1. Chapter One

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Chapter One

Adam

Adam jostled the strap of the brown leather messenger bag hanging off his shoulder, breath catching in his throat as he spotted a tall, muscular man standing a few dozen feet away in the crowded, noisy airport. The guy was hot , even from behind. His long-sleeved gray shirt clung to his built frame and Adam's mind immediately raced to what someone with a body like that looked like under the clothes.

The man shifted from side to side and Adam let his gaze travel from the man's shoulders and arms down to his ass. It was firm, perky, and round, and it made Adam's cock twitch. He imagined sliding his hard dick between the cheeks, the man clenching, until Adam came all over his back.

He was tall, too, easily over Adam's not-quite-six feet. Probably closer to six foot five. Adam's gaze roved back up to the man's shoulders as he bent to lift a black duffel bag off the conveyor belt full of luggage. The way his muscles bunched and pulled at the gray shirt just made Adam's mouth water.

When the man turned, his gaze searching the crowd, Adam's stomach roiled and his jaw dropped, mouth falling open. Oh, shit . The man's gaze locked onto Adam, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. He waved and strode towards Adam.

Mason .

Adam's face heated. "Hey, Mason. Didn't recognize you at first." Adam rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and cleared his throat.

"Hey, little guy." Mason tossed his wavy ginger hair to the side with a grin.

Adam winced. I'm not that much smaller than him. He maybe has six inches on me. At the thought of six inches and Mason, Adam's heart pounded a little harder.

Mason had also called Adam "little guy" since he was a kid and Mason had been Adam's brother's best friend.

"You, uh, ready to head to the cabin?" Adam picked up the blue carry on bag at his feet and tilted his head towards the parking lot. "The rental car should be ready by now."

Mason nodded. "Where's Drew? And your folks?"

Adam shrugged. "Drew flew to my parents' house a few days ago, when his vacation started, but with the storm bearing down on us, it looks like my family's flight isn't going to make it today. I rented a car for us, but they'll have to get another one once they get here." They headed for the rental car kiosk, Adam eyeing the slow-moving line dubiously.

Mason hauled the strap of his black duffel over his body effortlessly, the fabric of his v-neck pulling and revealing his collarbone. Adam licked his bottom lip, then shook his head. I can't believe even his collarbone is getting me hot. I've got to let this crush go. I mean, sure, I've had feelings for him since middle school, but now that we're adults, it's time to move on.

They stepped into the line for car rental and Mason coughed. "How are you liking school in Seattle?" He raked a hand through his reddish hair and turned his gaze on Adam. His eyes burned bright amber.

Adam's jaw twitched, but he cleared his throat and shrugged. Grateful for the opportunity to think of something other than the longstanding flame he'd been burning for Mason, Adam nodded. "It's not bad. I joined the Queer Student Alliance and I've made some friends through the organization."

"Figured out a major yet?"

He shook his head. "Not yet."

Mason laughed once, deep and rich. "Don't worry, little guy. You're only a freshman. You've got time. Just don't do what I did and change your major during your junior year. Now here I am, a senior at Cali sitting in classes with sophomores, trying to cram in as many credits as humanly possible to graduate on time."

"Could be worse," Adam said. "You could be changing your major now ." Their turn came, and Adam sighed, grateful that the line had moved quickly. "Hi, we made a reservation."

"ID please," the bored looking rental agent said. Her name tag read "Brittany" and she offered them a forced smile.

He turned to Mason. "They're going to want your ID. They rent to people under twenty five, thank God, but it has to be in your name because you're twenty one."

Mason nodded and pulled out his driver's license, handling the transaction quickly.

"You're lucky." Brittany pulled out a sheath of papers to sign. "This is our last four-wheel drive, and the weather is just getting worse."

After what felt like an eternity, they were on their way. Adam yawned, already tired after a long day of travel, and thanked the rental agent. They hauled their bags out into the frigid air and loaded them into the hatch of a shiny black station wagon.

" This has four-wheel drive?" Mason asked, skepticism heavy in his voice.

"This is a great car," Adam said, patting the roof. "I picked it because it's rated really well for snowy roads."

Mason raised an eyebrow. "Sure." He pulled out the keys and began to offer them to Adam, then shook his head. "On second thought, I'm driving."

"Wait a second, how is that fair?"

Mason shrugged. "It's my name on the rental agreement. Anything happens, it's my ass on the line. That means I get to drive. Now get in before I leave you here." Mason slid into the driver's seat and Adam did as he was told.

Adam turned on the navigation through his phone and did his best to help Mason find his way to the remote cabin through the blinding snow.

"Why your rich parents bought a tiny bare-bones cabin and all those acres of forest instead of a time-share at a cushy ski resort, I will never understand." Mason cranked the heat higher as he grumbled.

"Something about authenticity, I think. Look, at least they're generous enough to take us skiing, so shut up and enjoy it, okay?" Adam threw a balled up napkin at Mason, who laughed and rolled his eyes. The laughter caused a twitch in Adam's groin. Stop that. He's Drew's best friend. He'll never see me that way.

Mason sighed dramatically. "Fine."

Adam peered out the window at the blur of white as they drove, a smile on his face the whole time.

Mason

After a quick detour to the tiny local grocery store to stock up on essentials, Mason and Adam arrived at the cabin. Mason had squinted through the near-blizzard to make it the last few miles, moving at a crawl on the winding back roads, but they'd made it safely with groceries in the back. The cabin stood nestled among the trees as it always had, and Mason carefully parked the station wagon next to it in the rutted, neglected driveway.

Mason stole a glance at Adam once he was parked, and his stomach lurched and twisted, the muscles in his shoulders tightening. What was that about? Adam pushed open the car door and Mason's mouth watered a little as he caught himself checking out Adam's firm ass.

Stop it, perv , he told himself. He's Drew's little brother, which is practically the same thing as being my little brother. Mason didn't have a sibling, but he knew the twinge in his gut when he thought about Adam that day was decidedly un-sibling-like. Adam had been out as gay since he'd entered high school, but Mason had only recently come to accept his own sexuality as "definitely not straight." I wonder if Drew told Adam anything.

The cabin was dark and cold when they entered, and Adam immediately flipped a light switch. The cabin was illuminated, one main room that included a small kitchen and assorted furniture. A wood-burning fireplace took up the better part of one wall. To either side of the fireplace were the bedrooms, one for the parents, one for the kids—not that they were exactly kids anymore. The only bathroom was on the same wall as the kitchen and it also served as a small laundry space.

Everything was exactly as Mason remembered it, even though he hadn't made the trek to Montana with the Bowen family in several years. The decor was rustic, plaid and burlap everywhere, with light, natural wood covering the floor and walls. Mason exhaled, at home in this cabin where he'd spent many winter and summer vacations with the Bowens starting when he'd moved to their hometown—a Chicago suburb—in fifth grade.

Adam went to the thermostat to crank up the heat. The heating unit sputtered and coughed to life from somewhere outside. "It's fricking cold in here. The thing says it's about fifty degrees." Adam rubbed his hands together quickly. "That should get us warmed up soon enough."

Mason shrugged. He was cold too, but he didn't want to admit it to Adam. "Wuss," he shot with a grin. What's my best friend's little brother good for if not picking on, after all? "Now do you think you can get yourself together and help me get the supplies inside?"

Adam sighed and pushed his way past Mason without a word. The two of them unloaded the station wagon, stocking the kitchen with enough groceries to last them a few days, at least. They'd stopped and gotten just the "essentials"—snacks, instant soup, and beer. Nothing that had to be cooked for real. We'll leave that to the parental units.

Just as they'd finished unpacking the food, Adam's phone rang. Mason's eyebrows raised. "I'm surprised you can get a signal at all out here, much less in this storm." He glanced at his own cell—zero bars. "Besides, why didn't they just call the house phone?"

Adam shrugged and peered at the screen. "We just got here. They probably didn't know we're here yet." He swiped to answer his phone. "Hi Mom. Oh, you're—hold up, you're cutting out." Adam paced towards the window.

Mason tuned them out and hauled his duffel bag to the bedroom he and Drew would share with Adam. The room was … cozy, with two sets of bunk beds barely separated by a small nightstand that held a lamp with a burlap-covered shade. A small closet and a pair of dressers took up the opposing wall. He hauled his duffel onto the bottom bunk of one bed with a grunt, taking his usual place. Drew always took the top bunk, and Adam took the other set of beds, usually sleeping on the top as well. Mason had a thing about heights, though—which made getting on ski lifts interesting—and always opted for the mattress closest to the floor.

A few minutes passed as Mason unpacked his belongings. He felt more at home when he used the dresser, even if it was just one drawer full of clothes, rather than living out of his suitcase, which Drew had always preferred.

Adam rounded the corner, clapping his hands against the door frame and stretching tall. His long, brown hair fell in his eyes and Adam flicked his head to the side reflexively. "So …" A sliver of pale stomach peeked out of the bottom of his t-shirt, revealing a trail of hair that led directly into the top of his dark jeans.

Mason stopped unpacking and looked to Adam, whose body was fit and sculpted, all lean muscle. When did he get into such good damn shape? He shook his head a little. Do not think about Drew's brother that way. Nope. Not gonna happen. But Jesus, that happy trail … He licked his lips. "Yeah?"

"Mom said we're on our own tonight. Maybe tomorrow, too. The Bozeman airport is closed because of the blizzard."

Mason laughed once, sharply, trying to play off his excitement. "Blizzard?" Being trapped in a cabin with Adam would normally drive him up a wall, but tonight it was becoming increasingly appealing.

"She said that's what they're calling it now. They're forecasting two feet of snow by the time it all passes. And the wind out there is intense." As if to underscore Adam's words, the wind began to howl outside.

Mason raised his eyebrows. "Guess we're staying in. What do you want to do?"

Adam looked around and dropped his hands from the door frame. "Wanna play poker?"

They'd played hundreds, if not thousands, of hands of poker in the cabin over the years. Mason grinned. He was totally in. Then it occurred to him that he had nothing to bet with. "What are we playing for? I didn't bring any cash." Usually they bet with pennies.

Adam's face went bright red, to the tips of his ears. Mason narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the side. "What?"

With a shrug, Adam looked at the floor. "We could—um—we could play strip poker."

Mason looked Adam up and down. His best friend's brother had changed a lot in the years they'd known each other, at least physically. He was no longer the skinny, shy kid that needed Drew and Mason to defend him. He'd started working out in high school, and he'd grown into his wide, goofy smile and slightly too-large front teeth. Adam filled out his jeans, and the t-shirt he was wearing did nothing to obscure the fact that his muscles were firm and sinewy.

"Mase?" Adam cleared his throat. "We don't have to. It was a dumb suggestion."

Mason blinked once, bringing himself back to the moment. "Strip poker? You're on."