Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
I considered the repercussions, but the news was out. Whether I was in Fever Falls or West Hollywood, I was going to have to deal with it at some point.
“Let’s do it,” I said.
“Are you really sure about this, Dax? I don’t want you getting in over your head.”
“We’re both in over our heads right about now,” I admitted. “But better to be in over your head with someone than by yourself. Trust me.”
Jace moved forward quickly and pressed his lips against mine. We enjoyed the moment before showering up and getting dressed to head out.
Walking to the club, I could feel the discomfort in the back of my mind, shouting, “Don’t do it”…this part of me that wouldn’t have even considered this before Jace came into my life. But there was something almost empowering about going out, about taking back control after all these years.
Lil’ Donnie Gibson didn’t define who I was.
I was Dax fucking Munro.
When we entered the club, a wide-open space with a couple of bars and boxes set up where bare-chested guys in jocks and thongs were dancing, I took it all in. The place was as packed as a gay club in WeHo or NYC might have been, but I figured it was because this was the only club option for the residents of Fever Falls.
“Damn, you got a lot of gay guys in this city,” I told Jace.
“We have more than our fair share.”
I wasn’t sure if I was just making it up in my head, but we kept getting looks. I wondered how many of them were checking out Hottie Firefighter, how many of them knew about my Lil’ Donnie Gibson reveal, and how many were just checking us out the way they might have any other night.
We headed to the bar to order drinks, and the bartender’s eyes opened wide as he exclaimed, “Hottie Firefighter and Lil’ Donnie Gibson!”—confirming my worry about just how many people had discovered the truth about my past.
Jace checked my expression as though wondering if I was going to have a nervous breakdown over being recognized.
“You got us,” I joked, but I suddenly felt like I could actually breathe again.
There it was. Someone recognized me as Lil’ Donnie Gibson, and my world didn’t come to an end. I wasn’t that confused kid all of a sudden. I was still me. And it was no longer a fear lingering over my head. It was here, it was real.
And it wasn’t that bad.
We took a selfie with the guy before taking our drinks and heading alongside the wall.
“It’s a good night, apparently,” Jace said, glancing around the place. “Wonder if this is what it’s usually like. Like I said, only been here a few times before with friends, but figured since we were suddenly out publicly, this might be fun.”
“Hey, excuse me,” an attractive twinky guy in a neon-pink thong said as he approached from the side. “You guys mind if I get a selfie?”
“Pleasure’s all ours,” I said, working to make sure Jace understood I was in this, at least for our little test that night. It was going to take some adjusting, but in some ways, it was like riding a bike. Not only had I ridden one myself, but I’d been teaching others since I was just starting out on my own.
When the guy got his pic, he headed off, and Jace said, “That’s something I’m still getting used to.”
“You do get used to it, though, but it doesn’t become less inconvenient. Sometimes you just have to find ways of making it more difficult for them to ask for pictures or signatures.”
“Oh, really? Any suggestions, pro?”
I laughed, thinking about the context, both in the bedroom and with his recently discovered notoriety. I took his hand and said, “Come on.” I guided him through the crowd, onto the dance floor. I noticed some more glances, but I ignored them as I turned to him and danced to the beat.
“What are you doing?”
“This is how you get away from it. They’re less likely to bother you while you’re dancing.”
“Isn’t that clever?” Jace asked, his lips curling into a smile as he started bopping to the beat. He took to the music about as quickly as he took to messing around with a guy, and I used the opportunity to show him my own moves.
We gravitated toward one another, and I slid my hand around his waist, tugging him even closer. We danced together at the club as well as we did in the bedroom. Staring into one another’s eyes, his look as intense as ever.
The rest of the club seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us.
“I know a fire when I see it, Dax Munro,” Jace said loud enough to compete with the blaring music, “and your eyes are lit up with one.”