Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“I’ve always said straight when people have asked that question, just because I’ve mostly been with women.”
“Mostly?”
“There was this one time in college where this guy went down on me.”
I laughed, didn’t know why it came out as loud as it did, but at least part of it was how refreshing it was to hear him sound so at ease about it.
“What? Is that weird?”
“I’m just surprised you would admit that. I mean, you have to remember I’m in a biz where guys stay closeted as long as physically possible. Like, you can be inside them, and they’ll be telling you how straight they are.”
“Why?” Jace asked, turning to me, seeming horrified by what I was saying.
“It’s the poison of the entertainment industry. There are plenty of gay guys in it, but God forbid anyone find out and have it ruin the image they’ve crafted. It’s not ruining careers as much as it used to, but the way guys act about it, you wouldn’t know it. And to be honest, I wasn’t expecting some guy from Fever Falls to be so chill about something like that.”
“Just shows how little you know about Fever Falls.”
“You’re doing a good job giving me hope for this place. But seriously, you dropped that fact about that guy going down on you like it was nothing. This seems to be a running theme with you.”
“Eh, life’s too short for bullshit. People gotta take me as I am.”
“I’m sure people enjoy taking you exactly as you are,” I said, meaning every bit of my innuendo, and he enjoyed a laugh. It was nice that we’d discussed this aspect of ourselves.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were flirting with me, Dax Munro.”
“If you hadn’t given me hope that it might work, I wouldn’t have bothered.”
“I told you, I enjoy being persuaded.” He glanced at me long enough for a wink.
Funny to think I’d come to Fever Falls to land a deal, but Hottie Firefighter’s natural magnetism had made me eager to land something else.
“Well, if we’re getting close to your mom’s place, might be best to leave persuading for later. I don’t think she’d care to see what you’re doing to me.”
“Doing to you?” he asked, seeming confused until his gaze shifted down to the crotch of my pants. “Oh!”
He stared for a moment too long, to the point where if he’d stayed like that much longer, I would have told him to get his eyes back on the goddamn road, but he pulled his gaze back to the road, then got real quiet before saying, “Wow.”
“I don’t imagine you’re that impressed, since I’m sure you’re working with plenty.”
“Yeah, I just rarely meet someone who compares. Might have to whip them out and see who’s bigger.” He winked at me again, and we shared a laugh.
I didn’t know if the conversation would ever lead to something more with him, but it was fun regardless. Jace Kruse was a charming motherfucker, no doubt about that.
As we arrived in Jace’s mom’s neighborhood, I noticed the homes were spaced out a lot more than I was used to seeing in Los Angeles. We pulled into the drive of one of the two-story homes.
Jace grabbed Mac and brought him with us, lifting him over the front porch steps on account of the cast on his leg, I assumed. He keyed in a code under the doorknob before leading us inside, calling out, “Nance, we’re here!” as he guided me through a short hall.
“Oh, hey!” a woman’s voice filled the place as we rounded the corner and entered the kitchen, and then I saw her, a short blonde in a pink apron. She closed the oven and set a casserole dish on the stovetop, then flashed a warm smile my way. A guy—I figured in his late teens—wearing a sleeveless black tee and a backward baseball cap, sat on the counter beside her. He licked a spoon, then put it back in the near-empty Ragu bottle he held. He must’ve been the brother Jace had been telling me about. He glanced up, a grin spreading across his face as he set the bottle down on the counter and hurried over to Jace, fist-bumping him before reeling him in for a hug.
Then he turned and said in a distinctively deep voice, “Hey, I’m Keegan,” and offered a firm handshake.
Nance hugged Jace, then made her way over to me. “A hug’ll have to do until I get these mitts off,” she said, offering one. “Nancy, but you can call me Nance, if you want. These guys do.”
We exchanged introductory pleasantries, and then she returned to her work at the stove. Keegan spent some time petting Mac and slipping him doggie treats Jace had given him. Nance asked for some help to get ready for dinner, so Jace and I chipped in, setting the table on the opposite side of the kitchen from the oven, while she and Keegan finished preparing the meal. As we all started to sit and Keegan began passing around the lasagna, Nance said, “So Jace told me you’re from Los Angeles and that a company wants to put him on billboards and in commercials.”