Accidentally Yours: A Friends-to-Lovers Gay Romance (Superbia Springs Book 3)

by Rachel Kane

  Sometimes you have to give in. Sometimes you have to stop fighting the people who want to help you. Alex had always fought off any help, and yet found himself with no resistance when it came to manipulators like Ian. If there were ever a time to change that, it was now.

  "I'm going to pay you rent," he said. "For the room, and for the store."

  Judah shook his head. "Alex—"

  "No. That's the ground-rule. I won't be dependent on anyone. I always pay my own way. And in return, I guess I could stay at your luxurious mansion on that impossibly comfortable bed with the big pillows. I suppose."

  At that, Judah smirked. "Always self-reliant, right to the end."

  "Always fixing my problems, right to the end."

  Noah said, "Is it about to get gross in here? Because I don't know if I can stand watching Judah kiss someone."

  "Shut up," said Liam in a friendly hiss, jabbing his elbow into Noah's ribs.

  "Now, if you'll excuse us," said Judah, "I have one more thing to discuss with Alex. Alone. In private."

  "Did he say discuss or blow?" asked Noah. Liam and Mason practically shoved him out the door, laughing. "I'm going, I'm going!"

  Liam started to shut the door, then paused, looking back at his brother. "You did a good thing," he said.

  Judah blinked. "I'm not fixing things too much?"

  "There's a difference between meddling and showing some leadership. I like this side of you. It's new."

  Alex delighted in how uncomfortable Judah looked right now, how the blush crept up from his throat to his forehead.

  "Thanks, Liam."

  "Talk to me tomorrow about the lions. Let's see how we can get them out of their cave, and up into the light."

  Judah looked from his brother to Alex in amazement. "Really?"

  "Like Alex pointed out, they're an important historical artifact for the resort. We need them. And they’ll piss off the Mulgrews. Anyway. We'll do the cleaning up out here. You take care of Alex."

  "Trust me," said Judah, "I will."

  When they were alone, Judah turned back to him, resuming his place on his knees next to the chair.

  "Well, well," said Alex. "Look at you, bossing people around."

  "It's fun. I like it."

  "Now I'm going to give you an order."

  "Go for it. I'll do anything."

  "You're going to get me out of here, because I want you very, very badly, but I'm not going to make out with you in this uncomfortable little office. You're going to take me to my new bed in this fancy mansion of yours."

  "Done and done."

  "But first, you're going to give me a pill. They take about an hour to kick in, so that gives us a bit of a time limit to get there, get our clothes off..."

  Judah laughed. "I'll run every red light."

  36

  Judah

  “You make me feel so light when you do this,” said Alex.

  Judah shifted the man in his arms. “A few more weeks of Chef Xander’s cooking and I won’t be able to pick you up anymore, so enjoy it while you can.”

  The clock had started. Alex had taken his narcotic, and now Judah had to get him home and strip him down and do terrible things to him, before the meds kicked in.

  The adrenaline of the night still had not died down. He had never felt so energized. It was all he could do to get Alex home, instead of just taking him there in the tiny office. Or perhaps outside, here on the gravel. That would be uncomfortable.

  “You don’t have to rush quite this much. Don’t drop me,” laughed Alex.

  “Yeah, if I feel like that pill has gotten into your system, I’m not touching you. That’d be a little creepy.”

  “Ooh, what a dilemma,” said Alex, his arms tight around Judah’s neck. He lifted himself up and kissed his cheek. “It’d be terrible if you were to ravish me while I’m unconscious.”

  “You’ve underestimated just how vanilla I am,” Judah laughed. “No dubious consent for me. Let’s get you into the car.”

  They had gone out the back exit to avoid people, but neither of them could avoid hearing the raised voices from the front of the store.

  “Sounds like trouble,” Alex said.

  “We should ignore it,” Judah advised.

  “I know, but…”

  It was clear they both felt the urgency of the moment, the need to get to a place where they were totally alone, where they could celebrate the night’s victory on each other’s body, but a tinge of worry darkened the edge of Judah’s vision. “We’ll just peek,” he said. “Can you walk at all?”

  “Can I lean on you?”

  “Like you even have to ask.”

  They emerged from the back of the building to find a confrontation going on near the white van.

  “But darlings, I don’t understand,” said Ian. “Why are you looking at me with such threatening eyes? Have I not saved our dear Alex? Did you see how many sales he made tonight?”

  There was Bastian, standing slightly apart. Not standing by his man…but not quite abandoning him either.

  Judah wondered what kind of hold Ian had on Bastian, to make him stay, even knowing what kind of crazy manipulation he’d done. Was it emotional blackmail of some kind, that kept Bastian from walking away from all this?

  “We’ll collect your things and take them to your car,” Mason was saying, “but you will not step foot back in Superbia Springs.”

  “You’re such a giant of a man, I can’t imagine what harm you think I would do! Oh, Alex, there you are! Tell them dear, tell them how I’m saving you from all this!”

  Judah loved the way Alex’s face hardened. There was something thrilling about his anger. It made Judah want to go down on him right here, on the sidewalk, just to take part in that furious energy burning off of him.

  “Saved me? Saved me?” Alex stepped forward.

  Finally, as though he had come to a decision, Bastian turned to Ian, his arms crossed in a gesture of separation, of distance. “I told them everything. The boy, the book, that wretched woman Violet.”

  “But Bastian darling, how could you? Alex, you’ve misunderstood! I was doing it to help you, dear, I was doing it to pry you out of this horrible little town with its small-minded people!”

  “You were doing it because for some reason, you’ve always wanted to control me. But you can’t do that anymore, Ian. We broke up, remember? You’re out of my life.”

  “But your store—”

  “We’ve handled that,” said Judah. “He doesn’t need your help. He never did.”

  Now Ian’s face soured, and it was a remarkable change. All the goodwill that had creased his features was gone, leaving behind something strangely flat, lifeless and cold.

  “Doesn’t need my help? He’s helpless. This broken leg is just the latest. Oh, I see now, yes, the way you two are holding hands. He’s found a new helper. Very well. But you should know that Alex is careless with other people’s hearts, careless of the way his infinite problems make them feel. Did you tell this young man about the nights of desperation and tears, Alex? The nights I had to help you to simply stay alive through your depression and anxiety? Did you tell him just how much saving you require?”

  Judah didn’t know what he was talking about, but Alex clearly did.

  “You bastard. You caused that depression. You boxed me in, you kept me from doing anything for myself. As long as I could be the damaged little victim, I was perfect for you, because I couldn’t make it without you. But I think I’ve proved otherwise. Back here in Superbia, I can make it just fine. There are people who care about me here. People who love me, who aren’t just using me because they’ve got some fucking savior complex.”

  “You can make it here? You’ve lost your business! Your home! Everything!”

  “Because of you!”

  “Oh, you know how unpleasant the Mulgrew woman is, she would’ve snapped soon enough, even if I hadn’t gotten to her.”

  “Speak of the fucking devil,” whispered Judah i
n horror, seeing who was emerging from the darkness into the light of the streetlights.

  This time, she wasn't alone. Her son, Justin F. Mulgrew, was by her side, studying the crowd with curiosity. There was Mr. Edwards, the town's attorney, who looked bothered to be here. And the sheriff?

  Things are about to get weird.

  "I want these men arrested. All of them! For theft!" Violet's voice was high and tight. "I want Alex Roth forcibly evicted tonight! Pile those books in the street, burn them if you have to, but he will be out of my building right now!"

  "Boys, maybe you can explain what she's talking about?" asked Mr. Edwards. The old lawyer had been the one who first brought Liam to town, first showed him Superbia Springs, and his unhappiness was obvious. "I was just settling down with Mrs. Edwards to watch a movie. Now she's going to watch it without me, so I need an explanation."

  "I gave you the explanation!" shouted Violet. "These, these queers have infested our town like rats, and I told everyone all along that if you allow one sin, you allow all of them, and sure enough, it turns out they've stolen valuable property from Mulgrew Mansions, hiding it away! And that one there, Alex Roth, he's culpable too, he's part of the scheme, and he has been selling filth to children. And those two tall ones from out of town, they're the only ones who have helped bring it all to light. Thank you Mr. Grant, for telling me the truth of what was going on in my own town, I never would have realized!"

  "Now, I don't know anything about any theft," said the sheriff, "but Mrs. Mulgrew, you can't use language like that."

  "Language? Language? I'll give you some language!"

  Then Violet launched into the most obscenity-laden tirade Judah had ever heard. He literally stepped back from the force and virulence of it, his eyes wide, putting a hand out as though to shield Alex from the words. Never in his life had he seen such a proper person as this—someone who always dressed like she was about to go to church—use so many four letter words. Mr. Edwards was blushing, the sheriff was stunned, and Mason was cracking a smile, trying not to laugh.

  "—bending each other over with their gay donkey-dicks—"

  "Um, Mrs. Mulgrew," the sheriff said to try to staunch the flow of curses.

  "—gulping down gallons of Satan's filthy jizz—"

  "Mother!" said Justin F. Mulgrew. "You don't even know that word!"

  "—dancing through the streets in ballroom gowns like a bunch of hairy debutantes—"

  "Is she talking about Pride or prom?" Mason asked.

  "—I hate all of 'em! All! All they ever think about is writhing around naked in a huge pile, thrusting and moaning, putting their...their pricks into any available hole, pouring their semen into one another—"

  "I mean she does have a point with that one," said Noah, and Liam jabbed him in the ribs again.

  It was clear that something had finally snapped in Violet's head, and that the president of the Superbia Beautification League had lost her grip tonight. The sheriff began to try to lead her away.

  "Wait," said Judah, his voice louder than he expected, more commanding, echoing off the brick front of the bookstore.

  A silence fell over the crowd. Even Violet's tongue was finally stilled.

  “I've had it. We've all had it. We have tried again and again to make peace with this woman. When she stood in the way of Liam and Mason getting together, we worked it out. When she stood in the way of Superbia Springs opening, we worked it out. No more. You all heard her tonight. That was libel."

  "Slander, technically," said Mr. Edwards.

  "Against Alex's business, the bookstore, but also against Superbia Springs, LLC. And us, as people. We can't keep doing this. We can't live in fear that every time Violet gets angry, she's going to strike out against us. Look at all these people who heard what she said. This has to stop. For good."

  "What are you suggesting?" asked Alex, weakly.

  "Hell, I'm not a lawyer. Lawsuit? Restraining order keeping her from coming near any of us, or from spouting that homophobic crap anywhere in town? But I'm going to find out. Whether it's through Mr. Edwards, or through Dalton's lawyers, I'm going to put a stop to this once and for all. She has hurt too many people in my family, too many people that I love."

  "Including me?" asked Alex. "Am I the one you love?"

  Judah grinned, despite his righteous fury. "Yes. Including you."

  "I like it when you fix things. Especially when you do it angrily."

  "I'll be in touch in the morning," said Mr. Edwards. "We can talk about options. Sheriff, for the time being, I think it would be best if you escorted Mrs. Mulgrew home."

  "But the lions!" choked Violet.

  Judah shook his head. "The lions are ours."

  He turned his back on her incoherent sputtering, and put his arm around Alex. "Holding up okay?"

  "Better get me home quick."

  "Anything else you want to say to Ian?"

  They both turned their heads, and saw, off in the distance, Bastian yelling at Ian.

  "No, no, I think it's covered now."

  "Whew," said Liam, wiping his brow. "What a night. Let's get the rest of this stuff packed up. Another big day tomorrow, we've got that tour group coming in—"

  "I'm calling in a sick day," said Judah.

  Liam looked from Judah to Alex, and smiled. "You do that. Take a day. You deserve it."

  "You were so brave," said Alex in the passenger seat of the car. "I never would've stood up to Violet like that."

  "You did stand up to her like that. That's why she evicted you."

  "Oh...yeah. I guess we both did, didn't we? We're very brave. And noble. And good. You meant what you said, right? About me being one of the ones you love?"

  Judah laughed. "Don't tell me you're feeling insecure already. Of course I love you. And I promise, the next major problem we have, I'll do the listening and you can do the fixing, okay?"

  "I don't know, I could get used to you fixing things for me. Especially if you get all riled up like that. Maybe you should be a lawyer. Fighting for justice, instead of...whatever it is you do at the resort."

  "Fighting bugs in the software, mostly. And delivering towels."

  "Brave towels."

  Judah raced to Superbia Springs. Again he had that sense of an overdose of adrenaline, and he knew exactly how he wanted to use it, getting Alex very naked and very lubed in the brief time they had tonight. It was like his nerves were all turned up to 11, like he’d had one too many energy drinks, except in a positive way, a way that left him excited and hopeful for the first time in a long, long time. Things were really going to work out now.

  Things could be amazing.

  This was what every dungeon-crawler wanted most, that after the final battle with the evil wizard or giant dragon, he’d get the gold he came for. All the treasure was his.

  He pulled up to the parking area of the mansion and put the car in park. “Whew,” he said, “we made it. I wonder how much time we have before—”

  Alex’s light snore caught his attention. He looked over.

  His boyfriend was sleeping peacefully in the passenger seat, a look of happy contentment on his face.

  37

  Alex and Judah

  "I thought I'd find you out here," said Judah, stepping down from the porch to the secluded patch of garden where Alex was stretched out on a long bench, book in his lap, sunglasses on. He set a glass of lemonade next to Alex, and settled down onto the grass.

  "I had to get some sun," said Alex. "Look at this leg. It's so pale and sad."

  Judah had, of course, already seen the leg, had been there when they'd sawn off the cast—itself a bit of a terrifying ordeal, he hadn't realized they used an actual electrical saw for the process—and had watched as the ankle had emerged, fresh and new and unbroken, but definitely not matching Alex's other one. "I'm glad you're taking care of that," he said. "It was starting to creep me out."

  "Was it? Because you didn't seem to notice last night, when it was wrapped around y
ou."

  Judah lifted his lemonade. "I had to turn the light off so I wouldn't see it."

  They both laughed, and Alex settled back into his chair. This patch of the garden was family-only, the one place outside where they wouldn't have to worry about the guests asking for things. It's where Roo played with her outdoor toys, and where, on these long summer nights, they'd often all come out as a group—Liam and Mason, Noah and Dalton, and now Judah and Alex—to relax, watching fireflies dance in the gathering darkness.

  But now it was midday, and it felt gloriously like playing hooky from school.

  "What are you even doing out here?" asked Alex. "Doesn't Liam need you to schlep some towels upstairs?"

  "Actually, there's something else happening today." He hoped he'd put enough meaning into his voice.

  Alex lowered his sunglasses. "Really? Seriously? Finally?"

  "Mason's got it all set up."

  "Can I be there for it?"

  "That's why I'm telling you! They're doing it this evening after dinner service."

  "Ah, that makes sense. I wonder what I'll do until then?" Alex asked, trailing a lazy circle over Judah's thigh with his finger. "Nothing but a long, long afternoon, with nothing much to do..."

  "Nothing to do, because you conned Bray into manning the book shop for you. I saw him talking to that Tim kid just now about some novel or another.”

  “You can’t keep a boy like Tim away from the Problematic Faves," Alex said. “Besides, if Bray wants to help a poor hobbling bookseller in his spare time—"

  "Hobbling! You're walking just fine!"

  Alex threw his hand to his forehead and gasped melodramatically. "My leg could break again at any moment, and then whatever would I do?"

  "I guess I'd have to take care of you all over again."

  Alex leaned closer and growled into Judah's ear, "I wish you'd take care of me."

  There was something about his voice that always set Judah off. That low throaty purr instantly set him tingling, making him stop whatever he was doing, whatever he was thinking, and setting his mind on one thing and one thing only.