Page 14 of No Reservations

“Well, well, well,” the man said like some old-time movie villain. “Cole Gilliam and…” He turned his gaze on me and waited.

Cole didn’t even bother to use his public relations smile. “Hello, Thad.”

It was the first time I’d seen him be anything but gracious all night. So, this was the weasel behind all the rumors. It wasn’t hard to figure out; Cole seemed to like everyone else well enough. At least he pretended to with style.

I settled my hand on Cole’s back and leaned closer to his stiff shoulder. “Matthew West. His boyfriend. You are?” My words held as much bitchiness as I could manage in a tuxedo.

Some strange mixture of pain and rage flashed through Thad’s eyes for a moment before he sneered. “Oh, his boyfriend, are you?”

Cole sighed. “Yes. Now, if you’ll excuse us.” He slipped his hand onto the small of my back and strolled back toward our table with all the casual grace he could muster.

We sat in our assigned chairs, and a waiter appeared with champagne in a matter of seconds. He took two glasses, handed me one, sipped his, tried to hide a grimace, and leaned back in his chair. I shifted closer and settled against his shoulder,one arm slung around his back casually. “That’s him, isn’t it?” I didn’t have to ask, but I didn’t like Cole’s stony-faced silence.

Cole glanced around before answering. No one hovered near enough to overhear us. “Yes, that’s my nemesis.” The line between his brows grew. “You handled that very well. Thank you.” His folded hands clenched together on the white linen tablecloth.

I’d hardly done anything, and it didn’t seem enough to let this amazing man actually relax and enjoy himself. That was my job there, right? My gaze skated over his tense features, and I wished I could do something to make it all go away. I leaned in to whisper in his ear again. “Anything for you, Cole.” I tipped my head gently against his and stayed there, hoping my presence could do more than give the gossip mongers something to believe in.

Chapter 8

Cole

Matthew threaded his fingers through mine the moment we stepped off the cabin porch. No one could see us, and there was certainly no paparazzi lurking in the underbrush. There was no reason for him to hold my hand, but I didn’t want him to let go. His strong, warm fingers felt right against mine, our palms pressed together and arms swinging comfortably as we headed toward the inn, the campfire, and my first taste of smores.

The flickering light of the flames spread across the lawn and a dozen or so men gathered around it on chairs and blankets. Matthew squeezed my fingers and tipped his chin. “Let’s join my friends.” He pulled me down next to him on a spread blanketand settled with his shoulder pressed against mine. He didn’t let go of my hand.

“Deandre and Wes,” he said as he pointed to the men in turn. “This is Cole.”

The dark-skinned man leaned forward to shake my hand while the blond bounced and tried to suppress a grin. He obviously knew who I was. “Call me Dee. It’s great to meet Matthew’s boyfriend at last,” he said with a tiny wink.

“Oh, yes. I’ve heard so much about you both.” I glanced around the circle of firelight to see if anyone else noted my presence. It was a habit I’d love to lose again if the rumor mill ever died down.

Matthew drew his hand away from mine, and I missed its presence immediately. He reached for an overflowing tote bag that leaned against Wes’s leg. “Smores! Do we need sticks?”

“I got some roasting sticks from the kitchen staff.” Wes pulled out several long metal sticks with tiny forked spiked on the end. Each one had a wooden handle. “We can share.”

The appearance of marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers caught the attention of other guests. They crowded around, introducing themselves and sharing memories of childhood treats. Before long, I had a marshmallow toasting at the end of a skewer, and Matthew and his friends were busy handing them out to strangers.

“I haven’t had one of these in years!” A redhead with a shell necklace squished his barely toasted marshmallow between the crackers and chocolate bar before taking a big bite.

A dark-haired man in a hot pink muscle shirt waved his flaming marshmallow around and insisted that’s the way he liked it as the group laughed.

My cheeks ached as I joined in the fun. If anyone recognized me, they didn’t make any sign. As I started on my second marshmallow, I finally began to relax. The absence of tensionacross my shoulders and the lack of pain down my neck surprised me. Was this how other people felt all the time?

Halcyon Inn staff appeared with reinforcements for Wes’s bag of treats and took drink orders. The night filled with chatter, laughter, and camaraderie. It was nothing like a black-tie soiree, and I realized it was like nothing I’d experienced before. Throughout it all, Matthew stayed at my side, his arm slung around my back or hand resting on my thigh, and smiled at me in ways that heated up the night more than the campfire did.

He turned those glinting brown eyes on me again, and I got lost for a moment. I wasn’t Cole Gilliam, celebrity manager of Eclipse 6 and target of unpleasant rumors. I was just another guy at a lakeside inn enjoying a fun evening with my boyfriend.

“You’ve got a little…” Matthew’s lips curled up at the corner as he let go of my hand to reach upward. His thumb wiped the corner of my mouth. “Marshmallow.” He showed me the white smear before licking it off with a pink curl of tongue. His eyes never left mine.

The two glasses of white wine weren’t enough to make me unsteady, but I swayed toward him for a moment before reclaiming control. At least outwardly. My brain shot into overdrive thinking about his lips touching my skin instead. I grew hard so quickly my cock throbbed behind my zipper. Dragging my gaze away to stare into the fire, I gulped down the last swallow of wine and tried to think of anything else.

“So,” he said after a long pause. “How was your first smore?”

“It was delicious, though I think I’m going to have to find a gym if I have more desserts like that.” My hand rubbed down over my stomach, and I tried to adjust myself without anyone noticing.

Matthew noticed. His gaze followed my hand. “Not on vacation. Gyms are boring. We’ll just do more fun stuff like hikes and canoe trips. I have a whole list of things we can try.”

Everything he said suddenly sounded like innuendo. I glanced around at the dwindling group of guests. Dee and Wes chatted with a trio of men on the other side of the fire. “I’m going to head back to the cabin. Why don’t you stay and hang out with your friends for a while?”

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