Deliver Me (4 page)

Jeremy
slid his mouth up the length of Erik’s erection, using just enough teeth to
cause friction. When he got to the head, he sucked hard before licking his way
down to the unruly pubic hair at the base. Erik didn’t bother grooming since he
didn’t have a partner. If Jeremy minded, he didn’t let on. When Erik felt his
balls tightening, he grabbed the other man’s hair and started pumping hard into
his mouth. Jeremy didn’t protest. He opened wider and took the face fucking.
Erik gripped his hair harder and moaned, “Oh, fuck.” That was all the warning
he gave Jeremy as he shot his load into the man’s throat. When the last
aftershock subsided, he released Jeremy’s hair and tucked his dick back in.

Jeremy
stood and leaned in close, nuzzling his neck. Erik wasn’t in the mood for
anything more. He got what he came for. He placed his hands on Jeremy’s chest
and pushed him back. “Thanks,” was all he told the man before making his way to
the front door. If Jeremy followed him, he wasn’t aware. He knew he was acting
like a bastard, but he had to get away from the club before he threw up. Using
people was not in Erik’s nature, and he was ashamed of what just happened.

As
he reached his car, he waited to see if the nausea would subside. When he felt
like he would be okay, Erik pressed the key fob unlocking the door. Before he
could get seated, a voice yelled, “Erik!”

No!
No fucking way would he talk to that bastard now. Erik slammed the door and
sped out of the parking lot.  

The
next week was marginally less stressful, only because the formula and advice
Erik had given Tag seemed to be working. Delilah was not as fussy and was
sleeping a few hours during the night. After the fight he and Cade had at the
restaurant, Cade left him alone for the most part. His mood was darker, but Tag
could live with that. It matched his own mood.

Echo
informed them they had two weeks to get back on the road before the lawyers
would have to get involved. All of their postponed shows had now been
rescheduled. Pauly and Sloane flew in from L.A. so they could get some
rehearsal time in.  Tag still had to figure out what to do with Delilah. She
might be doing better, but he still had no idea how to go on the road and take
care of her, too.

Against
his better judgement, he decided to call on the one person who would probably
slam the door in his face. He called the doctor’s office number and asked to
speak to Erik. The receptionist told him he was in with a patient and asked if
it was a medical emergency. When he told her it wasn’t, she said she’d have him
return the call.

Tag
and the others rehearsed in his studio all day. All day he checked his cell
phone for missed calls or at the least, missed texts. It wasn’t until after the
band had broken for supper that his phone rang. Not bothering to excuse
himself, he left the others at the table and walked out the patio door onto the
deck for some privacy.

“Hello?”
he quickly said after the fourth ring, praying Erik wouldn’t hang up.

“I
got your message. My receptionist said it wasn’t an emergency, so why are you
calling?” Erik asked, his tone frustrated.

“I
need to talk to you about Delilah.”

“I
thought this wasn’t an emergency, Lee.”

Lee.
He still called him Lee. To Erik, he wasn’t Taggart Lee, rock star. He was Lee
Holloway, Delilah’s uncle. “It’s not medical. I need to talk to you about
getting someone to help me take care of her. Can I see you? Please?” He didn’t
need to talk to Erik in person, but damn if he wasn’t jonesing for a taste of
the doctor. He’d spent the last week jerking off at least twice a day to the
memory of his mouth, his tongue, his hard cock pressed against Tag’s.

He
looked at his phone to make sure the call was still connected. “Hello? You
still there?”

“Yes,
I’m here. Meet me at the park tomorrow morning at eight. And Lee, bring Delilah
with you.” He didn’t have to look this time to know Erik had hung up on him.
That was okay, he’d said yes. The doctor wanted to meet in a public place, and
he wanted Tag to bring Delilah. He grinned as he thought of the baby acting as
a cock blocker. “I see what you did there, Doc.”

“What
did he do?” Cade asked. Tag hadn’t heard him come outside.

“Nothing.
Let’s get back inside and finish eating so we can rehearse some more.” Tag
didn’t give Cade an opportunity to ask any more questions. He was not going
there with his best friend. They needed to keep things at least civil for the
next few months.

Pauly
was currently holding Delilah who was growing stronger every day. Sloane was
smiling at the two of them together. It probably looked odd when any of the
band held the little girl. All four of them were tatted up, and none of them
looked like father of the year material. But the sweet bundle had wormed her
way into most of their hearts, even if she kept them from getting much rest. Cade
wouldn’t have anything to do with the baby. Echo had been a godsend, and Tag
would never be able to make it up to her for everything she’d done. As if she’d
heard his thoughts, the petite woman walked up to him and slid her arms around
his waist. She looked up into his eyes and whispered, “You’re welcome.”

Eight
a.m. came early, but if Tag got the help he needed from Erik as well as an
acceptance to his apology, it would be well worth it. He and Delilah were on
the same bench where they first encountered Erik and Duke. Instead of the pair
jogging like they were the first time, they appeared, strolling along the path.
As soon as Duke saw them, he began tugging on his leash. Erik allowed Duke his
freedom, and the lab trotted over to the bench. Tag didn’t hesitate to pet the
dog on his head. Duke wasn’t interested in his affection though. He was
sniffing the baby while wagging his tail.

Erik
stopped in front of them, his eyes not meeting Tag’s. Erik looked like he had
lost his best friend. Tag didn’t like the sadness he saw. At all. “Erik?” When
the doctor looked at him, he continued, “Please, have a seat. I promise to
behave.”

Erik
searched his face. He must have felt Tag was telling the truth, because he sat
down on the bench, leaving a large gap between them. “May I hold her?” Erik
asked.

Tag
carefully passed Delilah over to the doctor. Instead of putting her on his
shoulder, he held her in front of him and locked blue eyes onto smaller blue
eyes. Seeing them together like that… Delilah had her mother’s features, light
hair and eyes. With Tag’s hair dyed black to fit his persona, the baby looked
nothing like him. She did, however, look like she could be Erik’s. When the
doctor looked into that precious face, the smile was instantaneous, and Tag’s
heart clenched. At that moment, he realized what was missing in his life.
Taggart Lee, rock god, wanted someone to smile at him like he was the sunshine
on the cloudiest of days. Sure, fans smiled at him, but they weren’t seeing the
real him. The him who wanted love, not just sex. The him who wanted someone to
come home to and share dinner with and wrestle with while they fought over the
remote. The him who wanted to watch this amazing man hold their girl while
cuddling on the sofa. He sat in amazement as the beautiful man beside him cooed
and talked to Delilah. Duke sat close to the baby, touching her head gently
with his nose.

“Listen,
Erik, I want to apologize for my behavior at the restaurant. It was totally
uncalled for, and I’m sorry. You are just so goddamn gorgeous, and you make me
crazy. I hope your girlfriend wasn’t too upset.”

Erik
turned to him, frowning. “Apology accepted. Sarah’s not my girlfriend; she’s my
best friend. And to clear up any misconceptions or wondering on your behalf,
I’m gay. I don’t hide my sexuality, but being a doctor, I don’t wave the
rainbow flag, either. Now, you said you wanted to talk to me about Delilah’s
care.”

Erik
was gay. Tag did a mental fist pump with devil horns.  “Uh, yeah. I have two
weeks until we start the second leg of our tour. We’re already a couple of
months behind schedule, and the record execs don’t give two shits about a baby.
If it wasn’t for our manager, Echo, we’d already be in a world of hurt. Anyway,
Delilah’s doing really well, but I don’t know if I should hire a nanny and take
her with me or what. I’m really out of my element here, Erik.” 

Erik
didn’t hesitate, “Leave her with me.”

“What?”
Had he heard Erik right? He wanted to keep Delilah?

“I
said, leave her with me. She’s still a preemie, Lee. She may be doing well now,
but hauling a baby in her condition around the world is not optimal for her
well-being. Duke and I will take care of her.”

Tag
didn’t know what to say or how to feel for that matter. Delilah was his.
Whether or not he wanted her in the beginning, she was his niece, his
responsibility. Now Erik was suggesting he leave her for three months. “I’m
going to be gone for three months. That’s a long time for you to babysit, don’t
you think?”

Erik
shrugged. “It was just a suggestion. It’s your prerogative to hire a strange
person you don’t know to take care of her while she’s subjected to airports,
buses, hotels, and strange places and faces. And if she gets sick, you’ll need
to find a good pediatrician available twenty-four seven to see her.”

The
doctor wasn’t saying anything Tag hadn’t already thought about. “I can’t ask
you to do this without compensation. Come up with a figure you think is fair,
and I’ll pay you up front.”

Erik
raised Delilah until she was cradled against his shoulder. “When can you bring
her things to my home? I’d like to get her settled as soon as possible and get
her used to her new schedule. I will need time to move some furniture around,
but I have the perfect room for her, right across from mine.”

“We
are rehearsing today, but I can get a truck and get her things to your house
tomorrow, if you’re sure.” Tag was a little overwhelmed at how quickly things
were progressing.

“Tomorrow
is good. We’ll also need to sign paperwork giving me power of attorney over her
well-being while you’re away. Not that I expect anything to happen to her, but
she is still very young.”

“Yeah,
yeah, we can do that. Erik… Why are you doing this?”

“She
needs someone. I need someone. We can be there for each other.”

Tag
could hear the longing in Erik’s voice. He was lonely, too. Maybe they had more
in common than they realized. Neither man spoke to each other for a while after
Erik’s revelation. The park was coming to life with people walking and jogging
along the trail. Most smiled as they walked past. Tag didn’t want to think
about how they looked sitting there together. Two men, their baby and dog,
enjoying a beautiful morning in the park. He couldn’t help the laugh that
escaped.

“What’s
so funny?” Erik asked, finally looking over at Tag.

“Just
thinking about how we look sitting here. If it was just you, Delilah, and Duke,
that would be a fucking picture for a Christmas card. But add me to the mix? I
bet people are wondering if I’m going to mug you.”

“You
do realize how beautiful you are, don’t you?  I mean, yes, you’re famous, and
I’m sure the line outside your tour bus is a mile long because of who you are.
Still…” Erik didn’t finish his thought. He locked onto Tag’s eyes. Tag wanted
nothing more in that moment than to kiss the man sitting next to him. Take him
in his arms and kiss him until their souls mingled together through their
breaths.

Tag
knew he wasn’t that good looking. Being famous often made people see what they
wanted to. “Looks aren’t everything, Doc.” When Erik cringed, Tag apologized,
“Sorry, Erik. Can I ask why you don’t like the nickname?”

Erik
looked away, snuggling Delilah. “It’s what my ex used to call me. Only he
didn’t say it in a loving, playful way. He called me Doc when he wasn’t getting
enough attention because of my schedule. Or when I wouldn’t take his call in
the middle of the day just because he wanted to talk about nothing. He called
me Doc when I caught him getting a blowjob from some twink when he thought I
was working late. He called me Doc when he begged me to take him back.”

“Damn,
man. He was an idiot.” Tag didn’t want to know about Erik’s ex, still he
couldn’t help but ask, “How long ago was that?”

“Almost
a year. I learned a long time ago second chances are for losers. If you burn me
once, shame on you. Burn me twice…”

“Yeah,
I get it. Shame on me. But I’m going to throw your words back at you. You can
have anyone you want. Why are you single? You are the most breathtaking man
I’ve ever seen in my life, and Erik, I’ve seen millions.”

“What
was it you said? Looks aren’t everything. I’ve found men only want me for my
title.
I’m dating Dr. Erik Henrikson
. They don’t think about what it
means to be a doctor, the sacrifice to get to where I am, or the time involved
in actually caring for other people.”

Tag
got what he was saying. Their lives weren’t so very different. Delilah started
fussing, and Erik asked, “When did you feed her last?”

“When
we got up, around five. Here, I have a bottle.” Tag dug around in the backpack
and pulled out the ready-made formula. He held out his hands, but Erik shook
his head.

“I’ve
got her.” He placed the baby in the crook of his arm, holding her almost
upright, and took the bottle from Tag. Their fingers touched, and Erik looked
in his eyes. If Tag wasn’t mistaken, the look matched what he was feeling: a
sense of longing. Erik fed Delilah in silence. Tag placed his arm across the
back of the bench and leaned closer to them both. With Erik’s attention on the
bundle in his arms, Tag took advantage of the opportunity to study Erik’s
profile. His blond hair was long enough to pull. His ear lobes were the perfect
size to sink a set of teeth in. His neck was strong, and the pulsing vein made
Tag want to lick it. And the way he smelled? It must be some kind of body wash,
because it was too clean a scent to be cologne. Whatever it was, Tag wanted to
fucking bathe in it.

“Are
you smelling me again?”

Busted.