Bodie stood and offered
his hand as if it was the most natural thing to do.
"Come on. The
aquarium staff is going home for the night. I'll walk you back to your
car."
Zayne cocked his head
sarcastically. "You don’t think I can take care of myself,
detective?"
“It’s not that.”
“Oh, I get it. Porter and
Harris told you to keep an eye on me.”
“Actually, they told me
the opposite.”
“Then why are you doing
all this? I mean, the ice cream, the aquarium, escorting me to my car.”
Zayne took a step closer
to the young man still holding his hand. A burst of heat erupted in his chest.
His skin felt like it was on fire. The scent of sandalwood swirling around him
tempted him to give in to the undeniable need coursing through his body. Unable
to resist, Zayne leaned even closer to the sexy detective.
“If I didn’t know better,
I’d say this was our first date, Detective Hale.”
Bodie’s expression
remained unchanged, but he couldn’t hide the lovely shade of pink that was now
coloring the tips of his ears.
Zayne's thumb drew slow,
seductive circles on the back of Bodie's hand. He daringly slipped his long,
elegant fingers between Bodie’s until their palms touched. When their grip
tightened with a natural ease, his heart stuttered as Bodie's breathing quickened.
Their intimately joined hands sent the most exquisite tremors rushing through
his body.
"What are you
doing?" Bodie whispered, his voice ragged.
"I don't know. But it
feels right. Doesn't it?"
Zayne’s heart thrashed
wildly inside his tight chest as Bodie lifted his free hand and cupped the side
of his face. He could feel the calloused skin tenderly cradle the smooth skin
of his cheek. Giving in to his body’s demands, he closed his eyes and nuzzled
into Bodie’s warm hand.
"Zayne…we…we
can't."
Zayne’s eyes shot open. He
wrenched his hand free and took three quick steps back.
"I-I-I'm so sorry! I
don't know what I..."
Bodie turned, heading for
the exit, his head hung low. "It…It’s fine. Come on. Follow me."
Zayne couldn’t see the
detective’s face. But he could read Bodie’s body language loud and clear.
What the hell came over
him? Of course, Bodie would be disgusted. He’s a man, for god’s sake! A damn
hot man who, even if he was gay, would never be interested in Zayne.
This is crazy! I’m not
even gay! I’m not. At least, I’m pretty sure I’m not. I’m just tired, lonely,
and fucking horny. I can’t even remember the last time I got laid. This is
ridiculous. How am I going to look him in the eye after this? He probably hates
my guts. He’ll probably tell the captain he can’t work with me anymore.
Whatever. I didn’t want his help anyway.
“Are you coming?” Bodie
asked.
But Zayne didn’t seem to
hear him. He remained where he was, internally scolding himself for acting like
a complete idiot. It wasn’t until he felt Bodie’s fingers threading through his
that he snapped out of his bubble of self-loathing. He looked into the
detective’s eyes, shocked to see a devilish satisfaction shadowed by a hint of
hope in their golden depths.
“I’m not angry,” Bodie
said softly, gently squeezing Zayne’s hand. “You’re tired and, just taking a
guess here, hungry?”
Zayne nodded. Well, he may
have read Bodie all wrong, but the detective knew exactly what he was feeling.
It was nice—really nice—to finally be seen by someone. Granted, it was by a
complete stranger, which was the damndest thing. Yet Bodie didn’t feel like a
stranger. How was that possible? Had they met before?
“Alright then. We’ll stop
for something on the way back to the station. But nothing greasy or spicy.
You’ll have nightmares.”
Zayne gave Bodie a broken
smile.
Oh, Detective Hale. You
have no idea what a nightmare is. Trust me, junk food is the least of my
worries.
Zayne could tell Bodie was
trying to read his thoughts. The way a tiny wrinkle appeared between the
detective’s brows and his pale eyes danced with questions had Zayne thinking
hard about trusting this man with his secrets.
“Everything okay?” Bodie
asked.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Well then, follow me.”
Zayne shook his head
casually. “Not until you answer my question.”
“What question?”
“The one I asked earlier.”
“Ohhh. The one about why
I’m doing all of this. That one?”
Giving Bodie an annoyed
smile, Zayne replied, “Yes, that one. I mean, you’re a detective sent here to
catch a serial killer. Shouldn’t you be out looking for clues or arresting
suspects instead of buying me food and taking me to see fish?”
A smile borne from honesty
lifted the corners of Bodie’s lips. “What can I say? I enjoy taking care of
you. I like to see you smile. You should do it more often. It’s sexy.”
Eyes wide and heart
racing, Zayne gulped down the words taking shape on his tongue. Bodie’s answer
caught him off guard and left him wondering if he was dreaming.
“Come on,” Bodie whined,
tugging on Zayne’s hand. “I won’t let you down. I promise.”
Of that simple fact, Zayne
was now convinced.
“Where are we going?”
“Do you trust me?”
Zayne looked into Bodie’s
unrelenting gaze and answered from his heart.
“Absolutely.”
