by Pelaam
Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2013 Pelaam
ISBN: 978-1-77130-590-7
Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs
Editor: Avril Ashton
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
To my family, especially my partner, for their love and support.
WENDINGO
Romance on the Go
Pelaam
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Del looked around at a vast, white expanse. Occasionally a forest came into view, the trees heavy with snow from a recent fall. As the bus passed through a narrow valley, he looked ahead to the looming mountain and the signs showing how close he was to the town.
His timing had become skewed. He'd meant to get there a month previously. He intended to get a casual, short term job for evening or night, so that he could take advantage of the day to ski, snowboard, maybe even play around on a snowmobile.
However, he'd spent longer in the last town than intended. In a way he regretted leaving, but his time off and funds were limited. He'd saved his leave for a couple of years, and negotiated a few extra weeks with no pay, to have a four-month holiday extravaganza.
This part of his holiday would be the highlight. Snow. Lots of snow, and winter sports. Things he never got to do in the warmth of the south. The area had good skiing, and the town had a big logging company nearby. With a mix of holiday traffic and local needs, a job in a hotel kitchen, cafe or bar would be easy to come by.
Proficient as a bar man or barista, Del could also do a good job as a sous chef, too. Back home, he'd worked in a bar with its own restaurant, alternating between working in the kitchen and as waiting staff.
He'd enjoyed working there, but he hoped that after the holiday he could find a job in a hotel restaurant. His resume would show he'd continued to add to his skills, even while on his vacation. I've managed to get a couple of jobs in hotels that I can include.
The bus pulled into a modest, but picturesque, town. Del disembarked, and took out the map from his backpack pocket. He only took a couple of seconds to orientate himself, instinctively facing north. He gave a mental grin. He never had a problem with directions.
He'd reserved a couple of nights at a local backpacker motel. After that he'd hoped to find something a little better, so long as he'd found work to help pay for it. He already had a plan of where he would eat and drink. After all, how else will I find work if I don't frequent the places themselves?
He showered leisurely, enjoying the play of water on his body. The showers were a shared facility, but no one else joined him. He thought through what he knew of the area. There were a couple of lakes, and a fast-flowing river in the vicinity. He doubted he'd bother with the river, but it might be possible to visit one of the lakes. The cold wouldn't bother him if he really wanted a swim, which was very likely.
Excitement sent pleasurable frissons through his body, and his cock hardened in response. He trailed his left hand across his chest where no body hair impeded his progress. He pinched and tugged his left nipple. He grasped his dick with his right hand and began to stroke. He didn't bother teasing his body, apart from playing with his nipple. He felt an added surge of arousal at the idea of being in a public shower room, even though he was certain there was no one anywhere nearby.
His climax hit hard and fast, and his cream spurted onto the shower floor to be instantly washed away. He sighed. Has it really been six months already? He wasn't a serial dater or one-night stander. Del believed in monogamy and commitment, and a mix of anger and disappointment washed over him. But where he had been faithful to his boyfriend, not only had Andy been a commitment-phobe, he'd been seeing not just one, but two other guys. Humiliation added to the emotions.
He glanced at himself in the mirror, and pushed away the feelings of inadequacy. Andy was the problem. Not me.
He donned a clean white t-shirt, with and black pants. He pulled on a black sweater, and then his coat. There were two places of interest for him. Garlic &Thyme was a restaurant with a small bar. Henry's was a bar with a restaurant. Either place would be good if they had anything going. He intended to check out Garlic & Thyme, eating there, and then have a drink at Henry's.
Entering the restaurant, Del took everything in. The bar itself ran half the length of the restaurant, situated on the left. There were a few stools, but Del guessed the only time anyone sat there, they'd be waiting for a table. He was shown to a table, and seated. From where he sat, he could see into the open-plan kitchen.
He studied the menu; good, plain, solid fare: steaks, and a couple of choices of burger, a chicken dish, and one vegetarian option. Appetisers were soup, garlic bread, or pate. Easy.
A waitress came over to take his order. Del happily indulged in a little light flirting, given he knew it wasn't going to lead anywhere, and it proved effective in learning about the restaurant, its patrons, and its owner chef.
He picked the garlic bread, followed by a steak with peppercorn sauce, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. He assessed the bread as mediocre, and the steak and potatoes good. The vegetables were frozen, not fresh. But he expected that.
From chatting to the waitress, Lauren, he now knew that the owner and head chef was German, but his family had been settled in the town since the early nineteen sixties. Del grinned. He'd worked with a German sous chef, and knew some Germanic fare. Food that he knew could be added to the restaurant's menu without too much difficulty, and that the owner probably didn’t realise had become popular in the upmarket restaurants.
After his meal he sat at the bar, and used his iPhone to research some dishes. Armed with his updated info, he ambled closer to the kitchen. He watched silently for a minute or two, waiting for his opportunity.
The chef looked over at him. Del saw a dishwasher, and another young man. Seemed to him the chef took responsibility for most of the cooking on his shoulders. He smiled at the older man.
"I’m just up on holiday. It's my intention to be here a few weeks. I've worked in restaurants, and bars, both cooking and waiting. I have my resume if you want to see it. I wondered if you might need someone to work a few hours in the evenings."
The chef's eyes narrowed, and then he came closer. "Maybe."
He hasn't lost his accent. Even after all these years. Del tolerated the wordless scrutiny. Why wouldn't he be suspicious? I've come out of nowhere. "If not, I can try other places."
"Restaurant closes soon. Stick around. We can talk."
"Cool," Del said. He resumed his seat at the bar. Lauren brought him another beer, and winked as she nodded her head in the chef's direction.
"Looks promising," she whispered. "Good luck."
When there were just a few customers left, finishing their desserts and coffee, the chef headed over to sit with Del. He had a couple of beers in each hand, and pushed one over at Del as he sat down.
“Cheers,” he said, and raised his bottle.
“Cheers.” Del copied the gesture.
“My name is Korbl. That’s my son, Vinzent. He helps, but he’d like some free time. I could manage during the day if you could prep, as well as cook, at night.”
“So you want me to replace him, but I’d have the days to myself,” Del said, wanting to make sure he hadn’t misunderstood in some way. That seems almo
st too good to be true.
“To be honest, I have a little family problem. I need Vinzent to go away for the next couple of weeks or so, get things sorted for me. I’m busier at night, so I need help. There isn’t anyone here in town available. So what do you say?”
He scrawled a figure on a napkin, and Del stared at it. The rate Korbl quoted surprised Del with the generosity. He expected Korbl wanted someone to work like a dog. But the hours Korbl jotted alongside the pay rates meant he could have the day to himself, and put money aside, so that the last of the holiday could be pure vacation.
“That’s fine by me. When do I start?” Del held out his hand, and Korbl shook it.
“Tomorrow. Be here by four, that gives you time to prep.”
Del saluted the other man with the last of his beer. “Until tomorrow.”
****
“I’m just taking a break for a coffee. That okay?” Del asked.
“Sure. You work well, we’re ahead of schedule.” Korbl waved his hand, and continued with his own work.
Del grinned, and headed to the coffee machine. In a minute he had a steaming mug of cappuccino. He gave it a liberal sprinkling of chocolate and sat at a small table where he could look out onto the street. Not that much happened around this part of town. The restaurant was on the outskirts of the town, along with a couple of bars, and other eating houses.
From there he saw out to the mountains. They looked grey, and imposing, even eerie. Like they stood and watched, just waiting to swallow up the town. Del shuddered. Where the hell did that come from? He turned away. During the day, the white snow made the mountains bright and welcoming. But when the sun went down, they felt oppressive, and seemed to loom over the town.
Then all thoughts of the mountains evaporated. A truck pulled up, and six men got out, three from the cab, and three from the back. Loggers. Lumberjacks. There was no way they were anything else.
One man took the lead, and looked like the epitome of a lumberjack. He wore his long, dark hair pulled into a severe ponytail, and his beard teetered on the edge of unkempt. He looked to be easily several inches over six feet tall, broad, and solid. He wore a thick, plaid shirt, with a high-necked thermal undershirt just visible beneath it, and heavy denim jeans. He didn’t bother with a padded jacket, instead a leather duster flapped around his calves as he walked.
The group of men following him all wore similar clothing. There was another dark-haired, bearded man, but thinner, and ganglier than the leader. One was black-skinned, shaven skulled, beardless, and barrel-chested. Two were blond, one with a similar ponytail and beard to the leader, the other left his long, loose hair to whip around his face in the wind. In comparison to the other three men, they seemed rangy to the point of skinny.
The man who came last caused Del to sit up straighter and openly stare. A woollen hat hid most of his hair, but Del spotted a few auburn curls fighting their way to freedom. He was several inches shorter than the others. Maybe five eight, or nine. He’s a head shorter than me, but damn, he’s gorgeous.
Del devoured the sight of high cheekbones, and lush, full lips just made for kissing. I wonder if he’s smooth or furred? He looks like he has a five o’clock shadow. Mmm, to stroke his furred chest. Oh shit!
Del’s increasing lust-laden thoughts were derailed as the man turned to look at him. Not just a passing glance, or a look that just happened to connect. It was as though he’d been aware of the scrutiny, and the hard response that Del currently hid beneath his chef’s apron.
He grabbed his mug, and hid behind it as the other men stopped. Almost as one, their head turned and they stared towards him. They can’t all be looking at me. Del shivered uncontrollably as the men continued to look in his direction.
Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, Del pushed back his chair. His erection had wilted due to embarrassment, so he had no worries about standing and heading quickly into the kitchen. He launched himself into prep, glad to be able to focus away from the attractive man.
A ding alerted him that someone had entered the restaurant, and Korbl peered through the serving hatch.
“Get ready for a big order of steaks. Loggers are in. I’ll take their order. They can be awkward with their demands.”
“Sure. How many?” Del was glad to have something to do. Anything to take away the distraction of the lumberjacks.
“Best get twelve out, like as not they’ll want blue, rare at the least, so don’t be too hasty with the cooking.”
Korbl headed out, and Del got the steaks. He couldn’t help himself. Setting them down on the bench, he angled himself to look out and watch Korbl. The chef was engrossed talking to the leader of the loggers. His thumb jerked towards the kitchen more than once, and Del ducked back as the men stared in his direction.
He headed back over to the steaks. He smeared each side with oil, and added salt and pepper. If they wanted blue, he could only cook two per pan to keep the temperature steady. But as the steaks only took a minute each side, he could get them done quickly enough. Then it would just be a case of what they want with them.
“Twelve blue steaks, like I said. We also need baked potatoes, do twelve of those, too. I’ll sort out a bowl of corn and peas. Those boys are real hungry.”
Del started on the steaks, and as the first two cooked, he got out the prepared potatoes. Two steaks and two potatoes per man. Plus trimmings. No way. However, he didn’t argue. He put his first steaks aside as the potatoes went into the huge microwave to heat through. Korbl cooked two large servings of corn and peas, and drained them into a big bowl. He glanced over at Del.
“Start taking out the plates of steak and potatoes. The boys want to see who’s cooked their food. I told them you were replacing my son.”
Del stared at Korbl as the other chef hurried out with his bowl. Del balanced one plate on the inside of his left forearm, and took another one in each hand. He followed Korbl and tried to ignore the stares of the loggers as he set the plates down.
Nothing was said until all the plates had been served, and the loggers’ leader took his first mouthful of his steak. He chewed quickly. Del was certain he only had had it in his mouth a second or two before he swallowed.
“Not bad at all. Eat up, boys.”
His gazed travelled up and down Del’s body. The intense scrutiny made Del’s skin crawl, and he forced himself not to squirm. He was relieved when the pale blue gaze turned back to Korbl.
“You made a good choice, Chef. Didn’t he, Neil?”
Del’s gaze moved from the logger, to Korbl, and lastly, with a gasp of shock, to the logger who he’d found so attractive. Neil looked up at him quickly, but said nothing, and continued eating. The logger laughed.
“Neil’s our quiet one. My name’s Vidar.” He held out a large hand, and Del’s was almost crushed in a strong grip.
“I’m Del.” He grunted the words as his hand was released.
“Good to have you here. Maybe one day we can have you up the mountain at the logging site for dinner.”
Laughter erupted from the other loggers at Vidar’s words, and Korbl grinned. The logger himself smirked broadly as if he’d made a joke. Only Neil didn’t join in.
“Back to the kitchen, Del, there are other customers to look after. Glad you approve, Vidar.”
Korbl indicated the meals that all the loggers were eating as if they hadn’t seen food for a week, but Del couldn’t help feel there was something else. An undercurrent that he wasn’t privy to. He shrugged. If they want to have a laugh at my expense, that’s fine. So long as I get paid what Korbl offered, I’m happy.
Chapter Two
The loggers came to the restaurant for the next two nights, but Del wasn’t called out again. They simply ate and left. Del was frustrated by the fact that the attraction to Neil hadn’t diminished, but without heading up the mountain, he had no idea how he could get to speak to the man alone.
More than once, Neil’s gaze seemed to seek him out, but the logger never s
poke. When the end of his shift came round, Del happily headed home. As he trudged through the snow, he couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched. He stopped and looked around.
“Who’s there?” he called out. No one replied and he walked on.
A shadow detached from the building on his left as he passed, and Del yelped, stumbling back a couple of paces. Before he could fall, strong arms encircled him, and he stared into Neil’s concerned ocean-blue eyes.
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He should really break free of Neil‘s embrace. Truth is I don’t want to. I like it. A lot. “Just startled me,” he said, and shrugged as best he could so close to Neil’s body. Like that, he felt as though he was the smaller of the two. He smiled.
“I shouldn’t do this,” Neil whispered. “But I couldn’t help myself. I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you.”
“Same here.” Del didn’t see any point in trying to hide it. His dick had already hardened, simply from being in Neil’s arms. Any contact between their lower bodies would demonstrate the truth. “I have a private room in the backpackers’ motel. Paid extra for the privacy. Come back with me?”
Neil pulled him into a hard kiss. “I shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t.”
Despite the words, Neil made no attempt to push Del away or release him. Del wrapped his arms around Neil’s neck and kissed him back with every ounce of desire he felt. So right. Just so damn right. “I could kiss you forever. Please. Even if it’s just for tonight. I won’t say anything. I can imagine it would be difficult in the logging business.”
“That’s not it at all. I can’t explain. Not here. Not now. But, God, I need you, Del.”
“Then let’s go.”
The moment they were inside the room, Del flicked on the light. Neil wasted no time. He grabbed Del, his fingers winding through Del’s hair, and pulled him close. He angled his head, and sealed his lips over Del’s. The kiss was hard, possessive, and it heated Del instantly.
