The hands touching his back went still, and Kingston gripped his pillow, preparing to smack Riley when he inevitably came up with a snarky response.
“I’m not Riley, and no offence, but I don’t think you’re strong enough to force me into the toilet.”
Kingston lifted his head, blurry-eyed and confused. “Why areyoubothering me then? You’re supposed to be the nice one.”
Jake scoffed, and the hands disappeared from Kingston’s back. “I need your help with something.”
“It’s not wedding planning, is it?” Kingston asked.
He was happy for Allen and Jake and their engagement. When they came back to the penthouse, windswept and grinning from ear to ear, Kingston had manhandled them both into a hug and congratulated them. He couldn’t wait for the wedding, but there was no way in hell he was helping plan it.
He didn’t do decorations. He didn’t do cake testing. He didn’t do anything that wasn’t rough-and-tumble sports and building bookshelves because that was who he was.
“Nothing to do with the wedding,” said Jake. “It’s personal.”
The monotone in the man’s voice made Kingston think he was nervous about something, and if Jake was coming to him, that meant that the other two were busy.
Kingston groaned and rolled onto his back, unashamed of how naked he was as he stretched and yawned, trying his best to keep his eyes open. Jake wasn’t shy about looking at him either, and Kingston preened as those dark eyes dragged down the stretch of naked skin on display, respectfully appreciating from a distance.
Kingston wouldn’t complain if Jake chose to close the distance, but he understood that wasn’t going to happen until everyone was ready, so it could only be teasing for now.
And kissing. He couldn’t forget about the kissing.
“Do I need to get dressed up for this task, or can I rock sweats and a t-shirt?” Kingston asked, grinning when Jake’s gaze snapped from between his thighs to land on his face.
“Casual is okay,” Jake said stiffly.
Kingston winked and let out a breathy chuckle. “Give me five minutes, and I’ll meet you by the door. That sound good?”
Jake blinked slowly, processed, then nodded. “Five minutes.”
Kingston watched the big guy walk away, looking like a soldier going off to war, and shook his head. Jake gave him fucking cute aggression, but he didn’t think the guy wouldappreciate being squeezed every time he did something adorable—which was all the damn time.
After getting dressed, brushing his teeth, and straightening his hair, Kingston wound up in Jake’s car, tearing down the highway away from the city. Jake never bothered to mention what they were doing, and he wasn’t talking much, so Kingston was left to entertain himself on his phone and the blur of the world passing outside.
Texting Riley and Allen didn’t help at all since they weren’t answering him, and with every minute that passed in silence, Kingston’s worries grew until he was ready to explode.
“Where are we going?” he tried again, praying Jake would say something.
Anything.
“Nowhere,” said Jake. “We’ll be there in another thirty minutes.”
That would put them at an hour and a half of travel time, which was too far away from home for Kingston to be comfortable with, but he was stuck now. He hadn’t explored Nova Scotia a lot because he was always so busy, and everything he needed was in the city, so seeing buildings give way to massive fields filled with cows and crops was eye-opening.
It was a pretty province, but all Kingston could think about was how hot it was outside the air conditioning of the car, and how many bugs wanted to bite him on the other side of the glass. He was a city boy like Allen; he didn’t like going into the wilderness like Jake and Riley did.
Kingston’s fears escalated when they exited the highway and ended up on a road with more potholes than pavement. He didn’t know how Jake didn’t take the bottom of the car out, but he never once changed his speed or flinched when they hit a hole too hard.
The guy was so stoic it was difficult to get a read on him at times.
When they pulled onto adirtroad and began barreling full speed into a forest that looked like the home of a cryptid, Kingston grabbed the holy shit handle and sent one last text to Allen and Riley in their group chat.
It was nice knowing you. I’m going to fucking die.
He nearly dropped his phone when Jake suddenly turned the car onto another road that went down a steep hill, and Kingston’s mouth fell open when a goddamn lake magically emerged from the trees.
Left with more questions than answers, Kingston stared at the lake as Jake parked the car and cut the engine, leaving them in a silence so deafening he could hear his own heart beating.
