Blue Moon: Too Good to Be True (7 page)

Max turned back toward him and they locked eyes, feeling that click again. Max came to stand in front of him. His firm chest was outlined through his tight Seventeenth Street Surf Shop threadbare T-shirt. Max wasn’t overly muscular and he had a little less definition in his midsection, but he was still extremely handsome. Angel dropped his gaze and watched Max’s slow hand inch toward him. Max stroked Angel’s braid as gently as a newborn baby’s face before carefully moving it back over Angel’s shoulder.

“I guess we make a pretty good team…Maximus.” Angel rolled that name off his tongue the way he knew Max liked it.

Angel watched the man shiver.

“That remains to be seen.” He winked at Angel.

Chapter Six

Wel that sure was an interesting set of events the other day,
Max thought as he completed paperwork he’d been neglecting for weeks. He was willing to do any tedious task if it kept his mind off the alluring Angel. Max was so confused about the foreign feelings he was having for this man that he found himself questioning every relationship he’d ever had. Max had had his share of a variety of women from blond bombshells and brunette beauties to redheaded vixens, but none of them could compare to his Angel.
Did I just
cal him mine? Shit.
None of those so-called relationships ever amounted to a damn thing either. Max never fully connected with any woman he’d dated.
I
had a stronger connection with Angel at our first meeting than I’ve ever had with any
girlfriend.
Max only knew one thing to do. There was one person he trusted enough to help him sort through this mess: Ryker.

Max dragged ass through the day, eager to go home and get some answers from his older brother. The last forty-eight hours had been the typical vehicle accident calls and a couple of fire alarm responses, but no flamers. Since July Fourth weekend was finally over, work was calm and Max couldn’t have been more appreciative. His mind couldn’t focus on anything serious right now, and he wasn’t functioning at one hundred percent during the day due to the erotic dreams he had at night. Max hoped his Captain hadn’t noticed his spacing out lately, he’d just been promoted. Last thing he needed was a fuck-up in his file as soon as he made Sergeant.

Max called his brother on his cell as soon as he got in his car. “Hey, Ryke, what’s going on brother?”

“Oh, you know. Same ole bullshit, just a different day.” His brother cited his favorite response to that question.

“Yes, of course, so much bullshit you have to deal with Ryke. Running your own successful accounting firm must be so damn stressful. Sitting in your huge corner office, delegating your responsibilities to your two-hundred-plus staff must be driving you off the edge of a cliff. How the hell do you manage, brother?” Max replied sarcastically.

“Hey, dude, don’t mock me, work was rough today. My personal assistant is still on vacation and my office assistant had to leave early because her son had a damn asthma attack at school. I thought that’s why they had school nurses…but anyway, I had to get my own freaking coffee all damn morning. Then the dry cleaner said that my suits were ready to be picked up, and guess who had to do it…that’s right, me. I had a meeting with my office managers this afternoon, and I ended up having to take my own fucking notes. Now do you see what I’m saying man? Are you feeling my plight?”

“Uhh…no,” Max said drily. “Really bro, what are you up to right now? I got some serious shit in my head that I need to speak to you about, and if I don’t get this off my chest soon, then I will be the one on the edge of a cliff.”

“Of course, little brother, just chill out. You know where to meet me, I’m leaving right now.”

“Cool, I’ll be there in fifteen.”

Max was sitting on the pitcher’s mound at their favorite park since they were kids, waiting for Ryker to arrive. It’d only been ten minutes, so he was trying to calm his racing pulse. What exactly was he going to say to his big brother?
Ryke, I think I’m gay, because out of nowhere I’m extremely attracted to a man
that has the most amazing body I’ve ever seen. Long hair that smel s so fucking good it
makes me want to bury my face in it and lose myself forever, and a voice that I can listen to
for hours and shiver at every syl able.
Shit!

He knew Ryker wouldn’t be upset if he was having these types of feelings. Max was completely supportive of his brother when he decided to come out as gay. He knew Ryke would understand what he was feeling, but what he needed was for Ryker to explain those feelings to him.

“You sure are deep in thought.” Ryker’s smooth voice startled Max out of his concentration.

“Hey, man, it’s good to see you.” Max went in for the universal one-armed pat on the back, while shaking his brother’s hand with the other. Max noticed his brother’s worn catcher’s glove tucked under his left armpit, but not before taking in his full attire. Ryker was in a black tailored pin-striped

suit with a pearl silk tie that was probably Ralph Lauren or Armani. “Ryke, how the hell are you going to play catch in that get up?”

“Well hell Grunt, when you call me in the middle of a work day, what the fuck do you think I’m going to be wearing? A baseball jersey and a jock strap?” he countered annoyingly.

Okay, I guess that makes sense. “
Sorry, you’re right. Look, thanks for dropping everything and coming over, I know shit gets busy at the office right after the holiday.”

Ryker made a gesture that said,
Don’t worry about it.
He looked around the field, before pointing to the stands. “Let’s sit up there and talk, we’ll throw the ball around some other time.”

Max nodded as they headed toward the stands. Max silently cursed that they weren’t able to play catch. Thoughts and words seemed to flow effortlessly whenever they did that. He was already sweating bullets in the ninety-five degree heat as the sun beat down on them. He noticed Ryker loosening his tie. As soon as their asses hit the hot metal bench, Max let it rip.

“I-think-I’m-gay-I-met-a-hot-ass-guy-and-he’s-all-I-can-think-about,” he blurted out quickly in one long run-on sentence, and then held his breath for his brother’s response. There was a pause that followed his confession that felt like an infinite amount of minutes but in actuality was probably ten seconds.

“Wow, straight up and no chaser, huh, Grunt,” Ryker stated matter-of-factly.

“What?” Max finally met his brother’s eyes, perplexed.

Ryker observed him for a couple of seconds before asking, “Why do you say you think you’re gay Max? Only because you saw another man and thought he was attractive? Or is there more?”

Max laid out the entire chain of events, starting from the false alarm at the club, to Angel being his knight in shining armor at the pub by throwing his body in front him while a gun was pointed at his head. He told him about the light caresses and how much he liked touching the man. He was very descriptive about Angel’s exotic features, and how lately he’s compared him

to every other woman he’s ever been with. He even went as far as telling him that he hasn’t even noticed other women since he met Angel. When approached or asked out by other women, he quickly rebuffed them without a second glance.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the fucking press! Did you just say Angel? The dark prince that owns the club, Blue Moon?”

“Yeah, holy shit! Do you know him Ryke? Oh fuck! Please don’t tell me you shagged him or some shit like that.” Max groaned in exasperation.

“Jesus, calm down, Scarlet. No, I didn’t sh…wait, dude. Did you just ask if I shagged him?” Ryker made air quotes when he said the word shag. He laughed hard. “What are you a fucking hippie now?” Ryker teased his brother shamelessly, as usual.

Max groaned and scrubbed his calloused hands over his five o’clock shadow, his left knee bouncing rapidly on its own. He was agitated and flustered, and his brother was treating this conversation as if Max’d told him he was starting to like the Big Mac over the Whopper, not completely changing his sexual orientation.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, Grunt. I know this is serious.” Ryker put a firm hand on his brother’s knee to calm the bouncing. “No, I don’t know him personally, but remember I told you and Luna that I checked out that place a few times, and found some fine ass in there. I’ve definitely seen him walking around. You can’t miss him. Everyone is always so damned mesmerized by him.” He paused for a couple seconds. “I think it’s the hair,” he stated indifferently, and pulled a piece of gum out of his left breast pocket and casually popped it in his mouth like they were sitting there discussing last night’s Orioles game.

“Ryke! Fuckin’ come on, man! I’m flippin’ out here! I’m telling you that I’m gay, and you’re giving your breath long lasting freshness with Big Red!”

Max yelled and bounced up and down on the squeaky bench.

Ryker let out a deep chuckle. “All right. Chill out Max. I think I’m starting to understand your situation a lot better now.” Ryker paused and placed a comforting hand on Max’s shoulder. “Grunt, anyone with two fucking eyes and a working libido would get hot for that guy. I can safely say

you got it honest. Just being attracted to him doesn’t make you gay. What makes you gay is if you want to stick your cock in his ass.”

Max winced at Ryker’s crass statement, but at the same time it made his dick jerk at the idea.

“Straight with no chaser, huh Ryke?”

“You know I’m not gonna to talk to you like you’re a Catholic virgin, Grunt. Just stop wigging out for a second and think about it. It’s not the worst thing in the world if you are having some actual feelings for this guy, and not just uncontrolled reactions. Sometimes men don’t get homosexual urges until later in their life. Some men never meet the right person to ignite the flame that has more than likely always been laying dormant deep within them.”

“Ryke, when did you know you were gay?”

“Let’s see…my birthday is February 12, 1976…what time was I born?”

He cocked his head to the side as if deep in thought.

“Ryke, I’m trying to talk to you. Can you be serious for more than five damn minutes?” Max whined.

Ryker paused as if trying to pick the right words. “Look, don’t concern yourself with me and my sexuality, we need to focus on you. My concern for you, baby brother, is that you got it bad for a ‘man whore’.”

“I’m not going to hold it against the man if he’s been playing the field. I mean, I haven’t exactly been saving myself for marriage either,” he countered “Hey, hold on a sec. Aren’t you still dating that control freak, Luna? I saw her last night at the Cinemark sporting a big-ass hickey on her neck. She told me you two were getting really serious. Then she damn near ran away before I could say another word. I thought you said you broke up with her.”

“I did fucking break up with her,” Max fumed.

“That’s not what she said.”

“Ryke, I did dump her. I dropped her ass like the dead weight she was,”

he replied agitated. The last thing Max wanted to talk about was Luna and her many personalities.

His brother laughed heartily and put his hands up in mock surrender.

“Okay, fine, I believe you. You know there’s no love lost there, because that bitch was certifiable.”

“Hell yeah she was, now back to the topic at hand. What do you think I should do? Should I see him and see what happens? Or wait it out and see if more feelings develop? Maybe I’ll go on one date with him, get weirded out and never want to see him again…that could happen, couldn’t it? Or, if I avoid him maybe these feelings will fade…right? Maybe I should find a broad with big tits and motorboat them fuckers until I’m back in my right mind. Shit, this is really confus—”

“Grunt, shut up!” Ryker interrupted Max’s rambling and placed both hands over his ears. “I can’t listen to you when you start talking a mile a minute. Let me get a damn word in on the first question before you fire off another and another.”

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

Ryker fully faced his baby brother and plastered a serious look on his mature, handsome face before speaking in a controlled voice. “From the story you told me Max, it doesn’t sound like your feelings for him are just going to fade away. I think you should be honest with yourself. We Strong men have never let anything stand in the way of what we wanted, no matter the obstacles, or anyone’s opinions…we always went after ours. I encourage you to do the same thing with this. If you want him, then see where he’s coming from. Angel doesn’t strike me as a man that has to go chasing after men. He must feel something for you too.” Ryker nudged his brother in the ribs after that last statement, and it made him finally smile. He winked at him and continued talking. “What can it hurt, huh? Wouldn’t you rather know for sure if you two could have something together, or do you want to always wonder what could’ve or would’ve happened if you weren’t too chickenshit to go for it?”

“That makes sense dude, I don’t want to play the ‘what-if’ game later. I won’t tuck ass and run just because I’m nervous of what others might think.”

Max turned to look at his brother. “You know what…you’re absolutely right, bro.”

“I know I am.”

“It’s my fucking prerogative and I’m gonna do what I want.”

“You tell ’em Bobby Brown.”

Asshole.
Max shoved his brother playfully. He looked him in the eye and nodded, silently telling him thank you. He pulled Ryker in and gave him another hug that he meant from deep down within his heart. His brother never failed to guide him in the right direction when he felt lost. It had been that way since they were young.

Chapter Seven

Max was feeling a lot better after talking out his frustrations with his big brother, however, he still needed to explore the feelings he was having for Angel. How could he not like a man that used his own body to protect him during a robbery? If that had happened between a man and a woman they would be married already with a baby on the way. Max was just acknowledging that the chivalry was not lost on him. While most men would’ve found the protective instinct displayed against them to be a little insulting, Max didn’t.