Something in the Way He Needs (Family 1)

He raised his hand and gently combed it through Daniel’s hair, trying to calm the still frightened man. Daniel leaned into Asher’s touch and then turned his face and nuzzled Asher’s palm, looking up at him from underneath his lashes timidly. He was clearly making sure his action met with Asher’s approval and there was no way for Asher to hold back his moan in response.

As the bus kept driving and the tour guide droned on about Al Capone and Vegas history, Asher looked down at the man snuggled in his arms in wonder. Asher Penaz didn’t snuggle.

He thought back to the last time he’d brought a man home instead of just playing around at a club. The cum hadn’t been dry on the man’s chest before Asher started feeling claustrophobic, so he’d gotten out of bed and taken a long shower. He fully expected the guy to be gone when he came out of the bathroom, but instead, he was greeted by the unwelcome sight of his hookup still in his bed, with no apparent plan to leave.

“Why are you still here?” he had grumbled. Three minutes later, the trick was out the door and Asher had made an internal vow not to bring guys back to his place. It was much easier to end an evening when he was the one with the keys and the ability to leave.

But maintaining a tight hold on Daniel seemed like a good idea. At the very least, it’d prevent the man from taking an inadvertent nosedive off the top of the bus. So Asher held onto the slender body, dipped his head and smelled some sort of citrusy shampoo in those messy locks, and sighed happily.

“Okay, so I know about your musical tastes,” Asher said once the tour guide was finally, blessedly silent. “How about TV shows or movies? What are your favorites?”

“Um.” Daniel shifted a bit and pulled back just enough to be able to look Asher in the eyes as he spoke. Asher had no intention of letting the other man move any farther than was absolutely necessary. He really enjoyed the weight of Daniel in his arms. “I don’t watch a whole lot of TV and I almost never go to the movies. Books are more my thing. When I read, I can create images in my mind to go with the stories.” He shrugged and chewed on his upper lip as he furrowed his brow in thought. “Reading is more interactive, which keeps things interesting, you know? Keeps me from getting bored or distracted. How about you? Do you like to read?”

Asher nodded. “Yeah, I do. Mostly nonfiction—historicals, biographies, that kind of thing.”

The conversation continued, with intermittent breaks when the tour guide spoke. Asher kept his hold on Daniel for the rest of the bus ride and surprised himself by feeling disappointed when they returned to the bus stop and he had to let go of the man in his arms.

“Do you have plans tonight?” Asher asked once they were back on the sidewalk in the middle of the Strip. “Because if you don’t, I’d love it if you came to dinner with me. Well, me and a few friends.”

Daniel smiled in that stomach-flipping way and reached over to touch Asher’s face, then gently traced his ear. “Thanks for the invitation, but I don’t think I can. I’m supposed to be meeting some people and I’m already late.” He looked around and squinted. “Assuming, of course, that I can find the hotel.”

Asher chose his words carefully, not wanting to scare Daniel off by admitting that he’d been following him since he left the hotel. Even to himself, it sounded creepy as hell. “I’m staying at the Bellagio,” he said and then paused, hoping that Daniel would jump in.

“Oh, that’s perfect! I’m going there too. We can walk together.” Daniel beamed, making Asher grin.

“Great. It’s this way,” Asher said as he flattened his palm on the small of Daniel’s back and guided him toward the hotel.

It was difficult to keep up a conversation as they moved through the loud, crowded streets, but when they reached their destination, Asher looked over at the man his body didn’t want to relinquish.

“I want to see you again, Daniel. What’s the rest of your schedule while you’re here?”

“Asher! You found Danny. That’s perfect!”

Asher frowned when Oliver’s slurred words interrupted his conversation. His friend was smiling as he approached them and pulled Daniel into a hug. It was all Asher could do not to growl and yank Daniel up against his side while yelling something absurd, like, “Mine!”

Holy fuck, what was wrong with him?

“Hi, Oliver. You know Asher?” Daniel’s confused tone cleared the fog in Asher’s mind.

“Of course. We work together. I’m the assistant district attorney assigned to Asher’s precinct.” Oliver sounded like he was talking in cursive, which didn’t bode well for the rest of the night. He turned toward Asher. “I see you met my little brother.”