by Saffron Blu
“OH MY GOD, Aimee!” Sam called out, stopping in her tracks and raising a hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe it’s you. I’ve been so worried.”
“I know. I’m sorry. Dom told me how stressed you’ve been.” Aimee moved the camera further away from her, and we could easily see Dom sitting beside her on the small hospital bed. Dom waved, and Sam greeted him.
“Hey, Dom. Aimee, how are you feeling? You sound chirpy enough.”
Aimee smiled, but it soon turned to a grimace, making me think those bruises must still be incredibly painful. “I’m sore, but other than that, I feel okay. I just spoke to Mum and the kids. They all seemed pretty excited to hear from me.”
“Little Dan has been missing you. They all have… but Dan, especially so. Matt found him scrolling through photos of you not just a few hours ago.” I nodded to Sam’s explanation and loved feeling her body loosen up beside me. Her worries were drifting away, and that made me happier than I’d imagined.
“Where are you guys? It’s dark, and we can hardly see you on the camera.”
Sam looked up at me and flashed me a smile before focusing back on the screen. “We’re on a date. We’re just walking back from Out ‘n’ Proud.”
“What did you think of the place, Matt?”
I didn’t really know the woman on the screen before me, but it warmed my heart that she was so open to bringing me into the conversation.
I grinned. “It was amazing, both the food and the entertainment. In fact, we were meant to be going to the movies after our meal but decided to stay there instead.”
Sam laughed. “Matt made friends with his number one fan, and we couldn’t leave after they joined us on the dance floor.” I laughed with her at the memory.
We had tried to leave after a quick dance, but Scotty came over and threw Cole at Sam before grabbing me and forcing me into a friendly dance. He wasn’t grabby or inappropriate, so I didn’t mind, and it was nice to let my hair down and be a regular guy. Well, close enough to one, anyway. Regular guys didn’t have people having fan-freak-out moments, of which Scotty did have a couple of those throughout the night. Dane even joined us on the dance floor once his shift ended, and Sam swapped numbers with them all, so we could arrange to meet up again.
They seemed like a nice group of guys who didn’t have a bad bone in their bodies. Some of those rare people that once you found them, you’d be silly not to keep in touch. At least I knew once I left, Sam would have some more friends to have her back. In some of our previous chats, she’d mentioned she and Aimee didn’t really have anyone like that.
Aimee yawned, and Dom turned his attention to her and gave her an assessing look. “You’re tired,” his voice was accusing.
Aimee waved a hand at him. “I’m fine. I’ve just slept for five days. I think I can manage a few more minutes of conversation.”
“You need rest so you can heal.”
“Dom’s right,” Sam agreed, jumping into the conversation. “We’ll let you go.”
Aimee rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. “We’ll chat more tomorrow, and you won’t be rushing me off the phone even if I’m yawning,” she said playfully as she gave Dom a pointed stare.
With a round of goodbyes, we ended the call, and I dropped my cell back into my pocket. Sam was silently crying, so I pulled her against my chest while she got a handle on her emotions.
“I’m so relieved.” She sniffed. “I really thought she was never going to wake up. I didn’t want to think about never seeing her again, but it was there in the back of my mind every second since I was told she was in a coma.”
I stroked my hand up and down her back comfortingly. “It’s okay. She’s okay. And she’ll be coming home soon, I’m sure.”
I felt Sam’s head move against my chest in a nod and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. After another minute or two’s silence, she took a deep yet shaky breath and stepped back out of my arms. “Let’s go home. I have a feeling they’ll be celebrating, and I’d love to join them.”
And we did just that.
By the time we arrived at the house, Sarah and Spencer were well on their way to drunk, and the boys were all on a sugar high. After the phone call, Sarah had sent Spencer to the local liquor store, where he seemingly cleared them out of champagne and chocolates. There were two empty bottles on the kitchen counter and another opened and half-drunk bottle in the refrigerator alongside four other full and chilled bottles. We had enough bubbles to keep us partying well into the night.
And that was exactly what we did.
Chapter Twenty-One
SAM
It had been almost two weeks since Aimee woke up, and we were all waiting impatiently for her to return home. I paced up and down the waiting area outside the arrivals gate, my eyes flicking to the door every ten seconds waiting for it to open. Nobody had come out as yet, and I knew even when people did start exiting, Aimee wouldn’t be one of the first.
Matt threw an arm out and grabbed my bicep as I passed him before pulling me to a stop before him. “You’re making me dizzy.”
I slid my arms around his waist and looked up at him, a small smile lifting my lips at the corners. He was a good eight inches taller than me, and when he held me like this, I felt protected and safe. I loved it.
Dan shot by us with a squeal of excitement, and I knew before even turning around that Aimee had just walked through the door. I hung back with Matt as the kids greeted their mom. Matt released me and pulled Dom into a man hug. I decided Aimee’s family had hogged her enough, and I needed a hug from my bestie.
I threw my arms around her neck and squeezed her tight.
Aimee laughed. “I can’t breathe, Sammy.”
“I don’t care. I’m never letting go,” I said with a smile, only half-joking. I’d missed her a lot even though we’d chatted most days since she has woken and went back to texting pretty much all day like we had when I lived in Germany and her in Aussieland. I guess I’d gotten used to having her around in the flesh, and the rest just wasn’t good enough anymore.
“You can’t get freaky with Matt if you don’t let me go.”
That got me to let her go. I held her at arm’s length as I snapped my eyes to hers and gave her a guilty stare.
“I knew it!” she announced, the smile on her face dropping for a second. “I kind of feel insulted that you didn’t tell me. You better give me all the details later.”
I nodded, and she turned toward Dom, who Matt was quietly chatting with. Aimee and I usually told each other everything, but while she was recovering, I didn’t feel like I should tell her about what had been going on between Matt and me. I felt like she needed to focus on getting herself better and passing whatever tests the doctors needed to run to allow her to fly home. And really, I didn’t know what was going on between Matt and me. Well, I knew how I felt, but I had no idea how it was going to work when Matt headed back to the US or even if there’d be anything to make work then. Maybe what we have now is just a bit of fun like a holiday fling.
A holiday fling that I’d never get over.
Aimee noticed we were attracting attention, so we left before even introducing Dom to Aimee’s family. Once we got to the cars—Aimee’s and her dad’s—I offered her the keys. “Do you want to drive?”
I might have my own car that sat on her driveway, but I wasn’t quite used to driving on the wrong side of the road yet and preferred not to drive if I didn’t have to. So when she took the keys off me with a smile, I sighed with relief.
We weren’t home long before we decided to have a family movie session. I smiled as I watched how close Aimee and Dom were. Matt told me Dom was feeling things for Aimee, but I was certain it was guilt over having knocked her unconscious. However, watching how he looked at her almost reverently, I could see that Matt was right. And the feeling was clearly mutual by the way she returned his looks. I was looking forward to having a good gossip with Aimee, so I could find out how things had gotten so serious with them so so
on.
It inspired me, seeing them make the most of what they had and seemly not care about what obstacles the future might throw at them. So, I pushed all my worries away and decided then and there while settling down to watch the movie that Dan had picked, I’d take a leaf out of their books and make the most of every second I had.
I didn’t pay much attention to the figures on the screen. Instead, I curled up against Matt’s side on the L-shaped sofa and concentrated on his beating heart under my fingertips.
“Are you even watching this?” Matt whispered against my ear, a smirk discernible in his voice.
I shook my head in answer, not wanting to disturb the movie, and turned to offer him a smile. He linked his fingers in mine resting on his chest and stroked at my wrist with his thumb.
Chapter Twenty-Two
MATT
The kids somehow managed to talk their way out of school and into a trip to the zoo with the four of us. They quizzed Aimee the whole way from the cars until we’d paid and actually entered the place, clearly waiting for someone to jump out and tell them it was a prank, and they were really going to school. I could only imagine they’d been on the same journey to the zoo, waiting for Aimee to turn the car around and head for their schools. Sam and I had had a kid-free ride, but the way Chris was hanging off Sam’s every word made me think our trip home might be different.
I stepped up alongside Dom and asked him something that had been playing on my mind for a few days. “How did the impromptu gig come about?”
The gig in question was recorded by a fan just a day or so before Dom and Aimee left the US. The video went viral. It’s all over the internet, and the media was going crazy over the songs they sung, ones we’d written before we got a record deal and the label didn’t want us to sing.
I saw him shrug out of the corner of my eye. “It was crazy. We got recognized, and the band who were performing called us up. They didn’t really give us a choice.”
“But the songs?” I asked, wanting him to clarify the main thing that was bugging me.
“We were in a honky-tonk. If we didn’t sing some country tunes, we’d probably have been booed off the stage.” We both laughed at his comment because it was likely true. “Besides, I needed a bass player, and I didn’t think Will would know our regular stuff.”
My heart leaped at hearing his name. That was another thing I wanted to ask Dom about. Why was Will there? Why was he with the band onstage? But I wasn’t going to come out and ask about him because nobody knew there had been anything more than a friendship between the two of us back in the day. Nobody even questioned it when we stopped talking after Will walked away from the band, even while he kept in touch with the other guys.
“Did he?” I asked, curious about whether he’d followed our music.
Dom chuckled. “No. He actually thanked me afterward for playing the old music because he wouldn’t have been able to play any of our current stuff.”
“I haven’t seen him in years. How’s he doing?” I knew exactly how he was. Anytime Kat or Dom mentioned him, I paid attention, but I was always happy to find out new stuff.
“He’s good. He didn’t want to get onstage but was buzzing when we finished. So I’m certain he enjoyed every second up there.”
“Dom! Look at this croc,” Dan called out from up ahead. Dan had seemingly taken a shine to Dom, and seeing how much he cared for Aimee, it was wonderful to watch. Dom offered me an apologetic smile before leaving our conversation unfinished and heading off to look at whatever Dan was so excited about. Intrigued, I followed behind.
Sam looked at me, curiosity clear in her lifted brow and piercing stare. “What’s on your mind?” I frowned, and she went on as I closed the bedroom door behind me. “You’ve been quiet all night. I’m worried.”
“You heard when Dom got the call from Gary, our manager?” Dom had taken the call after we arrived back from the zoo. Apparently, with everyone going insane for our new sound due to the viral video, the record company wanted us to focus on that for our next album, which we were apparently writing here in Australia. Not only that, but Gary was sending the rest of the band out here, which now included Will and Alberto, even though they originally chose to walk away from the band.
Sam nodded. “Yeah. It’s exciting, isn’t it?”
I stepped over to her desk and started picking up random knick-knacks—a Yoda Pop Vinyl and a piece of jewelry that looked like a time turner from Harry Potter. I spun it between my fingers as I spoke, not daring to look at Sam’s face. I didn’t want to see any hurt my words might cause.
“I’m worried about seeing Will again. I don’t want it to change anything between us, but I’m worried him being here will.”
I heard the bedding shift and felt her hand brush against the small of my back before her lips pressed against my shoulder blade. “I don’t know what we have here. I know what I’d like it to be, but I’m also aware that there are plenty of obstacles ahead of us if it’s going to go that way, and yes, Will might be one. Worrying about what might happen is a waste of energy that could be spent doing something else.” She kissed a trail across my shoulders and stepped around my front before looking up at me with her chocolate-brown eyes.
I grinned down at her. “I like the sound of this something else you speak of.”
“I thought you might.” She reached up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to my lips, the kiss soon turning to something more passionate.
Chapter Twenty-Three
SAM
I’d known what Matt was worried about before I’d even asked him. It was obvious the moment Dom had told him Will was coming, and he’d gone unusually quiet and distant. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit it did concern me, but like Aimee ass always reminding me, what’s meant to be will be. Nothing I would do could change that, so I was going to make the most of what I had with Matt while I could. If Will came and destroyed it all, then so be it. I’d be left with a broken heart, but I would have put my all into it.
I pulled back from the kiss and stripped out of my clothes as Matt’s hungry eyes followed my every movement. “You’re so beautiful.”
He trailed a finger down my neck and over my breast, giving my nipple enough attention to make it pebble. My breath came in short pants, and I arched my back, hoping he’d give them more attention.
“You’re pretty damn beautiful yourself, but you have way too many clothes on right now.”
Matt chuckled. “I’ve only got my boxer shorts on.”
I slipped my fingers into the waistband of his boxers. “It’s covering some very important bits.” I slowly slid them down his legs and dropped to my knees as they got lower. He stepped out of them when they were low enough, and I ran my hands up his thighs before sliding them over his ass cheeks, squeezing them. His cock was hard and bobbed enticingly when I was at eye level with it. I wanted to taste him, so I leaned forward and slid my lips around it.
It was salty and tangy with precum, but it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, it excited me knowing I’d turned him on this much. Matt groaned when he was fully engulfed, and I slid my mouth off and urged him to lay down on the bed.
Once he was laid back and in the position I wanted him to be in, I crawled up between his legs and licked my way down his cock. I wrapped my hand around his shaft and sucked on one of his balls before moving to the other, making him shift beneath me on the bed and groan with encouragement, my hand moving up and down in a rhythm he was clearly enjoying.
“Ugh, fuck, you’re good at that.”
Knowing he’d just had a shower, I let my tongue dip lower and tease over his hole. He’d made it clear he was bi, so I was pretty sure he wouldn’t be opposed to a bit of anal play. Besides, I knew straight couples who enjoyed anal play.
Matt’s breath hitched, and a moan escaped as I pressed my tongue harder against the pulsating hole and breaching the rim a fraction. Once I felt like he was slippery enough with my saliva, I pressed my thumb against the damp rim and teased
it slightly.
“Is this okay?” I asked, wanting to give him the chance to say no if it wasn’t what he wanted.
“Fuck, yeah. I haven’t had anyone’s mouth there in… too long. Girls don’t usually do that.”
I pressed my thumb inside, and it went without much force, telling me he was relaxed and comfortable enough for more, but I licked the rim and up his taint as I stroked my thumb in and out just to be sure. “Throw me the lube out of the drawer on my side of the bed.”
He shifted slightly on the bed, and I heard the drawer open and close before something hit the mattress beside his leg. I hastily smothered two fingers in the cold liquid before pressing them against his puckered hole.
“Please,” he whimpered, moving his hips to try and get my fingers where he wanted them.
I licked my way up his cock as I slowly pressed my fingers inside him, pausing once they were fully seated to give him time to get used to the intrusion.
He squirmed. “Sammy, I need you to move those beautiful fingers of yours.”
“Patience, Matt. You need to learn some patience if you want this to be good,” I said with a laugh.
“Oh, this is already more than good.” His voice caught as I slid my fingers out, giving him what he’d asked for.
Once my fingertips were breaching the rim, I opened my mouth, and with my other hand wrapped around his shaft, I guided it into my warm, wet mouth at the same torturously slow pace as I slid my fingers back inside him.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” His words were chant-like, and I had a feeling he didn’t even realize he was speaking them out loud.
After a few more thrusts, my mouth and fingers working in unison, I picked up my pace, and I knew I was pegging the magic spot inside because Matt was groaning and bucking beneath me with every thrust.