Test Drive (Crossroads Book 3) (5 page)

Drew’s eyebrows knitted together. Justin noticed a couple sat in the brown leather booth behind Drew, glancing their way before turning. “Yeah. Is there a problem with that?” Drew asked.

“Nope.” Justin laughed, though he wasn’t sure why. Something just felt funny all of a sudden. He should have expected something like being a personal trainer. It wasn’t that Justin didn’t keep in shape, because he did, but he’d actually never had a gym membership before. It wasn’t really his thing. It just… “I don’t know. It almost feels pretentious sometimes.”

Drew nearly choked on his water. He began coughing and sputtering. “What? How do you mean? Why does wanting to be healthy make me self-important?”

Justin laughed again. He really needed to stop laughing, but thinking that just made him do it even more. It was as though a switch had been turned in him and now he couldn’t flip it off. “No, it’s not. It just feels so…
look at me. I’m fucking sexy, and I want to show it off.
” Was he making sense? He wasn’t sure if he was.

The blonde waitress stopped by and asked if they wanted another beer. Justin told her yes, and then she looked at Drew. “No, thanks. I’ll stick with water from here on out.”

Speaking of water, why in the hell was Drew drinking that? They had beer. Justin liked beer. He wanted more of it. “Too many calories in alcohol?”

Drew rolled his eyes. “No, I just figure it’s a good idea to stay sober. Also, not that I don’t enjoy being called sexy, because I do, but—”

“Did I call you sexy?” Justin asked.

“You did.”

“Okay.” He shrugged. “It’s true.”

Drew adjusted the cap on his head and gave Justin a half-smile. “As I was saying, that’s not what it’s about. I couldn’t give a shit what everyone else thinks. I exercise because it makes me feel good. I own a gym and train others because I want to make them feel good as well. You’d be surprised at how working out regularly can make you feel. It’s a great stress reliever and a good way to work out pent up energy.”

“So is sex.”

Damned if Drew’s cheeks didn’t slightly redden. He liked that…Drew’s blush. The woman at the booth turned and looked at them before shaking her head. Apparently sex wasn’t an acceptable topic of conversation. It was acceptable as hell to Justin.

Leaning back, Drew crossed his arms. He smirked at Justin, who grabbed his beer when the waitress returned with it and drank almost all of it down. Drew’s brows pulled together again. “Do you need to be home with your dad tonight?”

The question doused his good mood. Felt like it somehow poured cement into his gut again. He just wanted to forget everything right now. Wanted to forget all of it. “Nope. Landon and Shanen’s mom, Joy, is going to start helping more. She used to do caregiving, but stopped. I don’t know why because—well, hell, because I don’t really know her. I don’t know any of them. Anyway, he’s okay for now, but we don’t really like to leave him alone. Depending on how things go, and how long he continues treatment, he might start to stay with her for a while. She can help better than I can.” And from there it would be hospice care. Goddamn, the cement flooded through his body from his gut, up to his chest, and down his arm.

Justin picked up his beer and finished drinking the rest of the bitter liquid. They were both quiet for a moment, and he knew his reply had thickened the air around them. He waited for Drew to ask more about his family, his father’s cancer, or what they were going to do, but he didn’t. Instead he just asked, “What about you? What do you do?” And Justin exhaled a heavy breath, so fucking thankful he didn’t have to talk about the things that made him feel like he would fall apart.

He didn’t want to do this right now. He didn’t want to do it ever, but especially not right now. Right now, he just wanted to
be.

***

Drew wished like hell he hadn’t had to bring up Larry, but looking at the guy, he could tell he was already sloshed. He’d considered saying that maybe the last beer wasn’t such a good idea, but then, who was he to tell Justin what to do? Not only that, but Justin had a lot going on. More than Drew could understand. He figured Justin might need an evening to just let go and forget everything. That’s why he’d needed to make sure Justin didn’t have somewhere to be. Now that he knew, he’d hang out with him, make sure he didn’t drink too much, and make sure he got home okay.

“I used to work construction. It’s not what I want to do, though. I’ve been going to school to be a paramedic. Needed a change, but I had to put my schooling on hold to come here. Landon and Rod’s friend Nick is giving me a job at his restaurant until I head out. I’m going fucking crazy not doing anything.”

The sadness was back in his voice again. It ripped Drew apart. He couldn’t imagine how all of this felt to Justin, so when the waitress came back and she glanced at Drew when Justin ordered another beer, he nodded and held up his finger, as if to say one more.

“You should come by the gym. It might help you at least burn off some energy.” Drew winked at him. “I’ll even waive your registration fee.”

“Oh, you’ll wave my registration fee, will you? How generous. How much is it?”

“We have a special going on now. It’s a whole twenty bucks.” Drew smirked at Justin, who laughed.

He wasn’t sure how smart it was to get close to Justin. Not with him being related to Shanen, and Drew’s relationship with Jacob being so rocky. But hell, Justin knew something about Drew that not many people did. He’d had the guy’s come on his hand, for Christ’s sake. Even more importantly, he enjoyed Justin’s company.

The waitress returned with Justin’s final beer, which he went straight for. Drew watched his throat move as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Watched his jaw work as Justin drank until the bottle was completely empty, setting it down on the table a little too hard before saying, “Oops,” and then giggling. He had a feeling Justin wasn’t a giggler. The guy was definitely cut off, no matter how cute his giggle happened to be.

“So…this gym offer. That out of the kindness of your heart? Feel bad for the guy who broke up a family and is now an interloper with his own father? Or you just looking for an excuse to spend more time with me?”

Drew’s chest squeezed, and he felt the corners of his lips turn down into a frown. Justin had said it like a joke but the pain in his sad eyes was very real. The hurt played clearly on his face, in the tightness of his jaw, and in his frown.

“Oh no. Fuck no. Don’t do that. Don’t feel sorry for me. I gotta take a piss. I’ll be right back.”

Justin stood, wobbled slightly. When Drew moved to grab for him, he shook his head before stomping off toward the bathroom. “Fuck,” he groaned, before adjusting his hat and rubbing a hand over his face.

This was a mess. It had the potential to be a fucking disaster, but how could he not want to be friends with the guy? How could he not want to support him if Justin was interested at all in that? He had no one, nothing. His whole life had been ransacked, and Drew wondered if anyone paid attention to that fact.

He flagged the waitress over and she gave him their bill. By the time he paid, Justin wasn’t out of the bathroom yet. He made his way down the hallway. “Justin?” he called as he pushed the restroom door open. When he walked in, he saw Justin leaning with his forehead against the wall. His hands were fisted against it, on both sides of him. He breathed heavy—in, out, in, out, and Drew could feel the anger radiating off of him. Could feel the fear and confusion and sadness.

The veins in his arms tightened, and Drew knew it took everything in him not to punch something. Oh yeah. They definitely needed to get him into the gym.

“Christ, I don’t know what in the hell is wrong with me.” His right hand started to shake as though the need to hit something grew.

“You’re human. We can only take so much before we crack.” What
wasn’t
Justin going through right now? He’d left his schooling and had moved to another state. Discovered his father lied to him, that he had family he didn’t know about, and not only that, Justin was losing his dad. It was a wonder he hadn’t cracked apart before this.

Or maybe he had, and no one knew it.

Justin turned his head and looked over his shoulder at Drew. Gone was the drunken silliness from earlier. He was stripped bare in a way that sometimes only alcohol could provide.

“Come on.” Drew jerked his head toward the door. “Let’s get out of here.”

The edges around Justin’s eyes narrowed, his hazel irises softened. He pushed away from the wall, and Drew backed out of the restroom, Justin right behind him.

Drew didn’t know which car was Justin’s, and thankfully Justin didn’t try to go for it. He followed Drew out to his truck, and after Drew hit the unlock button, he climbed right into the passenger seat.

Not sure where else to go, Drew headed for home. They were silent, their flirtation a thing of the past as they made their way out of town and toward his place. He lived on two acres, away from any neighbors, because as much as he enjoyed being around people, he also liked having his space. His own place for peace and quiet.

They pulled down the long, gravel driveway, Drew’s headlights shining right on his house.

“Christ. All this just from owning a gym?” Justin asked, his voice rough and tired.

He knew how it must look from the outside—the large wrap-around porch. The oversized windows. The wood beams. Justin couldn’t even see the deck out back yet. His house was impressive, and he knew that. “I’ll be paying it off for the rest of my life.” Because he wouldn’t take money from his family. It wasn’t his style. “I designed it myself, though. I wanted to see if I could do it, and I did. This place will always be my baby.” Because it was his. His vision and paid for with his own money.

He’d had no choice but to use part of the money set aside for him and his brother when he’d started up the gym, but this? This was all Drew.

“It’s incredible,” Justin said as Drew killed the engine. Warmth spread through his chest. He was proud of his house and it made him feel good when someone appreciated it.

“Thank you.” They climbed out of the truck. Justin wobbled slightly and Drew realized he still felt the effects of all the beers he’d had to drink.

The motion-sensor light clicked on as they got close to the house. He smelled beer and man on Justin’s skin as Justin stood so close, their arms touched. His dick twitched, perked up with interest, but Drew tried to ignore it.

He fumbled the keys, and they hit his porch.

Justin chuckled.

Fucker. He bent to pick them up and when he stood, Justin was even closer. They were body against body, Justin’s front against his back. “You’re doing this on purpose.”

“I know,” Justin replied.

“We can’t fuck around.” At least not tonight with Justin’s emotions so raw and the half a keg of beer in his gut. No. What was he thinking? They needed to keep their hands off each other altogether. Fucking around would be too messy.

“I know that too. It’s still fun to tease you. When you’re turned on, your breathing picks up, and you tremble slightly. I noticed that when we were dancing.”

It was a distraction for Justin—plain and simple. Drew understood that. Flirting with Drew was a lot easier than dealing with the shit he had to deal with. Justin had been all over the place tonight, but that didn’t mean Drew’s cock didn’t take notice of every move Justin made. Of his muscles as they tightened, and his hands as he reached for something. Drew wanted to tremble against Justin, wanted to feel Justin tremble against him. Still, he said, “You’re an asshole,” and unlocked the door before they stepped inside.

“Third thing in a row I know! We’re on a roll. What all have you done?” Justin closed the door.

Hell, were they really going to do this? “I told you earlier. I’ve gotten as far as blowjobs.” Drew quite enjoyed them too. There hadn’t been a lot of them, and he wasn’t sure how good he was at them, but he liked dick in his mouth.

“Oh yeah. I forgot. I’m drunk.”

Drew rolled his eyes as Justin walked over and fell onto the couch. He kicked out of his shoes, put his feet up, his shirt showing the dark trail of hair on his taut stomach. “No shit.” Drew turned around before he decided it was time to do a little more exploring, and buried his face against Justin’s abs so he could see what the hair felt like against his skin.

“How many?” Justin put his hands behind his head.

Apparently they really were going to do this. “Given one, gotten two. You thirsty?”

Justin chuckled. “I thought you said we couldn’t fuck around?”

Ah hell. There went Drew’s dick again. It pulsed, strained behind his fly. They were not going to talk about swallowing each other’s come. “You know what I mean. Jesus, you’re frustrating when you’re drunk. I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you some water.” And find a way to calm himself down before he forgot why he was trying so damn hard to be a gentleman.

When Drew got into his kitchen, the first thing he did was lean against the dark, marble island in the middle. Justin was off limits. If he wanted to do some experimenting, he needed to do it with someone else. Not with his brother’s wife’s long, lost brother.

He took a few deep breaths, took off his cap, tossed it to the counter, and then picked it up and put it on again. It was only for something to do, so he could ignore the erection Justin gave him with one simple joke.

The thing was, Justin was just his type. He was the exact kind of man that turned Drew on—funny, sexy, confident.

But it was a disaster waiting to happen.

And Justin was drunk.

He filled two glasses of water before draining one of them himself. When he thought he was calmed down enough, Drew took the water in for Justin…and found him passed out on the couch.

A soft snore came out of him, and he turned, tucking his legs up as he lay on his side, completely asleep. For the first time today, he looked at peace. Not trying to be funny, not hurting…just free.

Jesus, he couldn’t imagine the fucked-up thoughts going through Justin’s head. What his heart felt like. He obviously needed to unplug. To turn everything else off. Drew hoped he was able to give him that tonight. He walked over to Justin, and touched his shoulder. “Hey. I have a spare room. Do you want to go in there?”