by Mike Andy
Stepping into the shower, he let out a deep breath when he felt the warm caress of the water cascading across his skin. Gregory stood under the shower head as he contemplated what had happened the night before. It felt good to be with Jackson, but at the same time, he was still afraid of getting hurt again.
Gregory scrubbed his body with the bar soap the ski lodge offered for guests. His mind still lingered on last night. The way Jackson touched him made him feel wanted and needed. He wanted there to be more between the two of them. Jackson was a great man and he would make a good husband to some lucky guy if he ever decided to settle down.
Hearing the door to the bathroom open, he pushed his hands across his face to wipe the water away. He heard Jackson calling out from the other side of the shower curtain. “Hey hot stuff. Can I join you?”
They had already gone this far. Gregory didn’t see the harm in letting them share a shower together. With a sharp inhale, he pulled the curtain aside to look into the bathroom. Jackson stood there in all his glory. Still naked from the night before, Gregory could make out everything this time. He had a toned stomach with tight abs and a muscular physique. His eyes glanced down to see that cock that gave him so much pleasure the night before. Gregory blushed as he tugged the curtain of the shower closed.
“I don’t see why not. The water is quite warm this morning. It feels good.” Gregory heard the shower curtain rings glide on the metal rod as it pulled back. Jackson’s toned body gliding into the shower with the stealth of a predator stalking its prey. And Gregory was the prey!
Gregory made room for Jackson in the shower by stepping further under the shower head. The muscular man pressed up against his back. He inhaled sharply when that thick cock pressed against his ass cheeks.
This alpha was so damned sexy and every bit of him turned Gregory on. He couldn’t repeat last night though. Not again. If he did, it would be difficult for him to let go. He was sure that Jackson had other lovers or wouldn’t want to be in a relationship. It was his nature. The man lived a lavish lifestyle. Why would he want to settle for someone like Gregory?
Gregory grabbed the curtain to pull it back and step out of the shower. Drying off quickly, he shook his clothes out to get dressed as fast as he could. Jackson called out from the shower. “What? Was it something I said? Or something I didn’t say?”
Jackson peered out from the shower when Gregory was pulling up his pants to button them. “No, it is nothing. I don’t really know. I’m really unsure about a lot of things right now. Listen, last night was great. It was really fun, but it was a onetime thing.”
Gregory slipped his shoes on and threw his shirt over his body before he raced out of the bathroom. He heard Jackson stumbling around in the shower, obviously trying to get out to follow him. Gregory left the guest room before Jackson could catch up to him.
Buttoning up his shirt, he made his way down to the main lodge area. The smell of fresh baked bagels filled the room. Gregory followed the scent to find the baked goods sitting out on a tray. Grabbing a plate and one of the raisin bagels, he sat down at a table to eat.
Why did he always fall in love too fast? It was ridiculous how many boyfriends he had in the past. The sad thing was that it never lasted. Gregory wound up hurt when they would leave him. Sometimes it was his job that got in the way. Other times, his boyfriend would go chasing after another guy. It was frustrating. Why weren’t there any good men out there?
Biting into the bagel, he looked around the room. Not many other guests were out at this time of morning. They were probably sleeping off hangovers. The familiar redhead that was Gregory’s cameraman entered into the room.
Matthew claimed a bagel from the rack before joining the table. “You look like hell Matthew. Didn’t you sleep last night?” Matthew’s hair was disheveled and his clothes were wrinkled. The man gave a grunt to Gregory. He stood from the table to get coffee from the drink bar before coming back.
Sipping the black coffee, Matthew shook his head. “I didn’t sleep at all last night. I had to share the room with the blasted snow cat driver. The man is a bear. He snored so loudly that the picture frames rattled on the wall. I tried to ignore it and go to sleep. I finally ended up going into the lodge and I fell asleep for a few hours on one of the couches. That is before the people woke up and disturbed my sleep.”
Gregory chuckled at the story. It was humorous but unfortunate for Matthew. He reached his hand across the table to give Matthew’s arm a reassuring pat. “At least we will be able to get out of here today. You can go home and spend time with your family and have a few days off.”
Matthew agreed with Gregory by nodding. His fingers brought the mug to his lips to sip the hot coffee. Gregory took a bite from his bagel as he rose from the table. He walked over to the window to look outside. A blanket of pure white snow covered the ground.
Chapter 6
Jackson
Jackson fumbled with the shower curtain when Gregory suddenly left. He heard his speech about it being a onetime thing. The omega rushing out of the bathroom as he tripped over the edge of the shower. He fell to the ground, banging his knee against the hard floor. Jackson cursed under his breath, clutching onto his knee to sooth the pain. He jumped up from the floor to chase after Gregory, but the door to the room slammed shut.
He was too late to talk to him to work things out. His hands brushed across his wet hair. “Oh man! I really fucked up this time.” He sighed as he returned to the bathroom to grab a towel. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he looked at the clock on the night stand. It was past nine in the morning.
Jackson grabbed a fresh outfit to wear. When he hosted parties, he liked to dress up and show off. If he wasn’t the center of attention though, he preferred to dress casually. He slipped a pair of blue jeans on with a white t-shirt and a pull over sweater. If he was lucky, he would be able to talk to Gregory before he left for the day.
The main lodge room had guests lingering around to get their breakfast and morning coffees. Jackson did his best to navigate the crowd and try to find Gregory in the mess. He came into the dining area to see Gregory and Matthew sitting at a table together. Jackson inhaled a deep breath to gather his courage. He walked over to the table with confidence.
“Sorry to interrupt you two. Do you think I could speak to you alone for a moment Gregory?” The blonde omega looked up from the table at Jackson. He didn’t show a sign of being happy right now and that worried him. What was going on in his head?
Matthew sipped from his coffee. His questioning expression as he looked over at Gregory was enough. Gregory saw the look as well. He addressed Matthew. “I will explain later.” He scooted his chair back, standing up from the table. “Come on. Let’s go someplace else to talk.”
Jackson felt relieved that Gregory was willing to give him the courtesy of hearing him out. He followed Gregory into the main lodge room where Gregory sat in a chair in front of the communal fireplace. Jackson picked up the chair closest to Gregory to turn it toward him. Sitting across from the omega, Jackson looked into his eyes.
“Listen. I don’t know what that was about earlier in the room. If I said something to offend you, I am sorry. I didn’t want you to take off so quickly. I thought we could spend some time together. Get to know each at least.” Jackson leaned forward in his chair. His hands placed onto his own knees as he stared into Gregory’s eyes.
The omega was cute as he tried to avoid eye contact with Jackson. His head turning to the side. Those hands clutched together so the fingers could fidget. “I’m sorry Jackson. I just needed to get out the room. It was nothing that you did.”
Jackson felt relieved that it was not him that made the omega flee from the room. He reached his hand over to curl his fingers over top of Gregory’s hand. “Listen, it is alright. I understand. We all need space sometimes. I didn’t expect it so soon after what happened last night.”
The hand in his grasp fidgeted like it wanted to pull way from his grip but remained in place. Jackson
stared deep into the omega’s blue eyes. His fingers curled around Gregory’s hand to squeeze it tighter. Gregory gave him a smile and nodded to reassure him. “Sorry. That was me. I guess I just panicked from the situation and left the room. I should have stayed.”
“You didn’t stay, but I found you again. That is all that is important.” Jackson stood up from the chair. His hand held out toward Gregory to assist him. “The staff have cleared the walking path outside from all of the snow. Would you want to go for a walk?”
Gregory took hold of Jackson’s hand as he stood from the chair. He smiled at the idea of getting out of the lodge. The noise from the other guests almost made it impossible to hear others talk, let alone think. “Thank you. I would love to go for a walk.”
Jackson grabbed their coats from the lodge’s coat check counter. He handed Gregory’s jacket to him. “Here you go. Might still need this out there. It is still cold out.” Jackson was a gentleman and helped to hold the coat open for Gregory to make it easier to put on.
Zipping his jacket up to the neck, Jackson took hold of Gregory’s hand to lead him outside. The pure white snow blanketed the grounds around the lodge. It looked like a winter wonderland. The white snow sparkled in the morning sun.
The walk way had been cleared enough to make it easy to walk on, but there were still a few slick patches of ice. Gregory slipped at one point and Jackson quickly reached out to brace him from falling. “Whoa, watch it there. Don’t want you to fall down and break that beautiful bottom.”
Gregory blushed from the compliment. The cool air outside made it impossible to tell. To Jackson, he either blushed or his cheeks were rosy from the from the cold wind. “Thank you, Jackson. You are a gentleman after all.” Gregory’s hands pushed into the confines of his jacket pockets.
“I think we have been out here long enough. You sound like those laughing wind up teeth. Let’s go back inside and get something warm in you.” Jackson placed his arm around Gregory to hug him close.
Once inside the lodge, Jackson fetched two cups of hot cocoa for them. He brought the hot mugs over to Gregory. He had already settled in before the fireplace to warm himself. “Here you go. Something nice and warm. As promised.” Jackson handed the warm mug of cocoa to Gregory and sat next to him.
Jackson sipped from his mug quietly. The roaring fireplace radiated heat through the room. The flickering flames danced in the hearth with a hypnotic rhythm.
Gregory finished his cup of cocoa and placed the mug on the floor next to his chair. His legs curled to rest his feet on the chair. He hugged his arms around his legs, resting his head upon his knees. The omega simply stared over at Jackson.
Jackson looked at Gregory over his cup while he took a sip of the hot beverage. “What is it? Do I have cocoa in my beard?” Reaching up, his hand brushed across his beard and mustache to make sure.
Shaking his head, Gregory laughed out loud. A smile now upon his face, it warmed up Jackson more than the cocoa. “No, it is not that. I was thinking about your earlier comment. How you wanted to get something hot inside of me. While the cocoa did the trick, I thought you might have been referring to something else.”
It was Jackson’s turn to feel embarrassed. He had not meant it that way. Now that it was pointed out, he had to chuckle at himself. “It was not my intention to lead you in that direction. If you did like it though, I wouldn’t mind revisiting that possibility.”
Gregory let his feet come back down to the floor. His hands rested upon his lap to brush over his pants. “That might be nice. Not right now. Maybe later.” The cute omega stood up and waved to Jackson. He seemed a lot happier as he left. Not like earlier when he rushed out of Jackson’s guest room.
Chapter 7
Gregory
With a bounce in his step, Gregory came back into the dining area to find Matthew there. The poor cameraman looked more awake after getting coffee in him. Matthew scratched his fingers across his cheek over the beard. “So, you mind telling me what all that was about?”
Gregory shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know really. We kind of hit it off and I think he likes me. I panicked though and left the room before he talked to me this morning.” Gregory folded his arms across his chest.
The gruff looking cameraman took a few moments to let the words sink in. “Wait, you didn’t rush out of here when he showed up in the dining hall. Was this. Did you sleep with him last night?”
Gregory blushed when the words left Matthew’s lips. He crossed his arms over his chest. “What if I did? Is that so wrong Matthew? I’m sure you have had your share of one-night stands.”
Matthew shook his head a few times. “Oh, no. No, no, no. You don’t get to throw that back on me. I have one-night stands. You don’t. You get too attached to people. I’ve seen it happen when you do a fluff news story piece. Your heart gets all caught up in the situation.” Matthew picked up his coffee mug to drink from it and set it back onto the table.
Gregory shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, maybe I do get too attached. I can change though. I can have fun every now and then.”
Matthew’s accusing eyes stared right into Gregory. He leaned over the table with his hands in front of him. “Not going to share the details of last night? Like how you two ended up sleeping together or how good he was in bed?”
Gregory stared across the table at him. His jaw dropped open. “How did we? This was your fault. When he came over, you pushed me into the situation. There wasn’t a couch in the room to sleep on either. We had to share the bed.”
With a hearty laugh, Matthew leaned back. The chair tipping back onto its back legs. “When you end up in a serious relationship, just remember to come back and thank me. Don’t forget to invite me to the wedding.”
Gregory sucked in his breath. He crossed his arms over his chest protectively. “Yeah, like I would invite you to my wedding. Besides, I’m not sure that this will work out between the two of us. We are from different worlds. I only get to be on the fringes of his world when I am in front of a camera.”
“Sometimes you have to make the move to make things happen Gregory. Follow your heart. I know it is hard with what you have been through in the past. If you feel like he is the one, don’t let me stop you.” Matthew rose from his chair. With a mighty yawn, he stretched his arms over his head. “I am going to check on Henry and see where he is at with getting the snow cat working again. Be careful Gregory. You’re my friend and my co-worker. I don’t want to see you hurt again.”
The blonde nodded his head in agreement with Matthew. “Yeah, I got it. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” Gregory wandered around the ski lodge to see what other amenities they offered. For such a large place, they had to have something to do other than eat, drink and go skiing all day.
The lodge did have more to offer as he discovered. A fitness room on the main floor had treadmills with exercise bikes and weight equipment. There was a billiard room on the second floor. The green felt on the table looked worn but it still functioned for entertainment. There was also a swimming pool and jacuzzi located one floor below the main lodge.
Gregory thought it would be nice to go for a swim but he did not bring a pair of swim trunks with him. The pristine water glistened as if beckoning him. He bent down to slide his hand through the water. It felt warm to the touch. Of course, they would have a heated pool at a ski lodge.
There was no one down here at the moment. It might be okay to go for a swim. Gregory glanced around to double check the room. He shrugged his shirt off and then slipped his pants and boxers down. He dove into the pool, swimming to the edge. His head crested through the surface of the water. Hands moving over his face and through his hair to wipe the water away.
He swam from one end of the pool and back a few times to get in some exercise. He felt cooped up in the lodge and needed to get out some of his energy. If he was back home, he could at least go out to the local shopping center or visit one of his friends. This would have to do for now.
Gregory glanced around the pool area to see if anyone else was in the room. His eyes alighted upon Jackson. The bearded man sat at a table in the corner. Gregory’s clothes were folded into a neat pile. Gregory swam over to the edge of the pool closest to Jackson.
“Very bold of you go swimming with nothing on in the pool. You know there are other guests here and they could come down here at any moment.” He rose up from the table, walking over to the edge of the pool. He squatted down to gaze into Gregory’s eyes.
Gregory placed his arms onto the edge of the pool to rest his head upon his arms. “You ass! I was panicking there. I thought someone had stolen my clothes. Then I would have to find some way to get new clothes without making a spectacle of myself.”
Jackson laughed aloud while his right hand stroked through his beard. “That would have been a sight to behold. I don’t think I would have wanted to miss that. Maybe I should still do that?” He started to rise up again when Gregory reached out to catch his leg. “Hey, stop. This is an expensive suit. You’re getting it wet.”
Giving a laugh, Gregory shook his head. “Should have though about that before you came down here to the pool.” Gregory pulled on Jackson’s leg firmly. The man had to scoot forward toward the edge of the pool to keep his balance.
“Ok, enough joking around now. Let go.” Jackson’s right foot was perched at the very edge of the pool. Gregory simply smiled as he planted his feet firmly against the wall and gave a firm tug. The business had to move toward Gregory or risk hitting his head when he fell.
A loud splash resounded through the room as Jackson fell into the pool in his suit. Gregory laughed as Jackson surfaced from the water, smoothing his hands back across his head. “Oh, you think that is funny, do you?” His grabbed onto Gregory’s head to push him under the water.