by RJ Scott
“So where are we sleeping?” The thought of sleeping in the same bed as Rowan and being drawn to him in sleep made him want to back the hell out of the door. Acting on inappropriate impulses that he couldn’t or wouldn’t carry through on, would ruin their relationship, could cause the company to implode, or worse, he might never see Rowan again.
“It’s okay. It unzips, hang on.” Rowan began rooting through the covers and pulled the pristine white quilt back until it hung off the end and then loosened the sheets at the corners revealing that the huge bed was actually two singles connected with a zipper which he tugged at.
“Uh oh,” he murmured.
“Uh oh, what?” Gideon said and crossed his arms over his chest.
Rowan sat back on his heels. “Locked,” he announced as if that made any difference.
“What? How do you lock a zipper?”
“I don’t know, but it won’t unzip.”
“Let me have a look.” Gideon crawled over the bed, getting caught in the bedclothes and cursing as he shook himself free. The zipper was there, the tab ready to pull, so he tugged it, expecting the teeth to open and for one bed to become two. Nothing happened. He tugged again, and then harder, but nothing shifted.
“Your thought bubble is pissed,” Rowan observed and drew a jagged shape in the air. “It’s all, oh no I’m stuck in a cabin and I don’t want to be here, and why is the zipper broken?”
Gideon ignored Rowan and his stupid thought bubbles. Getting a good hold of the tab he yanked hard, the tab snapped, and he went flying, backward, off the bed, and straight on the floor.
Momentarily dazed he looked up into Rowan’s face as he leaned over the side of the bed and grinned at Gideon.
“Are you okay?” he asked and then bit his lip as if he was holding back laughter. Asshole.
Gideon stood and brushed himself down, taking care not to look at Rowan, who was flat on his back staring up at the ceiling. There was something about seeing Rowan laying there, a position he’d never seen his PA in before, that unsettled Gideon. Not that he hadn’t imagined Rowan flat on his back in a bed, but that had been the first week he’d arrived at Bryant & Waites before he’d proven to be the best thing to happen to the company. Now Gideon made sure not to think about Rowan naked and waiting for him and in that way he kept himself in check.
“It’s not going to unzip,” Rowan said helpfully, and Gideon held himself back from snapping something sarcastic and on point. He was riled and didn’t like looking stupid at any time, least of all in front of Rowan, who never messed up. “So who gets the chair?”
“I’ll sleep in the goddamn chair,” Gideon announced, opened his case, pulled out his travel bag, and then locked himself in the bathroom. If he left it long enough, then he had hope that Rowan would have remade the bed and gone to sleep. Was ten minutes enough? Should he shave or have a shower so it wasn’t awkward that he was stuck in the bathroom for all this time? Fuck’s sake, I’m a grown man, what the hell am I doing?
He brushed his teeth then realized he hadn’t brought in the soft shorts he wore to bed. Hell, that was going to have to change because he’d have to add a T-shirt to that particular ensemble. It wasn’t so much that he thought he would drive Rowan wild at the sight of his bare chest or be overcome at his soft belly but what if there was some accidental brushing as they passed each other and any part of Rowan touched any part of him.
Fuse lit. Bam.
Over.
Cautiously he opened the bathroom door. The bed was remade, and the covers were turned back on one side, but there was no sign of Rowan. It was only when he was fully inside that he spotted him curled up in the armchair in the corner, a blanket pulled up around his ears and two soft pillows behind his head.
“Please take the bed,” Gideon said sounding more tired than he’d tried for.
“I’m okay in the chair.”
“You can’t sleep in the chair. Go back up to your moms’ house.”
“And walk in on whatever they’re up to? I’m already scarred enough. You’d think at their age—”
“Take. The. Bed.”
Rowan snuggled deeper, and his toes poked out from the blanket. “No, because it’s a perfectly comfortable chair.” This was clearly a lie as Rowan winced and shifted again.
“It doesn’t look like it’s the best place to sleep.”
“So why are you demanding you sleep in it?”
“I’m not demanding anything,” Gideon refuted.
“You’re always demanding stuff. Do this, Rowan, do that, Rowan.”
“Of course I do, you’re my PA—”
“Do the other, Rowan, fetch me coffee, Rowan, sleep in the chair, Rowan.”
“Wait, I never said you had to sleep in the chair—”
“Yes, you did. In your thought bubble.”
“I don’t have a freaking thought bubble,” Gideon argued.
“You do, and right now it’s a very angry and upset one, so I’m in the chair. You take the comfortable huge solid bed where you can sprawl out and sleep.” He sniffed and brought the blanket higher. “I’ll stay here, even if takes a while to sleep.”
“Don’t do me any favors—”
“It may take me some time but—”
“Jesus, Rowan, you sound like you’re making a huge sacrifice like freaking Scott of the Antarctic when he went out of the tent.”
“People get that wrong. It wasn’t Scott. It was Lawrence Oates, and he was a hero. But then he was thirty-one so maybe with his younger bones, he would have been okay in this chair.”
“Fuck,” Gideon snapped. “Why do you turn everything into a circle of nonsense.”
Rowan raised a single eyebrow then huffed. “If you weren’t so annoying I wouldn’t have to.” Then he closed his eyes, and hell, he thought he’d had the last word.
“You’re fired.”
Rowan snorted. “No, I’m not.”
“I’m ordering you to get in the bed, Rowan.”
Without opening his eyes, he shook his head again. “That’s highly inappropriate from a boss to his PA,” Rowan countered.
“For God’s sake—”
“You’re not sleeping in the chair, you’ll put your back out.”
“Rowan—”
“Gideon…” Rowan cut him off.
“You are possibly the most exasperating, frustrating, annoying—”
“Those are all the same thing,” Rowan interrupted again and opened his eyes. “Your thought bubbles are tired, so go to sleep, Gideon.”
Gideon made enough noise to wake the dead, pissed that he’d got himself riled up. No one except Rowan got him all messed up like that. Gideon took it out on his toiletry bag, his case, his shoes, all of his clothes, and deliberately took his shorts and a shirt into the bathroom to change, making noise in there as well.
I don’t have a thought bubble right now. He was lying to himself. Then he went out, climbed into the comfortable bed, switched off the light, and pulled the covers up and over him. It was cold in the cabin, even with the heat on. Rowan must be really chilly.
“Do you want another blanket?” Gideon asked even though he’d promised he wouldn’t talk anymore.
“I’m good.”
Gideon rolled over on his side, facing the door, away from Rowan, and counted backward from a hundred. He only made it to thirty-seven and then gave up. He’d listened to Rowan move, heard the rustle of his blanket, and the squeak of the chair, and it was ridiculous that two grown men couldn’t share a space as big as this bed.
“Rowan, get in the bed.”
“Gideon—”
“We’ll put pillows down the middle, we can share a damn bed.” He sat up and switched on the light, just as Rowan clambered off the chair and stretched.
And there it was. Rowan in pajama bottoms, no shirt, his chest right there, his dusky nipples, the dark hair on his chest and then hair from the top of his pants, down…and down.
He brought the pillows with him seemingly un
worried about his lack of shirt, or his stretching, or the way that Gideon got an eyeful of his PA’s groin where the soft material draped. Rowan placed the pillows in the middle under the quilt and then reached for one of Gideon’s and used it for himself before curling on his side away from Gideon, leaving only the very top of his head visible.
Gideon turned off the light and positioned himself so he was looking at the window and not Rowan. He tried to fall asleep, but Rowan had been right. Gideon did have a mess of thought bubbles.
I’m in the same bed as Rowan.
I’m hard.
And if Rowan notices, then I’m fucked.
Seven
Rowan
There was the sound of birds on the roof. Scratching, scraping, the noise of clawed feet overhead stirred Rowan awake. His head throbbed, his mouth was dry, and the taste of stale alcohol was on his tongue.
I only had two beers. Maybe rather than an alcohol-induced hangover it was the fallout from yesterday’s adrenaline rush called family. Or the fact he had shared a bed for the night with his boss.
Ah, that really happened. Didn’t it.
He hadn’t fallen asleep easily. In the otherwise silent, darkened room, it was as if Rowan’s senses had been suddenly heightened. Surrounded by the scent of home, Rowan could make out Gideon’s cologne, mixing to become something more comfortable than he had ever imagined, and it unnerved him. Every sound Gideon made crept through Rowan’s body and excited his imagination. He pictured Gideon’s slightly parted lips as he listened to Gideon’s steady breath and the occasional quiet sleepy sounds interrupting its rhythm. He remembered Gideon’s legs, imagined them sliding over the mattress as the bed dipped and the bed sheets rustled when Gideon moved.
It really wasn’t easy.
With a sigh, he opened his eyes.
Gideon. Rowan’s eyes widened, and he jerked back. Gideon’s face had been close. Too close. He studied his boss’s features. Gentle yet strong. Ah, my weakness.
He rolled onto his back, hung his leg over the side of the bed, and stared up at the ceiling. What time was it? He arched his neck and reached for his phone, pawing at it until he managed to twist it so he could grab hold properly.
The brightness of the screen in the dim room made him squint. It was a little after seven.
“Too early,” he uttered and rested his phone on his chest. Yawning, he considered what to do. He imagined his moms would already be awake. Even though there were no longer kids to rally for a school run, he imagined the dogs needed attention.
Rowan rolled his head as Gideon shifted beside him.
Is he awake?
Gideon curled up his legs, buried his chin in the barrier pillow as he mumbled in his sleep.
What was that? Luke? A name? Rowan tapped his fingers on the back of his cell phone and watched Gideon. A dream maybe? If it was, it must have been a good one. Gideon’s expression was a peaceful one.
I shouldn’t disturb him.
He couldn’t remember the last time Gideon had taken any kind of significant leave or vacation time from the company, and every morning he would be in the office ahead of Rowan, waiting.
Another yawn made Rowan’s eyes water, and he carefully sat up. “I am a ninja,” he whispered to himself. “Maybe.” The chances of him not disturbing Gideon were slim, but he took great effort to quietly move about the room, quickly washing his face, dressing, then slipping out of the cabin.
He winced as he pulled the door shut and was relieved to finally be outside. Operation Ninja had seemingly been a success.
There had been more snow overnight. “So now what?” he mumbled and turned his head, surprised to see Kevin standing outside the other cabin at the bottom of the hill.
“Morning,” Kevin shouted. He tilted his head when Rowan quickly raised his finger to his lips. “What?” he mouthed and raised his shoulders.
Rowan cut across the snowy grass. There was a satisfying crunch beneath each step. He jogged to Kevin’s side. “Hey,” he said.
“Everything okay?” Kevin furrowed his brow.
“What? Oh, yes. I left Gideon sleeping so I didn’t want your dumb loud voice waking him up after I took extra care in sneaking out.”
Kevin laughed. “Why does that sound kinda sordid?”
Rowan pouted his lips. “Seriously?”
“Just saying.” Kevin gave a smirk.
“Well, we’re not all perverts like you.” He pushed his hands into his coat pockets.
An amused expression passed over Kevin’s face. “You forgetting that time I stopped by the old house? What were you? Fifteen?”
Rowan hunched his shoulders. “Don’t remind me. That guy was a complete dick. As soon as he heard you inside the house, he jumped out the window. Just left me there.”
“What would you have done if it had been Mom or Momo or one of the other kids?”
“I would have died of embarrassment.” Or maybe have run away from home.
“I was traumatized. I have flashbacks any time I see a pair of stockings,” Kevin said and stared off to the horizon. There was a smile on his face.
Rowan pressed a hand to his forehead. “It’s not as if I like that kind of stuff. He just asked me to wear them and I thought…why not?” He huffed a breath. He’d had a hard time turning down people back then. Still did. Doing what people wanted was easier, would mean they’d stick around. Or so he had thought.
“That and bondage, huh?”
“It was his school tie. He went to that fancy private school.” Rowan folded his arms across his chest. “He never did come back for it. Anyway, I’m not much into that kind of thing either.”
Kevin shrugged. “I wouldn’t judge if that was what you were into. We all have our kinks.” He leaned his head and caught Rowan’s eye with a playful expression.
“I don’t want to know.” Rowan shuddered. “Don’t shatter my illusions.”
“Fine, fine.” Kevin chuckled. “Any plans for the day?”
“I have no idea. Maybe help out around here. Maybe. I come home so I don’t have to make plans, you know?” Here he wasn’t ruled by his desk planner. However, including Gideon in his plan-less plans was creating sparks of anxiety. “How about you? Esther’s arriving later?”
“Yeah, it’ll be evening when she gets here. And as for me, I have presents to finish wrapping. But first I have a couple of errands to run in town.” He curled down his lower lip. “The day before Christmas Eve, town is not my idea of fun.”
“Christmas Eve, huh?” Rowan leaned his head. “I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
“You’ve got my present, right?”
Rowan rolled his eyes. “Who said you were getting anything?” With a sigh, he added, “Yes, I’ve got your present.”
“Oh good. I needed new socks.”
“Shut up.” He elbowed Kevin’s side.
“Ow.” Kevin sucked on his teeth then listed names. “…Ava, Deon, the other dogs? Do you still give Darcy anything? Who else is there? Or maybe it’s something not present related? Did you forget your toothbrush? Need to go buy some new underwear? Did you turn off the stove before you left?” Kevin gripped the thumb on his other hand, wiggled it as if counting off ideas. “Something to do with work? Oh, Gideon, I didn’t say him did I, or—”
“Ah, Gideon.” He clasped his hands around Kevin’s. “I need a favor.”
I forgot. I completely forgot about Gideon’s birthday. He’d been so focused on finishing the accounts, laying the foundation for jobs after the holidays, and then Christmas and family stuff that it had slipped his mind.
Kevin quirked his eyebrow. “What kind of favor?”
“Will you pick up a few things for me while you’re in town?”
“Seriously? I was hoping I’d be done quickly. You know, in and out.”
“Please?” Rowan begged.
Kevin’s nose crinkled as he frowned. “Can’t you go yourself?”
“I would but I’d feel bad leaving Gideon here alone
.”
“He’d be fine. He could keep Ava company.”
Rowan gave Kevin a stern look.
“Good point,” Kevin said.
“I’ll pay you back. I’ll do anything?”
“Anything?” Kevin grinned.
“Anything.”
Kevin raised his other hand and flicked Rowan’s forehead. “Idiot.”
“Ow.” Rowan let go and rubbed his brow.
“So, what do you want?” Kevin put his hands together and blew into them.
“Balloons.”
“What?”
“Party hats. Streamers. Oh, a big badge with Birthday Boy on it and a card. Maybe one with cats on it.” The one I bought must have ended up somewhere out of sight, or I would have seen it when I packed. “Wonder if Mom would bake a cake? Hmm, or should we buy one?” He looked at Kevin, who was wearing a disgusted expression.
“So it’s Gideon’s birthday.” Kevin relaxed his shoulders. “Fine. You really want all that stuff?”
Rowan nodded. “Or is it too childish?” In seven years, he had never celebrated Gideon’s birthday. It was on Christmas Eve, after all, they both were usually with their respective families or doing their own thing, so Rowan had never pressed Gideon about the day when he eventually found out the date.
“You know him better than me. What do you think he’d want?”
Rowan snorted. “He’d hate everything I just listed. Probably insist it wasn’t his birthday and that the concept of celebrating is actually a myth.” He only knew about it after catching the tail end of a conversation Gideon had been having with Kaden one time.
“Right.” Kevin blinked. “So, what exactly do you want me to do?”
“Buy everything I just said and then anything else you think looks fun.”
“You realize Esther is the one who usually does this sort of thing for our two?”
“Figures,” Rowan said with a laugh.
Kevin made a strained sound. “Whatever. I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you. Oh, and can you keep it in your cabin until tomorrow?”