Last Place in the Chalet
Page 20
Noel stared at him. “You found the ring?”
Adam nodded his head. “The day before we left. I was pleased at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I got cold feet. It was just nerves, No.” He held out his hands, but Noel didn’t take them, and Adam let them fall. Noel could see the edge of irritation creep into his expression.
“You dumped me here. Told me I was boring and miserable and no one would ever want me.”
“I was scared. I didn’t mean it. You can propose, and we can start over.”
Then Adam seemed to notice Angel for the first time. “Who are you and why are you standing next to my fiancé?”
“My name is Angelo Marinelli.” Angel held out his hand, but Adam ignored it.
“Angel… Angelo and I shared the room because I didn’t have a roommate,” Noel said.
Beside him, Angel stiffened, and Noel suddenly realized how dismissive that sounded. He opened his mouth to explain, but Adam got there first.
“I need to talk to my fiancé, so you can get lost.”
Noel stared at him, shocked by his snide tone. “Hey—”
Angel nodded. “It was good to meet you, Noel. Take care. You have my number if you need a friend.”
“He doesn’t need you,” Adam snapped.
“Angel,” Noel started, but Angel walked away.
Noel turned on Adam. “What the hell, Adam? Why were you so rude to him?”
Adam looked surprised at Noel’s question. “Forget about him. He’s not important. Now, where will you propose to me? What about Chez Jacques? There’ll be plenty of people there to watch us.”
That was the moment Noel realized he’d never truly known Adam at all. He’d had dreams of proposing under a starlit sky, just the two of them surrounded by snowy mountains and the hush of the night, and Adam’s idea of a proposal was in an expensive French restaurant witnessed by as many people as possible. He bit his lip. Had they ever been compatible? Had they ever been truly happy?
“Why did you come meet me, Adam?” he asked suddenly. “Truthfully.”
Adam’s gaze shifted away, and he knew his instincts were correct. “I spent Christmas with Blake Rogers.”
Noel narrowed his eyes. “Blake Rogers? The agent? You’ve been having an affair with him?”
Adam’s lip curled. “An affair? You make it sound so twee and heteronormative. You know I fucked other men. We were never exclusive, No.”
Noel took in a deep breath. “I was always faithful to you.”
Adam did that shrug again. “Whatever. Anyway, we realized we didn’t get along, so here I am.”
Whatever?
“Where did you spend Christmas?” Noel demanded. Another look away told him what he needed to know. “In my home? In my bed?”
“You weren’t there.”
Noel had to breathe deeply just so he didn’t hurl over Adam’s expensive leather shoes.
Adam reached out to touch him, but Noel yanked his arm away. “No, be nice. It didn’t work out with Blake. You and me, we can try again.”
“You don’t want to marry me. You just want somewhere to live while you make your next move.”
“You make me sound so calculating,” Adam protested.
Noel took a step back. “You’ve got four hours to get your shit out of my house, otherwise it’ll go in the dumpster.”
“No!” Adam looked shocked, and the color drained from his face. “You can’t mean it.”
“I can and I do.” Noel gave him a grim smile. “I’ll be back this evening. You’d better be gone. And leave my keys behind or I’ll call the cops.”
“Where are you going now?”
Noel’s smile turned tender. “I’m going to run after the man I love and ask him to spend the rest of his life with me.”
“Who? You can’t mean Angel. He’s so plain.” Adam twisted his lips in an ugly expression.
Noel stared at him. Plain? Angel was the most beautiful man Noel had ever seen. “He’s beautiful, inside and out.”
Adam looked outraged. “You’re going to give him my ring?”
Noel shook his head. “I threw your ring away. He and I don’t need a piece of metal to love each other.”
He turned to run in the direction of the parking lot, hoping and praying he’d be there in time before Angel left.
“Noel!” Adam grabbed his arm. “You can’t do this to me!”
Noel tugged his arm free. “You did say we weren’t exclusive. Go find someone else to take care of you. I’ve met the man of my dreams, and I’m going to love him forever.”
If Adam said anything else, Noel ignored him. He had a man to find.
But Angel was nowhere to be seen. Not by pickups, or the taxi line, or in the parking lot. By the elevators, Noel pulled out his phone and called. It went to voicemail. He called again. Voicemail. He called again.
“What?” Angel sounded harassed. “No, it’s not Nonna, Grandpa. It’s a friend.”
Noel waited for him to finish. “Where are you?”
“Noel?” Now Angel sounded wary.
“Where are you?”
“Driving out of the airport.”
Dammit, he’d talked to Adam for too long. “I love you, Angelo Marinelli.”
“I know you… wait, what did you say?”
“I love you,” Noel repeated.
“What about your fiancé?”
“I don’t have a fiancé.”
“What about Adam?”
“Who?” Noel teased.
Angel growled, which was all kinds of cute. “Mr. Tall, Dark, and Bitchy.”
“Oh, him. Well, he’s going back to my place to pick up his stuff and hopefully change the bed, because he spent Christmas fucking another man in it.”
“He did what?” Angel sounded outraged.
Noel leaned against the wall and smiled. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I found a gorgeous man of my own to fuck.”
“But that’s your bed.”
“It’s okay, Angel. He doesn’t matter. I just want him gone so I can spend the rest of my life with you.”
“You want to be with me?” Angel’s voice was very small.
“I do,” Noel vowed.
“I’m not your rebound guy?”
“I thought about that,” Noel admitted. “but you and me, we fit. Better than Adam and I ever did.”
“But you wanted to marry him.”
Noel sighed. “I think I liked the idea of being married.”
There was a very long silence, and Noel worried he’d lost his chance with the most wonderful man in the world.
“Do you want to be with me, Angel?”
“I do.”
Noel barely heard the words, but he did, and his smile was huge. “You do?”
“I’ll come get you,” Angel said.
Noel waited for him by the roadside, and as soon as the car pulled up, the door was flung open and Angel tugged him in. Noel wrapped himself around Angel, and they kissed. In the back of his mind, he was worried that the driver would take offense, but when Angel finally let him go, Angel said, “Noel, meet my grandpa, Sal Marinelli.”
Noel stared at him wide-eyed. “We were making out in front of your grandfather?”
Sal, who looked like a wrinkled, gray-and-black-haired version of Angel, gave a rumbling belly laugh. “Don’t worry, I’ve done worse to him.”
“You have? He has?” Noel asked Angel. The thought horrified him.
Angel smirked, nodded, and pushed himself into Noel’s arms. “Take me home, Grandpa. I’ve got a man to kiss.”
Grandpa saluted him and pulled out into the traffic as Angel tilted his head to look at Noel.
“I’m keeping you?” he asked, and Noel could hear the uncertainty.
He didn’t want one more moment of uncertainty between them. “You have me for life, my love, not just for Christmas.”
Angel’s smile lit up the car, and Noel tipped his chin to kiss him forever.
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Unfortunately the passion between the two men isn’t the only blaze in the village. An arsonist’s crimes are escalating, and it’s up to Dale and his crew to stop them. Meanwhile, as they investigate, an unscrupulous business partner attempts to coerce Ben into marrying his daughter. The May Day parade is around the corner, but they have plenty of fires to put out before Ben can finally slide down the fireman’s pole.
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Cowboys and Angels: Book One
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Readers love Sue Brown
Secretly Dating the Lionman
“Brown spins a lively, emotionally satisfying story with complex characters and explicit sensuality.”
—Publishers Weekly
Speed Dating the Boss
“I was completely caught up in the story from the first page to the last. It was compelling and just about perfect.”
—Joyfully Jay
“Sue Brown did an amazing job on this book and I look forward to more by Sue in the future.”
—Gay Book Reviews
The Fireman’s Pole
“This is definitely a character-driven story, with some surprises, and a well-crafted plot to keep everyone aligned and in their places. All the stars for this book. Read and enjoy!”
—Happy Ever After, USA Today
“…engaging and a refreshing change of pace from serious and heavy themed books.”
—Jessie G Books
Cranky middle-aged author with an addiction for coffee and a passion for romancing two guys, SUE BROWN loves her dog, loves her kids, and loves coffee—though which order very much depends on the time of day.
Sue can be found at:
Website: www.suebrownstories.com
Blog: suebrownsstories.blogspot.co.uk
Twitter: @suebrownstories
Facebook: www.facebook.com/suebrownstories
By Sue Brown
Chance to Be King
Falling for Ramos
Final Admission
Last Place in the Chalet
The Layered Mask
The Next Call
The Night Porter • Light of Day
Nothing Ever Happens
The Sky Is Dead
Stitch
Stolen Dreams
Waiting
COWBOYS AND ANGELS
Speed Dating the Boss
Secretly Dating the Lionman
Slow Dating the Detective
DREAMSPUN DESIRES
#44 – The Fireman’s Pole
FRANKIE’S SERIES
Frankie & Al
Ed & Marchant
Anthony & Leo
Jordan & Rhys
Frankie & Friends Anthology
THE ISLE SERIES
The Isle of… Where?
Isle of Wishes
Isle of Waves
ISLAND MEDICS
Island Doctor
Island Counselor
MORNING REPORT
Morning Report
Complete Faith
Papa’s Boy
Luke’s Present
Letters From a Cowboy
Letters From a Cowboy Anthology
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Last Place in the Chalet
© 2019 Sue B
rown
Cover Art
© 2019 Reese Dante
http://www.reesedante.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-64405-551-9
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64405-550-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019947712
Digital published December 2019
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America