Page 53 of The King of Halloween
“What are you…?”
“Oh.” Raj buttoned up his jacket. “I’m not missing this for the world.”
?CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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“HAPPY HALLOWEEN!” ADAM cried out from atop his macabre throne. The kids gathered around his feet weren’t put off by the skulls or smoke dribbling from their eye sockets. They’d push closer every time he’d toss back his head and give a bone-quaking cackle.
Raj hadn’t planned on spending the night standing outside a ring of sticky children watching his date triumphantly hand out bags advertising a local dentist. Though the way Adam would somehow crick his spine like his whole body was about to snap in half certainly piqued his interest. Just how long could he hold that pose? What if cuffs were involved?
“Mr. Chowdery, I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.”
He didn’t even frown at the bungling of his name. “And miss all of this?”
One of the tykes pulled on Adam’s hand, nearly yanking his glove off. “Say it!” he screamed against the pumpkin’s skin.
Even at a distance, Raj could hear Adam’s exhausted sigh before he rose to his feet, extended his hands, and shouted, “This year, Christmas shall be ours!” The kids burst into applause or tears, depending on their age.
The mayor slid closer and nodded to the man on stage. “Any thoughts on making one of your own?”
“Oh, I’d never trespass on the sanctity of the Halloween crown,” Raj said. Adam gave a particularly thrilling spin to applause. The rotating pumpkin head paused, and the nostrils happened to focus on Raj for a beat before two kids lunged at the treat bags. Adam easily dodged aside, protecting them from thieves.
Whatever claims of awkwardness he’d made about his youth, it was clear he’d grown out of it. A tight, controlled body just on the verge of snapping…
“No.” The mayor laughed beside Raj, ripping him from his dirty fantasy. “Not the costume, the children.”
Raj’s stomach dropped.
Children? He thought that…
His head started to shake back and forth, his fingers twitching as he took in just how exuberant Adam was with the kids. Was he loving the attention, the drama, or the opportunity to be around children?
“Kids help to really bind you to a place. Settle down. We can’t be young and carefree forever.”
Damn it.Raj nervously picked at his sweater sleeve.What if he wants kids? What if he’s just waiting for the right guy to come along? Or if he’s going to go it all alone regardless?Dear god, that is not something I should be bringing up on the first date.Raj had yet to see his cock, and he wanted to ask, “So, where do you see your sperm in three to five years?”
The mayor slapped Raj on the shoulder, causing him to jerk in place. “Course, we have to get you a nice girl first. Have you met Sheila at the candle store?”
“Yes. No. Thank you,” Raj’s mouth sputtered while his brain kept replaying a loop of shouting, crying, doors slamming, and clothes hitting the sidewalk.
It’d started with random trips to the park. He’d thought it romantic, if a bit silly, not realizing he was being softened for the blow. Babysitting jobs for nieces and nephews had begun lasting overnight. He’d shared more videos of funny babies and children instead of cute animals. One day, it had all boiled over when he had turned to Raj and declared, “Let’s have a kid.”
Damn, I really like him.
“Sorry.” Adam lifted the box of goody bags, then spun it upside down. Giving it a shake, he said, “The King’s out of treats for the year.”
“That’s bullshit!” an older child yelled, only to be hushed by a parent.
“Take it up with the chamber of commerce,” Adam said. He tossed the empty box behind him toward the woman with the clipboard. Giving a final wave, he tried to climb off the dais supporting the throne by scaling down the scaffolding.
An egg whizzed right past his plastered orange head. It smashed into a light post, yellow goo dripping down the side.
“Playful scamps,” the mayor said with a laugh. He clapped his hands to get their attention, but the crowd was growing riled. They wanted their bag of free toothbrushes and coupons for an oil change. “That’s quite en—” A potato struck the car beside the mayor. “Who threw that?” He spun toward the kids who were quickly forming a blockade.
“Children!” Adam shouted. He’d leaped onto the base of the lamp post. With one hand clinging to the pole, he waved out into the crowd. “Happy Halloween!” Adam hurled something to the ground, and smoke gushed up around him. It blanketed the growing mob, cutting off their child-sized riot. Adam took the chance to escape.
Raj tried to wave the smoke away, but all he could see was a black silhouette dashing away down the street. It took him a good five minutes or so to find Adam—who’d hidden in a back alley with the clipboard woman standing lookout.
