Take What You Want (24 page)

“
Never
again,” Chase said.

Alex
laughed. His thumb pad ran over the light brown disc surrounding
Chase's nipple. He watched the skin bead up and wanted to lick it;
take it in his mouth, but he didn't. He knew Chase was out of it and
it wouldn't be fair.

His
thoughts went back to the conversation with Wheland, asking him to be
careful with Chase. He knew what Wheland meant, but it was his heart
that was in jeopardy, more so, than Chase. If they weren't careful,
they'd both end up shattered.

Alex
laid down beside Chase and sighed. His shallow, steady breaths told
him Chase had fallen back to sleep. Alex set his head to Chase's.
He breathed in the scent of his hair, then turned and kissed Chase's
temple. “I'm crazy about you,” he whispered into the
wisps of Chase's hair. “Do you realize that? You crawled
inside my heart and I'm a goner now. I hope you're happy with
yourself.”

“
Very.
Happy,” Chase slurred the two words.

Alex glanced at Chase and
smiled. “You're making me feel things that are gonna come back
to bite me in the ass.”

“
Nice.
Ass.”

“
Danni
won't want me in your life and I don't want to walk away,” Alex
said. “What the fuck will happen then?”

“
Yes.
Fuck.”

Alex chuckled at Chase's
mumbling. “No fucking until you're completely sober.”

“
Mmmm.
Fucking,” Chase tipped his head toward Alex and grinned in his
semi-conscious state.

Alex pulled him closer.
“Damn, I wish I knew what to do with you,” he whispered.
“Something that will make this hurt less when its over.”

“
Never.
Over,” Chase said.

“
Your
one word sentences are killing me,” Alex said.

Chase shifted and rolled his
head into the bend of Alex's neck. “I'm crazy about you, too,”
Chase said.

His words sounded almost
normal and coherent to Alex. He wondered if Chase really meant what
he'd just said or if it was the alcohol still doing the talking.
Alex decided to take a chance and see what happened. He moved a few
inches closer and turned a bit onto his side. His hand stroked the
side of Chase's whiskered cheek, then his mouth was beside Chase's
ear.

“
I'm
falling in love with you,” Alex whispered. “Does that
freak you out?”

A long moment passed and
Chase didn't respond. His breathing had deepened and Alex realized
Chase was once again in full slumber. He eased Chase onto his back,
making sure he was comfortable, then sat up on the cushion.

“
I'll
go make you some coffee,” Alex said. He stood up and began
walking toward the house, then heard Chase moan. He turned back and
saw that Chase had reached for him; his arm falling empty onto the
cushion where Alex had been.

“
Me.
Too,” Chase mumbled.

Alex
shook his head. He had no idea what that meant, assumed it had
something to do with wanting coffee, and spun toward the sliding
doors again. “I'll be back in a few with coffee.”

-0-

“
Hey,
Chase! You in there?” Jayson yelled from the side porch of
Chase's guest house. He pounded on the door to the guest house
again. Chase's truck was in the driveway, but he wasn't answering
his door. Maybe he was at the beach, he thought, scratching his
head. He glanced across the hedges toward the main house and saw
movement coming out of the glass sliding doors and walking toward the
pool. Jayson shielded his eyes from the sun to focus on the man. It
wasn't Chase, Jayson realized, but maybe it was that Zander dude and
he'd know where he could find Chase.

Jayson
knocked on Chase's door once more, then gave up. He stepped down off
the porch and began walking the pathway alongside the hedges. He
could hear voices talking. One of them sounded like it was Chase,
but Jayson couldn't be sure. Jayson stopped when he got to the gate
and looked into the pool area and the cabana at the opposite end.
Two men were reclined on the double-wide lounge chair facing each
other. They were close together, too close for it to be less than
something intimate, Jayson thought, with one man's arm draped over
the others waist. What the fuck was that about?

Jayson stood at the gate for
a minute, then decided to ask about Chase. “Hey –
Zander! Have you seen Chase around today?”

Alex sat up quickly and
Chase slumped back against the cushion; oblivious to the intrusion.

“
What
can I do for you?” Alex asked. He walked slowly toward the man
standing at the gate. He saw the additional truck parked in the
driveway and wondered how the fuck he'd managed to get past the
security box at the end of the driveway. It required a four-digit
pass code to open the gates; a security feature Alex had insisted on
before leasing any property on the island.

“
I'm
looking for Chase Middleton,” the man said. “Have you
seen him today?”

“
Are
you a friend?” Alex asked.

“
Yeah,
I'm Jayson Keller,” he said. “Chase isn't answering his
phone or text messages. Thought I'd swing by and make sure he was
okay.”

Alex recognized the name
from a few of Chase's conversations and glanced over his shoulder in
the direction of the cabana. “I had a party last night and
Chase had a little too much tequila,” Alex said, his gaze
returning to Jayson. “I've been trying to wake him up –
and keep him awake, for the last half hour.” Alex opened the
latch and swung open the gate for Jayson to enter. “Come on
in. Maybe you'll have better luck.”

“
Chase
and tequila don't mix. Never have,” Jayson said with an
awkward chuckle. The image of Chase laying so close to this guy
still flashed in his head.

“
I'm
Alex Metcalf,” he said, and extended his hand to Jayson.

“
Aren't
you Zander, from Ivory Tower?”

“
Yeah,
one in the same, but I'm Alex off-stage.”

Jayson shook Alex's hand and
nodded. They walked side-by-side to the chaise lounge chair, then
Jayson squatted beside Chase.

“
Hey,
dickhead,” Jayson said, gently using his hand to shake Chase.
“You know better than to drink tequila. You lose that battle
every time.”

Chase moaned and opened up
one eyelid. “Jay? What the fuck are you doing here?”

“
You
weren't answering my calls,” Jayson said, and stood upright.
“So, I figured I'd stop by and say hi before we hit Norton
Point for the day.”

Chase
pushed himself into a sitting position, then grabbed on to his head
as he slung his feet to the patio. “Fuck! This is
not
good,” he said.

Jayson looked over at Alex
and watched him pour coffee into a mug, then he came around the foot
of the lounge to sit down next to Chase.

“
Drink
this,” Alex said to Chase.

Chase
rubbed at his face, then took the mug from Alex. Jayson watched the
look that passed between Alex and Chase and stepped back. Something
was definitely going on here, and he was pretty sure he knew what it
was, too. It also didn't necessarily make him happy to be witnessing
it, either.

“
You
should check your phone,” Jayson said. “Danni's probably
been calling you, too.”

Danni's name hung in the air
between them. A long moment later, Chase nodded his head. “I'll
give her a call later.”

“
When's
she coming home?” Jayson asked.

Chase lifted his eyes to
Jayson. “A few more weeks.”

“
Hmmm,
I bet you wish it were sooner.”

Alex's eyes darted to
Jayson.

The color drained from
Chase's face and he quickly passed the mug back to Alex before
standing up. “I'm gonna puke,” he said, and staggered
toward the bathroom inside the pool house. A moment later the
retching sounds filtered outside.

“
Jesus!
He's really messed up,” Jayson said.

Alex stood from the lounger
and ran his fingers through his long hair. “I'll get him
cleaned up and have him give you a call later,” he said. He
left Jayson standing by the pool and walked into the bathroom to be
with Chase.

Alex found Chase sitting on
the floor leaning against the wall of the bathroom stall. His knees
were pulled up to his chest and his forehead was resting against one
of them. He walked back to the sink and wet a facecloth with cold
water, then returned to kneel beside Chase; pressing the cloth to his
forehead.

“
I'm
sorry,” Chase said. “This is really embarrassing.”

“
Don't
worry about it,” Alex said. He ran the cool cloth over Chase's
face and the back of his neck and bare shoulders. “I've been
where you are too many times to count. It isn't much fun, but you'll
survive.”

“
Oh,
shit,” Chase groaned. He came up onto his knees and leaned
over the toilet and vomited again.

Alex stayed with him and
rubbed his back, then wiped his chin with the cloth when it finally
seemed like Chase had finished emptying his stomach. “Think
you can sit out at the table?” Alex asked, and flushed the
toilet. “I'll get you a glass of water. You need to start
re-hydrating yourself.”

He slid an arm around
Chase's waist and helped him to his feet. They walked back outside
to the table and Alex settled Chase into a chair, before going to the
sink and pouring a glass of water for him. He was happy to see
Jayson had left, but fearful the unexpected visit had prompted
questions that Chase wouldn't want to face – or answer. When
he returned to the table, he sat down next to Chase.

“
Jayson
leave?” Chase asked.

Alex nodded. “I told
him you'd call later,” he said, watching Chase sip from the
glass. “You feeling any better?”

“
Not
really,” Chase said. His head turned toward Alex, eyes
blood-shot and red rimmed; face pasty white.

“
You
sure look like shit,” Alex chuckled. “But, at least
you're not still hugging the toilet.”

Chase smiled and dropped his
head to the glass tabletop. “Maybe you should toss my sorry
ass into the pool and put me out of my misery.”

Alex laughed. “Danni
would never forgive me if I did that,” he said. “Besides,
I like your ass. I fucked it last night while you were passed-out.”

Chase bolted upright and
glared at Alex.

“
Relax,”
Alex said with a half grin. “I was a gentleman. No lines were
crossed.” He moved closer and draped an arm around Chase's
shoulders, then pressed his lips to one. “If I ever get the
chance to fuck you, I want you wide awake so you can feel me,”
he whispered against Chase's shoulder blade.

“
I
thought you wanted
me
to fuck
you
,”
Chase said. The corner of his mouth lifted.

Alex met Chase's gaze.
“Don't say shit like that when you're in no condition to follow
through.”

“
Give
me a few hours and I'll be good as new.”

“
Suddenly
you're feeling better?” Alex teased. He saw the pink pigment
beginning to return to Chase's handsome face and relief filled him.

Chase laughed. “I
need a shower and a nap,” he said.

“
You
can shower, but no nap,” Alex said. “You need some food
in your stomach and more water.”

Chase stood from his seat
and started walking toward his cottage.

“
I'd
prefer it if you showered inside my place,” Alex said. “That
way I can make sure you're okay.” He reached for Chase's hand
and tugged him back to him. “Come with me. I'll toast
something for you to eat while you shower.”

-0-

Chase
dried from his shower and stepped inside the pair of shorts and
t-shirt Alex had left out on the vanity for him to wear. He used his
fingers to comb through his hair, then brushed his teeth using the
new toothbrush Alex had provided. Chase grinned. If Alex ever gave
up his life as a rock star, he could easily go into business as the
host to an upscale bed and breakfast.