by Darien Cox
“As long as you stop trying to manipulate us, I don’t mind Ogden thinking his façade is a success.”
Brett’s eyes shifted as he thought. He turned and leaned his back against the fence, crossing his arms. “How would this work then?”
Nolan shrugged. “I and the team tell Ogden that you’re being a big fat meanie and we don’t like you. We let it play out. Let him think he’s banded us together against you. Ultimately it eases up. We ‘learn’ to work together. And you don’t have to resign.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“I know what it’s like to get the Ogden treatment. We’ve all been there. And you like to drink tequila. That’s a plus.”
Brett let out a long breath. “Wow. Thank you, Nolan.”
“Don’t mention it. To anyone.”
Brett grinned. “I’m sorry I set you off with that talk about severing your relationships. But shit, the one thing I didn’t get from my briefings is how tough you idiots are. I tried insulting your integrity, your professionalism. Called you a bunch of homos. Nothing stuck. When I saw the only thing Christian get his back up over was me insulting Myles…then seeing you and Elliot together, it gave me the idea to go in hard and try to hit you where it hurt.”
“Target acquired,” Nolan said.
“I would have never really asked you to break up.”
Nolan huffed and looked down. “Break up. That’s funny. We’ve barely had a chance to get together. It’s been stress and work chaos tying us up since the first kiss for Christ sakes. And now? With the Baz situation? Who knows how long it’ll be before we’ll get any real time.”
“So this is new. You and Elliot.”
“Yeah. We’ve been friends forever but…this is new.”
“And you really want it to work.”
Nolan looked skyward. “So much. I want it to work so much.” He glanced at Brett. “Elliot is what I need in my life. He always has been. I can’t do without him. I just can’t.” Nolan sighed. “I started this affair on such shaky ground I’m terrified of losing him. Of losing everything.”
Brett slapped Nolan’s shoulder. “I think I have an idea.”
“Hmm? What?”
“Something that might make your day better.”
Nolan side-eyed him. “You’re not gonna whip out the beef-sword of justice, are you?”
Brett smiled. “Come on. Let’s go talk to Quint.”
Chapter Eighteen
Elliot leaned against JT’s car, stewing. Everyone else had already left, but Elliot was still waiting on Nolan, so JT gave him his keys and the rest of them carpooled back. Pulling out his phone, he texted Nolan. ‘Where the hell are you? I’m in the lot out back. Are you even still here?’
Nolan replied immediately. ‘Be right there, grumpy pants.’
Elliot smiled at his phone, then put it in his pocket. He’d been waiting so long he’d started to worry Nolan and Brett had killed each other. Hearing someone shuffle up behind him, he turned around and saw Tyler approaching. “Hey, Tyler.”
Tyler nodded, stopping before Elliot. “I want you to know I’m one of the soldiers assigned to guard Baz tonight. So I want to make clear you have nothing to worry about. I’ll guard him with my life if I have to.”
Elliot sighed. “I know you will. Look, things got tense in the woods this morning. Let’s just move past it, yeah?”
Tyler stared at the ground, chewing his thumbnail.
“Tyler? We good?”
He glanced up. “I apologize for my behavior. It wasn’t professional.”
“You were just doing your job.”
“No.” Tyler shook his head. “I got angry when I saw Nolan touching you and comforting you in the woods. When I realized you two were…clearly more than friends.”
Elliot looked up and rolled his eyes. “Christ. Is there anyone in this village that doesn’t want Nolan?”
“Me,” Tyler said.
Elliot frowned.
“I lied to you at the haunted attraction when I said I was into Nolan. I was trying to play it cool. The truth is I went there that night hoping to run into you.”
“Me? Why?”
Tyler shrugged. “You intimidate me, Elliot. So I never made a move. But I’ve had it bad for you since we first met last spring. Told myself to suck it up and just tell you how I felt. But I was too late. Obviously.”
Elliot’s mouth fell open. “Oh. Um…wow. I had no idea.”
“I know. And that’s my fault. You snooze you lose, I guess.”
Elliot didn’t know what to say. But he saw it now, the way Tyler was looking at him. The vulnerability in his eyes. “If it helps, I was into you when we first met too.”
A smile spread slowly across Tyler’s face. “You’re not just saying that?”
“I’m not just saying that.”
“So…” Tyler stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. “The thing with Nolan. Is it…serious?”
“I’m pretty certain it will be, yeah.”
Tyler nodded, looking down. “Didn’t figure I could compete with Nolan.”
“Tyler, you now live in a village chock full of attractive, eligible guys. You’re a catch. Just let your guard down a little, you’ll meet someone special.”
He chuckled. “Thanks. Been obsessing over you for a while though. Need some time to get over that.”
“Tyler, I’m flattered. Sincerely.”
“Don’t placate me, okay? It was hard enough to fess up to you. I just needed to clear the air in an honest way so I can get back to focusing on the job.”
Elliot nodded. “Okay. Well, thanks.” He looked up and saw Nolan strolling across the parking lot, a smile on his face.
Tyler glanced over. “Nolan’s coming. I’ll see you in the morning I guess.”
“Okay. Good luck tonight.”
Tyler scurried off, disappearing back into the warehouse.
“What the hell are you so happy about?” Elliot said when Nolan reached him.
Nolan tapped his fingers on the car. “Thanks for waiting for me. Sorry that took so long.”
“You heard about Baz?”
“Yeah. Ran into Rhonda. Good news, huh?”
“Yeah, for now. Until tomorrow when we hopefully find out what the hell happened to him.”
“What did Tyler want? He giving you shit again?”
“Ah…” Elliot laughed. “No. He apologized for his behavior. And confessed he’s had a crush on me for months, so. It was unexpected to say the least.”
Nolan’s brow lowered over his eyes. “He did, huh?”
“Yeah. I was pretty shocked.”
“You liked him, too. You having second thoughts about him?”
“What?” Elliot scowled at Nolan. “No.”
“You sure?”
“Nolan. Give me a break. Ever since our first kiss I’ve spent every waking moment thinking about you. Only you. That hasn’t changed.”
Nolan’s lips tightened, trying to hide a grin. “I’m glad. So how you feeling? It’s been a rough day so far.”
“Ugh.” Elliot rested his head against the car. “Hungover. Tired. Stressed out. Starting to get hungry again. Worried. Wishing for just a single hour where nothing bad happens.” He looked up and smiled. “Sorry. Guess I am grumpy.”
“I get it, believe me,” Nolan said. He stared at Elliot, looking thoughtful.
“What? What’s that face?”
“I’ve just been thinking. This thing with you and me. Nothing’s worked in our favor from the beginning, has it?”
A fist tightened in Elliot’s stomach. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it’s just been one thing after another getting in our way. We haven’t had a moment to breathe never mind anything else. And last night, great as it was, well? It was kind of a rush job.”
“I don’t know where you’re going with this. Are you dumping me? Already?”
Nolan’s mouth fell open. “What?” He grabbed Elliot’s shoulders and p
ressed him against the car. “Are you out of your fucking mind? Of course I’m not dumping you.”
“Then why the ‘everything sucks’ speech?”
“I’m just thinking, it would be nice to have some time to ourselves and just relax. Get away from everything here.”
“Sure would. But that’s not gonna happen. We need to stay close by because of Baz.”
Nolan wrapped an arm around Elliot’s shoulders and pointed at something out past the river. “You see that big house there up on the hill?”
Elliot’s eyes narrowed. He spotted the house. Nestled on high, a sleek modern home with huge windows reflecting the sunlight, resting right on the edge of the mountain. Isolated. Gorgeous. He sighed. “I see it.”
“Belongs to Quint.”
“Really? I thought Quint had a place on the lake.”
“He does. Has two houses. Rich fucker.”
“Maybe we should both quit Ogden and go into the beer business.”
Nolan grabbed Elliot’s shoulders and shook him playfully. “It’s got six bedrooms, indoor heated pool, hot tub, game room, giant kitchen. The works.”
“Must be nice,” Elliot said.
“Well, it’s only three in the afternoon. We’re not due back here until morning and…” Nolan reached in his pocket and waved something in Elliot’s face. “I’ve got the key.”
“The key to what?”
Nolan lifted his arms then dropped them. “The house! Quint’s house.”
Elliot frowned and looked up at the mountain. “That house?”
“That house. It’s ours for the whole night if we want it. Unless…you need some time to yourself. Everything’s happened really fast and we’ve kind of been glued together. If you want to get away from me for a night, I’ll understand.”
Elliot stared at Nolan, a grin spreading over his face. “I don’t want to get away from you. But how the hell did you get Quint’s house for a night?”
“Brett helped arrange it.”
“Brett? What the hell—”
“Forget the how and the why, Elliot. I want to get away for the night with you. Wine and dine you and relax and just have some time alone with no interruptions. A chance to do everything I’ve been wanting to do with you. And if something happens or we get a call about Baz, we’re literally right up the hill. So what do you say? Will you go on a romantic overnight date with me?”
Elliot huffed. “Fuck yeah.”
Nolan grinned. “Yeah?”
Elliot grabbed Nolan’s shirt and pulled him in. “Fuck. Yeah.”
Nolan kissed him hard, licking his tongue. He pulled back and smiled. “Let’s go pack our overnight bags.”
Elliot let go of Nolan, and Nolan got in the passenger side of JT’s truck.
Shaking his head and smiling, Elliot climbed in behind the wheel. He started it up and headed around the brewery, then back out onto the dirt road. “You know,” he said, “I never would have guessed you’d be so good at this.”
“Good at what?”
“Romance.”
“Yeah well.” Nolan stared straight ahead, smiling. “Never would have guessed you’d be receptive to it. Thought it would take much more work, bending you to my will.”
“You’re gonna bend me to your will, huh?”
“Among other things.” Nolan looked at Elliot. “In all seriousness. Thank you.”
“For what? You have nothing to thank me for. Unless you mean the sloppy blowjob I gave you last night. I can do better than that, I swear.”
Nolan chuckled. He let out a long sigh and rested his head back. “Thanks for letting me care for you,” he said softly. “And for taking me seriously.”
“You’re welcome.” He glanced at Nolan. “Am I that much of a salty bastard? That you thought I’d reject your romancing me?”
“I’ve seen how you’ve behaved with countless guys over the years. I do know you, remember?”
Elliot took the turn at the end of the road and headed back toward the main village. Nolan’s words were making his heart flutter. But Nolan was right in a sense. For how powerful the things Elliot was feeling were, he had trouble voicing them. He was inexperienced with this. But he knew he liked it. He wanted it. Being wooed. Feeling cherished. And wanting someone so much it made his heart hurt and his dick ache.
For all Nolan’s efforts to romance Elliot, all the ways he made him feel special and needed, and for all the ways Nolan mattered more than any of those ‘countless guys’ he mentioned—Nolan deserved to get something back.
Since Elliot was nowhere near as eloquent as Nolan in this department, he kept his words simple. “You’re not one of those guys, Nolan. You’re you. That’s the difference.”
Nolan said nothing. But after a moment he reached over and grabbed Elliot’s hand.
“Sorry I suck at this,” Elliot said. “But I am trying.”
Nolan smiled and squeezed Elliot’s hand, looking straight ahead. “Nonsense,” he said. “That was everything I wanted to hear.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Get the fuck off my onions, Nolan.”
“I just want to show you an easier way!”
Elliot slid the cutting board away when Nolan tried to grab it. “I like cutting onions the hard way. Back off!”
“Are you pointing a knife at me?”
Elliot lowered the knife. “Sorry.”
The kitchen at Quint’s house was a dream. High ceiling, huge center island, hanging pots and pans, gleaming appliances. Beyond the kitchen was an enormous room with floor to ceiling windows, and the early evening light shone gold through the panes, the view of the village and lake in the distance breathtaking. Jazz music played through a sound system, and Elliot felt happier than he’d ever been. Except he was having trouble sitting still. He was unaccustomed to being idle, even less accustomed to having someone else tend to his every need.
Anxiety. Why the hell was it coming back now? Now of all times? When he was with Nolan, happy, with literally nothing to do but relax and let someone romance him?
“Elliot. I can do all of this. I’m supposed to be cooking for you, remember?”
“I know, but this is how I roll. I like cooking and I’m not used to sitting around waiting to be served. I can help.”
Nolan shook his head and moved to the stove, picking up a wooden spoon. Steam rose from the pan as he stirred its contents. “Okay, bratty,” he said. “If you’re finished cutting, I’m ready to add your disproportionately sized onions now.”
“On it.” Elliot picked up the cutting board and walked to the stove, dumping onions into the sizzling pan. “Aw.” He smiled at Nolan. “Look at your little green pepper pieces cut with military precision, all the same size.”
Nolan swatted Elliot’s ass with his hand. “Go sit down. I’ll bring you some wine.”
“I can get it.” Elliot grabbed the wine bottle off the counter then searched for a corkscrew.
“Hey!” Nolan grabbed the wine, but Elliot held on. “I want to bring you a glass of wine. Just sit down and let me do it.”
“I’m perfectly capable of opening a bottle of wine.”
“It’s not…” Nolan played tug-a-war with the bottle as Elliot hung on. “About…capability!” He finally got the wine away from Elliot and set it down on the counter.
“Hey, whoa!” Elliot said when Nolan caught him under the knees and picked him up, carrying him over to the nearby dining table. “You’re gonna hurt your back. I’m fat now, remember?”
“Sit the fuck down.” Nolan dropped him in the chair. “Shut the fuck up. And let me romance you. For God sakes, Elliot, you were just saying you need to relax!”
“Okay!” Elliot raised his hands. “I’ll relax.”
“I’ll get your wine.” Nolan pointed. “Stay there!”
Elliot chuckled as he watched Nolan open the wine. “I know I’m inexperienced but I’m pretty sure romance isn’t supposed to involve shouting at the person you’re romancing.”
Nolan
popped the cork then poured white wine into two long-stemmed glasses. “Romance has never met you before.” He walked over and handed Elliot a glass. “You don’t have to be in control every second, Elliot.”
“Ah, we’re going straight for the root of the problem, huh?” He took a sip of wine, sighing. “That’s so good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Nolan pulled a chair out and sat, studying Elliot with narrowed eyes. “Is that a problem? Do you feel like I’m forcing you to…give up control or something?”
“I was joking, Nolan.”
“I sensed a little truth in your joke.”
“Nolan, I gave you my body, opened my whole self to you, and came like a hydrogen bomb while I let you fuck me into a coma. I don’t think I have a problem with control.”
Nolan cocked an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Just feel the need to remind you that you had to get gleefully drunk before doing so. And let’s not kid ourselves. I was not the one in control last night. Even when I was fucking you into a coma.”
Elliot shrugged. “I was aggressively enamored with you. I don’t mind letting go of my control.”
“Then why are you jumping around like a panicked bunny just ’cause I want to serve you dinner?”
Sighing, Elliot set his wine down. He had been feeling panicked, and he wasn’t sure why. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“Elliot, you said you want this to work. What are you afraid of?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes you do. I can see it in your eyes.”
Nolan took Elliot’s wine from him and said it aside. Surprising him, he grabbed a handful of Elliot’s hair and gently tugged his head back. He stood, leaning over him and attacking his neck with his mouth. Elliot gasped.
“You don’t like the romance?” Nolan breathed against his lips. “You just wanna go straight to this?” Nolan’s hand was on Elliot’s crotch suddenly, palm gliding, applying pressure.
“No,” Elliot breathed. His cock responded, hardening, and he hissed as he stared into Nolan’s eyes. “I want both,” he said.
“I can give you both,” Nolan said, still rubbing him, making him squirm.