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between Charlene and the rest of the crew that had been thrust into his life, somehow he d
found himself staying, at least for a little longer. He d have thought, weeks ago, that as soon
as James was found he d be knocking the dust from this town off his heels, yet here he was.
At least he knew James was getting the best care possible. His parents wouldn t settle for
anything less, so it wasn t as hard to hang around a while longer.
It was weird, in a way. He had friends now, as in plural. He and James had been friends
for years, but other than him Chase hadn t bothered letting anyone else close. He d have
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thought it would have been oppressive; having to worry about other people, but with Adam,
Les, Max, Bo, Rory and Chance and well the list of new friends was extensive, at least in his
opinion. And, Chase didn t feel quite as stifled, or and this was the one thing that unsettled
him if he gave it too much thought he didn t feel as much like an outsider in their happy
little world. When had something shifted inside himself, something that let people past his
walls? Chase wasn t sure. All he knew was the urge to run had receded, at least for now.
And it most definitely didn t have anything to do with a certain velvet-voiced man.
Chase snorted at that. He wasn t the sort to get hung up on a man, but the truth was, he
hadn t been able to push Xavier from his thoughts for more than a few minutes at a time.
Maybe, he mused, he should just fuck the man and get over it.
Although, there might be a problem with that. Xavier, with that soothing voice and
calming touch, didn t seem like a man who bottomed. With his presence, the way he carried
himself and didn t seem to let anything rattle him or at least not a bitchy blond Chase
couldn t help but think Xavier was likely a top. Maybe Chase had it wrong and the man
would bend over for him in a heartbeat, but he didn t think so.
No matter how much his stomach fluttered at the thought, or the way his cock started
firming up, Chase didn t bottom. So, problem. He narrowed his eyes, the awful bracelet
blurring as he tried to work that little problem through. Mutual hand jobs, maybe? No, he
could beat off himself, and yeah, it was definitely a different experience when another man
was doing it for you, different when your hand was closed around another man s dick, but
that wouldn t be enough.
Blowjobs, then. That might work, or& or& Chase closed his eyes and pulled up an
image of Xavier. For some reason he d had trouble bringing the man into focus. It always
seemed his eyes, mouth or hands became the whole of the picture of the man. But if we picked
up a third&
An unreasonable burst of anger speared through him as he tried to imagine sharing
some cute little twink with Xavier. Every time one of those big, rough hands stroked over the
imaginary twink s pale soft skin, Chase wanted to hit something. Preferably the twink.
Fuck, he was going to drive himself out of what was left of his mind at this rate! Chase
opened his eyes as the pinging sound of beads bouncing on the floor reached his ears.
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Damn it all! He tossed the unravelled leather on the couch and bent over, trying to capture
the rolling beads.
Footsteps sounded on the porch, followed by the squeak of the screen door something
Josh said they all refused to fix as it acted as an early warning system in case someone was
getting down and dirty in the living room, which happened somewhat regularly here in the
bunkhouse. Chase muttered another curse word as his fingers closed around a shiny bead.
He sat up too fast, his head spinning from it as Max came around the front of the couch and
knelt down.
Hate it when this happens, Max said, scooping up a couple of beads. Always makes
me want to throw the whole damn thing against the wall.
Chase snorted at that. Max was about the most laid-back man he d ever met. That ever
actually happen?
Max set the beads on the coffee table, steadying them with his hand until he was sure
they weren t going to roll off. Once or twice. I get irritated sometimes, believe it or not. He
gave Chase a self-deprecating smile that Chase found himself answering with one of his
own. Thing about being so easy-going, every now and then things build up and kinda just
spew out, you know?
Chase didn t know about the easy-going part he didn t think that term had ever
applied to him but he definitely knew about the other. Yeah, I guess. Sometimes I just&
Shocked at himself and his loose lips, he averted his gaze. He didn t confide in people, except
maybe James. What was he doing, letting his mouth run away with him now?
Max didn t push, though. He gathered up a few more beads that were out of Chase s
reach then stood, his knees popping loudly. Chase winced in sympathy, something else
mostly alien to him, but damn, that had sounded painful!
After setting the other beads down, Max rubbed at his knees. Chase finally looked the
man in the eyes again and was grateful when Max seemed like he was going to ignore
Chase s unfinished confession.
Getting old, Max said, but he didn t sound particularly upset about it. Ain t as easy
getting down on my knees as it He broke off suddenly, his swarthy complexion going
darker at the cheeks.
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Chase tried not to laugh, knowing Max s mind had tumbled into the gutter right
alongside his. A snicker slipped out regardless, and the blush on Max s cheeks deepened
even as the man grinned.
Oh now, you know what I mean!
Chase nodded, then startled them both with a noisy laugh. He slapped a hand over his
mouth; he couldn t remember the last time he d really laughed like that. He might have been
too stunned to make another sound, but Max started laughing, and before Chase knew what
was what, the two of them were sprawled on the couch, holding their sides until their
laughter faded to snickering.
It felt good to let go like that, too good to worry about anything just now. Chase sighed
and leaned his head back, rolling his neck so he could look at Max. Amazing how much
younger Max looked when he was really relaxed. Chase realised Max had the same look
about him when Bo was around, which was& well, he d like to think it was sickeningly sweet
and not something he d ever want, but he d never been willing to lie to himself. So he
acknowledged the strange, warm pull inside him as something along the lines of envy,
maybe, but still told himself a relationship wasn t for him.
Even if he ever did commit to one man, he d never be the warm fuzzy type of guy like
these other men he d met here. And why, why was he even thinking about it as if it would
ever happen? And even worse, when he closed his eyes, there were those eyes again, the
sound of that voice, flashes of those hands
Oh no. No no no no. Not happening! What the fuck is wrong with me?
The couch shifting had Chase opening his eyes. Max stood and rubbed at his belly as
his lips curled up on one side. Crap. I came in here cause it s my turn to make lunch.
Supposed to feed Chance and Rory, too, since Bo invited them over when it was my turn to
cook, of course. Max rolled his eyes, but he didn t look bent out of shape about it. He tipped
his head towards the kitchen. You wanna help?
Chase didn t have a lick of cooking skills. He wasn t particularly interested in learning
any, either, and yet he nodded and began to push up off the couch. Yeah, I guess I could do
that.
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* * * *
Later that evening, as he sat in the living room once again working on the bracelet,
which looked a hell of a lot better this time around, Chase covertly watched the other
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