I quickly dressed in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before I returned to find Kyle sitting on my sofa. He looked up at me when I entered the room and smiled softly.
“You didn’t answer,” he said in the way of an explanation for his midnight appearance at my door.
“I had every intention of answering your call,” I said as I sat beside him, “but the sound of the phone startled me, and I knocked it into the bathtub.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry, Chaz. Let me buy you a new one.”
“That’s kind of you to offer, but it’s not necessary.” I repositioned myself at an angle so I could look at him. “So, were you just in the neighborhood?”
“No,” Kyle responded with a smile. “I wanted to talk to you without being interrupted, so I drove over here, parked in front of your house like a creeper, and dialed your phone number. I followed through with my threat when you didn’t answer.”
“I wouldn’t call your visit a threat,” I remarked. Well, I thought it was quite possible that Kyle was dangerous to my heart.
“It was a chance I had to take because we keep getting interrupted or…”
“I run away,” I said, finishing his statement for him when he trailed off.
“It was only once.”
“Twice,” I amended. “I hid from you at the salon after your appointment.”
Kyle’s brow furrowed into a deep V and I saw how much my words hurt him. “Why?”
I opened my mouth to tell him the truth, but no words came out, only a chipmunk squeak that he seemed to find cute.
“I can tell that something heavy is weighing on your mind and you’re not comfortable talking to me about it. I hope to change that someday,” Kyle said tenderly. “Will you answer one question for me at least?”
“Yes,” I said breathlessly.
“Do you… are you…” Kyle rose from the couch with a frustrated growl. “I’m not exactly sure how to say this without sounding cheesy.”
I stood up and faced him. Maybe it was Kyle’s flustered state or perhaps it was the vulnerable look in his eyes that caused me to feel brave in his presence for the first time. “I feel it too,” I told him.
Kyle had released a long, shaky breath before he closed the distance between us. He pressed a kiss to my forehead before he looked into my eyes. “That’s all I need to know for now. Have sweet dreams, Chaz,” he said when I walked him to the door.
“You too.”
Kyle winked playfully at me and said, “I’ve seen you wet and almost naked, so I know I will,” before he turned and walked into the night.
My late-night visit to Chaz replayed in my mind for days afterward and brought a smile to my face each time. The awkward tension didn’t fade completely, but it was greatly diminished by the awareness that sparked between us. The attraction had always been there, but after that night it was more intense. Still, something held Chaz back, and it drove me crazy trying to figure out who, what, or why.
Was Chaz scarred from a bad relationship? I wasn’t a violent man, in fact, I had never hit another person, but some faceless guy who possibly broke Chaz’s heart made me want to Hulk out. Those feelings were completely new to me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. As a kid, I was obese due to emotional eating, and it was a habit I could easily fall back on if I wasn’t careful. The ups and downs with Chaz—and not the kind I craved—were driving me nuts and wearing me down, but I couldn’t seem to walk away from him. I knew that something special could happen between us if we let it, and I was willing to wait for him to tell me whatever it was that held him back. I just hoped he didn’t take too much longer or I feared I’d mow through my weight in Oreo cookies.
The pending photo shoot added to my stress and kept me on edge. No matter how much time passed, I still often saw the chubby teenager when I looked at my reflection in the mirror. When I was fourteen years old, I weighed two-hundred-and-fifty pounds. At thirty-six years old, I weighed the same amount, but it was muscle instead of fat. I knew that my hard work had turned me into a fit man, but I was still caught off guard the morning of the calendar shoot when the photographer informed me that we’d be snapping several bare-chested photos.
“What?” I asked. “I thought I was posing with puppies and kitties from the shelter,” I told him.
“You are, but sex sells and you…” he waved his hand up and down my body, “have that in spades. You’re the kind of guy that both men and women like.”
“Katie!” I yelled. “No one said anything about partially nude photos.”
Katie scurried over to me. “It wasn’t my idea, Dr. Vaughn. I swear it.” She wrung her hands nervously and said, “Scotty does make a good point though.”
“I don’t know, Katie.” I shook my head. “This feels weird to me. I’m not that guy who struts around with his shirt off all the time so people can admire his muscles.”
“You should,” Scotty said, earning an irritated glance from me.
“I won’t ask you to do anything that doesn’t feel right to you,” Katie said. “I’m sure we’d sell just as many calendars if you keep your shirt on. Those dimples alone are worth the cost of the calendar.”
“Can I have a minute to think about it?”
“Sure, honey. Take your time. You’re the one doing me a favor.” She patted my arm affectionately and walked back over to her van that she transported her pets to the shoot location.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed the first person who came to mind. “I need your help,” I said when Chaz answered the phone.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I know this is last minute and you probably have something better to do…”
“Kyle, just tell me what you need.”
“It’s this damn calendar shoot. I feel fucking ridiculous. Can you meet me at Griffin State Park?” I asked.
“Give me twenty minutes,” Chaz replied. “Where in the park are you?”
“North entrance of the lake,” I told him. “I’ll hold Scotty with the grabby hands at bay until you get here.”
“Scotty Erikson?” Chaz asked.
“I don’t know his last name. He works at the shelter and is an amateur photographer,” I told Chaz.
“Well, he can be a little overbearing, but he takes amazing photos,” Chaz said.
“He wants me to start taking my clothes off.”
“I’ll be right there.”
I smiled because I wasn’t sure if he wanted to be there when I took my clothes off or if he just didn’t want Scotty to get his grabby hands on me. I was fine with whatever reason got him to the park so I could spend time with him. We’d talked on the phone several nights, but hadn’t spent any alone time together since the night I showed up on his doorstep.
Chaz showed up in twelve minutes, not twenty. He looked a bit harried, and I wondered what he’d been doing when I called him. “I’m here to save your virtue,” he declared humorously.
“You’re just in time to rub oil all over my chest,” I said jokingly.
Chaz shook his head. “You’ll have pet fur stuck all over you.”
“I’m pretty hairy as it is,” I told him.
“Yeah?” he asked curiously.
I remembered his remark about liking a guy who kept things tidy below the belt and I didn’t want to scare him off. “Some places anyway,” I replied coyly. I wanted him to be curious and want to explore my body for himself rather than bluntly tell him. From the look on his face, Chaz was mentally peeling my clothes off right there in the parking lot. Fuck, if I didn’t want to encourage him to do just that. My body started responding to the idea and I had to pull my mind out of the gutter before we gave Scotty a totally different idea for his calendar photoshoot.
“Are you really going to take your clothes off for the calendar?” Chaz asked me.
“Would you think less of me if I did?” I asked. “I don’t want people looking at me and picturing me without my clothes.”
“Too lat
e,” Chaz said.
I loved that he thought about what I looked like naked, but I could do without the rest of the town knowing or thinking about it. “I don’t think it’s wrong or improper, but I don’t think it’s my style.”
“Then you keep your clothes on,” Chaz said emphatically.
“Dr. Va… hey, Chaz,” Scotty said when he saw who had arrived. “I didn’t know you were coming today.” I didn’t like the familiar way the photographer looked at my… Chaz.
“It’s been a while,” Chaz said to Scotty.
“Too long, but we can remedy that later if you’re free,” Scotty said suggestively.
“He’s not,” I said emphatically.
“I’m not,” Chaz said at the same time.
“Oh, I see.” Scotty smile wryly. “Are you ready, Dr. Vaughn?”
“As I’ll ever be,” I answered. “I decided to keep my clothes on.”
“Pity.” Scotty sighed dramatically. “Let’s get this party started then.”
“Good luck,” Chaz said, walking backward toward his car. “Call me later and let me know how this works out.”
“Wait! Where are you going?” I asked, sounding more than a little desperate.
“I had planned on going home, but I can stick around if you…”
“Yessss.” My face turned hot with embarrassment when I realized how orgasmic my reply sounded.
Katie walked up to our group with a tiny Chihuahua at the end of her leash. “Let’s start with Beatrice.”
Beatrice looked as nervous as I felt and I thought we were a good match. I squatted down and extended my hand toward her, and she came to me. “Hi there, pretty girl,” I said softly. “Are you ready to have your picture taken with me?” Beatrice licked my hand and wagged her tail, which I accepted as a yes. I scooped her up in my arms, and she licked my chin. “Say cheese, Bea.” I aimed a practice smile at Scotty.
He blinked at me for a few minutes before he responded. “Let’s head over to the lake.”
Reaching for Chaz’s hand while we walked seemed natural to me, and I took it as a good sign that he didn’t pull away. I didn’t expect to have fun while shooting the calendar, but I found myself laughing throughout the day as we moved from one spot at the lake to the next with dozens of different animals. Scotty wanted to take about two dozen pictures and narrow it down to the best twelve for the calendar. The final scene was a sunset picnic, and my fellow model was a boxer named Sadie, who I estimated to be around four years old. Scotty had set out a plaid blanket and a picnic basket. Sadie sat beside me and looked at me with some of the saddest eyes I’d seen in a long time. I scratched her chin, and she ate up the affection like she was starved for it. She groaned and lay her head across my thigh.
“What’s her story?” I asked Katie as I stroked her velvety ears.
“Don’t know for sure,” she replied. “You know we take the animals without asking questions. It’s the only way to make sure they’re not just dropped off in the middle of nowhere and left to fend for themselves,” Katie said sadly. “She arrived earlier this week, and I’m afraid that it’s going to be hard to find her a forever home because she’s older than most of the dogs in our shelter. Most families are looking for cute puppies. She’s great with other pets though, especially the kitten Otis that you posed with earlier. They showed up on the same night and bonded quickly.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Oh yeah. Do you want to see Sadie and Otis together?”
“Sure,” although I wasn’t sure why until Otis crawled on top of Sadie’s broad back and took a nap. Sadie’s expression changed from sad to content in an instant.
“Katie, I think I know where these two cuties can find a good home.”
“You do?” she asked hopefully.
I smiled down at the sleeping duo on my lap then looked at her. “I’ll take them.”
“Dr. Vaughn, that’s wonderful news! I just know you’re not going to regret it.”
“I think so too, Katie,” I said. “I need to pick up some things for them at Brook’s Pets after the shoot, but I can swing by and formally adopt them in a few hours.”
“And I thought I couldn’t possibly adore you any more than I already do,” Katie said. “Do you hear that, Sadie girl? You get to keep Otis.”
“That’s a wrap,” Scotty called out.
“What?” I asked. “We didn’t pose yet.”
“Sometimes the perfect pose happens naturally, and it’s dropped in your lap like a gift.” Scotty walked over and showed me a picture on his camera. “See what I mean?” In the photo, Otis had curled into a tight ball on Sadie’s back while Sadie looked up into my smiling face.
“Oh, that’s a great picture. I’d like to have a framed copy of that for my desk,” I told the photographer.
“I’ll email an edited version to you so you can have prints made,” Scotty said as he began packing up his equipment.
“That sounds great. Thank you.” I turned to Katie and said, “I’m really happy that I agreed to do the calendar. It was a lot of fun, and I found some new best friends.”
“Thank you so much, Dr. Vaughn. I know this calendar is going to be a big hit and I’m positive that Sadie and Otis will be amazing companions for you and your future family.” Katie clipped the leash back onto Sadie’s collar and scooped up Otis in her arms. “Come on, Sadie girl,” she said, tugging gently on the leash. Sadie didn’t budge from my lap. Instead, she made herself as heavy as she could against my leg.
I looked down into the face of the dog who stole my heart in seconds. “Okay, girl. You can come shopping with me at Brook’s. You can help me pick out stuff for your brother too.” I held out my hand for the leash, and Katie handed it to me.
“I’ll be by to get my cat as soon as we’re finished,” I told Katie.
“No problem. We’ll be waiting for you, won’t we, Otis?”
Meow.
“You want some help at the pet store?” Chaz asked.
I figured I could handle it on my own, but I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to him yet. “I would appreciate that.”
Chaz followed Sadie and me to the store rather than leave his car at the lake. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to buy, so I bought a little of everything.
“You don’t think this six-foot cat jungle gym is a bit much for a tiny kitten?” Chaz asked as he looked at the display model at the store.
“He won’t be little for long,” I replied. “Besides, it’s a scratch post and a jungle gym.”
“You’re the expert,” Chaz told me.
He helped me load my purchases into the bed of my truck then knelt down in front of Sadie. “You’re one lucky girl,” he told her. “Did you see that big fluffy bed he bought you, Sadie girl? And the treats and the toys?” Sadie barked in response. “She’s smart and beautiful,” Chaz said, smiling up at me.
“Of course,” I said proudly. “Do you want to come over and hang out with us?”
The smile slid from Chaz’s face as he rose to his feet. “I wish I could, but I have plans tonight.”
“Oh,” I said, not bothering to hide the disappointment in my voice. A thought occurred to me, and I asked, “Do your plans involve Beefcake Andy?”
Chaz threw his head back and laughed like it was the craziest thing he’d ever heard. “Definitely not. They’re solo plans, but I can’t put them off any longer.”
“Oh, I’m sorry if I messed up your day when I called you.”
“You didn’t,” Chaz assured me. “I had a great day, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
“Thank you for coming,” I said softly.
“That’s what he said,” Chaz replied with a wink.
“Not yet,” I said to him as he walked away.
“Good one, Dr. D,” he said affectionately.
I looked down at Sadie who looked like she was smiling at Chaz. “Yeah, I like him too, girl. What do you say we go pick up your brother?” I held open the passenger door of my
truck for her, and she jumped inside.
The day was nothing as I expected and far better than I could’ve imagined. I spent my Saturday night getting my new pets acclimated to their new environment while wondering what my next step should be with Chaz. I just hoped it involved the feel of his lips against mine once more. Then I realized that hoping and wishing wasn’t getting me what I wanted. I wanted him; he wanted me. It was time I stepped up my game and did something about it. I just needed to find the right moment—one where we weren’t surrounded by people or had a chance to get interrupted.
The next day we gathered at Josh and Gabe’s for our weekly family dinner. We mowed through the delicious food like normal, but we didn’t play cornhole afterward like usual. Instead, I brought up something that had been bothering me lately.
“I can’t believe that none of us planned a bachelor party for the two of you,” I said. “I feel like we failed you as friends.”
“It wasn’t something that we wanted. Was it?” Josh asked Gabe, sounding a little unsure. “Did you want a proper send-off?”
“Not really,” Gabe said with a shrug.
Josh narrowed his eyes speculatively and said, “I don’t think ‘not really’ is the same thing as saying no. Babe, if this is something you want to do then…”
“I don’t mind celebrating our upcoming marriage with our friends, but I don’t want to see a stripper grinding his ass against your dick. I. Do. Not. Share,” Gabe said vehemently.
“Who said anything about strippers?” I asked. “There are many ways we can celebrate.”
Everyone started tossing around ideas on how we could celebrate the pending nuptials as a group. We started suggesting ideas like golf, a trip to a day spa, dinner and theater, or a Reds game, but no one could agree on one event.
“Why does it have to be one or the other?” Kyle asked, sounding like the voice of reason. “Why can’t we start out with two separate outings then meet up later to celebrate as one large group?” No one said anything right away, so he continued. “One group plays golf in the morning then goes to a Reds game afterward. The other group does the day spa, dinner, and theater thing. All of us meet later at Vibe to dance and celebrate. We’ll stay at a hotel and use a cab or a car service, so we don’t have to worry about driving.”
Unscripted Love (Road to Blissville, #1) Page 6
