Chapter 4
The ocean churned just feet away from where they sat. The brightness of the full moon
reflected perfectly on the breaking waves causing the whitecaps to shimmer as they rolled toward
the island. Colt reached over to refill Jace's wine glass as he'd done countless times over the last
few hours, keeping them outside, enjoying each other's company. At least, he hoped Jace
enjoyed this as much as he did.
A small radio played in the background. The station was some sort of sultry island music,
local to the area. The tiki torch flames danced in the cool tropical breeze casting soft shadows
across the small patio table. In Colt's mind, it whispered romance, exactly what he tried to
accomplish.
All in all, Colt was proud of the time he'd spent in preparing for tonight. He really thought
he'd pulled off a very seductive kind of scene. It was what he wanted most for tonight, to show
Jace just how much he meant. As he placed the wine bottle back in the ice bucket, he weighed
his options and decided neither of them was quite ready to give up their front row seats to
nature's very own moonlit performance. They both seemed to enjoy the evening.
Colt had given up stealing sideways glances at Jace hours ago. Now he was outright staring.
Nothing in the beauty of their tropical paradise held the allure of the beautiful man sitting next to
him. Jace could have easily been on the cover of any fashion magazine across the country. He
had those boy next door meets surfer guy good looks. His sunny blond hair and tanned six pack
cut abs turned Colt on like nothing else ever had before. Jace was made for turning heads at the
beach or anywhere for that matter. From the moment Colt found out about this place, he'd
wanted Jace right here with him.
"Wanna swim again?" Colt asked, taking Jace's hand. They sat side by side at the table,
facing the ocean.
"I'm fine right here. Unless you want to," Jace said, his chest bare, one leg crossed over his
knee, and he had no problem easily entwining their fingers together as if it was the most natural
thing to do. Colt liked Jace's easy familiarity.
"Nah, I'm good here, too," Colt said, finally sitting back, casting his stare out into the ocean.
They swam earlier tonight, eaten a huge crab and fish dinner, and drank a lot of beer and wine.
Colt felt good, and he hoped Jace did too.
"Who was supposed to be here with you this week?" Jace asked out of the blue, his eyes
remaining focused on the ocean. Colt looked over at him, watched him closely. The question was
the first personal thing they'd said since they had been back out on the beach.
"No one, I was coming alone," Colt replied.
"But they gave you two tickets?" Jace shot back. Not necessarily an accusation, still just a
question.
"I had the ticket my agent gave me, and I bought yours. They offered to buy another ticket
when they told me about this place, but I didn't have anybody to bring. I almost didn't come,"
Colt said.
"You bought my ticket? I thought you said you had an extra ticket available," Jace asked,
his eyes locked on Colt's. Jace tensed, straightening up in his chair as he started to stand.
"No, sit back. Relax like you were. I bought the ticket because I thought we could come
down here, get away from everyone, and get to know each other. It's not a big deal," Colt
confessed quickly. As he spoke, he reached out and pushed Jace back into the seat. No way did
he want Jace bowed up tight. They were relaxed. He needed them relaxed.
"That was expensive," Jace said, alarm in his voice.
"Money's one problem I don't seem to have right now. I have one hell of a credit line all of
a sudden. Jace, please sit back. It's the best money I've spent." Jace didn't listen to him. He
could see Jace ticking off numbers in his head, trying to figure out how much the trip probably
cost and if there was any way he could pay him back. Colt knew from all the years of watching
Jace, he took every extra side job thrown his way. Colt hadn't ever heard of Jace taking
handouts. If he couldn't pay, he didn't do it. "Really, Jace, sit back… I wanted you to come with
me."
"Why?" Jace asked, sounding defensive.
"Do you ask all your dates why they spend time with you?" Colt questioned, trying for
mischievous, but Jace just stared at him. Maybe Colt should have ended this evening a few
minutes ago. The tension between them was building. Not terrible, but there nonetheless, and
Jace finally seemed bolder after the alcohol, asking questions and wanting some answers.
"Man, really, relax. I wanted you here with me so I arranged it. I just feel like I've wasted a
lot of time wanting you and doing nothing about it," Colt said. He forced his eyes away, starring
out over the moonlit ocean. His fingers tightened around Jace's, and he could feel Jace's eyes
still on him.
"You're the star of our team. You're the player most sought after by the NFL. You're gonna
be a first round draft pick, and you want me to believe you're harboring some kind of true
feelings for me, for apparently a long time?" Jace challenged Colt with every word he spoke. He
got it; he'd have asked these same questions way before now.
"Pretty much sums it up," Colt replied, a sly grin on his face. He still hadn't looked over at
Jace, but lifted their joined hands, bringing Jace's knuckles up for a kiss. "Actually, you're dead
on."
"I don't believe it," Jace countered after a minute and finally relaxed back in his seat, staring
straight ahead. Colt liked that much better, because now he could go back to being the watcher.
"I can get you might be into fucking guys now and then. I like it, so why wouldn't you, but not
the rest. And why me? I don't understand. I'm a cheerleader on scholarship, and you're, well,
you. Nah, I can't see it at all."
Jace drained his wine glass.
"The first time I saw you was August of '99. We were at the stadium. It was the first
community pep rally, before school even started. You tumbled across the whole field, doing all
those twisty things. Your hair was shorter, you weren't as muscular, and I think you've gotten
taller. You were stunning. The most beautiful guy I had ever seen. I got so hard watching you I
had to walk around with my hands in my pockets, trying to hide my hard-on. The first chance I
got, I went to the bathroom and jacked off. What else do you want to know?" Colt asked.
Jace turned to Colt, staring at him, not speaking, but clearly taking in his every word.
"In 2001, your dad died. You were gone for like two weeks," Colt started, but Jace cut him
off.
"Don't tell me you were the one that sent that iPod to me."
"I did. I confess it was from me. I felt so bad for you. You worked so hard all the time. You
always had that old Walkman with the big head phones covering your ears. Let's see, you take
on every community commitment the school offers. Your grade point average is like right at a
three point nine. You—"
"How do you know that?" Jace asked. The accusation was gone, but the curiosity wasn't.
"Jace, you wear a size twelve shoe. You eat fruit and yogurt every morning for breakfast.
You hate the tags in the back of your T-shirts; you always cut them out. You chew the caps to
your pens. You love Creed. You…" Colt was on a roll and could go on forever. He was an
encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to Jace Montgomery.
"Okay, that's enough," Jace said, lifting a hand to stop Colt in mid-sentence.
"I think that might be my favorite look. It's the same look you gave me when I hit on you in
the locker room," Colt chuckled.
"I don't even know what to say to that." Jace fidgeted, uncrossing his leg, and then crossing
them again. He wasn't necessarily relaxed, but he wasn't about to bolt either. Colt took the
chance and refilled Jace's wine glass. He poured the last of their second bottle into Jace's glass
before setting the empty bottle on the table beside him. Colt pulled another bottle out of the
cooler and popped the cork.
His big plan for the night was to bottom. He wanted Jace to top him. He hadn't said
anything, but hoped Jace would be his first. Overall, Colt decided he probably needed to be a
little more relaxed and maybe be somewhat drunk to pull it off. He didn't know what to expect.
He'd only had the tip of Jace's finger breach him for an instant when they were making out in
the locker room. He took a long drink straight from the third bottle.
"You could tell me you thought about me too, even if it's not true," Colt said, and took
another long swig, completely abandoning his glass. Colt worried he might have freaked Jace out
with his sad attempt at humor, falling short once again, because Jace hadn't laughed at his joke.
"I did think about you. Who doesn't? You're like TLU's golden child. Everyone wants to
know you," Jace said as he took a sip from his refilled wine glass. "Does your dad know about
this?"
"Hell no!" Colt choked out, quickly lowering the bottle, almost spewing the wine in his
mouth all over Jace when he answered. "Fuck no, he can't ever know. I'm never ever gonna be
old enough for him to find out I like dick. Can you imagine that? I'd cause him to have a
coronary right there on the field."
"He's intense," Jace agreed.
Intense was a huge understatement in describing his father, Larry Michaels. He was an exprofessional
football player who had ridden Colt's ass his entire life. He pushed Colt to excel in
everything he did, especially football, and if he failed, hell rained down on his head so hard
Child Protective Services had Colt's father on speed dial.
"Ya think? No, he can't ever know. My parents aren't anything like yours. My father's
orchestrated my whole football career for pretty much my entire life. He's done all this for my
future. He handles all the contacts and got the agents looking at me; he's my manager. He
controls my life. No way would it ever be a good idea to clue him in on how much I like hot
blond cheerleaders of the same sex." Colt took a big swig from the bottle after thinking about his
father.
"So you're gay?" Jace asked, mercifully getting off the subject of his dad.
"I think so. I've lusted after you forever. I think about you when I'm trying to get off. Is that
saying too much?" Finally, the drunk started to settle in.
"No, you don't. Really?" Jace sounded shocked.
"You know, I've seen you in the locker room over the years. It's not hard to draw that image
up when needed," Colt teased, taking another long drink from the bottle.
"I jack off to you, too," Jace blurted, a shy grin on his face. Colt watched as Jace's body
physically relaxed after his confession.
"Finally! You haven't given me much back in the way of encouragement, but what you just
said, that made my day," Colt declared, his grin firmly back in place.
"Whatever! You're Colton Michaels. Your girlfriend's gonna be the next Miss America."
"I told you, she's not my girlfriend," Colt protested, lifting the bottle to his lips, taking
another guzzle, close to draining it now.
"Sure fooled me."
"Nah, I really can't tell you more, but let's just say, her and I, we have a lot in common,"
Colt said, waggling his eyebrows.
"No fucking way! You all need to quit hiding. If everyone would quit hiding and just be
who they are, I wouldn't have to be called a fucking fag every single day of my life," Jace shot
back with absolutely no malice. He grinned, tightening his hand around Colt's.
"I'm not as strong as you. I wished I were, but I'm not. I'm not sure at this point if I ever
will be." Colt gave up and turned his seat toward Jace, facing him now. He placed the makeshift
wine bucket on the table, keeping what was left of the bottle close by. "Let me tell you what I am
sure of, what I want. I want you to fuck me tonight. I want you inside me. It's my first time, but I
know I liked your finger in my ass when we made out in the locker room. How do you feel about
that?"
Jace grinned and rose from the chair, lifting Colt's hand to help him up. Their thighs
brushed against one another as he stood. "You're finally speaking my language."
