Page 30 of No Reservations

I shook my head before settling my lips against the warm skin of his throat. “No. The things I’ve done with you in the past month are the only outdoorsy things I’ve ever done.”

Matthew pulled back to catch my gaze. A tiny wrinkle appeared between his brows. “Did you like them? I mean… would you maybe try things like that again?” The question held a lot more importance than any simple plans for future recreation options could.

The close press of our bodies and the slow stroking of his hand down my spine started to wake up certain parts of me that probably should stay asleep in a convention center tent. My fingers twisted in the hem of his company t-shirt. “I liked everything we’ve done together. I want more of all of it.”

Apparently, his body had the same idea as mine. He claimed my lips with a low groan, his hips rocking against mine. “Cole, this is real, right? I’m not dreaming?”

“You’re not dreaming, Matty. I’m right here with you.” I rolled back and pulled his strong body over mine so we could press even more tightly together. Just as my hand started to slide downward between our bodies, a distant door clanged open, and the beam of a high-powered flashlight glowed through the walls of the tent.

I froze, all hints of arousal doused like a campfire. Fear replaced the good feelings of Matthew’s hands and mouth on me. “What do we do?” I whispered.

Matthew adjusted his dick, repositioned his vendor lanyard, and slipped his shoes back on without any noise. I pulled mine back on, too. “Follow my lead.” Without another word, he stood up and pushed through the tent flap.

The beam of the flashlight swept toward us and nearly blinded me. “Hey!” the worker said as he hurried closer. “What are you doing back here?”

Matthew led me past the fake stream and over a fallen log to the flat concrete floor. He lifted his vendor ID to show the man. “I’m from WildTrekX, the makers of this tent. We arranged a private viewing of the latest model for our special customer.” He waved a hand at me as I stepped up to his side.

The man with the flashlight wasn’t convinced. He narrowed his eyes and looked between us, at the tent, and then back again. “I wasn’t informed of any special viewings.”

I clenched my teeth to stop from laughing when Matthew put on the most imperious expression I’d ever seen. It was his serious model face. “Do you know who this is?

The anxiety returned. Surely Matthew wasn’t going to tell this man my name and risk him going to the press with a juicy story. I tried to keep a neutral expression as I held my breath.

“This is Mortimer K. Abelforth, from Elk Hunters Quarterly.” When the workman just looked confused, Matthew leaned closer and went on. “He’s basically outdoor recreation royalty, and my employer would be so angry if I failed to seal this deal.” He shot me a glance, his eyes wide before he turned back to the worker and lowered his voice. “I can’t lose this sale, man.”

The flashlight’s glow bobbed across the floor. “You have five minutes before Raul comes through for the final check. The side door’s still open. Be gone, or it’s my job on the line.” He bobbed his head at me as if I really were some type of royalty and backed away.

The moment he disappeared around another display farther down the room, Matthew flashed me a grin and hurried toward the exit. I resisted the urge to look over my shoulder to make sure the worker wasn’t following us.

We burst out into the late-day sunlight to what looked like an employee parking lot. The moment the door swung closed behind us, Matthew caught me in a huge hug and burst out laughing. “That was close, huh?” He kissed me, such an easy, casual, natural thing.

I clung to him for a moment and mirrored his smile. “Mortimer K. Abelforth? Elk Hunters Quarterly? Is that a real person?”

He shook his head and kissed me again before taking my hand and heading toward the front where we’d parked the rental SUV hours earlier. “I have no idea. I made it up on the spot. If there really is a Mort, I hope he buys one of our tents.”

I couldn’t remember when I laughed like I did with Matthew. I couldn’t remember a time when I had so much fun. The SUV sat alone in the convention center parking lot, but I pulled him to a stop before we reached it. All the good things welling up inside me needed to come out. “Matty,” said as he turned to face me. “Everything’s better with you. Everything.”

Something tender took over from his wide grin. “For me too, Cole. I don’t want to… I mean. I can’t imagine not having you in my life going forward.”

“We’ve already skipped the September first date for the planned breakup.”

“The contract’s been over for a long time,” he said as he slipped his hands around my waist and pulled my body against his. “I know I’m not a good fit for your life. I don’t bring much to the table, but I want to try. I want a chance to make you happy.”

Before he got halfway through those words, I shook my head at him. “No, Matty. You’re a perfect fit. I… I’ve fallen in love with you. You’re exactly what I never knew I needed.”

There were no other words to say. His whisperedI love youswept across my lips a moment before his mouth claimed mine. Whatever we had and wherever we’d take our lives together, I had no reservations. It might have started as a fake relationship, but it turned into something more real than all the rest of my life put together.

Epilogue

Six Months Later

“Wes, you can’t have my suit.” I took the perfectly tailored Tom Ford suit out of his hands and zipped it into the garment bag. “It wouldn’t fit you anyway.”

My friend settled onto the edge of my bed next to Deandre and sighed dramatically. “I need something to remember you by. You’re moving so far away!”

It took a while for Cole to bring up the possibility of me moving out to Los Angeles with him. The long-distance thing didn’t work for either of us, but we’d managed for five months before he got up the courage to ask. When I told him I would’vesaid ‘Yes’ the day after we parted ways at the Halcyon Inn cabin, it wasn’t exactly the full truth.

Everything I knew in the world was there in New York. Andrew, my brother, lived in Atlanta, but my parents were still nearby. Wes and Dee, too, as well as our casual group of friends we hung out with semi-regularly. At least work wasn’t an issue. There was no way I would become Cole’s ‘kept man.’ My job was remote, and I could work just as well from a California condo as I could from an east coast suburban apartment.

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