Page 21 of Fanboy in the Falls (Devon Falls #3)

He’s never called me that before. —Colin Templegate

Plenty of things have happened in my life that I never saw coming.

Hooking up with some guy in northern Vermont while my best friend watched is definitely high on that list. Also high on that list is carrying around a giant pedestal sink with the same guy the next morning while Tom directs us like he’s racing control.

“A little to the left. No, your other left. Oh, I meant right.”

“You’re really bad at this,” I tell Tom.

“Blasphemy, bestie. I’m just distracted.” He frowns at a wall with five different paint swatches stuck to it. All of them look like exactly the same shade of green to me, but he swears there’s a difference between them. “I’m trying to decide if this wall wants Midnight Evergreen or Pistachio Pine.”

“Pistachio Pine is a color?” Gabe frowns as he juggles the right side of the sink, and a small bead of sweat makes its way across his forehead.

“Tom!” I bark out. “Gabe needs help. Paint colors later!”

The words jumpstart him into action. He darts across the room to grab onto Gabe’s side of the sink while Gabe smiles and rolls his eyes.

“I was doing fine. But thanks for the help.”

“You could have dropped this sucker on your foot,” I tell him. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, Gabe.”

Gabe opens up his mouth like he might argue with me, but he quickly closes it. He, Tom, and I manage to get the monstrous sink over to the corner of the room where it’s about to live out the rest of its days.

“Wonderful.” Tom steps back, hands on his hips. “That’s going to really complement the lighting fixture. Team, I think we might actually be on track to finish this project on schedule!”

“Agreed.” I survey the room around me. We’ve already fully finished renovating one of the others, which means we’ve only got two left after this, plus the event space.

That space had less damage than the bedrooms, so we’re right on schedule to have all this done before the masses descend on Devon Falls.

“This is amazing.” Gabe beams and claps his hands together. “You guys, seriously. I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you wanted to try and save the inn like this. Now if Lou and I do get to stay in Devon Falls after the festival, I can—”

He stops suddenly, clamping his mouth shut.

Tom and I glance at each other. “What do you mean if you stay?” Tom asks. “That’s the second time you’ve mentioned that. Why wouldn’t you stay in Devon Falls, little fox? If we finish the project, you’ll still have a job you love here.”

“Yup, of course!” Gabe waves an arm above his head. “Yup, that’s what I meant. If we finish the project, and I get to stay. Because I, you know. Keep my job.”

And just like that, unspoken words are hanging in the air.

Air that we still haven’t completely cleared from last night.

The three of us were all so tired that we fell asleep together on Gabe’s lumpy mattress after we talked, and then we woke up in a tangled flurry when Gabe’s alarm went off and he had to help Lou get ready for school.

Tom and I haven’t said a word to each other about the night before.

We spent an entire pancake breakfast at Luis’ Cafe talking about the changing weather and all-season tires, even though I don’t think Tom’s ever even set foot in a tire shop before.

“Okay.” Gabe frowns as he studies the pedestal. “Should we install this bad boy or have lunch first? I brought some peanut butter, and I—”

“Okay, that’s enough.” Tom interrupts Gabe as he shakes his head.

“Listen, loves, I’ve tried to go along with this strange ‘everything is fine and exactly the same’ game the two of you seem to be playing.

But frankly, it’s exhausting, and I can only talk about paint swatch colors and lighting fixtures and tires, of all things, for so long before my brain starts to atrophy.

So. Can we please discuss how we’d all like to proceed following last night’s conversation? ”

I should’ve seen this coming. Tom’s got no patience. Me? I can drive the same race track for hours while I wait for conditions to go my way. But Tom, if he ever raced, would be the type of driver who took himself off every curve trying to make a new opportunity.

I glance over at Gabe, who’s wringing his hands together and looking back and forth between us expectantly.

“Okay, sure,” I finally say. “What do you want to happen next, little fox?”

Gabe gulps as he sets one foot on top of the other and balances in front of us.

“I think,” he finally says quietly, “that I want more of what we’ve…

been doing. You know. Trying things out.

You both know I’ve never really been… with anyone before.

So all of this is new to me. And I guess I just want to, well, explore.

” He looks over at me, his expression suddenly wild.

“But not if Colin doesn’t want to!” he adds quickly.

“I know this is all kind of new to you too, and I really don’t want to pressure you. ”

Geez. The sweet kindness, the total and complete empathy, of this man will never stop impressing me. I step around the sink to rub my palm across his cheek. “I promise, Gabe. No one here is pressuring me to do anything I don’t want to.”

I mean those words, too. Every single damn one of them. All of these feelings I’m having for the first time are confusing as hell, that’s for sure. But nothing about this situation I’m in scares me. I don’t scare all that easily.

I am getting more and more damned worried about whatever’s going on between Gabe and Lou’s father. But that’s a different problem to solve.

“Coaching!” Tom beams as he claps his hands together.

“Excuse me?” I all but choke on the words.

He rolls his eyes. “You’re an athlete, Colin; you know what coaching is.

” He shrugs. “It’s all very simple, really.

Gabe’s feeling slightly out of his depth because sexual experiences are new to him.

You’re feeling slightly out of your depth because, well…

the same reason, actually, generally speaking.

So! You both just need practice and coaching.

Enter me: a man with plenty of experience in these areas.

” He beams and takes an exaggerated bow.

Gabe stares at him. “Um, wait. You mean you’re going to coach me and Colin on how to…”

“How to derive maximum pleasure from relationships and sexual experiences. Yes, that’s exactly right.” Tom whips his t-shirt up over his head while Gabe and I keep gaping at him.

“We’re at work, ” Gabe whispers.

“Bethany and Evelyn know we take lunch breaks. I’m sure this is all very OSHA approved. Now.” Tom points a finger at both of us. “If anyone wants anything to stop, just say the word red. If anyone wants anything to slow down, say yellow . Green means go. Got it?”

“Lights out and away we go,” I mumble, as I remember what Gabe said right before we all fell asleep last night.

Tom beams. “Exactly right! Gabe, do you understand?”

Gabe’s eyes are locked against Tom’s chest so hard that I don’t think he could look away from him if he tried. He seems almost enraptured by Tom’s body. I wonder if he ever looks at me that way. “Um, yeah,” he finally whispers.

“Fantastic! Then let’s get started. First lesson: learning what you enjoy.

” He draws Gabe back against his chest, pulling him against his own body as he begins to lick and nibble up Gabe’s neck until he reaches his ear.

Gabe gasps with each movement, and the sound sinks into my skin, tightening every nerve in my body.

My eyes are glued to Gabe’s expression, to the way he closes his eyes and purses his lips tightly as Tom starts teasing his earlobe.

“Very good, little fox,” Tom murmurs. “Colin,” he adds, “I think we can add that area of the body to Gabe’s sensitive erogenous zones. Now you try.” He takes me by the arm and pulls me toward him, then slides Gabe in and against my body as he steps away.

I stand there for a moment, frozen. It’s still new, this feeling of desperate want that seems to come over me when Gabe’s close like this.

But then Tom slides one of my hands up under the hem of Gabe’s t-shirt, and Gabe shivers as my fingers hit the skin of his stomach.

“Don’t overthink it, Colin,” Tom says quietly. “Just feel. Like you do on the track.”

That’s a direction I understand.

I fall into the moment as I let my fingers explore the soft skin and patches of hair all way across Gabe’s abdomen, over his belly button.

At the same time, I pick up where Tom left off with exploring Gabe’s earlobe with my mouth, and Gabe’s gasps grow louder and stronger and turn into something like a moan.

“Wonderful,” Tom says. “Let’s keep exploring, then, shall we?” And just like that, he sinks to his knees on the brand-new tile floor we laid down a few days ago, tugs down Gabe’s jeans and underwear in one quick movement, and swallows Gabe’s cock.

Gabe makes a jumbled, mewling noise that has me grasping to hold him against me as my cock tents against his ass.

I’m not sure if I’m relieved or pissed that I’m still wearing my jeans.

All I know is that I can’t look away from Tom’s mouth and the motion it’s making as he moves up and down, back and forth, across Gabe’s hard length.

“Oh wow. Holy shit. Wow.” Gabe’s muttering and mumbling now, and Tom laughs lightly as he pulls his mouth off Gabe’s cock with a pop.

“Let’s add blow jobs to the list as well,” he says.

He stands up slowly, and the two of us manage to pull Gabe’s t-shirt up and over his head while he makes noises that might be trying to be words.

Then Tom pulls Gabe’s naked torso back against his own body again.

“Colin,” he says quietly. “Are you ready to try?”