Tied In Tentacles (Tinsel and Tentacles 3.0 #6)

Chapter One

When the sign for Spring Heights came into view, Justin Lowe sighed.

“About time.” The drive had been long and arduous, and the number of dickhead drivers on the road had been astounding.

Several times he’d had to avoid other cars because the drivers couldn’t drive for shit.

How they’d passed their driving test was beyond him.

With his destination nearing, Justin could relax.

Only a few more miles, then he’d reach the cabin he’d rented.

A couple of weeks away from the world was exactly what he needed after six long months of picking up the pieces of his life.

He wasn’t going to think about that then.

He needed to focus on the rest of the journey, and once he’d reached the cabin and settled inside, he would consider what he was going to do.

And decide if he was going to celebrate Christmas or not.

When the cabin came into view, Justin exhaled and slowed down.

The road ahead wasn’t great, but it didn’t matter, as the view was astounding.

Away from everyone and everything, Justin knew he would have the break he sorely needed.

He gripped the steering wheel as his car bumped along the road.

Or was it a track? It didn’t matter because there was his home for the next two weeks.

Parking in front of the cabin he’d rented for Christmas, Justin turned the engine off and sat back in his seat.

Closing his eyes, he sighed softly, then opened them and stared at the cabin.

It was beautiful, and appeared exactly as it had looked in the brochure.

The brochure he and his then partner, Simon, had picked up.

They’d chosen this place and paid for it, then three weeks later, Justin had found out that Simon been cheating on him for six months.

Six months his ex had been sleeping with someone else.

During that time, they’d had unprotected sex countless times.

They’d been together for almost three years, and Justin had thought they would eventually marry.

He thought they were faithful, but it was only him.

Had only been him being faithful for over a year because the man Simon had left him for hadn’t been the first one.

Rubbing his face, Justin got out of the car and walked over to the cabin, climbing up the two wooden steps and entering the code to open the box that held the key.

Taking it, he unlocked and opened the front door and walked inside, pausing as he looked at the cabin.

Gorgeous. Smiling, he closed the front door and walked around the room.

It was open plan with the living area, dining room, and kitchen all in one room.

A large open fire dominated one wall, with two long red sofas in front of it with blankets over the back of each.

Next to the fire was a pile of logs and Justin walked over to it, seeing everything he would need to start a nice, cozy fire.

Turning, he walked over to the kitchen area and opened the fridge, seeing it fully stocked.

They’d paid extra to have food supplied and, seeing the items his ex had chosen, Justin shut the fridge door and exhaled loudly.

He’d had to have tests to make sure nothing had been passed on to him by his cheating ex.

Had to deal with the house they’d bought, the friends they’d made.

Had to tell everyone what had happened. The fallout hadn’t been great.

He’d gone to see a friend they’d shared, only to find out his ex was there with the man he’d replaced Justin with. That brought home to Justin how he was truly going to have to start over. Justin had sold the house, paying the ex his amount, and now lived in a rented apartment he hated.

That was part of why he’d chosen to come to the cabin.

He needed to figure out where he was going in his life.

He’d stayed in his job because it was close to where he lived, but he didn’t need to now.

He worked in cyber security and had considered starting his own company, but that meant putting money into setting it up, and the ex had been concerned about not having enough money to pay the bills.

Now he was free to do what he wanted, but first he needed to nurse his bruised heart.

Going back to his car, he grabbed his luggage and carried it inside, then the bag of snacks he’d brought along on a whim.

He’d booked the cabin for two weeks over Christmas and he was going to enjoy it and think about what direction he wanted his life to go.

He could now build the business he wanted to.

Become self-employed and be in charge of his own future.

It held possibilities but also plenty of uncertainties.

Leaving the bag of snacks in the kitchen, Justin walked into the bedroom and stopped.

There on the bed was a bottle of champagne and chocolates.

When they’d booked, he’d told the owners they were celebrating three years together, and they would have been, only Simon had other ideas.

Walking over to the bed, he picked up the chocolates and sighed before dropping them back onto the bed.

The dark wooden frame of the king size bed looked good with the white bedding.

The light wooden flooring was a nice contrast. Closets lined one wall, but the main feature was the large window.

Walking over to it, Justin put his bag on the floor and stared outside.

The view was beautiful. Snowcapped mountains in the distance, trees all around, with a lake not too far away.

Justin knew the back of the cabin had a deck with a hot tub, which he knew he would be using while drinking the champagne and eating the chocolates.

He was bone tired from the drive, and he had to unpack his things. Then he could relax in front of a roaring fire.

Putting everything away, Justin went to the fireplace, and after a few minutes, managed to start a small fire that he gradually built up.

Soon he had it going, and he went to the kitchen and made himself a coffee and grabbed some cookies to take back to the sofa.

He sat watching the flames, thinking about his life. Thinking about Simon.

Simon had been shorter than Justin’s own six feet.

Slimmer too. A twink, someone had called him.

Maybe he was. He loved being fucked and had an attitude Justin knew not to get on the wrong side of.

He’d known that when they’d first met in a coffee shop.

They’d both been waiting to be served and somehow struck up a conversation.

By the end of it, Justin had Simon’s number.

Simon’s long blond hair and blue eyes had captivated him.

They’d arranged to meet at Simon’s apartment, and within ten minutes, they’d been in bed.

And had spent the rest of the night there.

From then on, they’d been inseparable until Simon had walked out of Justin’s life.

Even now, Justin couldn’t see what he’d done wrong.

Couldn’t find the moment Simon had begun to stray, his eyes looking at other men.

Right up until the end, their sex life had been good.

Not ecstatic like romance novels, but good, or so Justin had thought.

It had hurt.

His phone ringing pulled Justin from his thoughts. Picking it up, he saw Mom on the screen and smiled. “Hey Mom.”

“Did you make it okay?” Shania asked.

“I did, and it’s gorgeous. I’ll have to send you some pictures. The mountains look beautiful, and it feels so peaceful. Just what I needed.”

He heard her sigh and smiled slightly. “I wish things could have been different. Are you sure you don’t want to be here for Christmas?”

“No, I need some time away to think. I’m glad it happened now rather than in the future. Plus, if he cheated on me, then he’ll more than likely cheat on the guy he’s with now.”

“Well…” Shania drew the word out. “Rumor has it he already has.”

“And how would you know? Who do you know who knows Simon?”

“Not Simon, but a friend of Garry’s, the man he cheated on you with. He found out Simon had cheated on him, and at the same time, found out he was the other man in your relationship.”

Furrowing his brow, Justin leaned forward, staring into the fire. “How didn’t he know? I saw them at some of our friends. Why was nothing said?”

“From what I heard, Simon asked them to keep quiet, but now this Garry knows, and he isn’t happy.”

“Wow. The saying is true then. A leopard doesn’t change its spots.”

“There’s more.”

Justin’s eyebrows shot up. “More?”

“Hmm. Garry found the new guy and told him everything. Simon freaked out and caused a scene. Apparently, it happened in a restaurant. They all got kicked out after Simon threw a glass of water over Garry, then tried to scratch his eyes out. Apparently, Garry slapped him after that. Oh, and the new boyfriend dumped Simon and Garry left with him after their fight carried on outside. Simon was left crying on the sidewalk. Don’t be surprised if he calls. ”

“I have his number blocked.” After finding out Simon had cheated, and plenty of nights going to bed drunk, Justin had blocked Simon’s number on his phone. That had hurt, but it had been necessary if he was to move on.

“Good. You don’t need him in your life.”

“Mom, I know you didn’t like him. I know you never said anything about it, but it was obvious at times.”

“I never thought he was good enough for you, but he made you happy. All a parent wants is for their child to be happy. Anyway, Steven is dating some woman from work. I met her yesterday, and she seems nice.”

Steven, Justin’s brother, was two years younger than him at twenty-six and had to be one of the smartest people Justin knew. “What’s she like?”

“She seems nice. A little quiet, shy, but the way she looks at Steven is lovely to see.”

“I’ll have to meet her when I return home.”

“Are you spending the full two weeks there?”

“I sure am. I paid for it so I’m going to enjoy every day. I have plenty of books to read, lots of food, and amazing views. The fire is nice, and the hot tub will get some use.”

“Good. You need some ‘me time’ after everything you’ve been through. I need to go, but call Steven. He asked about you.”

“I will. Bye Mom.”

Shania hung up and Justin called his brother, who answered on the third ring. “Justin. How’s the cabin? As good as it looked in the brochure?”

“Yeah, better, in fact. It’s nice and peaceful and the views are gorgeous. You should bring your girlfriend here.”

“Mom called.” Justin chuckled as Steven continued, “I love that woman, but it would be nice to have told you myself.”

“Mom didn’t tell me much. Only that she seems nice.”

“She is nice, and it took me a month to work up the courage to ask her on a date.”

“That quickly.”

“Fuck off. We can’t all jump in like you do.”

“And look where it got me.”

“You’re better off without him and he’s single now, so haha, Simon!”

Justin chuckled. “I’m glad he was found out. It still hurts to know I spent all that time with him, and he’d been cheating behind my back, but it taught me a lesson not to jump in, as you put it.”

“Ugh! Okay, I hate to say it, but you’re a good brother and I know you’ll find the right man. Don’t ever remind me I said that.”

“Only when we’re drunk.”

“I am never drinking again. How can it take two days to recover? You were fine the next day and I looked like something a dog had vomited.”

“Because I actually drink and you don’t.” Justin looked at the time and realized he hadn’t eaten properly since leaving that morning. “I’m going to go now. I need something to eat, then I need to check the hot tub out.”

“You’re a bastard. A hot tub all to yourself.” Steven coughed, then added, “Go and enjoy yourself. You deserve it. Seeya!”

Hanging up, Justin smiled. Yeah, he would enjoy himself and the hot tub was top of the list to help him do just that.