Chapter Four

THEY DROVE for a while in silence, their hands still joined as if they'd never let go.

As much as Chad didn't want to overanalyze things, wanted to bask in the moment of what they'd just revealed to each other, it didn't alter the fact that they'd be back at the rental soon.

Could be awkward if we're still holding hands and cooing to each other. "So… when we get back to the house, what do you think we should do?"

Raudel laughed. "I know what I'd like to do. But you never answered my question from before." Chad frowned, trying to recall what Raudel might be referring to. "If your first time having sex was good?"

Hmm… how to put this.

When Chad didn't answer, Raudel squeezed his fingers. "Did he hurt you?" Anger tinged his voice.

"I'll let you know." Chad had never been more grateful in his life that he was shrouded in darkness. He didn't want Raudel to see his expression or the accompanying blush.

"You'll let…?" Raudel sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh. I see."

Chad couldn't help it. He covered his eyes with the hand that wasn't imprisoned by Raudel's. He somehow managed to contain the groan, however.

"Hey, Chad. It's okay."

"I swear I'm not as goofy as I seem. I've been told I give a helluva BJ, and I'm a tad bigger than average. I'm friendly, loyal, even-tempered, a hard worker…."

Jesus. I sound like a St. Bernard.

Raudel let out a hearty chuckle. "I don't think you're the least bit goofy." His tone lowered to the smoky one that made Chad pop a boner every single time. "And I'm glad I'll be your first." He brought Chad's hand to his lips again. "Hopefully, the only."

Holy shit.

Chad wondered how long the ice cream they'd picked up at the store would hold out if they stopped by the side of the road for a cherry-popping quickie.

"So… Lindsey will probably be back by the time we get there. She'll be super excited to see you." He attempted to get his tone into the casual one he'd meant to practice earlier before Raudel's arrival. "I bet you'll have a lot of catching up to do."

When Raudel spoke, Chad caught his grin in his peripheral vision. "I want to be alone with you too." He jostled Chad's hand. "But we'll only do whatever you're comfortable with. We can go slow or wait for a special night for your first time."

Chad let out an inelegant snort. "Any night qualifies as special if it's my first time. Don't hold back on me now, cowboy."

"You're okay with everyone being at the house when it happens?"

"Well, I wouldn't recommend bending me over the couch while Grandma plays Parcheesi, but a chair under the bedroom door should be adequate."

And a sock in my mouth.

Raudel gave a low whistle. "Ay Dios mío . You've got me so hard, and we're almost back to the house." He groaned as he adjusted his position in the driver's seat. "Do you think Lindsey's so exhausted from her day she'll want to wait until tomorrow for us to get caught up?"

"I think Lindsey's like the Energizer Bunny on crack right now."

Raudel muttered under his breath. "This is cruel. I can finally be with you the way I've always dreamed…." He chuckled. "I am being selfish. But I don't want to take you for the first time in the house with everyone there anyway. It should only be us."

Chad couldn't help but be selfish, too. With his mom's meticulously planned schedule and the house crawling with people, there wasn't any room for amorous desperation. "We could pull over real quick. It's pretty dark. I doubt anyone'll see us."

"Mijo… no." Raudel paused, and Chad noted how serious he appeared, his lips pressed together as if he was in deep thought. "No. I have an idea. We'll socialize for a couple hours—"

"Speak for yourself."

Raudel jostled his hand again. "Listen, this'll work. We might be worn out and tired all day tomorrow, but we'd at least have tonight."

Chad's dick perked up in interest. "I'm tired all the time anyway. No one will think anything of it."

Raudel's happy grin was back.

"OH MY God! Delly! I can't believe you made it!" Lindsey raced down the driveway, her terrycloth robe flapping around her slender body and skinny legs, ponytail swaying madly.

Her high-pitched screeching has undoubtedly scared off the black bear population for miles around, so that's a plus.

Chad not so patiently gathered grocery bags from the backseat while Raudel, his Raudel, swung his sister around, both of them laughing and talking over each other. There was a moment of clarity when unloading the cart back at the store, where he and Raudel agreed there couldn't be any reason whatsoever to open the trunk once they returned to the house.

The joyful squealing had subsided enough that it seemed Lindsey had finally noticed his presence. The bizarrely bright outside light streaming down the driveway barely cast a glow where Raudel had parked the car. The location of his vehicle was all part of the master plan dedicated to the raunchy, yet private, sex that would divest him of his virginity.

"Hey, dork." She glanced back at Raudel, then back at Chad again. "So, Mom said you guys have been gone since about one?"

This time, it was Chad who glanced at Raudel. His sister could be very stealthy. Lindsey was excellent at leading you down what seemed to be a primrose path until she'd gotten you to reveal your most carefully guarded secrets. She'd wasted her time in cosmetology school; she should've become a detective.

Chad shrugged. "Yeah. She wanted us to get groceries."

Lindsey crossed her arms, then balanced her weight on one hip. "Where did you go? Vegas? It's almost nine o'clock."

"That's my fault, Lin."

Saved by the new boyfriend.

Lindsey twisted her body to regard Raudel. "How come?"

"I asked Chad if he wouldn't mind hanging out with me while I did some sightseeing. Then it started getting late, so we went and grabbed a bite. Your mom said you, Brenda, and Shannon wouldn't be back until later, so I thought I'd kill some time until you got here."

Whoa. Talk about a dick punch.

Logically, Chad realized Raudel had to be careful about what he said for the time being. It wasn't that they wanted to hide their status, per se, but it was still so new. They wanted some time for it to belong only to them. They'd also agreed that any happy announcements would likely disrupt Lindsey's wedding week by drawing some of the attention away from the bride. After all, it was all about her .

"Huh. I see." Lindsey held Raudel's gaze, his impeccably gorgeous smile never wavering.

She turned to Chad again, her eyes narrowed. It didn't help that the last time she'd spoken to him, he'd been having a bridezilla-worthy meltdown of his own at the prospect of seeing Raudel again.

"Where's my fountain, Chad?"

He dropped one of the full plastic bags, the unmistakable sound of fizzing soda gurgling at his feet. Raudel rushed over to help him gather the wayward groceries. Chad had the sense that if Raudel planned on having him around from then on, he should probably become accustomed to picking shit up off the ground a lot.

"Why do you ask?" Chad wasn't about to fall for one of her tricks.

"When I questioned Mom, she said she wasn't sure where it was because you were the one who was supposed to bring it inside."

Didn't take her very long to throw her only son under the bus. "I don't know, Lin." He ripped open one of the packages of paper towels and fruitlessly attempted to wipe off a muddy cola can. "There was so much crap to haul in. Did you ask Grandma?"

Raudel coughed into his fist in a pathetic effort to mask a snort.

"Hmmph. Well, after you put the groceries away, you can go look for it while Raudel and I spend some quality time together."

Raudel locked gazes with him and winked. Chad scolded himself over getting so butt hurt. He'd known it was more than likely that Lindsey and Raudel would be hanging out a lot, especially for the first night when they hadn't seen each other in years. But talk about a prick tease. He'd waited a lot longer than that for Raudel to touch his cock.

And the kiss.

He almost let out a wistful sigh before he could stop himself.

"Here." Raudel rose, then extended his hand. "Let me help you up. I transferred all the non-sticky stuff to this bag. You take that, and I'll get the broken eggs and leaky sodas."

As Raudel pulled him to a standing position, Chad could almost feel the heat of Lindsey's glare as it bored holes in his skin.

"It sure is nice that you two got to spend so much time together today. You know, reminisce about high school and such."

She used her "butter wouldn't melt in my mouth" voice, and Chad was struck with terror. Had she somehow found out what happened back then? Had Raudel told her about him after all?

They strolled up the driveway, Chad making a point of walking as far away from her as he could without drawing suspicion. He wondered if she could somehow leach the truth from him if he stood too close.

"We didn't have very much to reminisce about since we didn't really know each other back then. But Chad did bring me up to speed on what happened to some of the people from school. Did Harry Rhodes really get arrested for being too friendly with old Mr. Bean's pony?"

If Chad weren't already pretty sure he was in love with Raudel, that would've done it.

"Ooh, gross, Chad!" Lindsey made a gagging sound. "I can't believe you told him that."

But it had done the trick. All talk of fountains and what he and Raudel had or had not been doing all day was derailed in the face of hometown gossip.

Now to wait for Lindsey to let Raudel out of her clutches while I ready our escape.

" WELL ? DOES it look exactly like the one you destroyed?"

His mother had a wild look in her eyes as she peered over Chad's shoulder from where they stood in the massive open kitchen. She was undoubtedly verifying Lindsey's whereabouts. His sister was guffawing with gusto in the large high-beam living room, so she wasn't too difficult to locate. Sis was also snuggling up to Raudel where they sat on a shaggy blue rug in front of a roaring fire in the rather impressive river-rock fireplace.

"Are you okay, Mom? You seem… overwrought."

"Don't mess with me right now, Chadwick. Your father tried that earlier, and he regretted it too. Now, what about the damn fountain?"

Chad let out a small growl. He was tired of being treated like the Guardian of the Holy Fountain, and he was really over watching his sister rub herself all over Raudel.

Okay. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration.

He wasn't jealous of them, as in them- together them. It was that she was touching Raudel and he wasn't.

"Chad?" His mother snapped her fingers repeatedly in front of his face.

He brushed them away like gnats. "Okay, okay. God, Mom, stop it."

"Well? Fountain?"

He squinted at her as his sister's words drifted back to him. "By the way, thanks for backing me up there, Mom. ‘Gee, Lindsey, I don't know where it is. Chad was the one who had it last.'"

"It's not my fault." She gritted through her teeth. "She caught me off guard. She's like that, you know."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Boy, do I." He leaned closer. "We left it in Raudel's trunk like you said. I have all the receipts."

"Fuck the receipts. Does it look like the same fountain?"

"Damn, Mom. You never used to F-bomb the hell out of every conversation. I'm starting to worry about you." He glanced around the general area, leaning over the counter and pointedly ignoring the way Lindsey played with Raudel's hair while blathering on about something Chad was certain was completely stupid. He might be overreacting to the whole stupid thing, but he was getting increasingly frustrated on many levels. "Where's Dad? I don't think I've seen him since we got here."

"He drank beer for four hours while staring at the lake, had a sandwich, then went to bed around six."

Smart man.

His mom and dad actually had a good relationship. But his dad was one of those people who knew when to fold. He'd begun folding almost as soon as Lindsey announced that she wanted to have a private wedding with the entire family cohabitating for a week.

His mom sucked in a huge breath. "Okay, this is what we do. They could be at this all night." She indicated Lindsey and Raudel with a jerk of her head. "So, we might have to set our clocks for 5:00 a.m. and sneak it in together—"

"Mom, we've got it handled. Don't worry. Raudel said he was very, very tired and wanted to crash early. We'll get it in the morning so you don't have to. He's only out there now trying to be polite."

Raudel's boisterous laugh burst out with Lindsey yelling, "I know, right?"

Mom raised her eyebrows. "Yeah. He seems as if he's about to drop at any minute."

Dammit. "Well… just sayin'."

Come on, Raudel, it's been almost two hours.

Chad had hidden in their room for as long as he could stand it, but his mom had kept at him to join her in the kitchen, so he'd relented. He'd also hoped his presence might jar Raudel into action. Literally.

Chad kept peering at them while his mom rambled on about the itinerary. Something about the wedding party photo session being moved from Thursday to Wednesday because rain had been forecast at the end of the week, so the barbecue would have to take place an hour later because by the time the photographer packed up and left….

Chad tensed. Raudel and Lindsey were getting up from the floor.

What the fuck?

They were headed to the bedroom she shared with Brenda and Shannon. Thankfully, Daniel's parents wouldn't be arriving until later in the week, so they hadn't been added to the lake house clusterfuck yet.

"Chad! Did you hear a word I said?"

He whipped his head in his mom's direction. "Yeah. Totally. Rain and photo session. Got it."

She considered him with way too much suspicion. Her hands were on her hips, and she was back to narrowing her eyes. He seemed to inspire that a lot in the females in his life. "Why are you so interested in what's going on with Raudel and Lindsey?"

"What? I don't care what's going on with them." He tittered nervously.

She ran her hands over her head, the frizzy strands refusing to stay down. "Oh God, Chad. Do you think we'll really be able to pull off this extravaganza?"

He couldn't help but feel bad for her. He wished he could be of more real assistance than he'd been. Taking orders was pretty easy for him, but he honestly didn't understand the constant state of near hysteria that had begun with his sister, then subsequently infected their mother.

Raudel was right—it wasn't worth it. If he ever got married, he'd do it like Raudel said. Together, with the man he loved, the two of them sharing their vows with each other and no one else. A quick selfie to capture the moment, then party with family and friends at a later time. Fuck the whole trap of trying to make everything go perfect and be perfect. Life wasn't like that. Why begin a marriage by setting yourself up for eventual disappointment?

His mom seemed so wrung dry that Chad couldn't stand it. He pulled her into his arms, then rested his head on her shoulder. It was bonier than normal, digging into his jawbone. She hugged him tightly, letting out such a long, sad sigh that he was ashamed he hadn't been more aware of what she was going through earlier on. Sure, he was there every week to do the shopping, but that was nothing compared to the monumental task of what they were experiencing—as well as what was still left to handle.

"It'll be okay, Mom. You guys have done a great job so far. We have everything here, ready to go." He chuckled against her clavicle. "Even the fountain. We just have to get through a few more days, and no matter what, it's going to be an awesome wedding. If things don't go exactly perfect when the guests are here, it doesn't matter." He lifted his head to look at her. "They don't know what's supposed to happen when or if something's not there that should've been. They'll be at a crazy beautiful house on a lake with champagne and cake and people in fancy dresses and an obnoxiously ornate fountain overflowing with chocolate. What more do they want?"

His mom sputtered and snorted laughter until he thought she might pass out, but he understood. She'd needed to let loose the plethora of emotions she'd been dealing with, the same as he had earlier.

"What's going on in here? I could hear Mom snorting from the back of the house."

Chad whacked Lindsey on her arm. "Be nice."

She scowled at him. "Me? I'm not the one hitting people."

"Okay, enough." Mom pointed to the fridge. "There's a cheese platter and some veggies and dip in there if anyone wants to snack."

Raudel strolled in, chatting with the blonde-haired Shannon, her shorty nightshirt showcasing her long, perfect legs. Brenda wasn't much of a late-night girl. When they were growing up, the geeky Brenda with the Annie-esque mop of red curls, complete with the matching freckles, had always been the kid at his sister's sleepovers who had a mustache drawn on her lip in Sharpie or her hand placed in a bowl of warm water. Chad wondered if she'd only agreed to be in the wedding party to extract some awful Carrie-like revenge for all the wrongs committed against her twelve-year-old self.

Lindsey and Shannon opened the door of the enormous chrome appliance. They took their time peering into it, to the point where Chad wondered if they were trying to air-condition the entire house. He pulled his phone out of his jeans, then woke it up. The time spent in their bedroom hadn't been for naught. He'd located three cheapie, out-of-the-way motels no more than a thirty-minute drive away.

"Why are you looking at Google Maps?"

"Because none of your business."

Lindsey crunched away on a carrot while trying to peek over the top of his phone. Chad was only five foot eight, but she was a shrimp at five-two. He raised his cell higher.

Mom shook her head. "It's like I've been thrust back in time, and it's ten years ago. Lindsey? You're about to get married and will be responsible for your own home. You'll need to communicate maturely with your husband, your partner, the man who I hope will finally help get me some damn grandchildren." She turned her attention from her slack-jawed daughter to Chad. "As for you, you've been living on your own for a year now, but if you're ever to find a good man, someone who you deserve—" She gestured to Raudel. "—someone like Raudel, for instance, you need to get your act together, figure out what you really want out of life, then go for it. Yogurt isn't the answer." She huffed out a breath. "And with that, I'm going to bed." She gave Chad a pointed look. "I'm sleeping in until at least eight. There's no reason for me to get up any earlier, is there?"

Chad shook his head vehemently. "None that I can think of."

She dipped her chin. "Good." With that, she marched out of the room.

Shannon was still digging through the refrigerator, and Lindsey had switched from carrots to celery. However, she still regarded Chad with suspicion.

He cleared his throat. "Um, so, I guess there's no reason for me to stay up either. I think I'll go take a shower, then head to bed. Night, everyone."

"Yeah." Lindsey's scowl had lessened very little. "Night."

Shannon waved, a chunk of cheese clutched between her teeth.

Raudel spoke up. "Chad. If you leave the bathroom light on but close the door almost the whole way, I should still be able to see enough that I don't disturb you when I come in later."

"Cool. Night."

Raudel offered him a sultry smile. "Good night, Chad."

Chad quickly averted his gaze, then scurried out of the kitchen before Lindsey could make any sort of remark. Raudel's goodnight had been more ooh-la-la than advisable in front of his sister. He wasn't sure how either of them would make it through the week without everyone catching on. Not when the vibe between them was so intense.

"MIJO? YOU awake?"

Chad rolled over, blinking to adjust his eyes to the small amount of light streaming in from the crack of the bathroom door. He was wearing the clothes he'd changed into after his shower, lying on the covers and waiting for Raudel to make his excuses. However, he'd obviously dozed off in the meantime.

Raudel sat next to him on the bed, stroking his arm, then brushing his hair back from his forehead. "Do you still want to go?"

"Totally. Do you?"

"More than you know. House is all clear, everyone's in bed." He bent over to give Chad a kiss.

My second one.

It was as soft and searching as the first one, but Chad could sense more of a claiming in it, as if once Raudel heard Chad say he wanted more, it changed the game. Whatever it was that Raudel meant when he'd said he'd have to work hard to make sure Chad would stay with him, it seemed to have already begun.

"Let's go, mijo, before I take you right here."

Chad could only nod. His aching balls and raging hard-on had already stolen his verbal skills—who knew what might fail next? He was more grateful than ever that he'd already tugged one off in the shower.

Raudel helped him to his feet then Chad grabbed his hoodie and phone off the charger. Once they'd lifted the blinds, they wrapped the cord around the hook near the top of the sill. Chad had already tested the window while waiting in their room earlier.

They slid the pane to the side, and then Raudel climbed through the opening, dropping a couple of feet to the ground below. He extended his arms, Chad falling into them as Raudel helped pull him through the window. They closed it enough that wild creatures couldn't get inside but left it open a crack so they could still get back in when they returned.

"You okay?"

Chad nodded again, more worried that his teeth would start to chatter than anything else. They held hands, and Raudel guided him with a small flashlight as they skirted the edge of the house.

The dazzling light of the outdoor flood lamp burst on. Chad shouted and Raudel clapped a hand over his mouth as they dropped to the ground.

Damn you, motion sensor.

They huddled together on the soft detritus of the forest floor, waiting to see what fallout, if any, might be the result of Chad's yelling. After a few minutes, the light shut off and they seemed to be in the clear.

Raudel whispered next to his ear. "I think we're okay. Come on."

Chad's stiffy, which had been frightened into softness, began to swell back up.

They rose, then scurried as quickly and quietly as they could toward Raudel's Honda, also known as their getaway vehicle. A tiny midair glow caught Chad's attention as they rushed past the front of the house. It was like a hovering firefly, except for the small detail that there weren't any fireflies in Tahoe.

A loud, hacking cough resounded in the darkness.

They froze, Chad clutching Raudel's hand in a tight, sweaty grip. He figured they were experiencing what they'd missed out on had they gotten together back in high school. Stolen moments, thwarted plans, the terror of being caught by nosy family members.

"Chad? Quit standing there with your hunky date and get over here."

Chad squinted against the darkness. "Grandma?"

Raudel lifted the flashlight, illuminating his grandmother, who was propped against a mustard-colored, regulation bear can. She took a long drag on a cigarette.

"Well, it ain't the Easter Bunny. You boys are out awful late." She pulled hard on her cigarette again, making the end burn brightly. "Come on, help me inside. It's colder than my sex life out here."

She tossed the still-lit smoke to the ground, and Chad rushed over to stomp on it.

"Grandma, you can't do that!" He grabbed her arm in order to help her in as she'd requested.

She wrenched it free. "Let go of me!"

She muttered something else, but all Chad caught was something that sounded like "little asshole," but he couldn't be sure.

"Grandma, I thought you gave up the smokes last year?"

She blew a raspberry. "That's what I told your interfering parents. I'm an old woman. I'll do whatever the fuck I want."

Chad leaned into Raudel. "Let me get her inside real quick. I'll be right back."

"I'll help you." Raudel maintained the same expression he'd had before they'd climbed out of the window. He didn't appear annoyed or frustrated by the unwelcome turn of events.

He didn't mind helping his grandmother for the most part. But every once in a while, she'd get extra hostile, and that was when the real challenge would begin.

They both shuffled on either side of her, making sure not to get too close, but still in position to catch her if she keeled over.

"Wait a sec, Grandma. I'll get the door for you."

Super, extra quietly.

The key his mom had given him when they'd returned earlier was tucked away in his jeans pocket. He retrieved it, then carefully stuck it in the lock. He turned the key with a gentle hand, hanging on to the knob with the other, slowly maneuvering it so as not to make a sound.

"While I'm alive, Chad! I could've had another smoke by now. What're you doing? Seducing it first? Come on already!"

" Shh , Grandma." Chad placed a finger in front of his lips, his voice a harsh whisper. "You'll wake up the whole house."

"I don't give a fuck! Open the goddamned door."

As if responding to his grandmother's forceful invectives, the door in question flung open.

"Chadwick!" His mother stood before him in what looked like a hastily donned robe, her hair askew. "What in the name of all that is holy are you doing outside with Grandma at this gruesome hour?" She squinted past his shoulder. "Is that you, Raudel?"

"Yes, Kate. I'm so sorry we woke you."

Chad dropped his head in his hands. So much for that whole losing-my-virginity thing.

"Get out of my way." Grandma pushed past him and his mom, and Raudel moved closer until he was standing next to Chad.

"We thought everyone was asleep, that it would be a good time to get that item you wanted us to pick up in town today."

"You mean the—"

Chad coughed loudly into his fist as Lindsey crept up on them.

"What are you guys doing?" Her voice had the distinct edge of a whine to it. "I need my rest . The pictures are in a couple days, and I'll just die if I have puffy eyes with dark circles."

"Use lots of makeup, Lin. No one'll know."

The glare Chad got for his efforts surprised him. He'd actually been sincere.

Mom threw her hands up in the air. "We had a problem with Grandma wandering off, so Chad and Raudel went to find her. Now go back to sleep, and let us worry about it."

Lindsey huffed. "Fine. But if it wouldn't be too much trouble, Chad , mind keeping it down?" She didn't wait for his answer, flouncing off instead.

Mom craned her neck, undoubtedly checking to see if Lindsey was out of hearing range. The click of a door sounded at the back of the house, so it seemed they were in the clear. She moved in conspiratorially. "You guys get the fountain while I unlock the shed. Go down the other side of the house to the back, away from the girls' bedroom, and I'll meet you there." She frowned at Chad. "What was Grandma doing out there, anyway?"

He was about to tell on her but changed his mind. Grandma was right. She was an old woman with probably very little time left. If she wanted to smoke and not be hassled about it every five minutes, he didn't blame her. He'd probably feel the same way once he reached her age. "I'm not sure. Maybe she needed some air."

His mother arched her eyebrows. "At one in the morning?"

Chad shrugged. "Her room was stuffy?"

Mom tipped her head back, groaning. "This entire family has gone mad." She regarded him again. "Let's get this over with. I don't want to wake up your father. We're all out of beer."

Chad furrowed his brow. "We brought another six-pack from the store when we went shopping."

She crossed her arms. "And your point is?"

"Damn, Mom."

"I don't need you judging me right now. I'm not in the mood. Can we please finish this? Lindsey's not the only one who needs her beauty rest."

No good could ever come from comments he might make to reassure her that she was always beautiful no matter what. He'd already stepped on that landmine with Lindsey's dark circles. He glanced over at Raudel, who shrugged in resignation, his features tinged with the same sadness that filled Chad.

Their assignation had been derailed by the fountain. The evil, conniving fountain.