Code Blue (The Sierra View Series Book 3)

by Max Walker

  Right now, though, all Crow cared about was peeling away a different type of layer.

  “Mind if I grab a water bottle?”

  “Not at all, go for it,” Crow said, kicking off his neon green and blue sneakers by the door.

  “Thanks,” Ethan said, ripping off the price tag and uncapping the bottle of water that was sitting next to the coffee maker. “I’ll make sure to pay you back the thousand dollars it costs to drink this.”

  Crow chuckled, and waved. “Don’t worry, this one’s on me.”

  “So generous,” Ethan said, balancing on the chipped wooden dresser while he took off his shoes.

  “You can sit,” Crow said, motioning toward the king sized bed in the center of the room.

  “I’m just going to soak the bed in sweat.”

  That’s fine.

  “Ok,” Crow said. He went to the corner of the room and grabbed the large green foam roller. It was a firm cylinder of foam that had ridges and bumps which felt like little devil hands working out your knots when it was rolled over tense muscles. It hurt sooo good, although Crow liked to joke that Angela had ordered him the alien dildo version.

  “Look, see,” he said, showing it to Ethan.

  “It does taper off at the end. That’s a little unnerving.”

  They both laughed. “Seriously, it works really well though. Here, let me try rolling out some of your knots.”

  Ethan drank some of the water before capping it and going to lay down on the carpeted floor.

  “No, no,” Crow said, “get on the bed. Who knows what’s on that floor.” He whacked Ethan on the side with the alien dildo-massager. Ethan playfully winced and fell back on the bed before rolling over onto his stomach on the white bed sheets.

  Oh fuck. This was a terrible idea.

  Crow could feel his dick swelling in his briefs. Just seeing Ethan laying down on the bed was enough to drive his hormones into a frenzy. He looked down at Ethan’s bare feet and trailed his gaze up, past the muscular calves and the peek of thighs before the shorts covered him up. They weren’t able to cover up that butt though. Ethan had it going on with the junk in his trunk. Crow gave it a playful slap with the foam roller as he took a spot standing next to the bed. He leaned over and started off rolling Ethan’s lower legs, applying enough pressure to get a reaction from Ethan.

  “Ohhh shoot, yeah, that does work—“ Crow found a particularly firm knot, “—shit, that works really well.”

  Crow continued working the foam roller over Ethan’s legs. With Ethan’s head in a pillow, Crow found himself admiring Ethan’s strong back, his gray shirt clinging to him in spots where the fabric had gone darker. Crow noticed the back of Ethan’s neck was flushing pink, a spot that now looked like a target for Crow’s tongue. He was feeling his physical needs start overriding the emotional ones. He wanted to climb onto Ethan and suck at the back of his neck while he rubbed his growing cock against Ethan’s firm ass.

  Relax.

  Crow moved the foam roller up higher, going over the shorts, rolling up to the bottom of Ethan’s ass. Ethan groaned as Crow applied more pressure, using the bumps and ridges to really work out some of the tension. He started to wish he could ditch the alien dildo and just use his hands. He’d be more than happy using his fingers to knead into Ethan’s meaty thighs.

  Fuck it.

  Crow had to ask. “Mind if I climb on you for a second, my back’s killing me.”

  “Go for it.”

  Crow’s back was fine, but his balls were aching. He climbed onto the bed and threw one leg over Ethan and kept the other planted on the opposite side. He sat down on Ethan’s firm butt, drawing out what sounded like an involuntary moan. It was a good thing Ethan’s face was buried in the pillows because Crow did not want him to see how red his face got. He glanced at the mirror on the closet door. He was both red from the gym and from the fact that he was now straddling the man of his dreams. All Ethan had to do was lift his head up and look toward the mirror to see the massive bulge Crow was sporting in his shorts. The thin black fabric was holding back a throbbing erection that was completely obvious. He had to simmer down before he finished up the massage, because his shorts were about to tear open and he wasn’t sure how Ethan would feel about that kind of massage.

  “Oh fuccckk,” Ethan groaned into the pillow, “right there.”

  Crow used the foam roller to go over Ethan’s lower back, climbing up to his broad shoulders before rolling back down. If he moved his hips even a little lower, he was sure Ethan would feel how hard he was. He controlled himself though, unsure if Ethan was on the same level as him or not.

  “Is it alright if you switch to your hands?”

  Fuck no, I thought you’d never ask.

  Crow contained himself, saying instead; “It’ll cost extra.”

  “Just add it to my room bill.”

  “You got it,” Crow said, the smile apparent in his voice. He leaned over and set the foam roller on the floor. The move inadvertently rubbed Crow’s erect cock against Ethan’s ass as he repositioned himself. It felt beyond-words kind of good, but it also sent a pang of nerves course through Crow. He had no idea why he was reacting so powerfully toward Ethan, and he also had no idea if the connection was reciprocated. He wanted more, so much more, and that required opening himself up to the possibility of rejection. Ethan could want nothing more than a friend, and maybe this was all incredibly out of bounds. Maybe Crow shouldn’t be running his hands slow and hard over Ethan’s lower back. Maybe his hands shouldn’t slide under Ethan’s shirt, rubbing over the soft, moist skin, feeling the hard knots and tangles of muscle. Maybe his hands shouldn’t climb higher, reaching Ethan’s shoulders, slowly, softly, applying more pressure.

  Fuck the maybes. This was meant to be.

  Crow could feel it deep down, this moment was supposed to happen and it was supposed to be with Ethan. He couldn’t tell why or how this had even come to pass, but he was ready to explore it and he needed to know if Ethan was too.

  “Ethan,” Crow said, his voice soft.

  “Let me turn over.”

  His request was surprising, but completely welcome. Crow climbed off Ethan. Ethan rolled onto his side and pulled his shirt off, revealing a picturesque sight of a rippling back, turning over fully to show off his sexy as sin chest, covered in a light dusting of dark hair that immediately had Crow’s mouth watering.

  And then Crow’s eyes drifted lower, past the happy trail, and almost fell out of his skull in surprise. Ethan was rock hard, his cock throbbing against his shorts, creating a visible tent that had Crow going weak in the knees. He almost forgot what they had been doing in the first place. His mind went blank, honing in on the slab of man meat that had been laid out before him. Nothing else was processing. Luckily, he found himself seconds before his frozen-self became awkward. He licked his lips, subconsciously, and started massaging Ethan’s forearm, trying hard not to drool on the man.

  “Mhmm,” Ethan groaned, his eyes shut as his body became jello in Crow’s hands. He moved from one arm to the other, moving to the chest, squeezing and kneading and working harder and harder, encouraged by the groans of pleasure. All the while, both of them harder than steel. Crow was ready to tear his shorts off, the pressure almost becoming too intense to bear.

  All he could see was lust. Crow stopped massaging Ethan and climbed onto the bed again. He moved so that he could straddle Ethan who still kept his eyes shut as Crow tightened his thighs around him. Crow lowered himself, angling his hips so that both of their hard dicks rubbed over the other through the thin gym shorts, their heat rolling off each other in waves. He leaned down lower, lower. Their faces inches apart. Crow moved in, their lips meeting once again, and once again, their connection exploding a hundred fold. He could physically feel something stir inside him. Crow had never had a kiss like the one he shared with Ethan, and it wasn’t just one kiss either. The kiss at the bar felt the same way. Two for two.

  Ethan’s hands came up to grip Crow’
s hips as he pushed his upward, rubbing his cock harder against Crow’s. Crow moaned into Ethan’s mouth as their tongues displayed their unbridled passion. Crow could feel Ethan’s stubble on his face, and he fucking loved it. Just as much as he loved feeling Ethan’s fingers dig into his sides, making him gyrate harder down onto him.

  Crow was ready to go all the way. He knew he’d never be able to explain it, but there was something in that moment that told him Ethan Winter was a man who he wasn’t supposed to let get away.

  Ethan’s hands moved from Crow’s hips, sliding under the waistband of his shorts, and then squeezing on Crow’s ass, pulling him down even harder, their kiss becoming all the more consuming, the heat in the small hotel room ready to set fire to the thin white curtains. Crow groaned in pleasure as Ethan slipped a finger between his cheeks, feeling himself pulse harder in his shorts. He had to take them off. He needed to feel skin on skin. Cock on cock.

  Crow reached down and tugged at his shorts. Ethan continued squeezing his ass, smiling as he looked up into Crow’s eyes. That was it. The moment the both of them understood that this went far beyond a simple hook-up in a crummy hotel room. Way past a three-month cross country tour. This was something that neither of them could fully comprehend but both of them could fully respect. In that moment, they knew they were tied together for a very, very long time.

  That was also when two loud knocks froze them both in their horned up tracks.

  12 Ethan Winter

  “Crow?” Angela’s voice came from the other side of the locked door. She sounded stressed, although Ethan had come to learn that ‘stressed’ was her normal operating emotion. Some people seemed like they strived under stress, although Ethan found that to be rare. Stress was never good on the body.

  What was good on the body, though? An incredibly handsome, charming, sweet, and half-naked man. Crow looked down at him, his light brown eyes glittering like a mischievous teen. He put a finger to my lips as his curled into a smile.

  “Crow, come on. I know you’re in there,” she persisted. “Jordan told me he saw you coming this way.”

  She knocked three more times, each one harder than the last.

  “It sounds important,” Ethan whispered past the finger.

  Crow gave an adorably sexy roll of his eyes as he got off of Ethan. The weight of Crow’s body on his was immediately missed. It made Ethan realize how good things had been and how good things seemed to be about to get. Crow was able to transport him with a kiss alone. Throw in fondling and erections, and Ethan was ready to knock down all the walls.

  The knocks had thrown him back to reality, though. Crow stood up, adjusting himself so that his excitement wasn’t on full display. Ethan grabbed his shirt and tugged it on, moving to sit at the edge of the bed. He pulled out his phone and tried to act as if he wasn’t just about to be sucked off by Crow.

  “Jesus,” Ethan could hear her say. “Crow, I can’t have you playing hide-and-seek right now.”

  “Is everything ok?” Crow’s voice was immediately tense. Ethan perked up. They had talked about the weird notes and had laughed it off as a harmless teen or an immature troll. Crow had admitted that the messages had spooked him, but he had said having Ethan around was a sort of comfort he wasn’t expecting to have. He said it was “cuz you feel so much like home. I’m not saying I think you’re my bodyguard or anything. You just make me feel… comfortable. Safe.”

  Ethan had gone to sleep that night feeling the happiest he’d been in a while. He had forgotten how much pleasure he got from making others feel safe.

  “Mind if I come in?” Angela

  “Of course,” Crow said, stepping aside. Ethan looked to the side, toward the entrance. Angela gave a mini-jump on recognizing that there was someone else in the room. She gave a curt smile and then a glance toward Crow.

  “Sorry,” Ethan said, instantly feeling like he was out of place. Angela must have had something she wanted to talk to Crow in private about.

  “No, that’s ok,” Angela said, seeming to course-correct herself. She shook her shoulders and gave a little exhale. The exhaustion of managing a tour was starting to show in the darkening bags under her eyes, and they weren’t even to the half-way point yet. She was still killing it in the fashion department though, wearing a navy romper with a few artfully placed floral prints. He had to give it to her. Ethan was reminded of his medical school days, when time was short and his lack of fucks given towards his appearance were plentiful. He would go a few weeks without shaving and had a pair of lucky jeans that were rarely put to rest. He spent most of his time in scrubs anyway, so it didn’t matter too much, but he definitely admired someone who was still able to keep it together when the pressure was on.

  “I have an appointment with Troy in a few minutes, anyway. I should get going.”

  That was a lie. He didn’t have to see Troy for another couple of hours, but he felt like going to his own room was the best option at that point. Angela was clearly still resisting sharing whatever she had come over to talk about, and the moment between him and Crow was gone. He got up and started toward the door. Crow stood by, tossing the water bottle in the air.

  “I changed my mind. You do owe me, now,” he said, clearly talking about more than the water bottle.

  “We’ll have to work something out. A payment plan.”

  Ethan grabbed the water bottle out of the air and walked by Crow with a wide smile. He had to stop himself from forgetting about the water and just grabbing Crow’s face right there and then for a goodbye kiss. That would have definitely complicated things way past what either of them needed right then. Angela seemed to have some kind of news that was going to affect Crow, and so Ethan was just going to leave and make things as simple as possible.

  He started down the hallway, looking at the generic dark black frames hanging with generic flower photos taken by someone in their second year of photography school. He tried to distract himself, but it wasn’t working. His mind was reeling, except it wasn’t all about Crow. He felt like he was walking on a cloud, and, in one quick second, that feeling completely disappeared and was replaced by a resounding sadness. One left behind by a loss so deep, Ethan was still coping with it.

  Adam. He felt guilty for being that happy. The therapist had said it was important to allow himself to feel those things, to not harbor the guilt, but it was useless. Whatever the doctor told him would go in one ear and out the hole left in his chest. How could he be allowed to be happy when every moment was a thought of ‘oh, Adam would have loved this,’ or ‘me and Adam would be laughing about this for days,’ or, ‘Adam and I are never going to forget this day’.

  Except Adam was gone. And it was all because of Ethan.

  “Umpf.”

  Ethan hadn’t even realized someone opened their room door. He didn’t notice until he was walking right into the guy, who also was apparently in a world of his own and striding out of his room like nothing was going to stop him.

  “Shit. Sorry, Jordan.”

  Ethan wasn’t in the mood to make pleasantries. He had quickly soured from the moment he left Crow’s to the second he bumped into Jordan. Two entirely different moods, and the one he was currently in was considerably more antagonistic. He went to keep on walking, but Jordan seemed to have different plans. He reached out and grabbed Ethan by the forearm. It wasn’t a hard grab, but it was definitely obtrusive. Ethan pulled back and stopped.

  “So, you and Crow, huh?” Jordan’s expression was suggestive. “I’ve noticed you two over the past couple of weeks. You guys really connect.”

  Ethan’s brows furrowed. “I’m not in the mood right now, Jordan.” It was true, Ethan didn’t want to stand in a badly-lit hallway with Jordan’s whiskey breath wafting in his direction.

  “I just want to help,” Jordan said, his expression morphing. He curled a corner of his mouth, narrowing his eyes. “I’m just saying, it’s no secret I’ve had a crush on the guy for a while, but I think I’m over it, now. I think playing
matchmaker between you two will really help nail that coffin shut.”

  “I don’t need a matchmaker,” Ethan said, feeling unreasonably testy. From the sounds of it, Jordan wanted to help, but Ethan wasn’t having it.

  “I get it. It’s weird hearing this from me, but I’m serious, I just want to help. I see the way he looks at you on the bus, the way he sings his songs toward you when he’s performing. The kid’s fucking smitten. And you’re not far behind, except… I do feel something holding you back. That’s why I was so forward at that rest stop, I wanted you to just let it all out.”

  Ethan wasn’t sure if he could entirely believe what Jordan was saying. At the time, it had felt like Jordan was poking and prodding at Ethan so that he could crack in front of Crow. He remembered the look Jordan had given him from across the table. It was the look of a dog getting nervous that something bigger, more intimidating, was moving in on its territory. “I’m just ready to get back to my room and shower,” Ethan said, hoping he could end this.

  “Wow, you and Crow must have gotten busy in that room.”

  “Huh?”

  “You two, I saw the both of you scurrying off to his room out of the elevator.”

  Ethan nodded, wondering how rude it would be if he said goodbye and just turned and started walking. Thankfully, he didn’t have to find out because Jordan cut things off for the both of them.

  “Ok,” he said, clapping his hands. He looked like he was going outside to spend time by the pool. “Well, if you reconsider, I’m here for some advice. I know he really likes the color blue and he has a weird thing for teacup pigs.”

  That last bit actually got a chuckle from Ethan. It was one of those things that made you think ‘Of course Crow likes tiny pigs’.

  “Thanks, Jordan,” he said, turning to walk the few more feet toward his room.

  He really likes the color blue…