Chapter 8
Chapter eight
Gavin
Gavin should have known Johnny’s reaction would be priceless. His jaw dropped, practically to the ground and his eyes widened so much they took up his whole face. “One of our sponsors, Jack Wolfe, let me borrow it.”
“OhmyGod! How much would this thing cost?”
“I don’t know. Sixty, seventy million? Something like that.” The jet was hands down amazing. It wasn’t one of those little private jets like a Cessna. No. Jack Wolfe owned a giant Boeing 737, all decked out.
“How the hell can a real estate investor afford this?”
“I don't ask questions like that, especially when it's being offered up for my use. Go in.” Johnny had stopped in the doorway to ogle the plane, but they needed to get inside. “We take off in a few minutes. No waiting like a commercial flight.” He nudged Johnny forward.
“This is too much.” Johnny ran a finger across the cream leather of one of the recliners before sinking into the couch, taking up a good portion of the wall.
“There’s a bedroom in the back. Eating area next to the kitchen.” Gavin pointed to the back of the plane. Johnny’s eyes tracked in the direction he pointed.
“If I’d known you traveled like this...”
Gavin chuckled. Being around Johnny made him lighter, less serious. He couldn’t help his smile. “I don’t always travel like this. But...” He shrugged. “Right now, I need to get around and look at racers, and we’re kind of out of time.”
“I guess so. Season’s started. Hey, can I sit here during takeoff?” Johnny seemed to like the long couch. He stretched his arms out across the back and put one foot up on the ottoman in front of it.
“Sure. You can sit anywhere you want. Belts are tucked between the cushions, there.” He pointed to the crack between the back and the seat.
“You’ll need to buckle up.” Gavin stepped in front of him and leaned over to do the buckling for him.
He wanted to take care of Johnny, be close to him, in any way that he could.
When he latched the belt, he leaned in farther, getting a good whiff of Johnny’s shampoo and cologne.
The berries and cream scent made him hungry for more than food.
He nudged his nose under Johnny’s ear. “Too bad we’re taking off. You smell so good.”
Johnny giggled a little, and he blushed.
Gavin considered joining the mile-high club with him before he sat down.
So many things he could do with Johnny. Sexy things.
Kinky things. He responded so well to what they’d done so far—with that blushing.
Gavin held back, though, afraid to go too fast. Johnny seemed fragile.
The last thing he wanted to do was break him.
Gavin sat across from Johnny and buckled his seat belt as the captain called out their departure. There wouldn’t be a flight attendant on this one, but Gavin had assured Jack he didn’t need one.
He watched Johnny watching him. Their eye contact sizzled with electricity.
Johnny might be a little emotionally frail, but underneath that, a tiger paced, back and forth, ready to come out.
A silent strength underlying that vulnerability made him completely irresistible.
Gavin needed to protect him, build him up, show him how much he's worthy of being loved.
He liked Johnny entirely too much. Everything about him.
Every time they got together, Gavin wanted him more—so many things Gavin wanted. Things he could do to Johnny, with Johnny, for Johnny.
It had been a long time since Gavin had given in to his desires outside of his professional life.
Being a successful team manager and recruiting top talent in his favorite sport was extremely important to him.
But his personal life should be as much fun as his work.
He’d seen other guys, but none of them had sparked his interest like the sexy-nerd, finance aficionado, sitting across from him.
He imagined brushing the lanky hair off his forehead and slipping his sexy-as-fuck glasses off his face to stare into those deep, blue pools.
He could kiss those luscious lips, the top one narrow but the bottom so plump and tender.
He would bite that bottom lip and suck it until Johnny cried out.
“What are you thinking?” Johnny sing-songed.
“I’m thinking about eating you up. Top to bottom.”
Johnny squirmed on the couch. The lift of the plane made Gavin’s ears pop, and by how Johnny shook his head, he figured Johnny’s had popped too. After a moment, the air pressure evened out, and the captain called out that they could unbuckle.
“So? What now? Mile-high club?” Johnny winked at him.
Gavin choked on a laugh. “You’re killing me.” He slid across to sit next to Johnny and put his arm around his shoulders. “No time for mile-high shenanigans. Maybe on a longer flight. Would you like a drink or something, though?”
“Nah, I’m good. So, what or who are you expecting to find out there?”
“I need to see a few of the racers there. We might sponsor some of their training and see if we can bring them up in the next year or two.”
“You said amateur, right?”
Gavin nodded.
“Doesn’t that imply they don’t get paid. So? What’s the sponsorship about?”
“We wouldn’t pay them directly. There are several other things we could do. We’ll probably sponsor track time or equipment. Depends on what they need and how soon we think they’d move up. Some bigger teams sponsor groups of kids.”
“Like the minor leagues in baseball.”
“Something like that. You like baseball?”
Johnny snorted. Gavin even liked that response. “No, I’m not into any sports, but Pilot is.”
“You have a thing for him? Was it ever more than friends?”
“No...” The way he strung the word out made Gavin think there was more to the story.
He waited, but Johnny didn’t offer up any other information. “You wanted to be more than friends?”
Johnny looked at his hands. His fingers were long, elegant. He could have played piano brilliantly, but Gavin didn’t think he did. Johnny flicked at a perfectly manicured nail. “I don’t know. Maybe at one time, but you know, obviously, Pilot never felt that way.”
“Hmm...obviously? Why? His current relationship?”
“Relationships.” Johnny stressed the S and rolled his eyes.
“It’s still only one relationship.”
“What do you know about it?”
Gavin smirked. What did he know? He’d known other throuples but didn’t know Pilot or his guys at all. “Nothing, but I live in Southern Cal. All kinds of things happen there.”
“I’m sorry—”
“No, don’t be. You’re right. I don’t know shit about it. About Pilot or you. I’m sorry he hurt your feelings.”
“He didn’t.”
Gavin stared at him. He could see the hurt behind Johnny’s eyes. It was palpable.
“Okay, maybe. It’s not like he did or didn’t do anything on purpose. I might have been a little hurt, but he didn’t intend it.”
“This all still seems fresh.”
“I’m not hung up on Pilot.” Johnny cursed under his breath. “Should have kept my mouth shut. You brought up the sports.”
“Hey.” Gavin reached over and turned Johnny’s chin, so he looked directly at Gavin. “Don’t hold back from me. Don’t lie. Don’t omit the truth. If you hurt, I would like to know so I can try and make it better. You want me to make you forget him?”
“Yes. No. That sounds like I’m using you. I’m not.”
“You can.” Gavin leaned in and pressed his lips against Johnny’s.
No longer able to hold back, he gave in to his desires and licked at Johnny’s bottom lip.
Johnny opened his mouth, inviting Gavin in.
He darted his tongue in without hesitation.
He slid his hand behind Johnny’s head, pulling him closer as if trying to get inside him.
Johnny made a soft, mewling noise.
Gavin broke the kiss. “Didn’t mean for this to get so deep.”
“I like deep.”
Gavin laughed and kissed him again.
Gavin drove the rental car to the hotel and handed it off to the valet to park. “Oh, I only booked one room. You don’t mind sharing, do you?”
Johnny blushed deeply, pink coloring his cheeks like a beautiful painting. “No, of course not.” Johnny darted his eyes away and licked at his lips.
Gavin didn’t actually think Johnny would mind. They’d shared before, but he couldn’t resist teasing Johnny. He liked seeing that blush. “Wait here. I’ll check-in.”
Johnny nodded and waited by the luggage while Gavin checked in. Afterward, he led Johnny up to the room, and they put their stuff away. They freshened up and headed to the hotel restaurant to grab some food.
Gavin ordered steak dinners and wine for both of them.
Before the food came out, he leaned back and twirled the wine around in his glass.
His favorite, Pinot Noir, rich and hearty with a touch of fruit.
He watched Johnny across the table. He seemed more comfortable but still not very chatty, which led to another of Gavin’s wants—getting to know more about Johnny.
He would enjoy discovering everything about him.
“So, what is it about racing that you find interesting? What do you hope to see tomorrow, Johnny?”
Johnny smiled and scoffed. “Nothing.”
“What?”
“I’m not interested in racing. I’ve never been before, but now I have racers in my life, like it or not, and that includes a huge contract with Apex. So…” He raised his hand in the air.
“I hope you add me to that list of racer-things in your life.”
Johnny cocked his head to the side. “I didn’t, but I guess I should. I mean, I never considered you one of the racers. You’re in the business obviously.”
Gavin laughed. “I get it.” He leaned forward and put his hand over Johnny’s. “What are you interested in, then? What did you enjoy before all this Supercross stuff took over your life?”
“I don’t know.” Johnny shrugged. “Numbers, number games, working out.”
“That's mundane. That's stuff you do. What is it you love? What are you passionate about? What can’t you live without?”