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“I get it. It’s not the same thing, but I put my all into getting my twenty, retiring as a senior chief, only to see how crappy the military treats a lot of my veteran friends. The navy doesn’t always care who it hurts, and it sounds like the network is kind of that way too, putting its own interests first.”
“Yeah. And honestly, your thing is more serious. This is just TV.”
“There’s no just when it comes to your dream, boss.” He moved to rubbing my neck.
“Damn, you’re wise. And you’re right. The network is putting itself first. Screwing over our fans.”
“And you,” he added mildly.
“And me.” I exhaled hard. Acknowledging my pain helped even as my eyes stung. “They’re pausing production while they decide. Apparently, I’m supposed to kick back and relax. Enjoy the time off. Ha. Like I can focus on anything other than the fate of the show.”
“You’re like me.” Chuckling, he dug his thumb into a particularly tight neck muscle. “You don’t do vacations well.”
“Yup.” Groaning, I arched into his touch, shamelessly seeking more.
“Duncan’s been on me to take some time off. I was planning on taking a few days after we get back to LA…” He trailed off, staring at a painting of a mountain vista. Stopping his massage, he straightened and turned more toward me. “Wait. I think I may have an idea to get your mind off the cancellation possibility.”
“Oh?” If it involved us going back to our suite, I was game, even though I doubted sex would work to solve my bleak mood.
“Let’s take the long way back. Spend a few days at my cabin by Mammoth Lakes.”
Now that was unexpected. My eyebrows shot up. “You have a cabin?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty rustic. No suite, no room service, pretty teeny.” He gave a dismissive gesture. The tips of his ears were red. “It’s probably not what you’re used to. But it might be a good distraction. What do you say? Think you could put up with me a little longer?”
Clasping his hands together, he looked away, like there was a good chance I was about to turn him down. But there was truly only one possible reply.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Harley
Apparently, I had an impulsivity problem. I wasn’t entirely sure why I’d offered to bring Ambrose to my cabin. Yes, it was technically on the way if we went the longer route back, but this wasn’t about saving myself the drive from LA to the Sierras. And it wasn’t about promising Duncan I’d take a few days off either. No, I’d offered because Ambrose had seemed so down and sad, and I’d wanted to make it better.
I lacked any sort of pull with the network. God knew Ambrose had far more power in that regard, and we were on a time crunch for checkout as far as using sex to cheer him up. But I was willing to take a detour on the way back to LA, and for all my reluctance to take breaks myself, I’d found that the mountains were an excellent mental reset. Not that I planned to put Ambrose to work chopping wood, but something about the scenery and fresh air always worked wonders to clear a funk.
He’d still likely have to deal with the cancellation of his show, but I could help him delay the inevitable. And if taking the sting out of his disappointment meant more time together, well, I wasn’t about to complain. I liked hanging out with him. And I’d never had sex like it was with Ambrose. It wasn’t unlike jerking off with a best buddy, but it was also so much more than a hot quickie or even a weekend spent fucking my troubles away. With him, the orgasms seemed better. Sharper. More meaningful, which was both terrifying and cool because I’d always assumed other people were exaggerating how close sex could make two people feel.
So when Ambrose slowly nodded, I let out a breath and grinned.
“I guess we could do that. I’m in no real hurry to get back to LA. And a longer drive sounds good. I’m probably not going to be the best company—”
“You let me worry about that.” I kept my voice decisive. He needed my confidence right then, and I was happy to lend it to him.
“But it sounds like the cabin is your retreat.” He bit his lower lip. “I wouldn’t want to intrude…”
“You’re not. Part of the reason I don’t go up there more often is I don’t much like being alone. I grew up in a pack of kids, went right into the military, and always had buddies around on leave. Now that I’m out of the service, I’m alone way too damn much,” I admitted.
“Oh. Well, in that case, I can definitely provide cranky companionship.” He offered me a tentative smile that made my abs wobble. “And I brought extra dog food.”
