Feel the Fire (Hotshots 3)

As they pulled into Luis’s hotel, he was still deliberating asking Tucker to come up. Unlike Tucker and his “tour” of his house, Luis didn’t even have good pretext. If Tucker accompanied him up to his suite, it would be for sex, and there wouldn’t be any more pretending that they could ignore this...whatever it was.

Tucker parked in the back of the lot near a clump of trees, and when he turned toward Luis, all calculations ceased, desire winning out the instant their gazes met. The same heat he’d battled all day was right there in Tucker’s eyes. His face was smudged with dust, and tired lines bracketed his mouth, and Luis had never wanted anyone more. His body leaned in, no longer waiting for his brain’s permission, and Tucker more than met him halfway as they slid into a kiss as easily as if they’d been doing this for decades.

When they kissed, the years fell away, and Luis was right back to being a hyper sixteen-year-old, every touch thrilling, each brush of their tongues going straight to his cock.

“Come up with me,” he panted as he pulled away to get a breath, forehead still resting against Tucker’s.

“Can’t.” Tucker managed to sound genuinely pained. “I called Heidi after I found out about the fire. We usually do Sunday dinner together with the kids. It was my night to cook, but Isaac volunteered to grill instead. I shouldn’t skip out.”

“Family first.” Untangling himself from the console, Luis retreated to his side of the car. “See you tomorrow?”

“Wait.” Tucker touched his arm. “I’m not trying to blow you off.”

“I know.” And he did. It was the dad thing again. And the kids did have to come first. Luis got it. He didn’t like it, but he did get that Tucker had priorities that didn’t include getting laid right then. Tucker kept his grip on Luis’s arm when he would have escaped, holding his gaze with steely eyes.

“Just so you know, I don’t have the boys every night.”

“Is that a proposition?” Luis tilted his head, considering. Tucker was way more tempting than their common sense should allow.

“Maybe more like a promise.” Tucker’s grin made him look far younger and more mischievous.

“It’s a bad idea.” He groaned, but his pulse was already speeding back up, anticipation curling low in his gut.

“The worst,” Tucker agreed, still smiling.

“Until your next terrible idea, then.” He leaned in for a final swift kiss, and this time Tucker let him leave.

As he walked back to the hotel, damn if Luis wasn’t already looking forward to their next non-work-related encounter. Oh hell. Work. He had to see Tucker again tomorrow. At work, where he would need to pretend that he wasn’t dying to kiss him breathless again. Fuck. He was so damn screwed.

Chapter Nine

“You’re late.” Walker greeted Tucker at Heidi’s front door with a scowl so fierce that Tucker was afraid that even his hasty shower hadn’t been enough to erase any signs of his kissing session with Luis.

“Sorry. The fire location was pretty remote. And then I had to take Luis—my coworker—back to his hotel.”

“Whatever. The food’s almost ready.” Walker shut the door behind Tucker harder than necessary, still not smiling.

“Hey.” Tucker tried to grab Walker, but forgot that he wasn’t nine anymore, not so easy to wrap up in a hug. Walker neatly dodged his hand. “What’s your problem? Did you need me for something today?”

“Nah. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” Walker’s heavy sigh said exactly the opposite.

After coming down the stairs, Wade had a fist bump for Tucker, which he supposed was better than Walker’s unexpected surly turn.

“He’s just freaking out because he took another SAT practice exam and did worse, not better,” Wade offered, ruffling his brother’s hair.

“Well, I’m here now. And I’m here for you, specifically.” He tried to meet Walker’s eyes, let him know how deeply he meant that. Had he missed something important this week? They were in the final month before senior year started, and time seemed to be rushing toward Labor Day faster than he would like. Was something going on with Walker? Guilt made his back muscles tense. “Do we need to make a study plan? How can I help?”

“I don’t need a plan.” Walker stalked off toward the bathroom.

“Well, that went fine.” Wade did a fair imitation of Walker’s sigh and his slightly slower speech. They might be identical, but Tucker was rarely fooled for more than a second or two as to who was whom.

“What went how? What’s with Walker?” Heidi came breezing in from the back patio where Isaac was grilling. The picnic table was already set, and the plantings that Tucker had helped with caught the evening breeze. It would be way more inviting, however, if Walker wasn’t acting strange. And if part of Tucker’s brain wasn’t still back with Luis. He did want more kisses, but not if it meant missing something crucial with Walker.