by Jet Mykles
“That too.”
Without much thought about it, Noble held up the soda can in Foxy’s direction. The younger man came forward to take it and stood right in front of Noble as he tipped back his head to pour liquid into his mouth. It gave Noble a prime view of his long neck melting into strong shoulders, of his beautiful profile. God! Noble had been with beautiful men, but that didn’t dampen his appreciation of this one.
Finished drinking, Foxy set the can on the counter and stepped into Noble, pressing him against the counter. His kiss closed Noble’s eyes, bent his neck back, opened his mouth to accept a tongue that had proved it could both drive him crazy and entrance him. Warm hands slid over Noble’s shoulders before settling on either side of his neck, thumbs caressing his jaw. Noble kept his hands on the edge of the counter, resisting the urge to explore.
“Mmm.” It was he who pulled back before they got carried away. “Food’ll be here soon.”
“Oh.” Foxy took a step back. “Right.” He picked up the soda can. “There more of these?”
“Help yourself.” Noble left the warmth of Foxy’s presence to stand in the kitchen doorway, watching the concert footage he’d found on the television. The food arrived, so the next bit of time was filled with retrieving and setting out their meal at the table in the kitchen.
“So why the toad?” Foxy asked after his first few appreciative bites of what Noble considered to be the best Chicago-style pizza in existence.
Noble glanced down at his bare chest, running fingers over his leering toad. “When I was little, I always thought they said ‘horny toad’ instead of ‘horned toad.’ Pissed off my teachers and my mom when I kept saying it. I was too young then to know why, but it stuck with me. A friend of mine sketched this one in high school, and I knew I had to get it as a tattoo.”
“How old were you?”
“Sixteen.”
“Boy friend or girl friend?”
“Girl. I didn’t have many boy friends in high school.”
Foxy eyed the toad with its ridiculous grin. There were horns sticking out of it all over, with two prominent devil’s horns right behind the eye bumps. The tongue managed to waggle out of its mouth in a delightfully nasty way. “My mom’d never let me do something like that, even now.”
Noble knew his eyes went flat. They usually did when talk turned toward his family. Because he really should say something about his mother right about now. “Mine didn’t give much of a damn what I did.”
Foxy heard his tone, thought about it, then let it pass. Most smart people did. “Think you’ll get any other tattoos?”
Doing his best impression of the toad’s grin, Noble leaned a little closer. “Why? Want to see more art on my body?”
Foxy matched his grin. “I wouldn’t mind.”
Noble enjoyed the rush of pleasure that brought him. “I’ll keep that in mind. But I’m not in the market for another one at the moment. Just the toad.”
They talked more of tattoos and stupid things they did as teenagers. Noble was good at straying around the topics he didn’t like to discuss. Besides, there had been a few good moments for him during school. He found out Foxy had grown up in Los Angeles but stayed in New York for college to study acting. Turned out he was a real thespian, not just some guy who wanted to be famous.
“Did you get any parts on Broadway?” Having lived in New York and met many actors, Noble knew how some of that life worked.
“Nothing worth mentioning,” Foxy told the pizza under his nose. “I got a part in an off-off-Broadway play, but it only lasted a week.”
“The part or the play?”
He relaxed at Noble’s playful tone. “Both.”
“Hey, for some actors, that’s the summit of their career.”
They both laughed, and Noble steered the topic to New York in general, sensing that Foxy didn’t really want to talk about it.
But there was something delicate they did need to talk about. He waited until they were both full before asking the question he needed to ask. “So. How long are you in town?”
Foxy sat back, tossing a well-used napkin onto his empty plate. “How long you willing to let me stay?”
Noble blinked. “Didn’t you come here for something?”
“Yeah.” Dark eyes lifted, full of simmering heat. “You.”
Noble tamped down on the butterflies of pleasure that flittered around his chest. “Oh, come on.”
Foxy shrugged.
“You didn’t come all this way just for me.” He made it a statement.
Which Foxy denied. “I didn’t?”
Noble stared, an awful misgiving trying to net all those butterflies. “Why?”
The boyish smile he received tried to melt his heart. “What we did upstairs wasn’t enough?”
Fuck. Yes. Yes, it was. But it shouldn’t be. Not for either of them. Good as he was, Noble had never had a lover travel to fuck him. “That’s a hell of a booty call.”
Foxy grinned. “I wasn’t doing anything, and you said you weren’t doing anything. I thought we could do nothing together.”
“Holed up in my house.” Some bitterness Noble couldn’t help bled into his tone, and the next words came out before he could stop them. He welcomed it because it made the glowing pleasure a little easier to bear. “Because it’s not like we can be seen together.”
Foxy’s gaze dropped under lowered brows, focused on the toad again.
“Right?”
“Right.” Foxy sighed, ran a hand through the curls atop his head. “You want me to go?”
God, no! Yes. Fuck. Noble couldn’t answer immediately, and Foxy was clearly reading all sorts of things into the moment of silence. “No,” Noble finally said, sitting back in his chair. “I don’t.” It was the truth. “But we’ve got to be clear what this is.”
“What is it?”
“Nothing. We’re nothing.” A rule of his was to straighten these things out from the start. He should have done this on their first night together.
Anger. He’d yet to see that emotion take over that beautiful face. Was it wrong that he found it sexy, even when it was directed at him? “We’re more than nothing.”
“Okay. We’re friends. I think we’ve become that.”
Some of the anger lessened.
“But we’re not much more than that. We can’t be. Right?”
“Why not?”
“Why not? Um, let me think. Because you’re straight.”
Foxy snorted. “That’s debatable.” Well, at least he wasn’t one of those who denied it in private.
“Not in public it’s not.” In spite of the fact that it didn’t work in his favor, Noble felt oddly protective of Foxy’s reputation. Just because he was somewhat deluded didn’t make him a bad guy. “Or did something else change while I was away? Something that hasn’t reached the press? You visit some gay bars without me? Take Zach to your bed?”
Clearly, Foxy didn’t appreciate the line of questioning. “No.”
Which meant this could be Foxy liking sex with a guy and traveling halfway across the country to the only one he’d ever had rather than trying for someone new. Not outside the realm of possibility. “Right. So you’re not out, and I’m so far out I can’t even see the closet anymore. Do you get me?”
Foxy scowled.
“Donny.” Noble used the name he’d never said aloud to make a point—one that hit home, to judge by Foxy’s dark expression. “Tell me you get why we’re not more than friends.”
“I get it.” Foxy groused like a seven-year-old deprived of a favorite toy as punishment. It was cute, but Noble tried not to be affected. “I just…”
“What?”
Foxy thought about it. Hard. Then sighed and sat back, looking resigned. “I get it.”
Noble stood, willing to let it drop now that they’d gotten it settled. “Good.”
Foxy surprised him by standing with him. The slightly taller man pushed close, trapping Noble against the side of the table as he reac
hed up to wrap a hand around the back of Noble’s neck.
“But let’s get something else straight,” Foxy said, voice low, intense as he locked gazes with Noble, his fingers twining in the hair at Noble’s nape. “I came here because I can’t stop thinking about you. I want to be with you every minute of every fucking day.”
Floored, Noble could only stare, lips parted.
“I tried to go on. I tried to just think of you as a friend, but I was only happy when I was talking to you or texting you. When something happened, my very first thought was to tell you about it. And at night, when I was alone, all I could… Fuck. Noble…” Sighing, he pressed their foreheads together, eyes closed, fingertips digging into Noble’s skull. “It’s not like I wanted this to happen. I knew I was attracted to some guys, but I’ve always had a handle on it. I know it’s me and my career that’s screwed if we’re seen together. I know you’re not the problem.” Another sigh. “Just let me be with you for a while?” His eyes opened, and he pulled back just enough that they could get a good look at each other. “Let me have this, have you, for another day. Or two?” He tried a smile, but it was strained. “Please?”
Fuck. Shit. Fuck. Coherent thought wasn’t truly possible as Noble stared into those eyes, Foxy’s words bouncing around in his head. All that Noble had been feeling, Foxy had been feeling too. How was that even possible? They’d only had the two nights together and such a long time apart. How could their feelings align so perfectly, so fast?
He felt Foxy’s fingers, now stroking the side of his neck. “Say something.”
Noble swallowed. “I…” He blinked, then laughed a little. “Shit, I don’t know what to say. Do you know how rare that is?”
Foxy laughed, the sound lifting an awful chill between them.
“Okay.” Noble laid his palm on Foxy’s warm chest. “We can do this for a few days.” Hell, who was he kidding? He’d do this as long as he could get away with it. “But reality is gonna come back. You know that, right?”
“I know.” Foxy leaned in for a soft kiss, all lips and promise. “I just want a little while.”
They wrapped up in a deep, involved kiss that eventually led them upstairs. Normally Noble wouldn’t agree to pretend. Normally Noble was the one who tried to live in reality. But Foxy was proving to be an exception to every rule he’d ever had.
Chapter Seven
Noble clapped wildly from his seat on the couch. “Encore!” he shouted, laughing.
Seemingly embarrassed but probably quite pleased, Foxy ducked his head and ran a hand through his curls. “Quit it.”
“No, no. That was terrific! Sing another.”
For Foxy had just treated Noble to an a cappella version of a show tune Noble didn’t recognize from a recent Broadway musical he didn’t know. Didn’t matter. Foxy’s voice was strong, not deep but clear as a fucking bell. Through that one song, Noble could tell that he had at least some voice training, and a natural ability to perform shone through. No wonder he was an actor.
Instead of complying with Noble’s request, he slunk back to the couch to drop down beside Noble. “No.”
Noble got to his knees on the couch and snuggled up to Foxy, stroking the sparse hair on his chest. “Please?”
Laughing, Foxy grabbed his hand. Held it. “Quit it. No.”
“Maybe later?”
“All right. Maybe.”
“Yes.” In a long-practiced move, Noble spun and fell, ending up with his head on Foxy’s thigh. They both wore shorts, only because Foxy had refused to sing for him if they were naked. Noble didn’t see what difference it made, but he’d complied to get what he wanted. He was quite happy that he had. “So why don’t you do that?”
Fingers stroked the stubble at the side of Noble’s head. Foxy seemed to have developed a fascination for stroking. Not that Noble minded. “Do what?”
“Sing, dance.” The performance had included a few promising moves. “Act on the stage.” He peeked up to see the pensive look on Foxy’s face.
“Because I get to be a film actor.”
“You don’t sound thrilled about it.”
“I am.” Still didn’t sound it. “But it’s different.”
“Why not do both?”
“I plan to. But I can’t yet. There’s so much going on with Criminea, and I’ve already signed on for two other projects.” He sighed. “I’m gonna be too busy for the next three or four years.”
Noble kept his gaze on Foxy’s face, intrigued by the nearly depressed tone that went with what should have been astounding news for the career of a young actor. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing.” Another shrug. Foxy did that a lot. “Just…”
“What?”
“It’s gonna sound dumb.”
“I say dumb stuff all day, every day.”
That got him a smile. “I hate film acting.”
Noble digested that. “There’s a difference?”
“There’s a huge difference.” Noble got the impression Foxy had only discovered that after it was too late. “You’re acting in front of a stupid camera instead of a live audience. You get to do scenes in pieces and over and over again instead of running the whole thing through.” Foxy grimaced. “You ever been on a movie set?”
“No.”
“It’s fucking boring. You sit around and wait more’n you do anything. And even when you do get to do something, it’s so cut up that it barely feels like acting.”
“I hear the food’s good,” Noble joked.
That got him the smile back. “Yeah. It is.”
“I’ll bet it’s even better when you’re the star.”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll bet there’s all sorts of people fawning all over you to get you what you want.”
“Wasn’t that way at first.”
“But it is now.” Noble reached up to run his fingers along the unshaved beard.
“Yeah.”
“Bet there’s a ton of girls hanging around, just waiting for you to notice them.” He couldn’t help the prodding. The words were even a little to remind him that Foxy wasn’t all his. “How many of ’em have made it to your bed?”
Foxy scowled, his fingers stilling in Noble’s hair. “Quit it.”
“What?”
“I’m not talking about girls with you.”
“Why not? Just ’cause you’ve had my dick in your mouth?” Noble watched the conflict on Foxy’s face, wondering how he’d handle this.
Foxy watched him back. “I like girls too. Is that so bad?”
“Not at all.” Noble meant it too. “I believe in bisexuality.”
“You ever sleep with a girl?”
“Yes.”
Foxy’s jaw dropped.
Noble laughed. “Why does everyone react like that? I lived in a little town in Tennessee where there were no gay people. Of course I tried to fit in by being with girls.” He kept his tone light. “Trouble was, except for one determined night, being with any girl was more like being with a friend than a lover.” Because he saw Foxy struggling with this, he continued. “I can see that a woman is attractive. I understand what I’m supposed to want. But…” His turn to shrug. “I prefer hard muscles and”—he turned on his side, sliding his elbow under him as he did—“big, hard dicks.” In prime position, he buried his face in Foxy’s crotch.
He heard the intake of breath, felt a reaction beneath the shimmery fabric of Foxy’s shorts. He would have pursued, but Danny’s voice suddenly filled the silence of the room, singing a line from one of the Indigo Knights’ songs. Noble froze.
Foxy laughed. “That’s my phone.”
Still a little stunned, Noble let himself be moved aside so Foxy could get in his pocket. “God, that was weird.”
Foxy was still laughing as he fished his phone out. The smile died when he looked at the screen. “It’s Zach. I should take this.”
Noble sat back. “By all means.”
Foxy left the room as he opened the call. Noble
thought about being offended but decided not. Foxy was entitled to his privacy. He should probably call Lance anyway. Check in. No. No real reason to do that, and he didn’t quite want to talk about this yet. But Foxy’s call reminded him he had a phone too, so he fetched it from the table. A dozen voice messages since he’d checked yesterday. All from friends but none close friends. Normal call volume for him, but he didn’t usually let them all go to voice mail. There were a bunch of texts too, all except two of a similar nature. Texts from Rabin—a picture of a cake Izzy had made that looked mouthwatering—and Lance, just quips about what he and Gordon were doing. Noble spent a few minutes answering the texts and listening to the messages—all invitations to do something tonight, exactly as he’d thought—but didn’t call anyone back. Now that was strange.
But, he thought as Foxy strolled back into the room, you don’t normally have a distraction like this. “What’d Zach have to say?”
“Linda’s asking where I am.” Linda was Foxy’s publicist.
“What’d he tell her?”
Foxy dropped onto the couch, then immediately leaned in to kiss Noble’s neck. “That I was staying with a friend and staying out of trouble.”
Noble laughed, setting his phone aside. “The last part’s debatable.”
Pushing, Foxy maneuvered Noble onto his back. “You’re not trouble.”
Ha! Foxy was the first person to ever deny Noble was trouble. “Bet Linda would disagree.”
“Fuck Linda.” Foxy’s response was muffled in Noble’s neck but still understandable.
Noble laughed, both because of the sentiment and because Foxy hit a ticklish spot that he seemed to favor. “No, thanks. She’s not my type.”
Foxy rose up over him, grinning like a dog over his favorite treat. “Good.”
They were too occupied for talk for quite a while after that.
* * * *
Noble lay in bed, in the dark, staring at the murky gray of his ceiling. Beside him, Foxy slept, his arm draped over Noble’s midsection, his nose brushing Noble’s shoulder. It was unbearably cute, and noticing had occupied Noble for a ridiculous amount of time as he’d tried to fall asleep. But sleep still eluded him because now he was thinking, and when his mind got going, it didn’t stop.
