Authors: Ethan Day
Tags: #MLR Press; ISBN 978-1-60820-237-9; Sequel to Sno Ho
almost normal—which let’s face it, was at times a very good
thing. The worst thing however, was they were almost always a
horrible influence—like having two precious looking little devils
whispering the same naughty things in either ear. The three of us
didn’t have standing invitations to come back to the Gay Rodeo
Circuit for nothing.
I poured margs for everyone else and passed one to Gabe
96 Ethan Day
and Tommy. The twins hopped down the steps into the den and
immediately began to argue over the remote.
“Play nice children.”
They each laughed, innocently blinking and waiting till I
turned around before continuing to argue, though they at least
had the decency to do it in hushed whispers.
“So,” Gabe asked, looking at me with his big brown puppy
dog eyes. “You been okay?”
I wanted to slap him, since he’d been intentionally avoiding
me the past few weeks. I’d never gone this much time without
seeing him before. The last time I’d called him, mentioning that
fact, he’d snapped at me, saying I better get used to it since I was
running off and leaving him behind. I could tell he was feeling
bad about that, and I wanted to make him suffer. But when he
stared up at me all sweet and sorry-eyed, I caved every time.
“I’ve missed you.” I said, though I scowled at him to let him
know I didn’t appreciate it.
Tommy sort of politely stepped away, obviously figuring
things were about to get all mushy or tense, neither of which
Tommy cared for.
“Yeah.” Gabe glanced down at the floor. “Sorry I’ve been
kind of a jerk butt.”
“Kind of?” I asked.
He glanced back up at me, working his
I’m sorry
mojo. “Gonna
forgive me?”
“Forgiven!” I yelled, laughing as I threw my arms around his
neck, causing the twins to berate me for sloshing some of my
margarita onto the floor.
“Stupid wasteful bitches, acting like the world is their oyster,”
Lonny scolded.
Gabe really squeezed me hard, letting me know he still felt
bad.
“Yeah,” Donny added, “like frozen margaritas just grow on
Life in fusion
97
trees.”
We both started laughing at them.
“They don’t know what it’s like, growing up, never knowing
where your next cocktail might come from,” Lonny said, causing
Gabe and I to stand up straight.
“You’re father’s a surgeon and you grew up in a freakin’
fifteen thousand square foot mansion,” Gabe said. “My entire
house could fit in your parents’ dining room.”
“Unbelievable.” I shook my head and snatched some paper
towels off the dispenser before bending over to wipe up my spill.
“You two are so rude.”
“What?” Donny asked, like he couldn’t for the life of him
figure out why we were offended.
“And the last issue you two
struggled
with was Edward vs.
Jacob,” I said.
“Oh great.” Tommy groaned, slurping down the rest of his
cocktail. “Now you’ve done it.”
“No I didn’t? Wait…what?” I asked, already lost.
“Fucking fang whore!” Lonny pointed at Donny. “Jacob
could totally kick Edward’s ass!”
“More like take Edward’s cock up his ass,” Donny snapped
back. “God damn flea baggin’, fur fucker!”
Gabe shook his head at them. “They argued non-stop about
this the whole ride over here.”
I wasn’t all that up on the whole
Twilight
saga, but I had to
admit, Donny’s version sounded better than Lonny’s. What can I
say? I’m a lover not a fighter.
“Hello? Boone?” Wade called out, from the front door.
“Anybody home?”
Everyone froze, and the room got quiet, like teens that’d been
busted having a party after their parents came home early.
“Major manly voice,” Lonny whispered with a wink, like he
was telling me job well done.
98 Ethan Day
I jumped slightly when the door slammed shut and started to
smile listening to Wade curse under his breath. He kept forgetting
he needed to hang onto the door when closing it, rather than
pushing it shut.
“Stay here,” I warned, giving the twins my evil eye.
I did my best to ignore the fact that the smile on Gabe’s face
had evaporated the instant Wade called out my name. I was too
excited to see Wade to let that irritation get to me.
We’d both been tested for HIV along with the whole other
gamut of STDs, and had each gotten our results back since the
last I’d seen him. Despite the initial worry that crept into the
back of my mind from getting tested, I knew, somewhere deep
down, that the results would be no different this time. Funny that
no matter how careful I was, that fear still managed to creep in,
getting under my skin each time.
Of course, even though we’d promised to wait for one
another and read them together, I’d already cheated by steaming
mine open, then re-gluing it.
Don
’
t judge
—
the devil made me do it!
I set down my glass on the kitchen counter and rounded the
corner as Wade let out a grunt, dropping the bag off his shoulder
and onto the floor. A smile spread over his handsome, chiseled
face, creating those dimples that still made me feel all goofy
inside.
He reached out for me, but I dodged his hands, dancing
around him in circles like I was two and my daddy had just come
home from a business trip.
“Did ya bring it, did ya bring it?”
Wade laughed at me, shaking his head and trying to act all
innocent. “To what are you referring, sir?”
I dodged his hand again, twirling just out of his reach as
I hopped around the back of him once more. “Please tell me
you have it. I’m dying to see it…mine’s waiting for you on your
pillow.”
Life in fusion
99
“I do have it,” Wade finally said, putting me out of my misery.
“I can’t believe you’re this excited about it though.”
“Me either?” I said, stopping long enough for him to grab
hold of me. “But I’ve hardly been able to think of anything else
all day. I mean,” I dropped my voice to a whisper, “I’ve never
done it without, you know.”
Wade kissed me and I immediately opened my mouth for his
tongue, my hands sliding up over his wide shoulders before I
wrapped them around his neck. I started to laugh, hearing the
whispers coming from behind me as my friends were arguing
on the other side of the wall about who was going to peek first.
“Does he have what?” Gabe called out.
I ripped my mouth away from Wade’s and yelled back at them,
“None of your business—away with you!”
Wade pushed me away, licking his lips as if he was savoring
the taste of me, which was turning me on. So much so that I was
considering telling all my friends to fuck off as I kicked them out
one by one.
I’m moving away anyway, so screw ‘em!
“Plenty of time for that later,” Wade said with a low huskiness
that told me he knew what I’d been thinking.
“Bitch, can we come out yet?” one of the twins whined, the
suspense obviously killing them.
I was surprised those two had waited that long. I’d prepared
them, by telling them all who Wade was—Olympic golden boy
and all. I knew they were secretly hoping Wade had turned into a
dog over the years, as opposed to the manly hunk of beefcake I
now stood face to face with.
Before I had the chance to tell them it was okay to come
out, I heard gasping—in stereo. I turned to see the twins both
staring wide-eyed, mouths hanging open. Gabe and Tommy were
standing behind them, one with a friendly smile, the other not so
much. I held my tongue since we’d just made up and I didn’t want
to piss Gabe off, afraid he’d disappear again for another two or
three weeks. I told myself they just needed to get to know one
another and everything would be fine.
100 Ethan Day
“Holy Mammy Yokum’s Yokumberry tonic,” Donny finally
said.
Wade laughed, seeming to get the musical theater reference
to
Li’l Abner
.
I introduced everyone and before I could usher them all
toward the back of the house, the twins had shoved me aside,
each taking one of Wade’s arms and gleefully leading him toward
the den. I followed as Tommy and Gabe fell in line. They sat
Wade in the center of the loveseat, taking the places on either
side of him. Wade didn’t exactly hate the attention, though he
did wink at me, letting me know I had nothing to worry about.
I hadn’t been worried, though perhaps I should have been
since they were each cooing and preening over him. I thought it
was cute that he felt the need to put my mind at ease, though. I
shook my head as I went into the kitchen to get Wade a drink and
retrieve my own.
“Could you two be any more trashy?” Gabe asked.
“Christ, please don’t answer that,” Tommy said. He smacked
Gabe in the arm. “You know better than to ask them shit like
that.”
“So, Wade,” Gabe asked, taking a seat and leaning back into
his chair, “Met Boone’s parents yet?”
“No, not yet.” Wade looked my way as I came down the two
steps. “That’s tomorrow night, right?”
“Yes sir,” I swallowed, making a loud gulping noise, like he
was gonna be in trouble when that happened.
Wade shot me a dirty look for taunting him since I knew he
was majorly nervous.
“Boone’s parents are the greatest,” Donny said, running a
finger over Wade’s bicep.
“Paws off the merchandise, Donny.”
Donny ripped his hand away. “My bad, sweetie. It’s just so
huge…it called to me.”
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101
“They dressed extra slutty for you,” I said, passing Wade a
margarita. “I’ll just go sit over here.”
Wade thanked me as I gave the twins a dirty look, since neither
one of them took my hint and offered to move.
“Well, we’re both very happy for Boone,” Donny started.
“Naturally,” Lonny added. “But it never hurts to be
prepared—”
Donny interrupted. “Just in case Wade has second thoughts
about monogamy—”
“—and wanted a last minute three-way with The New
Mexican Wonder Twins.” Lonny finished.
Wade’s eyes widened slightly. He looked a little more nervous
and took a sip from his glass.
I watched Gabe sort of offer a pathetic half-smile, either
liking the fact that Wade was now squirming or that he too found
the three-way comment a bit much. His smile faded and I turned
to see Wade watching me. His desire to be near me was written
all over his face.
Every now and then, as if I’d forgotten, I was reminded how
into me he really was with a stare like that. It always managed to
steal my breath away.
I turned, feeling Gabe’s gaze on me, and I winked at him. The
corners of his lips curled up slightly in a half hearted attempt.
That hurt worse than anything, that he couldn’t be happy for
me. And it screwed with my head, wondering if he could sense
something I wasn’t able to see.
“So how did you two meet, Wade?” Lonny asked.
“I already told you.” I said, becoming irritated.
“We want more than ‘we met in a bar.’” Donny snatched his
margarita glass up off the coffee table.
“I picked his very intoxicated ass up at a bar.” Wade grinned
as if he loved that fact more than anything else. “That much is
true.”
102 Ethan Day
Lonny gasped. “Slut!”
Hi pot…meet kettle.
“You know you shouldn’t drink without one of us around,”
Gabe scolded, while obviously wondering if this entire mess,
meaning mine and Wade’s relationship, could have somehow
been avoided had he been there to keep me in check.
“Yes dad.” I reached over with my foot and shoved his knee.
“Though I’m beginning to think all you assholes ever did was
cock-block me. Look what I fell into all on my lonesome.”
Wade laughed and for an instant, the twins appeared slightly
guilty, as if I’d stumbled onto some long hidden truth. I decided
to let it go for the sake of harmony. Well that, and I didn’t think
Wade wanted to listen to our greatest-slutty-hits—or maybe I
didn’t want him to.
“Then I innocently, all in good fun mind you, teased him
about his lovemaking skills while under the influence.”
“Translation…called me a lousy lay!” I accused.
Everyone laughed, even Gabe. Wade winked, very cheeky,
and a low rumbly laugh rolled up out of his chest.
“Then I molested him and he was helpless to resist me.” I
nodded, as if I were the big stud. “Like putty in my hands.”
“More like confused me with that mile a minute mouth,”
Wade said as our gazes locked. “You hooked me, but good.”
And there went my heart, traveling straight down the express
elevator to,
Fuck me, I’m yours!
“You’re not what I’d go around
referring to as a slacker in that department, either.”