North on Drummond

by K. C. Burn

  “Meringues? I think I love you.” Although he didn’t much enjoy being called a victim.

  Lisa laughed. “If you were straight, that might set my heart aflutter. C’mon, let’s get you inside.”

  As soon as they were in, Lisa flipped his sign to CLOSED and locked up. Drew would have to remember to check his door later, in case Eddie got any more bright ideas about putting up signs.

  Drew sat down in one of the front-room chairs, and Lisa set down the box. She pulled a bottle of water out of her purse.

  “Here, drink this.”

  Grateful, Drew chugged down the water. He didn’t know what had gotten into him, but if it happened again, he’d have to consider sucking it up and going to the doctor for a follow-up appointment.

  Lisa chatted about business at the bakery, now that they were out of wedding-cake season and heading into Haunt Fest and Halloween territory. Drew only listened with half an ear, since they both knew it was just to fill the time until he was feeling better.

  After a few minutes of him telling himself the hallucination was nothing, Drew’s breathing evened out.

  “You sure you don’t want a reading? I feel okay now.”

  “I don’t know, Drew. You really should be resting.”

  Drew rolled his eyes, suppressing the stab of pain the movement caused. “How much effort do you suppose it is, with me sitting there and dealing cards? On the house, since you saved me and brought me goodies. You might as well. I’m wearing the turban and all.”

  “True enough. But if you feel woozy again, you stop right away, you hear me?”

  With a mock salute, Drew got to his feet and led the way into the reading room. He waved at Lisa to seat herself. She made herself comfortable in the chair while Drew got the room set up. He relit the incense, and oddly, the scent made his stomach flip. The odor hadn’t bothered him with Mrs. Gillespie’s reading.

  “Do you mind if we don’t have the incense?” Not very Malachi-like, but neither would be heaving his guts all over a client, even if it was a friend he’d known for years.

  “Of course not.” Lisa had an air of anxiousness or perhaps eagerness.

  Drew did his best to ask what was up. Clearly Lisa had something she wanted to ask the cards, and Drew couldn’t just ask outright as though they were chatting over a cup of coffee. That wasn’t the way the readings worked.

  After sitting heavily down in his chair, Drew prepped the cards. Lisa had done enough readings with him to do her part without any prompting, for which Drew was incredibly grateful. He was already getting tired.

  Once he finally slipped into his regular patter and started focusing on the clues Lisa was broadcasting, he nearly broke out into a huge grin. Lisa thought her longtime boyfriend was finally going to pop the question at a special date that evening. Drew would never commit to an outright yes or no, because he couldn’t see the future. And he didn’t want to think about Cliff’s objections to his job.

  However, Cliff’s words made Drew’s reading even more circumspect. Besides, he didn’t really want to get Lisa’s hopes up, even though he was pretty sure Mateo knew he had a good thing with Lisa and wasn’t going to let her go. Drew gave her a few oblique warnings about Mateo’s family, because Drew didn’t envy Lisa her prospective mother-in-law. Not one bit.

  He then came to the ten of pentacles, which usually indicated financial reversal. Considering he didn’t know details about Lisa’s finances, it could be either good or bad, and he didn’t want to freak her out. He touched the card, and unlike last time, he had no trouble recognizing the image that flashed through his mind—Mysteriously Good Confections, engulfed in flames.

  Gasping, Drew shoved back from the table.

  “Drew? Are you okay?”

  Drew stared at Lisa, his heart racing, as he simultaneously tried to calm himself down and not alarm Lisa. The vision or hallucination or whatever it was had been far too realistic. Like the car one with Mrs. Gillespie.

  What on earth had rattled loose in his brain to produce such macabre images?

  “Yes. Yes, I’m fine.” Or he would be once his brain stopped playing tricks on him.

  Lisa crouched in front of him, her expression concerned. “Maybe you ought to close up for the day. You don’t want to overdo it. Is that scrumptious police officer about?”

  The unexpected question overshadowed the uneasiness his hallucination had brought on. “What do you mean?”

  “You know this town. Everyone knows he’s staying here. You sure work fast.” Lisa winked at him.

  Drew’s cheeks heated. He wasn’t about to admit to anything incriminating. Not until he figured out where he stood with Cliff and whether he wanted anyone to know about, well…everything. Drew wasn’t even sure if Cliff was out to anyone else in Sandy Bottom Bay.

  “It’s not like that.” Thank God his whole family were criminals. Certainly helped him lie easier, although his fair skin showed far more emotion than any Drummond wanted. “I’m giving him a place to crash, and he’s looking out for me while I recuperate.”

  “Oh, sure, recuperate. You tell yourself that.”

  Lisa got ready to leave, and Drew hadn’t figured out whether or not she knew who Cliff was. Presumably if the gossip had already gotten wind of Cliff staying here, then everyone must know his identity, but Drew couldn’t ask. Not if he wanted to keep up the fiction that they were merely acquaintances helping each other out. His cheeks flamed hotter as he remembered how Wyatt had found them the previous day, both in their skivvies. At least he knew Wyatt wouldn’t be in a hurry to share that information, which would keep them safe from confirming anyone’s suspicions.

  “Seriously, though, did you want me to call someone before I leave? Kyle or your new police protector?” Lisa peered at him again.

  “I’ll be fine. You go primp for your date tonight.”

  The reminder of the possibility of Mateo’s proposal was all it took to distract her.

  “I do have a lot to do.” She kissed his cheek and pulled out her wallet.

  “No charge today.” Between the meringues, caring for him before the reading, and the weirdness of picturing her place of employment burning down, Drew didn’t feel he deserved payment.

  “Are you sure?”

  “On the house, Lisa, as a thank-you. Don’t you have a manicure to get to?”

  Lisa’s eyes widened. “Oh holy fuck, I really need to get a manicure, don’t I?”

  Drew barely held in his laughter as she raced out.

  There were no appointments on his books for today, and he hoped that there wouldn’t be too many walk-ins. He couldn’t afford to turn business away, but he was too tired and too fucking weirded-out to concentrate.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cliff parked the car in the alley behind Drew’s house and grabbed the grocery bags from the passenger seat. Scott had let him escape for an extended break before they had to pick up that asshole Brett and spend most of the evening watching him and his minions film fake ghosts and pseudoparanormal phenomena.

  Of course, Scott didn’t know, but Cliff had every intention of making sure Drew rested…after Cliff thoroughly tired him out.

  Remembering the incredible morning was enough to send blood to his groin. He bit his lip. There was no way he should assume Drew would be up to another round. In fact, he’d been amazed Drew had been feeling well enough to have sex that morning. Hell, he’d be happy just to make Drew eat something more than peanut butter, then curl up around him and cuddle. Maybe just some lazy kisses. After all, he wasn’t a ravening beast.

  Drew was a cuddler, and Cliff had been pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoyed it. His previous boyfriends would primarily touch him as a prelude to sex, but there was a comfort in touching just for the sheer joy of touching, without any underlying goal. Cliff had a new goal. Cuddle with Drew as much as possible. Despite his misgivings about Drew’s occupation, he had to admit he might have overreacted. Between his mother’s near obsession with the paranormal and
his years-long altercations with the evil Drummond twins, he might not have been thinking objectively. He’d mostly steered clear of psychics and card readers and mediums and the like, but he’d never reacted so strongly, as evidenced by his relationship with the pseudo ghost hunter, Brett. Which only told him that he was far more invested in Drew and who he thought Drew could become to him, if he could make peace with Drew’s profession.

  Cliff let himself into Drew’s place. Each time he touched the new key on his ring, he tried not to let himself read more into it than was intended, but this was the first time he’d had a lover give him a key. It meant nothing, but he wanted it to mean something.

  With a shake of his head, he focused on putting away the groceries. He could cook, sort of, but with Drew’s lack of supplies and his own attempts to get settled, frozen was going to have to do.

  “Drew? Are you awake?”

  Obviously Drew wasn’t in the kitchen, and it only took a minute to determine he wasn’t in the bedroom or bathroom. Apprehension fluttered in Cliff’s gut.

  “Drew?” Stupid to call out for him when he wasn’t here. Where the hell had he gone? Despite their earlier athletics, the man was injured and should be recovering. What if Drew had left and collapsed or had some sort of complication?

  Muffled yelling reached Cliff’s ears, with the tone of an argument. His hand went to the weapon at his hip, but after another second, he could discern that the yelling seemed to be coming from the front of the house and didn’t have the tone that made him think there was a real emergency.

  He opened the only other door and waded through black velvet draperies accented with embroidered symbols, presumably mystic ones.

  The scent of incense was heavy in the air, familiar in a way and strangely pleasant. He’d want to take a better look at the room later, but he continued through to another set of draperies and into the store front/waiting room.

  Two people were outside on the path from the street, waving arms and yelling at each other. He couldn’t identify either of them, not from this angle.

  “Okay, okay, what’s going on here?” Cliff deepened his voice a bit and widened his stance slightly, hoping he wasn’t going to have to break up yet another fight before finding Drew.

  The verbal combatants turned to look at him midsentence, and Cliff lost his breath like one of them had sucker-punched him.

  Eddie Price faded from his field of view as he took in Drew’s appearance as Malachi.

  His gorgeous hair was covered by a satiny blue-and-gold turban, which was a shame, but his bright blue eyes were ringed in dark eyeliner and, judging by the lack of evident bruising, some sort of industrial cover-up as well. Drew’s eyes were possibly the sexiest things he’d ever seen, until his gaze traveled lower, to the huge expanse of pale, bare chest framed by dark blue satin. The contrast was stunning and mouthwatering, and Cliff’s cock filled immediately.

  He wanted to drop to his knees and worship at the cock of this mysterious, sexy man. Judging by the flick of Drew’s tongue across his lips and the sudden dilation of his blue eyes, Cliff wasn’t going to have any difficulty convincing Drew to go along with the plan.

  First, though, he needed to get rid of Eddie without drawing attention to the tent in his uniform pants.

  “Eddie Price. Becoming the town nuisance in the years I’ve been away?” Perhaps Cliff could have been more diplomatic, but he wanted—no, he needed—Eddie gone as soon as possible. Quicker than that, even.

  Eddie glared at him, clearly not a fan of Cliff’s choice of words.

  “I was just trying to help, Cliffy.”

  Cliff lifted his lip, almost snarling. Eddie must have heard Brett’s irritating pet name. “Eddie, I think you need to be moving along now.”

  “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “Not true.” Drew glared at Eddie, the sultry look vanishing. Yet another reason to get Eddie the fuck away from here. “He’s been trying to steal my business. Puts up signs on my door.”

  No matter what Cliff might have thought about Drew’s choice of profession, the surge of anger he felt on Drew’s behalf wasn’t exactly surprising. He wanted to punch Eddie’s too-good-looking face. He didn’t want Eddie sniffing around Drew for any reason, either trying to get in his bed or trying to interfere with his livelihood.

  However, Cliff managed to keep those caveman instincts under control and merely lifted an eyebrow. “That’ll stop, won’t it, Eddie.” It wasn’t a question, and Eddie was smart enough to know it.

  Eddie glared at him.

  “Eddie?” Cliff’s tone didn’t allow for any argument.

  “Fine, Cliffy.”

  “Officer Garcia,” Cliff said through clenched teeth.

  Eddie’s lips twisted, but that didn’t change the fact that he was still a good-looking man. Cliff didn’t want Eddie anywhere near Drew.

  “I’m leaving… Officer Garcia.”

  Cliff crossed his arms and waited. Eddie turned on his heel and walked away. As soon as he was out of sight, Cliff turned back to Drew.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Better now that you’re here.” Drew smiled at him.

  God. Those eyes. A shiver ran down Cliff’s spine, and his cock throbbed in reverence. He cleared his throat. “You are gorgeous.”

  “Yeah? You’re extra hot in that uniform. Want to come inside with me? I can put the CLOSED sign up.” The playfully cajoling tone was at odds with Drew’s appearance.

  “Lead the way.”

  Drew grinned at him and did as he said.

  Cliff locked the front door behind him and followed Drew through the first set of draperies, into his reading room. There were no sounds aside from the asthmatic whir of ancient A/C units. A deep breath, and all of a sudden he realized why the scent had been familiar on his way through. It lingered in Drew’s hair like an exotic spice and flavored the taste of his skin.

  No wonder he’d liked the way the room smelled. It was also pleasantly cool and dim, like the interior of a movie theatre in the middle of the day. Perfect for what he intended.

  He snagged Drew’s shoulder before Drew was able to open the next set of draperies.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Cliff just smiled in response and crowded Drew up against the wall. He had to look up slightly, since Drew was taller, and with a smile, swept the turban off Drew’s head. At least with a bandage covering the stitches and makeup covering the bruises, Cliff found it easier to suppress the spurt of anger at the evil twins in favor of getting Drew naked.

  Drew’s red hair, pale skin, and smoky-lined blue eyes were such a stunning combination. After living in Los Angeles, filled with pretty men, Cliff shouldn’t be so mesmerized by one man who, on paper, would be the last man he’d want to get involved with.

  Wide eyes blinked at him as though confused by Cliff’s sudden move, but since there wasn’t a sign of pain or fear, Cliff dived right in and pressed their lips together.

  Drew gasped into his mouth before returning the kiss with equal fervor, his whole body opening and welcoming Cliff in his arms.

  That openness, that trust, was something Cliff had never known he’d wanted, because he’d never been with anyone who’d accepted him so thoroughly, and if he lost this, he would forever be comparing men who came after to Drew.

  God, he was an idiot. They’d just met. He didn’t even know if Drew topped, bottomed, both, or neither, and he was already lost. Infatuated.

  At least it seemed like Drew was in the same boat. And there was no room for misgivings in the wet heat of Drew’s mouth, the frantic press of cock to cock.

  Cliff moved his hands from Drew’s cheeks down to his shoulders, the slippery fabric under his fingers reminding him of what Drew wore. He pulled away, gratified to note Drew’s blown pupils and his dismay at the end of the kiss. But the second Cliff had seen Drew, he’d had more in mind than simply checking in on him. Scott would have to understand if he got back from his break late.

  “Should we
go into the bedroom?”

  Cliff didn’t bother replying. He didn’t want to wait, didn’t want to leave. He wanted to have Drew right here in this cool, dim room that smelled spicy and warm, like Drew. He tucked his hands under Drew’s robe and pressed them flat against Drew’s smooth chest. Drew’s breath hitched as his nipples hardened against Cliff’s fingers.

  How the fuck Drew didn’t get jumped every fucking reading he did, Cliff had no idea. He slid his hands up and out, watching the dark blue satin slither from Drew’s shoulders to the floor, leaving him in nothing but a pair of stretchy black pants with a substantial bulge at the groin. Drew licked his lips and shifted his arms as though he wanted to cover himself, but Cliff didn’t stop touching him long enough to give him the opportunity.

  Sliding to his knees, Cliff hooked fingers in the waistband and pulled them down, letting them fall to the floor as well. He leaned in, the sight of that hard, rosy cock drawing his mouth like a compass to magnetic north.

  Drew’s hand on his forehead stopped him in his very single-minded approach.

  “What’s wrong?” Cliff glanced up.

  “Your uniform. You’re going to do that in your uniform?”

  “Why not?”

  “But…but…” Drew’s lips fluttered as he tried to come up with a good reason. His cock, however, didn’t have any misgivings and kept bumping Cliff’s face, the musky scent making his mouth water. Then again, maybe Drew had a point.

  Reluctantly Cliff took his hands off Drew and fumbled with his belt, opening his pants just enough to let his cock spring out so he didn’t come in his pants. Because he was definitely going to come while he sucked Drew off. He was too close right now to even think about anything else.

  “But…but…” Drew repeated, this time staring at Cliff’s cock. A full-body shiver raced down Drew’s long form.

  Cliff licked the sleek bead of precum forming at the tip of Drew’s prick, making Drew shiver again. The indecision left his eyes, and he curled his hands in the fabric of Cliff’s uniform, pulling him forward.

  “So fucking hot,” Drew muttered.

  It was impossible to smile while swallowing Drew’s hard cock, but it seemed as though Drew had a bit of a uniform fetish, and Cliff was more than happy to indulge his new lover.