by Zoe Piper
"It's a pleasure, ma'am." Kyle drawled. Her face lit up with a beautiful smile, making her blue eyes shine.
"Oh, my goodness. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes, and what a lovely accent." She leaned up and gave Kyle a kiss on the cheek. "I can see why Jase is so smitten with you." She turned to the now blushing Kiwi at his side. "Jase, my love. How are you?" Jase leaned over to give her a hug.
"I'm good thanks, Jo. You've got quite the crowd this year." He indicated the numerous people sitting around.
"Yes, quite a few people didn't go away as the weatherman said it was going to be a miserable weekend. And then, of course, today has turned out beautiful, so they all came here."
"You love it, Ma." Kyle turned to see Charlie coming towards them with a couple of beers in his hands.
"I do. The more the merrier. Family and friends. What more could you ask for? Where's your brother disappeared to? He's supposed to be getting the barbeque started," Jo asked her son.
"Got a phone call. Went inside to take it." Charlie passed a bottle of beer to both Jase and Kyle. Kyle nodded his thanks. He took a mouthful and was just about to ask Charlie about his brother when an ear-splitting squeal sounded across the lawn.
"Jase bloody MacKenzie." Kyle turned to see a tall, dark-headed woman race across the grass towards them. He barely had time to grab the beer bottle Jase thrust at him before watching his boyfriend catch the mass of arms and legs wrapping around him. Kyle felt a twinge of possessiveness as the woman grabbed Jase's face and planted a huge, wet kiss on his mouth.
Jase grinned at the beautiful woman in his arms. "Lizzy bloody Samuels" he retorted.
"Hey sis, put him down. He's got a boyfriend now, so you can't be manhandling him like that. Kyle here will get jealous." Charlie said to her while nudging Kyle with his elbow. Dark brown eyes turned his way and he was inspected from head to toe. She turned back to Jase and gave a decidedly wicked grin. "Oh, Jase. You done good." She hopped down from Jase’s embrace and turned to Kyle. "So, do you have any single, straight brothers?" She asked him.
Kyle grinned as Charlie groaned next to him. "Sorry, I don't. Just a sister and she just hooked up with my best friend, so I can't even offer you him in replacement."
"Well, that's a damn shame. I may have to head off to Texas and find me a cowboy of my own if you're anything to go by." Lizzie reached over and grabbed the second beer bottle he was holding. She took a long swig and then gave the bottle to Jase. "Ta, love," she said cheekily.
"Brat," Jase replied fondly. "Didn't expect to see Carl here. How long is he home for?"
Lizzie rolled her eyes as her father answered Jase's question.
"He arrived out of the blue on Thursday and is off again next Monday. Got some job with that rockstar everyone’s raving about at the moment. Cooper Evans."
Kyle looked to Jase for explanation at the confusing comment.
"Carl works for a company that provides backstage crews for touring musicians. He's been all over the world."
"Oh, you haven't heard, have you? He's gone up in the world. He's now working security and only does a little bit of the roadie stuff occasionally." Charlie rolled his eyes as Lizzie smirked. Kyle looked between the siblings. There didn't seem to be much age difference between the two of them.
"Ignore whatever they’re saying about me Kyle." Their brother joined them. "They’re just jealous 'cos I had the balls to get away while they got stuck here."
"Carl." His father growled. "Don't go stirring up trouble. You know your mother and I are equally proud of all three of you, and your brother and sister can do whatever they please to be happy."
Feeling slightly awkward at the family tension, Kyle asked: "Who's the eldest between you?" He indicated between Charlie and Carl. "I can see you’re twins."
The group around him laughed. "I'm the eldest, by fifteen minutes, then Lizzie here is older than Carl by half an hour, so I’m forty-five minutes older than him." Charlie laughed out loud at the stunned look on Kyle's face.
Kyle turned to Jo Samuels. "Ma'am, you have my sincerest admiration. I imagined twins to be busy, but I can't imagine having three babies all at the same time."
"I was lucky I had the whanau, our family, around to help. Everyone pitched in. Made for some fun times though." The blonde woman looked adoringly at her husband. "I think it's time we got some food cooking and get the little ones fed before they start complaining."
"Yes love." Hemi looked at his children. "You heard your mother. Boys, get that barbeque going and Lizzie, go and make sure your Aunt Lillian isn't burning down the kitchen."
All three Samuels children took off in different directions at their father's bidding. Hemi returned his attention to Kyle and Jase.
"Go and say hello to your friends and then take Kyle on a tour of the place. Just mind the path down to the beach; it may be a bit slippery after the rain yesterday."
Kyle laced their fingers together and they made their way over to where Sarah and Mike were sitting with Stuart, Brett and Louise. Kyle and Sarah had managed to get through the work week without too much discomfort. Sarah, in her forthright way, had told Kyle she was happy he and Jase were starting something, but when they were at work she was his PA first. Out of work, then she was Jase's best friend and her loyalty lay with him. He didn't need to be told that if he hurt Jase she would make his life a living hell, boss or not.
They were greeted with smiles and hellos and of course, the expected teasing.
"So glad you could make it. Did something, ah, come up this morning?" asked Stuart, eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Nothing we couldn't handle." Kyle retorted. He was prepared for this and knew the teasing was the group’s way of accepting him.
Stuart raked his gaze up and down Kyle. "Yep, pretty sure Jase has his...hands...full with you."
Kyle smirked back. "I haven’t had any complaints so far." He heard Jase splutter next to him as everyone else laughed.
"Is that true, Jase? No complaints?" Brett joined in the conversation. The pretty redhead next to him nudged his ribs. He turned to her, "What?"
"Don't be rude," Louise hissed at him.
Brett frowned at her. "I'm not being rude. They know we're just having a bit of fun." Louise obviously didn't like his answer as she jumped to her feet and stormed off in the direction of the house. Brett sighed and turned back to his friends. "Sorry, guys. Don't know what's got into her lately, but she's been really touchy about everything." He stood up and offered the now-empty chairs to Kyle and Jase. "I'd better go and see what it is I've done wrong this time.” He followed in the same direction as his angry girlfriend.
Kyle and Jase sat down, stretching their long legs out in front of them. "I hope everything is okay with them," Kyle commented.
"Don't worry about it, Kyle. Brett's right: Louise has been touchy lately. I think she's wanting the diamond ring and Brett's not caught on yet," Sarah said. She was looking a little pale again today, but relaxed and obviously happy to see him and her best friend together.
"Brett not the marrying type?" he asked.
"He is, but not the marrying Louise type. She's not the right one for him, lovely as she is," Sarah replied.
"Who is his type?" Mike asked his wife.
A small smile appeared briefly on Sarah's face. She obviously thought she knew something they didn't. "Oh, I don't think Brett has admitted to himself who his type is yet, but when he does, he'll fall hard and fast."
"I like hard and fast," came the expected remark from Stuart.
"We know!" chorused the group of friends and they dissolved into laughter and more teasing.
✽✽✽
After a long afternoon of conversation, good food and a few beers, Jase was pleasantly relaxed. He and Sarah were sitting together on a comfortable outdoor couch in front of the sunken fire pit. The glowing flames taking the chill out of the air and casting flickering shadows on the faces around them. Sarah was snuggled into his side, a warm blanket draped around her, c
overing her swollen belly. His arm rested casually across the back of her shoulders.
"Stop staring at him." Sarah nudged him in the ribs.
"Why?"
"He's not going anywhere. No one is trying to steal him away."
Jase frowned at her. "I know that. I can't help it."
She looked at him contemplatively. "You really like him, don't you? Are you falling in love with him Jase?" She asked softly.
Glancing back to where Kyle was good-naturedly arguing the merits of American football versus rugby with Mike, Charlie and a couple of other guests, he pondered Sarah's question. Turning back to her he replied, "Yes. I really do like him and I could fall in love with him," he admitted. A grin broke out on Sarah's face.
"I think you already are in love with him, or at least halfway there."
"You don't think it's too soon?"
"No. I don't. When you know, you know." She glanced over towards the laughing men. "I always knew Mike was the one for me."
"But you guys didn't start dating until we were at uni. You've known him since we were five. If you always knew he was the one, why did you wait fifteen years to start dating him?" He asked, confused at this new information about his two oldest friends.
"Because I needed him to realise it too and we both needed to become our own person before becoming who we are now."
"And who are you now?"
"Well, I could blame hormones and get all sappy on you and say we are the two halves of one soul," she laughed as Jase rolled his eyes at this statement. "Or I could channel my inner Stuart and say we are awesomeness personified." At Jase's bark of laughter, she nudged him again in the ribs. "Or I can tell you in all honesty that we are two people who are sure in our love for each other and we always will be."
Jase smiled at his oldest friend and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yeah, I know that, and I want that too."
"Well, from the way he watches you the same way you look at him, I think you may have found it."
"You think so?"
"It's what I do. I drink, and I know things." She deadpanned.
"Thank you, Tyrion." Jase laughed at her Game of Thrones quote. His gaze was drawn back to where Kyle stood. The other man caught his eye and sent him a sexy smile. Jase realised Sarah was right. He was halfway in love with the Texan and it wasn't going to take much more to make him be all the way in love with him.
Chapter 13
Kyle excused himself from the group he was chatting with and made his way over to where Jase and Sarah were. They both smiled up at him as he reached them. Resting his hand on the back of the chair, he leaned over and gave Jase a kiss. "Hey gorgeous," he murmured.
"Hey yourself," Sarah quipped. He grinned at his PA and leaned further over and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Oi! Keep off, mate! Can't you see she's taken?" Mike mock growled from behind him. Kyle felt Jase's hand slide up around his back and come to rest at the top of his ass. He smirked down at his boyfriend as Mike walked over to his wife, still commenting, "And I know Jase doesn’t share.”
Mike sat on the other side of Sarah and pulled her away from Jase to snuggle into him, kissing the top her head. "You okay, love?" He asked her. She nodded, eyes closing as she settled into her husband's embrace. There wasn't enough room for Kyle to sit on the couch next to Jase, so he grabbed one of the throw cushions from a nearby chair and dropped it between Jase's feet. Nudging Jase's knees apart, he glanced up when a choked cough came from the man sitting at the other end of the couch.
"Now Kyle, not sure how they do things back in Houston, but this is a family show." Mike nodded to the pillow on the ground and the way he was standing between Jase's outstretched legs. Kyle glanced down and then up at Jase's face to find his lover raising an amused eyebrow at him.
"I – I – I'm not… I'm just..." he faltered, looking to Jase for help. Of course, he got none as laughter burst out of the three occupants on the couch. Realising he was the butt of the joke, he huffed good naturedly and turned and dropped onto the cushion to sit with his back leaning against the couch. Jase leaned forward, warm hands landing on his shoulders. A butterfly-soft kiss landed on his ear as Jase whispered to him, "Don't be upset babe. We're only teasing." He rested his head back on his shoulders, looking up at the concerned face peering at him.
Grinning, he said, "I know."
A kiss landed on his forehead. "Good.” Jase lowered his voice so only Kyle could hear. "But just for the record, I'm taking another rain check and will be cashing it later tonight." Kyle's body tightened at the wave of desire washing through him at the thought of being on his knees in front of Jase. Wrapping a hand around Jase's ankle, he squeezed in acknowledgement.
The sound of a guitar being strummed broke through the low chattering voices. Kyle noticed people stopped talking and looked towards where Hemi was sitting on the other side of the fire, a battered acoustic guitar on his knee.
Jase leaned forward again and quietly said to Kyle, "You're in for a treat tonight babe."
"Is he good, then?"
"The whole Samuels family can sing and play just about any instrument they put their hands to. Get them together like this and you get a performance to rival anything you'd pay good money to see." Jase wasn't wrong. Kyle found himself enthralled as Hemi began to sing, his deep baritone soon joined by other voices from around the fire.
Kyle noticed a small commotion at the back of crowd and a reluctant looking Charlie was pushed forward into the firelight. A voice called out.
"Come on cuz. Your turn."
Charlie shook his head and tried to escape but was stopped by his sister. Lizzie grinned wickedly at him. Without any words being spoken, Charlie shook his head in a resigned manner and with a big sigh, turned to his father.
"Alright, old man. You know what to play." Charlie then looked out at the people gathered around. "Feel free to join in at any time.” The crowd cheered. Hemi began strumming the guitar. Kyle felt goose bumps race up his arms as Charlie opened his mouth and began singing in Maori. The words meant nothing to Kyle, but the emotion they were sung with took his breath away. A few lines in and the pure crystal voice of his sister joined the soaring tones. Kyle was astounded. These guys had serious talent and he could listen to the them sing for hours. All too quickly the song finished to cheers and whistles. Kyle turned to look at Jase, resting his forearm across the top of Jase's knees.
"That was amazing. What were they singing?"
"It's a traditional love song, called Pokarekare Ana. It's very popular and is associated with a love story involving a woman called Hinemoa and her forbidden lover Tūtānekai. She swam across a lake to get to an island he lived on."
"Well, it sounded beautiful. Charlie and Lizzie have great voices. Do they sing together often?"
"All three of them, Carl included, used to have a band when they were younger. They did the pub circuit for a few years, entered some talent shows, but in the end, gave it up."
"That's a shame," Kyle lamented.
"Yeah well, Charlie is actually quite shy and didn't really enjoy being in the limelight. Being in front of people singing like that is not something he’s comfortable with."
"Speaking of uncomfortable, I need to stand up," Kyle said, pushing himself to his feet. His butt was becoming sore from sitting on the hard ground.
"Here mate, take our seat. Sarah is just about asleep, so we're going to turn in." Mike shuffled the slumbering form of his wife and extricated himself from her arms. They were all staying the night, being the first people to use the new cabins that had been built over the winter. Kyle and Jase were sharing a two-bedroom unit with the other couple.
"Good night. We'll be quiet when we come in," said Jase, also getting to his feet. Kyle gave him a questioning look. "Let's go and get our bags from the car and then we'll let these guys get settled in." Jase said to him. Nodding his agreement, Kyle wished the other couple a good night and then followed Jase to the car.
As soon as they were at the
SUV, Kyle gently pushed Jase back against the door and ghosted his lips over his mouth. Jase closed the distance between them, his hand coming up to tangle in Kyle's hair. With a soft moan, Kyle let the questing tongue into his mouth and they kissed deeply and slowly. Kyle rested his hands on Jase's hips, holding him tight, losing himself in the kiss he'd been desperately wanting for hours.
"See, told you they'd be all over each other the minute they thought they were alone." Stuart's voice broke through the quiet night. The men came apart, both annoyed at the interruption, and looked over to where Stuart and Brett were walking towards them.
"Oh, don't stop on our account." Stuart waved a hand at them, grinning. "You two look good together, don't they Brett?"
Brett looked both apologetic and uncomfortable for interrupting them. "Ah, yeah, sure. Um. Come on Stuart, leave them alone. Let's just grab our bags." Kyle watched as Brett tugged on the mouthy blonde’s arm, pulling him towards their vehicles.
"You're no fun, you know that?" Stuart's voice carried back to them as Brett dragged him away. He cast one more glance over his shoulder and grinned at the couple.
Shaking his head and grinning, he turned back to Jase. "Where were we?" he said, brushing his nose along Jase's.
"I know where we were heading," Jase replied, thumb gently stroking along the stubble on his jaw. "Let's get our gear, drop it off at the cabin and then go find a quiet corner where we won't be disturbed."
"Sounds good. I really don't feel comfortable making you shout my name with Mike and Sarah in the other room," Kyle teased, his hand wandering down the front of Jase's jeans, gently squeezing, causing Jase to moan softly under his breath.
"Not here," came the breathless request.
Reluctantly, Kyle removed his hand and adjusted himself before stepping away from the temptation that was Jase. He quickly unlocked the car and they reached in and grabbed their overnight bags. Making sure the car was secure again, he took Jase's free hand in his and they walked in the direction of the guest cabins. It only took a few moments to reach the small wooden cabin where they were staying. Simple in design, it had a small deck area at the front which looked out over the ocean view. They quietly entered and dropped their bags in the unoccupied bedroom before Jase led him back outside.
