15. Chapter Fifteen #2
“Hi, I’m Aaron,” I say as they both stop in their tracks. At the same time.
It’s uncanny, but also kind of funny.
“Ah… so you’re the man who’s got my brother all fucking twitterpated.”
I raise an eyebrow as he shoves the suitcase at me, right against my stomach. I grasp it without a second thought as Jacob bites out, “Noah!”
I smirk, because despite his tone, I see the faintest tint of pink in his perfect cheeks.
“Don’t listen to him,” Jacob says as he brushes past us. “He’s a fucking idiot.”
Noah laughs as I turn to follow Jacob and put his luggage in the trunk, realizing it’s not all going to fit.
“You moving in or something?” I tease, letting out a laugh of my own. Noah chuckles too.
Jacob crosses his arms as I work to rearrange our luggage, so I can fit the three suitcases better.
“It’s all that extra underwear,” Noah bites, and Jacob looks even redder. I have to fight the urge to laugh, because he’s fucking adorable when he’s mad.
“You can’t be too careful,” he says bitterly. “You need to be prepared.”
“Seven pairs of underwear for a week is prepared. Twenty-two is overkill. Unless you plan on making a mess, of course.” Noah winks at me, and I can’t help but laugh.
I like this guy. He’s a riot, and clearly he knows how to press his brother’s buttons.
“Goodbye, Noah.” Jacob’s voice kicks up a notch, and I can hear the anger rising. I don’t want to start this trip off on the wrong foot, so I grab his duffel, absentmindedly settling my hand on his back as I lean forward and he stiffens from my touch, flashing his gaze at me with surprise.
“Get in the car, baby,” I say sternly, practicing the endearment. If we are going to play pretend, I need to be as convincing as possible. One night of flirtation and orgasms isn’t enough. I need to be as boyfriendly as possible to make Jacob comfortable, too.
And I know when I say those words—when I call him baby —he seems to like that.
His cheeks turn tomato red, and he bites his lip, hard.
He doesn’t say anything, but I can see in his eyes he wants to.
And I think I know exactly what he wants to say, but he’s not going to say it in front of his brother.
I smirk, patting the small of his back to signal him to move.
He does, without question, and I open the driver side back door to throw his duffel in. Noah watches us intently with a smile.
“Have fun!” he shouts as I get in the driver’s side.
Jacob shakes his head as he runs his hands over his face, and I let out a chuckle.
“He seems fun.”
“Only to those who don’t share his DNA.”
I turn the car on and the sounds of that super poppy Apt song fill the air.
“You can change it if you want,” I note as Jacob leans back in his seat. He doesn’t say anything as he looks out the window.
“You okay?” I ask.
He doesn’t look at me, letting out a sigh.
“I just like to be prepared,” he mutters. “You never know what will happen. I could eat something that doesn’t agree with me and end up shitting my pants.” I shake my head, my smile growing.
“So, you have enough underwear in case you shit your pants every day? Twice?” I can’t resist teasing him. He makes it too easy, and I love the bratty look on his face, his petulant tone.
It’s like a balm to my soul.
“Obviously,” he says apathetically, but I can see the smirk pull at the corners of his lips.
“Well, unless you have some dastardly food allergy I’m unaware of, I think you’re safe.”
Jacob glances at me. “Nope, no allergies here.”
“Noted.”
He leans forward and turns the dial, searching through the stations.
“Besides…” I say carefully. “If you run into an issue and have no underwear, I’ll just get you some more.” I wink at him, and he shakes his head.
“You just want an excuse to get me out of my pants.”
I can’t help my grin, because even though the words are bitter, his tone isn’t.
“Maybe.” I don’t hide the truth, because there’s no point.
If we want this charade to work, we need to be honest with one another, and I meant what I said to him the other day.
When it’s just the two of us, he doesn’t have to be the man I hired him to be.
He can just be himself. I’d like him to be more himself.
There’s a tense silence as the humor fades and he settles on a station. It’s a Taylor Swift song, one I don’t know the name of, but I’ve heard a lot on the radio. Something about it being a cruel summer and there being no rules. Jacob glances at me for a moment before he looks out the window.
I can feel the tension thick in the air, and I know we should probably address the elephant in the room, but I don’t think he’s going to be the one to do it, so I take a deep breath and take charge of the situation.
“We should probably talk about that,” I say carefully. “PDA. Sex. Ground rules. Backstory and all that. For our roles, of course.”
Jacob is quiet for a moment, looking out the window.
“I’ll save you the trouble,” he says carefully. “PDA, fine. Kissing, touching, nothing R rated in front of the fam.” He shrugs. “Sex…”
I don’t miss the faint shaky breath he lets out.
“Off the table,” he says solidly.
A mixture of relief and disappointment course through me at his words. Not that I expected him to have sex with me on this trip or anything, given his reaction yesterday morning, but…
Knowing he’s drawing a line in the sand still kind of hurts. But I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it.
“Okay,” I say sternly. “But um… can I make an addendum to that?”
Jacob shoots me a glare as he raises an eyebrow.
“That depends. What is your addendum ?”
I pull up to a red light, looking at him for a moment, noting the sparkle in his eyes.
Interesting.
“No sex unless you ask for it.”
He crosses his arms. “I’m not going to ask for it, so fine. If that makes you feel better.”
I smirk. We’ll see about that, little prince. Challenge accepted.
“It does.” I smile as the light turns green. He shakes his head.
“Okay, so PG-13 PDA in front of the fam, no sex unless I ask for it,” he drawls sarcastically. “Anything else I should know?”
“Yeah,” I say carefully, knowing the next bit of info I give him is going to add to the pressure, but he needs to know.
“My sort-of ex is going to be there and he’s one of the candidates my dad’s looking at for the job.”
Jacob’s body shifts, and he sits up straighter.
“You didn’t mention your ex being a part of this trip.”
“It’s not an issue,” I say. “He’s just… a bit of an asshole. So, if he gives you any shit, tell me and I’ll take care of it.”
Jacob sighs deeply. “I can take asshole men. I’m not some damsel in distress, Aaron.”
I smirk at that. “I’m sure you can.”
“I’m serious.” Jacob crosses his arms tight against his chest as Taylor croons on about summer being cruel again, and I feel the truth in that.
“I believe you!” I say, my voice defensive at his tone.
There’s a strange tension in the air before he says, “I dealt with my fair share of assholes when I used to work at The Anchor. ”
I blink at that admission. The Anchor is well known for being a dive bar strip club. I’ve never been there, but I know plenty of guys who have. Like Garrett.
“You used to be a stripper?” I ask, my voice not betraying my surprise.
“I prefer the term dancer, ” Jacob bites. “And yes. Before I became a professional date, I studied dance at UW. The Anchor paid my way through college.”
I have to say I am surprised. I never thought to ask about his background, and I realize how shitty that is of me.
I’d hired him but I hadn’t really gotten to know him, save for what was needed for the party, and though he’s let slivers of truth through his carefully curated disguise, I realize I probably should know more. To help with the illusion and all.
“So that explains those killer dance moves,” I say humorously, my memory reminding me of the way he swayed his hips back and forth as we danced, the way he kept grinding his perfect little ass over my hard cock.
It was the nail in the coffin. Feeling him grind all over me and roll that pretty head on my shoulder—I didn’t think twice about asking him to get out of there, and he said yes.
“Maybe,” he says, his tone shifting to an easier, more relaxed one.
“I just… thought you should know.” I say. “About my ex, I mean.”
Garrett’s not really my ex but I don’t know what else to call him.
Telling Jacob about the nature of my relationship with Garrett feels uncomfortable.
It’s not a personal thing, but admitting to the man I hired to be my boyfriend that I have a guy I fuck sometimes who I have no actual attachment to… feels hypocritical as fuck.
I don’t want to give Jacob a reason to feel awkward, so I leave it as is.
I meant what I said about my health yesterday, when Jacob seemed obviously concerned with what we did.
Garrett and I have been fucking around for decades at this point, and I have always used condoms because I know he’s a dick through and through.
Not that I think the guy is a walking disease or anything, but I don’t trust him to not try and manipulate a situation. Especially when it comes to sex, given his history of fucking over his former spouses.
When I think about it—really think about it—the reality hurts like a knife. Because I don’t trust Garrett. I can’t. Yet you still have sex with him.
Jacob must sense my discomfort because his voice softens as he changes the subject.
“Tell me about your family,” he says.
“Not much to tell,” I admit. “My mom’s known I’ve been gay for a long time, and she’s not unsupportive, but… she isn’t exactly supportive either, when it comes to my dad.”
“That must be difficult,” he says. I shrug.
“Mostly I don’t care, but… my dad… he just… has this image of who he thinks a successful man is.”
Jacob scoffs. “Let me guess. Straight, married, three point five kids who are also smart, straight, and successful.”
“Something like that,” I say, my voice cracking because the bitterness in his tone… it’s like he more than understands. It’s like he knows.
“Your dad a dick, too?”
Jacob chuckles sarcastically. “Something like that.”
“Sorry.”
Jacob shrugs. “Just cementing that stereotype, I guess.”
“What stereotype?” I stop the car, hitting the traffic jam.
We’re going to be here a while.
“I mean, I was a stripper with Daddy issues and now I’m a professional date with Daddy issues.” He says the words apathetically, but I hear the disdain in them.
“Hey.” I lean over a bit, and he turns, glancing at my lips then my eyes as his cheeks tint.
“You were not a stripper with Daddy issues,” I say pointedly. His gaze falls to my mouth, where it hovers. “You were a dancer with Daddy issues,” I say with a smirk. His lips turn up slightly into a half smile. “And you’re not just a professional date, you know. You’re a person.”
My gaze falls to his mouth for a split second before I look at his piercing gaze.
“And sometimes, people are… complex.”
Jacob licks his lips. “I guess so.”
I pull away as the cars start to move, and the air between us changes.
Taylor’s voice fades away as we move forward.
We sit in companionable silence, the only sound the music filling the air as we drive the rest of the way.
Jacob watches everything pass by with interest.
“You ever been up here before?” I ask.
“No,” he says, his gaze fixed on the ocean outside his window.
“Never been to the beach before,” he admits.
My eyes widen. “Never?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. Didn’t go on many family vacations as a kid, and when we did, we usually ended up going to amusement parks.”
My heart breaks because some of my best memories are on the beach, here. Long summer nights, fireworks, sunrises…
“Well, we’ll just have to make your first time a trip you’ll never forget, then.”
When I pull up to the property—a sprawling seven thousand foot home with seven bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms big enough to house fifteen people—I don’t miss Jacob’s slight gasp.
“Yeah, I know it’s ostentatious as fuck,” I say as I note my parents’ car in the driveway along with Chris’s and Uncle Travis’s.
I don’t see Garrett’s or his parent’s cars, but then again, they have their own house up here, so I’m hoping they are staying there instead of with us.
Sure we have the room, but I’d like to have some reprieve from the asshole who’s apparently after this position, too. Even though he knows how bad I want it.
“Um, no, it’s fucking beautiful…” Jacob says as I park, and he gets out of his side. I get out and head for the trunk, but Jacob doesn’t move.
He just stares at the house like it’s something out of his wildest dreams.
Maybe it is.
I look at the excitement, the interest on his face. Sometimes I forget my life isn’t everyone else’s. The things I take for granted.
But seeing Jacob look at the place with awe and appreciation, makes me appreciate it a little more.
And I certainly can appreciate the sparkle in his eye and the way he looks so perfect, standing here in his shorts and polo, the sun lighting up his golden features.
I grab our suitcases as Chris’s voice pulls his attention.
“Jacob!” he says, and Jacob startles.
“Chris…”
I watch their interaction as Chris pulls him into a hug. It’s awkward and startling, but Jacob returns it, nonetheless.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” he says.
Chris chuckles. “Yeah, well, neither did I, honestly. Guess my uncle feels I’m a good candidate for this position or whatever.” He looks at me with a sad expression.
Jacob tenses.
Chris rubs his arm and I tense. I don’t like him touching what’s mine.
He’s not mine. I have to remind myself, but for the sake of this week, he has to be. So I step forward, challenging their space and he drops his arm.
“It’s all good, you don’t have to pretend with me,” Chris says under his breath. I shoot him a glare.
Jacob stiffens.
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Chris says with a wink. “And I won’t stand in your way.”
He looks at me, imploring me with a steady, stern gaze and I realize all at once, Chris doesn’t want this anymore than I do.
And he’s willing to step aside and let me fight for it.
“Thanks,” I say as I settle a hand on Jacob’s back.
“You, uh… think you can show my boyfriend the house while I get our stuff?”
Chris smiles and nods. “Absolutely. Come on, buddy.”
Jacob’s gaze meets mine and I nod. “Go, I’ll catch up.”
“Okay,” he says, his voice barely a whisper, but then something changes in his gaze. His stature. He straightens his posture, brushes some hair out of his eyes and all at once I realize he’s putting his mask on.
Prince Charming has arrived.