Spring Forward (Superbia Springs Book 1)

by Rachel Kane

  “Mmm, god, I love it when you do that,” Mason said. He turned his back, and let Liam begin scrubbing his shoulders, those broad shoulders that Liam had spent so much time holding on to, kissing, pressing his face against.

  Damn it, this was supposed to be innocent, Liam thought, because he felt so sweetly towards Mason while he was washing him, but that also meant Mason had to be naked and wet, and that brought other ideas to the fore. And even if Liam wanted to simply bathe his man, his cock began to have other ideas, stiffening until it crossed the space between them, nudging against Mason’s muscular ass.

  “I feel that,” Mason chuckled.

  “Want to feel it more?”

  “Oh really? You’ve changed your mind, want to be a top?”

  His cock-head found itself between Mason’s cheeks. “You know I’m pretty flexible,” said Liam.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen how flexible you are.”

  This was easier when Liam had all his clothes on, at least then he could temper his lust a little bit, but lust is another form of connection, another way to be close, and his body cried out for it, especially when Mason was so slick before him, the suds running down the deep ridges of his back, a bubbly white river slipping over the curve of his ass. He could not help himself, and Mason wasn’t about to put up a fight. No, what he put up was a hand, steadying himself against the sky-blue tiles, pushing his ass towards Liam, like an offering to be greedily accepted.

  “I’m worried,” Liam confessed, one hand on Mason’s left hip, the other hand guiding himself towards Mason’s ass.

  “About today? Dude, they’re going to be—oh! Oh my god—” Mason gasped and groaned, sliding backwards, allowing Liam all the way inside, before catching his breath. “Fine, they’re going to be fine.”

  Any other time, they might have talked more about it, and Liam might have detailed his fears, all the ways today could go wrong, and Mason would listen in that kind way he had, offering little murmurs of support here and there, before taking Liam in his arms and promising everything would be all right, but that was any other time. Now was not that time. Because the other thing Mason did to him was to set him aflame like this, so that every thought was replaced by this aching need that could only be fulfilled one way.

  And in this case, that way was warm and wet, spray from the shower dancing off their skin like rain, Mason’s sounds soft as he accepted Liam’s love, and Liam himself almost silent except for a high noise in the back of his throat, a whimper as the tight clench that held him tightened even more. They sped and they slowed, they undulated, the whole world seemed to stop as Liam clutched Mason with both hands, holding himself tight against his lover as their climax gripped them both.

  The meeting took place at the Red Cat, because there wasn’t quite enough room for everyone in the little apartment Mason and Liam shared, and while it would’ve been fitting for them to meet at Superbia Springs, the house was hard for Mason’s dad to get into with his cane and his hobbling. So the Red Cat it was—out in the open, where everyone could see, because that’s how they lived now.

  “Look at y’all, all together like that!” said Renee, pouring out coffee. “Somebody ought to take a picture, the Coopers and the Tisdales!”

  “He dragged us down here with promises of big news,” said Noah, his eyes twinkling with curiosity.

  Judah shook his head. “He told you it was big news? He told me he had an important question.”

  “Would you boys be quiet and let them talk?” said Mama.

  Mason’s dad shook his head. “My boy wouldn’t say a word to me, just told me I better be here today. Good to see y’all again.” Mama Cooper reached over and patted his hand in response.

  “It really is both,” said Liam, still feeling hesitant. “That is, it’s a question, it’s news, it’s… It’s a lot.”

  Mama met his eyes. She had taken a while to really understand the story he’d told her about Dad. At first there had been tears, then anger, then… Then interest. This whole side of her husband that had been kept from her. They’d loved one another, and it had been an honest love, even with the secrets. And she had become so curious about the boy her husband had been, the boy who had found himself cut off from family and home. She and Thaddeus had begun sending letters to each other, Thaddeus refusing anything so modern as a computer, and instead hand-writing letters on thick, creamy paper, with a purple ink that reminded Liam of wine. So many stories, she’d said to Liam, setting down one of those letters. It makes your father come alive again, in my heart.

  Now this. Something more. Something new.

  “Do you want to—” Liam began.

  “No, no, it’s yours, you tell it.”

  “I mean, you’re involved—”

  Mason laughed. “Stop being scared of what they’ll say. Just tell them.”

  So Liam turned to his family. “I’m keeping the house. I’m keeping Superbia Springs.”

  The reactions were just as varied as he’d thought.

  Mason’s dad: “Boys, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but the amount of work that old place would take—”

  Liam’s mom, with a big smile: “I knew you’d do it. Your father would be proud.”

  Noah: “Are you kidding me? You’re giving up all the money you’d make…to live…here?”

  But it was Judah who got right to the point. “When you say keep it, do you mean renovating it? With the Mulgrews breathing down your neck?”

  “Goddamn Mulgrews!” growled Mason’s dad, then he blushed and nodded at Mama and Roo. “Sorry, ma’am. Sorry li’l miss. But that boy’s right, Mason. You know the place is a wreck, and you know Violet Mulgrew isn’t gonna give an inch. She’s already threatened Alex and Toby—”

  “Yeah, so about that,” said Mason, leaning over the table and lowering his voice. “I wouldn’t worry too much about the Mulgrews. We had a little talk with Justin.”

  That was one way of putting it. They’d cornered him the other night at Toady’s.

  Well hello, gentlemen, why are you interrupting my little G&T?

  They’d laid it out clearly. There was to be no interference in any part of their lives. Not their romantic life, now that Mason had started introducing Liam around town as his boyfriend, and not the part of their lives that involved the house.

  Justin had smirked at that. My mother’s going to ruin you. You know that, don’t you? I’m not threatening you. I certainly don’t care one way or the other. But she’s not going to stop until you’re pounded into the dust.

  Except that there was clear evidence that the spring had been tampered with. Tampering which had cost the Coopers much of their fortune. Tampering which could be the basis of a lawsuit.

  You wouldn’t.

  Maybe not, but it’d be interesting to try, wouldn’t it? With Justin’s dear uncle Thaddeus in the witness stand? Who knew what other secrets he might reveal?

  Justin had blanched at that, paled in a very satisfactory way. I’ll tell Mother to back off. Looking over at Mason, he added, back off of your friends, too.

  One day, Mason said, you should really come out of the closet yourself. That made Justin squirm, had him looking over their shoulders to see if anyone else had heard.

  Keep it down.

  It was his decision. But Liam and Mason were through having their own lives controlled by secrets.

  “But,” said Judah, once this story was told, “Liam, I love you, I think you’re smart and all…but how are you going to live in that big old house, all by yourself? How are you going to renovate it?”

  “First, I’m not living in it all by myself,” Liam said, reaching over and taking Mason’s hand. “This one here is coming with me. And we’re going after that historical preservation grant we told you about…we should hear about that in a couple months. But that’s not the big part. That’s not…the really big part.”

  Mason beamed. “We can get the spring going again. I can’t do it myself. Believe me, I’ve checked. I’ve thought
about everything from the backhoe, to dynamite, to just getting a couple of shovels and spending a year digging. No, we’re going to need professional help with that, but it can be done. Superbia Springs can flow again.”

  “And then…” Liam found he was gripping the edge of the table with excitement. “…god, I don’t even know how to tell you. We want to open the house up. We want to make it a resort again. Put Superbia Springs back on the map.”

  “You’re kidding,” said Noah.

  “Not at all. The place is beautiful, you know that. It’s retro, it’s vintage, it’s cool. We’re going to restore it so it’s just like visiting during Prohibition again. We’re going to get the secret bar in the basement set back up, we’re going to get the spring-house looking as luxurious as it once did. We’re bringing it all back.”

  Judah’s eyes widened. “That’s so much work. And you’ve got Roo to take care of. And your job. And the coordination, the business side of it—”

  “Well, right,” said Liam. “We can’t do it alone. That’s where the question comes in.”

  “Oh, my,” said Mama.

  “Wait, what are you saying?” asked Noah.

  “I’m saying, I want you here. All of you. Look, my entire life, I’ve felt like I’ve only had half a family. You know how it was with Dad, he was like a shadow of himself. Roo is going to grow up different than that. She’s going to have love from all sides. But how much better would it be, if you were right here? What if we were just all together? I don’t want to leave you up in the city while I’m down here, and I’m sure not leaving Mason to go back to the city. So…I guess what I’m proposing is…move down here? All of you? And take part in my crazy dream?”

  Quiet stretched over the table, a thoughtful silence punctuated by those minute shifts and movements, Mama raising her cup then setting it back down before she’d taken a drink. Judah with his mouth open, as though he’d been caught mid-word. Noah shaking his head, and yet he hadn’t lost that sparkle in his eyes.

  “You’re going to need someone who knows what the hell he’s doing,” muttered Mason’s dad. “I may not be able to climb up on roofs anymore, but I know those old houses. I know what makes ‘em tick. So I can pitch in what I know.”

  “I’m not going to be separated from my grandbaby, in any case,” said Mama. “And there’s still so much more to learn about Rodney here… Yes. I’ll stay.”

  Liam’s heart was already swelling, when he turned to his brother and best friend. “Well?”

  “Someone has to be in charge of your computer systems, your filing,” said Judah. “You need someone very detail-oriented for that side of things. God knows you don’t know how to handle all that, so I guess I’m in.”

  “You’re all crazy!” said Noah. “This is the worst idea ever! Have you seen the men in this town? I mean, no offense, Mason, you’re very cute, and your friends Alex and Toby have their charms as well, but… But…”

  Liam stared at him.

  “But…maybe,” Noah continued, “a gay-friendly hot springs resort would be a way to get new blood into the neighborhood? Cute guys here for a little rest and relaxation? You definitely need someone in charge of social media and outreach, who’ll make sure the right kinds of guys find their way here.”

  “Okay, but you can’t use the house as your own personal dating service,” said Liam.

  “We’ll see about that! Oh hell, I guess I’m agreeing too!”

  “My lord!” said Renee, returning to the table with the coffee pot. “I don’t know what everybody’s so happy about, but I hope it’s some good news!”

  “It is,” said Liam, lifting Roo into his lap and hugging her tight, until the baby laughed and laughed. “It’s the best news I’ve had in a long, long time.”

  They’ve replaced the construction lights with lanterns. Those blinding-white LEDs are great for being able to see everything, but they give the spring-house a bleached, clinical appearance that is totally the opposite of what they want tonight. The lanterns, on the other hand, turn everything a bit sepia, a bit historical, and the flickering makes the mosaics seem to come to life; if you’re not looking directly at the mermaids’ hair, you might think it was waving, gently billowing and rippling beneath the waves.

  The tub, they have realized, is big enough for four, so there is plenty of room for the two of them. The bronze is cold, though, so amazingly cold, and so they have to wait until the spring-water has done its work, warming the metal, filling the room with the cleanest steam either of them have ever breathed. The old pipes are still in use; replacing them is somewhere down the road, in that bright future where all the other big restoration work will get done, but the spring itself is eagerly supplying water, and aside from a few areas where Mason has had to do some welding, the pipes have held up.

  The tub is nearly full, and Liam’s fingers trace its edge. “Who wants to go first?

  Mason grins. “After the day I’ve had up in the attic, I need some heat on my shoulders. I’ll jump in.”

  Liam can’t help but watch. Even now, watching Mason disrobe is a marvel. Peeling back layers of cloth, revealing the hard muscle underneath, the little scars from accidents, it fascinates Liam. He has touched every one of those scars, heard all their histories, at least, the ones Mason can remember. The tiny pale crescent on his temple where the edge of a 2x4 swung around a little too low (I’m surprised I remember that one, I was kinda woozy after that), the line across his forearm from a stray jagged corner of siding, the little burn on his thigh. Sometimes Liam thought of Mason as some kind of superhero, absolutely indestructible. (None of them were that bad, Mason insisted, it’s just the cost of doing business with construction materials.)

  There is much, much more to Mason than scars. There’s the way, when he stands back up after lowering his jeans to the ground, that his thighs curve, their muscular arc reminding Liam of one of those streamlined cars from a century ago. The way, when he pushes his hair back, he looks so innocent, regarding the tub with just a little hint of fear. The way his mouth makes an o when he first puts his toes in. “Hoo boy,” he says.

  “Hot?”

  “So, so hot. Let me just…ease…ooh…ease in…oh god, oh my god…”

  Liam has been thinking about this moment for a long time, their first visit to the spring-house once they had it going again, being the first bathers in fifty, sixty years. Some of those thoughts had been lustful, but a surprising number of them were more reverential. He had loved this room since first laying eyes on it…and for nearly the same amount of time, he had loved Mason. The two loves went hand-in-hand. So this seemed right, watching Mason sink into the water, with a wince, then a shudder, then a total relaxation of every muscle, and a long-breathed ahhhhh.

  “I will never, ever get out of here,” Mason says, eyes closed, head back against the rim of the tub. He opens one eye, peeks at Liam. “Your turn. Get out of those clothes.”

  Never has an order been more welcome. For Liam’s part, he has been working on those parts of the house that only needed sprucing up…but that meant endless sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, floor-polishing. His arms are exhausted from working his way up the banisters of the staircase in the front hall, getting half a century’s dust out of every crevice. His clothes are a mess, and they cling to him, putting up a fight as he tries to pull them away from his skin.

  “Need a little help there?”

  “Nah, I’ve got it.” Normally the answer would have been yes, help me, because being undressed by Mason had been a prelude to so many wonderful nights. But tonight Liam doesn’t want Mason to leave the hot water, even for a moment. He wants his lover there, submerged in the bath, skin turning pink, steam rising. Finally the last layer makes its way off Liam, and he too touches the water with a hesitant toe.

  “Oh god,” he says, “how did people stand it?”

  But even as he says it, his skin gets used to the warmth, and the heat calls him, beckoning him in. Trust me, the water seems to say, I have been hea
ling people far longer than you have been alive.

  There are many ways to heal.

  That’s what Liam has learned in all these weeks with Mason.

  There is the safe way, the way that protects one from future harm. Turning pain into scar tissue, building a protective carapace to keep the world out. Liam’s hard shell was made of practicality and responsibility, avoiding all grief and pain in the name of helping others, but more truthfully, to avoid helping himself. Mason knew that way too. There were still moments where he would lapse into being the strong, silent type, where Liam knew he was trying to avoid pain. Maybe some small disagreement, where Mason didn’t want things to build to an argument. We’re not doing secrets, remember? Liam would tell him that, and Mason’s smile would break out like sunrise over the hills, and he’d shake his head. You’re right, you’re right. And they would talk.

  Shedding secrets is a dangerous way to heal. Secrets are there for a reason, protecting us from what we don’t want to know. They both worried a little, on those long, long talks late at night, when Roo was finally down for the evening, and the house was quiet around them, worried that they might come upon an area they wished would stay secret. (Mason, for example, found that he was jealous of stories about Richard. Jealous! It was ridiculous, he told himself…but it wasn’t until he was honest about the feeling, and stopped keeping it inside, that the jealousy evaporated, and he realized that it was okay for Liam to have had a part of his life that Mason had no claim to. After all, was Liam jealous of Mason’s time long ago with Justin? Jealous, no, but I do question your taste in men, he’d said.)

  That’s what love does, though. It protects you, even after you open up, after you reveal all the secrets. Not by building a little shield around you so you can’t be touched, but by making that touch positive, by making it healing unto itself. Neither man had believed they could get closer than they already felt, but every one of those conversations somehow drew them closer and closer, as these as-yet unperceived distances were crossed by their love.