“I’m their liaison,” Craig said flatly.
“You can’t be there all the time.”
“I will be.”
Quick frowned and Craig could see he wasn’t happy with the idea. He prepared for a battle.
“One member of the team has to be in contact with Mr. Romero should something happen to you. You can pick the man, but it’s non-negotiable.”
Craig waited, but Quick just stared back at him. “Show me the list.”
Quick tapped into his phone and turned it around so Craig could see the screen. Craig quickly scanned the list of names, pleased to see he knew most of them personally.
“Doug. He can be the liaison. I trust him.”
“He’s also straight and happily married with three kids.”
“Yes.”
That was non-negotiable as far as Craig was concerned. No daddy was going anywhere near Louis.
Quick shrugged. “Done. I’ll let Dominic know. Either he or Jason will be in touch.”
“Who’s on tonight?” Craig asked.
“Doug’s team, with Padraic and Lloyd.”
Good men. Craig relaxed fractionally. He could take time to organize himself. He needed to get clothes from his apartment. Dominic would arrange that if he asked.
“Craig?”
He turned to see Louis blinking sleepily at him in the doorway of the kitchen. He’d managed to put on sweats and a hoodie, but his feet were bare.
Craig got up immediately and guided Louis to the seat next to him. “Hey, Lou, I thought you’d sleep longer.”
“I’m hungry,” Louis confessed with a blush.
Craig grinned. Louis was a big man and feeding him had been one of Craig’s primary occupations when they were together. Craig could eat, but Louis could pack away enough food for two.
“How does your jaw feel?” he asked.
“Sore,” Louis admitted, feeling it over.
“Soup it is,” Craig said. “Do you think you could manage grilled cheese?”
“That would be great.” Louis yawned. “Sorry, Liam, how are you?”
“I’m fine. I’m going to go home before my boyfriend freaks out.” Quick smiled.
Craig noticed what a warm smile he had, and the fact he was aiming it at Louis. He turned to Louis who smiled at Quick. Craig clenched his jaw as he stalked over to the pantry. This was a job. They already knew each other. Craig needed to keep his jealousy under control.
“Craig, you okay?”
He turned at the question to find Louis giving him an anxious stare. Quick was trying and failing to hold back a smirk. Craig sighed. He was being an ass. Quick wasn’t interested in Louis. He had a boyfriend at home. A super-rich, super-handsome boyfriend who gave him private jets to travel on.
“I’m fine. Just tired. You can go now,” he said to Quick.
Maybe that came out as a growl. Fuck it, he just wanted Quick to go.
Quick obviously got the hint because he stood. “I will check in with you when I get back to London. Anything bothers you before then, talk to Dominic.”
Louis hugged him, and Craig walked him to the door.
Craig bit his lip. “Thanks for bringing me on board.”
“Don’t screw up,” Quick warned. He held up his hand at Craig’s immediate frown. “This isn’t CDR. I don’t have a three-hundred-page manual on what you can’t do, but I don’t like my operative and the client being in love.”
“We’re not—” Craig started.
Quick gave him a fixed stare. “Don’t even bother. I know what happened. I’m agreeing only because your reputation means something in this business and because Louis needs something I can’t provide.”
Louis, not Mr. Romero. Quick had dropped the formality.
“You think I can’t be his daddy and his bodyguard,” Craig said.
“I employed you to do just that,” Quick pointed out. “What I think is, you need to negotiate boundaries with your client. But not tonight because what he needs now is taking care of. Go and feed him.”
“I will.”
He held out his hand and Quick took it. His grip was firm but not crushing. This was a man confident in his own strength.
As soon as Craig shut the door on Quick, he strode back to the kitchen. Louis had one hand propped under his chin and was scrolling through his phone.
Craig retrieved the can of soup and tipped it into a pan. He remembered that Louis wasn’t keen on microwaved soup. Then he made the grilled cheese. Damn, that smelled good. He added another can of tomato soup to the pan and made more grilled cheese. Soon they sat together spooning the soup, Louis taking his time over the solid food. He took increasingly smaller bites.
“Your jaw hurts, huh?” Craig asked.
“Yeah,” Louis confessed. “I think I’m done.”
Craig frowned. Louis had barely eaten half the soup and a quarter of the grilled cheese.
Louis obviously noticed his concern. “I’m tired and everything hurts. I’ll eat more tomorrow, I promise.”
“You’d better.”
“Yes, Dad.”
It was obviously meant to be teasing but they both froze.
Craig coughed. “You get ready for bed. I’ll clear up and do a sweep of the house.”
“Where are you going to sleep?” Louis asked.
Craig hadn’t thought about it. He wasn’t going anywhere near the master bedroom. “Is the other guest bedroom free?”
“Yeah, you’ll need to make up the bed though.”
He nodded, knowing he’d spend most of the nights sleeping outside Louis’s door. “Go to bed.”
Louis climbed wearily off the stool and headed for the door. He stopped, one hand on the frame and turned to look at Craig. “Thank you.”
“Always for you,” Craig said simply.
Chapter 3
Louis
Louis knew Craig would be busy for a while. No matter what Craig said, Louis needed to check in with his businesses. He’d been away too long. His business relied on him being visible. Louis grimaced and touched his face. The last thing he wanted was to be visible at the moment. He’d end up all over the media with his bruised and battered face.
He picked up his phone and took a deep breath. God, his hand was shaking just at the thought of reconnecting with the club.
Come on, Romero, you can do this.
He had to do this.
Louis scrolled down until he reached the number for his personal assistant, Jamie. He hit the connect button.
“Boss, is that you. Oh my God, Louis?”
Louis smiled at the frantic sound of his assistant. They’d been together for five years, and Jamie was more like a little brother than his assistant. Neither of them had family. Louis’s parents had passed away and he was the only child. Jamie’s family hadn’t approved of his ‘lifestyle’, and he’d left them behind with a few tears and a lot of relief. In each other, Louis and Jamie had found family. Louis knew if it hadn’t been for Jamie, he might not have survived the time after Craig walked out.
“It’s me. How are you?”
“Better for hearing your voice. Where the hell have you been? You just vanished. I called the hospital. They wouldn’t tell me anything.”