Page 48 of The King of Halloween
That thought caused Raj to move again. Slowly—listening to the steady breath of the man just past the bend—he worked his way toward Adam. “About the cellar, the um, the kiss and the, uh…”Fact I almost sucked you off.
“Careful,” Adam said, freezing Raj. “The corn has ears.”
He tried to laugh it off, but his heart pounded. Just past that turn was Adam. Without seeing those mercury eyes, or smelling his cologne, it was easy to talk to him. But if he faced him, he might lose all nerve.
“I don’t regret it. The…kiss. The water damage, however…”
Adam went quiet. In a voice barely louder than the creak of stalks, he said, “Neither do I.” He coughed and called out loudly, “But I won’t play second fiddle. I’m sorry.”
“Fiddle?” Raj was lost. He dug his hands into the corn and started to peer around the corner.
“Whateverthisis can’t happen.”
What?Pain clawed up his throat. His fingers crumbled, causing the stalks to snap back into place. Raj jerked his jaw back and forth, trying to find a way to speak without gasping.Turn back. Leave him in the corn. Forget any of this happened.
But as hard as he tried, he couldn’t stop a pathetic “Why?” from slipping out of his mouth.
For some reason, Adam sounded just as heartbroken. “It isn’t fair to your partner.”
“Partner? What partner?” Raj jerked around like a mythic boyfriend would suddenly appear on his arm.
“The blond, empty-headed one you keep around to look pretty and hopefully not make any decisions.”
“Logan?” Raj gasped. A laugh slipped past him at the idea. “Logan’s not my… He’s my business partner!”
Adam’s absolutely shocked, “What?” made Raj laugh even harder.
“I needed someone here to handle the demolition and construction on the hotel. He’s part owner, but. God, no. Logan is not my type.”
Adam thought that he and Logan were…? Raj wanted to laugh at the very idea, but the fact that Adam worried over it, maybe even felt jealous, lit a fire in Raj’s belly. He didn’t want to laugh in Adam’s face. No, he wanted to look into those silvery-blue eyes, watch them widen in shock as he gripped the nape of Adam’s neck, then kiss him hard enough to set the whole field ablaze.
“What is?” Adam’s sharp tongue became a soft voice pleading for an answer.
Smiling in anticipation of showing him, Raj leaped around the corner.
Corn greeted him.
No!
Raj hunted around for Adam, certain he must be around another bend. But through the stalks, he spotted the shadow pacing beside the corn. Damn it. They were separated by only a couple of feet, which could also be a mile.
Placing his palm to the corn, Raj poured out his heart. “Someone acerbic with a tongue as sharp as a razor. Who adores the macabre even in spring. Understands the importance of old cheesy movies. And it’d be nice if he has a hot, tight ass.”
There was no answer.
Raj took a deep breath, trying to find the words to just blurt out his question. “How about you?” The corn shook as another cold wind cut through the field. “What are you into?”
A crack like someone snapping bamboo yanked Raj’s head up. The dark shadow erupted through the cornstalks right toward him. Hands curled around Raj’s face before he had a chance to blink. The light shifted, and he gazed into this shadow’s sparkling blue eyes.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Adam asked. He pulled Raj closer until Adam’s nose glanced against his. For a tick, Adam’s lips lifted in a wicked smile. He breathed, “You.”
Under the autumn sun, in a field of broken corn, Adam kissed him. Without fear of imminent death, after the two of them apologized and begged for forgiveness—they touched. Raj had a vague notion of technique, lips soft and glistening but not wet. A tongue that teased without invading. But mostly he felt everything.
Every panicked heartbeat slowed to a calm joy.
Every held breath escaped as a rising pant.
“Adam…” he whispered, Raj’s lips forming the words over his.
