Beyond The Music (The Rock Gods Book 7) (9 page)

Aaron spun around quickly and Lincoln did his best to lift his eyes before he was caught ogling his damn nurse. He wasn’t all that certain he’d been successful, but Aaron didn’t say anything. Aaron took it in stride and finished clearing their dishes from the table.

When Spumoni mentioned a live-in nurse, Lincoln was visualizing Nurse Helga from Siberia who looked more like a man and was able to easily bench press Lincoln. Lincoln certainly didn’t expect to have someone as hot as Aaron takeover his home and get into his personal space like he was always meant to be there.

Where the fuck did that thought come from?

“I thought maybe you hung out with the guys in your band,” Aaron said.

Lincoln shrugged. “Sometimes we hang,” he answered. “Not lately, though, for a variety of reasons.”

“Would one of those reasons be your illness?”

“Yeah, but mainly everyone is busy with their own lives.” Lincoln was thoughtful before he continued. “Dante and Ashton are nesting and fucking like bunnies and Dagger and Ryan are in their own little bubble, too. That leaves me, the token single dude in the group.”

Aaron turned his hip against the countertop and faced Lincoln. “You haven’t told them about the MS, have you?”

Lincoln shifted in his chair and pulled his fingers through his long hair. “Fuck no.”

“Can I ask why?” Aaron asked as he wiped his hands off on a dishtowel.

Lincoln spread his fingers out on the smooth tabletop and contemplated his answer. “Because I’d like to keep my job.”

“Do you really think Dagger would kick you out of the band because you have MS?” Aaron’s head tipped in question.

Lincoln sighed loudly. “I don’t think he’d fire me for that, but I know he’d make concessions to our band schedule . . . whether it be practices, recording, or performing to make it easier for me. I’d quit before I let that happen. I won’t be the reason the musical dynamic of Black Ice changes. I love them too much to allow that because of me being less of what I once was.”

“That’s bullshit,” Aaron commented. He crossed his arms over his solid chest and glared at Lincoln sitting at the table. “Having MS doesn’t make you less of anything. In fact, it doesn’t change much about you at all.”

“Yeah, yeah, what-fucking-ever,” Lincoln grumbled. “Your pep talks are lame.”

“That wasn’t meant as a pep talk,” Aaron said.

Lincoln slowly stood up from the table, steadied himself, then met Aaron’s gaze. “Are we done here?” he asked. “If so, I think I’ll shower and go to bed.”

“I thought you didn’t go to bed this early?” Aaron grinned but the levity was lost on Lincoln.

“You can do whatever the fuck you want, but I’m done,” Lincoln said. He started to leave the kitchen then looked at Aaron over his shoulder. “I have three guest rooms upstairs. Pick one that works for you.”

Lincoln took half a dozen steps then stopped when he heard Aaron’s voice talking to him.
“Do you play video games?” Aaron asked.

“I used to kick ass at video games,” Lincoln stated with a weak smile.

“Yeah? You were all that and then some?” Aaron chuckled.

“Well, I used to be fucking awesome, until things got all . . . you know,” Lincoln grumbled and flexed his hands.

“That’s probably because you’re having difficulty feeling your fingers,” Aaron remarked.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Lincoln scoffed.

“Come on,” Aaron said. “Let’s give it a shot. You can pick the game, and we’ll see if we can improve your skills.”

Lincoln crossed the living room to the cabinet holding all his video games. He ran his index finger over the spines of each plastic container until he found his favorite Mario Brothers game. Five minutes later Lincoln had it all set up and was sitting beside Aaron on the couch with the controller in his hand. He glanced over at Aaron, then his eyes dropped to his hands. All he could do was hope he didn’t embarrass himself.

“Ready?” Aaron said excitedly.

Lincoln was staring blankly at the flat-screen television mounted on the wall across from them. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to do this.”

“It’s okay if you can’t,” Aaron said. “There’s no one here but me, so show me what you’ve got.”

Lincoln looked at Aaron again. The excited gleam in his eyes made Aaron look even more delicious. Lincoln laughed to himself, wondering what Aaron would do if he was aware his new patient had the hots for him. Then again, Aaron couldn’t be safer with Lincoln, since that part of his life seemed to be dead and buried. Lincoln moved the pads of his fingers over the hand mechanism. He had very little sensation in one hand. The other hand had more feeling, but he really needed both hands to play this game.

“No over-thinking this,” Aaron chided. “Let’s just play and we’ll have a good laugh. Okay?”

“It’s old school, but are you familiar with this game?” Lincoln asked.

“Nope. I’ve never played this one in my life,” Aaron proclaimed.

“Oh, Christ,” Lincoln chuckled. “This ought to be an effort in frustration for both of us.”

Aaron jabbed Lincoln in the ribs with an elbow. “It’ll be fun.” Aaron laughed. “You do remember what fun is, right?”

Lincoln turned his head to Aaron. The snarky grin on the man’s face nearly melted his bones. The guy was beyond sexy and Lincoln could really see himself liking him, probably a little too much for his own good. And, when Aaron bit at his own bottom lip, Lincoln nearly tackled him flat to the couch to kiss him . . . hard. Damn he wanted to taste this man, but what would be the point?

“Your icy glare doesn’t scare me,” Aaron teased. “So, hit the play button and let’s get this game started.”

Lincoln lifted one eyebrow. “You’re playing with fire with that remark?”

“Prove it,” Aaron returned.

Lincoln hit the start button and furiously began to bang the buttons on the hand controller while Aaron sat beside him muddling his way through the motions of playing. A moment later, Lincoln stopped and watched Aaron. “You’re not even trying,” Lincoln stated. “Are you deliberately trying to throw the game? Is that supposed to feed my ego or something?”

Aaron paused briefly. “I’ve never played this game! I couldn’t possibly fake being this bad!” Three minutes of play later, Aaron shouted with excitement. “Boom, baby! I can’t believe it, but I won!”

“That’s because I stopped playing,” Lincoln explained.

“So, what are you saying?” Aaron teased. “Does that mean you threw the game for me?”

Lincoln laughed loudly, his deep voice echoing around the lofty room. “My ego is too big to throw a game for anyone.”

“Is that right?” Aaron smirked wickedly. “One more game and this time we both actually play. Okay?”

“Deal,” Lincoln said. The glint in Lincoln’s eyes should have been warning enough for Aaron, but he didn’t know Lincoln well enough to concede when he should have. Numb hands and all, Lincoln managed to win two more games before Aaron finally cried uncle.

“Okay, okay! You’re the master,” Aaron joked. He set the hand controller onto the coffee table and stood up to stretch. Lincoln’s gaze didn’t miss the strip of flesh revealed when Aaron lifted his arms above his head. The light dusting of hair on Aaron’s lower stomach looked soft and Lincoln seriously wanted to run his fingers through it . . . or his tongue.

“How about a rematch tomorrow?” Aaron asked. He lifted up one of his bags from the floor and slung it over his shoulder.

“I’ll let you know,” Lincoln replied. He turned off the television and the Xbox system and followed Aaron upstairs. He did his best to keep his eyes off Aaron’s ass, but it wasn’t easy to keep his focus on his foot placement on the carpeted stairs and his handhold on the banister. Last thing he needed was to fall down the stairs because he was gawking at his nurse’s backside.

Lincoln paused in the hallway when he watched Aaron turn to his right and into the master bedroom instead of heading in the direction of the guest rooms. “What are you doing?” Lincoln asked as he followed Aaron into his bedroom.

“I was going to show you where the hand bars in the shower will be installed tomorrow,” Aaron explained and walked into the master bathroom. “I’m having them mounted in two places. One placement will be by the shower seat and the other will be in the center of the wall. That way you’ll have a bar to hold on to if you choose to sit and another one to use if you’re standing.”

Lincoln nodded. Having Aaron in his personal space like this was a little unnerving. He was more nervous than he’d been playing Wembley Stadium for the first time. Lincoln stepped toward his bed and sat on the edge to kick off his shoes.

“The installation placement is fine,” Lincoln said nervously. “I thought you came in here to help get me undressed for bed and then read me a book.”

“Do you need help with that?” Aaron asked and took a step closer to Lincoln.

“Fuck, no!” Lincoln barked. “I’m good. I think you need to find your way to your own room. Although, I have to say, I still don’t see the need for you to sleep at my house. Can’t you just come back in the morning, like a regular job?”

“This isn’t a regular job, Lincoln, and it is a proven fact most accidents happen in the home at night,” Aaron balked. “So, I’ll be taking the closest room to yours.” Aaron walked to the open doorway and faced Lincoln again. “Don’t lock your door,” Aaron instructed. “If you do and I need to get in here because you fell, I’ll be busting down your door and I don’t think you want that.”

Aaron grinned at Lincoln, as if he knew how rattled he was at the moment, but that was okay. As long as Aaron stayed in his own room at night, everything would be fine. Lincoln watched Aaron disappear into the hallway and blew out a sigh of relief. A second later Aaron’s face appeared in the doorway again and Lincoln flinched as if he’d been caught doing something wrong.

“By the way, don’t sleep in,” Aaron said. “I want you up early for breakfast and then we’re going to start working on restoring some of your nerve sensation.”

Lincoln shook his head and then tugged his t-shirt off. “I’m not setting my alarm,” he scoffed.

“No need to,” Aaron smiled broadly and left the room again. “That’s what I’m here for.”

Lincoln tossed his shirt at the laundry basket and missed. Then he flopped back on the bed and covered his face with his forearm. “How’d my life become such a pile of shit?” he muttered to himself.

Chapter Eight

It was eight o’clock in the morning when Aaron barged into Lincoln’s dark bedroom. “Time to get your ass out of bed,” Aaron announced and jerked open the full-length drapes. In a flash, the room was bathed in sunlight and Lincoln rolled over onto his back and groaned loudly.

“What the fuck are you doing to me?” Lincoln barked.

“I’m making sure you keep the schedule I’ve set up for today,” Aaron said.

Lincoln flung the sheets and comforter off him and swung his legs to the floor. He was wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs, but he was too pissed off at Aaron to give a shit if he saw him like this. Lincoln made a roaring sound as he pushed himself to his feet. He swayed a bit and was about to fall forward when Aaron grabbed him by the biceps.

“I’ve got you,” Aaron said.

Lincoln tried to tug himself free from Aaron’s grip, but truth was he needed Aaron to steady him. “I’m not liking you very much right now,” Lincoln said.

“That’s okay because you’re going to like me even less by the end of today,” Aaron replied.

“Why’s that?” Lincoln asked.

“You’ll see,” Aaron said. He inched Lincoln back toward the bed. “Sit down for me.”

“I was on my way to take a leak,” Lincoln argued.

“We’re going to start with your first lesson right here,” Aaron said. “From now on when you go to stand up I want you to do it in phases. Okay? First you sit up straight and let your equilibrium settle from that movement. Then you slowly stand up and allow your brain to adjust to that before you take that first step. If you do it like that you’re less likely to fall.”

“Is that so?” Lincoln bit out.

“Do you get a lot of vertigo?” Aaron asked.

“Sometimes if I move too quickly,” Lincoln answered. “Can I take a piss now?”

“Maybe I’ll try the Epley maneuver on you later,” Aaron said as he followed Lincoln toward the bathroom.

“Sounds painful,” Lincoln said. “I’ll take a pass.” He glanced over his shoulder and saw Aaron was right behind him. “Are you going to hold my dick for me while I piss?”

“I don’t need to do that, but I can steady you from behind so you can maintain your aim, if you want,” Aaron remarked.

That comment earned Aaron another eye roll as Lincoln stepped up to the toilet. “I’m not worried about missing the bowl.” Lincoln tone was way beyond sarcastic. “Best part is it doesn’t matter if I piss all over the floor. I have a cleaning lady that gets paid a lot of money to clean up after me.”

“I’m sure she’s thrilled to be working for you.” Aaron laughed.

Lincoln was about to pull out his cock from the boxers when he realized Aaron hadn’t left the bathroom. “I have no problem pissing in front of you, Aaron, but after I’m done doing that I’m dropping the boxers and taking a shower, so consider yourself warned.”