Chapter Thirteen
Gabe
It sucked being on my own, having no idea when either or both of them would make an appearance. To take my mind off my boredom, I’d decided to make us dinner for tonight. Not to be judgy, but by the extent of crappy food in the refrigerator, Mitch had become your typical frozen meal in front of the TV type of guy, though rummaging around in the freezer did yield some cuts of venison. Having spotted a rifle in the mudroom, I didn’t want to ask where he’d gotten the meat in case he told me all the gory details. The couple of things he did have in abundance were herbs and spices, something I was extremely grateful for, as I’d need them to pep up the stuff he called food. Surprisingly, he also had a decently stocked wine cellar, which I’d make a determined effort to deplete during my enforced incarceration.
After defrosting and marinating the steaks, neither man had returned, so being alone in the house with time to spare, I decided to use Mitch’s walk-in shower instead of the handheld one over the small tub I’d used this morning. For one, it was far bigger, and I’d noticed the extremely tempting rainfall showerhead when changing into the clothes he’d given me earlier.
I stripped and stood under the deliciously hot water moments later, the shower’s powerful jets cascading over me, heating my skin. Officially the warmest I’d been all day, it was total and utter bliss. Soaping my body with Mitch’s—yep, I’d already guessed correctly—pine shower gel, putting a nail in the coffin of my thinking he was anything other than straight. I pondered how nice it would be for a change if those guys used something other than the standard boring fragrance. We don’t all want them to smell like they’ve been rolling around in a forest, for fuck’s sake.
Once I’d covered my body in bubbles, I started working my dick. My sudsy hand moving slowly along its length felt amazingly good, so I carried on, getting myself good and hard in the process.
It’d been over a week since I’d last had sex and a few days since I’d jerked off, so I was more than ready to indulge in a little happy time. If nothing else, losing my load might release some of the pent-up tension in my body, since getting stuck in this dump with no way out. Sliding my fist up my shaft, I gave a couple of twists around the head making myself groan, before slicking down to the base and repeating the movement, loving the endorphins being released in my body. My free hand slid under my balls and massaged those, too, squeezing and pulling, heightening the pleasure.
A noise in the house had me stilling my movements and cocking my head trying to hear over the stream of water, but after a few seconds of quiet there were no other sounds. Besides, I’m sure the dogs would bark or give me some sort of notice if they detected anyone.
My fingers tightened, continuing to work my cock as I shifted my other hand from my balls around to my ass, playing with my hole. The sensation felt fucking awesome, so I slipped a finger inside my ring, the glide easy with the soapy lubrication. Head falling back, I gave in to the feelings spiraling throughout my body. My hand methodically working my shaft while a finger, then two, pumped in and out of my ass, hurtling me ever closer to the edge.
Maybe due to the water falling all around me I didn’t hear him come into the bathroom, or maybe I’d been too far gone in my own pleasure, I didn’t care. But Mitch’s loud and completely unexpected “What the hell!” had my head snapping forward to see him standing a couple of feet away on the other side of the glass, his hands on his hips. Even with him as a surprise spectator, I’d already passed the point of no return and couldn’t prevent my ejaculation if my life depended on it. The climax tingling in my balls made me stiffen as pleasure ripped me apart. Spunk shot from my cock in long white streams, painting the glass shower door as I simultaneously let out a deep satisfied moan, my orgasm that fucking good.
Panting heavily, my cock still pumping cum, I fell against the tiled wall, my legs shaking as they tried to hold me up. Damn, that was intense, and having Mitch as the audience only heightened my pleasure all the more.
“Hey,” I grinned lazily as Mitch and his ever-present scowl stared back at me. “I was cold, and your shower looked too good to resist,” I said, turning off the valve. Why I did what I did next, I had no idea. It might have been due to my pent-up sexual needs being assuaged by my hand job and I was completely relaxed, or maybe I wanted to provoke some reaction from our reluctant host other than annoyance.
Exiting the shower, I stood unashamedly naked in front of him, hands on my hips, mimicking his stance, making sure the action would draw attention to the semi-hard dick between my legs. “It was, by the way,” I drawled.
To his credit, he didn’t look anywhere but at my face. Disappointment at his lack of reaction soon turned to triumph when I noticed him rapidly swallow a couple of times. His husky voice gave even more away when he spoke, “What was?”
“Your shower.” Still not retrieving a towel, I let the cooling water drip down my bare skin, the change in temperature making my nipples hard. I smirked. “It was really good. Big enough for two.” I let my observation hang for a second. “Or three…”
This time he did react, his eyes darkening briefly, his lips parting. He covered it well, but his fa?ade had cracked just a smidge.
He stepped away and gave me a full once-over. I didn’t move a muscle, letting him take his fill. His gaze travelled everywhere, making my body tingle. He lingered a while on my cock, so I flexed it, ya know, because I could. To his credit, he ignored me, carrying on as if nothing had happened, before his eyes finally returned to mine. Disregarding my comment, he simply turned to exit the room. “Make sure you tidy up your mess.” He threw over his shoulder and was gone, leaving me disappointed and with the unsettling feeling I’d lost yet another round in our ongoing game.
After clearing my mess off the shower door, I took my time and leisurely dried myself. Wrapping the towel around my waist about one and a half times, because of course everything in this home was massive, I left Mitch’s bedroom and padded down the tiny hallway to the sitting room where I’d left most of my clothes. I heard Mitch and Leo in the kitchen, but I ignored them, dropping the towel, because why the hell not? Mitch had already seen me shoot my load, so he wouldn’t be embarrassed by my nakedness. I pulled on my underwear and the oversize jeans, T-shirt, flannel shirt and sweater, then walked into the kitchen.
“Nice of you to join us,” Mitch drawled, setting my teeth instantly on edge.
“Yeah,” I replied, “I was a tad busy there for a while.”
Leo’s eyes flicked between us a few times.
“You watched the show, Mitch, and must have been able to see how distracted I was.”
“What show?” Leo asked, turning to Mitch. “What did you see?”
“Nothing worth mentioning,” he replied, and fuck if I didn’t want to punch him for his cheap comment.
“Maybe you should take a closer look the next time, to make sure.”
He sucked in a breath, and if the same images of him on his knees in front of me were going through his head as they were mine, he was probably getting hard.
“Look closer at what?” Leo asked into the silence. “Will somebody please tell me what’s going on?”
I sniggered. “Our Mitch walked in on me taking a shower, among other things. He stayed until I finished.” I gave him a direct look. “Right, Mitch?”
He gritted his teeth and the muscles in his jaw clenched a few times.
“What am I missing here?” Leo asked me but must have rapidly put two and two together, as a cute blush hit his cheeks. “Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
“I think I’ll take the dogs out for a walk.” Not waiting for a reply, Mitch headed out of the kitchen, leaving me and Leo behind.
“Chicken,” I goaded him as he passed by me.
“Not a chicken. Simply not interested in what you’re peddling.”
Peddling? Fucking peddling?
“I’m not sure where you’re getting your sex from Mitchell, but it’s obviously from the wrong type of people if you think I’m peddling anything.” I winked at him. “I give it away for free, and always, always leave them wanting more.”
He stiffened, not taking the bait, but more telling was his refusal to look me in the eyes, silently answering my outstanding question on his sexuality. Oh yeah, he’s interested, which considering his dislike for me made the discovery even hotter. He might try to fight the attraction, but it wouldn’t do him any good. He’d eventually succumb like all the rest. By the time I’d finished with him, he’d be doing exactly what I’d said and be begging me for more.
“Would you give him a break?” Leo laid into me as soon as Mitch had left the room. “Why can’t you leave him the hell alone?”
For the second time, he’d stopped playing peacekeeper, which intrigued me. Usually, he’d go out of his way to try to calm us down, but right now he was taking sides, and definitely not mine. It shouldn’t have affected me, but after our kiss this morning, his harsh words stung. I thought we’d had a connection, a spark. I’d certainly been feeling something between us since we first met in his office. And last night in bed, I’d swear he was jerking off, or at least palming himself under the sheets, after I accidently, and then on purpose, grazed his nipple when I’d reached over to shake his hand.
So what’d changed since then? It must be the time they spent together this afternoon. I’d returned after tiding up the tools and lingering a while to take in the tranquility of the lake, only to find the cabin empty, with no sign of Leo or Mitch.
A weight sat heavy in my gut, realizing I’d been left alone again. If the two of them weren’t getting nice and cozy in the cabin while I was banished to Leo’s Jeep, they were now going off together for most of the afternoon, leaving me alone to stew. Okay, I’d gone to talk to Mitch earlier, but more to get him to apologize to Leo than anything else, and Leo had been fully aware of my reasons for going.
But something had happened while they’d been out. They’d become more relaxed around each other, more relaxed than I’d seen either of them be with me, and to be honest, their newfound friendliness rankled. I’m a grown-ass man who doesn’t need anyone, but I had a sinking feeling they were pushing me further away, and Leo defending Mitch, wanting me to ease off, smacked of them rounding on me.
Leo had also made a valid point. Why couldn’t I leave Mitch alone?
“Since when did you get all protective of our little ray of sunshine?”
He seemed taken aback. “I-I’m not. I just wish you two would stop arguing for more than a minute.”
Bullshit. “Sure, you do.”
His face shuttered. He’d gotten better at keeping me out and his newfound ability annoyed the fuck out of me.
“What happened while you two were out?”
He refused to maintain eye contact.
“Something did. You two appear to have got overly buddy-buddy, all of a sudden.”
“No, we haven’t.”
He may have been able to shutter his face, but he hadn’t managed to control his body language. Arms crossed, legs planted a few feet apart, his defensive posture screamed “keep away.” Walking to stand in front of him, I waited until he looked me in the eyes. It was brief, but I got a glimpse of the nerves he tried to hide.
“What happened today?” I spoke the words quietly, hoping they’d come across the way I felt. Interested more than angry they’d managed to bond while I continued struggling to get anywhere with either of them. Discounting the kiss, of course, which had nothing whatsoever to do with bonding and everything to do with being horny.
Finally, his eyes stayed on mine. “Do you really want to know or are you merely gathering more ammunition to use against us?”
Us?
Ignoring the heavy feeling crushing my chest, I answered truthfully, “I really want to know.” The sudden sound of the wood crackling loudly in the fire made Leo jump, proving how nervous he was. “Come on. Why don’t we make ourselves comfortable on the couch,” I soothed, hoping a more subtle approach might work. He hesitated for a minute before agreeing. “You want some wine? I already opened a bottle for when we eat.”
“Thank you.”
“Go sit. I won’t be long.”
He walked over and made himself comfortable. A few minutes later I returned with two glasses of red wine. I didn’t particularly want any alcohol but figured Leo would feel more relaxed if I had a glass too.
Sitting down beside him, I half turned to face him, my right knee resting on the cushion, arm along the top of the couch. He took a couple of sips of wine, and I watched his throat work when he swallowed. A sudden urge to lean over and lick a path along his neck, mark him, make him see me as well as Mitch had me forcibly gripping the cushion until my fingers ached.
“We talked about his wife,” Leo began. “I knew she’d died, but I didn’t have any information on how.” He took another sip and rather than lick him, I moved my hand along the sofa closer to his neck, making him more aware of my presence. “It was an automobile accident. Something happened to make her swerve off the road and into a ravine.” He turned to look at me. “She wasn’t wearing a seat belt so died instantly when she went through the windshield.”
Shit .
“How long ago did the accident happen?”
“Nearly four years ago.”
“So they lived here together?”
“After his dad died and left everything to him and his brother, yeah.” Everything started to fall into place, and I understood better now why Mitch was so adamant about not selling. Why he’d been devastated when I told him his brother had. The cabin and land weren’t only his home, they’d been his and his wife’s sanctuary. With her gone, it was all he had left of her, of what they hoped to achieve together.
How to feel like the biggest asshole in the world.
“I didn’t know,” I said.
“Why would you?”
I shook my head. “I should have. I pay people to find these things out.”
He considered my response for a second before scowling at me. “To what? Use what you find against them?”
I stared at him in horror. Did he really think I’d use someone’s grief as a bargaining chip to close a deal? When in truth we conducted our investigations to consciously avoid this type of situation, ensuring we didn’t go in blind and cause a potential seller any unwarranted distress.
His hand landed my thigh and rubbed a couple of times. I moved my leg out of his reach. “I’m sorry, Gabe. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“Sounded like you did, Leo.”
“No, please. Forget I said anything.” Nope, don’t think so. His slight proved exactly how far on the other side of the fence from these two I was. The big bad investor out to get the sale at all costs. Fuck, that hurt. “I know you wouldn’t do something so horrible.”
So why say it?
I didn’t reply out loud, not sure I trusted what would come out of my mouth.
“Gabe?” I tried not to soften at the anguish in his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
I half shrugged and took a large drink of my wine, tasting the iron and berries of the merlot as I swallowed the flavors to try to rid my mouth of the bitterness his words left behind.
“Christ,” Leo murmured to himself. “Why do I always fuck things up? It’s always the same. Always.”
What the hell? About to ask him to explain his comment, the door handle rattled Mitch’s arrival and put a swift end to the conversation. The blast of cold air as he let himself in seemed to release all the heat from the room, giving me goose bumps.
The dogs loped in behind him, light flakes of snow clinging to their fur as they made a beeline straight for us, demanding attention, their cold noses snuffling at my jeans.
“Hey, boys,” I greeted them and scratched Norris under the chin. Yep, I’d figured out the differences between each dog. His face turned into a picture of contentment, eyes closed, chin up, tail wagging. Chuck received the same treatment from Leo, making our actions feel domestic and comfortable, like we made a fuss of them every day. Not that I was going to get comfortable. Tomorrow was day three, so we should both be getting out from under Mitch’s feet, something I’m sure he’d gladly welcome. Deciding I’d get nothing more out of Leo and still smarting over his comments, I stood and headed to the kitchen, leaving my wine on the side table.
I turned to Mitch. “You go change and I’ll organize some food and water for the dogs. I have to start dinner anyway.” He side-eyed me, probably wondering who this version of Gabe was, especially after I’d poked the bear earlier, so I made sure to school my features so as not antagonize him further. A first for me, but after Leo’s explanation, I realized I might possibly have been a bit over the top in my heated conversations with him, and a teensy bit pushy. I nodded to my glass on the side table. “You can finish my wine too.” I didn’t wait for an answer and left them to chat. I had a lot to process, and mindless food prep and some privacy would allow my head to assimilate what I’d learned so, hopefully, I’d figure out what to do next.