Chapter 21
Stone
Christmas Eve is crazy busy on the slopes. Hanlon and I have been running all day. I even had to send him to a couple of minor accidents by himself because I couldn’t leave the people I was in the middle of helping.
Logan and Layla are also here, but even with the four of us, it’s a skeleton crew for the number of injuries we’re tending to.
Being busy means I haven’t had to worry too much about staring at Hanlon in his patrol jacket, though, which is nice. Hell, I’ve barely had time to spare him a glance all morning.
Things finally start slowing down around lunchtime, and by two, we’re finally treading water.
I radio Hanlon to see if he needs help finishing up wherever he is on the mountain. When he doesn’t answer me right away, I start to get jittery, and I radio him again.
“Hanlon, come in. Do you read me? Over.”
“Dude, take a chill pill,” Logan chastises. “He’s probably putting an ace wrap on some ski bunny’s ankle. He’ll answer once he’s gotten her number.”
The thought makes my gut churn.
“Hey, Stone. I’m here. There was a lot of activity just south of the bowl. I’m digging a pit and running a test really quickly. Depending on the results, I think we should blast here tomorrow. Over.”
I don’t like the thought of Hanlon so far out on his own, but if this is going to work, I have to trust that he’s a capable adult.
Because I can’t have it both ways. Either he’s an adult and can make his own choices—which includes being with me—or he isn’t, which means he should be chaperoned on the mountain, and I’d need to put an end to things between us.
Since I’m not willing to do that, I sit on pins and needles for the next two hours until he comes walking through the front door.
“Clark Kent!” Logan shouts. “Glad you’re back. Thought your brother was going to start chewing through the desk.”
“Logan, shut the fuck up,” I snap.
“What? I think it’s cute…all that brotherly love after years of silence.” Hanlon and I share a look while Logan keeps running his mouth. “You boys coming to the Christmas party at Summit tonight?”
“I didn’t know there was one,” Hanlon says casually, taking his jacket off and hanging it on the coat rack.
“Oh yeah, the resort really goes all out for us. It’s all the employees, but we get the whole restaurant to ourselves. It’s catered with an open bar. Pretty ballin’ actually.”
I hadn’t mentioned it to Hanlon because I was hoping to spend tonight with just him.
Ever since getting him off, I’ve kind of become dependent on it. His pleasure is consuming my thoughts.
“Sounds fun,” Hanlon says noncommittally, but of course, Logan reads into it.
“Awesome! So, I’ll see you guys there? Stone never comes, so the rest of the team is going to be stoked!”
Hanlon flashes a wince at me and mouths, ‘Sorry.’
As long as he’s there with me, it could be fun. Even if I won’t be able to touch him the way I want to.
No sooner do I step into the shower than my bathroom door opens and Hanlon appears, grinning through my glass shower door.
“Thought you might need some help cleaning the hard-to-reach spots,” he says adorably, taking his glasses off and setting them on the counter.
It’s impossible to tell which look is hotter. I don’t think I’ve seen him without his glasses on the entire time he’s been here, but Christ, without his glasses, his cheekbones really stand out. His eyes pop more as well, but I think maybe that’s because I can see his eyebrows now?
“What? Do I have something on my face?” he asks.
“Oh, uh, no. I just don’t think I’ve seen you without your glasses in a while.”
“Well, here I am,” Hanlon says with a smile, fluttering his eyelashes as he opens the shower door and steps inside.
I want to kiss him, so I do.
Grabbing the back of his neck, I pull his mouth to mine, slamming our chests together. He grips my hips, and the simple contact makes my head spin.
Hanlon kisses like a fucking porn star.
Fully confident. Perfectly messy. Talented tongue. And lots of it.
My dick springs to life, and I can’t believe it. I’ve never given this much thought to sex. I’ve never come this many days in a row. I’ve never been so utterly smitten with someone, either.
My dick pokes Hanlon in the stomach, and he chuckles against my mouth.
“I fucking love that you want me so much, but we don’t have time. It’s almost six.”
“The fuck did you get in this shower for then?” I yell, making his smile widen.
“Because I like to look at you naked.”
I playfully smack my forehead against the shower wall.
“You’re going to kill me,” I groan.
“Nah,” he says, pouring my shampoo into his hands. “I’m going to be the reason you finally start living.”
“Jury’s out on that,” I deadpan.
We finish our showers, and yes, I’m still hard, fuck-you-very-much.
There’s a dress code for the party because the restaurant, Summit, is extremely high-end. They don’t allow ski clothes inside, so if you stop by for lunch, you have to leave your boots in cubbies in the lobby as well as heavy jackets and wet snow pants.
As I’m buttoning my sport coat, feeling a little ridiculous in the formal wear, Hanlon walks back into my room in black slacks and a hunter-green sweater with the black button-down he wore to the lounge underneath.
But he’s missing his glasses.
“Is this okay, or do I need a suit jacket or something? If so, I’ll have to borrow one.”
“Where are your glasses?” I ask, ignoring the jacket question. No one is going to turn him away at the door. Not looking like this.
Hanlon’s cheeks flush.
“I thought I’d wear my contacts since you seemed to like the look in the shower,” he confesses, his index finger picking at the skin on the side of his thumb, giving away his nerves.
“To be very clear, I like all of your looks. Wear whatever makes you the most comfortable.”
He crosses the room to peck me on the cheek.
“Thank you.”
I can’t tear my eyes away from him. “Although you’re already making it extremely hard on me tonight, and I swear to God, if Logan hits on you, I’m going to deck him in the mouth.”
Hanlon huffs a laugh and slips his hands into his pockets, a look of total confidence on his features.
“Just remember, I’m coming home with you. There’s no need for punches…even if your possessive side really gets me going.”
I melt into him. I can’t fucking help it.
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I nip his bottom lip. “Oh yeah? Possessive assholes are your type?”
“I like you, don’t I?”
Feeling bolder with each interaction, I lightly wrap a hand around Hanlon’s throat. Just to hold him in place as I bring my mouth to his. He pushes himself further into my hand and moans against my lips.
I have so much to learn about what he likes. Good thing his pleasure seems to be my aphrodisiac.
“To be continued,” I whisper, letting go and taking a step back.
“Whose stupid idea was it to go to this thing tonight?” he grumbles, making me laugh this time.
“I believe it was yours. I wanted to stay home and get you off.”
His eyes and mouth widen simultaneously.
“That! Let’s do that!”
“Too late. Logan will have already told everyone we’re coming.”
“So? Cancel.”
“And let Logan’s mind wander unchecked about what we could possibly be doing together instead of spending our night with him at that party? I don’t think so, Han. Let’s get this over with so we can come back home as soon as possible.”
Hanlon rolls his eyes and turns to leave my room, but I grab his hand and spin him around, bringing us toe to toe.
“Maybe one for the road,” I suggest, slanting my mouth over his. He grabs onto the back of my jacket, returning the kiss. When I pull away, I rub my knuckles over his cheek. “I gave you beard burn.”
“You know,” he says, fucking with the buttons on my shirt, “people wouldn’t see it if it were on the inside of my thighs…or a different set of cheeks.”
The words ignite something inside me. Whatever has been lying dormant all these years, Hanlon just unlocked it with that suggestion, and now, I’m ravenous to taste him everywhere. I want to leave every inch of his pale skin pink and abraded.
“Like the sound of that, do you?” he asks with a knowing smile.
“Is that how being demisexual works? You find a person you connect with, and suddenly you want to do filthy shit you’ve never even entertained as a possibility before?” I ask.
Hanlon takes a second to answer, but finally says, “I think it’s different for everyone.
I don’t think you have to ascribe to only one type of sexuality.
I think the names are helpful simply to identify them, to give them substance.
If a thing has no name, it ceases to exist. You may be a gay demisexual man, or maybe you’re abrosexual and your sexuality fluctuates.
Like I said, the name is helpful because without it, it’s hard to educate, research, and advocate for it, but that doesn’t mean you have to choose just one.
It’s good enough for me simply to know that you’re attracted to me and want to be intimate with me… whatever that makes you.”
And just like that, all the pressure to discover what box I fit inside is gone.
I’m attracted to Hanlon.
And that’s all I want to be. That’s all I have to be.
Nodding, I bring my forehead to his. “That makes a lot of sense. Thank you.”
Suddenly, a loud warning alarm starts blaring from my phone, making Hanlon jump.
“What the fuck is that?” he asks.
“Logan’s ringtone,” I answer calmly. “Thought I should pick something as obnoxious as he is.” Sliding the button on the screen, I answer the call on speakerphone with a disgruntled, “What?”
“I can see you’re already in the holiday spirit. Get your ass outside. I’m your designated driver.”
“What?”
I’m not happy about it, but at least Logan already knows we’re related, so he won’t find it weird that Hanlon’s here. We still drive to work separately every day, though. It might be overkill, but the absolute last fucking thing I need is people sticking their noses in my business.
“Yeah, I thought I’d give you the night off. If I drive, you can get shit-faced on Ricochet’s dime. They owe you.”
I look at Hanlon with wide eyes.
‘What do I say?’ I mouth.
‘Do it,’ he mouths back. ‘I’ll drive myself.’
Hanlon still doesn’t want people—outside of Logan—to know we’re brothers because he wants to complete this internship on his own merit.
Although now, we both don’t want it getting out for other reasons.
If the cat were to get out of the bag about him and me fooling around—because keeping my hands to myself is going to be next to impossible tonight—they might guess we’re fucking, but hopefully we can keep the incest card off the table.
“Uh, sure. Be right out,” I tell Logan, already hating this.
“I’m in no rush; we could pregame here—”
“No! No, it’s fine. I’m ready,” I confirm, hanging up. “Ugh. I know we weren’t riding together anyway, but I really didn’t want to go with Logan,” I lament. “I’ll be sure to wait for you at the gondola so you don’t have to take it up alone.”
Hanlon shoves me against the door that leads to my bathroom, kissing me hard, not holding back.
This isn’t the gentle, understanding man who was here a second ago.
This version of Hanlon is out to brand me with this claiming kiss.
“He definitely wants to fuck you, and he was hoping to gain some ground before this party,” he growls low and menacing. “And that pisses me off.”
Does Hanlon have a side I don’t think is hot as fuck? It seems not.
“You know I don’t want him,” I confirm.
“I know that, but apparently he’s having a hard time understanding it.”
Hanlon surges forward, locking our lips together again. He is absolutely devouring me, and I’m in heaven.
My phone chimes in my pocket, and I know it’s Logan telling me to hurry the fuck up.
“Han,” I say, pressing unconvincingly against his chest. “Hanlon, I’ve got to go before Logan comes looking for me.”
He kisses me one more time, and I head for the front door.
A second later, I’m climbing into the passenger seat of Logan’s truck, and he whistles.
“Damn, Stone. You clean up well,” he says, doing a three-point turn.
“Thanks,” I grumble, staring longingly at the house, wishing I were still with the man inside.
“So, how’re things with Hanlon? You guys seem to be getting along better.” It’s rare that Logan talks to me about anything serious, and for a moment, I’m taken aback.
“Uh, yeah, it’s been nice reconnecting, I guess,” I say, giving him an honest answer.
“He’s a cool guy,” Logan says, making me huff.
“You can’t fuck him, Logan,” I say, immediately getting defensive. Maybe Logan’s just desperate for anyone. The thought makes me sad. He’s not a bad guy; he’s just…a lot.
Shocking me further, he jerks his head back and looks at me with a puzzled expression.
“You don’t really think I want to fuck a twenty-two-year-old, do you?
Stone, I’m almost thirty. Besides, just because I like to joke around and have a good time doesn’t mean I want to fuck everything that walks.
Hanlon’s an attractive guy, and I bet he’s fun in the sack, but he’s not really what I’m looking for. ”
The cab suddenly feels too warm, and I crack my window.
I don’t ask what Logan is looking for because he was decently explicit during our non-date.
“Okay, that’s cool. Uh, speaking of Hanlon, I told him I’d meet him at the gondola so he didn’t have to ride up alone,” I say stupidly, just trying to keep the awkward silence at bay.
“Oh. Yeah, sure.” Logan’s tone of disappointment cuts a little deep this time because he’s not being his usual, obnoxious self.
“You want to ride with us? Grab a beer when we get to the top?” I ask, hoping to come across as friendly and not the gigantic asshole I fear I’ve been recently. “You know this isn’t really my scene, so I’m probably going to hide in the corner until it’s time to go.”
Logan places his hand on my forearm in what I’m sure is meant to be a comforting gesture, but all I can think is, Hanlon would not appreciate his hand on me.
“A beer in the corner sounds perfect.” He squeezes my forearm gently before letting go. The intimacy of the gesture is too much. I’m still his boss.
I keep my answers short for the rest of the ride, unable to shake the feeling that with that one simple offer, I just fucked up big time.