Page 109 of Cross & Crown

Kelly was in many of them as well, and he and Nick had

always gravitated toward each other. Nick often wondered if

they’d just been completely blind to the attraction all those

years, or if the connection they shared went beyond romance

or attraction.

Nick stared at Kelly’s smiling face for a long time before

turning his attention back to JD, wondering at his intent

interest. “Are you . . . remembering something? You think you

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were in service somehow? We could run your prints again,

expand the search.”

A blush crept over JD’s face. “No. Me? God no. I mean,

you saw how I reacted when the gunfire started.”

“Well, ducking and covering is the smart move, so no

judgment on my part.”

They both laughed, albeit uncomfortably, and Nick ran

a hand over his chin as he scanned the photos again. “Your

accent is Tidewater,” he told JD. “Means you spent at least

most of your youth in Virginia, near the coast. That area is

naval base central. These pictures might be attracting you

because you were a Navy brat.”

JD shook his head. He hesitated for a moment, then

glanced at Nick and gave him an embarrassed smile. “I was

just looking at you.”

Nick’s eyebrows jumped, and he grinned crookedly.

“Well, we were all young and handsome at some point.”

When Nick glanced at the array of pictures, he could feel

JD’s eyes still on him. Nick met his gaze with a growing sense

of dread.

“I prefer you now,” JD whispered.

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