Chapter Six

"I WANT to be alone with you so bad right now."

Chad knew he was taking a risk by whispering sweet nothings into Raudel's ear during their tux fitting. However, since Lindsey was doing the exact same thing with Daniel, albeit with a smattering of giggles here and there, Chad figured he was safe. Ever since Prince Charming, a.k.a. Daniel, had entered the shop, it was as if he and Raudel no longer existed.

Thank God. He'd never been so grateful for Daniel's presence before.

"You're next, sir."

Chad rose, ready to subject himself to professional groping in the quest for the perfectly fitted tux. He'd already changed into the black tuxedo that sported a more modern slim cut and shorter jacket than the traditional variety. All he needed was a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, a checkered shirt, and white pointy Oxfords, and Lindsey could have the perfect hipster wedding. As it was, he'd be stuck with the peach bow tie, peach boutonniere, and the peach pocket square to finish it all off. The presidential fold was on the itinerary for them to practice later that evening.

Once he'd been properly fondled, he went to the changing room to get out of the precious outfit before something horrible happened to it. After the fountain disaster and the lip-balm incident, he didn't trust himself aroundany of Lindsey's wedding accoutrements.

" Mijo ? You ready?"

"Almost. Come in."

Chad opened the door a smidge, peeking around the side. "Where is she?"

"She's out there still. Now she thinks Daniel should wear an alternate bow tie color to differentiate him from us. She has him trying on different ones."

"Is she crazy?" He opened the door wider, gesturing for Raudel to come in. He shut it, then grabbed his jeans off the floor. "Everything's already been done in peach and green. He'll look like a leprechaun if he wears the shade of lime green she picked out."

"I think she's looking at the checkered and plaid ones."

Chad gasped. "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"She's going to turn him into a hipster!"

"He's not a hipster?"

Chad put down the foot he was about to push through the leg of his denim pants, his mind running through the files in his head of what little he knew about his future brother-in-law. "Huh. I have no clue."

Raudel chuckled. "C'mere. I need to hold you before we're forced to keep our hands to ourselves again."

At last.

Chad relaxed into Raudel's comforting embrace, resting his head in the crook of his neck. It would be so awesome if they were in town to have a good time—go to the casino, grab dinner, maybe even go drinking and dancing. He'd never danced with a guy in public. Hadn't done much in the way of dancing regardless, except on a couple of occasions when a group of friends would get together and go out. But it wasn't the same as being with the one you loved.

Yeah. He grinned against Raudel's shirt. The one I love.

"Are you guys done yet? I wanna get out of here, and I need to talk to you first."

Chad sagged in Raudel's hold, and Raudel patted his back.

I just wanted five minutes. "Yeah. Be right out."

It took him a bit longer than he expected since he had to wait until his boner waned. When he and Raudel entered the main area of the shop, Lindsey's glacial stare met them. He'd been so certain she was completely wrapped up in lover boy and not paying any attention to them that he'd let down his guard.

"Four hours."

Chad blinked at her. "Excuse me?"

"Until the tuxedos are ready. He told me on the phone last week it would only take an hour. This fucks up my itinerary, Chad."

For once Chad wasn't responsible for something going wrong; that honor went to Tuxedo Shop Guy. "Oh. Well, that's no problem. Me and Raudel can come into town later and pick them up."

"No. That won't work."

Chad racked his brain to ascertain why it wouldn't work. He had nothing. "It won't?"

She leaned into him, her voice lowered conspiratorially. "I don't trust him. The shop closes at six, then doesn't reopen until eleven tomorrow. The photo session at the house, Chad. That's tomorrow morning! If he doesn't get them done today, it'll fuck everything up. I need you to push him. Make sure they're finished before he closes."

"Um, okay. But why can't we come into town later and get them then?"

Lindsey grabbed his sleeve in a death grip while making a rather disturbing growling noise. "I want you guys to come in every hour, friendly and polite, casually inquiring as to whether they're ready yet. Squeaky wheel, Chad. Squeaky wheel ."

Oh boy.

Raudel interjected. "I think that's a good idea. We'll take care of it for you, Lin."

Chad gaped at him incredulously. "You do?"

Raudel winked before regarding Lindsey again. "You two take off, do whatever you need to do. Chad and I will handle this."

Lindsey's lower lip trembled before she threw her arms around Raudel's neck. Chad was standing so close to him, he had to jump out of the way to avoid being knocked over.

"Thank you so much, Delly." She held on for a while, then let go, her hands still resting on his arms. "I'm so glad you were able to make it after all." She turned her attention to Chad. He had to rein in his shock that her expression toward him was one of fondness as opposed to seething rage. She grabbed one of his hands. "Chad. You've been so amazing, helping me all these months. Whenever I ask you for anything, you're always there." She let him go, wiping a finger under her eye. "And wow. I'm so proud of you, Chad, for putting whatever was going on between you and Raudel back in high school solidly behind you."

Raudel barked out a sharp laugh, and Chad's face heated. That's one way to put it.

Lindsey pursed her lips, furrowing her brow as the suspicion in her eyes returned. She glanced back and forth between them. Raudel had a ridiculous grin on his face, and Chad used every superpower he'd ever hoped to possess to keep his expression impassive.

"I can't put my finger on it, but there's something going on with you two. Are you guys—?"

"Come on, sweetheart, let's get going. The movie starts in a half hour." Daniel wrapped a meaty paw around Lindsey's shoulder. He offered Chad and Raudel a vacant smile. "Thanks, guys. We appreciate your help."

Chad glared at Lindsey, his mouth hanging open. She at least had the grace to blush and avert her eyes. "Sure." He made certain to direct his response to her. "No problem. Hey, is the movie going to be out in time for the big barbecue? You know, the one highlighted in red pen on the itinerary? Mom made a shitload of potato salad."

"Yes, Chad . Plenty of time."

They exchanged one last set of glares before she left. Then he turned to Raudel. "Can you believe that shit? She has us doing her dirty work while she's out yukking it up at the movies."

Raudel let out an easy laugh and hooked his arm through Chad's. "Don't you see, mijo? It's perfect."

Chad huffed. "How is being stuck babysitting the guy who's fitting the tuxes ‘perfect'?"

"Because," Raudel said in the sultry voice that always gave Chad shivers, "we have the day all to ourselves now. If we'd gone back to the house, your mom might have us chopping onions or rearranging the lawn furniture. Regardless, we wouldn't be away from prying eyes, and I wouldn't be able to do this." He touched his lips to Chad's, his tongue poking out to lick at the seam.

Chad opened up to him, but Raudel didn't delve deeper. Instead, he took small kisses over and over, tilting his head at different angles as he tasted on and around Chad's mouth. Chad answered when he could, chasing Raudel's lips when they touched him in a different spot.

They moved closer, drawn to each other, Chad sliding his palms up Raudel's back before he even realized what he'd done. The natural ease with which he responded to Raudel physically was unlike anything he'd experienced. He'd always assumed that until he'd been with someone for a very long time, he could expect to be self-conscious and awkward with a lover, the way he typically was.

Raudel ended the kiss with a peck on his nose. "Let's be tourists. Pretend this is our vacation, and we came here to be together."

A thrill coursed through Chad right before it was beaten to death by Lindsey's tuxedo demands. "That'd be so cool if we could."

"Why can't we?"

Chad didn't want to be the guy who always saw the worst side of everything, especially not with Raudel, so he struggled to come up with something positive to say. "Well, we'll have to stick close by to meet our hourly deadlines here at the shop, but I'm sure we could find some stuff to do in between that."

Raudel's smile was worth the effort. "That's fine with me. Harvey's and Harrah's are right down the street. We could play the slots, come back, then play roulette, come back, find somewhere to make out, come back…."

Chad grinned. "Yeah, we could. Or maybe we could rent a room, come back, go to the room again, come back…."

Raudel shook his head. "No, mijo. When we're finally alone like that, I don't want to be in a rush. I'll be taking my time with you."

Chad's cock jumped in his pants.

Yeah. That.

The man who'd done their fittings and given Lindsey the grave news that the tuxes would take four hours mysteriously appeared from behind the curtain that separated the sales floor from the back. He blinked in apparent confusion, no doubt wondering why they were standing next to the sales counter, wrapped in each other's arms. "Was there anything else?" His gaze flitted between them.

The compulsion to step out of Raudel's embrace struck Chad, but he didn't give in to it. Just because he'd never been affectionate with a man in public before didn't mean he had to begin his relationship with Raudel by being worried about what other people thought. It was bad enough they had to hide from his family.

Raudel traced circles on Chad's lower back as he spoke up. "No, thank you. Just planning our next move until we come back to pick up the tuxes."

"I see." He gave them a curt nod, then turned as if to disappear back into his lair.

They shared a look, then Raudel grabbed Chad's hand, tugging them out of the shop and toward temporary freedom.

"ANY LUCK?"

Raudel's hand rested on his shoulder as Chad dropped another quarter into the video poker machine.

How can I concentrate when he's touching me?

Then again, Raudel's touch was a hell of a lot more important than some stupid game. "Cross your fingers, I'm about to double down." He winced, then made his play.

"Yeah! Mijo , you won us drink tip money."

Chad laughed as the coins fell from the machine. He'd never gone to a casino before.

Not that he hadn't played poker with actual cards that people held in their hands, but he'd still been momentarily perplexed by the electronic version. Regardless, he'd picked it up quickly enough that he could easily see how people with less control and little interest in eating could gamble their lives away.

Chad scooped up his meager winnings from the receptacle, then dumped them into his Harvey's Casino plastic cup. Raudel plopped down on the poker-machine chair next to him, swiveling lightly on it. Chad shook his change bucket at him. "We're rich. I can buy us some drinks to go with the tip." He figured he should have the complete casino experience.

Raudel caught the attention of a cute, young cocktail waitress wiggling through the aisles of slots and poker machines.

She ambled over. "What can I get you?" She raked Raudel with her gaze, and Chad wondered if she realized how close she was to eye-fucking her way out of a tip.

Raudel turned to him. "Anything you want."

"A beer's fine. Budweiser if you have it."

"Oh no, we can do better than that." Raudel nudged Chad's toe with his own booted one. "How about a Long Island?"

Chad barked out a sharp laugh. "Uh, no. You'd have to peel me off the carpet ten minutes after I finished. Beer's fine."

Raudel nodded, regarding him with a sage expression. "True. The day is young. Next round." He returned his attention to the server. "I'll have a Jack and Coke, and he'll have a Bud."

As soon as she'd taken off, Raudel leaned closer. "As long as we're here playing, they don't charge us for the drinks. Just tip her good, and she'll keep us up to our ears in liquor. That's why I wanted you to get something pricier than a beer."

"Seriously? I never knew that."

They'd been at Harvey's for less than twenty minutes, and already he worried that Raudel would think he wasn't sophisticated enough for them to be together. Raudel's words to him echoed in his mind. Just be. Raudel hadn't given him any cause to be unsure of his place within his world. If anything, he'd made sure to reiterate how much he wanted him.

"Mijo ? What is it?" Raudel pressed his thumb between Chad's eyebrows, rubbing gently. "I don't like to see you worried. Don't ever hesitate to tell me anything."

Chad shrugged, insecurity working extra hard to elbow its way into their awesome afternoon. "Am I enough for you?"

"Oh, don't ever fear that." Raudel took his hand. "I've waited for you for so long. I spent how long in LA, believing I had everything that life could offer? But it always came back to wishing I had you. That someday we could be together after all." He twined their fingers together. "To have you with me is not enough. It's more than enough."

"Wow." How does he do that?

If Chad lived a hundred more years, he'd never come up with such amazing things to say.

The waitress returned with their order, and before Chad had paid her four dollars in quarters from his winnings, he couldn't help but notice her expression fall when she glanced down at his and Raudel's joined hands.

That's right, baby, he's all mine.

"Here's to us." Raudel grinned, then held up his cocktail for Chad to clink his beer bottle with.

They both took a good swallow. Chad glanced at the bottle in his hand. It occurred to him that the only reason he'd begun drinking beer was because it was what his folks had always had around the house. Regular for Dad, Light for Mom. He wasn't even sure he really liked it, or if it was more of a case of him being used to it. Chad's only underage, hard-liquor-drinking binge had involved copious amounts of tequila and lots of barfing. He'd stuck to beer ever since.

"Hey. Can I have a sip of your drink?"

"Of course." Raudel handed it over. "There's no point in drinking the beer if you don't want it."

Chad sucked on the two tiny straws, careful not to take too much. The sweet yet sharp taste of the mixed drink wasn't bad, and it went down smooth before hitting his stomach. A slight warmth bloomed inside as he handed Raudel's cocktail back to him.

"Well?"

"Yeah." He kind of wanted more. "Pretty good."

"Here." Raudel held out his hand, wiggling his fingers. "Gimme that."

Chad glanced down at his drink and back up again; then he handed the bottle over. "You want my beer?"

Raudel laughed, shaking his head. "No. And neither do you." He shoved the beer between the two machines where they were seated, pushing it as far back as he could as if Chad might have a sudden beer fit and make a grab for it.

He wasn't sure what mischief Raudel was up to. "Are you trying to get me drunk so you can take advantage of me?"

"Who, me? Not a chance." Raudel said it with mock seriousness. "Have another sip." He handed his cocktail back over.

"I didn't mean to steal your drink, dude."

"You're not. I'm giving it to you to finish. I'll get us two more."

"Whoa, hey now." Chad held up a hand. "I'm not that much of a drinker."

Raudel paused, considering him. "Are you having fun?"

"Yeah. Totally."

"Do you want another drink, this drink?" Raudel pointed to the half-full glass of Jack and Coke that Chad clutched in his hand.

Chad stared at it. The condensation had begun to build on the glass, and he figured that one of them should finish the drink soon before it got too watery from the ice. He had the sense that the casino stuffed as many cubes into each glass as they could because of the whole comped-liquor thing.

The truth was he did want it. It had nothing to do with getting wasted, more that he'd enjoyed it and simply wanted to relax and have fun with Raudel for the few precious hours they had together. To let go of all the stress and pressure and everything else that'd been crushing his spirit ever since Lindsey's wedding had gotten so out of control.

He let out a sigh. Can't blame Lindsey for that.

No, his soul had been dying for quite a while before, and it had been him that allowed it to happen. Lindsey had nothing to do with that part of it.

"We can do something else, mijo . I don't mind as long as I'm with you." Raudel reached for the glass, but Chad snatched it back, sloshing a bit of the liquid on his arm.

"No. I want to stay. You can be the designated driver."

Raudel wagged a finger at him. "Oh no. That's not how it's gonna work. We do this together. We can take a cab back if necessary."

"A cab ? That sounds expensive."

"Don't worry about it. I've got it covered." Raudel laughed, and Chad joined in.

"Cool. Then let's see who can win more at video poker before our first tuxedo check-in. Winner ponies up the cash for more tips."

Raudel stole a quick kiss. "Deal."

Chad grinned. Babysitting tuxedo guy had turned out to be a fucking great idea after all.

"I THINK, for this next hour, we should walk over to Harrah's. See what the action's like over there." Raudel tugged on him, their pinky fingers hooked together.

"Sure. Can we play roulette? I've never done that before."

"Whatever you want." Raudel gave him another playful tug.

Chad felt pretty good. Pretty damn good, as a matter of fact. Everything had a slightly floaty sensation to it, and it was scads better than the mild beer buzzes he'd had. Raudel seemed rather jolly himself. They kept touching each other as if their bodies couldn't stand being apart. Everything that happened was a reason to bump shoulders, ghost fingers down the other's arm, or rub the back of the other's neck.

Raudel pressed against him as they entered the resort hotel. "I love you, mijo . So much."

A wave of giddiness rose up in Chad as certainty slammed into his chest. I'm never living in Fallon again. "I love you too, Raudel. I really do."

He grabbed Raudel's hand as they stepped onto the casino floor. It wasn't too crowded, which didn't surprise him for a Tuesday afternoon in April, but that didn't stop it from being an explosion of noise with dinging, whirring, and chiming coming from all sides. A riot of neon signs were tastefully placed in clusters above the groups of slots they corresponded to, elaborate designs of swirls, stars, or flames reaching up to embrace the ceiling. Even the slots themselves were made of neon: the chutes where winner's coins would fall cast in a deep blue glow, the body of the machine embraced in purple. The lighted signs above the group of games they represented were either "Blazing," "Hotshot Progressive," or they simply indicated how much a player could be expected to spend for each play.

It was both gorgeous and bizarre. The atmosphere of the casino promised an experience far removed from any other experience in a person's daily life. A fantasy where someone could get lost and the rest of the world would fall away. It was perfect.

The slots on the far end of the main room separated the roulette wheels from the rest of the casino floor, so he pulled Raudel toward them.

He had no idea what he was doing, but he didn't care. It would undoubtedly be a nice change for him not to overthink things the way he normally did. Raudel trotted behind him, laughing. They reached the tables, but only two had dealers running them. Chad guessed things would pick up later.

They climbed onto the nicely padded black vinyl chairs surrounding the play and betting area, the wheel at the far end to their right. A guy significantly advanced in years sat across from them next to a man and woman. The couple were probably mid-to-late thirties, and Chad noticed that she had a floral corsage attached to her wrist and wore a pretty pink dress. The man with her had a boutonniere pinned to the lapel of his dark suit. With all the weird neon colors glowing all around them, Chad wasn't sure if it was black, navy, or possibly a charcoal gray. What he was sure about, though, was that they were newlyweds.

Raudel jostled him with his elbow. "Aww, sweet. Just married." The couple glanced up from where they'd been playing with their chips. "Congratulations!"

They smiled, the joy clear in their expressions. "Thank you. We've been married for—" He glanced down at his watch. "—one hour and forty-seven minutes."

The grizzled old man held up his glass. "I'll drink to that."

Chad turned his attention to the jolly, inebriated drinker. When he caught Chad's eye, he winked and licked his lips.

Yikes.

He scooted so close to Raudel that he almost pitched off his chair.

Raudel placed his hand on Chad's knee, laughing some more. He'd already thrown down a twenty, and the dealer pushed a pile of chips in their direction. "Okay, mijo . Red or black?"

The ball was already in play, so Chad had about twenty seconds to make up his mind before the next round. His PTSD from the itinerary pens hadn't completely subsided, but the red had been the least traumatic, so he called that.

They picked numbers each round based on ridiculous reasons. One pass was dedicated to their dick sizes. After forty-five minutes of laughing until their sides hurt and Chad ignoring the lecherous stares of the drunken, dirty old man betting across from them, they'd managed to lose thirty-eight dollars and consume two additional Jack and Cokes each.

Raudel bit his shoulder, which made Chad strangely hard. Raudel ran his palm along Chad's thigh as he spoke into his ear. "Let's play the next round, then it's time to head back to the tux shop."

Chad groaned. As much as he hated most of the things associated with Lindsey's wedding, the tuxes had begun climbing the ladder and were poised to knock the fountain off its throne.

Raudel clasped Chad's hand. "We still have at least another hour after that, maybe one more if the tuxes aren't done until closing."

Chad almost knocked him off his chair by planting a firm kiss on his mouth. Raudel grabbed the edge of the roulette table with one hand and Chad's waist with the other. Newly emboldened, Chad kept control of the exchange. He ached to share everything with Raudel. Kisses, drinks, body…. His life.

"I'll drink to that!" The moment was broken by Chad's grizzled admirer raising his drink with a thumbs-up and a lunatic grin. Chad and Raudel gave a thumbs-up in return, and even the newlyweds joined in.

"Raudel. I want to go with you. In two weeks, when you go back to LA, I want to go with you." His words tumbled out breathlessly, his heart pounding harder than it ever had.

Raudel's eyes glittered, his smile wide in clear joy. "Then you should."

"It's okay?"

"Don't you remember? I love you and want you in my arms every morning from now on. That will never change."

"Cool. Let me call the yogurt shop."

Raudel sputtered out a laugh. "Right now?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not a jerk. I have to give my boss two weeks' notice. It's only fair."

"You're a good person, Chad. I'm a very lucky man." Raudel gave him a wistful smile punctuated with a soft kiss.

"I'M GETTING whiplash from going back and forth between the casinos and that damn tuxedo shop." Chad playfully swung Raudel's hand between them as they strolled back to Harrah's.

"I think he's onto us too. Lindsey might be right. Politely harassing him seems to be working. I bet the tuxes are done the next time we go in." Raudel sighed, a sound Chad was surprised to hear coming from his boyfriend.

"Hey." Chad stopped them. "We don't have to go back to the rental, even if they are done. We can still come back for the last hour." The hope in Raudel's eyes melted him. "And… we could always skip the barbecue."

Raudel arched his eyebrows. "Are you serious?"

"Sure. Why not? My dad's probably eaten half the potato salad anyway. We'd be doing them a favor." Chad reached around in his fuzzy mind for more pearls of barbecue-dodging wisdom. "Plus, what's the most important thing Lindsey wanted out of today?"

"Besides the tuxes?"

Chad frowned. "There was something besides the tuxes?"

"Pocket square folding."

Shit. The woman's relentless. "Well… we can miss lunch tomorrow and practice folding instead."

"Yeah?" Raudel's infectious smile was back.

"Yeah."

Raudel sucked in a big breath, then let it out as if all his cares had been released. "Then what's next?"

"I say more video poker. That roulette wheel kicked our asses."

"Lo sé ! It really did." Raudel pulled him closer, then put his arm around Chad's waist. "What about something to eat? You hungry yet?"

"Actually, yeah." Chad let out a chuckle. "I think I might need to soak up some of this alcohol."

Raudel kissed his neck as they walked along, occasionally stumbling. Chad loved the closeness, but he was also grateful for the warmth. A healthy breeze had kicked up across the lake, and all he had was his hoodie.

"No more drinks, then?"

"I didn't say that ." He grinned up at Raudel. "The night's young, right?"

Raudel gazed down at him with an expression Chad had never seen anyone give him before. He could be mistaken, but to his eyes, it looked like adoration.

"And the night belongs to us, mijo ."