by Sue Brown
“Excuse me.”
Keenan automatically started to get up as the young guy smiled at him, but then his smile faded at the man standing behind him. Nate looked as shocked to see him as Keenan was. “Nate,” he said flatly.
Great. He hadn’t been free, so Nate had just gone to the next name on his list.
“Keenan.”
The young guy—he was probably twenty at the most—stared curiously between them. “You two know each other.”
“We’ve met,” Nate said, but he didn’t introduce Keenan, and then other people were waiting to get along the row.
Keenan realized he was still in the way, so he pushed himself against the seats and let the man and Nate shuffle past him. Nate’s ass brushed Keenan’s groin, and of course, Keenan’s body reacted just to the briefest of touches. Thank God they were farther along the row and not sitting next to him. They were far enough away that Keenan couldn’t see or hear them, which was a relief. He didn’t think he could handle a couple of hours spent next to Nate making out with a new hookup. Not that Nate was liable to make out with the guy in public, but he bet under the cover of darkness there would be some hand holding.
The lights dimmed, and Keenan settled back and put on his 3-D glasses. He’d been wanting to see this movie for a long time, and he wasn’t going to let a sexy closeted cop distract him. So he took a mouthful of popcorn and a swig of soda and settled back to sink into the world of the Empire and rebel alliances. But as good as the movie was, his mind kept straying to the couple a few seats along. Had Nate wanted to invite him to the movies, or had they decided to come here once they hooked up?
By the time the movie ended, he’d missed most of the plot because he’d been lost in his own thoughts. As the final scene rolled, he knew he’d have to come and see it again just to have any idea of what happened. Keenan was annoyed at Nate for ruining his afternoon and annoyed at himself for letting a man he barely knew wreck his concentration. He made his escape as soon as possible, not even waiting until the final scene ended. And Keenan always waited until the last possible moment.
Back at home Keenan cracked open a beer and slumped down on his sofa to glower at the blank TV screen. Why was he putting himself through this? Nate was a free man. He was allowed to go out with whomever he wanted.
“You turned him down, remember? He didn’t have to spend the evening alone just because you weren’t free.”
Keenan still didn’t feel any better, even when he said it out loud. Christ, he was acting like such a teenager.
He shuffled into the kitchen to get another beer. It would be his last one, even though he wasn’t working until Sunday evening. He had Sunday lunch with his parents, and it wasn’t wise to face his mom with a hangover, not unless he wanted a lecture on how he would wreck his health and how he should come back home if he couldn’t control his drinking. She’d had an alcoholic uncle and had spent Keenan’s childhood impressing upon him and his siblings the evils of booze.
He’d just popped the cap when there was a thump at the door. It was probably one of his neighbors complaining about the way Keenan had parked again. There was nothing wrong with the way Keenan left his car. His neighbor just liked to complain. Seeing that most of the time they got on fine, Keenan let it slide.
“Hi, Mr. Reynolds, need me to move the car?” Keenan spoke before he’d opened the door. “Oh.” He stared at his visitor. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Nate shoved his hands in his jeans. “Got one of those for me?” He nodded at the bottle in Keenan’s hands. For a self-confident man, Nate looked uncertain.
“Are you on your own?” Keenan looked past Nate to the vehicle, but he couldn’t see cute blond guy.
Nate’s lips twitched. “Yeah, he had to go to work.”
“So you thought you’d try your luck with me?” That came out more harshly than Keenan had intended.
“No.” Nate sighed. “Ryan’s the son of a family friend back home. He doesn’t know many people in Brooklyn, so I promised I’d take him out occasionally. He’s a nice guy, if very young.”
“You look good together.” Keenan cursed himself for not biting that back. He sounded like a jealous ex, and the last thing he wanted Nate to think was that Keenan had feelings for him.
“You think so?” Nate cocked his head. “I think he’s a bit young for me. I prefer my men with more experience.” The last sentence drawled off Nate’s tongue, and Keenan couldn’t miss the implication. He shivered and knew Nate had caught it. “Anyway, his girlfriend wouldn’t approve.”
Keenan blinked several times. “He’s straight?”
“And engaged to be married to a girl back home who’d string him by his balls if he played away. I’ve known her since she was born, and that kid is scary.”
Okay, now Keenan was confused. “You know his fiancée?”
“She’s my niece. Lisa and Ryan are high school sweethearts.”
This was beyond Keenan. He took a long swallow of beer and caught Nate’s longing gaze at the bottle. He stepped back and gestured Nate to come in. “There’s more beer in the fridge.”
Nate leaned against the kitchen counter and took a long swallow of the beer Keenan offered him. “That’s good.”
“If you’re going to drink my beer that fast, you’re going to have to buy more,” Keenan said.
“I’m driving. This will do.”
Nate looked regretful, and Keenan wondered if he was waiting for Keenan to invite him to stay the night. He wasn’t going to. It didn’t matter that he’d received an explanation from Nate. Keenan had been hurt by the thought that Nate could just jump from him to someone else. He’d overreacted, and he needed time to think about that.
“Do you want to sit down?” Keenan asked.
“This is fine. My butt went numb watching the movie.”
At Nate’s unimpressed tone, Keenan asked, “Not your sort of movie?”
Nate shook his head. “I prefer thrillers, but Ryan wanted to see it.”
“I’m surprised you got tickets. It’s been sold out for weeks.”
“I… uh… bought the tickets for you. I knew you wanted to see it.” A slight blush crept across Nate’s cheeks.
He’d been on the point of taking a chug of beer, but Keenan paused and stared at him. “You bought the tickets for me?”
Nate shrugged. “Yeah. Is that so odd?”
Odd? Odd? Keenan found it unbelievable. “When did you buy the tickets?” It was suddenly really important for Keenan to know.
Nate hummed as he thought about it. “Two, three weeks ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nate had gotten tickets for them after only one hookup. He hadn’t known whether they’d still be talking to each other by then. Keenan refused to use the word together.
“I wanted to surprise you, but it slipped my mind. I only remembered late last night.” Nate looked embarrassed. He put the empty beer bottle down on the counter, wandered over to Keenan, and plucked the beer bottle out of Keenan’s unresisting grasp. “I’m sorry. When you said you were busy, I didn’t think about asking what you were doing.”
“I would have said yes to seeing you, but I bought a ticket as soon as they went on sale, and I really wanted to see the movie.”
Nate leaned against the counter and tugged Keenan between his thighs. “We should have talked to each other.”
“Yeah,” Keenan said wryly.
“I realize why you looked so pissed when you saw me with Ryan.”
“I didn’t. I wasn’t pissed.”
“Yeah, you were. Although it was Ryan who pointed it out. You know me, Mr. Oblivious. He asked me why the tall guy at the end glared daggers at me when we went past him. For a young, straight dude, he’s remarkably observant.”
Keenan didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, or feel acutely embarrassed. “Dammit. What did you say?”
“I told him you were a petty thief that I arrested last month.”
“What the hell?” Keenan yelp
ed.
Nate managed to keep his face bland for a few seconds before he smirked at Keenan’s horrified expression. “Gotcha.”
Now Keenan did scowl at him. He poked his index finger into Nate’s sternum and was glad when Nate winced. “Asshole. I’m not a thief.” He wished he were a thief and could steal Nate’s heart. Dear God, he was getting overly dramatic.
“I told him you were a good friend who was probably pissed at me for finding a new hookup.”
Keenan wanted to sigh. Friend was probably better than anonymous hookup. “Does he know you’re gay?”
“Yeah. It’s Lisa’s rule of thumb for her boyfriends. If they make a crack about her gay uncle, they’re done. Ryan shrugged and asked what kind of pizza we were getting after the movie. He doesn’t like pineapple on pizza.”
“Why would you put pineapple on pizza?”
Nate cupped Keenan’s jaw. “Is this a deal breaker?”
“What?” Keenan was confused.
“I like pineapple on pizza. Is it a deal breaker for you and me?”
Keenan’s heart leaped. You and me. That sounded definite. “I could learn to live with it. Do you like anchovies?”
Nate made a face. “Not if you want to kiss.”
Keenan smiled happily. “That’s okay. I hate anchovies. I do like garlic, though.”
“That’s okay. We’ll eat garlic together.”
Chapter 12
“GO HOME. Sleep. And don’t come back until Monday,” Dan ordered.
He shut the door on Keenan’s exhausted “Yes, sir.”
Bradley gave a weary laugh. “Don’t call him sir. He’ll expect us all to do it.”
“Fuck off,” Dan said through the door.
As Keenan walked away, he could hear Dan working his way through the locks. “There are a lot of locks on the door.”
Bradley was silent, and Keenan turned to him. Even in the dim light, he could see the conflicted look on Bradley’s face.
“Am I missing something?” Keenan tried to show by his tone that it didn’t matter if Bradley answered or not.
“Dan was attacked in the alley behind the bar. He won’t admit it, but he’s always worried about the two men coming back.”
“So he put all the locks on the doors?”
Bradley shook his head. “Gideon did. It was fine until Dan saw one of the guys. Then they both got freaked out.”
“I’m not surprised.”
They parted company at the intersection, and Keenan walked away, shoulders hunched against the chill of the early fall morning.
It occurred to Keenan that security was something he knew about. Gideon probably owned half a dozen security companies, but he was on site. He’d find a way to raise the subject with Dan when he got back to work.
As soon as he walked through the door, Keenan stripped off and took a long shower, reveling in the feel of the hot water as it sluiced down his back. He stayed in the shower until the water started to cool. Keenan had passed tired several days ago, and now he was at bone weary. He’d never spent so much time on his feet. He’d been offered as many hours as he liked, and so far he’d had to cancel all meetings with his family. But now he had Saturday, Sunday lunch with his family, and Monday morning free. He planned to spend most of it sitting down.
The doorbell rang just as Keenan stepped out. He frowned, not expecting anyone in the middle of the night. Keenan wrapped a towel around his waist without bothering to dry off and jogged down the stairs to the front door. He hoped he wasn’t answering the door to his elderly, church-going neighbor. She didn’t hide her disapproval of him, no matter how many plates of homemade oatmeal cookies he offered her. Perhaps she’d prefer chocolate.
“Who is it?” he called out.
“Nate.”
Nate? The first thing he’d done when he got his hours was call Nate to see if he was free for a hookup over the weekend, but Nate had been noncommittal and made no promises. Keenan had been a little offended at his lack of enthusiasm, but he told himself to get over it. Nate was at work. He didn’t have time to make dates.
Keenan flung open the door to find the detective with a six-pack, what smelled like Thai food, and a tired but happy face. “Dinner as well?”
“I should have brought breakfast, but I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner.”
“Come in.” Keenan stepped back, and the movement almost dislodged his towel. He clutched it hard. Nate’s smile grew even broader when he followed Keenan’s gesture.
“That’s a pretty sight.” He openly laughed as Keenan clutched his towel tighter.
“Come in,” Keenan urged, “before I give my neighbors a sight they don’t need to see.”
“They don’t know what they’re missing.” Nate chuckled again as he brushed past Keenan, who was very sure the touch had been more than deliberate.
Keenan shut the door with relief. He turned to find Nate openly ogling him as he leaned against the wall, takeout and beer now on the table. “You like what you see?” he asked somewhat tartly.
“Very much.” Nate’s voice was hoarse as his gaze swept over Keenan from the top of his wet hair to his feet, still peppered by water droplets.
Keenan was very aware he was barely covered by his towel, and one part of him was definitely waking up. “I’ll go get dressed.” He went to go past Nate, only to be grabbed by one arm and tugged up against Nate’s clad body. He gasped as Nate pressed his lips hard on Keenan’s. He was breathless and hard by the time Nate raised his head. Keenan licked his lips. “Mmm, hi.”
“Hi.” Nate brushed their lips together. “You taste wonderful. I couldn’t resist. Sorry about earlier. We were wrapping up a case, and I wasn’t sure I’d be free this weekend. I can go away if you’re busy.”
Like Keenan was going to let him go now.
“Shut up,” he said as he slipped one hand around Nate’s neck and shoved his groin into Nate’s. He had come to see Keenan. That was enough. Or maybe not enough, because Keenan wasn’t the only one who was getting aroused. As they were about the same height, Nate’s hardness rubbed deliciously with Keenan’s.
Nate kissed him again, settling back against the wall and pulling Keenan flush against him. Nate’s hands roamed over him, exploring his bare shoulders, and slid down Keenan’s sides and around to cup his towel-covered ass. He squeezed hard, and Keenan groaned into Nate’s mouth. Nate tasted of too much coffee and not enough breath mints, but that was okay. He felt Nate’s tiredness in his muscles and his hunger in his belly. Actual hunger. Nate’s stomach was rumbling fiercely.
Keenan stepped back to put space between them and held on to his towel. “You need to shower and eat.”
Nate’s eyes gleamed with wickedness. “I want to eat,” he agreed, and it was obvious he wasn’t thinking of Thai food.
“Shower, then takeout,” Keenan ordered.
“Shame,” Nate murmured. “I need the food. I think the last time I ate was last night.”
“Okay. You set the food out, and I’ll get dressed.”
“You can stay dressed like that, or if you don’t want to sit in a wet towel….” The gleam deepened.
“I don’t, which is why I’m going to put on pants.”
He heard a “Shame” as he ran up the stairs and then a piercing wolf whistle.
Keenan realized he’d probably given Nate a good view of his package as he ran up the stairs. “I may as well have dropped the damn towel,” he muttered. “It’s not like he hasn’t seen it before.”
By the time he was downstairs in old sweats and a T-shirt bearing the name of a band Keenan could barely remember, Nate had laid out the food and the beer was ready to drink. Keenan noticed it was one of the IPAs that was sold at Cowboys and Angels.
Keenan hummed in pleasure at the spicy aroma of the food. “This looks so good.”
Nate slurped a mouthful of hot sweet-and-sour soup. “It’s my favorite comfort food.”
“I usually break into the mac n cheese.”
“That w
orks too.”
They ate in comfortable silence, drank the beer, and watched a DVD that Keenan insisted was the best film ever. He couldn’t believe Nate had never seen it.
“Superhero movies aren’t really my thing,” Nate admitted. “If I get to a movie theater, it has explosions, but not guys in tights.”
Keenan sighed. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard this argument. “It’s not really a superhero movie.”
“It has a guy in a tight costume. It’s a superhero movie.”
Keenan opened his mouth to object, but as Nate had agreed to watch it, he decided it wasn’t worth the argument, especially when Nate slung an arm around Keenan and pulled him against his chest. He settled down to watch Ryan Reynolds do his thing.
“Time to wake up,” Nate whispered in Keenan’s ear.
Keenan groaned and cracked open one eye to see the movie credits rolling. “Oh God, did I fall asleep?”
“About five minutes into the movie.”
Keenan sat up and rubbed his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s seven o’clock in the morning.”
“I also told you this was the best movie ever made and people who slept through movies were idiots. I guess I’m an idiot.” He saw a wet patch on Nate’s shoulder. “I drooled too?”
“I can’t deny it. A little drooling was involved.” Nate was obviously doing his best not to laugh.
Keenan was mortified. “Sleeping and drooling. Great.”
“To be fair, it was the middle of the night, and I did ply you with beer.”
That was true.
“And I fell asleep about two minutes after you did,” Nate admitted. “And now I need to go home.”
“You can’t stay?”
Nate brushed a thumb over Keenan’s cheek. “I’ve got to get back to work.”
Keenan was reluctant to let Nate go. It was the best night he’d spent in a long time. Then he yawned and his jaw cracked. “I thought you’d wrapped a case.”
Nate’s grin was wry. “I have, but there’s always another one on my desk.”