Page 63 of Steady Stroke
I don’t want to but I could.
“I want to make him happy,” Emmett said instead.
Dominic grinned. “Then keep doing what you’re doing. Because he is happy.” He paused. “You ready to rejoin the crazies?”
“Sure. Thank you, Dominic. Not just for the escape but for coming. Lincoln has missed you, even though he doesn’t say it.”
“I missed him too. He’s my brother. That’s never gonna change.”
They returned to the living room, where everyone was settling in with cups of soda and a pizza delivery that had appeared out of nowhere. Emmett wasn’t hungry, but Lincoln tugged him down onto his lap on the couch and held him close while he munched on a slice of pepperoni. Emmett relaxed into his embrace as best he could, unused to showing this kind of affection in public.
Or as public as a living room with six near-strangers in it could be.
Stories of performance mishaps and odd fan encounters began flying around the room, and for a while, Emmett was content to sit with his boyfriend and listen.
Sometimes the simplest things were the most priceless of all.
FOURTEEN
Sleepingarrangements for eight people in a three-bedroom apartment was a little tricky, but by the time everyone was ready to crash at midnight, they’d gotten things worked out. Lincoln had surrendered his double bed to Danielle and Andy, and taken a spot on the floor.
Now he stared at the bedroom ceiling, exhausted after a long day full of very high moments, unable to fall asleep because his body sensed something wasn’t right. It wasn’t the rubber air mattress, and it wasn’t the girly smell of Roxy’s room.
He missed Emmett. His smile and skin and laughter and body heat. He wanted to curl around Emmett and hold him until they both fell asleep. No matter how happy he was to see Dominic again, he couldn’t help but resent the unannounced visit a tiny little bit. It had unraveled every dirty thought he’d about taking Emmett to bed so he could lick him open again, finger him until he begged, and then slide his cock home. To make love to Emmett.
His dick stirred, and he bit down on the inside of his cheek.No way was he going to rub one out with Roxy sleeping five feet away.
Lincoln had loved the easy way Emmett seemed to fit in with his friends, and he’d agreed to come over again tomorrow while the band practiced. Andy was going to sit in as drummer for the show, which worked out. They could go in well-practiced instead of worrying about the stand-in drummer screwing up. Things were really working out, which never failed to make Lincoln uneasy. Last summer, everything had been going his way—right until his head went through the car window.
He was leery of easy, but goddamn, he wanted to ride the wave this time. He wanted to embrace his ability to play the QChord, embrace what he’d found with Emmett, and never let go.
Eventually he dozed. Bits and pieces of dreams flittered around. Emmett smiling at him around a mouthful of his dick. Singing together onstage at Off Beat that became them performing for real, with an audience. That melted into flirting at the bar. Going to bed together.
Being held down. Trapped. Unable to get away. Needing it to stop.
He tried screaming but his voice caught. He couldn’t breathe.
“Linc, wake up.”
Someone grabbed his shoulder. He jerked away, coming awake with a shout. His stomach ached from panic, and he blinked rapidly at Roxy’s concerned, sleep-rumpled face.
“Damn, son, you okay?” she asked.
“Bad dream.”
“You think?”
Knocking at their door. Roxy opened it, and Dominic poked his head inside. He, at least, looked like he’d been awake for a while.
“You guys okay?” he asked.
Roxy waved a hand at Lincoln. “He had the nightmare. Move, bro, I gotta pee.” She shoved past him.
Dominic, naturally, came in and shut the door. He was dressed, his hair combed but not styled, and he sat on the floor near Lincoln. “Wanna talk about it?”
“Don’t really remember it.” Mostly a lie, but Lincoln didn’t want to talk about the bogeyman.Don’t say his name and he won’t appear.
Horror movie logic not applicable to real life, but whatever.
