Hunks, Hammers, and Happily Ever Afters (64 page)

“Well, I haven’t had the pleasure before, and I intend to take full advantage of it” Her hands coated in suds, Hayley splayed her hands over Noah’s chest, slid them over his belly and circled her fingers around his cock, stroking it lightly.

“Fuck that feels good.” He closed his eyes, struggling not to come in her hand like a damned teenager. She adjusted her hold, the stroking gaining more strength.

“Noah? Look at me.” What the hell? Why did it sound like Max was right in front of him?

Noah opened his eyes. Max was right there, their chests almost touching.
Fuck, he’s the one with my dick in his hand.

The damned thing filled even harder—which earned a tilt of Max’s lips since he obviously felt the reaction.

Max shuffled closer, his cock nestling beside Noah’s. Noah had no chance to take a breath when Max pressed his lips against Noah’s. The kisses started off as hesitant, Max’s lips stiff, his body rigid. Then slowly, gradually, his muscles softened, their chests touched, and Max’s mouth relaxed. A hint of tongue swept over Noah’s lower lip. Holy fuck, Max really was kissing him.

Not daring to question Max’s motives, Noah responded, opening for Max, allowing him entrance. He tasted familiar—of Hayley, but also of the Max he’d known all those years ago. The scratch of his beard was different through, rougher. Noah’s breath hitched in his throat when Max’s hands touched Noah’s hips, slowly tightened, bringing their hips together.

Noah couldn’t stop the groan that escaped his throat. Nor could he stop himself from grabbing Max’s ass and grinding their erections together. How many nights back in high school, hell and through college too, had he imaged himself in this exact scenario. How many nights had that fantasy ended up with him jerking off.

While Noah was just getting into the kiss, preparing to take it deeper, ready to lower himself to his knees and do whatever Max asked, Max pulled away. Their breath echoed off the walls as if they had just finished a thousand meter sprint, and it physically hurt to pull away, to lose that connection. Beyond Max, Hayley watched, eyes wide, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Noah cursed himself—he’d forgotten she was there.

Watching.

Judging?

Worse, Max wouldn’t look at him. Instead his eyes were scrunched closed, and he’d wrapped his arms around his middle as if he didn’t want to be there.

If he could have, he would have stepped back but his ass was already lodged against the shower wall. He stabbed Hayley with a glare. “You want to tell me what the fuck that was about?”

Hayley swallowed. “I told him I wanted to see some male-on-male action. I didn’t know he’d actually kiss you without talking to you about it first.”

It wasn’t a spur of the moment thing?

“What the fuck? I leave you alone for all of five minutes and you guys have a rainbow party strategy session? ‘Hey, I want to see some male-on-male action, so let’s rope in our friendly neighborhood fags and convince them to jerk each other off like a couple cheap rent boys so I get off on my own kink?’” He shook his head, sending water droplets flying. “Sorry, sweetheart, I ain’t buyin’ it.”

He hadn’t missed how Max had cringed at being called a fag, but Max was the one who had caused the little scene by playing into Hayley’s manipulations.

Max’s arms dropped to his side and he heaved a shuddered breath. Then for the first time since their kiss had ended, he raised his head and met Noah’s gaze.

“You said you’d do anything Hayley wanted this weekend. Hayley wanted to see some guy-on-guy action, so I went with it.” Max stomped from the stall, snatched a towel, wrapped it around his hips, then wheeled to nail Noah with a glare that could have broken the marble. “We both know you’ve fucked guys yet now you’re freaking out because I laid a little lip action on you? You think that was easy for me to do considering I know it may make Hayley think I’m a fucking
fag
too?”

Shit. Max might have started out angry, but that last line was pure fear and self-loathing. He should know what it looked and sounded like, he’d seen it in the mirror enough times.

Hayley clasped her arms around her chest, an almost mirror-image of how Max had stood moments before.

“Max, stop it.”

“No. I did my part.” Max jabbed a finger toward Noah, his voice wavering. “I sucked it up, I mean, I manned up...Fuck, whatever. If you’ve got a problem with me kissing you, then it’s your problem, McNaughton. Deal with it.” He stomped out, slamming the bedroom door so hard everything on the shelves in the bathroom rattled.

What the hell was going on with him? Noah dragged a breath into burning lungs. It was Max who had initiated the kiss, and there was no denying how much he’d enjoyed it. Maybe not at first, but Max’s dick had hardened against his belly, his moans were of passion not complaint.

He’s freaking out because he just realized he enjoyed kissing a guy.
Max was thirty—confident in his sexuality, his
hetero
sexuality. Noah knew exactly how that felt. He remembered the confusion at realizing he was attracted to guys. And he’d only been eleven, his identity not set.

Noah grabbed one of the towels off the heated rack and briskly scrubbed until his skin grew pink. Whatever was going on in Max’s head right now couldn’t be good. He really had to get down there, find Max, talk to him, tell him that enjoying a single kiss with a guy didn’t mean his world was ending. And hope that Max would listen.

He stumbled out of the shower stall, seeking somewhere to hide, except the damned bathroom had fucking mirrors everywhere. Everywhere he looked, Hayley was watching him, her expression worried.

“I don’t know what the real story is, but I trusted you, Hayley.
Max
trusted you. And right now, he’s downstairs, freaking out, because of something
you
convinced him to do.” Because God knew three years of living with him hadn’t influenced Max in the least. “I hope it was worth it.”

Hayley shivered, though whether from emotion or because the previously humid air was cooling, Noah wasn’t sure. “Max asked me what else I had planned for you guys so I told him that I’d loved watching you two together last night, how comfortable you are with each other, it was turn on I hadn’t expected. I had no idea he planned to kiss you.”

Ignore that quivering lower lip, ignore the tears threatening to fall.
Was she looking to get her own show on HGTV and figured having two gay guys as her contractors would jack up her ratings? Oh shit, there was another possibility too, wasn’t there? “Are you planning on selling your story to the tabloids?
Business mogul Charles McNaughton’s son caught in gay sex scandal
? Because you won’t be the first. They won’t pay you for old news.”

“No,” Hayley replied, meeting his eye calmly. “We’ve already agreed that what happens tonight stays between us and I intend to keep to the agreement.”

Her expression firmed, and her spine straightened. “You know, you could just as easily ruin my reputation after this weekend. People wouldn’t judge you too harshly for having a threesome—you’re a guy. You’d probably get patted on the back and
attaboyed.
Me? I’d be that slut who sleeps with two guys at the same time. Don’t get me wrong. I’m totally unashamed of what we’ve done. It’s nobody’s business, but no, I’m not about to go running to the press and I’m insulted that you think I’m the type of person who would betray you.”

Shit. She was right. Now what the hell was he to believe?

Trust your gut.
He closed his eyes, and tried to ignore his rising anger, the fear screaming that they’d lost Max.

This morning, less than thirty minutes ago, he trusted Hayley. Implicitly. Why wasn’t he trusting her to tell him the truth now?

Because you’re terrified that you may have lost Max forever.

“Who hurt you to make you so suspicious of everything, Noah? Who taught you that trust isn’t possible?”

“Who hasn’t?” Except Max. He was the only person in his life Noah trusted completely.

He snagged another towel from the shelf and wrapped his towel around his hips.

“I love both of you,” she continued, her voice softening, “and I’d never do anything to hurt either of you. Please, Noah, you have to believe me.”

He blew out a breath. “I do. I guess I was thrown too. It’s just...” He ran his hand through his hair. “I had a huge crush on Max back in high school but he never knew it. It’s what made it easier to leave when we moved to Vancouver. It’s why it took me so long to come back to see Max after my father kicked me out. Even when I got back here, I convinced myself that friendship was enough between us. That being his friend was better than not having him in my life at all.” It still was, and he still needed to get down to make sure their friendship hadn’t been irreparably destroyed.

Her breath hitched, but he ploughed on, “I love Max—I won’t deny it. And he loves me. He just doesn’t love me in the way I need, and I’m okay with that. Because even if he can’t be my lover, he’s my best friend. And I like to think I’m his. But that’s all it will ever be.” That’s all it could ever be. “I made my peace with that long ago.”

“Have you?” Her voice was quiet, yet firm. “Because I don’t think you have. There was more than just a kiss going on just now. Between both of you—it wasn’t one-sided, no matter how much you or Max denies it.”

Noah rested his chin on his chest, closed his eyes, and whispered, “Don’t say that to him. For God’s sake, don’t fuck with his head like that.”

“I told you, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. Or you. And whether you’re gay or bi or a purple Martian who gets off humping rocks, I don’t care.” There was no prevarication in her tone, she was looking at him without flinching or glancing away or anything the net said to look for in liars. But most of all he trusted his gut. The Hayley he knew wasn’t a liar, wasn’t a manipulator.

Hayley hadn’t challenged him or forced him to do anything. No, Max took that leap all on his own. Noah stuffed down the hope that maybe, just maybe, it meant something to Max, that maybe it was Max’s way of coming out. No, that wasn’t it.

She shook her head. “No, but I’ve jumbled everything up. I’m so sorry, Noah.” Her shoulders slumped. “I guess this weekend wasn’t such a great idea.”

“I don’t regret a second.” He feathered his fingers through her hair so she couldn’t hide behind it. “Sure, things have changed with Max, but maybe they needed to. And I sure as hell have enjoyed being with you.”

“I’ve enjoyed it too.” She sniffed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“The truth is I’ve been half in love with you since I met you. Max has been too. Either one of us would love to continue dating you. I’m pretty sure Max has been imagining your kids already. My point is, I don’t want you to think we used you for our own amusement last night or this morning. Our main goal was making sure you were satisfied. That you enjoyed yourself and lived out your fantasy.”

“Thank you.”

He lifted the robe hanging on the back of the door and wrapped it around her. “I need to go check on Max. Will you still be here once we’ve got things straightened out?”

“Of course. I’ll wait as long as you need me to.” The warmth of her hand on his chest eased him. “I need to check my email anyway.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, wishing she’d stay forever, but at this stage, he couldn’t figure out how that would be possible.

––––––––

CHAPTER NINE

L
eaving Hayley in the bathroom to dry her hair, Noah walked into the bedroom, hoping to find Max, only to find it empty. The bed was still rumpled, the pillow on the right side still contained the dent of Max’s head, that would still smell of Max, now mocked him. How his world, that had been so joyful this morning, suddenly tilted on its axis and dumped him on his ass so quickly?

He snagged a pair of jeans and a worn UBC t-shirt from his dresser and ran down to Max’s bedroom, only to find it empty too.
Shit, he’d run.
A clank of metal drifted upstairs. Max was in the kitchen. Thank God, he still had a chance.

Max was loading the dishwasher when Noah arrived in the kitchen. Like Noah he was wearing a pair of jeans, but Max hadn’t bothered with a shirt. Noah indulged himself as Max leaned over, his muscles rippling along the graceful curve of his spine, the denim hugging his ass like a second skin. Max had always had one of the best asses he’d ever seen. Noah had spent many afternoons, ignoring his teachers, instead fantasizing about biting the taut skin, parting the cheeks and licking around Max’s ass, lubing the tight hole.

God, what he’d give to bury his dick in Max’s ass.

Yeah, like that was ever going to happen.

Maybe he made a sound because Max straightened quickly and faced Noah, though he never looked directly at Noah, instead staring past him for a second before it zipped to the fridge, to the floor, then settled on the microwave.

Oh fuck, he’d left his fly button undone. Noah loved it when Max did that. It was like an invitation to fantasize about what hid behind the denim and zipper. Noah carefully pushed those thoughts aside and focused on Max. “Are you okay?”

“I owe you an apology. You were right. I should have given you some warning of what I was going to do up there in the shower.”

“Yeah, you should have.”
With a little forewarning I may have been able to shutter my emotions better, and been able to anticipate that you’d freak out if I reacted.

“So we’re okay?”

“I’ll always be your friend, Max. You can talk to me about anything.”

“Thanks, but there’s really nothing to say.” Max shrugged. “I kissed you. You kissed me. It was a game, that was all. Just like that weekend back in high school.”

Fuck, don’t do this, Max. Don’t shrug off what we both know you felt. How I still feel.
“A game, huh?”

“Yeah. Don’t pretend there was more to it than there was. I was doing it because we promised—”

“—that we’d fulfill Hayley’s fantasy. Yeah, I got it.”

Wow, Max was wading neck deep in denial. Max returned to loading the dishwasher, restacking dishes he’d already loaded, his movements careful, precise. A sign he was hanging on by a thread. “Has Hayley left?”