Something Like Winter (27 page)

“
What happened?”

Eric exhaled. “It got ugly.
There was no discretion. The brothers didn’t wait until later to
discuss this with me. The party came to a grinding halt and
suddenly I was on trial. I didn’t dare look at Michael. Doing so
would have incriminated him. But I kept waiting for him to come to
my defense. All the hateful things that were said that night, being
pushed around, called names, even being thrown out on the
street—none of that hurt as much as Michael turning his back on me.
Afterwards he wouldn’t speak to me, privately or publically. Not a
single word.”

“
I’m sorry.” Tim hopped to
his feet and went to Eric, his chest aching. The story was all too
familiar. Hadn’t he hurt Ben in the very same way? “I’m sorry,” he
repeated, speaking now to the past. Eric was in his arms, patting
his back and reassuring him that it was okay, but it wasn’t. Giving
into fear and turning away from love was never okay.

Chapter Sixteen

Snow brings silence. Tim
had never become used to the mild Texas winters. Except for the
occasional frost or freak scattering of snow, they were just a
shadow of the Kansas winters he had grown up with. Every year he
missed the calm that snow brought. Most people would stay inside to
keep warm and cozy rather than venture out, but the frozen season
held a tranquility that Tim never felt when living in
Texas.

Holidays on campus came
close. Even before the official first day of winter break, many of
the students had already made the pilgrimage home. Some lagged
behind, trying to keep the parties pumping, but most thought of
family, reliving memories of a more innocent time when Christmas
was still magical.

For Tim, that magic was
back in full force. By the morning of Christmas Eve, the frat house
was virtually empty. Even Quentin had left his collegiate kingdom
for the comforts of home. Tim woke early and grabbed a quick
shower, making sure to be noisy enough while dressing to rouse
Travis. Then Tim pushed him toward the bathroom and went downstairs
to check the car and their supplies. Of course he had already
checked the night before, and triple-checked after packing the
first time, but he wanted everything to be perfect.

When he went back upstairs,
Travis was clean and dressed, sitting groggily on the edge of his
bed. Tim dragged him downstairs and into the car. Then they were on
the road, Travis falling back asleep as soon as they hit the
highway. That was fine. They had a fifteen-hour drive ahead of them
if they were to make Colorado Springs today, and he would need
Travis to take the wheel later.

And drive they did. With
Travis out of commission, Tim made it nearly to noon without taking
a break, chugging energy drinks to keep him going. Of course his
bladder nearly exploded, but he held it in until stopping at a
Burger King. Finally ready to face the rest of the day, Travis
ordered three Whoppers for himself, devouring them each in just a
few bites.

“
Hungry?” Tim
chided.

“
Always.” Travis downed the
last of his cola. Then he said with a more exaggerated accent than
usual, “On the farm, we’re used to big breakfasts!”

Tim laughed. “Did you
really grow up on a farm?”

“
No, but you’d be surprised
how many people assume I did, just because of the way I
talk.”

Guilty as charged. Tim
loved the country boy fantasy.

“
My mom really does make
the best breakfasts,” Travis continued. “She knows how to keep a
boy fed.”

“
I’ll try and make sure you
don’t starve this trip,” Tim said. They would have to eat out a lot
because Tim couldn’t cook. Eric had helped out, though. A cooler
full of food was in the trunk, including a foil-covered lasagna
that Tim was supposed to pop in the oven. He was fairly certain he
could manage that much.

“
Of course, because of my
size,” Travis said, “people also think I’m a dumb jock.”

“
You mean you’re
not?”

Travis punched his arm
playfully. “No, I’m not. That’s why I wanted to come here. Austin
has one of the best schools of pharmacy, and I want to be the very
best.”

“
At counting out
pills?”

“
Laugh if you want,” Travis
said. “There’s job security and money all right there in one
package. What are you going to do?”

“
I don’t know,” Tim said.
“Borrow money from you, I guess.”

“
Seriously.”

“
Architecture. At least I
used to think so. Job security is something I didn’t consider.
There’s not an architectural firm on every corner like there are
pharmacies.” All he’d been thinking of was combining his love of
art with a practical trade, but so far his classes had left him
cold.

“
Still, good money.” Travis
nodded his approval.

“
I didn’t know you were so
materialistic.”

“
It’s more about being able
to provide for my family, give them a good life.”

Travis talked like he
already had a wife and kids waiting behind a white picket fence. In
a way, it was sweet that he was so family-oriented. But it was also
depressing, since Tim couldn’t make that dream come true for him.
Not the wife part, at least, but he hoped he could show Travis a
new version of that dream. He had four days in Colorado Springs to
do so.

As much as Tim didn’t want
family overshadowing this trip, it was the one topic of
conversation guaranteed to keep Travis talking. Otherwise he would
lapse into long silences, no doubt pondering what they would be
doing at the cabin. But this was good. Away from family, the
pressures of school, and all the perceived risks, Travis should be
focusing on the positive. This would be aided by a couple drinks, a
few laughs, and of course tons of sex.

Already Tim had caught
Travis checking him out, occasionally shifting in his seat and
pulling at his jeans. After not having sex for the better part of a
month, they were both ready to go, but Tim would draw it out a
little longer, make sure the mood was right for Travis to see it as
more than just release.

In the afternoon, Tim
traded places with Travis and let himself doze until evening. For
the rest of the trip they swapped driving duties every time they
stopped. As the roads climbed into the mountains, the ground
covered in honest-to-goodness snow, their progress slowed even
further. The trip seemed like it would never end. It was nearly
four in the morning before it did.

When they turned down the
drive to the cabin, their long hours in the car were instantly
justified. The two-story cabin was surrounded by a rustic stone
wall, snow heavy on the roof and the branches of pines that towered
over it. The front porch light was the lone beacon of civilization
for miles around.

“
You weren’t kidding when
you said it was secluded,” Travis said, yawning himself
awake.

“
The very edge of Colorado
Springs is another five miles away, and Eric says that’s just a gas
station and convenience store.” He reached over to touch the back
of Travis’s neck, causing him to flinch, so Tim stated the obvious.
“It’s just me and you out here.”

Travis took a deep breath
and nodded. “Okay.”

“
Let’s check it
out.”

Tim found the key in a
hollowed-out rock to one side of the cabin, just as the owner had
promised. He fetched it while Travis started unloading the car, and
was glad he went after the key alone because two tarp-covered forms
were also there. Travis still didn’t know about the snowmobiles.
That would be tomorrow’s surprise. For tonight, the cabin was the
main attraction.

They toured it together.
While appearing simple and homey from the outside, the cabin was
state of the art on the inside. Three bedrooms each sported a
fireplace. The kitchen was fully equipped, a sauna was tucked away
downstairs, a Jacuzzi awaited them in the bathroom and—as if that
weren’t enough—a hot tub was built into the back patio. Each of
these amenities was bursting with potential romance.

But for now, they dragged
their weary bodies to the bedroom, undressed in front of each other
while laughing nervously like inexperienced honeymooners, and got
under the sheets. Their skin touched, the warmth reassuring. Tim
kissed Travis, not tasting alcohol for once, and despite being
horny as hell, he was also tired. He rolled over on his side,
wrapping Travis’s arm around him. Their bodies pressed together, he
could feel that Travis was hard. Maybe sleep could be delayed just
a
little
longer.
But even though he thought about it, Tim didn’t find the power to
move. Travis didn’t budge either, and soon their breathing slowed,
each breath growing longer as they drifted toward sleep.

* * * * *

Like a swarm of angry bees
shot out of a cannon, a buzz blasted past Tim’s left ear before
Travis cut in front of him, kicking up a wave of snow for Tim to
crash through. He slid to a stop and wiped the snow from his
goggles before giving chase. After ramping off a snowdrift,
launching five feet into the air, and hitting the ground again with
a thud, he lunged forward with another twist of the
handlebar.

Snowmobiles were freaking
insane. The two they had been enjoying all day were fiberglass
shells attached to skis, an engine powering the central tread at
the rear. This meant they were relatively light and could
practically take flight. Or cruise up the steep mountainsides like
spiders scaling a wall. There didn’t seem to be any limit to places
snowmobiles could reach. Or the amount of trouble they could get
into with them. Tim and Travis had spent much of the day howling
with laughter, usually after falling off their snowmobiles, or more
accurately, losing their grip on the handlebars and watching it
rocket ahead without them.

Tim’s body ached all over
and his face felt frozen, so he signaled that they should head back
to the cabin. Like a good Boy Scout, Tim was well prepared for
their return. Before leaving that morning, he made sure the hot tub
was heating up. Sure enough, when they reached the cabin and
stripped out of their snow gear, they found a steaming cauldron of
pleasure awaiting them on the back patio.

“
That’s going to feel so
good!” Travis crooned. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“
What does it look like?”
Tim had pulled his jeans and underwear down at the same time. His
shirt was already off, his socks the last to go. “I didn’t pack a
swimsuit,” he said as he climbed into the tub with a moan of
pleasure. “Besides, you don’t have anything I haven’t seen
already.”

Travis turned around to
pull down his boxers, but he had to face Tim to get in the hot tub.
When he did, Tim noticed with some satisfaction that Travis was
already halfway hard. Tim would be on his best behavior, though. He
envisioned a very specific way he wanted the night to play out.
They still hadn’t had sex since arriving here, and it was important
that a few things happen first.

Travis gasped and hissed as
he inched into the hot water. Eventually he adjusted, sighing and
relaxing. For a while they were content to lean back, listening to
the bubbles or staring off into the winter wonderland around
them.

“
This is amazing,” Travis
said. “Thanks for doing this.”

“
Thanks for coming up here
with me.” Tim moved closer to him. “Merry Christmas.”

“
Man, I almost forgot! It
doesn’t feel like the holidays without family around.”

Tim snorted. “Thanks a
lot!”

“
It’s not a bad thing. Just
different.”

That was the point Tim was
trying to make by them being here. He moved in for a kiss, Travis
pulling back a little before giving him an innocent peck. Then he
really moved away. “It’s been a perfect day. All that’s missing is
a beer.”

Or his courage, Tim
thought, but he was determined to show Travis he didn’t need
alcohol as an excuse. “Remember how nice it was last
time?”

Travis was quiet a moment.
“Yeah.”

This time when Tim went to
kiss him, Travis didn’t pull away. In fact, he kissed Tim back and
pushed against him, his hands delving beneath the water to grab his
cock. Tim moaned. Or was it a groan, because he couldn’t let it
happen like this.

“
Not so fast, man.” Tim
slid along the hot tub’s bench to get away.

“
Sorry,” Travis said. “I’m
just so hot right now.”

Travis pushed out of the
water, arms rippling with muscle, to sit on the tub’s edge. His
legs were spread, steam coiling off his body. Forget the plan! Tim
couldn’t hold back anymore. He moved through the water to reach
him, Travis’s dick at eye level before Tim took him in his mouth.
When Travis shirked his inhibitions, he dropped them completely. He
grabbed Tim’s head, thrusting against it and growling out one
syllable words of pleasure.
Yeah. Fuck.
God. Ungh.

Travis seemed determined to
pass Go as quickly as he could, so Tim pulled away and stood, feet
spread on the hot tub bench. With Travis still seated on the edge,
their roles were reversed. Tim wasn’t any more gentle than Travis
had been. They had a lot of frustrations to work out. When he got
close, he glanced down to see Travis pumping his fist, muscles
tensing. They were both teetering on the brink, so Tim focused on
keeping his balance as he let out a guttural growl of pleasure.
Travis lasted a few seconds after he did, Tim watching him in
satisfaction, but suddenly he was slipping backward. Tim’s fall was
broken by the water, his head barely missing the far edge of the
tub. Had Travis pushed him? He righted himself and looked at Travis
in confusion just in time to see him spit into the snow.