Chapter Two #3
Seth squinted and aimed his best Clint Eastwood glower at the man. “Are you a reporter?”
Arctic blue eyes widened, and he held up his palms. “No way, man. I’ve watched Forensic Files and Dateline hundreds of times, so you think murder is more common than it really is.
In truth, most of us will never know someone who’s been murdered.
I’m really sorry for your loss and my nosy questions. ”
Ah, a true-crime buff. That explained the man’s interest. Seth forced himself to relax. “Thank you.”
“You want another beer?” Kerry nodded to the man’s nearly empty mug.
“Nah. I’ve got a bit more driving to do before I stop for the night.”
Seth was going to make nice and ask about the guy’s destination when familiar laughter boomed from the casual section of the restaurant.
He looked at his cousin, whose villainous grin returned.
It took everything in Seth’s power not to crane his neck and search out the owner of that glorious laugh.
It had been nine months since it had bounced around his cabin bedroom, and he missed that almost as much as the warm skin, hot mouth, and greedy pucker he’d become addicted to in just three glorious nights.
Rueben. “The ETA on the food?” Seth prodded.
Kerry casually shrugged again. “It’s ready when it’s ready.”
“You talk to all the patrons like that?” Seth turned to the stranger and nodded toward his empty plate. “Is that what he told you when you ordered food? You’ll get it when you get it?”
His stool neighbor laughed. “Nope. I got a ‘coming right up.’”
Another round of laughter burst from across the room, but Seth separated one from the rest. This time, he couldn’t resist scanning the section for Rueben, and his greedy eyes found him easily enough.
He and Keegan huddled over something on their table.
They both held pencils and glanced at the television screen every few moments.
It finally registered that they were playing a round of trivia.
Kerry’s chuckle pulled Seth’s attention back to the annoying mountain of muscle in front of him.
“Shut up.”
Seth got a reprieve from that smug asshole when a patron on the other side of the bar waved Kerry over.
Don’t look. Don’t look. Seth searched for the grit that had sustained him during the meeting in Lyndhurst’s office, but it eluded him.
His gaze repeatedly veered into Rueben’s direction until the intensity must’ve lured his gaze Seth’s way.
One moment, he was looking down at his card on the table, and the next, they locked eyes.
Seth was too surprised to avert his gaze right away and knew he’d gotten caught.
He turned his head forward fast enough to wrench his neck and found Kerry standing in front of him again.
“Let’s go out back so I can wipe that cocky grin off your face,” Seth said.
Kerry quirked a brow and flexed an arm to show off his bulging biceps.
He’d always been taller and broader, which meant Seth had to develop other skills to triumph over Kerry.
He was faster and more calculating whenever he struck.
Seth usually applied the strategy to physical altercations, but matters of the heart could lay a man low quicker and harder than a fist could.
And Seth had to admit, at least to himself, that his heartstrings had gotten tangled up in Rueben Sanchez.
He was out of his depth, and his doofus cousin wasn’t any wiser.
Kerry’s motto was “You Can Tie Me Up but You’ll Never Tie Me Down.
” What insight could he possibly offer Seth?
It was clear that Kerry looked forward to sharing his pearls of wisdom with him as soon as they were alone.
“You’re too busy beating up yourself. Save your energy for a better use of your time.” Kerry darted a glance in Rueben’s direction just in case Seth didn’t get his message.
Loud and clear, buddy. He let his glower do the talking for him.
Besides, Seth knew Rueben had moved on, but Kerry didn’t.
He wasn’t exactly happy that Rueben had found someone else, but he cared enough to put Rue’s happiness first. Seth didn’t like how things went down in the prosecutor’s office and wanted to steal a moment to get some closure.
People bandied the word around a lot, but the concept was utter bullshit.
Still, he liked to keep things tidy and the air clean whenever he could.
Seth might not have Rueben for himself, but he didn’t want the guy harboring resentment toward him.
Opportunity presented itself when Rueben stood up and headed to the bathroom a few minutes later.
Seth waited until a patron down the bar diverted Kerry’s attention and slipped off his stool.
Enough time had passed, so it wouldn’t be obvious to casual observers that he was following Rueben.
There was a stockroom, an employee break room, and a broom closet on the left side of the hallway, and the bathrooms were on the right.
Rueben stepped into the corridor just as he reached the men’s restroom, colliding with Seth’s chest.
Rueben’s eyes widened, and an “oomph” whooshed from his parted lips.
He staggered back a step, and Seth reached for his hips to steady him.
Gone went Seth’s promise to keep his distance from Rueben.
The only thing on his mind in that moment was just how right their bodies fit together.
Rueben’s soulful brown eyes came in a close second, though the longing he saw there confused him.
He hadn’t imagined the affectionate gestures and glances between Rueben and Keegan in Lyndhurst’s office.
But in the dark hallway with Rueben’s warmth pressed against him, Seth struggled to remember his own name.
His mouth suddenly felt dry and gritty, like he was sucking sand in the Middle East again, but the only rat-a-tat-tat-tat came from his pounding heart, not a weapon.
Raucous laughter erupted in the dining room, piercing the intimate bubble they’d created in the hallway.
Seth dropped his hands and took a few steps back before someone saw them. “I’d hoped to talk to you.”
Rueben smiled slightly and closed the space between them again. Seth suddenly felt like the fly caught in a spider’s web. “Good. I want to talk to you too.”
Seth started to guide him toward the bathroom, but Rueben shook his head. “Is someone in there?”
“No. Someone blew it up in there. I could barely hold my breath long enough to piss.”
Rueben gestured to the end of the hallway, where an exit sign hung above a door. “Want to step outside for a few minutes?”
“The parking lot overflow is out there, and someone might see us.”
Rueben chuckled and shook his head. “I hadn’t planned to grab onto someone’s bumper and present my ass to you.” His words painted a vivid scene, and Seth barely held back a groan. “It’s not illegal for us to talk, Seth.”
“I know. It’s just that what I have to say is personal, and I don’t want to risk someone overhearing us.”
Rueben arched a brow. “Personal? I figured we’d said all there was to say.”
Not even close. Seth scanned the hallway again, and his gaze landed on the stockroom.
“In here.” He curled his fingers into fists to avoid doing something stupid like reaching for Rueben’s hand.
Seth opened the door and turned on the light.
The space wasn’t huge to start with, and rows of tall metal storage shelves lined both walls, leaving only a narrow aisle between them.
Seth shut the door and gave in to the urge to take Rue’s hand, guiding him past stacks of toilet paper, napkins, and nonperishable food items. They stopped by a section of table condiments toward the back of the room.
The aisle was barely big enough for one person, let alone two, and Seth ended up crowding Rueben against the metal shelving.
Body heat drew him in, or maybe Rueben gave Seth’s heartstrings a little tug.
Either way, it was nearly impossible not to react to the energy pulsing between them. “I want to apologize.”
Rueben’s gorgeous mouth curved into a wicked smile. “I can’t fault your style.”
Seth almost laughed and replied with a snappy comeback, but they didn’t have much time.
He went for a direct approach instead, though he didn’t step back to put distance between them.
How could he when Rueben smelled so damn delicious?
Seth tried not to be too obvious when he inhaled a little deeper on his next breath.
Mmmm. Sunshine and clean clothes. “And clear the air,” he added.
“I’m trying to decide if your growing erection is making things clearer or if it’s muddying the water,” Rueben said.
Seth’s exhale came out sounding more like a needy whimper than the heavy sigh he’d intended.
Rueben’s warm chuckle was such a small sound, but it rippled over him like a seductive caress.
Seth needed to take a step back, screw his head on right, and put things in proper perspective, but he settled his hands at Rueben’s hips and held on for dear life.
Being together was so wrong but felt so fucking right.
“Not that I’m complaining, but I’m getting mixed signals from you today,” Rueben said.
“You iced me out at the prosecutor’s office and wouldn’t even look at me.
And now, you’re a few heartbeats away from rubbing one out against me.
” Seth hadn’t moved his hips so much as an inch, but grinding against Rueben’s answering hard-on was the only thing on his mind.
“Use your words, Burke. I don’t have enough emotional spoons left in the drawer to guess where your head is.
” He raised his hand and caressed Seth’s jaw with two fingers.
“This one, I mean. The other head’s desires are pretty self-explanatory. ”