by K. C. Wells
“So basically, you’re telling me to expect a lot of posing for pictures. Will I get the chance to meet with agents and publishers too?” That was, after all, the reason for going. If his acting career wasn’t going to pan out, then maybe Jase should make the most of his career as a cover model. At least that helped pay the bills.
“Sure. Just make the appointments. You’ll find all the info on the con website.”
Jase sank back in his seat. “Thanks. I feel a whole lot better about going now I have an idea what to expect. Except… it seems like I’ll be spending the entire week in the hotel. I’ve never been to Las Vegas. I wanted to see some of it.” He’d seen bits of Vegas on TV and at the movies. It would be a shame to be there and not do even a little sightseeing.
“Tell you what. We’ll look at the agenda and pick a night when neither of us want to go to a social event. Then we’ll sneak out of the hotel and go be tourists for the night. How does that sound?”
Jase thought it sounded heavenly. Except “tourists” wasn’t quite the feel he was going for.
“Lovers” sounded way better.
Down, boy. Chris is being nice. Don’t mess it up.
“I think that’s a great idea.” Jase lifted his glass. “Here’s to Under the Covers Romance.”
“May it bring you all you desire,” Chris said with a smile.
Only if it brings you.
Chapter Two
May 2018
CHRIS didn’t like flying at the best of times. But from JFK at some ungodly hour of the morning? That was just cruel.
He smiled to himself. Eight twenty-five could hardly be considered ungodly, but getting to the airport had been a bitch. His shuttle had arrived fifteen minutes early, but then had proceeded to pick up everyone in goddamn Manhattan.
There I go again, exaggerating. He knew it was just a defense mechanism, anything not to deal with the actual concept of flying. He’d gotten through security as slowly as he’d anticipated, and that left him with an hour before takeoff. He gazed longingly at the bar where passengers were already drinking, but then dismissed it. The alcohol might make him feel better about the upcoming flight, but he knew from past experience that the two didn’t mix. He’d spend a part of the trip in the tiny bathroom, throwing up.
Stick with coffee. And food.
Chris ambled along, giving half glances at the stores on the concourse as he searched for a coffee shop. There was the obligatory Starbucks ahead, which would do in a pinch. He headed for the corner stand, trying to decide what he was going to order.
All such thoughts fled when he peered into the coffee shop and spied a familiar face in the far corner.
No way. What are the odds?
Jase was sitting toward the rear in a gray hoodie, his eyes shaded, but Chris would have known that face and body anywhere. He joined the line, waited for his Americano while nibbling a biscotti, then walked over to Jase’s table.
“Is anyone sitting here?”
“No, there’s—” Jase glanced up, his face erupting into a wide smile that made Chris forget about early-morning flights, snail-speed shuttles, and the fact that shortly he would be going up in the air in a very heavy plane, something that had always seemed physically impossible to his mind.
Chris couldn’t help returning that smile. “Hey. So is it okay for me to sit?”
Jase rolled his eyes. “Right. Making funnies at this hour. Sit.” He put down his phone and took a suck of what looked like iced coffee.
It was a no-brainer where Jase was going. The convention started the following day. What he needed to ascertain was which flight Jase was on. There had to be seven or eight flights a day to Vegas. The chances that Jase was on Chris’s flight?
Pretty slim.
“Well, I don’t need to ask where you’re going,” Chris quipped before sipping his hot Americano.
Jase chuckled, then rubbed his eyes. “I didn’t sleep last night. Couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was gonna call to find out when you were getting in, hoping we could meet up or something. You’ll be the only person I know there.”
“With all those people? I wouldn’t say that. Trust me. You always run into someone you know at a con. What flight are you on?”
“American. Eight twenty-five.”
Chris laughed. “No way.”
Jase widened his eyes. “You too? Where are you sitting?”
“As close to the back of the plane as possible.”
Jase bit his lip. “You don’t like flying, do ya?”
“Gee, what gave it away? I just like sitting near the back because in the event of a plane crash, data shows the back of the plane is probably safest.” Chris shivered. “Probably.” He regarded Jase with resignation. “And I suppose you just take everything in your stride.” That’d be right. Gorgeous looks, talented, and fearless.
Jase took another suck on his straw. “You know I said this was my first convention? This is also my first flight.”
“Seriously?”
“Yup. I’ve always taken the bus. This is the farthest I’ve ever traveled.” Jase scraped his fingers across his scalp. “Now you know why I didn’t sleep. And I can’t even ask you to distract me, because I’m in row fourteen. I’ll be nowhere near you.”
“Tell the cabin crew you’re a first-time flier,” Chris suggested. “They’ll watch out for you.”
Jase expelled a breath. “It’s only just under six hours, for God’s sake. You’d think I could hold it together for that long.”
Chris took pity on him. “You wanna know what I do on flights? It might help.”
Jase nodded eagerly.
“Plug in your earbuds, find some nice, soothing music—classical is always good—then put on an eye mask. That usually helps me to sleep, and any flight where I can spend at least half of it asleep is a bonus.” What he didn’t tell Jase was that it had only worked for him a couple of times, but he figured that wouldn’t help.
“You can sleep on a flight, and you don’t like flying?” Jase widened his eyes. “Man, that’s impressive.”
“The takeoff and landing are the worst parts. The only times I get antsy are when we hit turbulence.” Chris snickered. “Or ‘rough air’ as they like to call it these days.”
“I don’t have an eye mask.”
Chris picked up his bag from the floor and placed it on his knee. He unzipped the side pocket and removed a sealed black packet. “Here. They give you these on long-haul flights. I have another one.” He handed it to Jase, who tucked it into his jacket pocket.
“Thanks. I’m hoping my trip has been pre-disastered, after the check-in fiasco.”
“What happened?” Chris caught sight of an item of clothing over the back of his chair when Jase leaned forward. Then it dawned on him what he was looking at. “Is that a kilt?”
Jase nodded. “That’s what I’m talking about. When I checked my bags, one was right on the weight limit, but the other was about five pounds too heavy. I took out the kilt and it went down to just over fifty-one. The guy at the counter was nice. He let it on. So now I get to stuff this into an overhead locker.”
Chris unzipped his bag and took a good look inside. “Give it to me. I can fit it in here if we fold it. You put it in those lockers and it’s gonna get crushed by all the carry-ons.”
Jase beamed. “Thanks.” He handed it to Chris, who folded it carefully and placed it in the bag. The zipper only just closed.
“There. Safe. Just make sure to hang it up once you get to your hotel room.”
Jase leaned back in his seat and reached for his iced coffee. “Thank you.”
A wicked thought crossed Chris’s mind. “You do know you’re gonna get asked what you’re wearing underneath that, don’t you? I mean, it’s the first thing that comes to mind when you see a kilt. Well, it comes to my mind.” He smirked. Talking with Jase like this had a very different vibe than the one Chris usually encountered in the studio. Maybe it was because they’d both revealed their vulnerabilities. Or maybe because i
t was a new setting. Whatever, Chris liked it. He felt more relaxed around Jase, which was no bad thing.
Jase chuckled. “I guess I’d better come up with a witty reply, then.” He glanced at his phone. “Do we need to go to our gate yet?”
Chris’s heart went out to him. Jase was twenty-seven, but if his latest revelations were anything to go by, there were a lot of things he hadn’t experienced yet. Despite his self-assurance during shoots, the Jase before him was a very different man, and something in Chris wanted to be there for him, to protect him.
“We can go now,” he said quietly. “That way we’re not hurrying last minute, and we can relax a little. Well, as much as we can with a flight ahead of us.”
Jase rose to his feet. “That sounds good. Let’s go.”
As they made their way along the concourse, Chris wasn’t thinking about the flight. He was thinking about Jase and how he had the chance to get to know him better over the following days.
The convention had suddenly taken on a whole new aspect.
CHRIS fastened his seat belt. He’d lucked out on this flight—he’d picked a window seat, but the next two seats were empty. That was a whole lot better than some of the flights he’d been on. There had been loud children over whom their parents apparently had no control whatsoever, crying babies, extremely talkative passengers who chatted the entire flight…. A little peace and quiet was always good.
The doors had been locked and the cabin crew were making their last checks. Only six more hours to go. Jase was sitting near the front in an aisle seat, next to a little old lady who was probably going to talk his ear off for the whole trip.
Poor guy.
“Hey, is this seat taken?” Jase stood in the aisle, grinning.
Chris laughed. “That’s my line.”
“The flight attendant said I could move, seeing as no one is sitting here. And besides, that lady I was next to? She got out her knitting.”
“They allow knitting needles on a plane?”
“Apparently, if they’re made of wood. Hers are bamboo. She told me. Right before she showed me the pattern. And the yarn. And then asked me to feel how soft it was.”
Chris bit his lip. “Sounds like you’ve had a lucky escape. You’d better stay here where you’re safe.”
“Sir, could you please take your seat?” The flight attendant sounded a little harassed.
Jase quickly slipped into the aisle seat and buckled up. He glanced over at Chris. “I thought I’d leave you some elbow room, you know, so you can spread out a bit.”
Gorgeous and thoughtful. Chris was liking Jase more and more.
During the safety presentation, Jase’s gaze was fixed on the cabin crew, who were demonstrating the life jackets and oxygen masks, and Chris couldn’t help but notice how he gripped the seat arms, especially when the plane started moving toward the runway. When the talk was over and the flight attendants strapped themselves into their seats for takeoff, Chris reached over.
“Here. You can hold my hand.” It was an impulsive move, but he knew he’d said the right thing when Jase grasped it instantly and held on tight. The plane picked up speed, rumbling along the runway, and Jase closed his eyes.
Chris forgot about his own fears and tightened his grip on Jase’s hand. “It’ll be okay. You’ll see,” he said in a soothing tone. “Just take deep breaths.”
Jase nodded, then pushed himself back into his seat as the plane lifted off the ground. “Oh fuck,” he said softly. Chris held on, rubbing his thumb in slow circles on the back of Jase’s hand. When the plane leveled out, Jase opened his eyes and glanced over at Chris. “That’s it? We’re up?”
“We’re up. And any minute now, the cabin crew will be along with water, soda, whatever you want, plus a little packet of pretzels or some other snack that tastes like cardboard.” He nodded toward the seat pocket in front of him. “Whereas I happen to have a couple of protein bars that taste way better, and you’re welcome to one of them.”
“But it’s a six-hour flight,” Jase remonstrated. “I can’t take your snacks.”
Chris smothered a chuckle. “You wouldn’t say that if you knew how many I’d brought along. Trust me, I have plenty.”
Jase let out a sigh. “God, I’m glad you’re on the same flight.”
Chris was thinking the same thing.
“THANKS for changing seats, by the way.”
Jase frowned. “Why are you thanking me? I got the better deal.” There was about an hour to go until they landed, and so far the journey had been relaxing. They’d chatted about books, music, and movies, and he’d been pleasantly surprised by how much they had in common.
Not that we ever really talked, until now.
Chris snickered. “Maybe, but I was so worried about how you were coping that I wasn’t dwelling on how much I hate flying.”
“And besides, it’s me that should be thanking you. I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for you.” Thank God for Chris and his ideas.
“What do you mean?”
Jase smiled. “For two years you did my headshots when I needed them, but when I got depressed about the lack of auditions, you suggested becoming a cover model for romance titles and sent off photos to publishing companies. You got me doing cover shots for gay romance, which I thought was so goddamn ironic at the time. You were there for me, and I’ll never forget that.”
Chris flushed, and once again Jase was reminded of what a good-looking man he was. Even when he was embarrassed, he was adorable. Not that Jase was about to share that sentiment. How did the saying go? Don’t shit where you eat.
Jase was not about to mess up his best relationship, no matter how attractive he found Chris. He didn’t want to risk ruining what they had.
“I’m just glad it worked out for you,” Chris said with a mild shrug. Then he met Jase’s gaze. “What makes me happier is that you haven’t given up on your dream. Do you know how many actors and actresses come to New York with hopes of making it big, only to find themselves stuck in humdrum jobs so they can survive? So many of them lose faith. They give up. Seven years on, and you’re still striving for your goals. That’s pretty amazing.”
Jase didn’t know what to say. Then he remembered Chris’s kind gesture. He reached into his pocket, removed the eye mask, and held it out to Chris. “Here. I didn’t need it after all. Talking to you was better than going to sleep.”
Chris covered Jase’s hand with his own. “Keep it. That way you’re prepared for the return flight.”
Jase laughed. “I’ve already found the perfect solution. I just make sure you’re on it. And I’d change flights to make sure that happened.” Damn, he felt good.
Uh-oh. Jase recognized that giddy, light feeling. He’d been through it enough times. That don’t-give-a-damn, everything-feels-amazing sensation when he met someone who really ticked his boxes. That natural inclination to follow his heart, not his head.
Stop this. You hardly know him. One flight and a lot of pleasant conversation does not make him a soul mate, all right? Jase forced himself to remember that Chris might be becoming a good friend, but he was still someone Jase had to work with.
I can’t think of him in those terms. Damn it.
Chapter Three
Tuesday
WHY does traveling always make me feel grimy?
It never failed. The first thing Chris did when he checked into a hotel was take a shower, and this stay would be no different. Assuming he ever got to the front of the goddamn line.
In front of him, Jase was on his phone again. Chris had to smile. By that point he figured the two were surgically attached to each other: the device was rarely out of Jase’s hand for more than a couple minutes. From all around them came the sounds of a casino: animated chatter, Muzak, and the pinging from slot machines.
God, some people start their gambling real early. It’s not even noon.
“Excuse me?” A female voice broke through his musings. “I hope I’m not intruding, but… isn’t thi
s you?” A woman in a baggy T-shirt emblazoned with the words Ask Me About My Book Boyfriend was addressing Jase and holding up a book. On the cover was Jase in an open white shirt, looking remarkably like a pirate and clutching a woman in a satin gown. Chris had to smile. It was one of his photos.
Jase blinked. “Oh. Oh, yeah.”
Her eyes lit up. “I thought it was, the minute you walked up to the desk. Would you… would you sign it for me?”
Jase blinked again, then smiled. “Of course.” He patted his jacket pockets. “Only, I don’t have a pen on me.”
In a flash the woman reached into her purse and fished out a Sharpie with a bronze cap. “Here. Use this.” She handed it to him, then opened the book at the title page. Jase awkwardly managed to scrawl his signature across it, then handed back the pen and the book.
“By the way, if you want another signature, this is the photographer who took the picture,” he said, inclining his head toward Chris.
Before Chris could say a word, the woman pocketed both items and flashed him a tight smile. “Oh, that’s nice. Well, I’m glad you’re here. I’ll see you around, no doubt.” And with that, she launched herself across the lobby to where another woman was waiting.
Jase stared after her, so obviously disconcerted that Chris had to laugh.
“Why would she want my autograph? I’m not the pretty guy on the cover.”
He frowned. “But it was your picture.” Then his features softened. “And for the record, you’d look good on a book cover too.”
Chris’s face heated up, but before he could think of anything to say, the receptionist broke in with a beaming smile for Jase. “Sir, are you checking in?”
Chris nudged him. “Come on. The sooner we get checked in, the sooner I get my shower.”
Jase chuckled and got on with the task. It took less than five minutes before they both had keys and were pulling their suitcases toward the elevators. Jase seemed in awe of the place, and Chris concluded that maybe he didn’t get to stay in many hotels. Certainly not one with two towers and a zip line between them.