Page 1 of Thunder Road

1

SIMON

“You look lost.” Simon glanced up as he unpacked from their honeymoon. Vic stood in the bedroom doorway of their blue bungalow.

Vic shook his head to clear his zoned-out expression and smiled. “Not lost. Just a little surprised.”

Simon tossed a shirt into the laundry basket. “About what?”

Vic shrugged. “I guess I thought being married would feel different somehow.”

Simon cocked his head and gave him a look. “What, like the ghost of Freddie Mercury would show up and sing ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’?”

Vic laughed. “Not exactly, although I wouldn’t turn down ‘We Will Rock You.’” He did the signature stomp rhythm and Simon chuckled.

Simon came around to Vic’s side of the bed. “Seriously—like what?”

Vic looked away, blushing. “Never mind. It’s silly.”

Simon touched Vic’s chin with his forefinger and lifted his face. “Not silly. Tell me.”

Vic sighed. “I honestly don’t know. More earth-shaking, somehow?”

“I thought we shook the earth pretty well last night,” Simon replied with a sexy tone that made Vic redden even more.

“Yes, we did. But I meant the everyday stuff feeling changed, I guess. And it’s just like normal—only with rings.”

Simon took Vic into his arms, enjoying the height difference of his husband being a few inches taller. “We’ve been living together for a while now. I think that was the big adjustment. Now we’re just us again, but with a spiffy certificate and some new jewelry. Didn’t even change names.”

“Kincaide-D’Amato or D’Amato-Kincaide doesn’t really fall trippingly off the tongue,” Vic replied.

“Dunno. You’ve got a very talented tongue.” Simon leaned in for a kiss, deepening it from a press of lips to demonstrate his point.

“I don’t know what I expected,” Vic said when they separated. “That’s why I said it was silly. It’s a big thing to be able to get married. And I loved our wedding and the reception and honeymoon. But I’m still me, and you’re still you, and we’re still us, if that makes any sense.”

Simon dove in for another quick kiss. “Yes, in a weird way. I think I know what you mean. And you’re right—we did the whole adjustment over what drawers to use and how to navigate sharing the bathroom and kitchen when you moved in. So while getting married was a big emotional and legal milestone, we had already done the adjusting.”

“It was all wonderful, and everything passed in a blur,” Vic replied. “The bachelor parties, the wedding, the honeymoon all absolutely perfect. But it was a whirlwind. Now we’re back to normal, and I’m trying to sync up, I guess.”

Simon laughed. “That’s as good a way to put it as any. Nothing’s changed—but everything changed.”

Their friends and families had given them the best bachelor parties Simon ever imagined, followed by the wedding of theirdreams. They honeymooned at a haunted castle in England, which was memorable for many reasons, both personal and paranormal. Now that they were home, the past few months seemed like a fantasy.

“I imagine it was a lot different back when people didn’t live together first and waited to have sex,” Vic added.

Simon snorted. “Yeah, like that was going to happen.”

“I’m just sayin’,” Vic protested with a naughty grin. “Theoretically.”

They had been living together for a while, realizing soon after they got together that this relationship wasn’t like anything either of them experienced before. The connection between them was electric, overcoming Vic’s hesitance about the supernatural and Simon’s initial skepticism regarding law enforcement. To Simon’s eye, that proved they were meant to be.

Simon owned Grand Strand Ghost Tours on the Myrtle Beach boardwalk, where he used his psychic abilities to provide readings and seances. His ghost tours were popular because he knew the history and lore around Myrtle Beach’s famous haunts and often got insights from the ghosts themselves.

All the paranormal “woo-woo” had been difficult for Vic to accept at first. He was a down-to-earth Pittsburgh homicide detective who had relocated to the shore. His job depended on facts and evidence, and it had taken a while for Vic to accept that Simon’s gifts were real.

Since then, Simon often worked as an official consulting expert for the Myrtle Beach Police Department. Simon and Vic, with his partner Ross Hamilton, had solved a notable number of cases and stopped human and supernatural threats. It had taken work to develop their professional partnership, but now both the work and off-duty sides of their lives were finally in sync.

“For the amount of time we spent naked, we sure have a lot of dirty laundry,” Simon observed, looking at the overflowing basket. “How did that happen?”

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