Taking Flight
Page 6
The words knocked the air out of Hunter’s lungs. “But I thought we were done, that’s why I—” He ran over the months in his head, all those lonely days. Charles had been the only bright spot.
“I understand. I totally understand if you’re not—if you don’t want me anymore. I should have told you where I was at, but for a long time, I didn’t know myself. When you told me you were done, I panicked. All I could think of was you hating me, resenting me… fuck, I couldn’t have gone through that. Anyway, after my discharge, I stayed with a friend of mine in Dallas. A girl, Hunter.” Jake rolled his eyes, and Hunter realized the look he must have on his face. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but inside, his blood was singing, bringing too much oxygen to his brain. He felt light-headed.
“One day, it just hit me, and I knew I had to get back here,” Jake continued. “I don’t want to be that cliché old guy who never let anyone get close to him. Anyway, I have a part-time job down at Ricky B’s shop, and I’m thinking about signing up for some night classes. Living with Gran is about to kill me, but soon I’ll have enough for my own place.”
In the near distance, a neighbor’s dog barked, which then set off a chorus. Even old Albert joined in with a lonesome howl. A few seconds later, the ruckus ended as abruptly as it had started, and Hunter almost laughed; the animals had done a good deal to deflect some of the melodrama and infuse it with their own.
“What about Gran?” Hunter asked. The paycheck had been one of Jake’s main objections to leaving the army, after all.
“She has some insurance left over from the accident. She’s been saving it for me, but I never wanted to touch that money.”
“You never told me that.”
“There’s a lot I never told you. I never told you I thought of you every day and I missed you every night.” Jake stepped closer with a few slow paces, bringing with him the smell of diesel and fresh sweat.
At first, Hunter thought Jake might kiss him right there on the front lawn with half the town looking on—covertly, of course—through their curtains. He seemed to reconsider it, though, the hesitation in his expression enough to chase the moment away. Before Jake could retreat farther, Hunter stepped forward and grabbed his neck with both hands.
“You really want to know why it didn’t work out with Charles?” He kissed Jake, hard. For a second, Jake froze, and then he gripped Hunter’s shoulders and pulled him close. Hunter had never kissed a man with a full beard before, and it was just strange enough to make everything feel new, softer than he’d imagined it would be. There was no taste of tobacco and none of the telltale mint Jake had once used to disguise his habit. Hunter closed his eyes and let the sensation blot out all the what-ifs and maybes, just kissed Jake with as much force as he could muster.
When they finally broke apart, Jake was grinning. “Damn, baby.”
Hunter squeezed back as Jake’s arms tightened around him. “On second thought, how about that ride?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.”
Jake kissed him again. “It’s about time my other helmet got some use.”
An incredibly light feeling propelled Hunter after Jake toward the shed. From his spot of shade on the lawn, Albert regarded them with disinterest as they passed. Jake tossed Hunter a helmet and grabbed the other before climbing on the back of the bike. When he turned to check on Hunter, Hunter could see him smiling through the visor.
It was easy to forget how isolated the city was until the swamps and thick trees of the country rose up on the sides of the road that led out of it. As Hunter hung on to Jake’s waist, the bike humming down a straightaway, he could easily imagine the thing sprouting wings and taking flight. A holler bubbled up out of his throat, and he let it out—because maybe it really didn’t matter what happened later. Right now he was free.
About the Author
MAGGIE KAVANAGH works full time and steals moments to write; you can find her in the wee morning hours typing away on her laptop with a steaming cup of coffee in her living room. Her passions include travelling, eating great food, and writing stories about flawed, human characters finding love. She lives in New England.
Contact details:
Twitter: @maggie_kavanagh
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggie.kavanagh.33
Romance from DREAMSPINNER PRESS
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Romance from DREAMSPINNER PRESS
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Copyright
SUPERIORZ.ORG
Published by
Dreamspinner Press
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Taking Flight
© 2014 Maggie Kavanagh.
Cover Art
© 2014 L.C. Chase.
http://www.lcchase.com.
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB#279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-62798-485-0
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
February 2014