Page 9 of Reverb (Larkspur Book 3)

Miles slowed the treadmill and settled into his cooldown walk, using a towel to wipe the beaded sweat from his brow. He’d woken early and decided to get his daily workout done and out of the way. His home gym set-up was small but had everything he needed. He preferred to run outside, but it wasn’t an easy task in downtown LA. He also had a small house–by LA standards at least—on the coast that he stayed at during the weekend, taking advantage of running on the beach whenever he was there.

After quenching his thirst with a bottle of water, he moved to the soft foam mat in the corner. He slipped off his running shoes and socks before beginning a series of gentle stretches and breathing exercises. With each one he did, his mind slipped into a quiet, meditative state. To complete his stretches, he gracefully sank to the floor, letting his body fully relax as he focused on his inner self and mind.

Fifteen minutes later, he let awareness seep back into his consciousness, reveling in the peace both his mind and body felt. He practiced meditation daily to minimize the effects of his highly stressful job. He had witnessed too many people in the industry burning out and damaging not only their own careers but also the careers of the people they handled.

He was fortunate that he had an excellent team that worked for him he could trust and delegate most jobs to. He prided himself on having a very low staff turnover rate. Part of that was the mandatory mental health days that each staff member got. At least once every two months, they had to take either a Friday or Monday off and take a long weekend away from the office. They had to disengage completely from work for the full seventy-two hours, which meant they weren’t to be contacted by phone or email unless it was a life-or-death emergency.

Miles knew that this was out of the norm for most corporate organizations, especially those in the entertainment industry, but the results he got in return, with happy, healthy staff, easily offset the costs involved.

A sound from the doorway had him opening his eyes, and he found Liam watching him. He met his gaze in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, and Miles watched as Liam’s expression swiftly changed to his professional media face. Not wanting to spoil his relaxed mood, he pushed away the feeling of concern and smiled as he stood to turn and face Liam.

“Good morning,” he greeted. “Did you sleep well?”

Liam nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

“Did you want to work out?” Miles asked, bending to pick up his discarded running shoes. As he straightened, he again caught a strange look crossing Liam’s features. It almost looked like desire? He shook off the thought. Liam wouldn’t be looking at him that way.

“Liam?” he asked again, as the other man had not replied.

“Oh. Yes. Workout.” Liam’s words were fragmented, as though pulling himself from a fog. “I was… ah… going to use the treadmill, if that’s okay?”

“Of course it is,” Miles responded, waving to the room in general. “Use whatever you want to. There’s chilled water in the fridge.”

“Th… thank you,” Liam replied, moving towards the treadmill.

“When you’re done, come up to the kitchen for breakfast.”

With a quizzical look, Miles left his house guest to his run and headed up to his room to shower.

Forty minutes later, a freshly showered Liam joined him in the kitchen, his hair damp and curling softly as it dried.

“What do you want to eat?” Miles asked. “I’ve got bagels, eggs, oatmeal, fruit. Whatever you feel like.”

“A toasted bagel will be fine, thanks,” Liam said, moving towards the coffee pot and making himself a mug. His movements were slow and precise, his demeanor subdued.

After throwing a bagel into the toaster, Miles leaned against the kitchen counter, nursing his own mug of coffee.

“What’s the plan for today?” Liam asked.

“I’m working from home this morning, going over some more footage of Eclipse, which, if you’re still up for it, I’d like your input on.” At Liam’s nod, Miles continued. “I’ve got a finance meeting this afternoon, which I’m doing over video chat, and then, for once, a rare relaxing evening at home.”

Liam busied himself preparing his bagel before sitting at the breakfast bar.

“I’ll get out of your hair once we’ve looked at the Eclipse stuff,” he offered, before taking a bite of his breakfast.

“You don’t have to,” Miles assured him, “unless you’ve got plans and need to get home?”

“No plans,” Liam replied.

“Then stay here again tonight. You can chill out while I’m working, and then we can catch a movie and order in pizza.”

Liam didn’t respond immediately, breaking up the half-eaten bagel on his plate.

“It’s fine if you want to head home after. I know how much you’ve been looking forward to being home, even if it’s only for a week.” Miles regarded the younger man. “Tell you what, why don’t you think about it and see how you feel after we’ve looked at Eclipse.”

“Yeah. Let’s do that,” Liam finally responded.

***

Liam leaned back in the office chair, fingers tapping on the arm to the beat coming from the surround sound speakers. On the large, wall-mounted screen, a video of Eclipse performing was played. Liam was pleasantly surprised at the quality. Normally, the clips that were uploaded to the various social media platforms were fan-recorded, but this one was semi-professionally produced and uploaded to the band’s official YouTube account.

He and Miles had spent the last couple of hours reviewing official and fan-based footage, getting a feel for how the band performed, both as musicians and entertainers.

“They’ve certainly got potential,” Liam said, glancing at Miles, a jolt of surprise going through him when he found steely-gray eyes trained on him rather than the screen.

“They do. I think it’s worth getting Jerry from the East Coast office to catch one of their performances while they’re touring over there.”

“Yeah. Jerry’s got good instincts and knows what you like in a band,” Liam agreed, dragging his gaze away from Miles’s and focusing back on the screen. “I’ll be interested to hear some more of their original stuff. They do the covers well, and the composition of the few originals we’ve seen isn’t bad, but they could definitely use some help there.”

“As you know, that comes with time and experience. There are very few that have a natural talent for songwriting, but we know enough people to help them with that.”

The screen went blank as Miles turned off the feed, and Liam reluctantly returned his attention to Miles.

“Are you going to stay, or are you going to head back tonight?” Miles asked him, referring to their conversation from breakfast.

Liam was torn. He’d been pondering the question all morning. Part of him wanted to stay with Miles for another night. The idea of no-pressure company to watch a movie and just chill out was tempting, but it was tempered by the images of a hot and sweaty Miles from earlier. Heat pooled in his gut at the thought, and he desperately tried to push it away. If he went home, he’d be able to ease the itch, but even though he craved peace after the hustle and bustle of being on tour, he also didn’t want to be alone either.

“What kind of pizza are you looking to get?” Liam asked, resorting to humor to hide his indecisiveness.

Miles gave him a grin that made his eyes shine and Liam’s breath catch in his chest.

“If I’m having a night off, then I’m going to have a night off. There’s a local pizza place that does the best double-stuffed crust pizza, with the most amazing mozzarella sticks.”

“Mozzarella sticks, you say,” Liam mused, pretending to ponder. “I do like a good mozzarella stick.”

“Well, you’d better stay and join me, then.”

“At least I know your taste in movies is better than Seth’s or Jamie’s,” Liam said, rising to his feet.

Miles barked out a short laugh as he closed out of YouTube. “Most people’s taste in movies is better than what those two like.”

“I’ll leave you to your meeting,” Liam told him. “I’m going to have a nap. Give me a shout when you’re ready to order.”

Liam idly scrolled through his phone. He wasn’t a big social media user, and Miles had teams in place that handled and monitored their public pages. All of the band had private accounts under false names, but even then, Liam shied away from anything fan-based. Jamie and Seth liked to go undercover and see what fans were saying now and then, but Liam and Mark had always just used theirs for family and trusted close friends.

A pang of guilt went through him at the thought of their former drummer, Mark. He hadn’t messaged his friend for a few weeks, using being caught up in the tour and ensuring Kellet was settling in okay as his excuse. His thumb hovered over their message thread, but he couldn’t press the icon. A familiar itch settled under his skin, and he absentmindedly ran a hand down his thigh, trying to ease the sensation.

His gaze fell on another icon, but he couldn’t sneak out of Miles’s place for an anonymous hook up. It would be beyond disrespectful to Miles. He could say he’d changed his mind about staying, and arrange to meet someone later, but for once, the idea didn’t feel right.

Tossing his phone onto the bed with a groan, he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands, frustration running through him. Unbidden, pictures of Miles from this morning flashed through his head, overlaid with the sound of Miles’s laugh from their meeting. Damn, why was he seeing Miles in such a different light?

Heat pooled in his belly, his cock thickening. Tugging at the snug denim pulling tight across his groin, he willed his body to calm down. He desperately tried to think of something to calm himself, but the slight friction of the material against his dick had him hardening even more. His fingers twitched with the urge to slide down his zipper and slip in to touch himself.

No!he chastised himself. He was stronger than this. He could control his body’s urges. He’d jerked off once this morning in the shower. He wasn’t some horny teenager, needing to get off every hour.

Clenching his fists by his side, he took some deep breaths, trying to focus inwards, but all that did was remind him of how still and peaceful Miles had looked while meditating in the gym. Liam had silently observed how broad Miles’s shoulders were. How his torso tapered to a trim waist. Afterward, when Miles had stood, it had been all Liam could do not to stare at his muscular thighs, tanned with a smattering of fine hair.

Unbidden, the thought of how those thighs and that hair might feel against the backs of his own raced into Liam’s head. His imagination ran wild with the thought of Miles’s powerful arms banded around his chest as he thrust into Liam’s body.

“Oh, god,” Liam whimpered, his hand scrabbling to get into his pants. He grasped his hand around his leaking dick while pushing his jeans and boxers down his thighs. Once he had room, he used one hand to stroke himself, using pre-cum to ease the slide, while the fingers on his other hand tugged at his heavy balls.

His breathing grew heavy and labored, loud in the quiet room. As he continued to stroke himself, focusing on the bulbous crown of his cock, he sucked on two of his fingers and then pressed them against his hole. He had lube in his toiletry kit, but he couldn’t stop now to find it. He needed something—someone—in his hole. Swirling a finger around his pucker, he slipped it into himself, hissing at the burn. He moved his hands in unison, matching cock stroke to finger thrust. His hips lifted off the bed, his feet scrabbling for purchase.

He was close. He clenched his hand, squeezing firmly. “Fuck. Ugh. Yes. Oh, god. Oh, yes.” His harsh whispers sounded loud to his ears, but he was beyond caring about anything but the tightness gathering in his pelvis. “Oh, fuck,” he cried as his finger brushed his prostate. Heat roared through him as he came, his cock spilling onto his belly. His hips thrust into his hand as he rode out his orgasm. He slowly loosened his hold on his dick as it became sensitive to the touch. Slipping his finger from his ass, he wiped it on his shirt as he fought to catch his breath. His body relaxed into the mattress, and his last thought before he drifted off was that he should clean himself up.

***

Miles thanked the doorman, who had brought their pizzas up to his apartment. Heading toward the den, he called out to Liam that the food had arrived.

After placing the pizzas onto the low table, he dropped onto the comfortable sectional couch and sighed as his body relaxed into the soft cushions. It was good to be finished for the day.

Using the remote, he turned on his TV and opened up the streaming app screen. He wasn’t sure what he was in the mood for, so he would let Liam decide.

Speaking of which, where was Liam? He was just about to check when Liam came down the hallway. Catching sight of Miles watching him, a faint blush stained his cheeks, and his gaze slid away for a second as though in embarrassment.

Before Miles could comment, Liam smiled and nodded towards the table.

“Those smell good,” he said.

“I have to admit, Bertelli’s Pizza is one of my few indulgences,” Miles replied, leaning forward to open the boxes. The aroma of garlic, tomato, and general doughy goodness filled the area. Liam’s stomach grumbled, and he unconsciously rubbed his hand across it, diverting Miles’s attention to his trim figure.

All the members of Larkspur were undeniably attractive. However, there had always been something about Liam that drew Miles’s attention. Of course, he’d never acted on it. They were his clients, and he prided himself on being a professional.

“I wasn’t sure what you wanted to drink,” he said. “There’s beer in the fridge if you want one.”

Liam swiveled on his heel, heading towards the kitchen. “Do you want one?” he called over his shoulder.

“Mmmhmm,” Miles mumbled around a mouthful of pizza.

Liam smirked as he returned. “Damn, that good, huh?”

“Sure is,” Miles agreed, taking the proffered bottle of beer. “Dig in and find out for yourself.”

Liam plopped onto the other end of the couch after grabbing a slice. Strong white teeth bit into the crust, and Liam gave an exaggerated moan and rolled his eyes back.

Despite knowing Liam was teasing him, Miles shivered as the sound raced through him, prompting him to hastily take another bite of his own piece.

Once they’d both finished assuaging their immediate hunger, they relaxed back, savoring a second slice.

“Not sure what you want to watch, but pick something,” Miles said, gently tossing the remote toward a sprawled-out Liam.

“I’m so out of touch with what’s new,” Liam complained as he scrolled the screen. “I’m so far behind on series, and I wouldn’t have a clue what the latest box office hit is.”

Miles regarded him thoughtfully. “Touring getting old?”

“Yes. No.” Liam sighed and shrugged. “Maybe?”

Miles waited for Liam to elaborate.

Liam put the remote down, choosing nothing, and half-turned to face Miles. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I have the best job in the world. I’m paid to do the one thing I love and am fortunate to be very good at. It’s just that….”

“It’s just that you’re not in your early twenties anymore. You’ve been doing this for all of your adult life. You’re tired.”

Liam closed his eyes briefly, then nodded. “Yeah. And I sound so damn ungrateful when you put it like that.” Brown eyes met Miles’s. “And then I look at guys like Eclipse. They’re so young and enthusiastic. It makes me feel so… so jaded.”

“Is this what has been stressing you out?”

Liam’s expression shuttered, and Miles cursed himself for pushing too soon. He tried another tack.

“Have you thought about your long-term plans?”

“Long-term plans? What? Like, life after Larkspur?”

“Sort of. I don’t see you guys stopping anytime soon. But your next album is the last one on your contract with the label. Once you’ve completed those obligations, given how successful you are, you can negotiate a longer break before releasing anything else. You can pursue other interests.”

“I haven’t thought about it,” Liam said. “We’d have to agree as a group. You know the rules, Miles.”

Miles gave an amused snort. “Of course I know the damn rules. I wrote them!”

“And it’s worked well for us.” Liam brushed a hand through his hair before picking the remote up again. “We’re supposed to be chilling out, not talking business.”

Miles let the matter go, but knew he’d be revisiting it sooner rather than later.