by Crow, Baylin
“It’s so good to see you both. I’ve missed you guys.” She wrapped Noah in a hug first before zeroing in on me with a tight squeeze. I hadn’t seen her since last Christmas when Noah and I had driven to his mom’s for the holiday. “How was your flight? Did you find the place okay?”
Noah stood and gave his brother a bro hug. “It was fine. The drive on the other hand…”
Kendra sighed as Noah stepped away from Trevor. “Tell me about it. But it’s worth it.” Her gaze switched toward the window, and it was obvious how much she loved the place. She grinned again as she glanced back at Noah. “Anyway, looks like it’ll just be us for a while. Your mom’s plane should land in an hour or so. My parents are on their way now to pick them up. We’ve been making last-minute preparations for the wedding and need to go get ready for dinner. Are you two okay for a bit?”
Holy shit. I’d forgotten how fast the girl could talk.
“We’ll be fine. Go do what you need to.” Noah laughed, and I knew his thoughts were mimicking mine.
His brother patted him on the arm. “I’m glad you’re here, little bro.”
Nine
Noah
Once all of the guests had arrived, we’d been summoned to the bistro on the main floor. Rook and I paused briefly at the glass door as we scanned the room full of people. Could we really pull this off? Doubt settled in my gut.
Grabbing my hand, Rook dipped his head toward my ear. “Noah, it’s us. We can do this. Everything will be all right.”
The knot in my stomach eased just from the sound of his voice, and I gave a quick nod. “You’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” I scoffed.
When I glanced over at Rook, his eyes danced with amusement. “We ready?”
Before I could second guess myself again, I straightened my shoulders and pulled open the glass door. The room was simple in style, with natural-wood tables and chairs. Mason jars tied with red ribbons and tealight candles burning inside them sat as centerpieces, causing a warm glow that flickered across the faces of those sitting around them. Chandeliers made of deer antlers hung high from the ceilings, providing low lighting throughout the dining area.
The guest list was much smaller than I’d anticipated. The intimate gathering couldn’t have included more than fifty people, assuming we were the last to arrive. We weren’t fashionably late, exactly. More like trying to put off the inevitable for as long as possible.
My mother spotted us and stood from a table in the center of the room, waving us over.
“Here we go,” I muttered, smoothing a hand down my forest green sweater and taking the lead with Rook at my back as we found our way to her table with eight settings. My mom, stepdad, Trevor, Kendra and her parents occupied the seats, leaving me and Rook to sit side-by-side.
Right across from my mom.
Fantastic. I groaned under my breath.
“Honey, you look great. That’s a good color on you.” She bussed a kiss on my cheek and then hugged Rook. When she pulled away, she eyed the two of us curiously. The news had traveled just the way I’d known it would.
Now that she’d heard, we just had to wait and see how long it took her to crack before the questions came tumbling out of her mouth.
I pulled out the seat next to Trevor with Rook taking the chair on my other side. A round of greetings followed and food was carried to our table. A plate of steak and baked potato was placed in front of me with a small salad bowl on the side. The spices and herbs wafted in the air, and my stomach rumbled. Rook snickered and I elbowed him. “Shut up. We haven’t eaten since this morning.”
“I didn’t say anything,” he insisted and elbowed me back.
I’d barely lifted my fork before my mother started in. “You know, when you said you had a boyfriend…” Her gaze darted to Rook as she rocked her glass lazily in her hand, causing the ice to clink against the sides. “I just never expected you two. When did this happen?”
That had been quicker than I expected, and I faltered. With effort, I met her gaze and rubbed at the scruff on my jaw I needed to shave. “I told you already. It’s new, Mom.”
“I guess I just don’t understand.” Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, an odd look on her otherwise doll-like face. “I didn’t realize Rook was gay.”
Trevor cleared his throat, uncomfortably. The rat.
“Mom!” I whisper-hissed. “Can we please talk about this in private? I’ll give you the whole sordid story later, okay?” I looked around for a waitress. “I could use a drink right about now. Rook?”
He chuckled as if he found the whole thing hilarious. I glared when I met his whiskey-colored eyes that glinted with mirth. “Make that two and something strong.”
A waitress passed by, and Rook flagged her down, asking for whatever they had on special.
Once the woman gave us her back, Mom tossed her napkin on the table and lowered her voice. “Fine. But don’t think you two are getting out of this. You know I love you, Rook. I just wished you both had told me instead of having to hear it from your brother.”
Trevor coughed next to me. “Sorry, I didn’t realize she didn’t know.”
“It’s fine. We were going to tell her anyway,” I replied, which, for once, was the truth.
Mom appeared somewhat satisfied. “You’re still not getting out of explaining.”
I groaned and ran my fingers through my hair. “What’s there to explain, Mom?”
“We’re just two dudes in love,” Rook cut in with laughter in his voice, and my cheeks flamed with heat.
That son of a… I reached down and grabbed his leg, squeezing hard through the thick denim. He took the opportunity to lace his roughened fingers through mine and brought our clasped hands down hard on the table, silencing everyone around us as they stared at Rook and me. I thought my cheeks had warmed before, but now they were fucking on fire. He was going to pay for that.
My mom’s eyes widened, but a smile teased her cupid bow lips. “I didn’t realize it was that serious.”
“Oh, it’s definitely serious. I love him.” Rook’s grip softened, but he kept my hand in his.
He was a good actor. I had to give him that. Knowing it was only for show didn’t stop the words from piercing my stupid heart.
A dreamy look glazed over my mother’s eyes as they grew wet with unshed happy tears.
For fuck’s sake. I was such an asshole. The waitress showed up, setting a couple of tall glasses in front of Rook and me. Perfect timing, I thought as I immediately grabbed mine and took more than a healthy swallow, relishing the burn and distraction.
“I should have seen this coming,” my mom whispered over the rattle of dishes and chatter. When I glanced at her, she was nodding to herself. “It makes perfect sense.”
“It does?” I asked sharply with brows furrowed.
Rook gave my hand a warning squeeze. “Of course it does, babe.”
My mom’s eyes flicked to something over my shoulder, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “Crap, I wish you’d have told me. I’d never have tried to set you up. But I sort of didn’t believe you so…incoming?”
“Incoming?” I cocked my head in confusion.
Petite hands gripped my shoulders, giving them a little shake. “Noah, I have someone I wanted to introduce you to.”
Rook tensed beside me, and I glanced at him, frowning. I hadn’t noticed Kendra leave the table, but as she moved to stand beside me, I lifted my gaze to hers. Blond hair cascading around her shoulders and green eyes crinkled at the corners, she flashed a broad smile of perfectly straight white teeth.
Next to her stood a man with a collared shirt beneath a blue sweater vest and groomed hair slicked back. Edward. I didn’t have to ask to know if my guess was accurate. He was exactly the type my mom had been pushing me toward ever since she’d made it her mission to find me a boyfriend. I shot my mother a sour look.
She offered a shrug and mouthed sorry before addressing
the guy. “Edward, this is my son, Noah, and his boyfriend, Rook.”
I chanced a look at Kendra just as her gaze landed on mine and Rook’s hands. She frowned. “Oh.”
Edward, to his credit, was better at hiding his confusion, other than a slight dip of his brow. He recovered quickly and grinned. “It’s nice to meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you, Noah.”
I was sure he had. “Nice to meet you too.”
Rook didn’t reply at all as he still sat tense next to me. It was my turn to squeeze his hand. He forced a smile. “Hello.”
I stifled a snort, but the obvious tension in his shoulders gave me pause.
Awkward silence fell over the group until Kendra cleared her throat. “I was just going to show Edward the new sauna we recently put in. I…just wanted to introduce you guys.”
With a handful of stilted goodbyes, they walked away, whispering to each other. I shifted my gaze back to my mom and cocked a brow.
She winced, and a sheepish grin tipped her lips. “I’m sorry. I forgot about him until I saw them walking toward us. I tried to warn you, but it was too late.”
“A warning wouldn’t have been necessary if you’d just listened to me.” Fuck, I hated lying to my mom, but what choice did I have? I didn’t actually have a boyfriend, and I didn’t want her to go running back to Kendra if I told her the truth.
“I said I was sorry.” She looked at Rook. “I owe you an apology too.”
Rook’s hand tightened on mine. For all the ease he exuded, I could tell the guilt wasn’t one-sided.
“It’s fine. I’m sure this came as a surprise. We discussed telling you earlier, but I haven’t even told my parents yet. He was just respecting that.” He offered me a warm smile before giving his attention back to her. “But you’re family too.”
“Well, I should have known. You two have been two peas in a pod since middle school.” She shook her head with a light laugh. “So, tell me how basketball is going. Last Noah told me was that your team is doing well.”
“March Madness will be here before we know it.” He picked up his fork and steak knife, sawing off a chunk of the medium rare meat. “You should come to a game sometime.”
The tension evaporated as we all went back to eating and easy conversation, minus my stepdad, James, who didn’t utter a word. Typical of the stoic man.
It was too easy to believe the relationship was real. I needed to remind myself that it wasn’t, or I’d leave this wedding with a broken heart and ruined friendship.
* * *
Stomachs full, Rook and I returned to our room with instructions from my mom to rest because we had a busy day tomorrow. Something neither of us was looking forward to because those plans involved glass and metal cages dangling from a cable hundreds of feet above the ground. I considered faking a stomach ache. Why not? Everything else was an enormous lie.
“What’s wrong with you?” Rook asked, breaking me from my thoughts as we lay in bed, on top of the ridiculously soft blanket, watching a movie.
I rolled my head to the side, facing him and lifted one shoulder. “I guess I just feel guilty as shit.”
Again, I considered telling my mom—hell, everyone—the truth, but we’d already dug our graves. Might as well lie in them. I’d come clean after the wedding.
“You can always just go tell everyone the truth if it’s eating at you that much.” Rook echoed my thoughts. “You can even pin it on me. It was my idea, so I’ll take the heat for it.”
“And spend the week with my mom mad at us?” I shook my head. Even if I’d decided to end the charade, I’d never let him shoulder the blame alone. We were in this together.
Rook’s lips kicked up on one side. “I mean, it’s not my first choice. I’d rather she be mad after the wedding, but you look about two seconds away from passing the fuck out. And that’s not high on my list of things I want to deal with either.”
I punched him in the arm, and he chuckled. “It would only upset her, and god knows, I’ll probably never get married. I don’t want to ruin this week for her.”
This wedding was a mess already. My cheating ex was my brother's best man. Trevor and Kendra weren’t aware of the drama that had wormed its way into their special occasion. We were lying to everyone. If we admitted we’d deceived everyone, my mom would have this Edward guy proposing marriage by the end of the week. And the hardest pill to swallow was that I was lying to Rook, because I didn’t have to pretend to be in love with him. That much was real.
“Why do you think you’ll never get married?” Rook frowned, and I wished I’d kept that thought to myself.
I didn’t want to talk about marriage because I’d already accepted that one day I’d have to stand alongside Rook as his best man while he vowed his devotion to a woman who would own his heart the way I only wished I could.
“I don’t know. I’m not in the mood to talk about it.” Suddenly exhausted, I stood and stripped off my jeans and shirt. “And I’m mad at you.”
His gaze slowly lifted from my bare chest. “What did I do now?”
I gave myself half a second to think about the fact that I could almost swear I saw a spark of heat in his gaze before I shrugged it off. Instead, I scowled as I peeled back the thick blanket and crawled between the sheets. “Babe? I’m pretty sure not using pet names made the list of rules.”
“Oh, come on. That’s not a pet name,” he protested. “I’m kind of hurt I’m not getting any credit for avoiding sugar—
“Don’t!” I interrupted and cut a glare his way.
His laughter shook the whole damn bed.
"Don't laugh, you jerk." I lifted onto an elbow and stared down at him. “So far you’ve broken two rules and it’s only the first day.”
He nodded as he scooted off the bed. “Exactly. Give it time. I’m sure there will be more.”
Any humor I found in the situation evaporated when Rook unbuttoned his jeans. I jerked my gaze back to the TV screen as Rook stripped down to his boxers and slipped beneath the covers, next to me. I’d had years’ worth of practice, pretending not to notice him in that way. “The rules are there for a reason, Rook.”
“Rules,” Rook said as he rolled on his side, facing away from me. “Are meant to be broken.”
It was a pointless argument that I was fairly certain we’d have several more times. Once Rook made his mind up about something, he rarely changed it.
With an exasperated sigh, I killed the light from the bedside lamp. Even though I was exhausted, I couldn’t sleep. Every time the sheets rustled from Rook shifting positions or the AC kicked on, a burst of his scent floated in my direction. I could easily fall asleep to that smell every night. And that was a dangerous thought.
Ten
Rook
Sweat dripped from my short hair, rolling down my temples as I pressed the button on the treadmill to slow my pace. Working my way down to a steady walk, I waited for my heart rate to normalize before stepping off the machine.
Like everything else at the resort, all of the equipment was top of the line, and I'd spent the better part of two hours before the sun rose taking advantage of the fitness center. A necessary evil if I was serious about going pro, and I was. This morning had been particularly hard. Noah had been sleeping so heavily, he hadn’t budged when I’d woken and dressed in the dark. I’d rushed to get the fuck out of there when the urge to stay there, watching him sleep, strengthened.
“Nothing creepy about that,” I muttered. Frustrated with myself and my warring thoughts, I grabbed a folded cloth from the stack piled on a metal shelf and roughly ran it over my face and neck.
An orange glow filtered through the wall made entirely of glass. The sun was beginning to peek over the tree line, and everyone would be up soon. Today’s agenda included the first wedding activity I was being forced to participate in. I couldn’t avoid returning to our room any longer.
Knowing what was in store for the day, my feet dragged as I passed through the silent lobby on my way to t
he elevator bank. A gondola ride of all things. Thanks to an incident on the monkey bars in third grade, I preferred my feet on solid ground—thank you very fucking much. The one bright note? The little box responsible for keeping me from falling to my death would be closed in and heated.
Could be worse.
Unless a cable snapped.
My stomach roiled at the thought as the car ascended and stopped at our floor.
With light steps, I quietly slid down the hall and swiped the keycard to enter the room. Easing open the door in case Noah was still asleep, I was surprised to hear the sound of the shower running. The door clicked shut behind me, and I kicked off my shoes by the door. Just as I was about to pass the bathroom door, I paused at the sound of my name coming from the other side.
With my hand poised to knock, I froze when Noah moaned.
"Rook." Noah's voice carried softly through the door, followed by a deep groan that vibrated in his throat over the sound of the running water.
The hell? I stopped to listen, knowing damn well I shouldn’t. But my feet were cemented to the floor.
"Fuck. Fuck." Another moan followed. "Suck me."
Holy shit. I stumbled back a step, eyeing the door with shock. My cock hardened as I pictured exactly what I knew was happening behind the closed door. Noah was jerking off while thinking about me. I swallowed hard, unable to stop eavesdropping on the curses and breathy demands that echoed off the tiled walls.
His fingers would be curled around his shaft, fisting his dick as his balls ached. My cock throbbed like a son of a bitch. I should have walked the fuck away and stopped perving on his fantasy. But I didn’t.
"Fuck, yes." Noah’s moans came faster, and I imagined his strokes growing faster, grip tightening, tip dripping…
I bit my lip to stifle the groan racing up my throat as my heart pumped at a furious pace no workout could match. Grabbing my cock through my shorts, I practically strangled the fucker to prevent coming.
