Life in Fusion (10 page)

never seen him smile or laugh as much as he did the week you

stayed with him. He’s transformed—so relaxed. Happy.”

I smiled, so help me, I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

“And you obviously feel the same for him, or so says that

smile on your face.” She sighed, glancing down at her watch

before meeting my gaze. “A breath of fresh air, you are.”

“Thank you for coming, Del.”

“I’m rooting for the two of you, son.” She patted the top of

the table. “Well, I suppose I need to head back to the airport and

you likely—”

64 Ethan Day

“Will be very late getting back to work, I know.”

“Sorry,” Del said, cringing. “Hopefully you won’t be in too

much trouble?”

I slid out of the booth, waiting for her to do the same. “If all

goes according to plan, I suppose it shouldn’t matter too much

one way or the other, huh?”

“From your lips, Boone.” Dell let out what sounded to me

like a slightly nervous sigh. “From your lips.”

I shut the drawer once I’d emptied the contents of my

duffel bag into it. I’d been stunned that Wade had already made

room for me by emptying out half his dresser. He’d done it in

the bathroom too, clearing out two drawers along with half the

shelves in the linen closet. The walk-in closet was next on his list,

he’d told me. I shouldn’t be surprised, as I was fairly certain it

was all part of some evil plan to circumvent my decision for us to

hold off before diving into a relationship that had me uprooting

my life and moving to the arctic seventh circle of hell.

As if on cue, a shiver passed over my body. It seemed like

this huge thing, as I imagined what his closet would look like,

just sitting there, half empty. It was a lot of pressure. I felt

perspiration beginning to collect under my arms. That’s all I

needed—the added strain from his half empty closet, taunting

me as it sat there waiting for me to fill it up.
Stupid closets—enemy

of gay men the world over!

I could hear Wade rummaging around in the kitchen

downstairs, and I turned, glancing out the huge picture window

that looked out over the mountains and the valley below, where

Summit City sat, nestled into the snow. I wondered, briefly, exactly

how much of the year this town spent covered in frozen water.

I snarled, quickly deciding that might be one of those questions

I’d be better off not knowing the answer to.

I walked over and took in the scenery. The lights created

a soft glow as they radiated off the white powder, making the

entire scene below seem cloaked in a golden hue. That managed

to settle my nerves, strangely enough.

I breathed in that scent of timber from the wood beams

combined with the crackling fire Wade had going in the living

room. It was strangely familiar being back in Wade’s house. Of

course, it had only been a few weeks since I’d driven away in

the back of the shuttle, leaving an irritated and disturbingly hot

66 Ethan Day

mountain of a man sulking in the very living room that sat at the

bottom of the stairs I was now walking toward.

I meandered down the creaking wooden steps and was

struck by the fact Wade hadn’t come upstairs to molest me.

It was obvious he had an evening planned, considering the lit

candles burning throughout the living room and kitchen. But

still, normally we’d have already had each other naked and in

the midst of another sex-a-thon. I cleared the last few steps and

smiled over my commentary of what was supposedly normal

behavior for a three-and-a-half-week-old relationship.

“’Cause we’ve been together so long we’ve already settled

into a routine?”

He had the TV cabinet open, his huge ass LCD exposed as if

we were going to be watching something. The lights were dimmed

and Wade had music going in the background, a female singer

belting away, and while she sounded familiar to me I couldn’t

quite place her. A small stack of DVDs and one giant remote

control were sitting out on the coffee table. The logs popped

and crackled in the open fireplace, and the soft hum of the fan

blowing the heat out into the room created a constant stream of

white noise in the background.

“Who’s the chick singing?” I asked, smiling as he glanced up

at me. Wade somehow managed to be adorably sexy. You just

wanted to pinch his cheeks when he grinned—both sets of them.

“Rosemary Clooney,” Wade said, tapping his fingers on the

countertop, keeping beat with the music. “She was my mom’s

favorite.”

I nodded, thinking I should hug him or something despite

feeling awkward about doing so.

“All settled in?” Wade asked as he crossed the kitchen and

went into the pantry.

“Yes sir, I am indeed.” I strode around the island and waited

until he came back out, carrying a box of microwave popcorn. “I

guess, though I’m a little surprised you didn’t come upstairs and

settle yourself inside me.”

Life in fusion
67

Wade grinned, obviously enjoying the imagery. “Since I was

wrongfully
accused of flying all the way to Albuquerque for a booty

call last week…” Wade fired a he-done-me-wrong look my way.

“I figured tonight we could try going without it and have a movie

night.”

“No sex?”

“Nada,” Wade said, freeing the bag of popcorn from its

plastic wrapper before tossing it in the microwave.

“Not even after the movie?”

Wade shrugged as if he hadn’t thought that far in advance.

“It’s happened already.” I walked in a circle and tossed my

arms up into the air.

“What’s happened?”

I sighed, leaning against the counter like it was the only thing

holding me up. “Our heat has evaporated—the desire is already

gone. You can’t even pretend to want me.”

The corner of Wade’s mouth began to curl up. “You’re the

one who insisted on a six-month trial period to see if there was

anything of substance under the sex.”

The corn began popping as the microwave hummed.

I scowled at him, but decided not to give him the satisfaction

of addressing the issue he was now attempting to wield like a

weapon from his smart-ass arsenal.

I reached back with both hands, turning as I groped my

own ass. “My butt has lost its youthful bounce—the once perky

mounds, now so sad.” I squeezed and Wade watched, eyes

plastered to my ass. “I’ve caught a case of the saggy butt.”

“Your ass looks fine,” Wade said as the microwave dinged.

I took a few steps, stumbling acting like I might faint. “Just

fine!”

“Wow, you are so needy with the compliments.” Wade shook

his head and pulled out the bag of popcorn. “It’s a smokin’ hot,

damn near irresistible ass that I wanna sink my cock into every

68 Ethan Day

time I lay eyes on it. Happy now?”

I grinned, faux preening and said in my girlie voice, “Oh

Wade, I do declare—what a silvery, sweet tongue you have.”

“Wouldn’t mind sinking that into your ass either,” Wade

added, tossing in a second bag of popcorn and punching in the

time after closing the door.

“Now I feel loved.” I sighed, laughing after he reached over,

poking me in the side.

Wade snatched the already popped bag off the counter and

opened it, dumping the contents into a large bowl.

“What’s with the teeny, tiny bags of corn, dude?” I asked.

Wade glanced at the empty bag and shrugged before wadding

it up into a ball. “So much for size not mattering.”

“Said the abominable snowman,” I added.

Wade pulled up his shirt, looking down at his mouthwatering

six-pack. “That some sort of crack about my abs?”

“Seriously dude.” I reached over, patting his tummy. “You’re

huge, like a hairless Yeti.”

“Why are cursing at me in Yiddish?” Wade opened the

microwave, removing the second bag, which he dropped onto

the counter after burning his fingers.

“Your hand is bigger than that bag.”

“It’s the snack size.”

“For who—the lollipop guild?”

“I’m usually just popping for one.”

“And now there are two to pop for.” I stared off into space

looking all dreamy-eyed. “I’m your bigger-bag boy?”

“A very tiresome bigger-bag boy.” Wade dumped the second

bag into the bowl and frowned.

“I hope I’m not just an excuse…you…you’re not using me

merely to justify the bigger bag right?” I gasped, placing my hand

over my heart. “Oh my god, I’m your bag-hag, aren’t I?”

Life in fusion
69

Wade smiled at me. “Is that enough or should I pop another

one?”

“I couldn’t possibly eat. I’m still reeling from the shock.”

He picked up the box of popcorn and smacked me in the

shoulder with it. He then nodded toward the box. “See how

much trouble you are. It clearly states the individual size bag pops

in half the time of the three and half ounce bag.”

“Well duh—it’s a smaller bag.” I snatched the box out of his

hand. “They actually listed that as a selling feature?”

“You’ve cost me an extra ninety seconds.”

“Not even hitched yet and already sucking the life out of you.”

I shook my head as I read the box. “There’s actually a marketing

department out there who thought it necessary to point out a

smaller bag will pop in less time?”

“Looks that way.” Wade snatched the box back. “I should pop

one more, right?”

“That is so sad,” I said, completely ignoring him. “And who

are these lazy people whose lives are so inconvenienced that they

can’t waste an extra minute waiting for a bag of popcorn?”

Wade removed another pouch from its clear plastic film and

tossed it into the microwave. “What I must have done in a past

life to deserve you?”

I marveled at the way he could artfully word things so they

could go either way, being compliment or insult. I opened my

mouth to speak and Wade shoved several pieces of buttery

goodness into my mouth in an obvious hope it would silence me.

I snatched the box away from him, holding it up as if I was

Susie Homemaker, giving my testimonial. “Now I can solve

world peace thanks to all the time I’ll save no longer waiting for

my popcorn.”

“You’re deranged, you know that?”

“Well yeah…but in that hot and sexy Mickey Rourke beforethe-drugs-and-alcohol kinda way, right?”

70 Ethan Day

“Will you go wait on the couch please?” Wade asked, leaning

over and giving me a peck on the cheek.

I pooched out my lip, trying to look wounded as I said in my

best backwoods southern accent. “But it…it’s Shake-n-Bake, and

I helped.”

“Go.” Wade pointed toward the sofa.

“You’re mean.” I headed into the living room.

“Grab us a couple of beers on your way in there,” Wade said

as the bell sounded that the last bag had finished popping.

“Don’t think you can get me drunk and take advantage of

me.” I smiled, hoping that was his plan, not that he needed the

alcohol to do it. I sauntered over to the fridge to do his bidding.

“Like I need liquor to do that.” Wade snickered under his

breath.

I shook my head as I passed him on my way to the sofa. “You

wound my puritanical pride.”

“I’ve screwed you how many times now?” Wade glanced up

at the ceiling, concentrating as if the number was so great it was

near impossible to count that high. “I can honestly say there is

nothing puritanical about you, babe.”

“I’m ruined.” I set his bottle on the coffee table and twisted

the cap off mine. “I’ll never be accepted into polite society again.”

Wade strolled into the living room with the bowl and sat

down next to me. “You imply polite society once did?”

“You plied me with cheap hooch, tempting me into a life of

butt sex and sin.”

“Works every time,” Wade said, reaching for the remote.

“So you have talked to my ex’s.” I smiled evilly when obvious

irritation swept over him. I took a sip, trying my best to not laugh.

“Just for that I’m making you watch old videos from my

competition days.”

I sat up straight. “I actually saw some!”

Life in fusion
71

Wade sat back into the sofa, seeming slightly amused.

“I searched for you on YouTube and some crazed stalker fan

had loaded some videos of your Olympic events.” I straddled

him. “Of course it could have been anyone for all I could tell.

You wear way too many clothes in that event.”

Wade laughed. “We do at that, something about the cold

temperatures, flying down the side of a mountain that’s covered

in that white, powdery frozen water. They don’t want any of our

bits to freeze off.”

“Mmm,” I nodded, gently grinding my ass into his lap. “That

would be bad.”

Wade slowly ran a hand up my stomach and over the center

of my chest. I did my best at looking innocent, but who was I

kidding. Wade seemed to agree as he lightly smacked me upside