“You got it, honey. Seriously, you’re as sore as a bear with a bee sting.”

  “Sorry, lady. I don’t mean to be.” Two weeks. It had been just over two weeks since he’d seen Mason, and while they texted a lot, neither of them had time to call or skype too much.

  Noah missed his lover.

  Which was stupid. He’d had long-distance love affairs before, for fuck’s sake. He’d had this little hard body in London…. Damn.

  Mason was different. Mason made him want to be there, to share space. He’d learned more about Mason in one afternoon than he’d known about Geordie from London in six months.

  He wanted to fly himself up to Aspen and see that amazing view from that small but lovely condo and then kiss Mason into stupidity.

  Kiss among other things.

  Maybe he would. He could go for the weekend. One meeting Friday morning he couldn’t blow off, but then he could file that flight plan….

  He grabbed his phone and nodded to his driver, Bill, mouthing “Home.” Then he called Mason.

  “Hey, honey. What’s up? No, Rachel. Don’t file my emails. Don’t touch my emails.”

  “Hey, darlin’. I was thinking I could come up this weekend. In Friday night, out Sunday morning?”

  “I’ll be in Denver all weekend working the Colorado Cattleman’s Association annual meeting, Mister. You know weekends are deadly for me, especially in the summer.”

  “Yeah.” Damn. “I was just hoping to slide in. How are you?” Mason sounded harried, and Noah hated to add to stress. “Should I call back tonight?”

  “No, I’m going to sit in my office and talk to you and not fire my new assistant.”

  “Have you heard from Trev?”

  “I got my keys in the mail.”

  “Oh, man.” Noah winced. Bryan was still in Hawaii, so he guessed Trev was as well. Living it up. “Well, I have a driver today, and there’s hellacious traffic. I can chat.”

  “Oh good. I’m dreading the traffic in Denver. That’s why I’m going in Thursday and leaving as soon as possible Sunday.”

  “I bet. It’s a bear here.” Maybe Sunday. If Mason got home by noon….

  “What are you doing for dinner?” He loved how Mason wanted to know the minutiae of his life.

  “Probably ordering Chinese. I can take it tomorrow for lunch.” He suddenly missed Geoff’s heavenly cooking too. He ate a lot of crap.

  “I have a sandwich in here. Could be turkey, could be roast beef.”

  Oh. Oh, that didn’t work for him. He grabbed his tablet and started searching for a restaurant that would deliver. He knew Mason liked a barbecue place and a pho place that both delivered.

  Boom. The Hickory House would do it.

  “Don’t eat a mystery sandwich, honey.”

  “I don’t have time to go out, love. It won’t kill me.”

  “No, there’s a better meal on its way.” Potato wedges and pickles. Mason would love it. “Maybe I should stop on the way home and get barbecue.”

  “Mmm. Barbecue. I want to come to Texas someday and try the barbecue there.”

  “But the Hickory House will have to do for today.”

  “You did not.” Mason laughed, sounding delighted. “You rich bitch.”

  “What? I just ordered online. Anyone can do that.”

  “You spoil me.”

  Lord, if Mason felt that was spoiling, Noah couldn’t wait to show him. He had a wealth of spoiling techniques at his fingertips.

  “I need you to think of me fondly, honey.”

  “I always do, Mister. Always.” Mason sighed. “Man, I miss you.”

  “Me too, honey. Like a sore tooth.”

  “Why do people say that?” Mason chuckled warmly. “I mean I know it means like you keep poking at the tooth with your tongue or whatever, but ow.”

  “Dork.” He looked at filing flight plans and at commercial flights on his tablet, and Sunday just wasn’t going to happen. Damn it. He sighed softly. “Can you skype tonight? I want to see you.”

  “Only if you can wait up late. I’ll be at a cocktail charity event until ten, and cleanup will take me until eleven. That’s why I’m locked in here now talking to you.” Mason hummed, which meant he was thinking. “FaceTime?”

  “God yes.” He opened the program and called, smiling as his own personal little gym bunny appeared.

  “Hey, Mister.” Mason blew him a kiss.

  “Oh, that’s better. Hi.” Noah smiled so hard his cheeks hurt.

  “You’re still hot as hell.”

  “It’s been a couple weeks.” He had no idea why he said that.

  “It’s been twenty-three days.”

  “Has it?” Oh, Mason was keeping track. Woo and hoo. That was seriously good.

  “Yes. I know, I’m a dipshit, but… I know.”

  “I have it on my calendar but not in my head.” He circled each day in red. Maydell thought he’d lost his mind. “So, what should we do on our next date?”

  Mason looked at him, one eyebrow lifting as he got this wicked, knowing look.

  “Well, that too. But last time we did a picnic first.”

  “That was fun, hmm? How do you feel about hot springs?”

  “Pretty positive, though the pool in Glenwood isn’t very private.”

  “No, I was thinking a trip to Orvis.”

  “Orvis?” That was one he didn’t know.

  “Up near Ouray. Private spa rooms. Hot springs water.”

  “Private spa rooms, hmm?” Oh, that had possibilities.

  “Very clean. Clothing optional.”

  “How often do you go, then?” Not that he was a jealous guy. Not at all.

  “Look, Mister. I was never in a motorcycle gang. Let me have my clothing optionalness.”

  “You went on a dare, didn’t you?”

  Oh, look at that blush.

  “You totally did!” Noah fist-pumped the hand not holding the phone. “Trevor?”

  “No. No, my best friend and his husband. They’re turds.”

  “Ah.” Noah nodded sagely. “You went to see them, right?”

  “Yes, my goddaughter’s birthday.” Mason grinned, obviously surprised. “How on earth did you know that?”

  “I was calling that weekend to try to get the menu changed for the rehearsal dinner. I might have pestered Trev half to death.”

  “And you never once mentioned that Sammy was a girl.”

  “No. I assumed you knew, and frankly, Trev and I didn’t speak the same language. He just kept saying if I wanted any changes, I would have to speak to you on Monday.” How they’d skated through the whole lead-up to the wedding without Mason knowing Sammy was a girl still mystified him.

  It impressed him too, that Mason dealt with it well enough that Sammy didn’t even know.

  “Trev had his moments, but I swear, I can’t cope with this training shit. I’ve done every event since you left essentially on my own.”

  “Oh, honey, you’ve got to be exhausted.”

  “Like you don’t work your ass off.”

  “I have Maydell. Despite her lack of telling you there was a bride and groom, she and I are a well-oiled machine.” He dreaded her retirement.

  “Well, then, make sure you don’t introduce her to anyone that’s going to take her to Hawaii.”

  “Right.” He would make a note.

  “How are Sammy and Doug? Are they back yet?”

  “They are. They’re staying in my guesthouse while they renovate their place. We already have two horses and a donkey in addition to Frank.”

  “I can’t believe I brought you to my condo. Your guesthouse is four times the size.”

  “I love your condo.” He did. The view was amazing, and the place was totally Mason. “The bed is great.”

  “I didn’t sleep that whole night, you know? After you kissed me.”

  “Don’t you mean dropped you on the floor?”

  “That too.” Mason’s chuckle was warm. Intimate. “You were the first guy to ever do that as well. To be fair, you had squished balls.”

  His knees drew up at the memory of that deep ache, even now. “Yeah. I damn near puked.”

  “I’m sorry.” Mason pulled the best face, all sorrow mixed with laughter.

  “Hey, it was worth it to have what I have now.” Which was still not enough, damn it. “What are you doing next Tuesday night?”

  “Next Tuesday night? Why?”

  “Well, I can’t come up, but if we make a date, we can skype dinner together. We can have pasta and salad. Deal?” Weeknights were better for Mason, usually.

  “God, you’re…. Yes. I’d love that. My romantic Texan.”

  “That’s me. Delicate. Sensitive. Pasta from a can doesn’t count, but freezer bags with those little chunks of frozen sauce totally do.”

  “Like you eat pasta from a can.”

  Well, no. He had staff. If he wanted pasta, Hank made him pasta. Still, he knew Mason would cheat, given the opportunity. He’d seen the Chef Boyardee. Though, maybe that was for the goddaughter when she visited.

  “Hell, pick up something on the way home, honey.”

  “I will figure something out. I’ll put you on my calendar.”

  He smiled for Mason, tickled as hell. If he went on the calendar, it was set in stone. “You tell me what time.”

  Mason typed on his computer for a second. “Let’s see…. Seven my time, eight yours?”

  “Sounds great.” That was doable even if he hit traffic or had to have something delivered.

  Mason sighed, lashes shadowing his eyes for a moment. “My food is here. Thank you. I have just enough time to eat and change before the event setup.”

  “Go on and eat in peace, then. I miss you so bad.” That couldn’t be said too often.

  “Yeah. Thank you. Soon we’ll be able to actually touch, right?”

  “Yes. As soon as we can swing it.” He didn’t intend for another twenty-three days to go by.

  “Swing, batter batter.”

  He stuck out his tongue. “Be good.” He knew he needed to let Mason go, but he didn’t want to. “Okay, honey. I’ll call tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow. I’ll eat. Bye, Mister.”

  They hung up, leaving Noah aching a little, so he opened up the browser on his tablet again, determined to search for some dates he could take at least three days off and head up to Colorado.

  He needed to see Mason. He needed to touch. Hell. He just needed, and it had been a long fucking time since he hadn’t gotten what he needed. Noah had no intention of getting used to the sensation.

  Chapter 12

  “O h my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Boss! Boss!”

  Mason looked up, his head throbbing. “Rach. Seriously. Migraine.”

  It was so bad his teeth hurt. His hair hurt. His eyeballs hurt.

  She looked at him, one eyebrow lifting. “If you’re that sick, you should be at home.”

  “Pardon me?”

  “Seriously. Sick people in an office aren’t appropriate.”

  “How do I always end up with the evil assistants? Why can’t I hire people that will be good to me?”

  “Because this is a cutthroat business and it’s your job to be the nice one. Anyway, I think I just booked my biggest job so far.” She bounced, her retro-eighties bow flopping against the front of her shirt. She had a thing for Reagan-era power suiting, despite her tender years.

  “Yeah? Good for you. Tell me all, in your best inside voice.”

  “Team building.” She moved to the little sideboard he used as an office storage cabinet and pulled out some pills. One antinausea, two Excedrin. “Thirty people. Food, facilities, events. Games and a big cookout to wrap it up.”

  “Yeah? Girl! Good job!” He took the pills she offered. “When did they want it? Do we know what type of venue they want and where?”

  Thirty people. Probably Denver. Most companies didn’t want to shuttle people too far….

  “They did. I’ve already called the venue in question, and they’re open.” She paused, chewing her lower lip. “They want the second week in August.”

  “The….” No wonder they ended up hiring them. Every other event planner on earth said no. His head throbbed. “Fuck. Okay. Okay, let’s get to work on this.”

  A tiny part of him felt so pissed. They were dead in August, at least partially, and he’d been planning to go see Noah.

  “Yes!” She yanked her fist down in the air. “Okay, so they have thirty people. Some can stay together; some will need their own accommodation. They want at least two plated meals; the rest can be buffet or continental. They’d like that cookout at the end, and they need conference space as well as games and such. I called Mr. Nixel, and the Leanin’ N is available then.”

  “They’re okay with driving in from DIA, or do they need transportation?” They needed to work up a proposal, and that would make a difference.

  “According to the personal assistant who called me to make the reservations, some guests will be flying into Aspen on a private aircraft, and the rest will take direct flights from Dallas to Grand Junction. They’ll need bus service to the ranch from there.”

  “Oh? Private aircraft?” He made notes, a niggle of… not worry, but excitement, anticipation… tickling him. “And they knew about the ranch?”

  “Yes. She said the Leanin’ N was their first choice. One of the guests wants Mr. River as a fishing guide.”

  “This is for the Wright Corporation?”

  “How did you know?”

  “I know Mr. Wright very well. I just did his sister’s wedding in June.” Oh, Noah. You are so getting a Skype call tonight.

  “Oh! That was the one where your former assistant quit?” Rachel began to look a little uncertain. “Are they demanding and awful?”

  “No. He hooked up with the groom’s brother and ran to Hawaii.”

  “For real? That’s… that’s so romantic.”

  He glared. “Do not get any ideas.”

  “None. I have a girlfriend. She’s a ski instructor. She would kick the ass of anyone who tried to sweep me off to Hawaii.” Rachel smiled. “So, what do I do next, boss?”

  “We write up a proposal. You get on the phone about shuttles; I’ll talk to Ford about the venue and the food.”

  “You got it. Buzz me if you need me to make any other calls.” She clicked out of the office on her high heels, and Mason made a mental note to invite her and her girlfriend to supper.

  First, though, he had to call Ford.

  Tonight? Noah Wright’s ass was his.

  Chapter 13

  N oah loved to fly, but for this trip, he’d let Alan, his alternate pilot, do the flying. This was team building after all. He really did do his annual meeting in August, though they generally went to New Mexico or Wyoming. Time to team build, right?

  He handed Jonah Hosteen a beer. Jonah was one of his best friends, all the way back to middle school. “Happy to have a week mostly off, man?”

  “You know it, bro. I mean, I like most of your board. Daniels is a stuck-up turd. Promise me I get to make him ride a bucking bronco or make him mud wrestle or something?”

  “Totally.” He winked. They would find something suitably humiliating for all of them to do, no doubt. They always did, and he had Mason on it.

  Mason was both amused and scolding about the whole Wright Corp team-building week.

  Mostly, though, he thought his lover was pleased. He’d needed to see Mason, and this was killing two birds with one stone. He could have Mason for a week, especially since he was hanging on for a few days after.

  “You look tickled as a pig in shit,” Jonah murmured. “You must really like this place.”

  “I really like this guy.” Only his closest friends had flown with them on his private jet, so Noah felt fine talking about Mason. Hell, he was excited for some of the guys to meet his lover.

  “So he’s an event guy? That’s cool. What’s he like?”

  “He’s busy.” Noah chuckled when Jonah stared. “No, he’s really organized and loves his job. He’s… he’s kind. You know? And has a wicked sense of humor.” Jonah didn’t need to know about the mind-blowing sex.

  “You do like him. Usually it’s all about the blow jobs with you.”

  “Ew!” Gene Frost just shook his head across the aisle. “Y’all wake me up with your noise and I have to hear that?”

  Jonah snorted at Gene. “Like you’re not all about the blow jobs.”

  “Yes, but I prefer them from a long-haired blonde with huge boobs.”

  “Me too!” Jenna Gantry was the last of the three amigos, and she moved from the love seat in the back where she’d been napping to grab a beer. “Are we dishing on Noah’s love life?”

  Jonah nodded. “We totally are. He’s got it going on with the wedding planner.”

  “Well, if you get serious, you can have him do your wedding,” Gene said.

  Noah started tossing popcorn at all of them. “Stop it, all of you.”

  They all laughed together. They’d mocked him when he hired them all, told him he was being stupid, that they were too young, too close.

  He’d followed his gut, though, because it was the right thing to do. They’d proven him right and them wrong. They were a hell of a team.

  “When is your dad coming up?” Jenna asked.

  They’d all laughed at how excited Daddy was to be going fishing.

  “He’s going to show up halfway through. Momma has a doctor’s appointment day after tomorrow that he wants to take her to.”

  Daddy had not embraced the whole personal driver thing. Not at all.

  “Nothing serious, right?”

  “Nah.” They would have told him if it was. “Sammy and Doug liked the drive, and they wanted to bring Frank, so they’re driving.”

  “Good Lord. That dog.” Gene shook his head. “At least he likes being in the car, I guess.”

  “He does, and he loves Quartz.” He got a bunch of blank stares. “The ranch we’re staying at. He’s the… teen? Tween? Who took care of Frank when he was up. Sammy thought he would love a play date.”

  “That’s cool that there’s someone that can deal with dogs. So, this place? I see it’s been renovated. Is it as cool as the website says?”