by Liv Rider
He was trying to read the salad section when he caught Cameron’s scent. The fake smoke from last night still lingered, but underneath that was something warmer, with hints of cinnamon. He found himself smiling as he looked over at the door where Cameron was talking to a server.
His breath caught just looking at Cameron. Oh yes, his mate was definitely most gorgeous man in the world.
His tousled hair, less wild than it had been last night though not by much, brushed the tips of his ears. It was brown, bordering on auburn in the sunlight streaming in through the windows. He wanted to run his fingers through that hair.
Cameron shrugged off his jacket, wearing a blue t-shirt over a long-sleeved black shirt. Parker tried not to feel disappointed Cameron was wearing something with long sleeves. It was autumn, after all. There was time to get Cameron out of those clothes later, and if Cameron was cold then Parker had ideas on how to keep them warm.
Parker watched him follow the server, trying not to stare too much at long legs in a casual pair of jeans, and trying not to wonder about the chest and arms hidden underneath the shirt.
As soon as Cameron met Parker’s eyes and smiled, Parker felt the same jolt he’d felt last night. Heat, love, and desire flooded through him.
Gray. His mate’s eyes were gray. A wonderful, stormy gray.
“Hi,” Parker managed, when Cameron sat down at an angle to him. He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it. Cameron looked so different from last night. He’d been gorgeous as a zombie, but he was definitely more gorgeous now.
“Hi.” Cameron sat down. “I hope you haven’t been waiting long?”
“I only just got here,” he lied.
“Right.” Cameron looked at Parker’s half-empty glass of water, and picked up the drinks menu. “Okay, that’s a lot of different teas.”
“You like tea?”
“Hm, more of a coffee person.”
“Yeah, me too.” Parker fell silent, because he didn’t know what else to say about coffee. As far as conversation topics it went, it wasn’t exactly great. He tried to think, but it was hard when all he could do was stare into his mate’s beautiful eyes.
But where did he start getting to know Cameron better? His eyes fell on Cameron’s t-shirt, and not just because Cameron seemed to have nice shoulders underneath. “You were a camp counselor?”
“What?”
“At Camp Crystal Lake.” He gestured at the logo.
“Oh!” Cameron ran his hand down the front of his shirt. “Um, no, it’s from a movie. Friday the 13th. Camp Crystal Lake is where all the killing happens.”
“Ah, of course.” Great, another movie Cameron liked that he’d never even heard of.
“We’ve actually got a Friday the 13th room in the Maze,” Cameron continued, brightening up. “The one before the dentist’s office.”
“The one with the bunk beds.” He vaguely remembered Joel mentioning it.
Cameron smiled at him. “Yes, that one!”
He wanted Cameron to keep smiling at him like that forever. “Have you ever acted in that room?”
“Nah, apparently I’m not imposing enough.” Cameron gave a derisive snort, but going by his smile, he didn’t seem to mind too much. “It’s better if Jason Voorhees is someone broader and bigger.”
“But you’re tall, and that Jason guy was wearing overalls. You did some amazing things with makeup last night. I’m sure there are ways to make you look broader if it was necessary.” Parker didn’t think it was necessary. Cameron was perfect the way he was.
“Thanks? We could, I guess, but we don’t have a shortage of big, tall guys who want to wave a machete around.”
Of course the server picked that moment to come to their table to take their drink order, and he frowned at Cameron’s comment, leaning away from them.
“It’s a Halloween thing,” Cameron replied, after asking for a soda.
“It is that time of year.” The server gave him a friendly nod.
“Do you get that often?” Parker couldn’t blame the server for being taken aback.
“Sometimes, yeah, but the bars where we do our brainstorming are used to us talking about machetes and chainsaws and zombies by now.”
“That sounds nice.”
“You think so?” Cameron raised his eyebrow, sounding skeptical.
“Well, for you it does.” But he’d done brainstorming for shifter-related projects in bars owned by shifters. He knew how weird the things they talked about would sound to people unfamiliar with shifters.
“But you really never heard of the Fest?”
He didn’t like the slight disappointment in Cameron’s voice. “I guess I don’t go to the places where you advertised for it.”
“We hit a lot of restaurants and bars with flyers and posters, but Lewiston is pretty big. We did a lot of promotion online too, like on Facebook.”
“Ah, that explains it. I don’t have one of those.” From what he heard, he wasn’t missing out on much.
“You always rely on word of mouth from friends when it comes to going out on a Friday night, then?”
“I don’t go out very often.”
Cameron looked surprised, eyebrows raising a fraction again.
The server appeared again to bring Cameron his soda. Parker ordered coffee and another glass of water, and they both ordered lunch.
“Anyway, tell me more about the Fest. How long have you been involved?”
“Oh, for years by now. Nine or eight, I think.” Cameron’s smile was soft.
“Wow.” All that time his mate had been in Lewiston, and Parker had had no idea. “How did you first get into it?”
“Oh, that’s a bit of a long story.” Cameron gestured dismissively. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Of course.” If Cameron loved the Fest so much, Parker was determined to understand why.
Cameron hesitated, picking up the lunch menu. “I moved to Lewiston about ten years ago because of a relationship that didn’t go anywhere. He got a job here after college, so I followed him. Ended dropping out of college over it.” Cameron fiddled with the menu, resolutely keeping his eyes on it.
“That’s a shame.” He ignored his dragon’s jealousy over a past boyfriend. Cameron was in his early thirties. Of course he’d dated and had boyfriends before meeting Parker.
Cameron shrugged. “I don’t think me and college were a good match anyway.”
“Fair enough.”
“So yeah, I was here, got a job working at a local hostel, where the night shifts were way more exciting than at the hotel I currently work at, and I heard about Halloween Fest from some colleagues. First year I just went with my boyfriend.”
“Your ex was into horror and Halloween too?”
“Yeah, it’s how we got together.”
Parker tried not to feel disheartened. Just because Cameron liked one guy who was also into horror movies didn’t mean he only liked men who were. Although it would probably help if Parker learned more about them.
“But that’s another long story. By the second year, Josh and I had broken up. I could use the distraction, and decided to volunteer and see if I could make some new friends. It’s a great group of people, and every year people leave and new people join, which means we always have fresh blood and fresh ideas.”
He loved watching Cameron light up and gesture enthusiastically as he talked about the Fest. “Then I can see why you stuck around for so long.” It would’ve been even better if his mate looked so happy because of him.
“Exactly.” He put the lunch menu back in its holder, then sat back as the server put their drinks down. “I don’t know what I’m going to do next year.”
“Right, the new owner.” And just like that, the light dimmed in Cameron’s gray eyes.
We will make that man wish he’d never been born.
We don’t even know who it is yet. Parker was determined to get to the bottom of this. If there was any way he could help Cameron, he would.
> “Right.” Cameron’s jaw was clenched as he glared at his soda. “The asshole. I can’t believe he’d just buy the farmhouse like that. I bet he swindled them. That’s how they work, right? Land developers?”
He couldn’t follow Cameron’s logic. “I think you have to start from the beginning. Who did he buy it from?”
“The Wilsons. They’ve let us hold Halloween Fest on their land for years.” Cameron told him what he’d heard from the older couple last night, and Parker nodded sympathetically. It made sense for the Wilsons to sell it, especially with their family on the other side of the country.
“I can’t say I blame them.”
Cameron let out a huff, then glared at him. “Neither can I.” He sagged in his chair, still quiet when the server brought them their food. Cameron barely even glanced at his tuna salad, and Parker’s appetite for his chicken club sandwich was rapidly disappearing. “They have a great reason, and I understand it. I probably would’ve done the same if I were them. It’s just—we’ve worked so hard, for so long, and so many people enjoy it.” He grabbed his fork to spear a piece of tuna. “And after Sunday, it’ll be gone.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know what those rich asshole land developers are like,” Cameron muttered. “This time next year it’ll be a mall.”
“That’s ridiculous. That location is terrible for a mall. It’s too far from the nearest highway.” Although he agreed with Cameron there had to be a reason why the land developer had bought the farmhouse. Parker doubted the guy wanted to settle down there.
“Oh, you’re a mall expert now?”
Cameron was smiling a little at least, which Parker considered a victory. “I might be, you don’t know. Anyway,” he continued, before Cameron could realize there was a lot he didn’t know about Parker, “what do you know about the new owner?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Cameron about himself or answer questions, but it was better if Cameron trusted and liked him first. If he was going to reveal the truth about him being a shifter, he didn’t want Cameron to freak out too much.
“His name’s Nick Everett. I googled him this morning, and his picture on his LinkedIn was exactly as slick as I thought it’d be. You know, perfectly styled hair, smile straight out of a toothpaste commercial, so clean-shaven it made me wonder if he’d ever even had stubble. He was wearing a nice shirt with a tie, of course, but trying to look casual about it. As if anyone willingly wears a tie and a nice shirt.” Cameron abruptly fell silent, looked at Parker, then at Parker’s shirt and tie before his cheeks turned red. “I mean, um, yours are very…nice?”
“Thank you,” he replied dryly.
“I’m not saying that all guys who wear button-down shirts and ties are assholes,” Cameron continued, still looking flustered. “But, well, there’s a certain type of asshole who does dress like that. And you’re not. And obviously I was just—”
“I think we should get back to what you do know about Everett.” But Cameron’s comments did make him wonder how he was coming across to his mate, and with that, the doubts about the two of them returned too.
“Right.” Cameron ate some of his salad thoughtfully. “His LinkedIn was just standard boring business stuff, but he’s coming to the Fest tonight before it starts. Maybe we—I can find out why he decided to buy the place.”
Parker hadn’t missed that ‘we’. Cameron wanted them to work together. He could do that. Any chance to spend more time around his mate was good. Maybe it would give him the reason why they were meant for each other. “That’s a good idea. He should expect a question like that if he’s going to come to the Fest.”
Cameron speared another piece of tomato. “Maybe he’s coming to gloat. Rub it in our faces there won’t be a Fest next year.”
“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” He watched as Cameron kept glaring at his plate, radiating anger and bitter disappointment. It hurt to see his mate so upset. “Let’s focus on what we do know. We know he’s bought the farmhouse. We know he’s aware of Halloween Fest, or else he wouldn’t come tonight. And you said he’ll be there before it starts? That sounds like he wants to talk to you guys.”
Cameron was silent as he ate, but eventually he nodded. “Maybe. You’re right. I’m over-reacting. I shouldn’t be assuming the worst.”
“Well, it is one way to make sure you’re not disappointed.” Was Cameron assuming the worst of him? His stomach twisted. “There’s nothing wrong with being suspicious and wary. Maybe he just wants to show up and placate you guys to make sure the sale goes smoothly. Or maybe, since he’s in land developing, he knows some place that’s suitable for you guys to organize Halloween Fest next year.”
“I thought you wanted to focus on what we know?” Cameron countered.
He laughed. “Good point. Then I guess that’s all we know. What time will he be there tonight?”
Cameron eyed him, fork hovering over his salad. “Why? Do you want to be there?”
“Of course.” He felt a stab of guilt as he said it. Hadn’t he already decided he was too busy to go? Especially after spending last night at the Fest already. He was supposed to be catching up with his emails, and the reports and questions his council had sent to him. They needed answers.
There was a look of disbelief in Cameron’s eyes, along with a hint of suspicion. “Really?”
Parker’s mouth felt dry. What was he doing? He was coming on way too strong. Hadn’t Mitchell told him to take it slow? And yet…. “I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.”
And the truth was that he couldn’t.
He could think of dozens of reasons why he shouldn’t go. He thought of his council. He thought of the shifters waiting for answers from him. He thought of the disputes he still needed to consider and resolve.
Was this how Thomas had felt? The compulsion to be with his mate, to take care of him, and unable to focus on anything else?
The only reason to go to Halloween Fest was sitting at the table with him, smiling in that way that made his entire face light up.
He had put that look on Cameron’s face. Not the Fest. Not some horror movie.
“Then you’re welcome to be there at five o’clock,” Cameron told him, his gray eyes warm as he looked at Parker. “Very welcome.”
“Great,” Parker managed, surprised at the sheer, overwhelming joy bubbling up inside of him.
How the hell was he supposed to get through his other meetings and appointments now?
5
Cameron
Nothing about this lunch date was going the way Cameron had expected.
A very strange date with a guy he didn’t think he shared any interests with. A guy Cameron would never have expected himself to be interested in. A guy he’d practically called an asshole to his face, and then when he’d tried to recover from that, Parker had just let it go and moved on.
In his defense, Parker had been sitting there without his suit jacket on, and wearing a shirt that was on the right side of tight around his broad shoulders and biceps. If Parker hadn’t cut him off, Cameron might’ve said something about wanting to tear those buttons off with his teeth, and then Cameron would’ve had to figure out a way for the ground to swallow him whole.
What was it about Parker that made it hard for his brain to connect with what his mouth was saying?
He’d shared things he never normally talked about on a first date, and he’d braced himself for Parker disapproving of him dropping out of college. That’s what guys like Parker did, the ones who dressed formally and were clearly successful at whatever job they had, one that definitely required a college degree.
But Parker hadn’t done any of that. He hadn’t pried. He hadn’t judged. He just listened. He even listened to Cameron ranting about Everett, then managed to tell Cameron not to jump to conclusions without sounding like he thought Cameron was being an idiot.
Cameron definitely thought he was being an idiot. Here he was, on a date with an attractive, fri
endly guy, and he was just rambling about the Fest.
“How did you get into horror movies?”
He got the question ‘so why are you into horror movies?’ more often, but it was usually with a dismissive undertone, as if no self-respecting adult should be interested in them. Parker sounded genuinely curious. It was a nice change. “You know how it is, your parents tell you you’re too young to watch a movie, so you want to watch it even more. And then it turns out they’re right, and you do end up with nightmares.” Not that he’d admitted that to his parents.
“But that didn’t deter you?”
“Nope.” He grinned at Parker, who laughed. Cameron liked the sound of it.
“Why did you keep watching if it gave you nightmares?” Parker’s eyes searched Cameron’s face.
He shrugged, feeling flustered under Parker’s gaze. “I don’t know, really. Maybe I just wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t a scaredy-cat. And then I got into the effects, you know, wanting to find out how they created a scary werewolf or made it look like someone’s hand got cut off. And once you see behind the scenes footage, it all gets less scary anyway. But I still love it.” He liked the creativity that went into practical effects. He liked how CGI was getting more and more convincing. He enjoyed the hokeyness of the CGI effects from ten, twenty years ago. “There are so many different kinds of horror movies, so there’s always something for everyone. Some people like subtle, psychological horror, and others enjoy gory movies with lots of blood.”
“I always assume there’s lots of blood in horror movies, but maybe I’d like the more subtle ones.” Parker sounded thoughtful.
“Well, if you want any recommendations….” He leaned closer.
“I'd like that!”
Cameron eyed him. He hadn’t expected Parker to sound so enthusiastic. “Didn’t you mention you’d never even seen a horror movie?”
“Um….” Parker was silent for a while.