“Come inside with me. Let me just hold you. Tomorrow’s coming too fast.” Colt rose and lowered his hand to help Jace up. “Just so we’re clear. I’m gonna want you with me when I get drafted. I don’t know what team I’m going to yet, but if I get picked up, you’re gonna have to move with me.”
Colt drew Jace to him. For the first time, they both heard noises coming from down the beach. At the next closest house a couple stood on their balcony giving them a big thumbs up, whistling and cheering them on. Jace blushed, but Colt grinned at the attention and waved back. Inspired by the encouragement, Colt dropped down on one knee and kissed Jace’s knuckles. The whistles grew louder and Jace looked panicked by his actions.
“I’m not gonna say it now, but I hope you see where I’m going with this. I want the promise of someday from you. That’s all I’m asking, Jace.” Colt stood, not waiting for the answer and gathered Jace into his arms, kissing him deeply before making his way back inside.
Chapter 8
Even six hours after Colt’s plane taxied down the tarmac and lifted off the island, the smile hadn’t left Jace’s face as he waited to board his flight back home. They drove to the Kauai airport together, Jace wanting to see Colt off safely. They put off the departure for as long as they could, waiting until the very last possible minute, neither wanting to miss a minute together. Colt actually held Jace’s hand and kissed him before heading off to his waiting flight. Jace watched him rush down the corridor, jogging until he disappeared from sight.
The whole saying goodbye in a crowded airport was incredibly tragic in a very Shakespearian kind of way. They both teared up, making promises of forever in order to make it a little bit easier to end their secluded getaway. For the last six hours, Jace stayed put and waited for his flight home. He kept the rolling dialog going in his head, telling himself this wasn’t a goodbye, but actually the first day of the rest of their lives together, as melodramatic as that might sound.
Jace’s grin grew, thinking about their morning. Colt worked hard to move his flight back, or push Jace’s up. He used every bit of charm he possessed, but much to Colt’s dismay, the last day of spring break was a heavy travel day and all the flights were booked solid. Colt was forced to board his flight, and Jace was forced to spend six hours wandering around the small airport, waiting for his flight home.
Weirdly, all this waiting hadn’t bothered him. The airport was small, smaller than anything Jace had ever been in, but admittedly, he wasn’t a world traveler. He wasn’t even a national traveler, but sitting in this waiting area, listening to his iPod just didn’t seem to bother him. Money was tight. Jace was down to his last five dollars and spent most of that in the vending machines. Colt had tried to give him money, insisted he needed to eat, but in the end, Jace refused. He’d made it on a dime for most of his life, definitely for most of his college years, and he could make do now.
Colt’s argument came back to Jace, and he ducked his head, chuckling softly as he remembered the annoyed look on Colt’s face as he announced they were a couple now. Going on and on about how couples shared and even told him about the eight million dollar signing bonus coming his way. Jace still refused the money. In Colt’s extremely frustrated anger, he made a small scene as he declared his intention. From this point forward, Colt would be paying for their future and didn’t that just completely rock!
Apparently fairytales did come true.
The whirlwind of the last week settled some for Jace. They were slowing down now, working on building a relationship together. They were past mid-terms, on the home stretch of graduation. All of the sudden, the future seemed bright and shiny. Every plan Jace had made for his future flew out the window over the last four days. Apparently he’d follow Colt wherever he chose to go. Jace had fallen hard for Colt. He was a man deeply in love. Who would have had any idea things would work out like this? Certainly not him.
This relationship wasn’t without problems. Jace was signing on for discretion. Without question, he’d be hiding, even though he’d never hid one day in his life. His well-adjusted outlook on being a gay man was all out the window. Colt’s world wasn’t ready for them, and that seemed okay, too. Regardless of the display he just put on in the airport, Colt wasn’t ready to come out just yet, but Jace would be right there, holding his hand when he made the decision.
Reasoning everything through, feeling all those happy, in love feelings made Jace strong and secure. He truly believed he could handle anything, at least until Colt signed on to a team. He’d even hide longer, if that’s what it took, waiting until Colt could establish himself as a star on the professional field, just like on the college field.
If all the rumors were true, Colt would sign with New York. Based on their commitments to one another last night, Jace would be moving there in May. He had agreed to follow Colt anywhere while Colt had been moving slowly inside his body. The strategy was tricky, but one that seemed to work perfectly. Colt made him affirm the promise both last night and again today before he boarded the plane.
By now Jace had a full blown, toothy grin lighting his face. Just thinking about a future with Colt made him so happy. Moving to New York, wow, that was a big step. Living in New York had always seemed like a cool thing to do, but living there with Colt made the thought even sweeter.
Before this week, Jace’s big future plans were to go back to Dallas, get a job with whoever hired him and open a gymnastics center somewhere around the area. The National Cheerleaders Association was huge in Dallas and it seemed like a good plan, but living in New York with the man of your dreams blew that idea right out of the water! If they stayed in New York, maybe he could open his gym there instead. Maybe he could go on to graduate school, and secure his future so he could help support Colt when he retired from playing ball.
“Flight two thirty-seven to Austin is now boarding.” Jace could hear the overhead speaker and looked up, pulling the earbuds from his ears as he read the sign. The vacation of a lifetime was coming to an end. His suntan had grown darker from the hours he’d laid on the beach, his hair blonder, and his future brighter. The island was hard to leave, but at the same time he was ready for what life had in store for him. Jace rose, squared his shoulders, and slung his old, ratty backpack over his arm.
His phone beeped, signaling a text, and he pulled the cell from his pocket. The text was from Colt; he planned to pick him up at the airport tonight. He wanted to get a room close to the airport. Colt didn’t want their vacation to end. And somehow that thought alone had him grinning like the Cheshire cat all over again. He’d always known Colt was a decent guy, but who would have known how caring and kind he really was?
Jace returned the text with a quick ‘boarding’ and dropped the phone back in his pocket. He stepped forward, fishing for the earbud when he got shoved against the shoulder. The push was hard enough to cause him to stumble several steps. Less than a second later, Jace got an angrily whispered, “Get out of the way, fag.” Where had that come from? Jace frowned and looked around, but he only got a glimpse of the guy’s retreating back. He was big, clean cut, and Jace had never seen him before. How had he picked that up? Jace glanced down at his T-shirt and shorts. Nothing about him or his clothing stood out as gay, so how had a stranger known?
“Final call for flight two thirty-seven.” Those words got Jace moving. The perpetual smile of the last few days faltered. What if Colt had been there with him when something like that happened? Colt wasn’t experienced in those kinds of moments, and for the first time in days, Jace thought about Colt’s dad. No way was he ever going to be okay with Colt being gay. They’d have to hide forever from Colt’s family. His dad was a brutal, angry kind of guy, the direct opposite of Colt. No way they could ever tell him.
Some of the confidence Jace gained while being on this island seeped away as he walked down the jet bridge to the airplane. Was he crazy for thinking this could work? Jace forced the thoughts from his mind and palmed his iPod, turning the wheel to his favorite play
list. He wasn’t thinking about this right now. Colt said they could work, and he’d believe him. It was what his heart told him to do.
Chapter 9
Somehow, being in downtown Austin at eight-thirty on a Monday morning, the day after spring break, wasn’t terrible. Colt sat happily in the waiting area just outside his agent’s twenty-seventh floor, impressive corner office. It had been hinted to him on several occasions that the corner office, with the amazing view, was just one of the few perks of being high up on the professional sports management food chain—whatever that meant.
His agent, Johnny Bench, was a legend in this industry. His clients were local sports heroes. Colt had been told many times how lucky he was to have Johnny on his side. He’d only gotten the chance because of the connection Johnny shared with his father. They had played professional football together over twenty years ago. Colt had known Uncle Johnny his entire life. He was even Colt’s godfather.
The agent’s secretary, Mrs. O’Rielly, sat at the front desk, right outside his office. She was a little bit of a woman, and older. Maybe even in her seventies, but she’d been in this office every time Colt had come since he was a little boy. She had always been kind.
When he was a kid, he remembered how he loved to stop by when his father would visit. She always had suckers and candy, with drawers full of coloring books and crayons. She’d sometimes even let him play on her computer, but not today, that friendly attitude vanished. She sat there stoned-faced, staring at her computer screen, ignoring Colt completely. Maybe there was too much spring break for everyone.
From Colt’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad thing to be ignored. He was totally exhausted. He didn’t much feel like carrying on a conversation about the weather. An unexpected jaw cracking yawn tore free, and he realized his eyes were drooping closed as he sat there waiting. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be asleep soon. He didn’t think that was how professionals handled themselves, and he sat up straighter in his chair, forcing his eyes wide open.
He wasn’t a kid anymore. He was an adult with responsibilities and commitments. One being the super-hot boyfriend he’d just committed himself to, and didn’t that feel great? Colt was head over heels in love with Jace Montgomery. And everything inside him wanted to take care of Jace for the rest of their lives. Thank God Jace felt the same way.
Colt had the entire nine hour flight to plan. When he arrived back home, he got them a room at a nearby hotel, planned room service, and then just hung out at the airport waiting for Jace’s plane to arrive. When Jace walked off the jet bridge and into the terminal, Colt’s heart was set right.
He took Jace back to the room, fed him, made love to him, and slept with him in his arms. Funny how Colt resisted the idea of them going back to their old lives; he wanted more from Jace than a secret relationship. Jace deserved more. Hell, Jace deserved everything.
Colt made Jace promise again to stay with him no matter where he lived. With this trip to Hawaii, Colt had solidly opened the closet door and was about to step out. There was no way he was ever going back to being that scared, hiding guy again. Jace made him whole, and he couldn’t wait to share this with the world. Jace was his everything, just like he’d always been, but now Jace returned the feelings, and didn’t that feel fan-fucking-tastic?
As Colt drove to the office today, he made the decision he wasn’t hiding Jace. It wasn’t fair to ask Jace to keep their relationship a secret. Fuck anyone who wanted him to hide. He could manage whatever was thrown his way as long as Jace stood by his side.
“He’s ready to see you,” Mrs. O’Rielly said. She never looked his way. She didn’t show him to the door like she normally did. Instead, she got up from her desk, and walked a wide circle around him, closing the main door to this part of the corporate office. Colt eyed her as he made his way to his agent’s office. Her actions were confusing, but he didn’t question them. Nothing was going to interrupt his high now that he was a man in full-fledged love. Damn, his future was so bright, he might need to stop and buy some new sunglasses before picking Jace up and going back to school!
Colt looked down at his feet and grinned as he opened the door, trying to make his face a little more passive. He hadn’t said the words to Jace, but he did love him. They were young, just starting their lives, but with all his heart, Colt loved Jace Montgomery. Regardless of what anyone might think, this wasn’t an instant love kind of deal. Colt had four years of gradually falling head over heels. His future began and ended in Jace’s caring hands. Colt just needed Jace to catch up, and he planned to focus on that over the next few months until they moved to whatever team picked him up.
The right hook came out of nowhere. Pain shot through his jaw as Colt’s head snapped to the left, forcing first his head, and then his entire body, around. He struggled to stand as stars filled his vision. What the hell? Colt slumped against what he thought was a wall. But it turned out what held him up wasn’t a wall after all, but a brawny man that now had Colt locked in his arms. He tried to fight against the hold, swinging blindly. Was he being robbed?
Everything happened so fast, his mind wouldn’t work except to register the secretary hurriedly shutting the office door behind him seconds before Colt was struck again. Maybe not. Shit! The guy lost his hold; Colt slumped forward and was jerked up by his T-shirt. His father’s face came into focus, anger contorted his features as his big fist connected with Colt’s gut over and over again.
Fuck, he already knew.
“Larry, stop it! Stop it! You’re gonna kill him!” Johnny yelled from somewhere behind his father. Minutes later, after another solid round of the beating, Johnny had a hold of his father, pulling him off Colt.
“I don’t give a fuck. I brought him into this world, and by God, I can take him out! No son of mine’s a fuckin’ cocksucker!” His father was a big man, an ex-NFL linebacker, and the agent struggled to hold him as Colt slid down the body holding him in place. His face was bloodied and the pain unbearable. He was losing his vision. His left eye was already swollen shut and blood flowed freely, dripping down his face. He might not be able to focus his eyes, but he saw what was going on very clearly. His father had somehow found out about Jace.
Everything in the room came in double vision, and he realized a second too late that he was going to throw up. The bile rose in his gut. His father wasn’t the type of man to let things go. Without a doubt this wouldn’t stop with just him; he would go after Jace. Fuck, he had to protect Jace!
Colt struggled to stand, but his legs gave way, and he crumbled back to the floor. Whoever else was in the room had to still be behind him because a boot connected with his throat, holding him in place against the thick carpeted floor.
“Larry, sit down! Stop it! That’s enough!” Johnny screamed as a pair of brass knuckles fell to the floor in front of Colt. No wonder his father’s punches crippled him so completely. Colt managed to look up at the same moment his father spit in his face.
“You make me sick, you queer piece of shit. I’ve guided your whole fucking career, laid everything out perfectly for you. And I’m not about to let some little cocksucking faggot fuck it all up for me!” His father had broken free of Johnny’s hold and barreled back down on Colt, his fists pounding while the boot held him on the ground crushing his throat.
“This is what happens to faggots, and it’ll do you good to remember it.” He heard his father yelling as he struggled to get free, but something or someone else was holding his legs. He hadn’t been double teamed, but triple teamed. Fuck!
Colt’s intake of air was being dramatically restricted, and at this point, if he didn’t do something, he wouldn’t live through the next few minutes. Darkness came, seeping in from all sides and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The pain of his father’s steel-toed boots connecting with his already worked over rib cage was the last thing Colt remembered before he vomited on himself and passed out.
“You’re alive, boy, but barely.” There was contempt in Johnny’s voice, and
Colt groaned, trying to open his eyes. His body hurt, and he couldn’t get his left eye to cooperate, but his right finally fluttered open enough to see his agent standing over him with an ice pack in his hand.
“Your father’s…” Those words had Colt jerking forward, recoiling from any pending attack. He instinctively tried to prepare for whatever might be coming, but the sudden movement caused unbearable pain to shoot throughout his body and settle in his ribs. His mind rejected everything except the need to flee. He had to get out of this place. Colt struggled to stand until his agent grabbed him and pushed him back down on the sofa.
“He’s gone, Colt. Settle down, son, and listen to me. He’s gone!” The agent kept saying while pushing him back down on the sofa. His body ached so badly. He fought to stand, but couldn’t manage to get his feet underneath himself. Why was his body betraying him? He had no choice but to lie back down.
“Drink this. It’ll help.”
A cool glass was placed between his lips, he opened slightly and straight whisky was poured down his throat. Colt choked and gagged on the disgusting liquid blazing a flame down to his stomach. He could feel the excess running down his cheeks and his neck as he was forced to consume everything put to his lips. Johnny laid an ice pack on his face as someone entered the office.
“What happened?” There was concern in the unfamiliar voice. Colt prayed that meant help had arrived.
“I don’t know. He came in like this,” Johnny lied. Colt could see him turned toward the door, but couldn’t see who else was in the room.
“How’d he get here like this?” The voice was getting closer, and Colt tried hard to focus. He groaned, and tried to speak. He wanted to say who’d done this to him, but his throat hurt, and the sounds coming out didn’t form any of the words he wanted to say.
Nice Guys Collection With Added Bonus Material Page 7
