Page 27 of Saving Mr. Bell

I was still trying to think of a suitable response when Rudolf turned away from the window and headed for the bedroom. “No tea for me. Bed calls. See you tomorrow, Arlo. Sleep well. Dream of me.”

Dream of him!I expected I would, the taste of him still on my lips.

Chapter Eleven

Rudolf

Normally, I would have been up and about by this time. Instead, I lay naked beneath the duvet and listened to Arlo move around the cabin, pondering whether he’d shout me for breakfast. Apparently not, the time where we’d normally have had it long past. Which meant…

Actually, I didn’t know what it meant. It could mean anything from him being considerate enough to let me sleep, to himpostponing the moment he had to face me again after our kiss of the night before.

The kiss I’d forced on him. Not that he’d put up much of a fight. The kiss that had been incredibly enjoyable, and that I hoped, Arlo willing, would be a precursor to more kisses. If I was going to be stuck here, I may as well enjoy myself. And now we’d gotten any possibility of Arlo’s husband being an impediment out of the way, I couldn’t see any reason we shouldn’t. Two gay men who liked each other trapped in a cabin together. It would be a travesty not to go there.

I let my mind stray to the other stuff. Other stuff like my life. A life I was currently taking an enforced break from thanks to Arlo’s misjudgment in rescuing me. I wasn’t craving alcohol, which proved I’d been right all along when I’d insisted I didn’t need to go to rehab. I wasn’t craving drugs either. Just sex. Was I a sexaholic? I gave the thought more consideration than it deserved before reaching the conclusion that it was sex with Arlo that interested me, rather than sex itself. If I’d found myself snowed in with an aging lumberjack, I seriously doubted I’d have lusted after him in the same way. Although, he might have been able to give me some useful axe tips.

I’d been gone two days. Had anyone informed the police of my disappearance? Would my father be worried, or would he just assume I’d taken myself off somewhere and that I’d turn up when I was good and ready? I’d bet everything that I owned Jade would be furious rather than concerned. Would Nelson get it in the neck? Much as the bodyguard’s presence as my permanent shadow grated on me sometimes, I didn’t want him getting flak when the fault for my disappearance was all mine. It’s not like he could have tied me down and forced me to do anything against my will.

I was supposed to be scheduled for a TV appearance tonight. And a few hours after that, I was supposed to be on a plane to…I thought hard. Nope. I didn’t have a clue where I was supposed to be flying to. Was it normal to have so little knowledge of your own movements? What did that say about me? Jade would probably be keen to answer that question, her disdain for me never far below the surface, the civility that hid it paper-thin. Besides, like she’d pointed out the last time we spoke, in her head, she answered to my father.

Wherever I was supposed to be going, my no show at the TV studio, and then the airport, would definitely ring alarm bells. No matter how drunk, or high, or just plain unbothered I was, I’d never missed an official appearance.

Tired of my company and thoughts, I swung my legs out of bed. Arlo was nowhere to be seen when I crossed the hallway to reach the bathroom. After a quick shower and shave, I returned to the bedroom and pulled sweatpants on, forgoing Arlo’s underwear to truly go commando this time. Halfway to putting a T-shirt on, I paused. Grinning, I left it on the bed and went out into the cabin with my chest bare. If Arlo didn’t like it, he should have thought of that before he kidnapped me. Actions have consequences.

Sure enough, when I found him in the small kitchen area staring into the fridge, a furrow appeared on his brow when he glanced my way. “You realize,” he said, “that the rules of strip poker only extend to the evening it’s played on and you’re allowed to get dressed now?”

I leaned against the kitchen counter—the same one we’d kissed against the previous night—and smiled at Arlo. “You sound like such a prude. It’s not like I’m wandering around here with my cock hanging out.” I gave a deliberate pause. “I mean… I could. You only have to ask.”

“That won’t be necessary.”

“I’ve been informed on many an occasion that it’s a very nice cock.”

“I’m sure it is.”

“Don’t you want to know what makes it nice? Whether it’s length, or girth, or just plain old-fashioned artistic appeal?”

Arlo’s lips twitched. “I’d hoped I’d get breakfast before being forced to discuss your cock.”

“I figured you’d already have had it. Breakfast, that is. Not my cock.”

Arlo shook his head. “I was waiting for you.”

“Well, you’d have to for my cock. It’s attached.”

Arlo’s glare went on for longer than necessary. “Do you think we could stop talking about your cock?”

“Are you regretting, kid… borrowing me yet?”

“Yes.”

I clapped a hand to my chest suitably dramatically. “Ouch! The man’s words are like a barbed prong to the heart. How can he trample all over my feelings like that?”

“You’ll get over it.”

I followed his gaze to the fridge, the door still standing open. “I know there’s no TV in this frozen oasis, but I’m worried if your mental state has deteriorated to where you think watching the contents of the fridge is suitable entertainment. Perhaps we could find some paint in the shed. I could put a bit on the wall for you, set you a chair up in front of it. We’ll monitor your heart rate in case it gets too exciting for you. You can’t be too careful at your age.” Rather than looking annoyed at my needling, something about it made Arlo smile. I narrowed my eyes at him. “What?”

He turned my way. “Do you realize how much better you sound?”

“Than what?”

---