Page 114 of Refraction

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“It looksamazing, son.”

“Thanks, Marge.” Tucker leaned over and kissed her cheek. He’d been ramping himself up for two days about this show, but this morning Calvin had loved him until he couldn’t think, until he was sore in the best possible ways and looking forward to the promise of dancing, of losing themselves in the music and the lights. “Hopefully the angels are with us.”

Light Pollutionhad been a vast hit, but his new angels? They were special. Important.

They were a very specific truth.

“It’ll be fine. Where’s Calvin?”

“He was meeting with his agent, and then he said he’d be here. We’re going to Brazil. Brazil! I can’t wait. I want to see everything.”

“I bet. Including all the lovely bronzed men on the—”

A warm hand slid over his shoulder and encouraged him to turn. “Hello, lover.”

Calvin was close, too close to get a good look head to toe, but the high-collared shirt had Victorian-style ruffles on the front and no sleeves. It was really Calvin’s eyes, though, that got his attention. Long, black false lashes, sparkling eyeliner, and dark magenta shadow.

“Mmm.” He did love how his Calvin painted himself. He reached down and found the taut curve of Calvin’s leather-clad ass, squeezed. “You made it.”

“Mm-hmm.” Calvin kissed him, lips tasting like peppermint. “Well, it was this or a movie, and, you know, there’s wine here.”

“You wouldn’t have missed it.” He knew. Calvin loved the theater of this whole gig. It was the only reason to show. “The dancing comes next.”

“Can’t wait. But first we have to make the rounds, right, Marge?”

“Hello, honey.”

“Hello, sweetheart.” Marge and Calvin exchanged a hug. “Mwah,” Calvin said, making a kissy face at her.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Marge said, winking at him before sweeping off to shake hands.

“Michael says we’ll have escorts in Brazil, tiger. And drivers, and bodyguards, and all kinds of craziness. Apparently a person can get into trouble there. He told me I need to try not to stand out. Imagine that?” Calvin preened, laughed. “Oh. And vacation after. Three weeks! We can go home and swim.”

“Mmm. The pool. The stars. You and me and hours of naked.” Tucker loved it here—the energy soaked into him like a drug, but home was home, and he needed that too, the wide-open sky, the heat, Granny’s house.

“Oh. Hang on.” Calvin pulled a phone out and read a text, smiling. “Timmy wants to know if I’m coming home tonight. He’s joking of course, but I think he’s lonely now that we’ve got our own place. Would it be weird to have him over this weekend? Maybe watch a movie or something?”

“You know he’s welcome, honey.” They’d hammered their shit out. He hadn’t even had to hit the guy.

“Really? Thank you.” Calvin texted, presumably Timmy, and put the phone away. “So, my handsome cowboy in that very sexy hat, wine and a tour?”

“Wine. A tour. A kiss? Please?” He let himself work the hat, knowing how that tripped Calvin’s trigger.

“Yes.” Calvin ducked under the brim of his hat, platform shoes giving his lover a couple of extra inches, and fingers tugged gently on the lapel of his jacket. “A kiss.”

“Yeah, honey. Thank you.” He took his kiss, sinking into it, pouring himself into Calvin with all he was.

“Mmm.” Calvin lingered in the kiss, giving him everything back and a soft smile to go with it. “We got this.”

“We do. Come see the angels. Come see how they’ve hung, the light.” They were all Calvin. Every single one.

Every single one.

“The light is fantastic. They look so different. Brighter, maybe? The reds are more… they look great. It’s a powerful series, Tucker. It really is.”

“It is. It’s good.” Sensual, sexual—dripping with his own need.

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