Push & Pull (The Midwest Series Book 2) Read online

  Push

  The avoidance of pain

  Pull

  The desire to achieve something

  Push & Pull

  The Midwest Series, Volume 2

  Brigham Vaughn

  Published by Two Peninsulas Press, 2018.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  PUSH & PULL

  First edition. October 24, 2018.

  Copyright © 2018 Brigham Vaughn.

  ISBN: 978-1386360285

  Written by Brigham Vaughn.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  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

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Looking for more from The Midwest Series? | Book three, Touch & Go will be available September 27, 2019!

  Want to be notified when the book is available? Follow me on Amazon or BookBub!

  Pride Publishing | (Totally Entwined Group)

  Two Peninsulas Press | (Independently Published)

  Off Topic Press | (Independently Published w/ K. Evan Coles)

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  Dedication

  “Push & Pull” has been a long time coming. I published “Bully & Exit”, the first book in the series, over three years ago. It was supposed to be a standalone book, but Lowell demanded that his story be told. I started to write it, but the end of my marriage made me set it aside for a while. When I picked it up again, Lowell refused to cooperate. I wrestled with it for several years and sent early parts to my beta readers for feedback, but it wasn’t until the end of this summer that I finally got Lowell and Brent to behave.

  I am thrilled and delighted to finally share their story with you.

  I have to send enormous thanks to my beta readers on this book who helped me work through the many, many versions this story took. All my love to Allison Hickman, Deidre Meyrick, Helena Stone, Tracey Shipp Kemple, and K. Evan Coles. I appreciate your patience and especially your help getting the sports parts right! I’d be lost without you. Also big thanks to Emilee Dee for a stellar job proofreading. And, as always, much love to Sally Hopkinson for being a wonderful editor. And huge thanks to Kathyrn Manzella an ARC reader who caught a last-minute timeline issue. I am so appreciative.

  Thank you also to my ARC readers and Tanja Ongkiehong for helping me with promotion. And, of course, thanks to my readers and fans. I couldn’t do this without you!

  Note: although loosely based on a real life game, the baseball scenes are not accurate to real life. The players’ names are made up and the details of the Cubs v. Royals game are fictional.

  Chapter One

  May 26, 2013 – Kalamazoo, Michigan

  Brent

  “Where the fuck are you, Nathan?” Brent Cameron muttered as he paced in front of his car. “We had a plan.”

  The plan had been for Brent to graduate, pack up his belongings, and follow his parents home to Zeeland—the small town along Lake Michigan where he grew up. He’d done that.

  He’d stayed there for three of the longest weeks of his life, being fussed over by his mother and simultaneously harassed and adored by his younger brother and sisters while his father beamed proudly at him for graduating with honors.

  But now that he was back in Kalamazoo with a car full of camping gear and a meticulously planned itinerary for two months of fun, his travel companion was nowhere in sight.

  Brent had texted Nathan about the trip a dozen times since graduation, and as far as he knew, nothing had changed. The lease on the apartment he shared with Nathan was up. If everything had gone according to plan, Nathan had moved his belongings to his mom’s house where she was storing them for the summer. And turned over the apartment keys to the management company a few days ago.

  So why the hell is he late?

  “Get your dick out of Caleb and show up, you fucker,” he grumbled. “We were supposed to be on the road twenty minutes ago.”

  Of course, he was happy his best friend had worked things out with Caleb, the guy he’d been in love with since high school. But Christ, they were supposed to be leaving now, and Nathan was nowhere to be found.

  Brent did feel guilty that their road trip would separate Nathan from his boyfriend for the better part of the summer but not enough to cancel the trip. Brent had been dreaming about this for years, and nothing was going to get in his way.

  A shiny black Porsche Panamera pulling into the lot drew his attention away for a moment. His gaze roamed appreciatively over the gleaming curves, but it wasn’t until it pulled up next to him that he noticed the driver inside. He blinked in surprise. Lowell? Brent frowned. What the hell is Caleb’s roommate doing here?

  The vague sense of unease that had been building in his stomach turned into full-fledged anxiety.

  “Is everything okay?” he blurted out as Lowell Prescott opened the car door and swung his feet out onto the pavement. “Did something happen with Nathan and Caleb?”

  Lowell looked up at him through thick dark lashes. “They’re fine.”

  Brent’s worry turned to annoyance. “What the fuck are you doing here then?”

  Lowell stood gracefully despite the length of his legs and the fact he was getting out of a low-slung sports car. As he crossed the few feet of space between them, Brent was surprised to realize they stood eye to eye. He’d remembered Lowell as being shorter than him. They’d met each other in a “rocks for jocks” geology class they’d taken together their freshman year. But other than a few brief conversations they’d had trying to get their respective roommates together, they hadn’t spent much time in each other’s company since.

  Huh.

  A moment later, another familiar car pulled into the lot. Brent let out a sigh of relief. Nathan. Finally. Maybe Lowell was just here to say goodbye or something. Weird, but whatever.

  “Dude. There you are. I was starting to wonder if you were bailing on me,” Brent joked as Nathan got out of the car, but it fell flat when he saw the expression on Nathan’s face. He looked guilty as fuck.

  Brent narrowed his eyes. “Nathan? What the hell is going on?”

  Nathan raked a hand through his dark curls. “Um, look, I’m not sure how to say this but ... I’m—I’m not going to be able to go on the trip, Brent.”

  “What the fuck?” Brent yelled. “You’re ditching me? Why?”

  Nathan looked miserable. “I’m sorry. I just can’t be gone from Caleb. Not after what we’ve been through. It’s going so well, and I don’t want to fuck it up now.”

  “Fuck you, man.” Brent felt sick to his stomach.

  “Caleb’s moving to Chicago in a couple of weeks. He’s got a temp job lined up until the assistant director position at the theater officially begins in August, and I’ve decided to go with him. We’re going to get a place together and everything.”

  “And I’
m just shit out of luck apparently,” Brent said bitterly. His dreams for having a fun-filled summer lay shattered on the pavement in front of him. Worst of all, he felt completely betrayed by his best friend. “How could you do this to me? Whatever happened to the bro code?”

  “I’m sorry, Brent. I feel really shitty about this,” Nathan said.

  “Well you should! You are the biggest jackass I’ve ever met. No, fuck that. That’s too good for you. You’re the lowest form of life on the planet, you asshole.” Brent’s anger continued to bubble up. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me after all we’ve been through as friends.”

  “Brent ...” Nathan sounded hurt, and a surge of pleasure went through him. Good. Maybe he’d made Nathan feel as shitty as Brent felt right now.

  “I’ve wanted to take this trip for years. I’ve spent a shitload of time planning it. You know very well I can’t afford to go on my own, and now I’m going to lose out on all of the stuff I’ve already paid for. It would totally serve you right if I sent you the fucking bill.”

  Nathan winced. “Wait; hear me out. I think I have the perfect solution.”

  “Yeah? Tell me your brilliant idea.”

  “Lowell.”

  Brent looked over at the guy in question, who offered him a cheery little wave. Brent saw red. “What the fuck kind of solution is that?”

  Lowell squared his shoulders and gave Brent a sunny smile. “No, it’ll be perfect. I’ll go in Nathan’s place. You won’t have to cancel the trip at all.”

  Brent stared blankly at him while the words slowly sunk in.

  “You’ve got to be shitting me! I don’t even know you,” Brent sputtered. Sure, he knew Lowell by reputation. And that reputation was as being one of the sluttiest twinks on campus. He was also widely known as a jersey chaser thanks to his obsession with hooking up with the few jocks who were out of the closet. And more who weren’t.

  Brent had never had an issue with Lowell in the past. In fact, he’d defended him to Micah Warner. Micah was a closeted baseball player Brent had been hooking up with last year who had always seemed to have it in for Lowell. His comments about Lowell had seemed nasty and unnecessarily cruel, so Brent had called him out on it.

  But spending an entire summer with a guy he didn’t know was an entirely different thing.

  Lowell shrugged and stepped forward, close enough to touch. “So? It seems like it’ll be the perfect way to get to know each other.”

  “And if I don’t want to get to know you?” Brent knew he sounded peevish, but he was too angry to care.

  Lowell’s laugh was light, and it tinkled like ice cubes in a glass. "Do you really mean to tell me you don't want to get to know me in all sorts of ways? I don't believe that. I’ve seen the way you look at me." Lowell reached out and dragged a finger across the black fabric of Brent’s T-shirt before circling his nipple. Brent flinched again, backing away, even as the skin tightened, and his nipple hardened to a pointy little nub.

  Flustered and irritated by the reaction, Brent pushed Lowell’s hand away and crossed his arms. "You're nuts if you think I'm taking you with me on this road trip."

  Lowell's lips curved upward in a playful smile. "Oh, sweetheart, that's what you think."

  The smile and words only served to make Brent angrier. He looked back at Nathan, feeling used. “Have you all just been cooking up this plan while I’ve been gone?”

  “We’ve been talking about it for a couple of weeks, yeah,” Nathan said softly. “Trying to figure out the best solution.”

  “What the FUCK? You couldn’t be bothered to mention this when we talked on the phone?”

  Nathan’s uneasy look deepened. “I thought it might be better if we discussed it in person.”

  “You could have fucking called me and said, ‘Hey, can we meet up? I need to talk about the trip with you.’ Don’t I at least get a say in what happens with the next two months of my life? Jesus, you guys are unbelievable.”

  Nathan opened his mouth but Lowell spoke first. “Look, Brent, I get that you’re pissed, but you don’t have a lot of options at the moment. Frankly, you’re between a rock and a hard place right now, and I’m your only solution. Either you cancel your trip and lose money, which sucks. Or you change your plans and go by yourself, which also sucks. Or you take me. I also suck, but in much more enjoyable ways.” Lowell winked.

  Brent gaped at him for a moment. Lowell stepped forward and put his finger under Brent's chin. "Unless you’re offering to do something useful with that gorgeous mouth, I suggest you close it."

  Brent's mouth snapped shut fast enough to rattle his teeth. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

  Lowell's eyes twinkled. "Well, there's this thing gay boys do, it's called—"

  "I know what sucking cock is," Brent yelled, confused and annoyed by the pretty twink with the big gray eyes who always made him feel off-kilter and out of control.

  "Good to know, sweets; good to know."

  “And make all the jokes you want, but this isn’t fucking funny. My whole summer is ruined.” Brent turned to Nathan. “And you. You’re a complete traitor. You’re right though. I have no choice but to put up with him.” He jerked a thumb to indicate Lowell. “So fuck you, Nathan. If you think I’m going to forgive you for saddling me with that cock-hungry twink for two months, you have another thing coming!”

  Nathan made a sound of protest. Brent scowled and held out his hand to Lowell, ignoring Nathan completely. “If I’m stuck with you, then we’re taking your car. And hand over the damn keys. I’m driving.”

  May 26, 2013 – Southwest Michigan

  Lowell

  Brent scowled and stomped harder on the accelerator, the twin-turbo V-8 engine of Lowell’s car roaring in response. His grip on the wheel was so tight his knuckles were white. Lowell winced. He was used to babying this car, and Brent wasn’t being particularly gentle with it.

  Lowell had underestimated Brent’s temper. They’d just passed Warren Dunes State Park as they traveled down Red Arrow Highway along Lake Michigan’s coast, and Brent was every bit as pissed as he’d been over an hour ago when he’d yelled at Nathan and called him “the lowest form of life on the planet.”

  Lowell hadn’t argued with Brent about taking his car since that had been part of his plan anyway. He’d been surprised by how much stuff Brent had packed though. Thank goodness it was a hatchback. He’d put down the seats and loaded the back with bags and totes. It was amazing he could see out the rearview mirror.

  Lowell had made sure Brent knew how to drive a stick before he handed over the keys though. There was no way he was going to let anyone drop the transmission on his eighty thousand dollar car. It was a barely-touched European show model he’d hunted down. It was the only way Lowell could even get his hands on a manual Panamera because the US version only came in automatic, and what fun was that?

  He’d hoped that driving the Porsche would put Brent in a better mood. He’d been wrong.

  Brent was pissed, no doubt about it, and Lowell’s guilt multiplied. He couldn't blame Brent for feeling set up. In a way, it was a set-up, albeit done with good intentions. When Nathan wavered about taking the trip, Lowell had stepped in. He’d assured Nathan it was the perfect solution.

  Lowell had done it for several reasons. The main one was because he was pretty sure two months apart would put a major strain on Nathan and Caleb's relationship. Possibly even break it. After what they'd already been through, why would they want to test the strength of their new relationship any further? Lowell knew how miserable Caleb was at the thought of being away from his boyfriend.

  Convincing Brent that Lowell going on this trip was a positive thing was proving to be more difficult than he’d planned. A lot more difficult. Lowell winced. Clearly, he should have listened to Nathan’s warnings about Brent’s temper and how he felt about this trip.

  What Lowell hadn’t admitted to Nathan was his second motivation. He’d been attracted to Brent since they were in the rocks for
jocks class their freshman year of college. And he’d only gotten hotter since.

  Lowell had the summer free, so why not? A road trip around Lake Michigan sounded like fun. Add in fucking around with the hot guy he’d been drooling over for years? Hell, yes.

  But now that he was stuck in a car with a pissed off Brent Cameron, he wondered if he’d made a very bad choice. Maybe he hadn’t thought this plan through thoroughly enough. He’d been so wrapped up in thoughts of hot, sweaty sex with a hockey player that he hadn’t considered what would happen if said hockey player didn’t want him at all.

  Then again, had anyone ever turned him down?

  Lowell contemplated the thought. No, his track record was pretty good. Once Lowell put his mind to it, he was rather irresistible. Of course, there was a fine line between being persistently flirtatious and just being creepy, and he was careful not to cross it.

  He had to be careful not to push too hard now though or he’d totally alienate Brent. Of course, the flip side was what would happen if Brent was interested and developed feelings for Lowell. Ugh. He had that happen before, and it was always awkward.

  No matter how yummy Brent was—and he hit all of Lowell’s buttons—a couple months of sex could easily turn messy. Lowell didn’t do messy. Or complicated. And he certainly didn’t do committed.

  The thought of spending two months with only one guy—even one who looked like Brent Cameron—gave him the willies.

  Lowell sighed.

  He glanced over at Brent, who was still glaring at the road. Shit. Apprehension curled in his stomach.

  He ran through various possibilities of how the summer could play out. Maybe it would work if Brent would agree to a casual hookup right from the get-go. There was no reason they couldn’t go off and find other people if they wanted. Hell, they could share. Lowell shivered at the idea of a threesome with Brent. Now that was a thought.

  It improved his mood considerably.

  “You cold?”

  Lowell’s head whipped around. “What?”

  “You shivered.” Brent’s voice was gruff. “I can turn down the air conditioning.”