Page 25 of The Keeper

“You don’t—” Seth let out a lusty groan when Rueben swallowed his cock. “Fuck, baby.”

It was the sloppiest blow job he’d ever given, but Seth’s quaking legs and promises of retribution made it all worth it. Rueben had taken himself in hand and jerked off onto the floor, but he’d let Seth handle the cleanup after he left.

“Call me later,” Rueben said.

Seth pulled him close for one last kiss. “Looking forward to it.”

Reuben dragged himself away and headed to his truck. The cabin was pretty isolated from the nearest neighbor, but it sat closer to the access road than he would’ve liked. Maybe he should park around back next time. Rueben wouldn’t waste stamina trying to convince himself he wouldn’t return to the cabin, but he would use the energy to come up with a viable reason he was late for breakfast. He felt prepared when he breezed into the dining room like his tardiness was a weekly recurrence.

“Morning, everyone.” With his back to the room, he piled his plate with the scrumptious offerings from the buffet.

“Did you oversleep, Rue?” Keegan asked.

Could it really be that easy? Rueben plastered a smile on his face as he turned to face everyone in the dining room. “Kicking your asses at poker wore me out.” He took his seat beside Keegan and reached for the syrup. Rueben’s gaze collided with Cash’s, and his mentor watched him with a pensive expression. There was no one he respected more, and the ranch boss didn’t amass his fortune by falling for anyone’s bullshit. Rueben might reach a point where he had hard choices to make, and Cash’s watchful gaze said he was quickly approaching that crossroad.

Phaedra looked up and smiled when Seth stepped inside Lyndhurst’s office. “Good morning, Sheriff.”

The sunlight streaming through the front windows reflected off the plexiglass partition separating her from the lobby. Seth fought back a wince from the glare and tipped his hat in greeting. He angled his body to avoid burning his retinas and dug deep for his most charming smile. “I don’t have an appointment with Tony, but I was hoping to see him before he hit the ground running.” He’d seen the man pull into the parking lot in his pearly white Cadillac right before Seth came in.

“I’ll call back to Cynthia’s desk and see if he has room in his schedule.” She picked up her desk phone and dialed an extension while Seth resisted the urge to grind his teeth.

He’d never been a man who lauded his position over anyone, but he couldn’t say the same for Lyndhurst. They had both been elected by their constituents and sworn in as top officials for their branch of law. Where Seth had tried to be a man of the people and stayed assessable, Lyndhurst installed plexiglass and mechanically locked doors to separate himself from the public he served. One position didn’t outrank the other, and Lyndhurst seemed to forget they were working toward the same goal. Seth investigated the crimes, and Lyndhurst prosecuted them.

“She’s not answering her phone,” Phaedra said, interrupting an inner monologue that sounded suspiciously like the intro to Law & Order. “She’s probably going over Prosecutor Lyndhurst’s schedule with him.”

Seth stifled his annoyance and kept a professional tone. “Could you try his office? This is important, but please assure him I won’t take long.” Seth would remember this bullshit the next time Tony requested a meeting or showed up unannounced at the sheriff’s department.

Phaedra smiled timidly as she tried another extension. She dropped her gaze to the desk when someone picked up the other end. “Sorry to bother you, sir. Sheriff Burke is here to see you. He says it’s very important, but he won’t take much of your time.” Phaedra’s cheeks turned pink as she darted a glance in Seth’s direction. “I didn’t think it was my place to ask him, sir, but I can do so now.” Did that asshat expect Seth to divulge the nature of his visit like he was some rando off the street? Seth couldn’t make out what Lyndhurst said, but he must’ve declined her offer. Phaedra hung up the phone and plastered a bright smile on her face. “Cynthia will be out to get you in just a minute.”

Seth knew better and reluctantly claimed the seat he’d used during his last visit, but Rueben wasn’t there to give warmth to the sterile waiting room. He’d sat in doctor’s offices with more personality than this. Seth glanced at the selection of magazines on the coffee table and grumbled internally at the crappy offerings there. He grabbed the one closest to him, which featured a smiling redhead he didn’t recognize. She stood in a farmhouse kitchen with a few platters of food in front of her. It was probably a cooking or lifestyle magazine. Seth rarely thought about either of those things, but he needed to keep his brain occupied before it wandered to places best saved for when he was alone. He opened the magazine and scanned the table of contents for something remotely interesting. Seth found an article on how to make a room cabin cozy chic. He didn’t know what that meant, but it appealed more to him than the recipe section, though the photo of lemon blueberry French toast made his mouth water.

Seth hadn’t made any real upgrades to the cabin he inherited from his grandpa unless he considered the bed. That purchase had been more about necessity than design, even if he’d spent more time shopping for it than he had on his pickup truck. Even back then, a part of Seth’s brain had accepted what had taken nine months for the rest of him to acknowledge about his relationship with Rueben. It wasn’t over—far from it—and he might never want it to end. Twenty-four hours had barely passed since he kissed Rueben goodbye, and Seth was already scheming on when they could meet at the cabin again. These were the kinds of thoughts he needed to distract his brain from, so he flipped the magazine to the article to learn about cabin cozy chic. A tantalizing smell wafted out of the pages, and it made his heart stutter. He held the magazine closer to his face and inhaled. Something inside there smelled like Rueben.

Seth flipped the pages the other way to find what was putting out the scent. He came across an advertisement for fabric softener that included imagery of bath towels and T-shirts hanging on a clothesline to dry on a sunny day. He noticed a little scratch-and-sniff circle on the page where someone had already gone to town on it. Seth glanced at Phaedra to see if she was watching him, but she wasn’t at her desk. He inhaled discreetly and tried not to smile when the warm and fuzzies stirred in his gut. Sunshine and clean clothes. Seth’s grandma used to hang all her clothes, bedding, and towels on the line in the summer to save on electricity costs. He’d always loved that smell and associated it with happy childhood memories at her house, and now the combination reminded him of happy adult times with Rueben.

Cynthia called his name. He snapped his head up and fumbled the magazine like he’d been caught reading something inappropriate. Seth returned it to the table without sniffing it again and stood up. He’d been so distracted by thoughts of Rueben that he hadn’t heard the mechanical locks disengage or the door open. Seth pinned a sheepish grin on his face as he crossed the room. He’d known Cynthia since they were kids, and he didn’t worry about putting on airs around her.

“I found an article about the latest decorating craze. Cozy cabin chic,” he said as he fell into step with her. “I don’t know what chic is, but my fishing cabin could use an overhaul. Cozy sounds real nice.”

Cynthia smiled up at him, and Seth noticed the shadows under her eyes. “Chic usually means a few glamorous pieces thrown in to take a design up a notch. Think frilly pillows or glitzy finishes tucked in with basic pieces. It’s like combining sequins with corduroy. That combo would look really shitty on a person, but the contrast would be nice in a living space. I could come by and make some suggestions.”

Seth felt uneasy about the idea, though he didn’t know why. There’d never been anything romantic between them, but Rueben had gotten the impression they had an intimate history. Was that the reason he didn’t immediately accept her offer, or was it because he only wanted Rueben’s stamp on his private hideaway? “I’ll give some thought to the direction I want to go first,” he said. “Thank you.” Cynthia smiled, but it lacked the pizazz he was used to seeing from her. “You okay?”

She huffed a sigh and shook her head. “Everyone keeps asking that, and I’m getting a complex. God forbid I don’t feel like smiling around the office like a freaking Stepford wife.”

“I’m sorry. You’re just not your vivacious self.”

“The anniversary of Natalie’s death really hit me hard this year. I’ve obsessed about the last time we talked and how badly I want a do-over. I keep thinking about the things I said, but the words we left unspoken bother me the most.” Cynthia rubbed her hands up and down her arms like she was cold. “I just wished I’d been at the river that day, you know? And I would’ve been if my parents would’ve hired a babysitter for my little brother instead of devouring my summers with babysitting. Maybe she’d still be here picking fights with me over the dumbest things.”

Seth wondered if it would be a good time to tell her that the CBI was reinvestigating Natalie’s murder. Would that make her feel better or give her a false sense of hope? He decided not to say anything just yet. “I remember the time you both bought the same homecoming dress for your freshman dance. You fought like cats and dogs over who had to take their dress back.”

Cynthia snorted and slapped a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened like she’d committed a major crime against office etiquette. She recovered quickly enough and gave Seth the megawatt smile he associated with her. “That was the worst fight we’d ever had.”

“Worse than the time she made the cheer squad and you didn’t?”

“Oh, heavens, yes,” Cynthia said. “I really only tried out so we could be together. A double scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream got me over that disappointment.”

“Didn’t you both end up returning your dresses?” Seth asked.

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