Behind the Stick Read online

  “I’m surprised Luka’s stories haven’t scared you off already, Kyle,” Tomas said. His dark eyes twinkled, and he settled an arm around Lydia’s waist. “I’m sure he’s told you some.”

  “A few here and there, yes,” Kyle replied. The group moved toward a seating area near the stage, and he tried not to falter under Lydia’s intense gaze. “All complimentary though, and nothing at all scary.”

  “Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second.” Luka’s younger brother sat beside Kyle. “Wade ran the gauntlet once.” Marcus cocked a finger gun at Regina’s husband. “He made it through in one piece.”

  Wade tipped his glass Kyle’s way. “Barely. Luka was seventeen and already as big as a house the first time Regina took me to dinner in Riverdale. I thought for sure he’d pound me into lunch meat if I even looked at his sister the wrong way.”

  “I’m a lover, not a fighter, Wade. You know that.” Luka settled an arm over the back of Kyle’s chair. “Besides, I wasn’t the one you had to worry about.”

  “Oh, no question.” Wade raised both hands in surrender. “I knew I had to impress Miss Lydia before anyone else.”

  Luka’s mother smiled, her expression smug, but Tomas made an offended noise. “Did you even bother trying to impress me?”

  “Everyone knows you’re a soft touch, Tomas.” Wade clapped him on the shoulder. “Besides, you were too busy keeping the peace among everybody else to get all up in my face.”

  Laughter rolled over the table and nerves jangled under Kyle’s skin.

  “This is why none of the other kids bring anyone over for dinner,” Tomas said to him. “They learned lessons from Wade and Regina’s tribulations.”

  Regina waved Tomas off. “Ruby and Marco are holdouts, yes, but Luka’s brought a few girlfriends to dinner. A couple of them even stuck around long enough for us to get to know them.”

  Kyle thought Regina meant to make a point by mentioning only Luka’s ex-girlfriends, but Luka had already geared up for a counter attack.

  “That was back in high school, Queenie,” he said, “before I knew better than to expect any of you to behave yourselves. That’s the primary reason I set up this night in public.”

  Regina huffed. “That’s funny. I figured we met here to give you and your friend an easy out if you found something better to do.”

  Kyle’s own peacekeeping instincts kicked in the second Luka’s lips tightened. He laid a hand on Luka’s thigh under the table, but Lydia’s delicate throat clearing silenced everyone.

  “We’re here to listen to your sister sing, not watch you two spar like roosters,” she said. Lydia aimed a mild smile around the table, and Kyle’s stomach tumbled when it lingered on him. “Luka mentioned you have a brother, Kyle.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Are the two of you as argumentative as this lot during family gatherings?”

  “No, ma’am. But there’s just the two of us, so our arguments are short-lived.” Kyle chuckled, and Luka’s hand closed over his. “Oliver lives in Boston right now anyway, so I don’t see him as often as I’d like.”

  Lydia nodded. “That’s too bad. I sometimes wonder if some distance might give Luka and Regina some much-needed perspective.” She raised a brow at Luka. “Then again, you haven’t been out to the house for dinner much, baby.”

  Kyle swallowed a groan. If Luka wasn’t working, he’d taken to meeting Kyle after his Sunday yoga class. They usually ate a late lunch and engaged in acts far too risqué to discuss with family.

  Fantastic.

  Luka didn’t seem at all fazed however. “We talked about this already, Mom. I’ll be there tomorrow,” he said.

  Kyle would sure as fuck make sure it happened, too. He gave Luka a small smile. “I’m going to grab some water at the bar,” he said. “Can I get anyone anything while I’m up?” He checked Lydia’s glass and found it half empty. “Mrs. Padilla, would you like another?”

  Lydia’s dark eyes were inscrutable, but she nodded. “Yes, thank you. This is a Manhattan, and Tomas is drinking gin and tonic.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Kyle turned to Luka again. “You mind meeting me at the bar? I’ll need help schlepping everything back.”

  “Sure. I’ll be right there.”

  Once safely away, Kyle hailed a bartender to start the order, then stood with his hands pressed flat on the bar’s surface and pretended he wasn’t sweating under his black cashmere sweater. He sensed more than saw a figure step up beside him and fought hard to hide his disappointment when he met Marcus’ gaze and not Luka’s.

  “My mom sent me up here, and I know better than to argue,” Marcus said. “Once she gets an idea in her head, it’s hell talking her out of it.”

  Kyle smiled. Marcus’ sunny disposition and confidence reminded him of Oliver. “Luka’s mentioned that tenacity runs in your family.”

  Marcus laughed. “Oh, he’s not wrong. They’re all hard-headed in their own way.”

  “And you’re not?”

  “Meh, I suppose I am. I just don’t need to talk about everything the way the rest of them do.” Marcus leaned his elbows on the bar. “None of them wants or knows how to keep anything private.”

  “I have some friends like that. Meddlesome, but they mean well.”

  “These would be the guys in the paparazzi photos, right?”

  Kyle winced. “You saw those, huh?”

  “Oh, we all saw them,” Marcus replied. “Tomas googled your speakeasy and it kind of mushroomed from there. My mom thinks you’re one of the best-looking bunch of white guys she’s ever seen, by the way.”

  “Oh, God.”

  Marcus laughed. “Hey, I’m just teasing. Don’t sweat it, Kyle—everyone you hang with is gainfully employed and that she noticed. You’ve even got some flavor mixed in there, what with the Japanese senator and that girl who looks like a beauty queen.”

  Now Kyle wanted to order a shot for himself. “David is Japanese-American, and Astrid is, in fact, a former beauty queen. They’re both stupidly smart, too, each with more degrees than you and I combined. My friends are great people, even when they’re meddling.”

  “My family could give them a run for their money.” Marcus exhaled noisily. “Take you and Luka, for example, and the fact everyone knew Luka was on a date before he even picked you up to go mini golfing.”

  “Uh. Say what now?”

  “Yup. I mean, they didn’t know who you were, of course, but they knew he was taking someone out. Ruby called Regina the second Luka drove away in her car, then Regina called Mom and Pop.”

  Kyle raised his eyebrows high. “Then someone called you?”

  “No.” Marcus chuckled. “I had lunch with Luka earlier that week and he told me himself. I figure that doesn’t count since I got it straight from the source. Plus, I kept that intel to myself.”

  “Got it.” Kyle shook his head. “Is it true you’ve never brought anyone to your parents’ house for dinner?”

  “Hell, yes, it’s true,” Marcus said, his tone fervent. “If I ever meet a woman I feel serious about, I’ll do what Luka did and make everyone come out to a public place so there are plenty of witnesses. At least, for the first meeting.” He sniffed. “It’s not like I have anything to worry about anyway.”

  “Yeah? Luka told me you’re studying biochem at Columbia. There aren’t women interested in your big brain?”

  “Oh, there’s interest, but with school keeping me so busy, it’s a bit one-sided right now.” Marcus nodded at the bartender, who set a Manhattan and a gin and tonic down in front of them. “I was dating someone, but it got super complicated and didn’t work out. To tell you the truth, I’m still processing some of how that went down.”

  Kyle frowned at the light scowl that marked Marcus’ handsome features. The breakup had clearly affected him. “Did you get too much feedback from the family on top of everything?”

  “No. I didn’t tell them about it.” Marcus winced. “Sometimes, I’d rather not deal with the fussing, you kno
w?”

  “Sure, I get that.”

  Kyle watched the bartender set a Scotch and soda and a glass of red wine with the order, then cast a glance over his shoulder at Luka and his family. They were immersed in talk, their faces and hand gestures animated and their enjoyment in one another’s company clear. Something pulled at the space behind Kyle’s heart.

  “This is going to make me sound like a patronizing ass, and I’m sorry for that,” he said to Marcus. “But the next time they drive you up a wall, just tell yourself there are worse things in the world than people caring about what happens to you.”

  Marcus knitted his brows together. “I never thought about it that way.”

  “I’m glad you haven’t had to.” Kyle handed the bartender his credit card and started a tab.

  * * * *

  As the evening went on, Kyle thought he hid his nerves from the Clarke-Padillas well. While Tomas, Wade and Marcus were easy to hang with, Regina’s and Lydia’s attitudes remained frosty. Kyle dreaded the moments their gazes landed on him, but even more so when they skipped over him instead. Which Lydia’s often did. Outside of a few brief interactions with Kyle, she ignored his presence much of the time, and though Kyle should have been relieved at being out of the line of fire, her behavior pinged his buttons in all the wrong ways instead.

  Kyle had spent years dealing with his own mother’s cold-shoulder routine, first as a kid, then as a teen through to the present, and he remembered now that he’d always hated it. Being cut out left him feeling both anxious and helpless, and he knew the tension showed on his face after he caught Luka’s eyes on him. A little line worked its way between Luka’s eyebrows as his gaze moved between Kyle and Lydia, and oh boy, Kyle was glad to know he was even more fucked up than he’d ever realized.

  Thankfully, things got easier after the show started. Lune Rouge diverted the Clarke-Padillas’ attention with a fantastic set of mixed swing and jump blues that capitalized on Ruby’s big, gorgeous voice. When people weren’t cheering, they were up and dancing, and Kyle quickly understood he was surrounded by fervent swing dance nerds, Luka’s family among them. This fact set his toes tapping and made the smile he exchanged with Luka genuine.

  After the band paused for a break, Kyle found himself alone at the table with Regina. Luka’s sister had wide, dark eyes like their mother, and she was very beautiful, but Kyle felt like a bug under a microscope when she turned her focus his way.

  “This probably isn’t what you expected to be doing tonight,” she said, her voice mild.

  Kyle shrugged. Okay…not a bad opener.

  “I like swing,” he said. “My dad was a fan, and this all reminds me of him.”

  “My father listened to this kind of music, too. He liked anything he could dance to, but swing was his favorite.” The faraway look on Regina’s face told Kyle she wasn’t speaking about Tomas.

  “I haven’t been to a show in a while,” Kyle said. He grimaced under Regina’s interested glance. “I’m a bit of a workaholic. I’m focused on changing that though.”

  Regina hummed. “How did you get into bartending anyway? I’ve never known anyone who mixes drinks for a living.”

  That sounds right, Kyle thought to himself. He’d expected a career-driven person like Regina to wonder what Luka—a man who saved people’s lives—found interesting in a hipster dude-bro who stood behind a bar all night long. There was history behind Kyle’s career choice however. And from what Luka had described of his childhood, Regina had more in common with Kyle than she might suspect.

  “My brother needed financial assistance during his last year of college,” Kyle said. “I was the only person around to pitch in and help, so I pulled out of an MFA program and went back to my hometown to work. I had an office job during the day and a friend got me a job slinging drinks at a tavern nights and weekends. I discovered pretty quickly that I could make a ton in tips, and over time, things fell into place.”

  An expression of understanding passed over Regina’s face. She got it, at least to a degree. She and Kyle had been close to the same age when they’d lost their fathers, and both had given up parts of their young adulthood to help take care of family. Regina didn’t need to know the rest. That Kyle’s mother had refused to help her sons or that she’d told Kyle to leave her house soon after he’d arrived back in town. That Oliver himself had worked as a barista on top of studying. And definitely not that Kyle spent most of the first several years in the workforce homeless and living out of a duffel bag.

  Onstage, the band readied themselves for another set, and the crowd cheered Ruby’s return to the microphone. Regina and Kyle joined in the applause.

  “Did your brother get his degree?” Regina asked over the racket.

  “Yes. Oliver graduated on time and with honors. He keeps saying he’ll pay me back, but the guy is a teacher, so I’m not holding my breath.” Regina’s lips twitched upward and Kyle picked up his margarita.

  “As far as the MFA program I left…well, I guess fine arts just wasn’t the direction I was supposed to go. Which is okay. Tending bar has been good to me, and if Oliver needs financial help again, I’m in a position where I can give it to him.”

  Wade dropped into the chair beside Regina as the music started up. Tomas and Marcus also took their seats, and Kyle spied Luka and Lydia still chatting at the bar.

  “Okay, what is going on with the heavy conversation over here?” Wade asked.

  Regina raised a brow at her husband. “We’re talking, honey. What would you have us do, interpretive dance?”

  “Great idea!” Wade beamed. “How about you interpret some of my moves next?”

  He stood and held out a hand, and though Regina made a big show of accepting it, she was laughing. Tomas also appeared pleased as they made their way to the floor.

  “See?” He knocked his shoulder against Marcus’. “You should have brought a date. Women like a man who can dance, son.”

  Marcus tipped his head back and laughed. “I don’t know anyone around my age who dances to this stuff, Pop. I mean, we do because you and Mom made us a bunch of special-ass snowflakes.”

  “You know me.” Kyle held up a hand. “I can dance to this stuff.”

  Marcus raised his brows. “You saying you’re a special-ass snowflake, too?”

  “Well, I don’t know about special, Marcus, but my skin’s the right shade of snowflake pale.”

  Laughter met Kyle’s words, but his good humor faded under Lydia’s scrutiny. She’d finally returned to the table, and her expression as she sat beside Tomas was far more serious than Kyle wanted to deal with.

  Kyle stood before he became truly aware he’d moved, and he flashed a quick smile. “Excuse me—I need to see a man about a dance.”

  He caught Luka just heading for the table with drinks for them both and steered him back to the bar. Luka’s snort of laughter did wonders to ease the tight feeling in Kyle’s gut.

  “What’s going on?” Luka set the glasses down. “Did you want something other than a margarita?”

  “Yep. I want to dance with you.” Kyle picked up his margarita and took a healthy sip while Luka’s eyes grew a little wider.

  “Who says I know how to dance?”

  “Your brother,” Kyle replied promptly. “Regina, too, though I may have made an inference based on a couple of things she said.”

  “Oh, they’re all a pain in the ass.” Luka ran a hand over his head with a laugh. “Okay, you got me—my dad taught me when I was just a kid and Tomas picked up the torch once he was in our lives.” He licked his lips. “I’ve never danced swing with a man before though, and I usually lead—”

  “Yeah, yeah. We both know you’re a big, bad toppy top.” Kyle rolled his eyes and his heart squeezed at Luka’s gleeful expression. “But I’ve told you before, Clarke—I’m flexible, and I like to do what feels good in the moment. So how about you lead and just let me know if you want to switch it up?”

  Eyes gleaming, Luka held out a hand. “
Okay, McKee. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  * * * *

  “How tired are you?” Luka asked late that night.

  They were in Kyle’s apartment again, standing almost nude beside the bed while Luka peeled Kyle’s sweater away from his body. They’d caused a stir with their dancing at the cabaret. Swing crowds could get wild, but it wasn’t typical to see men of Luka’s size dance, and especially with a same-sex partner. Luka danced well, too, his body movements clean and confident and his footwork sure. Despite his claims that he’d never danced with a man, he’d adapted to Kyle’s height and lean, muscled build, and his smile when he realized Kyle could dance, too, lit up the whole floor.

  “Not tired at all,” Kyle said. He waited until Luka had pulled the sweater over his head before he looped his arms around Luka’s neck. “Well, my head isn’t, at any rate. My feet could use a rest.”

  Luka chuckled. “I’ll bet. You’re a hell of a dancer.” He ran his hands over Kyle’s ribs.

  “I’m rusty. But I liked being out there with you.”

  “How’d you learn to follow as well as lead?”

  “My dad taught Ollie and me both parts,” Kyle said. “Told us it’d make us better dancers because we’d know how our partners felt.”

  He wrinkled his nose. That was truthful enough without having to go into the fact that his father had been the only parent willing to teach Kyle and Oliver anything once they’d hit school age.

  “I hope we didn’t embarrass your family too much,” Kyle said. “I didn’t consider what it would be like for them watching you partner with a man in time to change course. You need to go to Riverdale for dinner tomorrow, by the way.”

  “Hey, no talking about family dinner while we’re naked.” Luka pushed Kyle backward onto the bed and crawled on top of him. “Besides, they loved that you danced with me. Ruby is all about making a scene, and I know you heard her wolf whistle.” He smothered Kyle’s laughter with a kiss.

  “Pop and Marcus were impressed too,” he said after they’d come back up for air. “I think we’ve got Wade worried he needs to step up his moves a bit. Hell, we even got a smile out of Regina.”