A huge wave washed over him as Valon cannon-balled into the pool. He tossed a pair of sunglasses onto Blaze’s stomach. “Take those. I’ll get Nathaniel to grab another pair for me. There’s probably like fifteen pairs scattered throughout the house. I take them off and forget where I left them.”
“Thanks, man.” Blaze popped them on. “Much better. How long have you guys been out here? I slept right through this shit.”
Valon laughed. His navy-blue eyes looked brighter, highlighted by the water. They flashed with laughter. “A couple of hours. I didn’t know you were still here, or I would’ve dragged you out sooner. The rest of the guys are on the way. A full day of sun, fun, and food before we’re ready to kill each other on the road.”
“German!” The shout went up around them, bringing Blaze’s head around. German stood at the edge of the pool, looking sexy as fuck in his jeans and a polo.
“Grab your trunks and get in.”
Valon shouted the demand across Blaze. That made it hard for him to tell which of them German was focused on. “You all look just fine without me.”
A loud groan rang out. Blaze hadn’t realized how many people had poured in until then. Still, Blaze couldn’t look away from German. He wished German didn’t have on sunglasses. Blaze needed to see his eyes.
“Join us! Join us! Join us!” The loud chant kept going until German pulled his shirt up and over his head. A cheer rang out. German toed off his shoes and peeled off his jeans. He wore a pair of black boxer briefs, and Blaze couldn’t look anywhere else. Finally, German dove in. Blaze lost sight of him for a moment before German reemerged next to his float. He draped his arms across Blaze, as if using the float to keep himself above water.
“Hey.”
A smile exploded across Blaze’s face at the greeting. German hadn’t even lost his sunglasses in the dive. “Hey.”
German shifted the glasses from his face to his head. His sexy eyes were locked on Blaze. “You stayed.”
Blaze nodded. He refused to admit he had just woken up. Blaze kind of liked the idea of German thinking he stayed for him. Of course he had, but no need to dampen the moment. “I did.”
German rested his chin on the edge of the tube. “I’m glad.”
Damn, it was just two words, but they did something funny to Blaze’s chest and stomach. The way German held his stare made the rest of the world vanish.
German’s gaze flickered away for half a second before Blaze went flying through the air. He swallowed half the pool in surprise. Blaze came up coughing and fighting for his life. He didn’t get a chance to get pissed. German already had things under control. He had Diesel in the air like he weighed nothing. Diesel’s laughter was a mixture of guffaws and wheezing before he went soaring through the air the way Blaze had.
German swam his way and showed Blaze his back. “Climb on. We’ll show these pussies who’s boss.”
Blaze couldn’t stop laughing as he latched onto German’s back. “Betrayed by my own guard.”
In no time, full-on chicken-fighting was on. It was a damn good thing Valon’s pool was huge. Otherwise, skulls would have ended up cracked. Blaze hadn’t enjoyed so much clean fun in a long time. He was having a great time. By the time they crawled out of the pool, they were all fighting for breath.
Blaze fell across a lounge, face down.
German filled the seat next to him.
They held each other’s stare. German’s eyes sparkled with happiness.
Blaze couldn’t have stopped himself if he tried. “I have to go home and pack. Do you want to come? I’ll let you drive my Cobra.”
German’s smile never dimmed. “You don’t have to bribe me.”
“That wasn’t my intention.”
German chuckled. “That’s good, because I would fucking love to drive that car.”
Blaze’s face hurt from smiling. It had been a great day. Blaze didn’t want it to end.
Chapter Four
Gettingthechancetodrive Blaze’s custom Shelby Cobra had been amazing. Nineteen sixty-five was his favorite year too, as far as body style went. It was literally his dream car. Being inside Blaze’s house made him forget the drive. The place wasn’t huge, but it was cool as hell. He had an indoor pool that flowed into the outdoor pool. The entire room looked like a tropical paradise and smelled like it too. German was in love with the entire setup. His kitchen had two chef-style double stoves and a walk-in wine room that kept the bottles at the perfect temperature. There was a door that looked like a cabinet that opened up to a pantry that was every bit as big as the guest bedrooms. He had so many cool little techy things in his house that German didn’t know where to look. The place was definitely a smart home. None of that compared to watching Blaze.
Blaze moved from closet to closet to the wardrobe before ending up at the bed. He matched outfits and planned for variousweather. There was also a suit and tux mixed in the bunch. Still, Blaze didn’t pack anywhere near as much as German expected.
“Will you make it through six months with this?”
