“We’ll try to keep it down,” Cam replied. “But I’m not making any promises.”
“I’m hittin’ the sack, too.” Alan turned to Jeremy. “You comin’?”
“I hope to be in about ten minutes.”
With his friends behind closed doors for the night, Derek was left in the living room alone. The squeaking of Brandy’s tennis ball caught his attention. “Hey,girl. I guess it’s just you and me.” He patted the seat next to him, and she jumped onto the couch, tennis ball still in her mouth. “What happened? Your daddies locked you out of the bedroom so they could screw around?” She stuck her nose under Derek’s arm and nudged it until he wrapped it around her shoulder and she snuggled into him. “You’re a sweetie.” She dropped the soggy tennis ball in hislap and licked his cheek. “Uck. I love you, too.”
He clunked his boots on the coffee table and crossed his ankles. “So what do you want to do, B? Watch TV? Listen to music? How about I play my guitar?” Hot breath hit him in the face as she panted at him, and he stuffed the tennis ball back in her mouth. “How about you chew on that while I check my phone?”
The dog joyfullychomped on her ball while Derek read his messages. None were from Travis. Reckless had to be in Vegas by now. It was late, and he debated on whether or not to call. The guy was probably exhausted after shooting a music video all day, and they had a show tomorrow. Fuck it.
Derek: You up?
A reply dinged back almost immediately.
Travis: Of course I’m up. I neverfucking sleep.
Derek: Never?
Travis: Toss and turn. Punch my pillow. Kick the sheets. Pace around the room. Sit on the balcony and stare at the sky. Try to write lyrics. Sleep? Not so much. What’s up?
Derek: I was thinking about grabbing some chow. You in?
Travis: Yep. I’m always hungry. Especially when it’s with you.
Derek smiledat his phone.
Derek: Cool. Meet me in the lobby.
Travis: See you in fifteen minutes.
Derek played with the dog for a bit to kill time while he waited for Travis, then stood up and stuffed his phone into his pocket. Brandy looked up at him, wondering why he suddenly stopped scratching behind her ears. “Sorry, B. I’m heading out. You gonna be OK here by yourself?”
She rolled over and wiggled on her back with her feet in the air.
“Good. You got the place to yourself. Chew on the throw pillows. Slobber on the couch. Cause havoc. Teach those two for locking you out of the bedroom.” He stepped into the hallway and did a quick glance in each direction, like he always did, to see if anyone was around. Other than the two security guardsflanking the door, the quiet stared back at him.
“Heading out, sir?” one of the guards asked.
“Yep.” Going anywhere in Vegas necessitated the presence of security, no matter what time of day or night, so this was one of the few times Derek didn’t complain. One security guard stayed by the door while the other followed Derek down to the lobby, staying close to his side.
The lobby wasn’t very crowded, but Derek couldn’t find Travis. He looked around one more time and spotted Travis entering the lobby from the revolving doors. “Where’d you go?”
Travis’ eyes lit up the moment he saw Derek, just like Derek’s had the second he spotted Travis. “I didn’t go anywhere. We’re staying at the MGM.” Travis glanced around the luxurious hotel lobby.“We don’t rate digs this classy.” Travis held out his hand for a bro shake as Derek neared, and it turned into a one-shoulder hug and a quick kiss on the mouth. The smell of alcohol was all over Travis, engulfing the guy in an invisible cloud of whisky. “I’m so glad you called.” Relief echoed in Travis’ voice. “I’ve been trying not to take these friggin’ sleeping pills, but I was just about to givein.”
“Sleeping pills? You shouldn’t get started with that shit. It can turn into a bad habit real fast.” Derek bit his lip, remembering Travis’ admission about his mother being a drug addict.Way to go, MacAlister.Most people, when surrounded by someone with a drug problem, either followed the same path or steered clear of it. Travis could easily go in the wrong direction. The guywas under so much stress. This life wasn’t for everybody.
“So where are we gonna eat?” Travis asked. “The restaurants are closed. Or are they gonna open for the famous Derek MacAlister?”
The boyish smile, the teasing squint of Travis’ eyes, and the way his long bangs fell over his forehead sent an electric current through Derek’s chest. It had been years since someoneignited passion of this magnitude. Derek smiled back at Travis, his eyes shining brightly. The two of them held each other’s gaze, with the same silly smile on their faces, while they shared a silent exchange of innuendo about where the night was headed. This rejuvenation of boy-meets-boy allure held a fresh pull of desire that Derek hadn’t felt since he was a teenager.
“We can’tjust stand here, sir,” the bodyguard interrupted, reminding Derek that they were in the middle of the lobby. A small group of people had congregated around them as recognition trickled through the place.
“You wanna go somewhere?” Travis asked, tilting his head toward the exit.
A barrage of thoughts shuffled through Derek’s head, some benign, others grossly indecent. Theywere the angel that sat on one shoulder and the devil that sat on the other, and they’d been sitting there for as long as he could remember. The reigning victor won. “Why don’t we go back to the suite and order room service?” Derek’s gaze traveled up and down Travis’ lean body, resting momentarily on Travis’ midsection and the way those tight jeans hugged the man’s crotch.
“I guessthat’s the only place we’ll have any real privacy,” Travis replied.
