He stood and stuck a finger in his knotted tie, pulling the silk material free. Colt was tired of this game. Tired of the cameras following him everywhere he went and way past tired of his life.
Leaving the blackmailing little bitch on the bed, Colt walked to his closet. The expensive tie dropped carelessly on his brand new, grossly overpriced, handpicked by his awful fiancée, dresser. Colt flung his suit jacket in the general direction of the armoire and toed his shoes off. A gnawing feeling ate at him.
He hated what he’d become, and what he was being forced to do. He swore the cancerous pit in his stomach grew larger every day, and for the first time in months, he seriously reevaluated his plan to stay sober. Colt had been sober for two hundred and seventy-eight days. With each day passing, he grew to hate his life a little bit more. How had he let things get this out of control? Yeah, Colt knew the answer. He’d drank from sun up to sun up every day for the last ten years of his life.
Shockingly, Colt had finally kicked his alcohol habit and played some of the best football of his life. Who would have ever thought that could be possible? It was the only positive in his life.
Clearly, Colt remembered all too well the circumstances surrounding the moment he took his last drink. Correction, he took his last drink the following day. That night he drank until he became stupid drunk in order to fuck Maryia and her friend like she wanted. When he got drunk, he didn’t care who he fucked, just as long as he got to fuck. Colt got to the point where he drank to wake up from the hellish hangovers, and he drank to escape the pain in his heart at being so deep in the closet he couldn’t see his way out. Alcohol could be a sneaky little bastard. It made him truly believe he’d kicked his homosexual tendencies. How stupid was that?
One interesting point he now realized, Jace Montgomery still starred in every single major event of his life. It took the chance of Jace being hurt again to make him see what he really had become. Not the multiple You Tube videos of him drunk, acting an ass, or being the cocky jerk he became when he drank. There were also You Tube videos of him being arrested for public intoxication. But none of those sobered him up like Maryia threatening what he held most precious in his life.
Being sober and being forced to be honest with himself, he knew Jace Montgomery was the man he loved above all others. The first time he’d laid eyes on Jace was before school even started. The tall blond cheerleader stood on the sidelines, looking hot as hell in his snug fitting uniform, but it was the smile he wore that melted Colt.
The memories soothed Colt as he undressed. Jace was clean-cut and unspoiled. He’d somehow managed to escape all the hate and bitterness so many gay men hung on to. Running his hands through his short-cropped dark hair, Colt let out a sigh. He shed his pants and his shirt, thinking over their first time together. Colt stayed late one afternoon, conditioning in the gym like he always did when he needed to clear his mind. He noticed Jace in a connecting gym. He couldn’t keep his eyes off him.
Jace worked a cheer clinic for tryouts, and like normal, Colt knew everything there was to know about the guy and his schedule. Colt knew Jace had an easygoing attitude. Jace laughed easily, and when he did, his eyes lit up, which made Colt’s heart race.
Colt observed Jace’s entire session that day, admiring him for staying late to help a new potential cheerleader master some skill. But when the session ended, he watched Jace enter the locker room alone. Colt waited a few minutes before he picked his towel up off the bench and followed. Like a perv, he stood with his arm propped against the tile wall, quietly watching Jace in the shower. Jace was beautifully made. Tall with a hard athletic body, his muscles tensed and flexed as he ran the soap over his tanned skin. His sun-streaked blond hair transformed to dark when wet. He longed to run his fingers through those dripping strands and take Jace’s mouth in a drowning kiss.
Jace looked so very good and fucking hot as hell. His perfectly cut dick hung temptingly between his legs as the water poured over his body. When Jace turned to soap his back, his ass could only be described as mouthwatering. He was such a turn on to watch that Colt’s hands had clenched into fists, aching to grip that tight ass.
Instinct more than anything pushed Colt to approach Jace, cornering him at his locker. Jace seemed so confused at first, but their kiss set everything right. Their sex was magical. It surprised Colt when Jace seemed to want him as badly as he wanted Jace. Colt stood slightly taller than Jace and a little more muscular. He dominated Jace, fucking him hard without a condom, right there for anyone to walk in and see.
Now, walking through his condo to the living room, Colt didn’t bother with clothing. He preferred to stay nude. There were no drapes or window blinds, but he lived on the top floor of the high-rise. And he honestly just didn’t give a shit anymore. Every time Colt allowed the memories of Jace to surface, he couldn’t rid himself of the nagging guilt that twisted his stomach as he recalled the pain he’d put in Jace’s eyes. Colt would never forget the look etched on Jace’s face, the betrayal in Jace’s eyes, when his football buddies shoved him through the bar.
Colt sat there and let it all happen, not saying a word to stop their vicious attack. He just stared down at the dirty floor as their hurtful words echoed through his mind, and the tails his father hired watched both his and Jace’s every move. Colt hated himself for being a coward, for not standing up and stopping them. Most of all, he had hated knowing he was just as much a fag as Jace and too afraid to speak up.
God, Colt regretted his actions. The pain in Jace’s eyes still haunted him to this day. He’d been wrong to end their relationship the way he had, but at the time, he’d feared his father would go after Jace like he had his own son. Colt had no choice but to put separation between them. After Hawaii, after all the deep love crap he’d confessed, he needed to distance himself to keep them safe and to keep his career going, like his fucking father dictated.
In some ways, his father had been right. No way was the professional sports world ready for a public display of a homosexual relationship. Back then, Colt had been touted as a star in the making; his potential was the best of the best. He would have ruined everything if he’d come out. Lots of money and notoriety had followed being number one. Lots of money in which his agent pocketed a hefty commission and his dad pocketed an even larger salary. Hell, Colt had made his agent and his father millions of dollars over the last ten years. If he had come out, they would have had to kiss it all goodbye!
From where he stood today, Colt couldn’t say he’d made the correct decision. Actually, Colt knew for certain he hadn’t made the right choice. Nothing could be worth hurting Jace and continuing on in this shell of a life he lived. Without question, Jace would never believe he had truly fallen in love with him or that he still loved him today. He loathed himself for what he’d done… or rather didn’t do. It was in Johnny’s office after his beating that he discovered Jack Daniels helped numb the pain, but it was the night his friends hurt Jace that Colt firmly resolved to drink with serious intent.
Jace never again tried to contact Colt. It only took once. Colt tried hard to make himself believe that if Jace truly loved him, he would be back. Once wouldn’t have stopped him, but he knew Jace better than anyone. Jace would never put himself where he wasn’t wanted. He just wasn’t that guy.
Picking up the remote control from the coffee table, Colt brought the recording guide up and selected the ESPN cheerleading special. Seven years ago, Colt accidentally stumbled across Jace’s face during a cheerleading competition. Since then, Colt followed the competitions and Jace’s company as best as he could. Colt even went so far as to talk his professional football team’s cheerleading coach into bringing Jace’s gym out to perform at last year’s season opener. He footed the entire bill, but Jace didn’t accompany his team. Colt didn’t even rate high enough in Jace’s past to warrant an overnight trip to New York.
The remote control’s fast forward allowed him to skip the competition, just pick the breakout sessions. Colt selected the
interview in the Cheer Dynasty gym and brought Jace up, pausing the screen to stare at his handsome face. Colt’s flaccid cock began to swell just looking into those green eyes.
After a couple of minutes, he pushed play, watching the entire interview. Pride consumed his heart at seeing everything Jace had created. Colt followed along while they talked and then toured the gym. He watched all the national championship banners and trophies pass by. Then they landed on the enlarged photo of Jace cheering in college. Colt remembered that day, their last game together. In the interview, Jace stood by the photo, looking down with the reporter close by. Jace’s body had been leaner back in school, his hair shorter. Colt pressed pause on the remote, thinking over which way he liked Jace’s hair better. The longer hair accented Jace’s strong jaw, but the short hair looked more like the beautiful man he had fallen in love with all those years ago.
Unable to decide which looked better, Colt clicked play and the reporter continued the interview. Hearing his name, Colt slowed the picture down, watching Jace closely as they spoke. Jace never gave anything up, but Colt laughed out loud when Jace said he didn’t think Colt would remember him. Looking down at his rock hard erection, he laughed again and spoke directly to the screen. “Yeah, babe, I have no problem remembering everything about you. My problem is I can’t forget you.” Looking back up at the screen, still chuckling, Colt saw the moment—the very brief, almost-not-there look Jace held in his eyes when he stared back at the picture on the wall.
Colt paused the interview on the screen and then pushed rewind. He watched the look again and again, before going to the television and bending down in front of the screen, watching Jace for the third time. Sadness filled Jace’s eyes. He didn’t see hate, instead there was sadness, maybe even longing? Could Jace be longing for him? Surely not… After ten years, surely this must be one-sided; Colt had hurt Jace too badly.
Moving back to his sofa, Colt rewound the whole interview and watched from the beginning. He listened to every part, word for word. Colt looked for any sign in Jace of what Colt felt in his own heart. This time around, he focused on Jace’s announcement that he’d bought a place in Hawaii. He’d missed that key bit of information before. Jace had purchased their vacation spot of ten years ago. Fast forwarding the interview, Colt replayed over and over the expression on Jace’s face as he looked at his photo. His heart pounded in his chest; Colt wanted that look he swore flashed in Jace’s eyes to be real. Could he just be seeing the lights casting shadows and playing a cruel joke?
After a while, Colt scanned through the entire competition, watching for signs of Jace. Pride hit him again at how well all of Jace’s teams did during the competition. Eighteen out of the twenty-four teams took first place. Jace’s interviews played repeatedly during the breakout session. The other cheerleading gyms highlighted had nothing on Jace’s gym. The place looked spectacular. Clearly Jace made money in the sport, but he put it back into his kids, giving them a badass facility to practice in.
Hours passed as Colt watched, never getting tired of what he saw. Jace appeared again on the screen and each time he saw the handsome male, he pushed the button and paused it. At the end, there was a shot that focused on Jace with his team surrounding him. They’d just won their fifth national championship. Colt stopped the recording and zoomed in on Jace’s beautiful face, enlarging his image, taking in one last look before bed. Jace would star in his dreams tonight ensuring a good night’s sleep.
“Goddammit! Eww, you’re so fucking gross! You’re jacking off to that guy on TV.” A drunk Maryia whined, startling him from his pleasant thoughts. Her Russian accent more pronounced and filled with disgust and hateful accusations. Colt slowly turned his head toward the annoying voice. Maryia stood naked, leering at him from the living room door.
“You’re such a pussy. Come fuck me, goddammit!” She swayed on her feet, her hair a tangled mess, all matted around her head like a giant rat’s nest. Her makeup from the night before smeared across her angular face, and her mascara ran down her cheeks in thick black streaks.
“Go to bed. I’m not fucking you tonight, or any night,” Colt said, turning back to the television. He quickly changed the channel. Jace was too perfect for his drunken whore of a fiancée to look at.
“You’re a pussy! You won’t let your driver fuck me anymore, and you won’t fuck me because you’re queer. I’m fucking tired of this goddamn shit! I’m going out!” Turning to the door, Maryia tried to open it, but Colt darted over the sofa, barely getting to her before she could get the door unlocked.
“You aren’t going out naked and this drunk. We don’t need any more bad press. Go back to bed, Maryia.” Colt put both his hands on her shoulders, turning her toward the bedroom. She went nuts in his arms, fighting and kicking while screaming at him.
“Don’t put your hands on me, you faggot mother fucker!” Maryia screeched at Colt, stumbling backward, finally falling on her ass. “Don’t you touch me! I’ll call the police again. They’ll arrest you and put you back in jail! Oh, but wait, that’s where you want to be, locked away with a bunch of men to fuck you in your ass. You’re pathetic and I hate you. Why won’t you fuck me?” Tears started to roll down her cheeks, and she fell back on the floor; passed out in a drug-induced haze.
Colt didn’t bother to move her but did take the throw from the sofa, tossing it in her general direction. Grabbing the remote from the sofa, Colt removed all the traces of what he’d watched and turned off the television. He didn’t want Maryia to find Jace and threaten to draw him into their mess again. Placing the remote on the coffee table, Colt walked to his bedroom. If Maryia slept on the floor, he could have the stupidly expensive, but very comfortable bed in his bedroom for the night. He stepped over his so called fiancée lying passed out in the middle of the floor, and the moment wasn’t lost on him; he just truly didn’t give a shit anymore.
Chapter 17
He seriously needed to get a life. Jace sat behind his desk at the gym, getting everything in order for his two week vacation. Time was running out. His flight left in about an hour and a half. His intention was to only spend about an hour here before he drove to the airport, which would give him plenty of time to navigate DFW International Airport. Now he was pushing it. Haley stood in the doorway to his office, looking at her watch.
“Come on, if we don’t leave now, Jace, we’re gonna be late,” Haley scolded, tapping her finger to her watch.
“Haley, please keep this office locked. All the kids personal information—”
“I will, Jace. Come on… please, stop worrying.” She cut him off. He could tell she was growing impatient with him.
“I have my cell, but that’s it,” he said, placing a file in his top desk drawer. He closed the drawer, locked it, and began to straighten the rest of the papers on his desk. He switched off his computer and printer before glancing over his list one last time.
“So text if I need anything. Got it. FYI, the gym’s closed for two weeks. Remember? I’m really not planning on being here either,” she added with a huff.
“Yes. Security scheduled?” He looked up from his desk, waiting for her answer. Alright, he would admit he was always the constant worrier. He couldn’t help it.
“Yes, no one will be here unattended. Jace Montgomery, now! Get your ass moving, we’re late!” Haley clapped her hands, stepping back from the door. Jace grinned and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. He searched his walking shorts and found his phone, iPod, and keys. He pulled the keys from his pocket to lock his office door.
“Are you seriously leaving for two weeks with just this backpack?” Haley questioned, the disbelief clear in her voice.
“Yeah, I’ll buy whatever I need when I get there.” He couldn’t believe he was seriously leaving for a vacation. A trickle of excitement began to replace the nerves of leaving.
“Jace, are you sure it’s safe to go there alone?” Haley asked as Jace set the security system.
“We’ve had this conv
ersation,” Jace replied, dismissing Haley’s question. They had thirty seconds to get out the door before the alarm went off, so they hustled out the front.
“Just make sure you text me so I don’t worry. Okay?” It took Haley a second to remember she was driving and finally stopped following Jace. She pushed past him and started toward her car so that he now followed her.
Jace didn’t say another word about it. Haley acted like his own personal mama bear. She’d become as close to him as family, and right now she was alarmingly close to being an annoying little sister… who was also doing something super nice, like driving him to the airport. Okay, he’d forgive her hovering because he hated figuring out the airport on his own.
Lihue Airport was shockingly similar to what he remembered. Jace bypassed baggage claim, the benefit of the single backpack, and headed straight for the car rental. It only took a few minutes, and he was off, his smart phone guiding him to his new home. The anxiety of seeing the place finally settled in. It was funny how that hadn’t occurred to him when he’d bought the place, but now, as he drove the back roads to the house, the memories of when he’d first arrived here ten years ago played through his mind.
Wow, the emotion of the moment caused him to let off the gas as he remembered how Colt had been out back when he’d arrived. Jace actually thought he’d been pranked. Maybe it would have been better all the way around if it had been a cruel joke. That steeled Jace’s heart.
“No, you aren’t doing this. You’re here to make new memories, not continue living in the past for one more day. Colt’s gonna be a married man in a few days. The past is done, it’s over… gone. No more pining. It’s getting seriously old." Jace nodded his head to affirm the resolve and ignored his heart. Once his heart had the new memories to hold on to, those old ones would be long gone. He was certain.
Nice Guys Collection With Added Bonus Material Page 13
