American Love Songs (24 page)

Parker let out a long breath then and rubbed their knees together. “One more thing. Its not really a rule so much as a request.” “Im not gonna like this one either, am I?” Jake sighed, but he made sure to smile so Parker knew he was still happy.

“No, but I think youll see the point.” Parker finished off his last pancake, and Jake stood and ran the water in the sink to wash the frying pan while Parker stacked the dishwasher. “I think we should keep this between us for a little while.”

“That makes sense,” Jake admitted. He didnt love the idea, but it wouldnt really be that hard; theyd been acting like a couple in public for years. “Although I would love to shout it to the world, it can wait.” “Thanks,” Parker said with a smile.

“But I sort of might have mentioned my diabolical plan to your sister.”
⁴³

 

Parker gave him a wry look. “I guess thats alright. I think shes trustworthy.”

It didnt quite feel real until Parker reached across him to shut the water off, his fingers brushing across his chest, and Jake found his heart beating double-time. “So,” he said nervously. Parker bit his lip, his eyes fixed on Jakes mouth. “Were really doing this?”

“Looks like,” Parker said.

 

Jake exhaled, his lips curving up around a warm smile he didnt even bother trying to stop. “Cool.”

Parkers smile matched what his own felt like, the first time hed given any indication he had half of what Jake had invested in this little experiment, and Jake didnt bother resisting the wave of relief that washed over him or the urge to put his hands on his hips and tug him a little closer. “Dork,” Parker accused fondly.

“Aw, shut up,” Jake told him, and he ducked his head the three inches or so he needed to for a kiss.

Parker was still smiling when their lips touched, but Jake didnt care; his own grin would have threatened to split his face if the kiss werent already doing that. Just like he promised, he didnt push. This kiss didnt need to be anything other than what it was, and it was pretty wonderful anyway. Sure, there was heat pooling in Jakes belly; there always was, lately, where Parker was concerned. But if it meant he got to have this whenever he wanted, he sure as hell could ignore it now and deal with it himself later.

F
ROM: JAKE
i o u 1
⁴³
Jake had learned his lesson—full disclosure was the only way to go.

 

10:37 p.m. 11/15/10

From: Mickey Mouse i take payment in prada 10:48 p.m. 11/15/10

From: Jake
send me your bill 10:51 p.m. 11/15/10

From: Jake
just dont tell ne1 or theyll never find my body 10:56 p.m. 11/15/10

T
HE problem with carrying on a secret relationship with Parker was that they had roommates.

Or, well, they had their share of other problems, too, but Jake was developing a kink in his back from pulling himself away from touching Parker all the time the way he wanted to.

That, and he wasnt the most difficult person on earth to read. He could get away with it around Chris and Jimmy for the most part because they were guys, and guys tended not to notice things like that. At least, not straight ones. But the women in his life were a little more perceptive and a whole lot nosier.

Allanna and Mickey already knew, so at least there was someone he could talk to freely without worrying about giving them away. Of course, that just made it more difficult to be guarded around people who didnt know already.

Like Becca.
“Jake? Are you even listening to me?”

“Hmm?” Jake said before his brain could catch up. “Uh, yeah, you were—something about finals?” he guessed hopefully.

Parker tilted his head back to look at him. Jake adjusted his headset with one hand and motioned for him to turn back around with the other. Then he went back to smoothing his hands across Parkers back and shoulders, occasionally scritching his nails up the back of Parkers neck and into his thick hair, running them lightly across his scalp.

It wasnt like Jake had just discovered Parker was skin hungry. Hed known that almost as long as hed known Parker. It was just that he now had so many more appropriate ways to feed that hunger, and slowly, Parker was letting him. Of course he got caught up in it every now and again.
⁴⁴
And—

Shit, Becca was still talking. “Jake! Seriously, what is going on with you?”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, trying to concentrate as Parker lolled his head to the side in pleasure. God, that was so—“Im a little distracted.”

“You think?” He could almost see her raising her eyebrows in disbelief. “Are you okay? Should I be worried?”

“Im fine,” he assured her, rubbing small circles around Parkers temples. Parker made a pleased little noise that would not have been out of place in an adult movie. “Its nothing bad, I promise.”

Jake could practically hear it when the other penny dropped for her. “So its something
good
, then?”

 

Shiiiiiit
. Luckily, Parker was too blissed out from having his head rubbed to pay much attention. “Can we leave it at that, please?”

A high-pitched squeal made Jake wince and wish he were holding a phone he could put away from his ear instead of using a stupid Bluetooth headset. “Oh my God! Jake!”

⁴⁴
If by “now and again” you meant “all the time.”

“Dont!” he interrupted her quickly. “Dont say it, dont jump to conclusions, just—dont. Im not allowed to talk about it, okay? Im kind of on probation.”

At that, Parker opened his eyes a little, pupils dilated so far they obscured most of the vivid green. His mouth twitched into a smug half smile. Maybe he was getting something out of this conversation, after all.

“Right. Of course. My lips are sealed.” She paused. “Youre doing something
naughty
right now, arent you?”

“What!?” Jake yelped. “No! Not while Im on the
phone
—” But Becca was laughing. “Ill leave you to it. Call me later?” Shaking his head, Jake let it go. “Yeah, I can do that.” “Good. And Jake?”
“Hmm?”
“Congratulations.” And the line went dead.
Jake pulled off the headset with a sigh.

“Good thing were not on tour,” Parker said, stretching languidly, “because you really suck at this secret dating thing.”

 

Jake bent down and kissed him upside-down on the mouth. “Sorry. Thanks for not being mad.”

 

Parker shrugged. “Its only fair.
My
sister knows.”

 

Jake vaulted over the back of the couch onto the seat beside Parker. “Plus, it was totally your fault I got caught.”

 

Snorting, Parker rearranged himself so that his legs were draped across Jakes lap. “How do you figure?”

 

“Youre very distracting. You make it impossible to pay attention to anything else, with those noises you make—”

 

“I do not make noises!” Parker protested, flushing.

Jake let his lips curl up in amusement and ran his nails up the leg of Parkers jeans. Parker sighed contentedly and relaxed into something approximating the shape of a pretzel.

Then he abruptly opened his eyes, and the flush stained his cheeks a dark red. “Oh. Sorry.”

Jake waved it off. “I dont mind.”
“Yeah, but it must sound kind of, uh….” Parker trailed off.

“Parker.” Seriously, was he that dense? “Why do you think I like it?” For emphasis, Jake pushed down on Parkers legs a little, making his left calf brush against Jakes semi-hard dick through his jeans.

“Oh.” Now he looked like he wanted to crawl between the couch cushions and die.

Wondering if hed gone too far, Jake patted his knee in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “Its not just—Id do it just because you like it. The sounds you make are just a bonus.”

“I dont mean to tease,” Parker whispered.

“I wouldnt care if you did,” Jake told him honestly. “Id probably deserve it. And itd be fun. I told you, Im not going anywhere.”

Parker nodded silently.

 

Well, Jake thought, this was as good an opportunity for that conversation as any. He took a deep breath. “Listen, heres the thing.” Parker looked uncomfortable. No big shock there; hed probably figured out Jake wanted to talk about sex.

“Youve been programmed to think about sex as, I dont know, something bad, something that will doom your immortal soul. No relationship can stand up to that.” It frustrated the hell out of Jake and made him want to grab a blunt object and have a nice little meet-andgreet with Parkers family, but that wasnt really the point. He couldnt imagine what it must have been like growing up in a house like that, forbidden from acting on a natural impulse because it would doom him forever, afraid to be himself. He suppressed a shudder. No, thanks. At the same time, he had to appreciate where Parker was coming from.

Oh, hell, Jake was an idiot. He could have saved himself a lot of mental anguish if hed just got a clue a little sooner. “Thats why you ran away from me the first time, isnt it?”

Parkers flush, and the way he refused to meet Jakes eyes, told him all he needed to know.

Jake settled his hands on the small of Parkers back. “The thing is, youre a smart guy, a compassionate guy. You probably dont think Im going to hell, and Ive been a badder boy than youll ever be.”

The expression on Parkers face read somewhere between mortification and relief. Jake stopped again, making little circles with his hands, and almost tore a muscle contorting himself to kiss his temple. “Take some time to think about it, okay?” Jake had a perfectly good right hand to wear out in the meantime, and if he got bored he could always try batting left. “Go visit some alternative churches or something if you need to. Ask Jimmy about Buddhism. Come to me when youre ready. Ill wait. I dont want you to be worried about the state of your soul when were together. It should be about us.”

It was a good thing he was mostly done talking, because Parker just launched himself at Jakes mouth, taking him in a deep, thorough kiss. The opportunity was too good to waste, and Jake snaked his hands up the back of Parkers sweater, caressing the smooth skin. Just because he wasnt getting laid didnt mean he couldnt cop a feel.

“You are really something else,” Parker told him when they broke apart.

 

“Something good?” Jake teased.

 

Parker rolled his eyes. “Dont make me sing to you.” But he kissed Jake again anyway.

 

A
S IF Jake could have been any closer to the top of the world, the Grammy nominees were announced the next day.

It was more than a little nerve-wracking to be crowding into the auditorium at the Beverly Hills Hilton with artists whose music hed grown up listening to, and the urge to reach over and grab Parkers hand in the insanity was almost overpowering, but somehow he managed to keep it together.

Squashed into theater seats between Parker and Chris, it was hard to be anything other than plain excited, even when the Best New Artist nomination passed without a mention for them.

And then something crazy happened.

“And now, the nominations for Best Rock Album. The nominees are: Red Star for
Eclipse
, Port Dover for
Live at Madam Tussaud’s
, the Wayward Sons for—”

After that everything was just white noise. Chris turned to Jake, and for a second Jake was afraid Chris was going to
kiss
him, he looked so crazy. The people around them burst into action, shaking their hands, patting their shoulders in congratulations. Jake was in such a haze that he would have missed the second and third nominations if Parker hadnt reached down underneath the armrest and poked him in the hip and then, once he had Jakes attention, he turned a full, luminous grin on him.

Jake didnt remember the rest of the night, but he found that he didnt mind too much.

 

PRODIGAL: OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE WAYWARD SONS

 

Date: Friday, December 3, 2010 Author: Jake

 

That Thing Where I Brag a Lot

Is not going to be stopping anytime soon, since apparently weve been nominated for three Grammys (Best Rock Album for
American Love Songs
, Best Short Form Music Video for “Crossing State Lines,” and Best Hard Rock Performance, also for
American Love Songs
). My ego is buying up the surrounding properties so it has enough room to expand. Its feeling a little cramped.

“
H
ELLO?”

 

Jake put his feet up on his desk and leaned back in the chair. “Rebecca Lee! Hows my favorite sister?”

He heard the
whump
that signaled a textbook slamming shut. “Im alright, I guess. I wish finals would just be done already. Then I can go home and I wont have to listen to Sara and Lily planning their trip anymore.”

”Mom said no, huh?”

A huff. “Yeah, she said no. I mean I get it, you know? She wants the whole family to be together at Christmas. I didnt really expect her to say yes. Im just kind of bummed.”

“Arent Sara and Lily going with their families?”
“Yeah, I know. It was a stupid idea, anyway.”

Smiling to himself, Jake put his feet down and leaned over to his computer, tapping a couple of buttons. “Besides, youd miss Mom and Dad.”

”Sure, but I wouldnt miss you, you big loser.” He could hear the laughter in her voice.

 

“Well, thats good to hear.” He clicked “send.” “Hey, do me a favor and check your e-mail.”

“What? Why?” She sounded suspicious.
“I sent you something.”
“Its not one of those stupid jokes youre so fond of, is it?” “Hey! Those are funny!”

“Whatever you say. Okay, Im logging in now. Hold on one sec, our Internet is being slow today.”

 

Everyone’s trying to download one last porno before going home for the break
, Jake thought wryly. “Are you in yet?”

“Its just loading. I told you, its—oh, oh my God, oh shit—”
Clapclapclap
thunk
. Beeeep.

Jake held his phone away from his ear and looked at it, amused. A few seconds later, it rang.

 

Making sure to hold it well away from his face, he hit “talk.” “Hell—”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou
thankyou
!” Becca said without taking a breath. “You are the best brother ever! I cant believe it! A deluxe verandah room! Sara and Lil are going to die!”