“Someone paid us,” the man cried out. “Damn, you’re hurtin’ me.”
“Good.” Cade pulled out his cell phone.
“You can’t call the sheriff,” one of the men protested. “I’ll go to jail.”
“You should have thought of that first,” Nate snarled. “Adam, you okay? Cade?”
“I’m fine,” Adam said, lying through his teeth. He’d do the manly thing if it killed him, but the truth was all he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and sleep. His ribs hurt and his cheekbone ached like hell and he thought the gash on his arm from the bullet might have started bleeding again. Lucky the men had missed his mouth, because a fat lip made singing impossible.
Thankfully, someone from the sheriff’s department arrived within ten minutes.
“You again,” he said when he climbed from the driver’s seat.
“Bad day,” Adam said. He was acutely aware of the solid heat coming from Nate, who stood behind him. The only thing better than bed at the moment would be if Nate was in there with him, curled behind with his arms wrapped around him. Yeah, Adam could get into that scenario—Nate’s lips caressing his neck. That would make him feel better. Much better.
The lawman noted details of the attack and took the two offenders away.
“What made you change your mind about drinks with the others?” Cade asked. “Not that I’m complaining. With timing like that, you should play with the band.”
“I decided I needed sleep more than I wanted a drink,” Nate said.
“Thanks,” Adam said. “You saved our asses.”
They walked onto the motel grounds and made their way to Adam and Cade’s room, all three coming to an abrupt halt outside. The front door swung ajar.
“You sure you locked the door?” Nate asked.
Adam stared at the door, an awful feeling sinking to the pit of his stomach. Anger took hold, and he shoved the door hard, reaching around the frame to switch on the light.
“Fuck,” Cade growled. “If they’ve stolen or damaged my guitar, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”
“Wait,” Nate said, grabbing a fistful of Cade’s shirt before he leapt into the room. “Ring the sheriff again. They might get fingerprints.”
Adam stared at his guitar case. It was open, his prized guitar nowhere in sight. His anger morphed into pure fury, his hands fisting at his sides. His eyes narrowed, his entire body tensing while he struggled to maintain control. What the fuck? What the fuck had he done to deserve all the crap chucked at him today?
Two hours later, Cade left to meet his woman and Adam and Nate collected some clothes. The sheriff had recommended they change accommodations for the night. Cade intended to stay out anyway, and Adam supposed he’d grab a hotel room on his own.
Nate held up a T-shirt and pointed to a pair of jeans. “None of these are fit to wear. Let’s go.” He grasped Adam’s shoulder, gently shunting him toward the door. “I’ll lend you something until you can grab some new stuff.”
“What about my guitar? My saxophone?” The sense of violation was like a knife in the gut. Sharp. Destructive. Replacing instruments wasn’t as easy as replacing clothes.
“I don’t know.” Nate pushed his shoulder harder and yawned. “We’ll work it out tomorrow. We’ll check at reception to see if they have a spare room for the rest of the night.”
They didn’t, since they were full, but they went out of their way to find Adam a room, ringing around, full of apologies for the inconvenience. Finally, they told him they’d located a room at a hotel down the road.
“You shouldn’t be alone,” Nate said, returning to the office to hear the receptionist tell Adam about the room. “I’ll come with you. Would you call a taxi for us, please?” he asked the receptionist.
Suddenly his day was looking up. Adam turned to Nate, scanning his impassive features. Unfortunately his hat screened most of his face. “You don’t have to. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“This is the third thing today,” Nate pointed out while the receptionist rang for the requested cab. “Security is part of my job.”
“Is that all I am to you?” Adam asked in a low voice. “A job?”
“Of course not. You’re my friend,” Nate said.
Not the answer he wanted. Adam’s shoulders slumped, Nate’s words another kick in the gut. He climbed into the taxi when it arrived, sliding across the backseat so Nate could enter. Adam didn’t want that kind of friendship. He wanted a lover, a man who would stay at his side out of love and friendship. If Nate intended to stay with him out of obligation, he should think again.
Adam remained silent throughout the short trip to the hotel. He checked in speedily, signing where the receptionist indicated, not really listening as she and Nate exchanged pleasantries.
The room was on the fourth floor. Adam rode the elevator and walked along the thickly carpeted passage to the room at the end. Nate reached past him and slid the keycard into the door. A green light glowed, and Nate pushed the door open.
“You’re quiet,” Nate said, jerking him from his sulk.
“You don’t have to stay. I don’t need a nursemaid. What I need is a lover.”
“That right?”
“Yeah.”
Nate pushed Adam into the room and stepped in after him. He closed the door and slid the security chain across. He slipped the keycard into a slot by the door and flipped another switch. Suddenly the room was bathed in soft light. Adam stared, swallowed. He closed his eyes and opened them again.
“You have got to be kiddin’,” he muttered. “The honeymoon suite?”
“It was all they had,” Nate said, yanking off his hat and dropping it on a handy coffee table. He removed his footwear and pulled his T-shirt over his head, baring acres of tanned, muscular flesh to Adam. His hands went to his jeans, and he opened the top button.
“What are you doing?” Adam’s voice came out low, husky. He ripped his gaze from temptation. Unfortunately his attention went right back to Nate like a heat-guided missile.
Nate slid his jeans down his legs, taking his tight boxers with them. “I’m going to turn on the spa bath the receptionist mentioned and soak for a bit. Ease some of the bruising.” Naked, he walked away, leaving Adam staring after him in confusion. This was the same man who’d said he wasn’t gay and didn’t like men? He shook his head, wincing at the shard of pain. Those men must have hit him harder than he thought.
Chapter Four
Nate had no idea what he was doing. He hadn’t seduced another man for years, but after the shooting, the attack and the robbery, he decided he didn’t have the luxury to prevaricate. Life was short. Rosa had taught him that, told him to grasp love where he found it and not to pine for her after she died. At the time, he’d told her to shush and not talk that way.
But she’d been right, his conscience whispered. The thought of not having Adam around worried him more than anything else.
A missed opportunity he would mourn.
Nate turned on the taps and water gushed into the tub. He’d liked Adam from their first meeting, and the feeling had grown with time. They’d kissed, held each other. Now Adam was in danger, and he couldn’t walk away without exploring this thing between them.
After testing the heat, Nate climbed into the tub and, once the water level was high enough, started the jets churning. Nice. If he had plenty of money, he’d get a large tub like this and put it in the garden, a place where he could soak privately and not worry about clothes. Naked was better. He leaned back and closed his eyes, letting the warm water soak away the ache in his ribs where one of the assailants had landed a punch. No doubt, he’d have a large bruise tomorrow. Nate took comfort from the fact the other guy would look worse.
Something weird was going on in this town, and Adam was in the middle of it.
Nate thought back over the day and frowned. The gunfire this morning hadn’t been an accident. His gut instinct shouted that clearly.
A soft splash of water, followed by the brush
of a muscled leg against his, told him Adam was joining him. Finally.
“About time you got here,” Nate said without opening his eyes. “I need someone to scrub my back.”
A long pause. “What did your last slave die of?”
“Insubordination,” Nate said with a sly grin.
“I don’t like bossy men.”
Nate cracked his eyes open a fraction, holding back the smile threatening to bloom. Adam looked like a kid with a pout. Nate waited, not saying anything. He heard a sharp huff of sound, another splash as Adam settled fully into the water.
“Lean forward so I can reach,” Adam said, his tone ungracious.
“Better watch it. Your sweet talk might seduce me.”
Adam snorted, and Nate allowed his grin to spread. He still had no idea what he was doing where Adam was concerned. This was fun, though. He shifted, angling his body toward Adam, and leaned forward to allow the other man easier access.
“I don’t understand you,” Adam said finally.
“I’m an uncomplicated kinda guy.”
Adam let out a sexy sigh. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t want me to touch you before and now you’re practically offering yourself on a plate. I didn’t think you were interested. That you weren’t gay.”
“I’m not gay.” Nate frowned inwardly at his quick retort because his words gave the wrong impression. “I like you,” he added.
“And that should make me feel special?”
“Hell if I know.” It was both that simple and that complicated. Nate was playing this scenario by ear.
Adam rubbed a soapy washcloth over his shoulders, using hard pressure that made Nate want to groan out loud. Felt good. Real good.
“I’m going to want more than kisses,” Adam said, his tone belligerent, as if he wanted to argue.
A sense of well-being crept through Nate, the warm water and Adam’s attentions making all his residual stress seep away. “Do your worst,” Nate said, not inclined to argue. “Although you should probably let me sleep first. I’m an old man compared to you. I need my beauty sleep.” Nate turned to glance over his shoulder, fluttering his eyelashes in a flirtatious manner. He earned himself another snort.
Turning away, Nate smiled. At least he’d managed to take Adam’s mind off the burglary. Nate knew how attached the men were to their instruments. They were like extensions of their persons. Anyone who touched their treasured guitars committed a sin. A new one always took time to get used to, and he wondered what Adam and Cade would do, since they were playing at the pub the next night.
Not that he intended to bring up the subject now. Adam had enough to worry about without Nate reminding him.
“You’re not that much older than me.” Adam paused and tossed aside the washcloth. “Are you going to let me fuck you?”
The harsh words shimmered between them for a long moment. Almost shocking, they held a silent dare.
Nate swallowed, nerves starting a tap dance through his stomach. His cock filled beneath the water, despite his trepidation. His chest heaved in a deep breath. “No, I’m going to fuck you.”
“Brave words, but I don’t believe you. And I want to know why you’ve changed your mind.”
Damn. Nate hesitated, but he knew there was no way around it. The truth always worked best, even if it hurt or raised matters he’d prefer not to discuss.
“It was something Rosa said to me a long time ago. She told me that after she died she wanted me to keep myself open to finding love again.”
“But you haven’t,” Adam said. “You haven’t gone out with anyone in all the time you’ve worked with the band.”
“You keeping tabs on me?”
“No, not really. I liked…like you. I was curious and started to pay attention.”
“And you decided to approach me because you noticed I didn’t go out with women. You figured I was gay?”
“No. No, it was nothing like that. We’re on the road a lot, spend time together. It’s hard not to notice things.”
Nate nodded, knowing Adam spoke the truth. “Is that why you date now and then, ask women out? So the rest of us think you’re picky?”
“Yeah. You won’t tell, will you?”
“The rest of the band will guess there’s something between us,” Nate said, ignoring Adam’s question. If the man didn’t trust him now, there was no hope for them. His brow furrowed as he thought about the situation. It would be difficult not to see they cared for one another. They spent a lot of time together now. The rest of the band probably whispered already.
“Not if we’re careful.”
“And what if things don’t work between us?” Nate hesitated before speaking again. Truth was best, he told himself. Be upfront now. “What happens if we end up hating each other?”
“I hope we’re mature enough to work through things without creating problems for everyone else.” Adam paused. “Man, do you discuss every relationship to death? What happened to spontaneity?”
Nate shook his head. “Mock all you want. I’m not sure—”
“Were you like this with Rosa?”
Anger pulsed through Nate without warning, hot and consuming. He stood abruptly, water dripping down his body. Ignoring Adam’s startled look, Nate stepped from the tub and grabbed a towel. He rubbed it across his chest and the rest of his body with brutal strokes. He strode to the bed and pulled back the sheets. Adam had no right bringing Rosa into their discussion. He didn’t know her. Nate switched off all the lights in the bedroom, apart from one of the lamps illuminating the bed. Resolutely, he closed his eyes and prayed for sleep.
A mistake.
With his eyes closed, every other sense magnified. He heard the faint splashing of water, a low hum and a few garbled words coming from the tub. Adam was singing. Nate cursed softly and turned over, hoping to block the sound. Then he heard a louder splash of water, the gurgle as the plug released and the water escaped down the drain. In his mind’s eye, he visualized Adam standing in the tub, water streaming down the golden-colored skin of his chest, the whorls of his tattoo. Damn, this had to stop. This was a mistake after all. A relationship with Adam was impossible. It wouldn’t take long for the rest of the band to discover something was going on between them. They weren’t stupid. And he hated to think what would happen if Stampede’s manager found out. Bad publicity. Some people were weird when it came to different. They liked things neat and tidy. All their pegs in the correct holes. A bark of humor escaped. Damn, this wasn’t a laughing matter.
Besides, he wasn’t gay. He didn’t believe in labels. It was the person who attracted him—their personality. It had nothing to do with male or female.
“I know you’re not asleep, Nate.”
The cover lifted and he felt Adam crawl into bed with him. Nate opened his mouth to tell Adam to sleep somewhere else, that he’d changed his mind. Hell. A bit of honesty here. He wanted Adam in the same bed. He also knew himself well enough to admit fear. If Adam was in the same bed and made the first move, he could tell himself the man had seduced him. Yup. Screwed-up thinking for sure.
Nate turned over, his breath hitching when he caught Adam’s seductive smile. It spread across his face, lighting his brown eyes and making the corners of Nate’s mouth twitch with the need to return the smile.
“I’m not going to seduce you. You need to meet me halfway, Nate. I’m not going to give you excuses to trot out later. I want you. I want more than friendship, but I’m not going to force it on you. Anything between us needs to be your decision.”
“Fuck!”
“Yes,” Adam said in a solemn tone.
Nate wasn’t sure which one of them moved first, but their arms wrapped around each other. Their lips touched in a kiss of exploration, tentative even though they’d kissed earlier. Adam cupped Nate’s face with one hand, deepening the contact. He nipped on Nate’s bottom lip, the sting zapping through Nate’s body like the charge of a live wire. A gasp escaped him a
nd Adam took advantage, sliding his tongue into Nate’s mouth. Nate didn’t even try to pull away, admitting he needed this. The close contact of a person he liked and cared for. The clean scent of soap rose from Adam’s skin. It smelled better than the reeking perfume from the other night.
Kissing a man wasn’t that different when it came down to it. Adam’s lips were just as soft, and Nate found the contrast of his stubble appealing, memories of long-ago explorations before Rosa drifting back to him.
Adam groaned and moved closer until their bodies touched from shoulder to groin. He dragged Nate against his chest, and a frisson of pleasure darted the length of Nate’s body. Pushing thoughts of right or wrong aside, Nate went with the sensations, the roughness of Adam’s cheek when he cupped it with his hand, the hardness of his chest and the silky smoothness and lazy stroke of his tongue as they kissed. Adam’s mouth was hot, his lips demanding while his hands stroked across Nate’s back and lower to cup his ass. Blood pooled at Nate’s groin, the purpose and skill of Adam’s touch making him shiver. Needy. Desperate for more. Nate pulled away, breathing hard.
“Let me make you feel good,” Adam said. “We’ll take it slow. No sex tonight. Just touching. Learning each other.” As he spoke, his hands wandered, overburdening Nate’s nerve endings with electric sensation.
Nate stared at Adam, noted the heavy-lidded look and knew he probably looked equally aroused. His cock certainly was, hard and aching with the sweet agony of anticipation.
“Nate?”
“Yeah?” His voice emerged in a guttural tone, holding all the need pulsing inside his body. “Please touch me,” he added, knowing he needed to give Adam more reassurance before the other man would touch him more aggressively. He shifted against Adam and couldn’t hold back his groan of pleasure when the head of his cock slid across Adam’s hip.
Adam flashed him a grin before laying a trail of kisses down his jaw and neck. He nipped lightly at the junction of shoulder and neck, making Nate wince. The lap of Adam’s tongue soothed the sting and sent all kinds of messages streaming through his body. A hungry noise squeezed past his tight lips. Adam lifted his head, his warm breath caressing Nate’s face. Nate swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, his heart hammering against his ribs in an erratic manner.
Seeking Kokopelli Page 5
