Homecoming Hearts Series Collection

by HJ Welch

  Corey

  Corey sighed and closed his laptop down. Yet another rejection email had him feeling like maybe now was a good time to get on his motorcycle and see where the evening took him. He wanted to forget everything and just feel the road beneath his tires.

  Maybe ‘forget’ wasn’t the right word. He just wanted to escape his thoughts for a little while. But he didn’t want them gone.

  He leaned back against his pillows and tossed his laptop on the end of the bed, rubbing his face. If he picked it up again now, he was likely to check on a certain singer’s Instagram, and that wouldn’t do anybody any good.

  He sighed and stretched his arms up before sliding further down the bed, raising his knees and drumming his hands on them. Yeah, a long ride on his bike would be a good way to get through the evening. He needed to do something to occupy his time.

  He wasn’t desperate for work just yet. Reyse’s overly generous check had seen to that. Corey was still kind of stunned when he thought about how much he had given Corey without a second thought. A couple of times he’d worried he should feel more guilty about that. Dirty. But damn it, Reyse hadn’t paid him for sex. He’d helped him out because stopping that mugging had cost Corey his job.

  The mind-blowing sex had just been an unexpected and thoroughly enjoyable bonus.

  Corey had half a thought about jerking off, but his heart wasn’t in it. As hot as the memory was, it was tinged with sadness.

  Was Reyse Hickson okay?

  It seemed crazy, but Corey felt like he was the only person on the planet who might be having that worry. Sure, there were probably be a couple of other people who knew what the man was going through. But from the vulnerable state he was in during their night together, Corey couldn’t help but feel there weren’t many others who truly knew his plight. And if they did, they were unlikely to have experienced his distress firsthand. They didn’t know how he’d shaken when he’d come. Or how he’d been so heartfelt in his gratitude when Corey stayed the whole night, holding him tightly and tenderly.

  It had been three weeks and Corey was apparently not getting over Reyse Hickson anytime soon. He pulled his phone out from his pocket and defied himself by logging into Insta anyway.

  This was creepy. Corey needed to stop pining over a man he couldn’t have. Fuck, he’d been gifted five grand, no strings attached. So long as he got a decent enough job over the next few weeks, he’d be more set up than he had ever been in his life. He could afford to breathe and take a moment to relax just a little.

  It was only natural that he’d think about Reyse. It wasn’t every day you got to fuck an international pop sensation. It had occurred to Corey a couple of days later that he’d never be able to tell anyone about this. Not that he really had any friends right now to confide in. But he honestly couldn’t trust anyone with this information. He’d just have to sit on it.

  It paled in comparison to the secret Reyse had to keep, so Corey would just have to deal with it. But, damn, it would have been nice to talk it through with someone. Maybe he could see a shrink? They had to keep stuff like that private, right? But that might mean having to talk about other shit, too, and Corey wasn’t down with that. He much preferred the ‘shove your feelings down’ kind of approach.

  He huffed and looked at the crack in his ceiling as he paused scrolling through Instagram. This was the trouble with not having a job to take your mind off shit on a regular basis. Delivering pizza might not have been his dream ambition in life, but he’d enjoyed seeing Maria and her crew regularly, and sometimes the customers could be really fun and friendly. Not to mention the excuse to ride his bike everywhere. He’d gone back once since he’d been fired to get the ladies another box of chocolates and pay them back their very kind loan. But Ross had made it clear he wasn’t to drop in again.

  No, Corey needed to get up and do something, he told himself firmly. A ride would do the trick nicely. He even had a full tank of gas, so he just needed to get changed and ride out of town. The sun would be setting in about an hour, so it would be the perfect time to go.

  He decided if he was going to be productive, he was allowed to take a quick peek at Reyse’s Instagram feed. Rather than scrolling through all of the people Corey followed, he went straight to Reyse’s account to take a glance at his posts in chronological order.

  The first photo was from today of him on the set of a slightly trashy-looking music video. ‘Excited for an opportunity to work with Mega Daddy!’ the caption read. Corey rolled his eyes. He questioned that, knowing a little bit about Reyse now. But did one night make Corey an expert? Maybe having half-naked girls jiggle around him really was Reyse’s thing. Somehow, Corey doubted it.

  He was about to swipe down to see a few more posts, when a comment on the first photo made him stop dead in his tracks. ‘Sending you thought and prayers, babe’ one user had written.

  ‘No one says ‘thoughts and prayers’ anymore,’ another had replied underneath. ‘But we are thinking of you and your family, hon. BIG HUGS!’

  Corey’s heart was fluttering in his chest. It really wasn’t his business, but he was panicking all the same. What had happened to Reyse?

  A quick assessment of several other comments and a Google search gave him some answers. Thankfully, Reyse himself appeared to be okay. But he had left the video shoot early because his dad had been rushed to the hospital, possibly with a stroke. Corey couldn’t say he knew exactly what that would feel like, not having any family of his own, but he wasn’t a coldhearted bastard. Reyse would obviously be upset and worried, so that made Corey distressed.

  He didn’t even bother trying to argue with himself that he shouldn’t feel so keenly for a guy he’d spent literally one night with. He was up and pacing his room, his phone clutched to his chest as his thoughts tumbled over one another.

  Reyse was bound to be in a state. Who did he have looking after him? His shitty homophobic label? In fact, some of the comments had suggested his label – they were called Sun City Records, Corey had learned – were fucking pissed that he’d dropped everything to run home.

  What if Reyse was on his own?

  “Don’t be stupid,” Corey said out loud.

  But it was too late. He’d had an idea.

  After all, he had been about to take a bike ride, anyway.

  Corey growled, giving in and snatching up his bike helmet from the corner of the small, messy room. He shoved his feet into his boots and found his jacket and keys. Fine. He’d drive out to Reyse and just…see what was what. Chances are the door staff wouldn’t even let him in the building.

  Oh…that was bad. But…it just might work. Maria would help him, and…yes.

  He also picked up the Speedy Pete’s baseball cap he hadn’t bothered to return when he’d been fired. Corey wasn’t above a little subterfuge to get what he wanted. If Reyse was fine, or had already left, so be it. No harm done. But if he needed someone to just vent to, even for a few minutes…

  Corey paused at the door. Was he insane?

  Yes, quite possibly. But Corey had to try. The abhorrence he felt at the idea Reyse might be hurting on his own was all consuming. He couldn’t let it lie. Corey had looked after Reyse once before, and if he let him, he might be able to look after him again this evening.

  Just as friends, of course. For once, Corey wasn’t thinking with his cock.

  Life was too short – that was Corey’s mantra. So he wasn’t about to start second-guessing himself now. This wasn’t a booty call. It was a sympathy call. Nothing more.

  He repeated that to himself throughout the whole drive over.

  He’d called the order in as a pickup and texted Maria to ask her to come out with the pizza once he was close. “You’re up to something, Mr. Corey,” she said with a grin, handing over the large box. Then she wagged a finger at him. “I think it’s for love, no?”

  Corey blinked at her. “No,” he spluttered, rather unconvincingly. “I mean, something like that, I guess,” he admitted under her know
ing stare and raised eyebrow.

  She chuckled to herself as she went back inside, not bothering to count the generous tip Corey had given her. It was strange, but he did miss her. He didn’t speak Spanish, shamefully, but he wondered if she might want to meet for a coffee one day, just to catch up.

  He shook his head. That was silly. She wasn’t his mom. She had her own kids.

  Corey got back to the matter at hand, driving over to Reyse’s place, weaving through the evening LA traffic. This time, he parked his bike a little closer to the apartment. Once he’d chained it up, he took his new helmet with him. He may have a spare bit of cash these days, but he still didn’t want to lose a second helmet in a month.

  He approached the apartment building with his heart in his mouth. There were a dozen ways this could go, most of them horribly, embarrassingly wrong. But he was here now, so he had to give it a go.

  He smiled as he pressed the buzzer, adjusting the cap he’d hastily shoved onto his head. He had his helmet under one arm and the pizza balanced on the other, making him feel pretty awkward. “Hi!” he said into the intercom once it clicked, waving to the guys behind the desk. “I’ve got a delivery for the penthouse.”

  He almost said ‘Mr. Hickson,’ but he realized there was no way Reyse would give his name on the order. However, he was still out of luck.

  “I’m afraid there’s been no delivery organized for that address,” the guy said. He wasn’t mad, but he didn’t sound like he was going to make any exceptions either. Damn it. Of course that would make sense for security. When Reyse ordered anything, he probably let the front desk know so they could take it in for him. “Are you sure you have the right building?” the security guard asked.

  “Oh,” Corey said with a small laugh to cover his disappointment. “Sure, man, I’ll check. Sorry to bother you.”

  “No trouble at all,” the guy said. At least he didn’t chew Corey out.

  So he turned to walk away from the building to reassess his options. Could he just wait here and see if Reyse came in or out? That was super fucking creepy. Maybe he could leave a message for Reyse? Would his security even pass anything on to him, though?

  Corey bit his lip and looked up from the hot pizza box into his hands.

  Just as Reyse stepped out from a sleek black car by the side of the curb.

  They both froze, looking at each other with disbelief. “Corey?” Reyse said, his voice catching.

  Corey’s heart almost stopped. But then Reyse’s eyes went wide and a smile played on his gorgeous mouth. He looked hopeful.

  “Hey,” Corey said.

  He looked from the pizza to Reyse again as Reyse closed the door and the car drove off. Fuck, if possible, Reyse looked even better than when they had met before. Corey supposed he’d been in his workout gear then. But now…well, technically, he was just in jeans like Corey was. But Reyse’s jeans probably cost a grand and fit him like a glove, making his ass look incredible. His sneakers were so white they practically glowed. He’d paired the pants with a cream shirt, a black buttoned vest and a skinny burgundy tie. The top button of his shirt was undone, revealing the dip of his throat.

  On someone else, the outfit might have been kind of nerdy. But on Reyse, it was mouthwatering.

  Corey couldn’t get distracted, though. He and Reyse had made a kind of unspoken agreement not to see each other again. Yet here he was, acting like a goddamned stalker.

  “So, uh, you’re probably wondering why I’m here?” he said sheepishly.

  Reyse shrugged and moved toward his building’s front door. People were already starting to notice him as they walked past. “Kind of,” he said. But then he smiled a little more. “It’s nice to see you, though. I’m having a pretty awful day. Do you want to step inside for a second?”

  “Sure,” Corey said, his heart in his mouth. “Oh, I kind of told the guys at the desk you ordered a pizza.”

  Reyse looked down at the box, his smile becoming wry. “That’s sort of brilliant,” he said.

  Really? He wasn’t mad? Corey exhaled as Reyse let himself through with a fob and a PIN code. Then Corey followed behind him.

  “Sorry,” Reyse called out to the desk. “I forgot to phone ahead. Thanks for being diligent.”

  The big security guy nodded to him. “Sorry about that, sir,” he called over to Corey. That was decent of him, at least.

  It made him feel just a fraction less nervous as he and Reyse stopped in a small lobby with purple sofas, the glass wall looking out over the sidewalk behind them. “Is everything okay?” Reyse asked.

  That pulled at Corey’s heart. Here he was having a terrible day, yet he still asked about Corey first. It gave Corey a bit of courage.

  “I’m totally fine,” Corey said. “But I got this crazy idea and…I hope you don’t think I’m a maniac.”

  “I don’t think that,” Reyse said. “I…I know we had an agreement. But it’s nice to see you again.”

  Corey licked his lips. Focus, he told himself. He was here as a friend. Not as a fuck buddy.

  “I saw the news about your dad,” he blurted out. “And I was worried about you. So I thought I’d come back on the off chance you were here and see…I don’t know.” Christ, it sounded nuts now he was explaining his thought process out loud. “Honestly, I just wanted to make sure you had people looking after you. If you needed someone to talk to, just as a friend, or…it’s not my place. You have friends. Sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to trick my way into your building, but I knew your security was tight and-”

  He made to turn away, but Reyse caught his wrist.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” he said, shaking his head.

  Corey winced. “I’m sorry. It was creepy, I-”

  “It was incredibly thoughtful,” Reyse said. Corey was alarmed to realize that tears were pooling in Reyse’s eyes. “Fuck, do you have any idea how much I didn’t want to be alone right now?”

  They stared at each other. Corey’s heart rate began to slow, just a fraction. “I wondered, yeah,” he said quietly. “Do you want some comfort food?” he added with a shaky laugh, offering him the box in his hands.

  Reyse laughed too, taking the pizza from him. “That sounds amazing,” he said with a sigh. “What toppings?”

  “I wasn’t sure what you liked,” Corey admitted. “So I got ham and pineapple on one half, then jalapeño pepperoni on the other.”

  Reyse frowned and looked up at him with a strange expression. “I love both of those,” he said.

  Pride flushed through Corey as well as something else – happiness? He loved those toppings too, and knowing he and Reyse had that in common made his heart flutter. “Well, you know,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You have that sweet tooth, then, uh, the jalapeño pretzels we had…”

  Reyse was sort of gaping at him. Then he shook his head and held the box with both hands. He went to speak, closed his mouth, then tried again. “I have also just had a crazy idea,” he said. Corey raised his eyebrows and nodded, encouraging him to go on. “I could really use a friend right now.”

  Corey smiled. “Sure, that’s why I came over. We could hang, watch a movie or something.” He glanced to make sure the security guards couldn’t hear, but they were engrossed in some kind of sports on their TV. “Just as buds, I know you have to be careful of…you know, anything else.”

  Reyse nibbled his lip. “Actually…oh god, it’s insane. Forget I said anything.”

  Corey touched his arm, just for a second. Nothing too scandalous if anyone was watching them. “Try me, man,” he said. “I’m here. And…like I said. I can just be a friend if that’s what you need. Nothing more.”

  He meant that, as much as it pained him. Reyse smelled so good and Corey just wanted to wrap his arms around him and take his pain away.

  “I’m heading home tomorrow,” Reyse said in a rush. “Upstate. I…would you come with me? Just for a few days? I haven’t spoken to my dad in forever and it’s super weird but I’m so worri
ed about him and my mom’s a mess and-”

  His voice was getting higher in pitch and tears were pooling in his eyes again.

  Corey would have done anything to make that stop. If he couldn’t comfort Reyse with his body, he could try the next best thing. “Yes,” he blurted, interrupting him. “Yes, I can come. I haven’t gotten a new job yet. I’ll be your buddy, no problem.” He smiled as Reyse’s relief was evident on his face.

  This was madness. What was Corey doing? He’d just thought maybe he’d give Reyse a hug if he got to see him. Maybe talk for an hour or two. Not fly out to see his estranged folks for a few days.

  But the fact Reyse even suggested it meant he must have been pretty desperate for some company. He was asking Corey of all people. He could either be disbelieving, or take it as the honor it was.

  “I’d really appreciate the company,” Reyse said softly.

  “Then let’s go,” Corey said.

  He’d have plenty of time to second-guess himself later. For now, he was just going to go with the hand the universe had dealt him. Reyse needed a friend, and it just so happened Corey was on hand to be that person.

  Nothing more. That would be too complicated. But he could keep his hands to himself, especially while Reyse’s family was going through a crisis.

  Of that he was sure.

  9

  Reyse

  For the hundredth time since they boarded the private jet, Reyse wondered if he was genuinely insane. Could he really trust Corey? He knew he wanted to. But he hardly knew the guy.

  He’d wondered if he’d been remembering him with rose-tinted glasses, right up until the moment he’d unexpectedly opened the car door to him. But the second Reyse saw that relieved smile, he knew he hadn’t been imagining things. Corey was just as easygoing as Reyse had remembered from a few weeks ago, not to mention gorgeous in that damn leather jacket and worn jeans.

  Reyse couldn’t believe he’d come and found him, just when he needed him the most. And as much as he would have loved Corey to have thrown himself at Reyse, he truly respected that he hadn’t. Reyse didn’t need sex complicating his life right now. He wanted a friend to tell him things were going to be okay, to stand in his corner when his family inevitably turned against him.