Chapter 12

Rhyn scratched his head as he stared at his car. It wasn't turning over, just making a clicking sound. He called a tow truck to take it to the shop. Now he was just waiting.

School started back and they were careening to the holidays. The semester would be over before they knew it. In a few short months, they would be getting ready to graduate. The thought of that was slightly nerve wracking, but Rhyn already had plans.

He would be backpacking across Europe for three months then would come home and start working on his first manuscript. He already had a collection of short stories published with plenty more ready to go. He wanted to write his first novel soon, and had his first outline planned. His trip to Europe was to help him jumpstart his career.

The tow truck came. He gavehim the information and fee then called the mechanic as he walked towards the gym. Rhys was at practice. If he wasn't busy, he'd catch a ride home with him. If he was busy, he'd call Rhyd. The youngest brother was currently off campus building his senior project, but he had to pass by campus on his way home. He would pick Rhyn up if he needed a ride.

It started raining as he walked towards the gym. He had forgotten his umbrella in his car so he had to run to get out of the rain. He didn't want his things to get soaked. He flinched when it thundered. He'd never been the biggest fan of thunder or loud noises. If he was inside, it didn't bother him. Right now, he was outside where he was vulnerable.

He hurried to the double doors. A girl was walking out as he ran up. She smiled and held the door open for him. He thanked her and returned her smile. He shook off as much water as he could then checked his bag to make sure nothing was ruined. Satisfied, he went to the basketball gym.

The yelling and squeaking of shoes met him before he got to the doors. A blast of cold air ruffled his wet hair as he opened the door. He walked to the stairs and descended them, going to his favorite spot. He sat down and pulledout a thick notebook.

Every time Rhyn had a thought or story idea, he wrote it down. Some he had started and some were jotted down. He had them separated so he could work on whatever he wanted. He had plenty of ideas. He just couldn't see all of them out as of yet, but he hoped he could one day.

Across the court, Myles frowned at Rhyn's sudden appearance. He was wet and shivering, but he had his head bowed as he was scribbling something. Randomly showing up was new for Rhyn, but no one seemed to mind. Having an audience was nothing new to them.

Myles looked at Rhys. he was sitting on the jersey bench, but his gaze was on his brother. He had no idea why he was there either. That ruled out Rhys inviting him to watch practice.

The whistle blew, and Myles was substituted in. He took his teammate's place and started running the plays. Every so often he'd glanced at Rhyn, but the younger brother didn't look up.

He caught Ryan's eye, and the other guy had the same questions. Myles hand't realized Ryan had feelings for Rhyn. he'd just thought he was a good friend. He didn't know he'd been sitting back waiting for his time to swoop in and sweep him off his feet. Now, he saw Myles as an absolute rival. Myles was fine with that. He always got what he wanted.

They practiced for several more hours. Rhys and Myles had a friendly competition as they tussled on the court. Their teammates laughed and egged them on. In the end, Rhys's team won by a lucky three-point shot Rhys sank at the buzzer. Myles would never live it down. Well, at least until the next scrimmage.

They gathered their bags from the locker room and started making dinner plans. Ryan and Rhys were going to work out for a while. Myles had a project to finish so he was heading home. He'd dinner on the way since his dad would undoubtedly be working late.

Rhyn was standing on the court when they came out, talking to Coach Beyers. He was talking animatedly about whatever. If they knew Coach Beyers, he was trying to get Rhyn to join the swimming intramurals.

"Rhyn!" Rhys called. His brother looked at him, eyes wide. It thundered, and Rhyn jumped. Rhys hurried to him. "Why are you here?"

"My car broke down, and I need a ride home," he said. It thundered again, this time rattling the windows. "Are you going home after practice?"

Rhys shook his head. "No, Ryan and I are going to work out after dinner. How did you get here?"

"I walked."

"In the rain?" Rhyn nodded then shuffled his belongings. "Where's your umbrella?"

"I let it in the car when it was towed. If you're not going home, I'll call Rhyd."

"I can drop you off before we go eat." Rhyn shook his head as he pulled out his phone. "Rhyd is an hour away. He won't be home until late tonight."

"I'll take him," Myles offered. Identical shocked faces looked at him. "I'm just going to get dinner then go home. I can drop him off."

Rhys looked at Rhyn. The younger boy worked his mouth as he made a decision. He looked at his brother in question. Rhys shrugged then nodded. He was okay with it. That meant Rhyn hadn't told him what had happened in the pool.

"Okay. Thanks for the ride." Rhyn smiled. It didn't reach his eyes though. In fact he looked a bit overwhelmed.

Contented that his brother was in good hands. Rhys turned to Ryan. He was oblivious to the face he was making at Myles.

"Let's go eat," the eldest Easley said.

Ryan nodded. Rhys and Rhyn passed him effortlessly. They talked happily, ignoring the two following them. Myles didn't; he looked squarely at Ryan.

"What?" he demanded.

"You're a sneak," he accused.

Myles shook his head. "I had no control over that car. Besides, you're busy. I'm not, and he needs a ride. If you want to call me something, call me an opportunist."

Ryan snorted at him. "Whatever."

The brothers were waiting on them outside under the awning. They looked at him then at Ryan. Their eyes flicked between them before they looked at each other. Agreement flashed between them. Rhys grabbed Ryan and Rhyn grabbed Myles. They headed towards the parking lot, separating at their respective vehicles.

Myles settled in the driver's seat as he waited for Rhys to pull his slow ass out of his parking spot. Rhyn sat back and exhaled sharply. It thundered, and he shuttered.

"I didn't know you were afraid of thunder," Myles mused.

"It's not just thunder. I don't like loud noises," Rhyn explained. He shifted ever so slightly and pulled his jacket around him. "My coach would always ask if I could be the farthest from the starting gun. Sometimes it worked. Other times I just grinned and bore it."

Myles turned the heat up. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really, but I can always eat French fries."

Knowing what to do, Myles pulled into the McDonald's drive-thru. He ordered several burgers, two large fries, and two large sweet teas. He handed Rhyn a cup and a small bag of fries. Without even asking permission, Rhyn began devouring the warm potato sticks. Myles laughed at his ravaging, pretty much gorging himself.

They ate in silence as Myles drove. Finally, Rhyn seemed content in his presence. It had taken several weeks for this to happen, and Myles absolutely didn't want to mess with that.

"Rhys seemed the same," he mused.

"Why wouldn't he?" Rhyn asked. He looked at Myles after a prolonged silence. "I haven't told him. It's none of his business who I want to fool around with, even if it's his friend. Besides, he'll ask if it's consensual. As long as it is, he won't say anything."

"Do you remember anything from the night you were drunk in your room?" He turned left at a red light, straightening the wheel with one hand.

Rhyn took a sip of tea. "I remember a shower and going to bed." He shoved some fries in his mouth. "Why?"

"You said you didn't want to be friends."

Myles saw Rhyn to look at him from the corner of his eye. "Do you know what you meant by that?"

The younger guy had to take time to think back on that. He could only remember bits and pieces. He didn't remember Myles talking to him, but he didn't remember about what. He didn't want to make assumptions.

However, he knew what he felt. He knew that being close to Myles meant his feelings weren't going to be a secret for much longer. If he was talking drunkenly, it meant he already understood his feelings. His heart and mind clearly weren't on the same page, and his mouth was in left field.

"Don't take me home," he blurted.

Myles pushed the break at another red light then turned to look at Rhyn. "Where do you want to go?"

"Not home right now."

"Okay." The light turned green and he went forward.

Instinctively, Rhyn knew where he was going. They weren't so close they had a regular meet up spot so there were only the two houses. Rhyn had vetoed his house so that left Myles's.

He pulled up to a gated community and punched in the code. Rhyn watched the multimillion dollar horses pass by. He knew Myles's father was rich, but he didn't rrealize how wealthy.

The road to his house was lengthy. Rhyn gaped at the larger houses as Myles continued driving. Rhyn's father was a corporate attorney so his family could afford a larger family home. These houses dwarfed his house by five to ten thousand feet.

Myles pulled up to the biggest house at the end of the cul-de-sac. He waited until the garage opened then pulled his car into the empty three car garage. Once the car was in park and shut off, he turned to Rhyn. He searched his face slowly.

"What is it?" he asked. Rhyn looked at him. He pointed at Rhyn's face and spun his finger in a circle. "What's this face?"

Rhyn searched his face for a long time. His own expression was open and vulnerable. Myles could see it all, and he didn't care. He waited patiently as Rhyn made a decision.

Gaining courage, he unbuckled his seatbelt and all but launched himself into Myles's lap. The steering wheel cut into his back, but Rhyn didn't care. He latched onto Myles's mouth, hands going to his face and holding his strong jaw.

Myles caught him agilely, settling his bottom onto his knees. He brought one hand up to his cheek, deepening the kiss in one second. He was surprised, but it faded almost immediately.

Their tongues tangled together, warring gently with each other. Rhyn swept his all along Myles's mouth, taking in everything that was the other man. He felt the growing bulge in his pants and could help the maon that escaped him. Myles pressed up into it, swallowing the sound effortlessly.

When they pulled away, they were breathless. Myles peppered kisses all over Rhyn's face, connecting his lips to Rhyn's every so often. He traveled to his neck, lapping at it gently.

"You said I told you I don't want to be your friend?" Rhyn's voice was stained as desire coursed through him.

"Mmhmm," Myles mumbled. He nibbled at the base of his neck.

"I don't want to be your friend." He stopped him from continuing. Grey eyes searched blue ones. "I don't want to be your partner either."

"What do you want?" His head bobbed from side to side as Rhyn rubbed his face.

"Lover." Myles stared at him. "I just want to be your lover for right now."

"And if I want more?"

Rhyn swallowed hard. Myles lifted his head to kiss his Adam's apple. He closed his eyes and felt all the pleasure roll through him.

"I'll revisit it then, but not now."

Myles laughed, his lips spreading along his neck. "That's plenty fair." He kissed up his jaw until his lips fluttered over Rhyn's. He watched the grey eyes dart between his blue ones and his lips. "What do you want now?"

Rhyn dipped his head and pressed down the mere centimeters between them. Myles's tongue flicked out as he pulled away.

"Let's repeat that first night, but completely sober."

Myles had the door opened before the words left Rhyn's mouth. He set Rhyn on the concrete then grabbed their bags. After locking the car, he dragged the other guy through the house and up the stairs.