Jean-Luc approached. “I just called every hotel in Tremblant on the landline. They’re all full.”
Unsurprising since it was Christmas vacation. Daniel gritted his teeth. “I guess you guys are staying until tomorrow.”
Jean-Luc said, “Thanks, Dan.” He glared at Justin. “We really had no idea we weren’t invited.”
“It’s Daniel,” Cole said. “He hates being called Dan.”
“Merde!” Jean-Luc shook his head. “I forgot.”
Daniel gave Cole a little smile, then said, “It’s okay. After a while, I stopped fighting it at work.”
Justin sidled closer. “Should I call you Danny instead?”
“No.” Daniel gave him what he thought of as a full Death-Star glare.
With a big sigh, Justin actually pouted. “I said I’m sorry. Are you going to be grumpy all day?”
Melanie said, “Dude, I don’t blame you. But hey, let me wake up Paul and we can make breakfast. His French toast is to die for.”
Daniel groaned. “Shit. I was going to head into the village today to buy food.”
“No worries! Paul and I brought challah and maple syrup. And bacon, of course,” she added eagerly. “And the cupboards have a lot of staples, and there are chicken fingers and burgers someone must have left behind. Jean-Luc brought a bunch of chips too. Oh, and there’s a whole jar of popcorn, and plenty of oil. We definitely won’t starve. I did a mental inventory last night. I really like food.”
Daniel exhaled. There was no sense in being pissed at her when she was trying so hard to be kind. If she, Paul, and Jean-Luc were lying about not knowing they hadn’t been invited, they were pretty good actors.
He said, “Cool. Thanks, Melanie. If you guys could make breakfast, that would be great.”
“We’re on it.” She gave him a thumbs-up and scurried off.
“You know, we can still have fun.” Justin slid his hand up Daniel’s arm.
Jerking away, Daniel headed for the kitchen. “We’re definitely never having that kind of fun again.” His skin crawled.
Bleary, barrel-chested Mike, shuffling downstairs, muttered, “Never say never. Justin will do anything to win a bet.” He ran a hand through his mop of brown hair.
Daniel skidded to a stop, his socks sliding a few inches on the wood. The sticky, itchy ball of mortification that had taken up residence in his gut the night before spread its fingers wide. He turned to face Justin, who was shooting eye-daggers at Mike at the bottom of the stairs. Cole and Jean-Luc watched from the windows.
Daniel gritted out, “What does that mean?”
With a careless roll of his eyes, Justin answered, “Louise bet me I couldn’t bag you. I told her I already did in the parking lot, but she’s dubious.”
Icy rage slithered down Daniel’s spine. “Bag me.”
“You know, take that giant stick up your ass and replace it with my dick? Or you could fuck me.” He waved a hand. “Whichever.”
It had been a bet.
Just when Daniel thought he couldn’t be more humiliated. His face burned, and he wished the hardwood floor would crack open and swallow him whole.
Mel and Paul descended the stairs, and Mel asked, “What’s going on?”
Justin opened his stupid, ugly, hateful mouth, but then Cole said, “Daniel, I feel sick. Can you take me upstairs?”
“Oh, you poor thing!” Mel fussed over Cole as Daniel forced his feet to move. Left, right, left right. He grasped Cole’s good arm and led him up the stairs, glad for the warmth under his fingers, ice and fire battling in Daniel’s veins. From below, Justin snickered and voices murmured, and Daniel wanted to scream.
He didn’t. He walked Cole back into the master bedroom, closing the door behind them. Managing to keep his voice even, he asked, “Are you nauseous?”
“Yes, but only because of that piece of shit downstairs.”
Daniel exhaled, the ice melting in a rush of gratitude, embarrassment still simmering. “Thanks for getting me out of there. God, you must think I’m pathetic.”
Cole’s thin brows drew together. “No, I think he’s a massive loser. A ginormous one. Humongous. Monumental. Colossal. Mammoth.” He seemed to ponder. “Whopping. Gigantic. Supersized loser.”
A little laugh bubbled up, and Daniel took a deep breath. “Thanks.”
“I play Words with Friends a lot.”
Daniel’s smile faded. “I don’t know how I let myself get snowed by him.”
“A snake like that? I bet he can be pretty charming when he wants to be. And it’s easy to see what you want to see. Especially…”
After a few moments, Daniel asked, “What?”
“Especially if you’re lonely.”
He wanted to argue, even opened his mouth and sucked in air, but the denial wouldn’t come. “I really am pathetic.”
“No, he is. Do you want me to list some other synonyms to describe how truly lame that jerk is?
“It’s okay. But thanks.”
“You know, I think there’s a Star Wars marathon on this week. They’re showing the movies over and over on TBS.” He nodded to the flat-screen TV on the wall across from the bed. “We could check out where they’re at in the cycle.”
It sounded like the best idea ever proposed in the history of the world. But Cole didn’t need to shut himself away to keep Daniel company. “The doctor said you didn’t have to stay in bed.”
“But she didn’t say I couldn’t.” He flopped back onto the mattress, then grimaced. “Note to self: still need to ease into things.”
Daniel propped up several pillows behind Cole, then turned on the TV. Cole said, “Uh, you might want to keep a pillow for yourself.”
“Nah. Headboard’s padded. I’m good. Are you hungry?”
“A little?”
There was a tentative knock on the door. Daniel answered it, finding Melanie biting her lip. “Hey. Is Cole okay?”
“Yeah, but I think we’re just going to chill in here. He needs to rest, and I’m going to take care of him.”
“Totally. I’ll make sure we stay quiet downstairs. No music. We’ll hang in the hot tub and stay out of your hair. If that’s okay?”
“Of course.”
Her face creased. “Jean-Luc said something about a bet? We really didn’t know about that. I’m sorry, Dan. Daniel! Shit, I’m going to get that right. I promise.”
“It’s okay.” He gave her a smile. “I appreciate you trying.”
“Do you guys want breakfast? I saw some trays in the kitchen. We can bring it up.”
“Thanks. That’s really nice of you.”
She shook her head, waving him off. “It’s the least I can do to make up for that douche. Paul and I are done hanging out with him and his lackeys. Jean-Luc too. We’re getting too old for this shit.”
She quizzed him and Cole on their breakfast preferences, and Daniel shut the door again. He went to grab his phone from the other side of the bed. He asked Cole, “Is the light too much? Do you want me to close the curtains?”
“I think I’m good. My head really does feel better. I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“Cool. I think the symptoms can come and go with a concussion.” He tapped his phone. “I’d Google it, but the wifi definitely isn’t connecting.”
He glanced down at his PJs. Normally by this time he’d have worked out, showered, dressed, and would be behind his desk. He tried to connect again. No dice. “It’s so weird that I’m not at work right now.”
“It’s Saturday.”
“Oh, right. Well, I’d be working at home.”
“Also you’re on vacation and your office is closed. Right?”
Familiar irritation sparked. “Yes, but there’s always something to do.”
Cole watched him impassively, apparently not intimidated at all. “Yeah, of course there is. And it’ll get done after the holidays. The world won’t end.”
“I know, I know. I work too much. I care about what I do, okay? It’s important
to me.”
Cole still watched him with a dubious expression. “Yeah, I don’t care at all about my thesis.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Then what do you mean?” Cole asked calmly. “That people who aren’t workaholics don’t care about their jobs?”
“No! I just…” Don’t have anything else. “I’m just used to checking my email and staying on top of things so tasks don’t pile up. That’s all.” It sounded weak even to him.
“Well, I guess you’ll be CYCing on that front whether you like it or not.” Cole smiled tentatively.
The tension released, and Daniel had to laugh. “I guess I will.”
Cole nodded to the TV, where lightsabers clashed. “We’re in luck. Episode three is almost over, so we’re just in time for the movies that don’t suck.”
Daniel went around to his side of the bed, noticing Cole had put two of the pillows back for him. He got settled and looked at the screen. “Oh, I think Padme’s about to die of a broken heart.”
Cole huffed. “I hate that. I mean, she just had two babies who need her. And now she dies of a broken heart because of that whiny dickbag Anakin? She was tougher than that.”
“Thank you. I hate that too.”
“And don’t get me started on Hayden Christensen’s acting in these movies.”
Daniel put on a vacant, flat voice, imitating the most famous cringe-worthy line of dialogue. “I don’t like sand. It’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere.”
Cole’s face lit up as he burst out laughing. “Don’t make me laugh too hard! I have a concussion, you know.”
Yet as they ate French toast and bacon—Cole insisting his stomach could take it—and watched Princess Leia and R2-D2 huddle, Daniel wanted to make him laugh again and again so he could see the little dimple that creased his left cheek.
“If you’re having second thoughts we can just stay in here all night,” Cole said. “It’s fine by me.”
Daniel pulled a soft charcoal sweater over his head, tugging it gently to make sure it wasn’t wrinkled. “I know, but I want to prove that he doesn’t bother me. That I couldn’t care less.”
“I totally get it.”
“You can stay here, though. Rest.” Daniel secretly hoped Cole would come downstairs. He’d feel better not being alone. Not that he’d be alone with six other people, but… “Seriously, I can handle it.”
Cole was still in his PJs and sweatshirt. “I napped enough for today. I’m still pissed I slept through the first half of Empire.”
“We’ll catch it when it comes around again tomorrow. Or the next day. No rush.” They’d have the rest of the week together—a prospect Daniel found increasingly appealing. He could admit his mom was right—he should have reached out to Cole months ago.
The driveway had finally been plowed by an apologetic man in a pickup truck hired by the chalet owners, and the main roads had been cleared. Come the morning, he and Cole would be blissfully alone. Daniel had been awfully tempted to kick the others out the nanosecond the driveway had been scraped clean, but they’d been drinking.
He eyed himself in the long mirror standing in the corner, smoothing down his damp curls. He’d showered and shaved and splashed on cologne. Which was all profoundly stupid, but a spark of pride blazed.
“You look great,” Cole said. “Let’s do this. Show that dick what he’s missing out on.”
Head high, Daniel led the way, making sure Cole was okay on the stairs. The others lounged on the leather couches near the fireplace. They’d apparently had enough hot-tubbing for the moment and wore sweats and T-shirts. This was going to be just fine. He’d show Justin he wasn’t bothered or hurt at all. He’d—
“Dare,” Melanie said. “I guess.”
Daniel’s stomach dropped. He’d apparently be joining in a game of truth or dare. He couldn’t retreat now that everyone had spotted him. With Cole at his side, he walked on and took a seat like there was nothing the matter at all. Nope. Nothing the matter here. Cold and dead inside and utterly unruffled.
“Hey!” Jean-Luc grinned. “Feeling better, Cole? You guys want beer?”
“Much,” Cole answered. “Thanks. And no, I can’t drink for a few days until I’m sure my head’s clear.”
“You’re going to have to put up with Mr. Grumpy sober?” Justin winced. “Vaya con dios.”
Mike groaned. “Enough, dude. You lost the bet. Deal. Are we playing or what?” He gulped from his bottle of beer.
“I dare you to kiss me,” Paul said to Melanie, who sat on the floor between the coffee table and the couch, leaning back between his knees.
She rolled her eyes and lifted her face for a peck. Then she said, “Cole, you want to go?”
Daniel was about to insist that Cole was under no obligation to play these reindeer games, but Cole lifted his cast and said, “I can’t really do many dares right now. Truth, I guess.”
Justin’s blue eyes gleamed, his expression one of faux innocence. “Just how big of a boner did you have for Daniel when you were kids?”
Cole stammered, going beet red. Melanie, Paul, and Jean-Luc groaned, while Louise shrieked with laughter and Mike chugged more beer. Rage slammed through Daniel like a tidal wave. How dare Justin pick on Cole? Daniel had never been one for violence, but the idea of punching Justin’s smug face burned.
He managed to contain it, gritting out, “Don’t be ridiculous.”
Melanie shook her head. “You’re so gross, Justin.”
Chugging his beer, Justin shrugged. “You’re the ones who keep insisting you’re not brothers.”
“We’re not! That doesn’t mean we’d ever…” Daniel grimaced, furious denial surging. He and Cole would never get together! They weren’t brothers, but it would still be inappropriate as hell.
Wouldn’t it?
As Justin howled with laughter, images of being with Cole flashed through Daniel’s mind. Kissing Cole, touching his skin, pressing their bodies together—
What the fuck is wrong with me?
Paul said to Justin, “I really don’t know why you and your minions have to be such turds. Didn’t I tell you, Mel? No hot tub is worth this.”
Daniel’s mind spun. He should have been horrified to think of Cole that way—or at the very least, unmoved. Yet his balls tingled, the fire of his initial denial transforming. It wasn’t possible. He hadn’t felt a connection to anyone in years, and now…with Cole?
He glanced at Cole, whose face was creased with what looked like pain. Pushing aside his confusion, Daniel asked him, “Do you need more Tylenol?”
Cole shook his head and dropped his gaze as Jean-Luc said, “My turn. Dare me.”
Mike belched and suggested, “Strip naked, go outside, and make a snow angel.”
“Is that all you’ve got?” Jean-Luc rolled his eyes as he stood. He took off all his clothes, leaving them in a pile.
Daniel tried desperately to focus on Jean-Luc’s antics instead of the entirely inappropriate bolt of desire for Cole. It was crazy to feel that. He was just all worked up and confused because of Justin.
Right?
Everyone got up to watch from the windows as Jean-Luc skipped outside, and Daniel followed, forcing a laugh as Jean-Luc flopped into the snow, yelping as he flapped his arms and legs. Cole’s smile was strained, and Daniel leaned close to him.
Be normal. Everything is normal.
He asked Cole, “Sure you don’t need more Tylenol?”
Cole kept his gaze on Jean-Luc, who was now sprinting along the porch and back inside. “Nah. Thanks.” His voice was even.
Everything’s fine. Totally normal. Nothing to see here but the naked dude I work with.
Jean-Luc shook his body and hurried to the fireplace, apparently utterly unashamed by his nudity. He took a towel from Melanie and narrowed his gaze at Mike. “Your turn. Truth or dare?”
Only a fool would choose dare at that point, so of course Mike lifted his chin and said, “Dare.”
“Hey, babe.”
Daniel groaned internally at the kitchen sink where he was rinsing dishes. The others had gone back into the hot tub, and Cole had retreated upstairs to rest. Daniel just wanted to clean up and join him.
Because I want to make sure he’s okay. Not because I want to jump him or anything.
Apparently he’d have to deal with more of Justin’s bullshit first. He turned and affected a bored expression as Justin sidled closer, a gleam in his eyes, wearing only a towel wrapped around his hips and possibly his teeny-tiny Speedo underneath. Justin displayed his lean muscles and ripped abs, his chest puffed out like he was on a catwalk.
Daniel couldn’t believe he’d ever found Justin anything but absolutely repellent. He was never CYCing to that degree again. Nope. His cadence was just fine.
His lower back jammed against the counter, and while he could have shoved Justin away, he didn’t want to show that he was bothered at all. He waited to see what game Justin was playing now.
“You know, we could still have a lot of fun tonight.” Justin dropped his hand to Daniel’s crotch and squeezed.
“But we won’t.” He felt nothing but contempt. “I need to go up and check on Cole, so if you’re done here…” He made a flicking motion with his hand.
Spine stiffening, Justin let go. Then his face twisted and he practically bared his too-white teeth. “Oh yes, go check on your precious Cole. Who is totally into you, by the way. I know you’re retarded when it comes to sex, but—”
“Don’t use that word, asshole.”
“What, ‘sex’? You really are a prude. You should know that when we hooked up in your car, I hadn’t worked so hard to give a guy a blow job in…ever.”
He shrugged. “Not my fault your technique is lacking.”
Justin jolted as if he’d been slapped. “I’ll have you know my technique is legendary!”
Ignoring that, Daniel’s mind caught up to the rest of what Justin had said before. “And you’ve been smoking too much grass if you think Cole—”
“Would jump on your dick in a heartbeat if you let him? Trust me, Danny. You know, I could help you poor guys out. The three of us could have such a good time. Loosen up already.”
Gay Romance Holiday Collection Page 14