Free Cover Up by KC Burn Page B

still the boring, socially awkward fat kid, and sex toys weren’t going to change that.
    With a frown, he slammed the drawer shut and pulled open the top drawer. Lots to be said about who he was in here, but none of it good or interesting. Its contents were the reason he’d always be alone, why he’d never have a proper boyfriend, and why his best friend couldn’t stand to spend the night with him.
    Somehow, he’d always imagined being thinner would magically improve his life. Not eating much during the last year of his mom’s life had melted most of the extra pounds away, but he wasn’t skinny by any stretch. He tried not to eat too much, tried to eat healthy, but he still had love handles, and with them—ironically—he wasn’t going to find anyone to love him. Even Neil joked about his fat bum and spare tire.
    Even with the weight loss, he still had sleep apnea. He still needed the dreaded CPAP machine when he slept to ensure he didn’t stop breathing in the middle of the night. How could he expect any man to put up with the noise, never mind Parker looking like a fighter pilot all night? Wasn’t exactly conducive to cuddling or middle-of-the-night blow jobs or even just sharing a bed. All of the things he wanted and hoped to have one day.
    His mom had always seemed happy just the two of them, but Parker wanted a relationship. He wanted to share his life with someone, but with the mechanical baggage and his social ineptness, there wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to get it. Maybe he needed to revise his stance on one-night stands; he might have misremembered how bad they were.
    Parker fitted the mask over his nose and started the machine before turning off the lamp. Even with it, he knew his snoring was sometimes intolerable, but he usually only woke up with a headache if he forgot to wear it while sleeping or napping. And after he’d scared the crap out of his mom a couple of times, he tried not to forget, even without her around to remind him. It was especially important that he wear it after smoking up, although his doctor had strongly recommended against getting high.
    Flat on his back, he stared at the flickering shadows cast on his ceiling from the streetlights outside and let the consistent white noise of his CPAP machine lull him to sleep as it had done every night for years and years.
     
     
    I VAN stumbled into the dark house, shivering as the chilly air hit his sweat-slick body. He’d run a fucking long way, much longer than he’d intended, but he hadn’t seen a hint of surveillance. Not entirely a surprise. Drug kingpins had more resources than cops did, but even they didn’t have the manpower to stake out a low-level dealer’s 24/7, unless Ivan gave them a reason to be suspicious. Whether the incident on the bus was a coincidence or not, he must have played it cool enough.
    He kicked off his runners before grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge. Half the bottle disappeared in one gulp, and he leaned over the counter, panting. His legs wobbled like wet noodles, but he had run far and fast enough that he was sure to sleep through the night. He needed a decent night’s sleep.
    With the rapid thump of his pulse still beating in his ears, he couldn’t hear a sound from the bedroom upstairs. There was no indication if the pair had fallen asleep or if they’d gone out. He’d gotten past the point of going out after ten at night unless he was looking to get laid, but Neil and Parker were plenty young enough to see ten as going out time rather than coming home time.
    That alone was enough to make his shoulders slump. It shouldn’t matter that a low-level criminal had more energy and a better social life than he did, and maybe after he got a decent night’s sleep, he’d stop caring.
    Ivan’s bed and a shower were the only things convincing him to climb the creaky stairs. Otherwise, he’d be happy to collapse naked on the couch. On the landing, he froze. He didn’t recall hearing