the soft smile on Troy’s normally harsh looking lips had to be the second.

“You really like him, don’t you?” Troy asked.

Billy bobbed from his head to his toes, his energy fuelled by memories of Liam’s hands, his voice, the way his lips felt against Billy’s, the perfection of his thick cock spearing Billy in two.
Great, now my dick’s hard again!

“Then just tell him so, tell him what’s in here,” Troy laid a hand over Billy’s heart as he pinned Billy with an intense stare. “Don’t worry about whether it’s the same words. If they’re true, that’s all that matters. I bet all Liam wants from you, is for you to be honest.

Granted, I don’t know him, but I seriously doubt he wants pretty words. Probably, he just wants you.”

Billy gawped at Troy, wondering when he’d become a philosopher or a shrink or whatever. Then again, he was a bartender, so he probably heard all sorts of stories from people in their darkest moments, when they came to the bar to escape from their demons.

“Okay.” Billy dared to reach an arm around Troy’s narrow waist and hugged him back.

Troy patted his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before taking a step back.

“So, take a fifteen minute break then you can finish stocking the shelves.” Troy looked at the boxes on the floor. “You prefer this to being out there serving drinks?”

Billy shrugged. He didn’t want to make a career of either position, but at least Xavier had decided it would be best to keep him away from prying hands. “It’s okay. It’s a job.”

Troy nodded once then pointed at him. “Maybe you need to decide what you want to do with your life. You don’t have to work in a place like this forever.” And with that sage bit of advice, he turned and headed back to the bar.

Billy walked to the end of the aisle and gave the room a cursory look. He didn’t have any skills, had barely got his GED even, so what else could he do? And what would happen to Xav if Billy wasn’t around to keep him from turning into a bitter hermit? Xav had told him it wasn’t Billy’s job to take care of him, but Billy had been looking out for Xav in his own way for years now. Of course, there might be someone else interested in taking care of Xav in ways Billy sure wouldn’t, but they would have to wait and see how that panned out.

Personally, he thought Chase Murphy was about as perfect a man for Xav as had ever been created.

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A BIT OF YOU

Bailey Bradford

62

Still, though, he had to ask himself. Could he walk away, ever? It wasn’t like he’d never come back or like he’d disappear into the Bermuda Triangle or whatever, but this life with Xavier in it and this job at The Xxchange, they were what Billy knew and was familiar with.

It was too much to think about now, too new an idea to fully grasp. But he could do what Troy suggested, couldn’t he? Tell Liam how he felt? Billy lifted the phone up and pressed the button to bring the screen back on. Yeah, he could do that. And his hand didn’t even shake as he typed in his reply and sent it.

Liam’s phone vibrated, the buzzing sound earning him a glare from Shearing. Liam hadn’t seen his boss this on edge in…ever. Their hunt for James Stratton had hit a dead end; the cabin their informant had sworn Stratton had been held in had been empty when they’d checked it hours ago. A search of the surrounding woods hadn’t turned up any clues as to where he could be. Liam was torn between being relieved they hadn’t found Stratton dead, or absolutely frustrated and hopeless as to finding him, period.

Shearing had a couple of agents going at the informant, trying to prise more possible locations to search from him. Liam fingered the phone in his pocket as Shearing watched him unblinkingly. Finally his boss grunted and leant back in his chair.

“Just check the damned thing already,” Shearing growled as his own phone rang.

Shearing grabbed it and barked out his name as Liam pulled his cell out and read Billy’s reply. Some of the day’s stress rolled from his shoulders as warmth spread through him.
I
miss you too. Be careful and come back to me soon. <3B.

Liam wasn’t sure what the symbols meant, but they looked like a heart, kind of, if he tipped his phone. Looking at the symbol and number then made his own heart flutter and send a rush of tingling warmth throughout his body. He wondered if Billy sent the symbol and number combo as a regular signature, but he doubted it. Liam didn’t think Billy gave himself, his true self, to many people—to anyone, really, except hopefully him, and probably Xavier. Those two had a definite bond, but it wasn’t one Liam worried about.

“Must be good news. You’re grinning like an idiot.”

Liam looked up at his boss and tried to school his features into a more appropriate expression, but damn it, he was just too happy to pull it off. Shearing wasn’t paying any www.total-e-bound.com

A BIT OF YOU

Bailey Bradford

63

attention, though, he was already rising, grabbing a paper off his desk and gesturing at Liam to stand as well.

“The informant came up with another place, this one a cabin outside of a town called Mackenzie. Let’s go.”

Liam jumped up, energised despite the lack of sleep he’d suffered the past few days.

“You think it’s a good lead?”

Shearing shrugged, but Liam thought he saw a glimmer of hope in the quick glance his boss shot him. “Maybe. I don’t know. I just want to find James Stratton. He didn’t deserve any of this.”

Liam stumbled over his own feet then quickly followed his boss out of the door.

Shearing seemed personally invested in the hunt for James Stratton. Usually his boss was so tightly controlled, Liam suspected he was half robot. But there was an animation to his expression now and an urgency to Shearing. The change in him demolished the whole robot theory. Liam didn’t understand it, but he could see a difference, hear the change in the timbre of Shearing’s voice when he spoke of Stratton, and it set off little alarms in Liam.

Something was going on there, or at least with Shearing. Liam raced after him, determined to find out just what it was.

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A BIT OF YOU

Bailey Bradford

64

Liam gritted his teeth as the helicopter landed. With the wind and rain lashing at the bird, he figured they were lucky not to have ended up splattered on the ground. The pilot shut the helicopter down and only then did Liam realise his skin was slick with sweat despite the cold temperature. The flight had been scary, to put it mildly. He’d had more than one instance where he’d wished to hell he’d said those words to Billy, the ones he’d been holding back because it seemed too soon. He could have texted it to Billy, but that seemed cowardly, although if the helicopter started plummeting he’d get the text sent before succumbing to total panic.

But the helicopter hadn’t crashed, and Liam was still thinking he should have told Billy.

If something happened to him, Billy would never know he was—Liam’s mind stuttered over the word before shoving it forward until it felt as if it clanked around his skull.