by Anders Grey
“I don’t know. That sounds like a lot of effort for… what, exactly?”
Alec crossed his arms, leaning back against the seat. His expression reminded me of a detective who kept getting bested. I might’ve snorted a laugh if he didn’t seem so serious about this.
“This is really bothering you, isn’t it?” I asked.
“I don’t trust Mark,” Alec said bluntly. “I don’t want Tiffany to get hurt.”
“Not to play devil’s advocate for a second, but what if there’s no other person? Maybe what you saw was just a coincidence or something.”
Alec’s eyes flashed warily, and for a second I was worried I’d upset him. But he sighed and uncrossed his arms. “Maybe. I dunno. I don’t want to be right, but I hope I am.”
I smiled and touched his forearm. “Me too. Let’s just try to enjoy this without thinking about your ex, okay?”
A familiar smirk appeared on Alec’s mouth. “Jealous again?”
I gave him a playful pinch. “Yes.”
He chuckled. “Good. I like you this way.”
Maybe it was a good thing we were trapped on a tour bus with my entire family because if we weren’t, I would’ve leapt on Alec by now and done things to him that are definitely not bus-appropriate.
The nature park was absolutely beautiful. The forest was a palette of green, gold, and red as the season slipped from late summer into early autumn. The air was crisp and fresh, and I inhaled a deep drag of it.
Alec already had his camera out. He was kneeling behind the wooden parking lot banister, snapping shots of a log or something.
“You couldn’t wait until we actually entered the forest?” I teased.
I expected some witty retort, but Alec just smiled up at me. “Why? There’s beauty everywhere. Look.”
Just like at the aquarium, I didn’t notice what he was pointing out to me at first. But I trusted him this time and looked closer. Soon I saw the tiny scrap of bright orange poking out amongst the brown and green. I kneeled next to Alec as he brushed the leaf debris aside with a stick until a cluster of sunshine-orange mushrooms was visible.
“Mushrooms,” I said.
He nodded. “It’s—”
“Mycena leaiana,” we said at the same time.
“Commonly known as the orange mycena,” I added smugly.
Alec’s eyes widened in surprise. “You know?”
I chuckled. “You think you’re the only one who knows shit about nature? I own a florist shop, remember? I’ve seen a plant and fungus or two in my time.”
He grinned. “I’m sorry for underestimating you.”
“Rowan! Alec! Come on, boys, or we’re gonna leaf you behind!” Mom called.
I groaned at her stupid pun. We got up and wandered over. “That was bad, Mom.”
“Yeah, but it worked, didn’t it?” Mom kneeled down and plopped Noodles on the ground, where he roamed curiously at the end of his leash.
“We’re coming, Kaitlyn,” Alec promised, winking at her. “I was just showing Rowan some mushrooms, because I’m a—”
I slapped my hand over his mouth. “If you say fun guy, I’m literally going to kill you.”
18
Alec
Rowan and I ended up lagging behind the group again because I kept stopping to take photos. At least, that was my excuse. I think I mostly just wanted to be alone with Rowan.
Ever since our mutual blowjobs last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I was pleasantly buzzed and tingly, like a teenager with my first ever crush. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in years, not even when I fell for Mark.
Aside from the chatter of Rowan’s family, the forest was quiet and peaceful. I kept stopping to stare up at the canopy of colorful leaves and appreciate my surroundings. It helped that Rowan was by my side. Whenever I pointed something out to him, he’d pause and look closely—not with the feigned half-glance of someone trying to be polite, but real, genuine interest. He loved nature as much as I did, which only endeared me to him more.
“This is really nice,” Rowan commented as we followed the path. “We should do this sort of thing more often.”
I smiled. “You mean after this trip is over and we go back to being friends?”
His mouth twitched. “Oh, right. Yeah. That’s what I meant.”
I regretted saying that. Why did I have to bring that up now while we were having a good time? Even though I knew it was inevitable, I didn’t want to think about the fact that this fake relationship would end.
I reached for his hand, lacing our fingers together. “Come on. Let’s catch up with the group.”
Holding hands placated Rowan, and his smile returned, warming my heart.
As we crested the slope, we saw Rowan’s family huddled ahead in a loose herd. Despite Rowan confirming there was no stranger on the bus, I found myself suspiciously glancing over my shoulder anyway, as if trying to scope out a figure lurking in the trees.
“You okay, Detective Alec?” Rowan asked.
Of course Rowan instantly knew I was snooping. He knew me too well.
“Just maintaining the peace,” I said.
Rowan looped his arm with mine. I noticed he was getting more comfortable with the PDA around his family. Then again, we did suck each other off last night, which was way more intimate than holding hands or linking arms, so maybe that was to be expected.
Rowan lowered his voice. “Seriously, I don’t think anyone’s here. You should try to relax. Enjoy the peaceful moment.”
I grinned. “I can’t believe you’re the one telling me that and not the other way around.”
He lightly slapped my arm.
“And here I thought you were advocating for peace,” I said with a mock gasp.
“Oh, shut up.”
A loud, real gasp took us by surprise. The crowd ahead suddenly knitted together, muttering and exclaiming. We both ran ahead, trying to get through.
“What’s going on?” Rowan asked.
I thanked my luck I was taller than most of Rowan’s family as I stood on my toes to survey the scene.
Kaitlyn stood by the edge of the path with a worried expression. The leash in her hand was taut, with Noodles straining at the end of it like he was trying to reach something.
“Noodles, what are you doing?” Kaitlyn asked, pulling back on the leash. Noodles dug his feet in hard and refused to budge.
“There’s something in the leaves!” someone called out.
“Oh my god, it’s a snake!” Aunt Rose cried.
The crowd shifted like a tide, leaping back in fear then rushing forward from curiosity.
Rowan and I exchanged a glance. I had a feeling the exact same thought was running through our minds simultaneously.
“Get out of the way,” Rowan said, shouldering his way through his relatives.
We made it to the front of the crowd and got a clearer picture.
I saw the scene in full now. Noodles was off the path, pulling at the end of the leash, his nose snuffling wildly. He scented something that lurked in the leaf debris—a dark snake, as long and thin as a whip.
I turned to Rowan, who had the same understanding expression on his face.
“It’s just a—" I began to say when someone barged into me, cutting me off.
“Everyone get out of the way!” Mark shouted. His loud voice caused a fuss, making the crowd back off. “Where is it? Where’s the snake?”
Tiffany stood beside me now, her eyes wide with fear and her hands clutched up to her chest. “Mark, be careful!”
Kaitlyn kept staring at Noodles like she didn’t want to tear her eyes away from her dog in case something happened. Noodles wagged his tail and barked, excited by the potential opportunity to chase something.
Mark followed the chihuahua’s nose right to where the snake lay, warily watching Noodles.
I saw now that the snake was backed into a hole. Probably its home. Noodles was the one trespassing.
“Kaitlyn, pull Noodles away,�
�� I said. “He’s disturbing the snake.”
Mark whipped towards me with a scowl. “What?”
I steeled myself. The situation happened so fast that I barely had time to react to Mark suddenly pushing me and being in my face.
“It’s just a rat snake,” I said. “Just leave it alone and everything—”
“Alec, just shut up,” Mark snapped. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. It could be poisonous. What if the snake bit the dog? What if it bit my fiancé, huh?”
I gawked at him, my mouth hanging open in disbelief. He was the one being utterly ridiculous, so why was I being made to feel guilty?
Tiffany exchanged a quick glance with me, her expression unsure—like she didn’t know which one of us to believe.
Rowan suddenly let out a sharp laugh. “You’re an idiot, Mark. Alec’s right. It’s a rat snake. It’s not venomous. It’s totally harmless.”
Now Mark was the one gawking. His jaw tightened and his face turned bright red with anger. I could tell he wanted to blow up at Rowan the same way he’d done to me at the aquarium, but he knew better than to do it in front of his entire family.
Instead, Mark decided to take his anger out on the snake. Mark stormed ahead, almost stepping on Noodles during his charge. He raised his leg, ready to stomp on the snake. He was ready to kill a harmless animal just to show off in front of his fiancé—and because Rowan and I had pissed him off.
I acted without thinking—and so did Rowan.
We both leapt at Mark, grabbing his arm and throwing him off balance. He tripped, falling backwards on his ass. The snake took the opportunity to bolt. It slithered away like a black flash of lightning, disappearing into the undergrowth.
“What the fuck, Alec?” Mark roared. He got to his feet, not caring that his butt was covered in mud. “What’d you do that for?”
I noticed he was conveniently upset with me and not Rowan, even though we’d both grabbed him.
“You didn’t need to do that,” I said calmly. “There was no danger.”
“Mark, are you okay?” Tiffany asked. She seemed a bit rattled, but I wasn’t sure if it was for the same reason as Rowan and me.
“Fine,” Mark muttered. “I was just trying to protect you, baby, you know that, right?”
Tiffany nodded. “I know, baby. You were so brave.”
She kissed him, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Rowan looked like he might gag.
Mark shot me a vicious look as he and Tiffany walked back to the path. I ignored him and turned to Rowan.
“You okay?” I asked.
He sighed. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry, boys,” Kaitlyn said. She held Noodles in her arms. The little chihuahua seemed disappointed that he didn’t get to chase anything. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene. It just happened so fast.”
“It’s not your fault, Mom,” Rowan said. “You know the snake wasn’t venomous, right? Mark was just trying to be a big shot. Besides, it lives here—not him.”
“I know, honey,” Kaitlyn said in a tone that made it clear she’d heard this spiel from Rowan before. “People just get scared, that’s all.”
As she walked off with Noodles, Rowan muttered, “Mark’s scarier than any snake. Did you see the way he aped out? It looked like he wanted to kill you.”
“I’m not surprised,” I said. “He’s never been a fan of being shown up. Or being told no.”
Rowan cringed, glancing in the direction Tiffany had gone. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I shouldn’t be giving Mark the benefit of the doubt. I don’t want her to ignore the signs and get hurt later.”
“What if I talked to her?” I suggested.
Rowan frowned sympathetically. “But that means Tiff’s gonna find out you’re Mark’s ex. It could make the rest of this trip really awkward for you.”
“I’m willing to let that happen if it means convincing her that Mark’s not all rainbows and sunshine.”
Rowan’s gaze softened. “Thanks, Alec.”
He threw his arms around me in a hug. When he lingered, I inhaled the scent of his hair, sweeter than any rose. I wrapped myself around him and reveled in his warmth. His embrace felt so good, even with all our clothes in the way. I realized that it wasn’t just Rowan’s body that I craved. It was him.
God, I don’t want this to end.
The moment felt painfully short. When Rowan pulled away, I tried not to look too disappointed.
“Come on,” Rowan said. “Let’s catch up before Mark tries to fight a bear or something.”
I snorted. “I might like to see that, actually.”
He smirked. “Even if the bear would win?”
“Especially if the bear wins.”
Rowan laughed, his voice clear as a bell. “You’re horrible.” With a devilish smile, he added, “I kinda love that about you.”
I tried to ignore the pleasant flutter in my chest. “Oh, please do tell me what else you love about me.”
“Now you’re pushing it.”
I batted my eyelashes at him. “Pretty please?”
He playfully shoved me. “That’s not gonna work on me when you’re six feet tall, genius.”
“So, you think I’m a genius?” I teased.
Rowan groaned. “Where are all the man-eating bears when you need them?”
I leaned in to mumble in his ear. “Hopefully already snacking on Mark.”
Rowan’s sudden laugh was so loud that a bird in a nearby tree got startled into the air.
19
Rowan
By the time we got back to the hotel for a couple hours of downtime, I was wiped. The idea of a bar crawl was exhausting, but I knew if I didn’t go, Tiffany might take it as a personal offense. At this point, I’d do anything to avoid digging an even deeper hole for myself.
I was grateful Alec offered to explain the entire story to Tiffany, even if it meant drawing her ire, too. Maybe she’d be so angry that she’d kick Alec out of the wedding or something. Hell, maybe she’d kick me out too.
At least then Alec and I would be together.
We both decided to take a quick shower before heading out again to wash away the sweat and dirt from the forest hike. I went first, grateful for a moment of quiet away from my family. I loved them to death, but after the hike, cramped tour bus ride, and the whole snake debacle, I needed a second to myself.
Of course, my body demanded my attention. As the hot water hit my body, my dick slowly stood. I muttered a swear under my breath. Was I having horny aftershocks from last night or something?
Since I didn’t want to spend the whole evening with blue balls, I grumbled and took myself in hand. As crude as it felt, it was better to jerk off quickly and sate my body than be at my dick’s mercy.
It’s like I’m being held hostage by my own dick.
I froze when I heard the sound of the door creaking open.
“Rowan, you in here?” Alec asked.
“Of course I am!” I snapped over the spray of the shower. “Where else would I be?”
There was no shower curtain—the shower itself was just a fancy glass rectangle. My whole naked body was on display for Alec. He paused and stared at me.
“Hello?” I said. “Naked here.”
“I can see that,” Alec said, raising a coy brow.
“So do you just, like, walk in on me naked now and watch me shower? Is that what we’re doing?”
Alec laughed. “Well, I had something else in mind.” He crossed his arms and grinned at me. “I don’t know if you remember, Rowan, but we gave each other blowjobs last night.”
Oh, I remembered that intimately, all right. But I didn’t want to give Alec the satisfaction of saying that.
“And?” I prompted.
He shrugged. “All I’m saying is, I think we’re past the pretending to be shocked at each other’s naked bodies part.”
I blushed furiously at his nonchalance, which I also found strangely arousing. Or maybe my dick just broke on the highes
t setting.
“What’s your point again?” I asked.
Alec let out a huff. It was at this point that I finally noticed he was hard. My eyes widened as I saw the bulge in his pants.
I smirked. “Ah. I see.”
Alec shifted, obviously uncomfortable with the erection straining in his pants. “I was just wondering if maybe… you wanted to, uh…”
“Have sex again,” I offered.
“Yeah.”
I snorted. He sounded like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. I pushed the shower door open.
“Come on in,” I said.
Alec’s eyes widened. He threw his clothes off as fast as possible then hopped inside. I thanked our luck that it was a fancy hotel shower spacious enough for two grown men.
“I—”
Alec cut me off. He crushed his mouth against mine, making me stumble back against the shower wall. He swallowed my muffled cry as his tongue slipped past my lips, tasting me. Claiming me.
When he gave me a second to breathe, I gasped. “Fuck, Alec.”
“Sorry,” he grunted. “So horny.”
I laughed at his honesty. When I looked down, his cock was fully hard and pressed flush against his belly. The sight of it made my own dick twitch.
“This is okay, right?” Alec asked breathlessly. “Having sex again? Like, nothing’s changed since last night?”
“The only thing that’s changed is that I somehow want you more,” I mumbled before kissing him hard.
Our moans melted together. We made out, hard and sloppy. I grabbed my cock and started pumping it while we kissed.
“Couldn’t stop thinking about you,” Alec said in between kisses and breaths, “while we were out today.”
He ran his hands along my chest, feeling me up, flicking his thumbs over my nipples. I let out a soft gasp.
Knowing he’d been obsessing over me since last night was fucking hot. No one had ever said anything like that to me before.
Alec thrust his knee between my legs, forcing them apart. He brought his cock closer until it brushed against mine. We both groaned at the hot friction.
“Shit, that’s good,” I said. “Do it again.”