I chuckle. “No.” Turning my attention to Chase, I try to explain. “There are a lot of labels these days. Some people appreciate having a group to identify with, while others hate the labels, but if we were forced to choose, we think Stone is probably demisexual, meaning he needs a strong emotional bond with someone before becoming sexually attracted to them. It’s not enough to just have a pretty face or be funny. In Stone’s case, that bond happened with me because of the history we share…but of course, I’m alsohot.” Stone pokes me in the ribs, making me squirm. He likes the reaction, so he does it again until my elbow catches him in the solar plexus. “So, yeah, he’s probably gay,” I add just to annoy Stone.
“Interesting,” Chase muses as Stone stays quiet. “And you didn’t discover this about yourself until now?”
“No,” Stone answers shortly. “It answered a lot of questions, though. It just wasn’t something I’d ever considered.”
Chase nods, looking thoughtful. “Well, I’m glad you guysdecided to give it a try. You both seem happier, even if your parents are being assholes.”
Stone snorts, and I smack Chase on the arm.
“Hey. That’s still my mother you’re talking about. She raised Stone from a young age. I know it’s weird for them.” I’m not entirely sure why I’m defending her close-mindedness, but if I want her to see whereI’mcoming from, I need to be willing to see whereshe’scoming from as well.
“Can we talk about something else? And when is dinner going to be ready? I’m fucking starving,” Stone whines.
“It’s ready now,” Chase says, opening our cupboard and grabbing bowls.
We dish up and carry our food to the living room, where we watch TV while we eat.
“Oh, Han,” Stone starts during a commercial break, “I talked to Rick earlier. He said the new resort owner asked Jeremy for your number. He wanted to get your thoughts on the tests you ran with Jeremy. Have you heard from him yet?”
I whip my head toward Stone. “What? No, I haven’t.” Theowner of Ricochet Ridge Ski Resortwants to talk to me? “As the owner, I assume he’s in business. What does he want to know about avalanche forecasts?” I wonder out loud.
“Not sure, but apparently, he’s a boots-on-the-ground kind of guy. I haven’t met him yet. But I was thinking…what if he offered you a job?”
My heart skips a beat, and I pause my spoon on the way to my mouth before dropping it back in the bowl. The prospect of being offered a jobwith Stoneis too good to be true.
“Is that a real possibility?” Chase asks from the recliner.
“Sure. I mean, it’d be the smart thing to do. Hanlon’s already proven himself in the field. He has a strong work ethic, and he?—”
Chase cuts him off. “Yeah, I know all that. Roommates, remember?” His eyes shiftto me. “You’d do it? You’d move out here?”
I’m caught off guard by the note of possessiveness—and is thathurt—I detect in his voice.
“Um, I mean, yeah,” I stutter. “What would I come back home for? My parents aren’t speaking to me, you’re leaving for medical school, and I…” I trail off, not knowing the words as I run my palm up and down Stone’s thigh while I find them. “I want to stay with him. I’ve spent years worrying about him, being angry because I felt like I’d be the last to know if there was an accident. And despite the pain from his absence, he’s been my hero since I was six years old. With Stone is where I belong.”
Of course, I can’t look at either of them as I admit this, but the next second, Stone is pulling my bowl of chili from my hands, setting it on the floor next to his, and is straddling my thighs.
“Chase, avert your gaze,” he says, taking my face in his hands. “I’m not worthy of being anyone’s hero, Skittles, but I can’t stomach the thought of you leaving. I’ve been dreading it as each day ticks by. I don’t want to hold you back, but if you think you could be happy out here with me, then fuck, I want you to stay.”
My hands dive under his T-shirt, demanding to touch his skin. I press on his back, wordlessly telling him to lean forward so I can kiss him.
He obeys, and I lower my fingers to his waistband, while the backs of my knuckles run along the sensitive skin behind it, and a low moan escapes as he rolls his hips forward and his tongue licks the seam of my lips.
“I know you said not to look, but honestly, that’s pretty hot,” Chase says around a mouthful of chili.
Stone’s forehead hits mine. “I will be so glad to have this house to ourselves again,” he teases.
He triesto climb off my lap, but I clutch his ass, keeping him in place.
“I’m not done with you.”
“Not here. You’re going to get hard, and your best friend already pays an unusual amount of attention to your dick as it is. You can have me once we get into bed,” Stone whispers.
“Then eat fast.”
The call comesin at four a.m.
We’ve ticked over midnight, so our team is officially on. The wind is whipping like mad in the darkness outside our bedroom window. Since we aren’t blasting today, we don’t have to be at work until eight.
