Roped In

by A. M. Arthur

  “I…what?”

  “Reyes called me because he’s concerned. Apparently, he and Mack heard you having a nightmare two nights ago. Through the walls of two cabins, Colt.” Avery’s voice turned serious. “I know it was better when I was there with you, and while I still think seeking professional mental help is a good idea, I can’t force you to go. But I can help you spend some time with friends, doing something you used to love. You have my permission to touch if it involves dancing, but no intimate places.”

  Colt gaped at the tree in front of him, shocked by the conversation. And also…aroused? Avery was taking care of him from a distance, like any good Sir would. “Is going out tonight and enjoying myself an order, Sir?”

  “Yes.”

  He shivered. “Okay. Is it okay if I invite another friend out, too?”

  “Which friend? Mack?”

  “No. I mean, sure, I’ll invite him, but I think he’s got weekend plans with Wes. Going over the new house or something. I meant Derrick Massey.”

  Avery was silent a beat. “Why Derrick?”

  “We’ve been chatting a little, and he’s invited me out a few times to hang and get drinks. He knows I’m taken, so he’s just trying to be a friend. And if he tries to poach, I’ll shut him down fast, like I did at the wedding. But I doubt he’ll make a pass, because most guys don’t like being embarrassed twice by the same dude.”

  “True. I trust you, Colt, invite whoever you like. Just promise me you’ll enjoy yourself. Reyes told me you and Mack used to go out every weekend for stress relief, and that you haven’t been out once since the shooting.”

  Colt flinched at the reminder, and his lower back twinged. “I promise I’ll do my best to have fun tonight.”

  “Good.”

  “Hey, is it still kidnapping if I agree to go with them?”

  “Brat.”

  “So what are you doing tonight while I’m dancing the night away with a bunch of hot, sexy men?”

  Avery laughed. “I’ve got sexy men of my own to ogle all night.”

  Colt was silent for a beat, and then he grinned. “You’re binge-watching Oz again, aren’t you?”

  “Guilty.”

  “Say hello to Christopher Meloni’s ass for me.”

  “Will do. Love you.”

  “Love you back. Bye.”

  Colt shoved his phone into his back pocket and strolled toward the barn to visit Duchess. Ordering Colt to go out and enjoy himself was an odd thing to do, but also so very much Avery’s style. Colt was a social creature, and he really did need to go be around people other than the ranch staff once in a while. He needed to ease back into his old life and stop allowing the shooting to control him.

  I’ll go have fun and make Sir proud.

  * * *

  The “kidnapping” occurred promptly at nine o’clock, and Colt was dressed for the occasion. Both Robin and Reyes were decked out for clubbing in dark, skintight clothes. Reyes hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, and it gave him a seductive edge. Not that Colt had ever seen Reyes actually hook up with someone, either in a back room or bathroom, but he did seem to enjoy dancing. Robin was a new quantity, but he had a tall, lean body, so he could probably bust a move or two.

  Robin drove his restored Mustang convertible, a car he loved and kept safely tucked away in the barn-shaped garage that housed employee vehicles so they didn’t clutter up the ranch’s aesthetic. It was early November and too cold to drive with the top down, but it was still a sweet ride. They listened to the radio and chatted about nonsense.

  The familiar, bright lights of San Francisco made Colt smile. He’d missed the city more than he realized. They went to their favorite spot, Club Base, and Derrick was waiting for them near the entrance. Colt welcomed him with a friendly hug, then introduced him to Robin, since he couldn’t remember if they’d met at the wedding back in September.

  Club Base was full and hopping by the time they paid the cover and went inside. The thumpa-thumpa of club music beat right inside of Colt’s chest, and he swayed his hips a little on his way to the bar. Yeah, he’d missed this. A lot. And even better, he had Avery’s permission to have a good time.

  He ordered a So-Co and lime to start, which he threw back quickly. Two never hurt anyone. The alcohol burned down his throat in a nice, warming way. Their quartet turned some heads, and why not? They were an eclectic bunch of tall, good-looking men, and Colt wasn’t shy with his flirty smiles.

  He also had no drink in his hands, so he merged into the sea of dancing bodies and found a spot to let go. To writhe with the music and let its tempo set his pace. Urge his hips and shoulders. Derrick and Robin joined him first and surprised him by immediately focusing on each other. Colt hadn’t given much thought to Robin joining them, either as a curious straight guy, or closeted gay guy, but now he wondered.

  Could be bi like Derrick. Good for them if they hit it off.

  Song after song played, and eventually Reyes joined them. Dancing with Reyes was fun and familiar, and the man moved like a dream. Like he was fucking right there on the dance floor. Reyes turned down guys who tried to steal him away.

  “You don’t have to babysit me, you know,” Colt shouted. “I’ll behave.”

  “Not interested,” Reyes replied. “Came out to dance, so I’ll dance with whom I choose.”

  Colt shrugged and kept dancing. Derrick left the group and came back with a round of shots, which were fun. The great part about clubs like this was the ability to burn off the alcohol quickly. While Colt had been all about hookups once upon a time, he always made sure he and his partner were both sober enough to know what was happening.

  A sexy bear came up behind Colt, and he kind of reminded him of Mack, so he let the guy grind on him for a while. It almost felt like old times. And when the bear’s hands wandered toward no-touch zones, Colt backed off the guy. He didn’t mind people getting grope-y when he was single, but Avery had set the rules for tonight, and Colt would abide by them.

  Not that he wanted anyone except Avery groping him, anyway.

  Colt took a break for a beer, and he was just about to take a long pull when three familiar faces walked into the club. Surprise jolted through him, and Colt approached with a wide grin.

  “Let me guess,” Colt said. “Derrick ratted us out?”

  “Good guess,” Wes replied. He had one arm draped around Mack’s waist, and his other arm looped through Miles’s. Mack was smiling, but Miles didn’t look exactly happy to be there. Probably another kidnapping victim.

  “Wes and me, we haven’t been here in a while,” Mack said. “When Derrick told Wes about kidnapping you for some fun, I figured we could join in, if that’s all right.”

  “Absolutely, it’s okay.” Colt was overjoyed that Mack wanted to come out to a club with him again. “First round is on me.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Colt paid for three more drinks, then passed them out. Miles had asked for plain cola, but Colt didn’t comment. Reyes joined them to order himself another drink, and Colt didn’t miss the long eye contact he held with Miles.

  Interesting.

  Less interesting when Colt and Miles hung back to nurse their drinks, while the others returned to the dance floor. “How hard did Wes beg to get you here?” Colt asked.

  “Pretty hard,” Miles replied with a snort. “He feels like he neglects our friendship, in between working and spending time with Mack. I guess this is him making up for it.”

  “Not a fan of clubs?”

  “I used to be. Now I just…it’s too many people for me. Hard to relax and have fun.”

  “Makes sense. This is the first time I’ve been out since I got shot. I guess some of that hesitation was in putting myself out there again. Being vulnerable to random acts of violence.”

  Miles gazed at him with empathy in his green eyes—and a kind of unde
rstanding. The expression made Colt ache inside, wondering what unspoken pain Miles was hiding. But they weren’t good enough friends for him to ask.

  They finished their drinks in silence and Miles surprised him by joining their group on the dance floor. He stuck close to Wes and Mack, and he was a little awkward and out of practice, but the awkwardness was also kind of adorable.

  And Colt didn’t miss the way Reyes tracked Miles’s whereabouts the entire time.

  Does someone have a crush, I wonder?

  Miles was kind of crushable, with short, dark hair and sparkling green eyes. Slim build that bordered on twinky, and that slightly haunted look that attracted the guys who needed to save someone. Maybe that’s what attracted Reyes to him. Reyes had never put a label on his sexuality, but Colt had also never seen the guy date.

  Who knows? Enjoy the night, courtesy of Sir.

  Colt grinned and danced along with the beat of the latest techno track. Robin and Derrick had hit it off and only had eyes for each other. Colt did a mental high five; they were both great guys. It was so easy to let go again, dancing in a tight cluster with Mack and Reyes just like old times. He closed his eyes for a while, confident in the men around him not to tread on his toes. When he opened them again to head for the bar, he noticed Miles was missing and Reyes had stopped dancing.

  He tracked Reyes’s gaze to the far wall, where Miles was talking with a cute guy his age. But something about their postures was off. Miles was hunched over, shoulder stooped, giving off unhappy vibes, while the other guy seemed angry. Wes stopped dancing, too, his cheerful expression melting into concern.

  “You know that guy?” Mack asked.

  “He’s Miles’s ex, Dallas,” Wes replied, a sharp edge to his voice. “He’s been harassing Miles with text messages for months and won’t take a hint.”

  Their entire group quit dancing and began to edge closer, circling the wagons around one of their own. Dallas reached out and grabbed Miles by the forearm. Colt only saw a blur of dark movement, and then Reyes was shoving the ex against the wall, inserting his broad body between that guy and Miles.

  Colt closed in on them in time to hear Dallas say, “…just fucking talking, dude. Stay out of it.”

  “Talking doesn’t involve grabbing,” Reyes replied in a deadly voice.

  “Hey, I’m okay,” Miles said, but he looked anything except fine. Pale and wide eyed wasn’t fine. Wes put an arm around his waist and pulled him away from the confrontation.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” Dallas snarled.

  “Someone who doesn’t let other guys harass his brother’s best friend,” Reyes said.

  For an instant, Colt was completely lost, until he realized Reyes was referring to Wes as his brother, probably via his relationship with Mack.

  Reyes turned, keeping his body angled so he wasn’t giving Dallas his back and asked Miles, “Do you want this guy to contact you ever again?”

  Miles straightened his shoulders and replied, “No. I’ve told him that. I want him to leave me the fuck alone, period!”

  Reyes faced Dallas again, as menacing as Colt had ever seen his normally even-tempered friend. “You heard Miles. Now fuck off.”

  Wes, Mack, and Reyes circled Miles and herded him farther away, conversing quietly as a group. Since Colt wasn’t part of that inner circle, he hung back with Derrick and Robin, all three of them making sure Dallas slunk back into the hole he crawled out of. Mack came over to their trio with a frown.

  “Miles wants to call it a night,” he said, “so we’re heading back to the apartment. Reyes, too. Wes said y’all are welcome to crash if you don’t feel like hustling it back to the ranch tonight.”

  Derrick and Robin looked at each other with such open lust that Colt had pity on them. “If I can get a ride back to the ranch tomorrow,” Colt said, “I’ll take you up on that.”

  “Sure thing.” Mack raised an eyebrow at Robin. Colt shrugged.

  “Guess I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, Robin. Derrick, good to see you again.” Colt clapped him on the shoulder. “You two play safe.”

  Robin smirked at him.

  No one spoke on the car ride. Colt had never been to Wes and Miles’s apartment, so he had no idea how far it was. And it wasn’t until they’d parked and were walking toward the building that Colt wondered where everyone was going to sleep.

  “You guys have extra sleeping bags on hand?” he asked.

  Wes chuckled. “No, but we do have a pullout couch you and Reyes can share.”

  “Excellent.”

  When they reached the apartment, Miles headed straight for his bedroom with Wes right behind him. It left Colt alone with Mack and a still angry Reyes.

  “So I take it this ex is a massive douche?” Colt asked.

  “Wes has mentioned the asshole before,” Mack replied, keeping his voice low. “Sounds like he’s been cyber-stalking Miles since they broke up back in the spring.”

  “Some guys can’t take a fucking hint.” He turned to Reyes, who’d plunked down on the couch. “Look at you, playing the hero.”

  Reyes glared. “He put his hand on my friend.”

  So not an answer, but Reyes still looked kind of wound up, so he wasn’t going to push. Mack got them all waters from the fridge. Colt sat down to shoot off a text to Avery, thanking him for tonight and that he had a lot of platonic fun. It was after midnight, so he didn’t expect a response until morning.

  Wes returned to the living room and cast a helpless shrug at Mack. “He’s still shaken up, but he doesn’t want to talk about it.”

  Mack wrapped his arms around Wes. “Just be present. He’ll talk when he’s ready.”

  “I’m sorry your friend is hurting,” Colt said.

  Wes tossed a sad smile his way. “Thanks.”

  It was a bittersweet way to end an otherwise fantastic evening, but such was life. Wes got them sheets and a blanket for the pullout, then he and Mack retreated to Wes’s bedroom. Colt and Reyes turned down the sofa and made the bed. It wasn’t very comfortable, but Colt was tired enough that he’d fall asleep, anyway.

  “This your first time sharing a bed with a dude?” Colt teased in the dark.

  “No,” was Reyes’s cryptic answer.

  “Just don’t roll over in the middle of the night and start humping me. I’ve got a boyfriend.”

  Reyes snorted laughter. “You’d be so lucky.”

  Colt laughed, too, and it felt good to laugh with his friend again. Everything about tonight gave Colt hope that one day, he’d truly have both of his best friends back.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The following evening, Colt’s tablet startled him by the Skype app ringing an hour earlier than his scheduled call with Avery. He tapped the screen, happy to see Avery’s smiling face. “Hey, did I get the time mixed up?” Colt asked.

  “Nope, I have good news and I couldn’t wait to share,” Avery replied.

  “Oh? Do tell.” Colt settled on his bed, eager to know what had Avery so excited.

  “I accepted a consultation gig for a film shooting in Colorado. It’s last minute, because their previous historian bailed, so it starts next week.”

  “That’s awesome. You love consulting. For how long?”

  “It’s only four weeks, so I’ll be back in the area before Christmas, but the job isn’t the good news. I worked out my flight so I have a one-day layover in San Jose.”

  Colt’s entire body jolted. “Really? I get to see you next week?”

  “Yup.” Avery’s smug grin went right to Colt’s balls. “My flight gets into San Jose at eight in the morning, and I don’t depart until seven a.m. the next day. Almost twenty-four hours.”

  Colt kind of wanted to do cartwheels across his cabin. “What day?”

  “Well, because of the director’s schedule, he needs me there next Tuesday
.”

  “So the layover is on a Monday?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s fine, I’ll work it out with Arthur. I’ll work all weekend if I have to, so I can see you.”

  Avery tilted his head. “Does Arthur know about us?”

  “No, I haven’t explicitly told anyone new that we’re together, but I will, especially Arthur. You’re so important to me, Avery. I can’t wait to see you.” Eight days. Colt could manage eight more days to see Sir again.

  “I can’t wait, too. So tell me about the club last night.”

  Colt detailed his evening, including the dramatic ending.

  “That Dallas guy sounds like a creep,” Avery said. “Miles should get a restraining order.”

  “Probably not a bad idea, but I’m sure Wes has floated the idea. He’s pretty keen on helping Miles out but Miles won’t let him.”

  “You can’t force people to let you help them.”

  Colt spotted the double meaning. “You still think I should see a therapist about my nightmares.”

  “I do, but you have to make the choice, because if you don’t do the work, there’s no point.” Avery had his nighttime glasses on, and he pushed them up his nose. “Let’s not have that same argument again. Let’s plan what we’re going to do next Monday.”

  “Please tell me there will be ropes involved.”

  “We can work that in. I may have bought us a new toy, as well.”

  Colt’s dick twitched with interest. “Care to share with the class?”

  “You’ll see it soon enough. But what else besides a scene?”

  “I’ll see what’s happening in the area that day. I mean, I’d be content to spend the day in the hotel, but I doubt they do check-in at nine in the morning.”

  Avery chuckled. “I doubt it, as well. Plus I’d like to see more of the area. I enjoyed San Jose the few times we went out.”

  Colt didn’t dare hope Avery wanted to look around because he was interested in moving to the area, but if he could help Avery fall in love with San Jose, he’d plan a fun, fantastic date for them. “Then we’ll see more of the city.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”