Hood put his arm around Luis and pulled him closer. “We can't do that. Matthias would never forgive me. He's been talking about coming here for a long time.”
“I didn't know that,” Luis said. “I thought he just found out about the compound like I did, by accident.”
Hood laughed. “No. He's been talking about this place for a while now. I can't remember when it started. But he's almost obsessed with it. He'd kill me if we left now.”
Luis leaned into Hood's side and rested his head on his shoulder. “I guess we can stay. But not for long.” He felt safer now that Hood had stopped groping him. But he still wished either Jase, Gage, or Cory was there.
“Don't worry,” Hood said. “We'll be fine. This place is completely empty and I don't happen to believe in ghosts or anything supernatural.”
“I wish I could say the same.”
They sat quietly this way for a few minutes, and then Hood sighed out loud.
When he did this, Luis's head was on Hood's shoulder. “What's wrong? Did you hear something?” Luis had heard a million frightening noises by then, one of which was a distant howl that could have been a werewolf. He hadn't said anything because he didn't want Hood to think he was a big idiot. But, as his mother in Tennessee used to say, he was ready to take a running fit and head back to the car alone.
Hood laughed. “No, it's not that.”
“What is it?”
“I'm sitting in the dark, with one of the hottest, sweetest guys I've ever met. I'm in my underwear and my arm is around the guy. There's no one around. We're totally alone. And I have an erection that could break plate glass. I just sighed because I'm a little frustrated.”
Luis sat up. “I'm sorry,” he said. “I'll go sit on another chair. I just feel so much safer next to you, with you holding me. But if it's going to make you that frustrated, I'll sit alone.” Luis looked down between Hood's legs. Hood wasn't joking. His dick was so hard it was sticking out of the right leg of his boxer shorts, resting on his hairy leg, pointing at his knee.
But when Luis stood up to leave, Hood grabbed his shirt and pulled him back down on the bench. “No, don't go. I'll be okay. I'll just punch something really hard and think about terrible things.”
“Just don't punch me,” Luis said.
Hood kissed his temple and said, “I'd never do that. You're too sweet. I'll punch a tree trunk instead.”
Luis laughed. “You know what always helps me when I'm trying not to think about sex?”
“What?”
“I think about naked women,” Luis said.
Hood laughed and fake-punched Luis in the leg. “But I'm bisexual. Naked women get me even more aroused. I freaking love naked women, especially with big tits. The bigger the tits, the better. But I have to admit that's very cute you think that way. It's so adorable I'm even hornier now.”
“Then think about this: Rosie O'Donnell naked on a fur rug, with her ass high in the air, legs spread as wide as they can go,” Luis said.
Hood winced and cleared his throat.
But it worked. In less then five minutes, Hood's dick went soft and the last thing on his mind was sex.
After that, they remained on the bench until they heard a crackling sound coming from row of yews just beyond the front porch. Hood sat up and grabbed the flashlight. Luis pressed his palm to his throat and waited. When Hood turned the flashlight on and pointed to the path, Matthias appeared. He lifted his arms and hands as if he were surrendering.
Luis sighed with relief. Matthias would take care of everything. He was almost as strong and brave as Jase, Cory, or Gage.
“Where are the girls?” Hood asked. He stood up and adjusted the front of his boxer shorts.
Matthias climbed up the steps two at a time, and said, “They decided to wait at the car. They didn't feel like coming, so I came alone.”
Luis stood up. “What was down that road? Was there really a carousel?” Though he hadn't been willing to go down the dark road, he did love carousels. He walked up to Matthias and hugged him. “I'm so glad to see you. I've been shaking since you left.” Then he kissed Matthias on the cheek and hugged him again.
Hood frowned. “You weren't exactly alone, Luis,” he said, with a dejected tone. “I was here, too. Remember me? I'm Hood.”
Luis reached for Matthias's hand and said, “I'm sorry, Hood. I didn't mean it that way.” He glanced up at Matthias. “It's just that Matthias is so tall and strong.”
Hood rolled his eyes and scratched his dick, as if he wanted to kick Luis right in the ass.
Luis smiled at Matthias. “Did you see the carousel?”
“It wasn't very impressive,” Matthias said. “It was just a few broken-down old carousel horses and a few dilapidated old buildings. That's why the girls decided to go back to the car. Beth Anne was disappointed and said she'd seen enough.”
This didn't sound like Beth Anne to Luis. She seemed like the type who didn't want to miss anything, especially not an abandoned old house. But he figured Matthias knew her better than he did and it was none of his business.
“Let's go inside, check the place out, and get moving,” Hood said. “This place is fucking creepy.”
Matthias laughed and punched Hood in the arm. “This place is harmless, man,” he said. “C'mon, let's go inside.”
The front door was ajar, so they didn't have to work too hard to get inside. Matthias went in first, and then Hood and Luis followed him. Luis remained close to Hood this time, and he held his hand through the entire first floor of the house. Nothing was as Luis had imagined it would be, at least not for an abandoned old compound. When the guys moved the flashlights around, it seemed nicely furnished and far too orderly. It had a musty smell, but nothing too offensive. There weren't many cobwebs as there should have been. When Luis mentioned how strange it was to see everything in such good condition, Matthias shrugged and said, “Maybe someone maintains it.”
Luis held on to Hood's hand and didn't let go. If someone maintained the house, there was a good possibility they could get caught there and wind up in big trouble. And with the fact that Luis was married to Jase Nicholas, the headlines in the tabloids would be brutal. Or worse, someone might think they were prowlers and they could get shot and no one would ever know it. Jase couldn't remember anything now, and he'd never find out what happened. A million thoughts raced through Luis's head.
There was nothing of great interest on the first floor. As they walked up the main staircase, each old board creaked. Matthias remained in the lead, poking his head into bedrooms that looked as if they hadn't been used in years, and made innocent little comments about old pieces of furniture that caught his eye.