The Haunting Crush (Mesa Boys #4)

Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

K ai watched Conner open the door to his apartment, then followed him inside. How should he start the conversation he’d waited five years to have? The drive over in his car had been quiet, too quiet.

Conner flicked on the lights and walked into the modern kitchen of sleek, dark wood cabinets, long nickel handles and white quartz countertops, and opened a stainless-steel refrigerator. He frowned. “Want a beer?”

“Yeah.” Bryce would be here soon. He had to start talking.

Conner handed him an opened bottle of beer. “Here.”

He took a sip. “Your graduation party.” Way to blurt it out. He flinched.

Conner snapped his brows together and opened his beer bottle. “Yeah.” He stepped past him. “Let’s sit on the couch.” He motioned to the main room.

Kai followed him past a round dinette in dark wood with green, upholstered chairs, to a tan, suede couch with a low, squarish back, sitting over a gray and cream shag rug. He sat down and set his beer on an oval coffee table made of white marble with iron legs. “So...” He lifted his brows.

Conner sat next to him. “I bet you think I’m a real asshole.” He released a breathy sigh and raked his hand through his bangs, then let them fall across his forehead. “Guess I was.” He drank a few gulps of beer and stared at his hand, resting in his lap.

Kai watched him closely. Was he going to get the truth out of him this time? “I didn’t know what to think, actually. I never really thought you were an asshole. I guess I thought maybe you decided to experiment with me because I’m gay.”

Conner’s shoulders shook with an exhale of breath and the corners of his mouth twitched. “It wasn’t an experiment, Kai. And it’s not now.”

“Then what was it? You do remember what happened, right?” His heart pounded in his ears. Finally, they were talking about this. He straightened his spine and lifted his brows.

Conner looked him over, wrinkling his forehead. “Of course, I remember. I remember it all the damn time. I can’t ever get it out of my head. Even after five years.”

Kai widened his eyes. “What?” His heart swelled with emotion. Could he have had feelings for him all this time? No way. That wasn’t a possibility. There had to be another explanation. He opened his mouth to speak.

Conner scowled. “Look, do you even like me at all?” He fixated on him, bowing his lips down, his eyes glassy.

Kai nodded. He had to be careful. He shouldn’t say too much. Not yet. “I-I do. Like you. I do.” So God damned much. He gnawed his lower lip and glanced at the large television hanging on the opposite wall, then focused on him. “I just need to know what this is.”

Conner crept closer and grasped Kai’s hand. “This is me wanting to start something with you. Not an experiment, not... whatever that was at my graduation party.” He wrinkled his brows and tensed his lips. “I liked you then, too.”

“But you were with Paige.” Kai’s gut wrenched. None of this made any sense. How was he supposed to react? It was too good to be true. He studied him .

Conner tightened his hold on his hand and looked into his eyes. “I’m not with Paige now. That’s over.”

Kai rocked once and took a deep breath, glancing at his beer resting on the marble tabletop. He had to put this into some sort of perspective that made sense. “S-so, you’re bisexual, or you’re just gay for me?” He focused on him.

Conner pressed his lips together. “I like you. I want to be with you. That’s what I know.”

Under his breath, he said, “Gay for me...” Was that even a real thing? He stared at his hand, still tucked inside Conner’s. Fear rippled through him. What was he supposed to do with that? He gulped hard. “Okay.”

Conner growled, then stood up and paced to a sliding glass door with a set of vertical blinds half shuttered across it. He rubbed his eyes. “Look, Kai.” He twisted around. “If you don’t want to be with me, I get it. I-I guess I’ll uh, back off.” He wrinkled his brows and frowned, his eyes glistening.

Kai hung his mouth open. What am I doing? Conner fucking Mitchell wants to start something with me and I’m saying no? The fuck is wrong with me? He stood up, then walked to him. “No, Conner, I do want this. I want to try, you know, starting something with you.”

Conner wound his arms around Kai for a tight embrace, nuzzling his face in his neck. In a choked whisper, he said. “Kai...” He sniffled and released him enough to peer into his face, then placed a long, passionate kiss on his lips.

Kai kissed back with equal intensity and wrapped his arms low on his back, drawing their hips together, his cock hardening. This was so good. Way better than anything his imagination had come up with over the years. A chime rang out from his back pocket. Damn it. He broke the kiss. “Shit, Bryce.” He pulled his phone out of his back pocket.

Conner took in heavy breaths. “Too bad we couldn’t get rid of him. ”

Kai flashed his eyes at him. “That’s not nice.” But he was right. He held the phone up to his face.

Bryce

I’m here.

Kai

Come up to the third floor. We’ll meet you.

Conner peered into Kai’s phone. “Guess we’ll have to talk more later.” He hugged him into his side and kissed his head, then walked to the door and opened it.

Kai’s breath caught in his throat. This was going to take some getting used to. What would Bryce think about it? He followed him out the door and to the top of the stairs, then looked down.

Bryce’s mop of dark hair came into view on the stairs, his footsteps clomping on each cement step, a brown bottle of bourbon swinging in his hand. As he came to the top, he stopped and looked Kai and Conner over. “Okay, what’s up with you two?”

Kai stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and curled one side of his mouth. “Uh, nothing.”

“We’ve decided to start dating.” Conner gave Bryce a sly grin.

“The fuck?” Bryce focused on Kai. “Is he serious?” He pointed at Conner.

He wrapped an arm around Kai’s shoulders. “I’m very serious.”

Kai glanced at Conner, and heat rushed his face, then he dropped his gaze to the cement floor, his heart still pounding as if he were sprinting. Maybe he’d wake up tomorrow and find out this whole thing was a dream. “Yeah.”

Bryce spread a wide smile over his face. “Guess we’ve got some celebrating to do.” He slapped Kai’s shoulder and waltzed into the apartment. “About fucking time, Kai.”

Conner watched Bryce and smirked, then tightened his hold on his shoulders. “Sounds like maybe he knows something I don’t.”

“Shut up.” He knows a hell of lot that you don’t. He broke free from Conner’s hold and followed Bryce into the apartment.

Bryce went through cabinets in the kitchen. “A-ha.” He took a few low-ball glasses out and set them on the white quartz counter, then opened the bourbon and poured some into each glass.

Kai, with Conner following, stepped into the kitchen, and picked up a glass. A little bourbon would be just what he needed right about now. Bryce was a genius. Sometimes.

Bryce held a glass out to Conner. “Here you go.”

He took the glass.

Bryce lifted his own glass high in the air. “To whatever the fuck is in our house. It finally got the two of you together.”

Kai sputtered. “What?” He stared at Bryce.

“Come on, Kai. I think the cat’s out of the bag, now, isn’t it?” He sipped his bourbon.

“Uh...” Bryce has a very big God damned mouth. He flashed his eyes at Bryce. Conner didn’t need to know the extent of his feelings quite yet. He focused on Conner and heat rushed his face. What was he thinking about all this?

“I’ll drink to that.” Conner let a playful grin work over his mouth, then took a gulp of bourbon.

Kai drew his brows together, shook his head, and sipped his drink. Maybe he wouldn’t pick up on what Bryce was talking about.

Conner grabbed Kai’s hand. “Let’s go sit on the balcony with our drinks and talk.” He led him through the main room and out the sliding glass doors to a balcony enclosed in a red metal railing, overlooking Fountain Lake and the surrounding park. The fountain sprayed up high, sparkling in the moonlight in front of the shadows of the far-off, jagged peaks of the Superstition mountains. He sat at a resin wicker outdoor couch with green cushions and tugged Kai down to sit beside him .

Bryce set the bottle of bourbon on a glass and resin wicker coffee table and took a seat in a matching chair, then scanned the view. “Damn, Conner, this is a nice place.”

He smiled. “Yeah, I like it here. It’s peaceful.”

Peaceful and expensive. A chill worked up Kai’s back and he shivered.

“You cold?” Conner brushed his hand up and down his back.

“Yeah, a bit.” This was so, so, weird. Kai set his drink down on the coffee table, stealing a peek at Conner.

“Bryce, go grab some blankets from the bin over there.” Conner pointed to a wicker bin sitting in the far corner of the balcony.

“Sure.” Bryce stepped to the bin and pulled out a few brown blankets, then handed one to Kai. As he sat down on his chair, he threw a blanket over himself. “Brrr. Gets cold at night already.”

Kai tossed the blanket over himself.

“What about me?” Conner sniggered and pulled some of the blanket over him. “You’ll have to get closer.” He draped an arm over his shoulders.

This is really going to take some getting used to. Kai chewed his lip and shimmed close into his side.

Conner tucked the blanket in around them, then picked up his glass and handed it to him. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Kai sipped his drink, letting it warm his insides. Conner was being so attentive.

“So, what do you really think is going on, Conner?” Bryce narrowed his eyes. “I mean, just because we didn’t see animals doesn’t mean there aren’t any, right?”

He shook his head. “No, I think that’s exactly what that means.” He wrinkled his brows and glanced at Kai. “You going to be all right talking about this now?”

“I guess so.” Goosebumps broke out over his skin. Could it really be his dead father coming to visit him? No, that didn’t make any sense. “I mean, we have to talk about it.” He frowned at Conner .

“Okay, I’ll be straight then. I think you have a poltergeist in your house.” Conner sipped his drink. “A poltergeist is just an active ghost that has the ability to move objects.”

“Jesus. That’s kind of scary.” Bryce pinched his lips. “Is there a way to get rid of it?” He took a gulp of bourbon.

“I think so. First, I think we need to make contact. Some of the guys I work with are into paranormal investigating, and they have the equipment. We can set up an investigation and see if we can figure what or who this thing is.” Conner watched Kai.

Kai widened his eyes and his mouth went dry, fear spiraling up his back. He knew what this thing was. His Shinálí would never lie to him about something like that. “Chindi.” He gulped his bourbon.

“Why do you keep saying that word?” Conner brought his head closer to Kai’s.

He gazed deeply into Conner’s blue eyes. “It’s what my grandmother called them when I lived on the Navajo Nation. She said it is everything bad about a person that’s left behind after they die, and it becomes a spirit.”

Conner lowered his brows. “You actually lived on the Navajo Nation? You mean up at Four Corners?”

“Yeah.” He studied Conner. What would he think about that? It wasn’t something he told everyone about.

Bryce chuckled. “You got yourself a real native, there, Conner.”

“Shut up, Bryce.” His jokes about his ancestry were not funny right now. He flashed his eyes at him and focused on Conner.

Conner toyed with the shoulder of Kai’s t-shirt. “So, when you said you were blamed for your father’s death, were you also told that his chindi was going to get you?”

Kai burst out a nervous chuckle. “No, no. I put that one together myself.” He shook his head. Stupid. He was going to look like a superstitious idiot.

“No wonder you freaked out.” Bryce sniggered .

Kai released a long exhale and glared at Bryce. He didn’t need to be reminded of what a pussy he’d been. “Let’s focus on how to get rid of this thing.” As a chill worked its way up his spine, he snuggled into Conner’s side. It was nice, having him this close. Maybe he’d get used to it quicker than he thought.

Conner tightened his hold on his shoulders, a faint grin creeping over his lips. “So, you’ve lived in this place for a long time already, and nothing happened until recently, right?”

“Yeah.” Bryce stared off in the distance and sipped his bourbon. “The timing is a bit odd. I mean, why would it show up now?”

“Who knows. We did have that nasty last monsoon right before we noticed it the first time.” Kai widened his eyes at Bryce. A chindi might come after the resting place was disturbed. “Do you think the storm could have upset something in the wash? I mean, they were all flooded.” He gulped down the rest of his drink.

Conner grabbed his empty glass, then picked up the bourbon bottle and refilled it. “I think you need this more than any of us.”

Kai let a dim smile quirk his lips. “Thanks.” He drank some down. “So according to what I was told, if you disturb the resting site or bones or things of the dead, then their chindi can want to seek revenge.” He glanced at Bryce, then focused on Conner. What the hell was he thinking about all of this?

Conner narrowed his eyes and nodded his head. “So, and water is said to be a conduit for spirits, which is probably why the wash is haunted in the first place.”

“How do you know all this stuff?” Bryce turned to Conner.

He shrugged. “I hear a lot of stories from the guys I work with. It’s interesting.”

Kai drank a gulp of bourbon, the liquor now creating a pleasant buzzing in his head. He gazed at Conner and grinned. We are together. He likes me. If this was all just a dream, he didn’t want to wake up .

Conner squeezed his shoulders with a smirk playing on his lips. “What are you thinking about? It doesn’t look like ghosts.”

Kai blinked at the glass coffee table. “Never you mind.” No way could he tell him, and especially with Bryce here. He widened the grin and kicked at the table with his sneaker.

Bryce stood up from the chair and yawned, stretching his arms over his head. “Okay. I’m tired. What are the sleeping arrangements tonight?” He dropped his arms.

“There’s a queen-sized bed in the guest room right in there.” Conner pointed to a French door at the far end of the balcony.

“Great.” Bryce went to the sliding glass door, opened it, then winked at Kai and disappeared into the apartment.

What was that about? He gulped down more bourbon. “I suppose we should finish up and go to bed. I can sleep with Bryce.”

“The hell you will.” Conner puffed a breath. “You’ll sleep with me.”

“Do you really think that’s appropriate? I mean, we just started dating.” He giggled and hiccupped. Damn, the bourbon was getting to him. He swirled the liquid in the glass and drank the rest down, then set the glass on the table. Shit, I could have sex with Conner tonight. He widened his eyes and stared at Conner.

He furrowed his brows. “You’re not sleeping with Bryce. You kissed him. I’m not letting you sleep with him.”

Kai erupted in a sharp laugh. Why would he say something like that? “Jesus, it was a million years ago, and we live together. If I were going to do something with Bryce, I would have already.”

Conner frowned and twisted the blanket between his fingers. “You’re sleeping with me. If you don’t want me to touch you, I won’t.”

But he did want him to touch him, and damn, did he want to touch Conner. Every tiny speck of him. Was he ready for all his fantasies to come to life? He let his smile fade and brushed the hair from Conner’s forehead. “I-I don’t know what to do. I’ve honestly never been in this situation.”

“I thought you’d dated guys.” Conner lifted his brows and shifted to face him.

“Uh, well, I really just sort of hook up with guys at the bar.” This was really awkward. As heat flushed his face, he bit his lip.

Conner spread a coy grin over his mouth. “Let’s just go to bed and talk.”

He chuckled. Yeah right. “Okay.”

Conner stood from the couch, grasped his hand and pulled him up, then led him through the main room, past the dinette and into his bedroom, flicking off the lights along the way. As he stepped to the other side of the bed, he shimmied his gray polo over his head and tossed it to the floor. With a smirk, he unfastened his jeans and shoved them down his legs, then toed out of his shoes and stepped out of the jeans.

Kai took Conner in from head to toe, the muscled chest and shoulders, the toned abs, the hard cock jutting out of his boxer briefs, his thick thigh muscles. Damn, he’s already hard. Lust flickered up his spine. Heat filled his groin and his cock jerked. He licked his lips, and his breath grew heavy.

Conner threw the duvet down and climbed over crisp, white sheets to lie on his back. He lifted his arms and tucked his hands behind his head with a coy smile. “Coming?”

Under his breath, Kai said, “Not yet.” He released a soft snicker.

“What?”

“Nothing.” Kai undressed down to his boxer briefs and slid into the bed beside Conner on his side, facing him. He slipped his hand under a pillow and in a teasing tone, he asked, “So, what did you want to talk about?”

Conner rolled to his side. “Tell me who you have that crush on.” He brushed his fingers down Kai’s rib cage and hip with a light touch.

His cock twitched and he bit back a moan. God, that was good. He took a deep breath. “Come on, what else do you want to talk about?”

“That’s all I want to talk about. I don’t want you having a crush on anyone but me.” Conner caressed down Kai’s hips, then skimmed his fingers over Kai’s solid shaft.

His breath caught and he swallowed. “Um...” He could barely think. Should he just come out with it? No, he couldn’t admit something like that yet.

Conner’s eyes hooded and he parted his lips. Heavy breaths escaped his chest. He stroked Kai’s side, over his hips, up his rib cage and circled his shoulder. He bit his lower lip, then released it. “Kai, just tell me. Please.” He placed his hand between his thighs and rocked his hips forward, releasing a soft moan.

This is too much . How was he supposed to watch this and not give in? His cock ached with need. “It’s you. I have a crush on you.” He dropped his mouth open. Shit.

A grin flashed over Conner’s lips, then he licked them. “God, I’m so fucking hot for you right now.” He pressed on his own swollen cock, pre-cum seeping through his boxer briefs at the tip. He rocked his shaft into the palm of his hand.

“I’m, I’m, yeah, me too.” A pulse of desire shivered up his spine and twitched his cock. What should he do? This was Conner he was in bed with. Not some guy from the bar. He had to be careful. He gulped hard. “C-Conner?”

“Can I kiss you, Kai?” Conner raked his teeth over his lower lip and stroked his solid cock through his briefs.

“Um, yeah.”

Conner inched closer to him, set a hand on his cheek, and placed long, slow kisses over his mouth, each one more and more intense, tangling Kai’s tongue with his own. He slid his other hand up and down his own stiff cock, moaning into Kai’s mouth. Inside of a breath, he said, “I want to touch you, Kai.” He pressed hard between his legs, then groaned. “Can I?”

“Yeah.” Kai’s cock ached for attention. How he wanted to feel his touch. His skin burned with anticipation. He kissed Conner’s hot, wet mouth, devouring him with hungry kisses.

Conner brushed his hand up Kai’s shoulder, then down to his chest to tease his nipple.

His breath hitched. “Fuck.” His cock jolted, spilling a dab of pre-cum into his briefs. As his tongue laid claim to the inside of Conner’s mouth, he reached a tentative hand out to stroke his muscled chest. He yearned to touch all of it, to taste all of him. He kneaded at the firm flesh, then rubbed and pinched Conner’s nipple.

Conner’s body shuddered. He halted the motions of his hand over his own cock. He whimpered, then broke the kisses, panting. “Shit, you almost made me come.”

He swallowed, then licked his swollen lips. “R-really?” God, this was a thousand times better than his fantasies and a million times better than anything he’d ever had before.

Conner bit his lip and gazed at Kai with an intense craving in his eyes. “D-do you want to touch me more?”

Do I. “Yeah.” He slipped his hand down Conner’s side, then slid his briefs down his hip, exposing his weeping cock. He wrapped his fingers around it. It was thick, and the skin was soft. He rubbed his thumb over the slit, swiping pre-cum over the top.

Conner shut his eyes, gasped, and tensed his mouth. “I’m so fucking close right now.”

He studied Conner. What should he do? “D-do you want me to make you come now?”

Conner opened his eyes. “No.” He moved Kai’s hand around to his back and brought their hips close, then placed heated kisses over Kai’s mouth, moaning and rocking his hard cock against Kai’s hip.

Kai thrust against his thigh, wrapping his leg around Conner’s. Sensitivity built in his aching shaft. He clutched at Conner’s back, yearning to touch every inch of his skin. He groaned into his mouth, kissing with intensity, years of fantasy on display in every second.

Conner broke the kisses to lick and nibble a trail down Kai’s neck, then to his nipple. He sucked and swirled it with his tongue, teasing it into a hard nub.

“Oh, fuck.” As a pulse shivered through Kai’s body, he flung his head back. He bucked his swollen cock into Conner’s hip, desperate for contact.

Conner licked and kissed down Kai’s stomach, then stopped and looked up. “Can I suck you off, Kai?”

“Hell yes.” As a shiver worked its way over his skin, he bit his lip. Conner was going to suck him off. Conner! A shudder of need rolled over him. He fought to steady himself. He wanted this to last.

Conner pulled Kai’s briefs down and devoured his cockhead, sucking and swirling it with his tongue. He dove in, taking Kai’s cock all the way to his throat, licking up and sucking down, releasing greedy moans.

Kai clenched his teeth, holding in release. He didn’t want to come yet, but damn, Conner was making it hard. Wet heat enveloped his cock, bringing a surge of delicious pleasure quivering over him. His balls grew heavy and tightened. He slapped his hand to Conner’s head. “C-Conner, I’m, I’m going to come.” His toes curled. As he shut his eyes, he freed a muffled cry. He spilled over the edge, letting waves of intense sensation jolt through his body, spurting his cum into Conner’s lapping mouth.

Conner sucked until Kai was spent, then slid his mouth off with a pop. His voice trembling, he said, “C-can you do it to me?”

Could he? Hell yes. Kai drew deep breaths, steadying himself, and lifted a corner of his mouth. This was definitely like a dream come true. A wet dream. He nodded, focusing on Conner, his face full of need .

Conner slipped his briefs off and rose up on his knees, bringing his weeping cock to Kai’s head.

Kai backed up onto the pillows, resting against the headboard of the bed, and took the hot cock between his lips. The bitter-sweet taste of Conner’s pre-cum slicked his tongue. God, he tastes good. He wrapped a hand around the base and pumped his stiff cock with his mouth.

Conner rocked his hips into Kai’s sucking mouth, releasing throaty groans. “Fuck, Kai, that’s good.” He tangled his hands in Kai’s hair, driving him harder, faster over his cock.

Kai took it in, licking and sucking, groaning over the swollen head, while fondling his sac.

Conner’s shaft hardened further and twitched. “I’m coming,” he rasped.

Kai sucked hard, and cum spurted over his tongue and down his throat. He looked up.

Conner’s face tensed. His head arced back and he erupted in sharp gasps.

As it slowed, Kai swallowed it all down, freed his spent cock, then licked the shaft one last time, not wanting to let it go. “Mhmm.”

“Fuck...” Conner shuddered, bit his lip, and slipped his fingers out of Kai’s hair, then sat with his legs tucked underneath him, gazing at him, grinning. “I’ve dreamt of that forever.”

Kai shook his head. “What are you talking about?” His hand brushed over his own cock. Damn, I’m getting hard again.

Conner leaned close to place a lingering kiss on his lips. “I don’t know. Something about you has always turned me on, I guess.”

“Come on.” He pursed his lips and focused on the wall of the bedroom. How was he supposed to believe that?

Conner placed his hand on his shoulder. “Kai, look at me.”

“No.” He drew his brows together and turned his head the other way. He must be one of those sweet talker guys. “Why are you saying things like that?” He frowned .

Conner grabbed his chin and brought them face to face. “I’ve always liked you. Even in high school. How many ways do I have to say it?”

He gazed deeply into Conner’s eyes. Was he fucking with him now? “Then why didn’t you say something? Why did you disappear for five years and why the fuck were you with Paige?”

“I was confused and stupid.” He slid his boxer briefs up and moved next to Kai, then draped an arm around his shoulders. “Just know that I’m not confused and hopefully not as stupid anymore.” He kissed his cheek. “Come on, lay down with me.”

Kai shimmied down into the bed and brought his boxer briefs up over his hips. What was going on here? He gnawed on his lower lip. Conner just gave me a damn good blowjob. He widened his eyes and glanced at him.

“Come here.” Conner laid on his back and patted his chest, his arm stretched out.

Kai rolled to his side, one arm resting over Conner’s chest, his head on his shoulder. Wait. Has he given a blowjob before? It didn’t seem like he had any hesitation. He just did it. He furrowed his brows. Something wasn’t adding up.

Conner wrapped his arm around Kai and kissed his head, then flung the covers over them. “Am I really the one you have a crush on, or did you just tell me that?”

He hid his face in Conner’s neck. “Jesus, you figure it out.” He huffed, then smiled against Conner’s skin. Whatever was going on, it felt good to be here in his bed, in his arms. That much he knew. Maybe he could find out more in the morning when his head was clear. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, baby.” Conner snickered, kissed his head, then sighed.

He closed his eyes.