The Underdogs Box Set - Books 1-3 (gay rockstar romance)

by K. A. Merikan

  Sid raised his eyebrows. “More like… who are you, where are you going, and what happened to the two of you?”

  Dusk sighed and started pulling off his wet jeans. “There was a pipe accident at the gas station.”

  Dawn laughed without turning back. “You mean, you caused an accident?”

  Dusk rolled his eyes. “Tomayto, tomahto. Lolly, I’ll get you a dry T-shirt.”

  Abe stilled, unsure what to say, because the offer meant Dusk wanted him around for at least a few more hours. Did he want to stay for that long? It took Dusk bending over and stretching his broad back for Abe to decide that yes, he wouldn’t mind enjoying this man’s company for a few more hours. Maybe they could fuck again before the guys left him at some convenient hitchhiking spot.

  “Thanks. Most of my stuff is dirty laundry by now.”

  Sid massaged his face with a groan. “So, where are you going?”

  It was difficult to focus on the question when Dusk grinned at Abe so widely and winked as if promising with that tiny gesture that he too couldn’t wait to get his hands on Abe again. He walked to the back of the bus in just a pair of boxer briefs and disappeared behind a tiger-print blanket hung across the bus as a divider.

  Abe cleared his throat and looked back at Sid, who had been joined by Mage. With both their gazes drilling into Abe, it felt like this was an interrogation, and there would be a lamp shining into Abe’s face any moment. “I’m heading for L.A.”

  Mage leaned forward and whispered, “Are you eighteen?”

  Abe stayed still. “How old do you want me to be?” he asked, but before Mage’s face completely transformed into a mask of fear, he waved it off with a gesture. “I’m messing with you. Yes, I’m over eighteen. Why? Does he dig the underage?”

  Sid’s shoulders lost some tension as well. The two of them would have made a damn funny cartoon if Abe felt like putting it on paper. “No, he just doesn’t think sometimes.”

  “I hear everything!” Dusk emerged from behind the blanket with a T-shirt and shorts in hand. “Dawn, I borrowed your jeans.”

  “Okay,” Dawn called out from the front.

  Abe smiled and pulled off his shirt, eyes focused only on Dusk. “Don’t worry. I believe you can be very thoughtful.”

  Dusk grinned, and his gaze slid over Abe’s tattooed skin as if he were licking it. “No looking back now, Dawn!”

  “I’m not a perv!” His brother groaned.

  “Is that... the Disney World castle?” Sid asked, frowning, and Abe followed the pale gaze to the middle of his chest where the structure was tattooed in all its pastel glory.

  “Obviously. It was my first large tattoo. Got it for my eighteenth birthday.”

  Dusk sat next to him and put his arm behind Abe, making him feel as if they were boyfriends, not two guys who’d just met and fucked in the dirty restroom of a gas station. “That’s so fucking cute. We’re going to California, so we can get you to L.A. if you want to tag along.”

  Abe’s heart might have done a double backflip. Still in the wet pants, he leaned into Dusk and barely stopped himself from cuddling up into the strong chest. “Really?” he asked, looking at Sid and Mage, who sat there with faces that expressed precisely nothing until Sid did a brief shrug and pulled out a lighter, which he started repeatedly flicking on.

  “I guess that’s fine as long as he sleeps on the sofa.”

  Dusk smiled even wider, pulling Abe’s attention to his full lips, the dimples in his cheeks, and the square jaw. “You can sleep on me.”

  Abe’s cheeks flushed, and he absentmindedly put his hand on Dusk’s thigh, rubbing it gently. His skin tingled so ferociously it felt like he’d levitate any minute. “All the way to L.A.? You sure?”

  Dusk nodded and gave Abe a quick kiss on the lips that made Abe decide that for Dusk, he could even be ‘Lolly’. “Yeah, there’s enough space, and we often share rooms at motels anyway to save some cash. We’re a band by the way. The Underdogs. You might have heard of us.”

  Abe didn’t have the heart to crush Dusk’s dreams, so he nodded. “Might have.”

  Sid snickered and put the lighter back into his pockets, which Abe took as a hint and quickly proceeded to get rid of the damp clothes. Dusk’s shirt was so big on him he could have worn it as a short baggy dress, but at least it hid his ass when he peeled off the soaked bottoms. The way Dusk’s gaze followed his every move had him hyperaware of the sensations at the surface of his skin.

  “So... are you a big fan of Disney?” asked Mage, apparently trying to find out more about Abe without sounding intrusive. It was as considerate as it was a sign of mistrust.

  “I’m a fan of all the parks in Orlando,” Abe said with a wide grin.

  Sid cocked his head to the side. “You look a bit as if you could be in a Disney movie. You know, as the funny sidekick.”

  Dusk wrapped his arms around Abe’s waist, hugging him from behind as if Abe were a plushie. “Right? He’s so sweet I could eat him up.” Dusk nipped on Abe’s ear with a happy groan. His excitable attitude was a surprise that contrasted with his stern metalhead image.

  He was adorable.

  And super hot.

  And Abe was drawn to him like a moth to the flame. He hoped to get as much as he could out of this new acquaintance before he got burned.

  “You’re not alone. I once hitchhiked with this guy who actually wanted to eat dinner off me.”

  Sid smirked. “Are you a hooker?”

  Mage slapped Sid’s arm. “Oh, come on! Don’t be a shit!”

  Abe leaned back against Dusk, whom he already understood to be his shield against mockery. “You have no idea how weird some people can get. Most of those who pick up hitchhikers are truckers, so that’s quite comfortable even if you have to expect some dumb comments, or them claiming they thought you were a girl all along, yada, yada. But this guy drove a black Maybach and was traveling to some conference in a suit. I didn’t expect him to be such a bother.”

  Dusk’s green eyes spoke of all the understanding in the world. “You can never know. We have this one super-fan, and he follows us around. Looks pretty clean-cut. Leather jacket, but usually a shirt under it, tidy haircut, but he’s a total menace. He’s in love with Sid.”

  Sid groaned. “We’ve lost him for now, but I bet he’ll resurface within days.”

  “At least he doesn’t know Sid’s gay,” Mage said. “We’re kind of keeping a low profile on these things. At least in public.” His words seemed to be a stab at Dusk.

  “It’s not like anyone knew me at that gas station.” Dusk kissed Abe on the back of the head.

  Abe grinned, watching Sid’s twisting mouth. “The fan, he’s up for the bad boy, huh? Are you afraid he’s gonna drug you and tie you down?”

  Sid’s lips parted and for a moment he just stared, but then the lighter burned his fingers, and he jumped up, swearing.

  “You like a bad boy too, don’t you?” Dusk hugged Abe tighter.

  Mage seemed eager to defuse the PDA. “Tell us about your trip to Orlando.”

  “My final foster home was in Lakeland, Florida, so it wasn’t a very long trip. I pretty much blew all the money I had in the parks. I stayed in a hotel and everything, although the money only lasted for a few days.” Abe laughed at the memory.

  Mage smiled, but he didn’t seem all that amused. That was fine. Some people liked to have the illusion of financial security. Others—like Abe—liked to have fun.

  “I’d love to go to Orlando one day!” Dawn said from the driver’s seat.

  Dusk sat down and pulled Abe into his lap. “Write a hit song, and I’ll take you there myself.”

  Mage sat up straighter and frowned. “Dawn’s songs are fantastic, and you know it. We just need a strike of luck, for the right person to see us perform or listen to the music, and it will be a success.”

  “How about you play me something?” Abe asked and rolled his head back to look at Dusk.

  “Only if I get another kiss,” Dus
k said but was already pushing Abe off.

  Abe grinned, feeling so giddy he could become lighter than air any second. He pulled Dusk back by the thick dark hair and gave him a deep, open-mouthed kiss that carried the promise of a reward if the song really was good.

  “I’ll go check on Dawn,” Mage said, promptly evacuating from the sofas.

  Sid didn’t bother joining the conversation anymore. He opened the window and leaned out of it with a cigarette.

  When Dusk came back from the sleeping area with a guitar, Abe was ready to open up to the crazy fling he’d be having with an aspiring rock star. That would sure be something new under his belt.

  Chapter 3

  The colorful lights of the fair danced over Abe’s bare skin.

  Not wanting to disturb the others, who’d already dropped into their beds after a whole day’s drive through New Mexico, he kneeled on the bed he was to share with Dusk and stuck his head behind the curtains. The motel was far enough from the fairgrounds to allow sleep, but when Abe was so close to the window and watched the neons on the Ferris wheel move, he could almost taste the tang of a melody at the back of his tongue.

  There was something magical about the picture in the window frame made of cracking wood, and a helpless sense of nostalgia overcame him like a wave of hot air. When he’d first visited a fair, he’d been a weird kid in a town where he didn’t fit in. In contrast to the earthy colors of his neighborhood and days that were all the same, the life of the people who traveled with the fair was all about freedom, about constantly meeting new people, and not having to care much what any of the locals thought of them. For years Abe had dreamed of joining one and living on the road, spending his nights in neon lights and with music trembling through his veins.

  The wanderlust that fueled his childhood longing never left.

  He reached to his backpack, eventually retrieving a small notebook and a black pen. Pushing the upper half of his body through the curtains, he opened the notebook on the windowsill and found a blank page. Abe let memories, and the colorful image on the horizon alike, guide his hand. He worked in quick, sharp strokes until the doodle started coming together, with a Ferris wheel in the back, a shooting range, cotton candy, a clown and an acrobat. And then there was the little boy in front of it, his heart full of a longing so powerful it stood out even in the black and white sketch.

  The sound of the bathroom door opening was the signal that Dusk was done showering, and Abe’s skin exploded with giddy goose bumps already at the thought of being embraced by Dusk’s strong arms again. He shut the notebook and just watched the Ferris wheel slowly turn, like a freshly fried donut still spinning in the oil.

  Dusk was quietly teasing his younger brother over something, but then Dawn went to shower as the last one, and the mattress dipped, signaling Dusk’s approach.

  Abe swallowed but didn’t look out from behind the curtain yet, enjoying the anticipation building up in his body as he sensed the mattress move under him. Thick fingers trailed up his bare legs, sliding under the big T-shirt Abe was wearing for sleeping. Dusk didn’t say a word, but his touch spoke volumes.

  Slowly, Abe let himself be pulled back and crooked his neck to kiss the waiting lips in the darkness. The scruff on Dusk’s chin scratched against his skin, adding yet another dimension to the lust simmering inside Abe’s body. He shivered when his arm brushed against Dusk’s chest, but when the thick arms pulled him closer, he sank into the comfort of soap-scented flesh without looking back.

  Dusk wrapped them both in a blanket and kissed Abe as if there was nothing he’d like more for dinner. Time and time again, he rocked his hips against Abe, and with him wearing only a pair of boxers, the hardness pressing against Abe was quickly becoming obvious. His hands roamed over Abe’s back and all the way to his ass, leaving behind a trail of heat.

  Abe chewed on his bottom lip and swallowed the whimper pushing at his mouth, but he spread his legs to accommodate Dusk and pulled him closer despite knowing not everyone in the room was asleep yet. The thought of it knocked at the back of his head and at the same time made his balls pull closer to his body and his cock swell.

  Locked in the dark cocoon of the blanket, under Dusk’s heavy, sturdy body, making a coherent decision was too difficult, so Abe gave in to the pleasure. Their cocks rubbed against each other through their underwear and the pressure was making Abe lightheaded already.

  Dusk was like a force of nature, and Abe couldn’t help but be pulled in by the scorching hot lava of his body. Greedily touching all over, teasing the piercings in Abe’s nipples, Dusk trailed kisses down Abe’s jaw, and then to his neck, covering Abe’s face with his wet, honey-scented hair.

  Abe ran his hands down the firm back, clawing his way all the way to Dusk’s boxer shorts, but the sinfully hot mouth working its magic on his neck was so distracting he needed to roll his face into the pillow not to make any noise. He could hear his own heartbeat growing faster, and each time Dusk rocked his hips between Abe’s legs staying quiet was more difficult.

  “Jesus Christ! I can hear you! This is not on,” Mage’s voice burst the lust-filled bubble.

  Dusk groaned and lay all his weight on top of Abe. “Just pretend you don’t.”

  “I can’t. And your brother’s gonna be back any minute.”

  “I’m going out for a smoke, so you better be done by the time I’m back,” Sid said, and a slamming of the door quickly followed.

  Mage sat on his bed in the darkness. “I want to sleep. If you’re gonna make noise, just go to the bus and return when you’re done.”

  Abe sighed, slumping to the mattress. He still stroked his hands up and down Dusk’s shoulders, smelling the damp hair and pushing himself up to rub his nose against Dusk’s chest. His erection was already fading, but he so wanted to continue what they’d started.

  “You wanna go to the bus?” Dusk whispered.

  Abe looked up at him, swallowing as the distant melody curled up in his ear again. “I wanna go to the fair.”

  Dusk lifted himself on his elbows to look at Abe’s face, and his green eyes glistened in the darkness. For a moment, Abe thought that Dusk was taken aback, but then he smiled in that toe-curling way. “Hell yes. Will you blow me if I win you a teddy?” He wiggled his eyebrows, and Mage groaned in the background.

  Abe chuckled, instantly drawn into another kiss that had him hanging off Dusk’s body like a ripe fruit about to fall of the branch. “Try me.”

  Dusk lapped at Abe’s lips. “I’ll go get my pants.”

  Dawn chose this moment to walk out of the bathroom. The faint light and the towel on his head made him look much younger than the twenty-one years Abe found out that he was. “What’s the racket?”

  Mage and Dusk burst out with laughter at the same time.

  *

  The cool breeze carried the aroma of sugar, popcorn and fried food. Abe squeezed Dusk’s hand as they stepped out of the motel to face the bright glow above the fairgrounds. Out here, the music was much clearer, calling out to Abe with its old-fashioned charm. He wore a denim jacket over Dusk’s T-shirt, but with all his pants in need of laundering, he’d settled on the shorts, and the nightly air was now biting at his calves.

  But when they started walking through the parking lot, Dusk let go of Abe’s hand, making some of the magic fizzle out.

  “Fuck. He’s found us.” Dusk pointed discreetly to a guy standing by a car nearby. The cell phone he was using cast a pale glow on his handsome face, but the moment Dusk spoke, the man looked up at them. “We call him Stan, ‘cause he’s all over Sid, and—you know, Stan the rabid fan from the Eminem song—but he’s now calling himself that too, so the joke’s kinda gone. Let’s move.”

  Abe followed Dusk’s lead, but his back covered in goose bumps when he heard the thud of heavy boots approaching.

  “Dusk? Hey, Dusk!” called out a warm, masculine voice.

  Dusk frowned but turned around after three seconds. “Hey, that’s me.”

  Abe
now had a chance to examine the man, who looked like a sleek hipster in his skinny black jeans, leather jacket, and the silvery hair shaved at the sides and gathered into a tight bun at the back of the head.

  Stan’s gaze slid over Abe too, and he grinned. “And who are you?”

  “A friend,” Abe said. “Who are you?”

  Dusk smiled as if the guy wasn’t the stalker he’d been badmouthing before. “What was your name again?”

  Stan snorted. “Just tell me where Sid went. There’s something I need to discuss with him.”

  “I think he’s already asleep. Maybe try tomorrow or just call him?” asked Abe, wanting to remind Stan that he did not have his target’s number. For good reason.

  Behind Stan’s back, Dusk saw Sid making a beeline around the corner of the building as soon as he spotted them. “You can just come to our next gig.”

  Stan spread his arms in frustration. “Come on, Dusk, you know I’m your biggest admirer. I can help you rise to the top. How about being respectful for once?”

  Dusk ran his fingers through his still-wet hair and leaned closer to Stan. “He’s behind the building,” he whispered. “But I didn’t tell you this, and you owe me.”

  Abe stilled, and he watched Stan’s eyes widen, his Adam’s apple bob, and he could have sworn he even heard the guy’s heart beating faster the moment he received that piece of intel.

  “I owe you,” Stan repeated and stepped back, pointing at Dusk with his index finger. He didn’t care to stay and talk to them any longer, so they continued walking through the parking lot.

  “He’s harmless,” Dusk said. “Just obsessed. And he writes for Noise, the rock magazine, so you never know when that can come in handy.”

  “Sid’s gonna hate you,” Abe said, turning on his heel and continuing to walk toward the colorful lights.

  Dusk laughed out loud and put his arm over Abe’s shoulders. So it was just Stan he didn’t want to know about him being gay. “He won’t know.”