Page 13 of Trapped for Christmas

“What? Why?”

“I’m going to college.”

“Oh wow. That’s amazing. What are you going to study?”

“Not sure yet. Probably some form of business degree.”

“So, you haven’t enrolled anywhere yet? Why have you quit, then?”

“The spring semester doesn’t start until February, so I have a couple of months to apply and get ready to start.”

“But how will you live? Are you getting a loan?”

“Only for the fees. I’ll be living with Kaden.”

“So, you’ll be relying on him to support you? You’ve only known him a month.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Look at you and Deacon, or Charlie and Sebastian. Even Ryder and Felix didn’t take things slow.”

“That’s not what I was saying. We don’t even know this guy.”

“Who is we?”

“Your friends.”

“I’m not subjecting him to that lot grilling him. He’s my boyfriend. Can’t you just be happy for me?”

“Do you love him?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“It’s a simple question. You moved in with him within the first month, and now you’ve quit your job. What’s he given up for you?”

“He loves me. He tells me all the time.”

“Then I’m happy for you. Just don’t expect me to ever stop looking out for you. We did it on the streets and I’ll keep doing it.”

Zeb’s eyes watered. Hunter walked around the desk. Zeb stood up, and they hugged each other. Hunter was his best friend. Knowing that he was happy for Zeb meant everything to him.

The rest of the day went without incident, and he didn’t see Mason. He was around, but he was avoiding Zeb, or their paths hadn’t crossed. He didn’t think it was the latter, as Mason usually went out of his way to see Zeb each day. Maybe he was upset about him quitting, which he should see as a compliment. So why did he feel like shit?

He only had an hour left, and then he could go home. Kaden was in the office today, so Zeb needed to meet him there. Zeb didn’t have a key to the apartment as he didn’t need one. That’s what Kaden had said, and it made sense. They were always at the apartment together. Kaden worked at home two days a week and was in the office for the other three. His office was only a twenty-minute walk from Epicure, so if Zeb left on time, he could get to Kaden’s office before he finished at five thirty. He didn’t like Zeb to be late, as it made him worry. It was nice to have someone worry about him. His previous partners just saw him as someone to fuck. Kaden wasn’t like that.

Zeb had been putting it off all day, but he had things for Mason to sign. Some of them couldn’t wait until tomorrow. The lunch rush was over, which meant Mason would likely be in his office, so he headed there. The door was closed, and he was about to knock when he heard raised voices, so he stopped.

“You can’t let him leave, Mason.”

That was Hunter. Was he talking about Zeb?

“It’s not like I can physically stop him, Hunter. It’s clear this guy has got in his head and convinced him to do this.”

Zeb prickled.

“We don’t even know where he’s living now. He could leave and we’d never see him again.”

Why was Hunter saying that? He’d been supportive earlier. What had changed his mind? Mason! There was no other explanation. He’d not taken to his last boyfriend either, and he’d been right. The guy had been an asshole, and as soon as things had turned physical, Zeb had been out of there. It had taken him six months to show his true colors, but the signs had been there before. Zeb had just been oblivious to them because he wanted so badly to be in a relationship. Once it had turned physical like with Brandon, he knew he had to get away. After the relationship had ended with John, he’d realized some of his behavior was a huge red flag. He’d used that experience to learn in the future, but he got nothing like that from Kaden.

“He’ll have to tell us where he’s living now,” said Mason. “He still works here, and as his employer, we need to know his home address.”