"Being an ass - can get your ass in trouble."
Nolan both anticipates and dreads hotshot skier Lane Cassiter's annual appearance at the Winterhaven ski lodge where Nolan works. His natural physical attraction to the guy is offset by his inter...
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PART THREE: "FROSTBITE"
. . .
The cell phone barked out a text notification while Nolan was still drying off, having just stepped out of the shower. He did a quick swipe of the towel over his head then wrapped it around his waist and returned to the bedroom. The phone lay on the bedside stand, the display currently dark. It lit up again with a reminder notification as Nolan reached for it. Drew's name and photo splashed across the tiny window.
'You still have company?' the message read.
Nolan clicked off the message and speed-dialed Drew's number. "Company left," he said when Drew answered. "Yours gone, too?"
An uncharacteristic silence followed; Drew was usually quite talkative, pretty much at any given time.
"Yeah," Drew murmured. Another odd silence followed his brief answer, then a low, mumbled, "Wanna come cuddle with me?"
Something in his voice caused Nolan's chest to tighten. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. All he knew was that he'd never heard it in Drew's voice before now. "Do you even have to ask?" Nolan said quietly with a smile. "I'll be right there."
"Thanks, babe," Drew whispered with a notable strain then the line went dead.
Nolan lowered the cell and stared at it as if it could give him answers if he looked at it hard enough. What the hell was up with Drew? He sounded...subdued. That wasn't like him at all. Drew was the life of the party even when there was no party. By nature, an upbeat cocky guy.
"What's wrong, baby?" Nolan murmured as he replaced the phone on the stand. It had to be something to do with Lane's friend. But even that made no sense; Drew never let anyone get to him. It was virtually impossible to piss him off or intimidate him. What the fuck had happened tonight?
Nolan thought about Lane—and the effects of that experience on himself. The numbness around his mind remained, and he was dreading the moment it began to fade away. He wasn't trying to deny any of the emotions that Lane had stirred in him tonight, but neither was he ready to face them head on just yet.
But that can't be Drew's problem. Drew wasn't swayed by the same things as Nolan. Sure, he expressed emotion with Nolan, and they had a deep, unbreakable bond—but it was still just a friendship bond. They loved but weren't in love. Drew didn't let guys get that close to his heart. Nolan wasn't offended or hurt by that fact; even if Drew were open to falling in love with someone, it wouldn't be Nolan. They just didn't have those kinds of feelings for each other. And it was highly unlikely that some random straight guy had somehow slipped past Drew's defenses. Especially not Lane's friend—he despised Drew. And Nolan hadn't gotten the impression that Drew was overly fond of him either.
