Lolly cleared his throat. “I’m freezing.”
Mage didn’t bother making a comment and just waved at Sid and Asher, who reluctantly waved back before gesturing at them to come over.
“Yess,” Lolly said, clapping with glee. For him, it was mission accomplished.
Dusk once more asked his brother whether he was fine, but once Dawn confirmed, both the shit-stirrers were off, hand in hand, as if they were about to jump into a pool full of vanilla pudding.
Abra rubbed Mage’s shoulder with a small smile. The wind was blowing her hair back, and Mage found himself thinking that she really needed a hat. “Yes, we’re fine. I’m glad that dog didn’t go after you,” he said, taking her under his other arm, and leading the two toward the house.
Asher stood in the open door, assessing them all. He didn’t look like his usual put-together self. The white dye had faded out of his hair, and the shaved bits on the sides of his head were darker than usual. The chinos and expensive top—his typical clothes—had been replaced by loose loungewear with a ketchup stain on one pant leg, and there was an unusual puffiness to his face, as if he’d missed sleep.
“W-what about the tour?” he choked out, staring at Mage.
“We won’t be able to make it to the gig tomorrow, but the next one after that is in a week, so we’re good,” Mage said, even though missing a gig wasn’t ‘good’ in any situation.
It took only a few passive-aggressive comments from Lolly and Dusk before Asher caved, inviting them into the warmth of his massive Aspen lodge. Mage’s family was well off, but Asher’s property showed a whole different level of wealth.
Stepping inside was like a visit in a catalog-ready home. Only bits of trash and leftovers served as reminders that the place was lived in. Other than that, fur throws, plaid pillows and leather sofas screamed of white-people-ski-resort taste, and there was even a deer head mounted over a fireplace to drive the point home.
Mage just went with it, even though he considered it all over the top. At the end of the day, the worst had been dealt with. He was finally warm, and that beast of a dog had been locked away, no longer able to harm Dawn or anyone else. Without thinking, he led Dawn to the buzzing fire and groaned when the heat of the flames reached his cold legs. He really hadn’t been prepared for the snow, and only now, out of the soaked shoes, did he feel relief.
Dusk didn’t wait for a house tour and immediately started one of his own, taking Lolly with him, while Abra stayed in a rocking chair.
“Do they deliver pizza here?” Dusk asked.
Asher’s face stiffened, and embarrassment curled in Mage’s stomach, as if it had all been his idea. Their host didn’t answer, and just went off, followed by Sid’s insistent presence. Judging by the junk food scattered by the sofa, this wasn’t how he’d imagined this evening would go.
Asher kept putting off the inevitable—talking to Sid—and even took his time dressing the scrapes on Mage’s hands with bandage, even though they were nothing much to worry about. Dawn paced around Mage, unable to find himself a spot. Seeing him so anxious was worse than the dog attack had been. All Mage wanted was to pull him close, stroke his wet hair and assure him there was nothing to worry about, but that would have been too touchy-feely, even for them.
There was only so long Asher could put off the inevitable now that his safe space had been invaded, and he finally took Sid upstairs after telling everyone to help themselves to anything they needed.
Once Abra left, too sleepy to wait for the events to unfold, Dawn and Mage remained alone in front of the crackling fireplace, which burned real wood, not gas. Dawn had taken off his jacket, but he still had the oversized sweater on, despite it being damp. Mage would have hoped his friend would now calm down, but Dawn ran his fingers through his hair, breathing harder by the second.
“My hat. I lost my hat.”
Dusk groaned, entering the living room with a bag of chips he must have stolen from the kitchen. “Oh, come on. It’s just a baseball cap. You can look for it tomorrow.”
Mage’s jaw clenched when Dusk’s words triggered an anger he knew was unreasonable. Still, it annoyed him that Dawn’s concerns were being dismissed. Sure, it was technically a cheap baseball cap, but all the memories connected to it made it irreplaceable.
When Dawn stared at his brother, at loss and unable to voice what was surely going on in his head, Mage spoke for him.
“I’m sure it’s nearby, let’s have a look.”
Dawn released all the air he’d been holding in and nodded eagerly.
Mage stole a touch of the soft hair, ruffling it, as if this was just a joke. The smooth locks caressed Dawn’s pretty face, so light and fluffy Mage wanted to bury his nose in them. “I might pick up my scarf while we’re at it,” he said, leading the way back into the snowy garden as soon as he put on his shoes.
His California-bred heart told him that nowhere should be this cold, but here they were, so there was no other way around it but to endure. The scarf was easy enough to find, but the hat search led them all the way back to the hole in the snow where they’d tumbled earlier.
The paw prints following two sets of human tracks gave Mage a shudder, and Dawn was likely thinking about the same thing when he looked up from the messy snow. “Thank you. I was so scared. It barked so loudly.”
Mage pulled the collar of his jacket up and rubbed his shoulders, breathing in the cold air as slowly as possible, because flu was the last thing they needed during the tour. Dawn’s smile was soft, his cheeks like raspberry marshmallows, and in another world Mage might have sampled them if the moment felt right. But not with Dawn. Not with his bandmate. Not with the little brother of his best friend.
So he was left with playing the role of an older friend, with an invisible chastity belt keeping his dick far away from Dawn’s pretty fingers, lips, and thighs.
“Don’t mention it. I’m sturdier than you.”
Dawn glanced into the snow with a smile but reached out to squeeze Mage’s arm through the jacket. “Yep, very sturdy.”
If this were anyone else, Mage would have sworn he was being flirted with, but he didn’t get to think it through, because Lolly opened the sliding door and yelled, “Oh, my God, guys! There’s a hot tub here!”
Mage wasn’t sure if his heart skipped a beat in dread or anticipation.
Chapter 3
Sometimes, the sweet moments in life contained a drop of poison, despite tasting so good. So, when Mage pulled off his jacket, shoes, and then sweater in the cold air, Dawn desperately tried to convince himself that there was nothing he could do about the skipped gig anymore, so he might as well relax.
Steam rose above the outdoor bath, creating clouds of vapor around Lolly and Dusk, who cuddled up on one side of the round hot tub, already in the process of emptying Asher’s liquor cabinet.
Dawn hugged himself, shifting his weight. “I’ll sit this one out, I don’t have any swimwear.”
Dusk snorted and leaned against the edge of the tub. “Dawn, don’t be ridiculous. None of us have swimwear.”
“But—” Dawn must have understood Dusk’s meaning because he want silent and beet-red.
“Commando!” Lolly rose from the water, and Mage swiftly raised his gaze to avoid looking at the dick emerging from the tub.
“Don’t splash about,” he said but unzipped his pants, discreetly glancing Dawn’s way. The space around the hot tub was made cozy by a wall of evergreens dividing it from the rest of the yard. Nobody could see them from afar, even if they had a spyglass.
Dawn squealed and hid his eyes like the innocent he was.
“Just down a shot and do it,” Dusk urged, extending the whiskey bottle to his little brother. Dawn had turned twenty one lately, and it wasn’t like he was driving tonight, but he seemed to need more encouragement, so Mage took the bottle instead and burned his throat with a couple of wood-flavored gulps.
The cold instantly became less of an issue, despite his nipples still perking up. Ma
ge offered Dawn the bottle and poked his hat, which they easily found in the white snow earlier. “You can keep that on.”
Dawn swallowed, took a deep breath and sipped the alcohol to the accompaniment of Lolly’s cheers and his impromptu dance in the water. “Dawn gone wild!”
Mage couldn’t keep his gaze to himself, and even as he pushed down his jeans, staying in the freezing air in only a pair of trunks, he was waiting to see Dawn’s throat work. “Let’s just relax tonight.”
Dawn nodded and turned the bottle upside down. The massive gulp he took could have contained more than a single shot. He patted his chest once he swallowed, but his face reflected his determination to fit in.
“Leave some for the rest of us, Dawn!” Dusk kept laughing, but he’d already grabbed himself a beer.
“This isn’t the first time I’m drinking, you know. Stop making a big deal out of it.” Dawn took off his oversized sweater, revealing a long-sleeve. It was made of stretchy fabric that clung to his body, and Mage had to control himself to avoid staring too blatantly.
Hot droplets splashed his freezing legs out of nowhere, and he let out a surprised yelp, staring at Lolly’s naked form. The bastard rolled his hips, as if he were belly dancing. “Come on, Mage! I want to see the goods.”
Mage exhaled and pushed off his underwear. There was no point in making a big deal out of it.
Dusk pulled Lolly down into his lap with a splash. “Stop making the straight guy uncomfortable.” The reprimand sounded more like a joke, but Mage stalled. Perhaps he could use this as an opportunity to mention he wasn’t entirely straight, just correct Dusk matter-of-factly, but they’d known each other for so long that the truth would have felt like an unnecessary stir in their comfortable relationship. Dusk would make a big deal out of it, and instead of a relaxing evening, Mage would end up getting grilled all night. It wasn’t like he was doing anything with his gay side.
Through his entire life he’d liked-liked maybe three guys he actually met. Celebrities and porn stars didn’t count. So what was the point? It wasn’t like he’d be dating Dawn anyway, and maybe the band needed its token straight male to avoid even more drama?
He dropped his trunks to the pile of clothes and slowly entered the tub, only a bit self-conscious about everyone looking at his naked body. He had nothing to be ashamed of, but the eyes evaluating him as if this were a show was making things weird. He sat down as soon as he managed to twist his dreadlocks into a bundle at the top of his head, and the hot, fizzing water tickled his flesh, stirring it back to life.
Despite the moment of strange anxiety, once he was in the water, it turned out Dusk and Lolly hadn’t actually ogled him, and instead turned their attention to Dawn. As did Mage.
“You’ll freeze, Dawn,” Lolly teased from Dusk’s lap.
Dawn had taken his top off, and was taking endless time with the sneakers. “I’m coming.”
Dusk and Lolly started chanting Dawn’s name, using beer cans as percussion instruments to put their point across. They must have brought them from the kitchen, along with the snacks.
Dawn pushed the shoes aside and straightened. His pale chest had a bit of flush to it, and Mage had to pretend he wasn’t staring at the raspberry nipples which perked up in the cold. He very rarely saw Dawn without his shirt on, since they usually changed in the bathroom when sharing quarters, and he couldn’t take his eyes off the line of hair running from Dawn’s navel into his briefs. Endless constellations of beauty spots all over Dawn’s skin begged to be touched.
He shifted on the tiled seat, making space for Dawn next to him. He even offered him a friendly smile of encouragement, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t fantasizing about his own hand slowly unzipping the front of Dawn’s jeans.
Dawn took the bottle of whisky from Dusk for another sip. As soon as he was done, he pulled down his jeans, revealing slim legs and black briefs. He wasn’t about to pull them off though, and instead rushed into the hot tub with a splash.
“At least take the hat off!” Dusk grabbed it off Dawn’s head, but Mage clenched his own hand on Dusk’s wrist, stopping him mid-move.
“It’s cold. Let him have the hat!”
Lolly whistled. “Aw, Dawn’s hero!”
Dusk didn’t attempt to wrestle Mage and settled back in the water. “Okay, okay, wouldn’t want our precious piece of porcelain cracking.”
Lolly smiled and rested his cheek on Dusk’s shoulder. “This is so nice after having to walk in the snow.”
Mage exhaled, and the moment the two lovebirds focused their attention on one another, his skin became acutely aware of Dawn’s proximity. The two of them had been friends for so long, yet there was an invisible physical barrier that kept them from really touching when there were few clothes involved. In the blue light of the underwater lamps, he saw Dawn’s thigh only an inch away from his own, so pale it almost seemed translucent.
Enough. Mage wouldn’t torture himself any longer. He looked toward the starry sky, his mouth was left hanging open when he spotted two shadows in a window upstairs. “I think they made up,” he said with a smile slowly tugging at his mouth when Asher leaned back from Sid and kissed his hand like an old-timey European gentleman.
Lolly was the first to whip his head around, and he fist-bumped Dusk. “Mission accomplished.”
“I just hope they don’t fuck too close to the window, because I’m enjoying this hot tub,” Dusk said.
Dawn smiled up at Mage and eventually took off his hat. His dark wavy hair was so smooth and pretty Mage wished he could press his face against it. “I’m so happy for them.”
Lolly relaxed into Dusk’s arm and moved his leg under the water until his toes peeked out right in front of Mage. The toenails were pink, of course. “If they do fuck by the window, it’s their own fault. I’m not moving.”
Mage shook his head, but before he could say anything, phones beeped. All four of them. Dusk was the first to grab his, and his brows went high on his forehead.
“So I guess, ‘hiding the relationship’ issue has been settled.”
“What? Show me!” Lolly wrestled the phone from him, and it was a miracle the device remained above the surface.
Mage’s skull tingled from the inside. “What did they do?” he asked, afraid to look it up on his own cell, but Dusk simply presented the screen to Mage. It showed an article on the Q-Detective, the LGBT-themed gossip site Asher owned. The piece was about him and Sid getting together.
Holy shit.
“Fuck me,” he whispered, both happy for his friends and somewhat overwhelmed by what would surely be yet another upheaval in their career. He’d spent years hoping for a big break for their band, but now that more people knew their music, life seemed to be changing from a marathon to an endless sprint.
Lolly slid lower in the water, with a smile twinkling in his eyes. “That’s it. Just the two of you left now.”
“What?” Dawn choked out, his face flushed from the alcohol.
Mage’s stomach sank all the way to the bottom of the tub, and the heat from inside chased away the frosty sensation on his cheeks. Had he stared at Dawn too much? No. No, if he had, Dusk would have mercilessly teased him.
Dusk shook his head, his long hair floating in the bubbling water. “Mage is gonna be fine, but you, Dawn… Christ. You’re twenty-one. You gotta live a little. You know I’d help if you let me. What’s your type?”
No. No, no, no.
Mage’s cheeks heated, and he leaned forward, waving at Dusk. “Give him a break. He’s just twenty-one.”
So Dawn couldn’t be his, but he didn’t want Dusk and Lolly, of all people, looking for a new boyfriend for him. They caused enough mayhem with their own affairs.
“I lost my cherry at fourteen. Just saying,” Lolly said, hugging Dusk, who pointed at Dawn, not yet giving up on this stupid topic.
“Right? You gotta start collecting those experiences, or you’re never going to know what you need.”
Dawn took a de
ep breath and put his palms on his cheeks. “I… hm.”
Mage rubbed his shoulder. “Don’t listen to them. They’re full of shit.”
Dusk snorted. “Really? I remember you weren’t a late bloomer, either.”
Great. Just great.
“That’s beside the point. Everyone has their own pace.”
Dusk reached out to pet Dawn’s head. “Yeah, and some of us insist on going at snail’s pace. I just worry about you, Dawn. Is there something other than shyness stopping you?”
Just thinking about Dawn’s adorable shyness spoke to Mage’s dick a bit too loudly. He loved the gentleness with which Dawn walked in the world, and the amount of care he put into making others happy.
Dawn shrugged. “Why do you have to know everything?”
Lolly whistled. “Ooh! A secret!”
“Is there a secret someone we don’t know about?” Dusk asked, pulling Lolly into his lap and resting his chin on the pale shoulder.
Lolly’s eyes got even bigger, and he clapped like a cartoon character. “Oh, my God! Is it that hot older guy who helps out at your parents’ farm?
Mage frowned, and once that possibility was on the table, it started eating at him like a school of piranhas. He’d never had to think about it before, since Dawn wasn’t dating anyone, but how would it feel to see him with someone else? It wasn’t as if Mage planned on pursuing him, so it was bound to happen eventually. He could already sense the cold blade of jealousy spearing his chest, but perhaps Dawn finally starting a relationship with someone would have allowed him to move on from this attraction he wasn’t going to act upon?
Dawn’s eyes went wide. “Oh, my God! Phil? No!”
Relief pooled in Mage’s chest. The reaction sounded sincere enough, but he couldn’t wait to change the topic. Lolly’s ass stirring against Dusk’s crotch in the water was reason enough.
“Guys, get a room. Preferably one with an actual wall,” he said, referring to the infamous time when those two rabbits fucked on the tour bus behind a flimsy curtain and talked dirty so loudly everyone could hear bits of their convo.
The Underdogs Box Set - Books 1-3 (gay rockstar romance) Page 45
