Worlds Away Read online

  Worlds Away

  by Alexa Land

  The Firsts and Forever Series

  Book Thirteen

  Cover Photo

  Model Quinn Biddle

  By Christopher Correia

  CJC Photography

  http://www.cjc-photography.com/

  Copyright 2016 by Alexa Land.

  All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission in whole or in part of this publication is permitted without express written consent from the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either used fictitiously or are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, business establishments or locales is purely coincidental.

  This gay romance contains adult language and sexually explicit material.

  It is intended for ADULTS ONLY.

  Books by Alexa Land Include:

  Feral (prequel to Tinder)

  The Tinder Chronicles (Tinder, Hunted and Destined)

  And the Firsts and Forever Series:

  Way Off Plan

  All In

  In Pieces

  Gathering Storm

  Salvation

  Skye Blue

  Against the Wall

  Belonging

  Coming Home

  All I Believe

  Hitman’s Holiday (short story)

  The Distance

  Who I Used to Be

  Worlds Away

  A Firsts and Forever Family Tree is located at the end of this book

  Dedicated to:

  Kim W.

  I’m so grateful for your friendship,

  the time you’ve devoted to

  making my books the

  best they can be, and

  your ongoing support, Kim!

  Special thanks to:

  Ri and Ish

  You’re Amazing!

  And to every single person

  who’s ever taken a chance

  on an Indie Author and bought

  one of our books:

  Thank you from

  the bottom of my heart!

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Epilogue

  The Firsts & Forever Family Tree

  Chapter One

  “You remind me of my pinky toe, because I know I’ll be banging you on my coffee table later tonight.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “No? Okay, how about: did you get those pants on sale? Because they’re a hundred percent off at my place.”

  I grinned a little and said, “That’s even worse.”

  “Then go with: I’m no weatherman, but you can expect a few inches tonight.” My new friend River smiled at me and wiggled his eyebrows.

  “Those lines are going to get me a restraining order, not a date.”

  “He’ll be into it if he has a sense of humor, and if he doesn’t, you don’t want him anyway. What about this? There must be a mirror in your pants, because I can see myself in them.”

  My grin got wider. “You need to stop.”

  River exclaimed, “But I’m just getting warmed up! Hey, go over there and ask him: on a scale of one to America, how free are you tonight?”

  I actually laughed at that one, despite myself, while River’s friend Yoshi groaned and asked him, “Have you ever actually gotten a phone number using any of those lines?”

  “Absolutely,” River said.

  Yoshi rolled his eyes. “You have not.”

  River pushed his sun-streaked brown hair behind his shoulder and said, “Okay, not me personally. I don’t need pick-up lines, because come on!” He held his arms out to the sides and shot him a cocky look. He was cute, in a rumpled California surfer kind of way. “But our new pal Sawyer here and that blond, British guy across the room have been making eyes at each other all night, and he still hasn’t made a move. It’s my patriotic duty to help a member of our armed forces in his mission to invade Britain, again and again and again, all night long!”

  “Former member of the armed forces,” I corrected.

  “Whatever.”

  Murphy joined me on the couch and handed me a beer as he asked, “Who’s invading Britain?”

  “Sawyer, hopefully. He’s interested in that tall blond in the pink shirt on the dance floor,” Yoshi explained, “but River’s trying to make sure he strikes out by loading him up with sleazy pick-up lines.”

  “His name’s Alastair,” I said. “Do you know him, Murph?”

  He nodded. “Al’s a good guy. I’ve met him at a few parties.”

  “He doesn’t go by Al, does he?” I asked.

  “Nah, but he should. Alastair is kind of a mouthful.”

  “Aw see,” River said, “Sawyer here would love to find out whether Alastair’s a mouthful, but none of you are helping! Murphy, what’s your best pick-up line?”

  “Now, do I look like I need a line?” Not even a little. Murphy was a big, handsome African-American guy with dreads, tattoos, and glasses, all of which I found sexy. He probably had men falling all over him, despite his inexplicable fondness for bad pun T-shirts. He’d worn a nice dress shirt to our friends’ wedding ceremony earlier that day, but for the reception, he’d unbuttoned it to reveal a tee with a drawing of two bucks rubbing noses, along with the caption ‘deerly beloved’. Apparently the shirts were a thing with him.

  “Sawyer doesn’t need them, either.” Yoshi turned to me and said, “Dude, you’re hot as hell! If you take your sexy, muscle-bound self over there and just say hello to that guy, he’ll probably dissolve into a puddle.”

  “I’m no good at the whole flirting thing,” I said. “Plus, I already know he’s not interested in me. We met a few months ago at Kai and Jessie’s wedding, and he didn’t give me the time of day.”

  Murphy told me, “That’s because he was crushing on Zachary back then, but that was before my man TJ came along and sealed the deal. Alastair’s moved on.”

  I glanced over my shoulder and across the crowded living room, and spotted my friend Zachary dancing with TJ, his husband of about eight hours. They’d gotten married in a simple but beautiful ceremony at City Hall. It was followed by the informal reception where we were all gathered, hosted by TJ’s son and son-in-law, Trevor and Vincent, in their swanky Russian Hill Edwardian.

  The grooms looked perfectly happy and in love, and so did my best friend Kai. He was slow-dancing with his husband Jessie right beside the newlyweds, even though Ash, the lavender-haired DJ, was playing upbeat dance music. Meanwhile, Alastair was pretending it was 1975 and doing what looked vaguely like the hustle. His partner was a guy with overgrown dark hair, thick Clark Kent glasses, and a T-shirt printed to look like a tuxedo. They were both terrible dancers, but I admired their enthusiasm and commitment to partying with abandon. “I think Alastair’s here with a date,” I said as I turned back to my companions, “so it’d be tacky to hit on him.”

  Murphy waved his hand dismissively. “That’s not a date, that’s Rollie. They go to college together, and they’re just friends.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded. “I’m sure about this, too: every time Alastair catches you looking at him, he gets all flustered. He’s interested, Sawyer. Make your move!”

  A slender
teenager named Darwin perched on the arm of the sofa next to me just then and said, “Hey, guys. What’s up?” He was cute, transgender, and possibly Goth, though the latter could have just been a byproduct of his jet black hair, pale skin, and tendency to wear dark colors. He always struck me as a bit self-conscious, too. At that moment, he was adjusting and readjusting the lapel of his black dress shirt.

  I gave him a friendly smile. “River was just treating us to his horrifying collection of cheesy pick-up lines. Do you have any?”

  His hands stilled, and Darwin grinned a little as he said, “You mean like, damn boy, are you my appendix? Because this funny feeling in my stomach makes me want to take you out.”

  The color rose in his cheeks when we all laughed, but he seemed pleased by our reaction. “Exactly like that,” River said.

  Darwin asked, “Who’s trying to pick someone up?”

  River pointed at me. “Sawyer wants to get busy with that British guy, Alastair, but for some reason he won’t make a move. I figured I’d help him out with some sure-fire opening lines.”

  The teen considered that for a moment, then said, “Or he could just go over there and say hi.”

  “That’s the best suggestion by far, but I’m not trying to ‘get busy’, whatever that even means,” I said. “River just saw me looking and got me to admit I think Alastair’s attractive. Somehow, that led to a crash course in how to repel a guy in two sentences or less.”

  Yoshi turned to me and said, “You know he keeps looking over here, right?”

  When I glanced over my shoulder at Alastair, we locked eyes and grinned at each other. He was gorgeous. He was also flawlessly pulled together, in a way that made me want to do something about it. I could just imagine how irresistible he’d look with tousled morning-after hair.

  Alastair colored slightly, as if he could read my mind, before leaning in and saying something to Rollie. I turned back to my new friends and said, “We’re probably freaking him out with all our staring.”

  “That look wasn’t freaked out, it was ‘do me now, big boy!’ I don’t get why you’re still sitting here,” River said.

  “I’ll talk to him later, when I don’t have an audience,” I muttered. “It’s hard enough without worrying about you guys evaluating my performance.”

  River considered that for a beat, then leaned back in his chair. “That’s a good call, actually. I would have recorded it on my phone, then come back at you with charts, diagrams, and an instant replay. Just out of love, you understand. I’m here to help, bro.”

  He flashed me a smile, and I asked, “How many beers have you had?”

  “All of them.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  Darwin glanced at Yoshi and asked, “Not to like, change the subject, but is it okay if I look at your tattoo?”

  “Yeah, of course.” Yoshi held out his left arm, which was sleeved with an exquisitely rendered cityscape. Entire stories played out in that intricate grid, tiny people interacting amid the cars and buildings.

  The teen gingerly took hold of his wrist and studied the tattoo as he said, “This is incredible. Who did it?”

  “Thanks. I did,” Yoshi said. “I own a tattoo studio in Dubose Triangle. It’s called Artifact.”

  “Oh my God, you’re Yoshiro Miyazaki!” Darwin’s eyes went wide.

  That made River chuckle. “Your first fanboy, Yosh. It’s a big moment!”

  His friend fought back a grin and tried to look haughty as he informed River, “Not the first, thank you very much.”

  “I’ve seen your work in national magazines,” Darwin said. “I also remember when you opened a second studio near my parents’ house a couple years ago, but it shut down after six months. I never understood that, because you’re the greatest tattoo artist in the city!”

  “Thanks for saying that,” Yoshi said. “The second location was just a bad business decision. My studio got busy when somebody famous wore one of my T-shirts in an interview, so I thought I should expand. But in typical San Francisco style, one week you’re trendy, the next you’re old news. At least the original location’s still keeping its head above water, thank God.”

  “Someday, when I can afford it, I plan to come to you for my first tattoo,” Darwin said. When he realized he was still grasping Yoshi’s wrist, he let go quickly and muttered, “Sorry. Awkward much?” He turned to River and said, “I wasn’t hitting on your boyfriend or anything, I swear. I just forgot I was holding on to him.” The kid looked mortified. His hair was short in back and on the sides with a long section at the front, and that part fell forward like a curtain and gave him something to hide behind when he tilted his head down.

  “Oh no, he’s not my boyfriend,” River said. “Ol’ Yosh here is in love with a rock star, so all I can do is yearn for him.” He flashed his friend a toothy smile.

  Yoshi said, “I’m hardly in love with him.”

  River pretended to cough and slipped in the word, “Bullshit.”

  “A rock star? For real?” Darwin swung his hair out of his wide, multicolored eyes. “Is it someone I’ve heard of?”

  “I occasionally go out with the lead singer of Mayday, but it’s nothing serious,” Yoshi admitted, frowning just a little. “He’s on the road about fifty weeks a year. In fact, right now, he’s in Amsterdam. We just get together when we can.”

  Darwin exclaimed, “Oh my God, you’re talking about Gale Goodwin! He’s so hot, and I love Mayday! Whenever I get depressed, I put their first album on repeat and it always makes me feel better. I’m surprised I didn’t know he was gay.”

  “Bi, actually. That’s not a secret, but he doesn’t advertise it, either.” Yoshi pulled a silver case from the pocket of his black jeans and handed Darwin a business card. “If you’re serious about wanting a tattoo, come by sometime. I could use a hand around the studio, so maybe we can work out a trade.”

  “Thanks, I will!” Darwin looked delighted.

  “Can I have one of those?” I asked. “There’s something I need to get done, the sooner the better.”

  Yoshi handed me a card and said, “I had a cancellation a little while ago, so if you’re in a hurry, there’s a spot open on Tuesday at one. That’s the only hole in my schedule for the next two weeks, although you’re probably working then.”

  “Actually, that’s perfect. Thanks. My construction job just ended, so I’ll be there.” I glanced at the sleek, black business card before slipping it in my pocket and decided its modern design suited Yoshi. He was effortlessly sophisticated, from his precise haircut, which accentuated his handsome features, to the fitted black T-shirt and jeans that somehow seemed upscale on him. Even his all-black, almost architectural tattoo matched his aesthetic. Yoshiro Miyazaki was a class act, no doubt about it, and I figured his tattoo studio would be the same.

  “Great.” Yoshi got up and said, “I’m going to refill my drink, you guys want anything?” When we declined, he headed to the kitchen.

  Darwin watched him go, then murmured, “I said something wrong, didn’t I? He seemed sad all of a sudden, even though he tried to hide it.”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” River told him. “He misses his rock star, even though my friend refuses to admit how much that guy means to him. It sucks too, because Yosh basically gets treated like a booty call, and he deserves so much better.”

  Darwin mulled that over, then asked River, “Do you really yearn for him?”

  “Nah. Yosh is a great guy, but I’m not looking for a relationship.”

  “Why not?”

  “My last one totally imploded, and I guess I’m still shell-shocked. The fact that I’m staring at my ex right now and it feels like a knife in my chest tells me I’m in no way ready for whatever comes next,” River said. “Besides, even if I was interested in Yosh, he’ll never get over that rock star. I can just see him ten years from now, still waiting around for Goodwin to call him.”

  Darwin and I both followed River’s line of sight and spot
ted his ex-boyfriend chatting with the DJ across the room. Cole was a slender guy of about twenty-five with a beautiful skin tone and wild, tightly curled hair, thanks to his half-African-American, half-Jewish ancestry. I’d noticed Cole glancing at River several times during the last couple hours, so clearly there was some unfinished business between them.

  The song ended, and the DJ announced he was taking a break. He and Cole disappeared into the crowd as Kai and Jessie joined us in front of the fireplace. Murphy and I slid over to make room for them on the couch, and I handed my best friend the beer I was holding, since Kai looked overheated. He thanked me and took a drink before passing it to his husband. When I glanced over my shoulder and saw that Alastair and his friend had disappeared, I felt a little disappointed.

  “So, what are we talking about?” Kai asked, resting his ankle on his knee and draping an arm over Jessie’s shoulders. The two were physical opposites and just beautiful together. Kai was a tall, muscular Native Hawaiian with dark hair and eyes, and Jessie was a blue-eyed blond with a slight build, who looked younger than his husband, even though they were both twenty-five. The adoration on their very different faces when they glanced at each other was identical, though.

  “We were trying to get your buddy Sawyer to go talk to a cute guy he had his eye on,” River said, “but as you can see, his fine ass is still glued to that couch.”

  Kai sat up a bit. “Sawyer’s interested in someone? Who?”

  “Alastair.” Murphy asked, “Do you know him?”

  “Jess and I both do. The three of us used to be in the same street racing club.” Kai turned to me and said, “This is great news. I’ve been saying you need to get back out there after—”

  I interrupted him with, “He who shall not be named.”

  “Exactly,” Kai said. “Want me to introduce you to Alastair? You’ll like him, he’s a great guy.”

  “Why does everyone think I need help with my love life?”

  “I don’t think that,” Kai told me. “I just know you’re probably a little gun-shy after your last relationship. I mean, it ended months ago, and you still seem so shut down. I’m worried about you.”