Round and Round (18 page)

Kevin rested and the tightness in his chest eased after a little while. He figured it had been a combination of his lungs and what Angus had told him. Eventually he dozed and was awakened by the doorbell, followed by the guys as they tramped inside.

“Thanks for having us,” he heard Tristan say, followed by the rustle of a bag of chips.

“It’s really cool of you,” Jeremy said. “We’ve been really worried about him.”

He didn’t hear Zach, but knew he was there, and soon all three of them had joined him in the living room.

Kevin sat up and got a hug from each of them. Zach hooked up his Nintendo and Jeremy plugged his iPhone into Angus’s docking station, and soon the room was filled with dance music. “We thought since you couldn’t come to the club, we’d bring the club to you,” Tristan said.

Jeremy left the room and returned dragging Angus by the hand. Kevin had never seen him terrified before, but he looked it now.

“I don’t dance.”

“Come on, you can dance. Everyone can dance.” Jeremy tugged him farther into the room, and Angus looked lost. Tristan had moved the coffee table to the side, and he was shaking it in the middle of the floor. Jeremy began dancing as well. Kevin wished he could join them and dance with Angus, but instead he went to his rescue and guided Angus down next to him on the sofa.

“Is it okay?” Kevin asked. “I can tell them to turn it off.”

“It’s fine. I just look like a dying chicken when I dance.”

“I bet you look fine when you dance. Think of it as having sex standing up.” Kevin winked, and Angus blushed. The song ended and a slow one came on. Jeremy went to change it.

“Don’t,” Kevin said and stood up. “Let’s dance,” he said to Angus and waited for him to stand up. He put his arms around Angus’s neck and waited until he pulled him close. “Just move slowly to the music. Okay?”

Angus nodded and swayed back and forth. Kevin rested his head against his shoulder, and it felt like it was just the two of them.

“This is really nice,” Angus whispered.

“You know what would be nicer?”

“What?”

“Doing this with you wearing nothing but those fire pants of yours.” Kevin grinned. “Or maybe with you wearing a kilt.” He knew he was being naughty, but feeling the heat rise in Angus’s skin was more than enough indication that he’d hit on something. “You like the thought of that.” He kept his voice low enough that only Angus could hear him.

“Yeah,” Angus breathed. “If your friends weren’t here right now, I’d keep dancing with you, stripping you down until you were naked.” Angus slid his hands down Kevin’s back and over the curve of his butt, stopping just at the point where Kevin could feel the tips of his fingers touching his tuchus. “I’d press to you and love on you all night long.”

Kevin swallowed hard and closed his eyes.

“I’d make you pant and whimper for me… and yes, I’d dance with you in my fire pants or anything else if it would make you happy.”

Kevin lifted his head so he could look into Angus’s eyes. “What would you like?” The song ended and something more energetic came on. The others began dancing, but Kevin stayed where he was, pretending nothing had changed.

“Just you,” Angus whispered and shifted his hips. Kevin felt Angus’s erection pressing against his. He closed his eyes as pleasure shot through him. “You weren’t kidding when you said dancing was like sex standing up.”

“We have to stop or—” Kevin swallowed and pulled away, but not too far. He didn’t want to give all his friends a show. Slowly he sat back on the sofa and pulled the blanket over himself and Angus when he joined him. The others continued dancing. He and Angus swayed to the music until the others tired and turned the music down.

“Do you want to play games? I have everything hooked up,” Jeremy said.

“Sure,” Kevin said.

“I’ll go get the food and bring it in,” Angus offered.

“He’s pretty cool,” Tristan whispered once Angus had left the room. “I figured he’d be more straitlaced than he is.”

“What’s to be straitlaced about? We’re playing video games and eating junk food, not plotting to take over the world,” Kevin countered. “Angus is really special.”

“How special?” Jeremy asked in the way he had that could make any question sound naughty.

“Yeah, how special am I?” Angus asked as he came back in the room, and Kevin snickered at the way Jeremy clammed up.

“I’ll explain later. Right now I’m about to kick Jeremy’s butt at Mario World.” Kevin winked at Angus and then picked up the controller. It had been a while since he’d played, and to his surprise and shame, Jeremy managed to beat him, but just by a little bit. Since he lost, Kevin handed his controller to Tristan. Kevin sat back, watching and hooting as they played, especially when it was Angus’s turn. Zach beat him handily, and Kevin begged off playing again, settling on the sofa under the blanket.

“Don’t overdo it,” Angus said.

Kevin nodded, already fighting to stay awake. At least he’d managed to call the insurance company to get things rolling. Other than that he hadn’t done much and felt a little useless.

“I got a message from Janice about an hour ago about a few potential apartments for you. So we’ll call her in the morning and look at places.”

“Don’t you have work?”

“The day after tomorrow. So until then I can help if you want it.”

Kevin nodded slowly and leaned against Angus, watching as the guys continued playing. Eventually he curled up on the sofa and fell asleep with Angus next to him.

“Guys, we should go,” Kevin heard Zach say after a while. “Kevin is out, and we need to help clean up.”

“It’s all right,” Angus told him, and Kevin stirred, slowly sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

“We can help,” Zach said as he gathered snack bags and began closing them. Jeremy gathered trash, and Tristan carried the dishes into the sink. Once everything was put away, Zach unhooked the game console and packed it in the box. Finally, the coffee table was put back into place, and it was like they hadn’t been over at all.

“Thanks for having us. When we get together, we can be a bit much, and you’re a real sport,” Tristan told Angus, who simply nodded. The guys all said their good-byes and then left, with Angus seeing them out and locking up.

“Did you have fun?” Angus said when he came back in the room.

“Yeah. I hate that I was too tired to do much, but it was nice doing something we always do. I know it may look dumb to you, but it’s our thing and felt normal.”

“They were nice, if a little energetic.” Angus extended his hand and gently tugged Kevin to his feet. He led him through the house and up the stairs, turning off the lights as they went. “It’s time for bed.”

“I’m not sleepy now,” Kevin said sheepishly. But from the way Angus looked at him, that wasn’t going to be a problem.

WHAT ARE
you doing?
Angus sent as a text the following Saturday night. He was just finishing up his shift and was about to go home. He had to be back at the station the following afternoon. Having the evening off had been a surprise, but one he wasn’t going to question.

Going to the club with the guys
, Kevin responded.
I promise not to dance very hard. I want to go out and have some fun.

Want company?
Angus sent and got a smiley face followed by a sound file that made squee sounds. Angus took that as a yes. He checked his appearance in the bathroom mirror at the station after changing and then left, heading right over to the club.

It was still relatively quiet when he entered and found a table. “You’re the guy Kevin is seeing, aren’t you?” a huge bald-headed man asked.

“You must be Bull.” He extended his hand. “Kevin has told me a lot about you.” Bull shook Angus’s hand firmly and then released it.

“You were the one who saved him in the fire?” Bull asked as he pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. “Kevin’s a nice kid, really nice. He’s had some hard luck with guys. I hope you don’t plan to add to that.”

“No.”

“Good. I asked around, and you have a ‘love ’em and leave ’em’ reputation. Now, I’m all for a man changing his ways. I know I did when I met Zach. But if you’re not planning to make some change, I suggest you back away now before Kevin gets hurt. There are plenty of us who would hate to see that happen.” Bull glanced to where a small group of men stood at the bar, looking in their direction.

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“No. We’re very much for real.” Bull smiled. “Just be good to him.” He pushed away from the table and joined the others, talking briefly, and then they all separated. Angus actually watched to make sure he wasn’t being surrounded. Damn…. He hadn’t expected that. Angus wasn’t sure if he should be pleased or scared. Bull was intimidating, and his demeanor suggested quite strongly that he could back up any threat he chose to make. That was more than a little frightening, and the guys Bull had been talking with up until a few minutes ago had that same menacing look. But what pleased him was that Kevin had such loyal and caring friends. They thought enough of him to look out for him. Yeah, threatening his boyfriends might be a little much, but they did it because they cared, just the way his friends had cared enough to give up their night out to come to his place and include Kevin in their fun. The evening hadn’t been at all what he’d expected, but Zach and the guys could have gone out and left Kevin on his own to recuperate. They hadn’t. They’d simply moved their fun to him. That told Angus a lot about the person he’d really come to care about.

“What are you doing here?” Zach asked as he bounded up to the table carrying a drink tray. He pulled Angus out of his thoughts. “Can I get you anything?” Was the kid flirting?

“A beer would be great. But I have to watch what I drink because I’m driving. Kevin asked me to meet him here, but he hasn’t shown up yet.” Angus watched Zach for a minute. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m trying to earn some extra money so I can take Bull on a mini vacation. Harry said they needed a server because one of the guys got sick, so I’m filling in, and if I’m flirty I’ll get better tips.”

“If you’re flirty, Bull is going to flatten anyone you flirt with, and that isn’t going to be good for business.”

Zach stood up straight. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that.” He seemed thoughtful. “Maybe I can use that to my advantage. Tip me good or I’ll tell Bull on you.”

Angus laughed. “Just be a good server and the tips will come. See, that happens when you actually bring the drinks rather than talking with the patrons.” Angus smiled, and Zach rolled his eyes and hurried over to the bar. Angus watched as his order was filled and Zach hurried back. He was something else, but definitely not as cute as Kevin. Angus paid for the beer and gave Zach a good tip.

“A buck?” Zach whined with a smile.

“For a single beer, yeah.”

“Shit, this is going to be harder than I thought.”

“How much are you hoping to make?”

“I want to take Bull on a cruise. He needs to get away from here for a real vacation. This place wears on him after a while, and after the fire and all, he’s getting way too wound up. I guess it’s going to take longer than I thought.”

“You could just help Bull pay for the cruise, and use the tip money for drinks and spending money while at sea,” Angus suggested. He tilted his head toward the next table, where several guys were looking around. “They seem thirsty.”

Zach hurried away, and Angus saw Kevin come through the door. He was a sight for sore eyes. They had texted and called a few times, but this was the first he’d been able to see him since he’d returned to work. The tight jeans and gauzy shirt he wore left very little to the imagination. Kevin grinned when he saw him and came right over, plopping his tight little butt on the chair next to him. “Have you been here long?”

“No.” Angus kissed Kevin hello, reminding himself that he was in a public place and that stripping Kevin down right at the table was probably not a good idea, even if parts of his anatomy were more than interested. When they broke apart, Kevin was breathing hard, and Angus worried he’d overdone it, but Kevin smiled and didn’t cough, so that was good.

Angus signaled to Zach, who hurried over.

“Playing cocktail waitress?” Kevin teased.

Angus smiled. “He’s trying to earn some money for Bull, and unless you want to crowd up to the bar all night, be nice to the cocktail waiter.”

“For the cruise?” Kevin asked, and Zach nodded. “God, that sounds like fun. Lying on the deck in the sun, a handsome cabana boy to rub lotion on my back and the pool boy to bring me drinks. That would be heaven.”

“I don’t think it works that way,” Zach told him. “You have to bring your own cabana boy, so ask Angus if he’ll rub lotion on your back. And as for the pool boys, maybe Angus can do that too. I know I intend to have the biggest pool boy on the whole ship.” Zach looked over to where Bull stood near the office door, mouth hanging open a little. Angus wouldn’t have been surprised to see him drool.

“Zach,” Angus said gently.

“Oh yeah. I’ll be right back.”

He hurried away and Angus turned his attention to Kevin. “I’d definitely be your cabana boy. I’d rub lotion on your back, and then maybe if no one was looking, slide my hand into your suit, cup your butt, and….”

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor was like nails on a chalkboard through the little seductive dream he’d been trying to weave.

“Hi, guys,” Jeremy said as he and Tristan sat down.

“Your timing is amazing,” Kevin grumbled as he leaned against him slightly.

“Sorry. We can come back if you’re getting busy,” Tristan teased.

Kevin smacked him lightly on the shoulder. “Not at a table—that’s gross.” He giggled, and the others did too. The music had started, and once the others got drinks, courtesy of Zach, they headed out on the floor to dance. Angus and Kevin moved around to the back side of the table so they could watch.

“How was work?” Kevin asked.

“Tiring. Our friend doesn’t appear to have struck again.”

“That’s good,” Kevin said.