Chapter Thirty-four #2
“Jess doesn’t need introductions,” Evan cut in, and met Jesse’s eyes. “Everyone knows who he is.” He took a step closer to him. “You look amazing.”
Jesse stared at him, brought off balance by Evan’s boldness.
Before he could move, Evan closed the distance between them and pulled him into a tight embrace.
Jesse stood rigid. He was in Evan’s arms. Evan’s body, that he knew so well, was pressed against him.
His cologne, so familiar, filled his nose.
Without warning, everything inside him broke.
He pushed against Evan and wrapped his arms around him, melting into his embrace.
Evan laid his head against Jesse’s and buried the fingers of one hand in Jesse’s hair.
Jesse lingered in Evan’s arms. It felt so good being held by him, so comfortable, so warm.
This was how it should be, how it was meant to be.
His throat started to tighten. But it was a lie.
Why was Evan even bothering to hold him?
Why was he doing this to him? Why did he want to keep hurting him?
His eyes started to burn. He pushed back from Evan, blinking rapidly to keep his tears at bay.
He stood silent. He couldn’t look at Evan.
He couldn’t look at anyone. He heard everyone around him making small talk, but their voices sounded muted, and in his mind they were all talking about them.
He peeked toward the door from under his eyelashes, judging the distance.
How bad would it look if he made a run for it?
He shook the thought away. No. He had to be strong. The last time they were together, Evan had been the strong one. Now it was his turn.
He glanced at Evan and saw he hadn’t moved from where he’d been standing during the hug.
His eyes were focused on Achilles sitting at his side.
Jesse could tell as Evan rubbed the dog behind his ear that even though he tried to hide it, Evan was upset.
He cursed himself for it, but he was filled with the need to comfort him.
“He’s gotten big, hasn’t he?” Jesse said.
Evan kept his eyes on Achilles. “Yeah. I’m surprised he remembers me.”
“He likes you. He always has since the first day I found him.”
Evan raised his head, a sad smile on his lips.
Jesse felt someone tap his arm and turned to see Evan’s mother standing beside him, holding out her hand.
“We didn’t get introduced. I’m Sophia, Evan’s mother.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jesse said, taking her hand gently.
He remembered her from the photos Evan had shown him, but now that he saw her in person he realized Evan looked so much like his father.
Sophia’s hair was a much darker brown and while her eyes were blue, they weren’t the same radiant azure as Evan’s.
Sophia laid her other hand over his. “I have to admit, I haven’t been able to stop listening to your CD. Your voice is just amazing. And ‘Shattered,’ honey, your singing is so beautiful it gives me goose bumps whenever I hear it.”
“That’s why I haven’t been able to get the top spot back,” Evan said, smiling at Jesse. “I took it right out of the gate with ‘Addiction,’ then the next thing I knew, I was sitting in your shadow.”
Jesse couldn’t muster even the smallest of smiles.
As much as he boasted “Shattered” would take Conquest above Evan, he hadn’t really thought it would happen.
After all, Evan’s first single, the title track to his album Addiction, came out the last week of November to massive publicity and success, and knocked “Vanish” out of the top spot, so who would’ve guessed when “Shattered” hit two weeks later, they’d take it back.
When he got the news, he knew he should’ve been happy about it, and maybe should have even felt that a little poetic justice had been served, but instead he felt miserable.
Of all the things he wanted to achieve in his career, surpassing Evan wasn’t one of them.
He couldn’t stand Evan’s praise at being usurped by him and walked to the table.
Swiping the bottle of red wine and a glass, he headed over to the couches.
He sat down, poured his glass full, downed it in two gulps, and filled it again.
He tipped his head back, draining half, and felt someone sit down beside him.
He knew who it was without having to look, the warm, strong presence could never be mistaken for anyone else.
“What are you drinking?” Evan asked. Without waiting for Jesse to answer, he took the bottle from Jesse’s hand and looked at the label. “This is a nice vintage. Do you care if I have a taste?”
Jesse gave a tense shake of his head. “I’ll get you a glass.”
He moved to get up, stopping when Evan grabbed his thigh.
“I just want a sip.” Evan slid Jesse’s glass out from between his fingers. He placed his lips where Jesse had drank, letting them linger longer than the drink he took.
Jesse sat motionless watching him, acutely aware he was growing more aroused by the second and the pants he wore did a poor job of hiding it.
Evan lowered the glass and handed it back to him. “Tastes incredible.”
Jesse took the glass. He quickly finished the remainder and poured again.
Evan took in his anxious movements and glanced away.
Harmonious notes from the piano filled the room as Julian’s fingers glided over the keys playing “I’ll be Home for Christmas.” Evan stretched one arm across the top of the couch, his fingertips grazed the back of Jesse’s neck.
Jesse could barely breathe. It was an accident.
He was sure it was an accident. Everything Evan did was his own wishful thinking that he still held some affection for him.
He was acting mental. He needed to cool it.
Knowing him, Evan was only laying the groundwork hoping to get a one-night bang.
Well it wasn’t going to happen. There was no way—
Evan’s fingers brushed through the back of his hair.
Jesse’s heart drummed faster. That wasn’t an accident. Evan had meant to do that. He was tormenting him, testing him, teasing him. Evan’s fingers caressed his hair again, but this time stayed, stroking and playing with it like he had always done.
A team of servers marched into the room carrying trays of food.
Jesse sprang off the couch, holding the wine bottle pinned to his front to hide his erection. “Look! Dinner! Awesome, I’m starving!”
His band members and Brandon all gave him strange looks, but he darted for the table.
He took a seat at the table laden with a turkey, a ham, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, fresh rolls, and cranberry sauce.
He kept his eyes lowered when Evan sat down directly across from him.
Brandon sat on his left, Kenny on his right, and Julian on Brandon’s left.
Trish sat at the end near Crystal and Krista, and Greg moved to the head by them.
“I guess we should do a toast,” Greg said, holding up his glass. “To Evan and Conquest. Thanks for playing your butts off so we can afford this dinner.”
Everyone laughed except Jesse. He lifted his glass and clinked it against the others. Evan looked into his eyes as their glasses touched. Jesse closed his eyes, tipping his head back to empty the contents of his glass down his throat.
“Dude, slow down,” Kenny whispered to him.
Jesse filled his glass to the top and let out a mocking sigh. “Sometimes it’s such a pain in the ass having my mom in the band.”
To retaliate for Kenny, Brandon grabbed Jesse’s leg close to his knee and clamped down on the pressure point. Jesse smashed his teeth together to keep from yelling out.
“Stop acting like a spoiled brat,” Brandon growled, and released his leg with a hard shove.
Jesse threw his brother a dirty look, then turned to piling food on his plate.
He ignored all the conversations going on around him, though it was hard to ignore Brandon and Evan talking like old friends, and Kenny and Julian treating Evan like he was the long lost fifth member of Conquest. Trish, however, completely ignored Evan.
He didn’t even remember if she had said hi to him and wondered if she was being aloof with Evan for his sake.
He glanced up from his plate and watched Evan cut his food.
His eyes fell on the alexandrite ring shining on Evan’s left ring finger.
He stared at it, stunned that Evan still wore it, then raised his eyes and saw Evan looking at him.
Jesse quickly dropped his gaze. Achilles laid his head on Jesse’s foot, and he picked some turkey off his plate, slipping it to him.
Brandon shook his head. “You know, most people try to teach their dogs not to beg.”
Jesse passed Achilles another bite of turkey. “But he likes it.”
Evan broke in, his voice sharp. “You’re drinking more than you’re eating anyway, so I guess it’s better that the food isn’t wasted.”
The conversations around the table hushed.
Jesse’s body temperature heated with annoyance. Who was he to say anything about his drinking? Hadn’t he been the one who cleaned two garbage bags full of empty beer and liquor bottles out of his house? And now here he was passing judgment on him?
In pure defiance, he threw his head back, willed his throat to stay open, and poured the contents of his glass down. As he brought his head forward, he slammed the empty glass on the table and stood.
Brandon snagged him by his wrist. “Where are you going?”
“To the restroom and to take ‘Chilles out.”
He patted his leg, and Achilles scrambled from under the table.
The walk to the restroom did little to cool his irritation.
He couldn’t believe Evan’s stones at criticizing him in front of everyone.
Evan of all people should know just how much he was able to drink before getting tipsy.
He tied the leash to a table decorated for the holidays, telling the dog to stay and petting him on the head.
He walked into the restroom and headed for a urinal.
A moment later, the restroom door opened.