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Ava was staying only a stone’s throw away. It was as if they had a homing beacon, keeping them close to one another. Of all the hotels along the tourist strip, of all the towns they could have picked, they’d all chosen to stay within a ten-minute drive. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. But Elephant Rock and Currumbin Hill, the park he’d had birthdays at and the beach that he’d missed with a soul-deep yearning did nothing to snap Bryce back into his happy-go-lucky mindset when they rounded the corner.
Bryce pulled up in the visitor car park and Cole opened the door, casting them one last look. Cole slid out and paused, patting the door like he wanted to say something. Instead, he closed his mouth, pressed his lips together in a frown, and moved to the tray.
No. Bryce couldn’t do it. He couldn’t just let either of them walk away without at least saying something. He was crazy for doing it—his head screamed at him to let them go—but every other instinct cheered him on.
Bryce slid out and jogged to the back of the truck, only to see Ava doing the same.
“Do—”
“I don’t—”
“Are you—”
They laughed, his sounding awkward and nervous. “You first.” He motioned to Ava, and Cole nodded encouragingly.
“Do you want to see each other again? I’m… I’d love to see you again. Both of you. Or either one of you. For a drink, or whatever…”
“I don’t have your numbers. But I’d like them,” Cole said. “I want to see both of you again too.”
Bryce couldn’t help the laugh bubbling up from the depths of his chest, excitement curling low in his belly and making him bounce on his toes. He grinned one of those sappy smiles at the knowledge he wasn’t alone in his thoughts. Before he could catch himself, he asked, “Are you spending Christmas alone? I have a family thing, but it’s super casual, and Mum wouldn’t mind if I brought friends. We usually have loads of people tagging along. Half the neighbourhood.”
Ava blinked. She opened her mouth and snapped it closed again. “I don’t want to put your parents out—”
“Ah—” Cole started, stepping back as if to physically distance himself from Bryce’s ridiculous suggestion. Of course they wouldn’t want to have a family Christmas with him. What the hell was he thinking?
He blinked, turning away from them, about to dismiss the suggestion as rubbish when Cole started talking again. “I’d love to. What do you need me to bring?”
Bryce’s gaze snapped to his. He wasn’t expecting Cole to be smiling shyly, his cheeks flushing as he did. But there it was in all its glory. Cole’s smile was like a ray of sunshine breaking through storm clouds. If Bryce did nothing else right, putting that smile on Cole’s face was enough.
It took a moment for Cole’s words to penetrate the fluttery sex-drunk excitement in his belly, and he lifted his eyes to meet the other man’s gaze. They gravitated toward each other, Cole wrapping his arm around Bryce. It was a move that could be interpreted as a hug from a mate, but Bryce leaned in, enjoying the moment of intimacy.
“Sorry, Ava. I shouldn’t have suggested it—”
“I want to come.” She rushed her words out, falling over herself to cut him off. Her small hand closed over his forearm, and he shivered, wishing they were in private so he could show them exactly how much they meant. Ava added, “I want to see you again too. Both of you. I was trying to be polite and ask whether you needed to check with your parents first.”
He pursed his lips, embarrassment making his cheeks flush and a smile crawl across his mouth. Bryce lifted one shoulder in a kind of shrug, trying to play what he’d done off as no big deal. It had happened when Cole was ordering coffees and Ava was in the bathroom. He hadn’t intended to tell his parents about them at all, but there was no hiding from them. “I kind of already did.”
Ava leaned in, going to her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Then I’d love to.”
Cole wrapped his free hand around her shoulders and pulled her against him until they were standing in a tight circle. Cole ran his thumb down Bryce’s throat in a caress. It was the subtlest of movements, but he left a tingling in his trail. Bryce bit back a moan. Their gazes met and it took every ounce of strength he possessed not to lean in and kiss Cole, no matter the consequences.
Instead, he looked to Ava. She must have seen the desperation in him, the need to be close. Rising on tiptoes again, she pressed a lingering kiss to his lips. Tangling his free hand in her hair—the other one wrapped firmly around Cole’s waist—he swiped his tongue along her lip, and she opened to him immediately, welcoming the move with her own tongue.
Cole moaned and his fingers tightened against Bryce’s throat. His hoarse whisper went straight to Bryce’s cock. “I wanna invite you both up so bad.” Cole shifted, pressing his hard cock against Bryce’s hip. The move sent a shudder through him. God, he really wanted to taste that meaty cock again, but as Bryce reached for him, Cole pulled back. “You need to get home to your family.”
“Two days. Then we’ll see each other again,” Ava breathed against his lips.
It couldn’t come soon enough.
Nine
Cole
H
e thought he wanted to be alone, but the moment his hotel room door closed behind him, the emptiness inside Cole reverberated like a gunshot echoing through a canyon. Wandering around and trailing his fingertips over the outdated but clean surfaces, he missed the space they’d shared with a fierceness that surprised him.
Cole couldn’t fathom the change that had happened in less than forty-eight hours. He was a different person, but at the same time, it was as if he’d shed the disguise that he showed to the rest of the world.
