Love in the Clouds

by Sarah Hadley Brook

  “From RV Aviation?” Dustin’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “That’s wild.”

  “Nobody knows his number—well, Elaine, the social worker, could call RV Aviation once business opens for the day, but do you have his personal number? She wants to call as soon as possible.”

  “Of course.” Dustin pulled his phone from his pocket, and with just a couple of clicks, Rafael had Mac’s info on his phone, which he then texted to Elaine.

  Dustin steered Rafael to his room. “I don’t have anywhere to be tomorrow. We can sleep in as long as you need.”

  Sleeping in sounded wonderful at the moment, but guilt gnawed at Rafael. “What about the hangar? I know you’re running on a time crunch.”

  “You’re more important. We can go out later, or wait until Sunday.”

  And that was the moment Rafael knew he would never love anyone else. Only Dustin.

  Chapter 6

  Dustin

  When Dustin finally woke up, he found his head on Raf’s chest, holding him close. Damn it felt good. He wanted to close his eyes and snuggle into Raf’s embrace, but his bladder called the shots. Plus, the sun streaming in through the slits between the blinds told him it was afternoon. Time to get up.

  He rolled to the other side of the bed and made his way to the bedroom. When he got back, he picked up his phone from the nightstand and read the time: 1:15 P.M. He knew he should stay up, but one look at Raf, shirtless, the sheet riding low on his hips, and he climbed back into bed. If Raf wanted to sleep, he’d join him. And so what if they cuddled? Friends cuddled, right?

  He knew the answer, but ignored it and slipped under the sheet, fitting himself against Raf’s side and letting his head rest on his chest again. After being best friends for so long, it didn’t feel weird to be in bed with him. He lay his arm across Raf’s abs, his fingers absently stroking his soft skin and dark hair that traveled down his belly.

  Raf’s moan reverberated through him. Dustin froze. Fuck. What the hell was he doing? He was acting like he was in bed with a lover, that’s what he was doing. And he’d gone too far.

  “Don’t stop. That feels nice,” Raf whispered.

  His heart slammed into his throat and he tentatively started stroking again. His dick swelled and he knew there was no way Raf didn’t feel it pressed against his hip. But then Raf tightened his grip and let out a deep sigh, his whole body shifting. Dustin bit back a moan as his dick reacted to the friction. God, it felt good. He couldn’t remember a time he’d ever woken up with a man where he’d been so happy.

  Raf’s fingers played with his hair and Dustin melted like hot butter. That was one of his triggers and he wasn’t sure he’d ever told Raf that. But damn, it sent shivers through him.

  “Thank you for staying,” Raf whispered.

  “You’re welcome. But I think I should be thanking you.”

  “Why?”

  God, those fingers raked over his head and he shuddered. “Because I haven’t slept this well in a long time…well, other than the last time I was here.”

  Silence blanketed the room and Dustin kicked himself for being so honest.

  “So you’re saying you like my bed?”

  And the man in it. “Um, yeah. That must be it.” Dustin was a chicken shit and knew it. Shit, with any other man, he’d be flirting, enjoying hot morning sex, but he couldn’t even pull himself together enough to face Raf.

  But there was more to lose with Raf than anyone he’d ever been with. This was his best friend. His…everything. God, how could he have not seen it all these years? His life had revolved around Raf. He’d moved back to Rain Valley after college because Raf had gotten a teaching job at the high school. They’d hung out nearly every evening during the work week and at least one day on the weekend. He trusted Raf more than anyone else.

  The reality rolled through him like a wave. He didn’t just love Raf. He was in love with the man. And that scared the hell out of him. Love didn’t work for him—he’d tried it once before and learned the hard way. He never wanted to go through that pain again. But this was Raf. His Raf. And Dustin knew the man would never hurt him. Still, fear crawled through him, his heart pounding in his ears as he lifted his head to finally look at Raf, whose warm brown eyes crinkled as he smiled.

  “Morning, Sunshine,” Raf whispered.

  That was new. Instantly, panic receded and Dustin smiled back. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going to happen, but the way Raf look at him flooded him with warmth. He settled his head on Raf’s chest and returned to stroking his skin, while the man ran his fingers through Dustin’s hair. It became a sweet moment, but a few minutes later when their stomachs began rumbling, they dragged themselves out of bed. After some discussion, they decided to head to the airport and start working on the next project, replacing some parts on the landing gear.

  Raf made coffee for them while Dustin showered, then Raf jumped in. Dustin had to throw on yesterday’s clothes, so they planned to head to his house before going to the airport and decided to take Raf’s truck and leave Dustin’s there.

  “Sorry I don’t have much to eat around the house. I really need to get to the grocery store,” Raf said as he leaned his hip against the counter, then sipped coffee.

  “No worries. We can run through a drive-thru.”

  Neither said much on the ride to Dustin’s, and he preferred the quiet. He wasn’t ready to confront the elephant in the room just yet, wanting to focus on the plane today.

  Soon, after scarfing down burgers and fries, they sped along the highway. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept in so late. It made him feel lazy. Getting closer to thirty, he’d grown out of the whole party-all-night, sleep-all-day phase, but it had been worth it to wake up in Raf’s arms.

  “What’s the plan today?”

  “First we need to jack up the plane. Mac’s got a hydraulic jack I can rent. I texted him the other day and he said he’d have someone run it over to the hangar when I arrived.” He looked at Raf. “Shit. Mac. I wonder if he knows yet. What if he doesn’t? I mean, we can’t say anything, right?”

  “Probably not.” Raf glanced at him. “I’m sure it’s a privacy thing.”

  “So we just pretend we don’t know anything when we see him? I suck at lying.”

  “Yeah, you do,” he said and turned into the airport.

  “Hey, there’s a Skyhawk taking off.” Dustin pointed. He couldn’t wait until he would be the one taking them into the air. Only a few more weeks until the plane would be ready for inspection. And then they’d head to Oshkosh. He pulled out his phone and flipped to the AirVenture app he’d downloaded. “Okay, we have to do this when we get to Oshkosh. They’ve got a MASH helicopter—a Bell 47—that will fly people to get a birds-eye view of the whole convention.”

  “Never been on a helicopter. That sounds fun.” Raf parked the truck and they climbed out, taking their trash to the metal bin at the edge of the parking lot. “What else are we doing in Wisconsin?”

  Dustin fell alongside Raf and scrolled through the schedule—although he’d looked at it so many times he’d probably be able to state it all from memory. “There’s a presentation the first night. Says there will be different speakers who have impacted aviation. There are tethered balloon rides, a ton of workshops I’m going to have to choose between, some concerts—not anyone I recognize—and air shows every day and evening. Some of the shows are with parachute jumps, at least one is a wing-walking trick, and some are aerobatics.”

  “What’s a tethered balloon ride? Is it what it sounds like?”

  Dustin unlocked the hangar door and they pulled it up together. “It’s tied to the ground, but high enough to look out over things. It could be fun to check out. And trust me, those aerobatic shows are awesome.”

  Raf grinned. “You’re like a kid at Christmas when you talk about this trip.”

  He shrugged. “I mean, what’s not to love? Flying my own plane, camping out with you, watching air shows, seeing vintage airplanes, takin
g some workshops…it may be happening in July, but to me it is like Christmas. We might have to make this an annual tradition.”

  Raf smiled as Dustin called RV Aviation and asked about the jack. Maria told him Mac wasn’t in, but she knew about the jack and would send someone to the hangar.

  “Guess that probably means he knows,” he said after hanging up, “if Mac’s off today. Wonder what the process is? Of him getting to see his niece? God, Raf…what if he doesn’t want to take her in?”

  “I’ve thought the same thing. I don’t know enough about what the next steps are, but I can’t imagine she’d ever be sent back to her mom. So she’s going to need something more permanent than being transferred between foster families. It would be good if it worked out with Mac.”

  “He’s a good guy. I’ve gotten to know him over the last few months while taking flying lessons. He broke up with his boyfriend in January. Caught him with a friend of theirs…in a compromising position.”

  Raf frowned. “I hate cheaters.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I would never cheat.”

  Dustin froze at the intense look Raf gave him. Had he meant he would never cheat on Dustin if they dated? “You’re an honorable man. I don’t understand why some guy hasn’t snapped you up.” I would.

  “I’ve got my eye on someone.”

  That surprised Dustin, and his chest tightened, slight panic building inside. He stared at the ground and tried to think of something to say that wouldn’t make him sound sad. Because he should be happy for his best friend.

  “How was your date last night? You never said.”

  “Um, it was fun. Conner’s a nice guy.”

  Raf stepped closer. “You guys hit it off?”

  Shit. What the hell was going on? “We both knew upon meeting that we weren’t going to click. But he’s funny and we had a good time.”

  Raf’s eyebrows rose. “Why didn’t you click?”

  Because he isn’t you. He shook his head. “We just…didn’t. I have my eye on someone else, too.”

  “Then why did you agree to go out with Conner—if you’re interested in someone else?” Raf’s husky voice echoed in the hangar.

  He swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his ears. Did he dare tell him? “Because that man doesn’t see me that way. He sees me only as a friend.”

  “Then he’s a fool.”

  A cough had them turning to find a tall, lanky redhead with matching red beard standing outside the hangar, next to a golf cart. He must have been new, because Dustin hadn’t seen him before. “Where do you want me to set these?” He gestured at the jacks in the cart.

  Dustin helped the guy unload them and smiled when Raf did also.

  “Mac sent three? That will make it so much easier. Tell Mac ‘thanks.’ I’ll need them for a few days.”

  They weighed about one-hundred pounds each and stood roughly two and a half feet tall. Three silver metal tubes leaned in and met at the top, creating an open triangle with wheels at each corner. A larger red tube came through the middle, the extension that rose to lift the plane’s wings and tail. Dustin and Raf rolled them to the side of the plane.

  “Thanks again,” Dustin said, offering his hand to the guy.

  “No problem. My name’s Johnny. Let Mac know if you need me to bring out anything else.” He shook Dustin’s hand and gave him a smile.

  “Sounds good. Thanks,” Dustin said with a nod. But he couldn’t help notice how the guy’s gaze slid toward Raf. Too bad, Johnny. He’s into someone else.

  The interruption had knocked Dustin and Raf out of their weirdness and soon they worked together to set up the jacks. Dustin explained that originally he had planned to jack up one area at a time, not all three. “Trying to put the plane on wood or something like that can be dangerous. It’s safer this way. It’s also going to cut our labor time by half, at least.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Now we need to jack up the plane on both wings, then the tail.” At Raf’s confused look, Dustin pulled him under a wing and pointed out parts of the jack. Then he showed him parts on the wing.

  “This is called a spar.” He pointed under the wing. “See how it runs at right angles along the span of the wing? The wings on this plane are called highwings because they jut out from the roof. So these jacks have to extend high. Jacking up a plane has to be done carefully.”

  Once Dustin explained everything, they ensured each jack was set up properly. He’d heard horror stories of planes slipping and the jack punching holes in the metal.

  But everything worked out right and soon they raised the plane off the ground.

  “It looks like it’s flying,” Raf remarked and held up his phone. “Stand next to it and I’ll get a picture.”

  Dustin shook his head. “We’ll do a selfie with the plane instead.”

  They ended up taking several pics, their arms slung around each other.

  “Send them to me please. I’m keeping a pictorial diary of the plane’s progress.”

  “That’s cool.” Raf grabbed a root beer from the refrigerator and popped the tap. “You want a soda?”

  “I’m good.”

  “So what do I do now, Sunshine?”

  Dustin laughed. “When did I become ‘Sunshine’? That’s the second time in one day you’ve called me that.”

  His best friend blushed. Interesting. “Because it fits. You’re a ray of light to my day.”

  Heat flooded through Dustin, bringing hope along with it. He couldn’t hold back his smile. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said about me.”

  Raf’s eyes connected with his, chocolate brown orbs nearly hidden by large black pupils. He licked his lips as his gaze traveled down Dustin’s body, checking him out, just like he’d done last night upon arriving home to find him on the couch.

  Raf moved closer. “I mean it. You light up everything in my life, Dusty.”

  A shiver ran through him at the soft, sensual way Raf said his nickname.

  “So, ready to get to work?” Yeah, he was a coward. He knew it. He was just so damn confused.

  They put on some music and Dustin gave Raf a quick lesson in landing gear maintenance. “This is all new to me, too, so we’ll figure it out together.”

  “Don’t you think an aviation mechanic should be doing this?” Raf looked warily at the wheel as they crouched under the belly of the plane.

  “Oh, trust me, Mac will look it over. Remember, this plane has to pass inspection before we can ever take it up.”

  They spent the rest of the day changing the brake discs and axles, and replacing most of the nuts and bolts. Dustin had ordered new wheels, too.

  He and Raf made a good team. They worked hard and still had fun. Neither brought up anything about the weirdness between them earlier, but Dustin was aware of Raf’s every move.

  Once in a while, a warm breeze passed through the hangar door, cooling his heated skin. It wasn’t particularly hot outside, but they were working hard, crouching under the belly of the plane. From time to time, he got a whiff of Raf’s scent—musky, a bit of clean sweat, and something that had always just been Raf. Something he’d never smelled on anyone else. It had always enticed Dustin, but now it drove him crazy. And his body reacted like a horny teenager. He’d never been hard so often in one day. Well, not since college, at least.

  They’d ordered in a pizza, and by the time they got to a stopping point, a nearly full moon had replaced the sun.

  Both men stood and stretched and Dustin felt a deep satisfaction at having completed some of the repairs. Next thing, to tackle the wing flaps.

  “Thanks, Raf. There’s no way I could have finished that today without your help.”

  Raf clapped his shoulder as they closed up the hangar. “I’m having fun. And I’m off work until August, so what better way to spend my summer?”

  “Well, I promise—all the hard work will pay off when we fly to Wisconsin.”

  They climbed into Raf’s truck. “Wha
t do I pack for an airplane convention?”

  Dustin laughed. “Comfortable clothes. Shorts, T-shirts. But it could get cooler, so jacket and jeans, too. And of course, everything we need to camp out. I ordered a tent online from Walmart. It’s not huge, but it will work for the two of us.”

  “We need to test it out—set it up before we go. Make sure all the pieces are there and work. Also, I need to get a sleeping bag.”

  “Me, too.”

  “How about I get those since you got the tent?”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah. Let me. And would we have room to pack inflatable mattresses?”

  “Sure.”

  “Good, I might get those, too.”

  The drive home flew by as exhaustion from the previous night and all today’s work caught up with them. Raf pulled into the drive at his townhouse and started to turn off the engine, but Dustin stopped him.

  “You parked behind me.”

  “Crap.” His friend shifted in his seat, as if nervous. “It’s late. Um, you wanna just stay again? I can move the truck in the morning.”

  Dustin’s heart raced. Fuck, yes, he wanted to stay the night. “Sure. I’m bushed anyway.”

  Soon, Dustin followed Raf into the house.

  “You want me to take the sofa?” He hoped he sounded nonchalant, but didn’t think he pulled it off.

  Raf practically glared at him before his expression softened and he rolled his eyes. “Come on, Sunshine. Let’s go to bed.”

  And that’s exactly what they did. But this time, when Raf slid in next to Dustin, he turned onto his side so they faced each other, and he opened his arms.

  Dustin moved closer, letting Raf wrap him in his arms and tucking his head under the man’s chin. He felt warm and safe and too tired to analyze the situation. The sound of Raf’s breathing combined with the feel of his heart beating lulled Dustin to sleep in minutes.

  Chapter 7

  Rafael

  Waking up with Dustin in his arms was becoming a habit. One that he wanted to do every day for the rest of this life. While Rafael hadn’t told Dustin how he felt, something was slowly changing between them.