Page 4 of Boy Toy Not Included

Kuba dipped his chin. “My favorite. I’ll meet you two there. I just need to run into this store real quick and grab something.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they went their separate ways. His mom made it until they were in the car. “Holy shit, Diesel. You’re in trouble.”

Diesel’s brow automatically furrowed. “How so? He seems really nice.”

Nova cackled like she had heard the funniest of jokes. “You’re so innocent, baby. How did I manage to raise someone with such a pure mind? I know you saw everything I just did.”

Diesel was confused as fuck. “Okay.” Even he heard the bewilderment in his voice.

Nova chuckled under her breath. “I’m so happy you took this job. I get the feeling you’ll love it.”

Diesel gave up trying to solve his mom’s riddle. He backed out of his parking spot and tried to clear his mind. All cleaned up, Kuba looked nice. He hoped Kuba hadn’t felt pressured to join them. Diesel wanted them to start out on the right foot.

Kuba sat in the parking lot of Salty Pete’s, staring at the building. He shouldn’t have agreed to do this. Kuba had let Nova’s over-the-top smiles get to him. He also couldn’t bring himself to accept how much this dinner was actually about Diesel. What in the fuck was wrong with him? Was he this lacking in friends? Had Kuba gotten desperate for company? Yes, actually, but something about the entire situation rattled him. The level of happiness he had felt when he stepped from his car and spotted Diesel had been unreal. Definitely illogical. Maybe he should textDiesel and make up some excuse. As if reading his mind and challenging him, his phone buzzed with an incoming text.

Diesel:We already got a table. As soon as you come through the door, turn left. We’re at the end against the wall.

Damn. It would be rude if he backed out now.

Kuba:I’m here. Headed inside now.

With nothing left but to do it, Kuba grabbed the flowers he had bought for Nova and climbed out of the car. As always, Kuba’s gaze stayed on the move, looking for threats. Yet he never met anyone’s stare or returned a single smile. He wasn’t actually considered that nice of a guy. Kuba didn’t know why this was different. Maybe the holidays had him extra missing his mom. It kind of felt like his mom had sent him another one so he wouldn’t be alone.

He fought a goofy smile as he spotted the waiting pair. They beamed at his arrival. It was crazy how alike they looked. They honestly seemed nice, and not in a fake way.

Kuba handed the flowers to Nova as he chose the chair next to Diesel. “Thank you for the invitation.”

Nova looked ecstatic at the gift. “Oh my gosh. Thank you. These are so pretty. You didn’t have to do this, though. I’m just happy to have you here.”

He should have felt awkward, but he didn’t. “Yeah, I don’t know. It just felt like you needed something pretty.”

Nova’s gaze slid Diesel’s way. She wore an expression he couldn’t decipher. “Diesel tells me you’re an MMA fighter. Did you take a lot of martial arts lessons as a kid?”

If Kuba wasn’t mistaken, Diesel’s ears had turned red. He kept his face buried in a menu, stopping Kuba from seeing if his cheeks matched. Kuba had no clue why he would be embarrassed. Of course, his mom would want to know what her son would be dealing with on his assignment. “I did. But believe it or not, I hated every second of it.” Kuba laughed at his confession. He kept going despite never having said that out loud. “Hating it or not, I was good at it, so…” Kuba shrugged.

“Here you are,” Nova finished for him. “I’m sure your mom would be so proud of you.”

“I hope so.” Incapable of doing anything else, Kuba’s gaze swung Diesel’s way. He was a little proud of himself for lasting this long. “You’re blessed. You have a great mom.” And he looked like a god. There had to be something wrong with him. No one was perfect. Damned if Diesel didn’t look flawless from where he sat.

“I know.”

“Awww. Thank you.” Nova’s cheerful thanks forced Kuba to look her way again. “I’m so glad you could come with us tonight. Just knowing Diesel will be spending his time with someone nice makes me happy.” Her tone changed and her expressiondarkened. “Not everyone he’s worked with has been good people. Every new client worries me.”

He nodded along while his mind raced, wondering what had happened to Diesel to elicit such a strong response. Kuba had all the questions now. His head turned Diesel’s way again. Their gazes met and held. Kuba knew right then he would dig into Diesel’s past. The guy had him curious as hell. Kuba fully intended to learn any detail he could. He didn’t understand why he cared so much, but he did. Kuba needed to know everything.

Chapter Three

ChristmasEvenightwasalways tough for Kuba. This used to be his favorite holiday before almost exactly two years ago. Then his mom had passed and everything about his life had changed. He had won the title one week after she died. Not only had she not lived long enough to see that, but his nineteenth birthday had been less than a month later. He had gotten his first taste of having no one but his dad.

Kuba paced the living room like a trapped animal. This season highlighted too many negative things. While his dad had always been good to him, they hadn’t been as close as Kuba had been with his mom. Krystof had always been more focused on his career than his family. Not that he hadn’t been an amazing dad. He had. Oddly, while his mom had always seemed kind of sad, Kuba didn’t think it had anything at all to do with Krystof. When the pair were in the same room, they always spoke lovingly to each other. Kuba still always got the impression theirrelationship had been more of a deep friendship than the love of a married couple.

Kuba moved to his bedroom and paced there. He needed the change of scenery. Maybe he should hit the town. There were probably things he could do. He should just hit the gym again. Kuba just needed to clear his head. He gave himself a sharp nod and changed direction before realizing he should probably change clothes. Kuba pulled off his shirt. His cellphone chirped. He ripped the phone from his back pocket like it was his only lifeline.

Dad:The weather is amazing in L.A. What do you say we have Christmas here? It’s nothing to hire a plane for you.

While Kuba had no idea what his dad was still doing in L.A., since he thought Krystof had gone there solely to ask for Steel’s help, something had him not wanting to come back. Kuba heard the reluctance in every phone call. His fingers hovered over the phone, ready to type an agreement. Hell, at least he would have something to do. Another text popped up, hiding half of his texts with his dad.

Diesel:So I realize you probably have plans with your family. Still, Mom wants to know if you’d like to hang out with us tonight and do the Christmas thing in the morning. And yes, I do feel like a little kid asking his friend if he wants to spend the night. “My momma says she’ll pick you up if you can find a ride home.” LOL!