Speechless (Pier 70 #3) (6 page)

Figuring he would ease his brother’s mind, Hudson paused before stepping into his apartment.
Honest, she hasn’t been here since the cruise.

That seemed to pacify AJ for the moment, so Hudson opened the door and stepped inside.

Five minutes later, Hudson was behind the wheel of his truck, AJ in the passenger seat as they headed for the gym. Maybe a solid hour on the weights would get his mind off things better left alone.

He cast a quick sideways glance at his brother, who appeared to be lost in thought as he stared out the window.

Then again, if AJ was going to spend the rest of the night moping over Milly, perhaps thinking about Teague was going to be unavoidable.

Five

TEAGUE DIDN’T WANT to admit that he’d spent the better part of the last hour wondering whether or not Hudson would show up for the fireworks show. He’d caught the man watching him while he worked, and even across the distance that spanned between them, he’d felt the heat of Hudson’s gaze. Then, AJ had showed up and whisked Hudson away, and they still weren’t back although it was now dark and the show was about to begin.

He was a little disappointed, although he hated even acknowledging that fact. It was so much easier when he didn’t give a shit about anyone or anything. Then, he didn’t have to worry about being let down. Like now.

“Beer?” Cam offered as he joined Teague on the private pier behind the marina. He was carrying a cooler in one hand, a cold one in the other.

Teague was tempted but managed to resist. For whatever stupid reason, he did not want Hudson to catch him drinking, even if it looked as though Hudson’s lascivious proposal was no longer on the table. The guy had told him he needed to be sober, and no way would one beer hurt, but until he decided whether or not he was going to accept what Hudson was offering, he didn’t want to risk it.

“I’m good, thanks.”

“In the cooler if you change your mind.”

He nodded, watching as Cam headed down to the end of the pier and sat next to his husband, Gannon, his feet sliding over the edge to dangle in the water. Teague felt a little out of sorts standing there by himself. Not for the first time, he wondered where Dare was. The guy had been acting a little off lately, and Teague had to assume that was due to the man from his past making a reappearance in his life. He remembered Dare sharing the sordid details of what had happened between him and Noah all those years ago, and he had to wonder if there was any way to come back from that sort of heartache.

Then again, he didn’t ever want to find out. The reason he’d never experienced heartache—other than what he’d been born into—was because he’d kept himself closed off from everyone. Far better than he’d ever thought possible. He’d learned his lesson after the second foster family had sent him back during the middle of first grade. He’d gotten into one too many fights, and they’d come out and said they couldn’t deal with the violence. He’d been six. Apparently, he’d been too much to handle for the couple.

Whatever.

He had learned over the years not to get attached to anyone or anything. In his experience, nothing lasted. Once the newness wore off and reality set in, people moved on. So, he had learned to, as well.

Not once in his twenty-five years had he fallen in love, either, and if he was lucky, it would never be something he would have to deal with. He’d seen what it had done to his mother. She’d taken her own life because of a man.

Stupid.

“What’re you doing over here all by yourself?”

Teague turned at the sound of Roan’s voice coming from behind him. He didn’t want to answer the question, so he deflected with one of his own. “They get it all set up?”

Turned out, Roan had hired a company to handle the pyrotechnics show this year, and the only thing he and Roan had to do was help them get the stuff down to the lake. It had taken all of fifteen minutes since there were four of them, so his distraction from Hudson hadn’t lasted as long as he’d hoped it would.

“They did.” Roan glanced at his watch. “About to start.” Roan nodded toward the end of the pier, where Cam and Gannon were sitting. “You coming?”

Teague shook his head. He wasn’t planning to stay long, so he figured he’d stand there for a few minutes before heading in for the night. Today had been a brutally busy day, and he was wiped out. The lake would likely be slammed with boaters again tomorrow because it always worked that way, and he knew he’d be working from sunup to sundown since Cam had taken him up on his offer to help with the appointments.

Not that he’d ever cared about that before, but tonight, he was going with that excuse.

“I’m gonna head up in a minute.”

Roan nodded, a hint of a frown forming between his brows as his gaze swept over Teague’s face. Luckily, the guy didn’t bombard him with questions; instead, he turned and made his way down to Cam.

Teague stood there, staring out at the water, listening to the hushed conversation from the people all around him. They were lining the banks of the lake, lawn chairs and blankets as far as the eye could see, everyone gearing up for the show. Rather than hang out on the pier, he decided to sneak down to the dock so he could watch the show from the boat that they all shared for recreational activities.

When the first boom sounded, Teague felt his heart skip a beat, the exhilaration slamming into him as he stood there, his hands thrust in his pockets. He wasn’t sure what it was about the Fourth of July, but it had always been his favorite holiday. Maybe it was the fireworks that drew him or perhaps because it didn’t carry the stigma of family along with it. Sure, there were families who spent the day together, but it wasn’t a requirement like Thanksgiving and Christmas—both of which he’d spent by himself every year for as long as he could remember. Since he didn’t have any family, the Fourth of July was one of the few holidays that didn’t make him feel completely alone.

As he watched the colors brighten the night sky, he must’ve gotten caught up in the brilliance of it, because he didn’t register the person joining him on the boat. He felt the slight shift as the boat rocked on the water from the weight, but he didn’t bother looking over.

He remained perfectly still, pretending he wasn’t interested in knowing who it was, until he felt the warmth of a body at his back. He didn’t need to turn around to know that heat belonged to Hudson. He could smell him. A sexy, musky scent that he’d gotten all too familiar with surrounded him, and he swayed a little on his feet.

For the longest time, they both stood there, neither moving as they watched the lights in the sky.

A million things ran through Teague’s mind in that moment, but he was too scared to move, not wanting to break the spell.

DURING HUDSON’S WORKOUT, he had somehow ended up remembering the night he’d interrupted Teague’s little orgy. That had stimulated a spark of anger that powered him through the weightlifting, making him work harder than he had in months. When it was over, he’d felt anxious and on edge, something he wasn’t particularly fond of. As a means of punishing himself, he had refused to jack off during his shower, although by then, thoughts of Teague were overwhelming him.

It was as though he couldn’t think of anything else, and that was unacceptable.

Although he had considered staying in his apartment for the night, he’d given in when AJ started giving him shit. It was that or knock AJ out. Hudson wasn’t keen on the idea of hitting his brother, no matter how irritating he could get, so here he was.

When AJ had decided he wanted to go hang with Cam and Gannon, Hudson had used that as his excuse to slip away, heading down to the dock. On occasion, he would come down to the boat and simply sit, enjoying the way it gently rocked on the water when no one was out here. He hadn’t seen Teague on the boat at first, although it had been a nice surprise. He’d simply been coming down to get a better look, to have a few minutes away from everyone else to enjoy the show without constant chatter.

His first clue that something was up was when Teague didn’t say anything. He didn’t even look his way. Not even when Hudson came to stand directly behind him. That might’ve been a first. Usually Teague was prone to making a scene and getting away as fast as he could. Not tonight.

Now, as Hudson stood behind Teague, he couldn’t resist the urge to take a step closer, to eliminate the space between their bodies. He wasn’t surprised when Teague flinched, but he felt immeasurable relief when he didn’t move away. Not for the first time in his life, Hudson wished he could speak. Wished he had the ability to say something, to relay what was on his mind. He’d learned long ago to quell that urge because it wasn’t something he could change. He didn’t have a voice, he couldn’t verbally relay his thoughts, but he could do so by touch.

It was a risk he was fearful of taking, but after a few tense moments when his breath was lodged in his throat, he finally moved his hands, placing them on Teague’s sides, then sliding them down to his hips. Teague was still without his shirt, so the warm, smooth skin of his torso slid beneath Hudson’s palms, heat infusing him. He wasn’t asking for anything, his touch wasn’t even sexual—okay, maybe a little—but he wanted Teague to know he was there. He wanted Teague to feel him because that was how he spoke—through his hands.

Closing his eyes, Hudson drank in the feeling through his fingertips, enjoying the warmth of Teague, smooth skin covering firm muscle. Forcing his eyes open, he reminded himself this was not going to go further. He was simply letting Teague know he was there.

He heard Teague’s sharp intake of breath, felt the way Teague lightly swayed on his feet. He liked that he made the kid feel off-balance. He had noticed that the first time they kissed on the cruise ship, and again the other night. Although Teague had been drunk both times, Hudson could tell that he affected Teague. Teague might not like that he did, but he did nonetheless.

For someone as self-assured as Teague pretended to be, Hudson knew that was a façade. He didn’t know what had happened in Teague’s life to make him the way that he was, but he couldn’t deny that he wanted to know. Not that he would ask; that would be inviting too much intimacy between them. Hudson might’ve offered to show Teague an unobstructed world of passion, but he wasn’t asking for anything more. He wasn’t
offering
anything more. He knew better.

Teague leaned back and Hudson wasn’t even sure he realized he was doing it. As they stood on the darkened boat, Hudson’s chest against Teague’s back, his hands firmly gripping Teague’s hips, the move the only way he could keep from touching more of him, they simply stood there as the night sky burst with color.

Hudson was tempted to slide his hand down the front of Teague’s shorts, grip the smooth, warm length of him in his hand. He was desperate to learn Teague’s body, to find out what made him sigh and moan. This would’ve been the perfect opportunity, and he would’ve probably jumped on it had Teague agreed to his proposition.

Unfortunately, for both of them, Teague had been hiding from him, so they had yet to settle how this would play out. Until that time came, Hudson wasn’t going to pursue him. He would have to settle for feeling the warmth of Teague’s body, the slight shift of his muscles beneath his hands while they stood there alone in the night.

He wasn’t sure what he was feeling, doubted Teague knew what he was feeling, either, but it was nice. It was a moment between them, one Hudson didn’t expect to last, nor did he ever expect it would happen again, but he was grateful for this. Right here. Right now. No anger, no masks, nothing between them but the warm breeze and the brilliant lights in the sky.

Some might even call it progress.

“WHERE’S HUDSON?” ROAN asked AJ when Hudson’s brother joined them down by the water.

AJ shrugged, glancing behind him. “I saw him walking down toward the boat slips.”

Roan nodded. That made sense. The marina’s boat was down there, and it would offer an unobstructed view of the lake without anyone around to interrupt. Not that Roan knew anything about that. Okay, maybe a little.

“What’s up, man?” Gannon called out to AJ, turning to look up at him, a smile on his face. “Haven’t seen you since the cruise. You doing all right?”

AJ grinned and Roan watched as the man moved closer to Gannon. “Can’t complain. And you? I see you survived jumping out of an airplane.”