by Kim Fielding
Tom startled and then blushed, embarrassed that he’d spoken aloud and that he hadn’t noticed the man sitting next to him. The extremely handsome man with the Superman chin and smoldering amber eyes.
“Uh, sorry,” Tom mumbled. “I think airport terminals are hard on my sanity.”
The man grinned. “You’ve been stranded here awhile, huh?”
“Yep.”
“Are you heading for Cedar Rapids?” The man nodded his head in the general direction of the jetway entrance.
“Eventually, but not until the next flight. I was on standby for this one.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.”
Tom shrugged. “I’ll get home eventually.” It was sort of an inane conversation, but he didn’t want it to stop. Hell, he couldn’t even take his eyes off the guy—who didn’t seem to mind that he was staring.
“So you live in Cedar Rapids. Would you mind if I asked you some questions about the place? I’m moving there.”
Trying to ignore his irrational burst of joy, Tom said, “Sure. I’ll be glad to. Are you relocating for a job?”
“Not exactly. I, uh, used to fly. But I gave that up.”
“You seem awfully young to be retired.” Tom thought the man couldn’t be more than a year or two older than his own thirty-one.
The handsome man chuckled. “I’m older than I look. And anyway, I recently decided I wanted a new direction in my life. New goals.”
“But... in Iowa? Not the top of most people’s dream location list.”
“I guess I’m not most people. And my dream definitely involves Iowa. It seems like a friendly place. A place where I could build a good future.” Something in his smile suggested that Tom might be included in that future.
Warning himself to get a grip, Tom considered the man’s words. Iowa certainly did have its charms. Tom’s family was there, of course. But more than that, his home state had a true sense of community. It was a place with roots. He loved complaining about the ever-changing weather and watching the storms roll in across the wide open sky. He loved the way complete strangers waved at him from cars or started conversations in the produce aisle of the supermarket. He loved the comfortable little old houses with the wide front porches—even his own, which needed repairs—and the approachable museums and theatres. He loved that nobody judged him even if he chose not to pierce his nose or dye his hair purple.
“I think maybe you’ll like it there,” Tom said.
The man beamed and stuck out his hand. “I’m Rafael.”
They shook, but Tom didn’t reply at once. Did he know this guy from somewhere? He seemed so familiar. But Tom couldn’t imagine that he’d forget someone so spectacularly hot, so... compelling. He swallowed and tried to clear his head. “Tom.”
They chatted for a while. Rafael asked questions about good neighborhoods to live in and places to eat. But in truth, Tom was fairly certain that Rafael was more interested in him than where to get the best burgers or coffee. And good God, Tom was interested right back.
He could have been embarrassed when his stomach rumbled loudly, but Rafael grinned in a way that tempted Tom to grab his shoulders and kiss the breath out of him.
“How about we go find some breakfast?” Rafael said.
“But your plane’s about to begin boarding.”
As if on cue, a male voice announced over the PA system that pre-boarding to Cedar Rapids had started. But Rafael only smiled. “I bet if I talk to Gabi, she could find a seat next to you on your flight instead.”
Tom’s heart pounded and a deliciously warm feeling spread through his body. “Really?” He was fully aware that he sounded outrageously eager.
“Really.” Rafael reached over and settled his hand on top of Tom’s, making Tom’s skin tingle. “We’ll be flying home together, Tom.”
And because sometimes you just had to chuck rational thought and believe in beautiful magic, that’s just what they did.
KIM FIELDING is the bestselling author of numerous m/m romance novels, novellas, and short stories. Like Kim herself, her work is eclectic, spanning genres such as contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and historical. Her stories are set in alternate worlds, in 15th century Bosnia, in modern-day Oregon. Her heroes are hipster architect werewolves, housekeepers, maimed giants, and conflicted graduate students. They’re usually flawed, they often encounter terrible obstacles, but they always find love.
After having migrated back and forth across the western two-thirds of the United States, Kim calls the boring part of California home. She lives there with her husband, her two daughters, and her day job as a university professor, but escapes as often as possible via car, train, plane, or boat. This may explain why her characters often seem to be in transit as well. She dreams of traveling and writing full-time.
KIM FIELDING can be found at:
Website: http://www.kfieldingwrites.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KFieldingWrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KFieldingWrites