Holding Out for a Fairy Tale (35 page)

BOOK: Holding Out for a Fairy Tale

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“Yes. I think I hate Pop-Tarts. I hate that you live off Pop-Tarts. I hate it. But I like
you
—every part of you, including your strange obsessions with chemically processed food substitutes. So can I persuade you to give me a try?”

“Give dating a try?” Elliot laughed, not sure how he’d ended up feeling flushed and nervous and giddy, all at the same time.

Ray searched his gaze for a moment, and Elliot saw Ray’s eyes dart to the side, avoiding him. “If you don’t want to, it’s fine.” Ray’s voice cracked. “But maybe we could just try pretending for a little while? Like we did before?”

“No.” Elliot grabbed Ray’s chin and forced the other man to face him. “Hell no. No pretending. I told you before, I trust you. I don’t need an easy out in case things get difficult, and I’m not about to give you one. If you’re actually on board for a real relationship, we will make it work.”

“We will?”

“You wouldn’t have even suggested it unless you were convinced you could hold up your end. I trust you.”

The worried lines along Ray’s forehead softened, and he smiled, his entire face lighting up. “Okay.”

“But you know this isn’t going to be easy, don’t you? Someone’s bound to find out, no matter how we act in public.”

“In public?” Ray blushed so deeply he turned purple. “No matter what people might have told you, I’m not
that much
of an exhibitionist.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Elliot dropped his arms around Ray’s neck. Ray wrapped his arms around Elliot’s waist and adjusted them both so Elliot was straddling him. “People are going to wonder. I’m not obvious about things, either, but I don’t like to lie about my life.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already totally fucked us over as far as keeping this private goes.” Ray’s smile was so bright, Elliot wasn’t sure if he was trying to be reassuring or if he was just fucking with him.

“Huh?”

“I needed advice. So I asked Maria Sanchez, because she’s awesome, and she’s the last partner I had. And she asked for advice from everyone else in the office, because she’s evil and knows I won’t actually hurt her when I get revenge. After a lot of catcalls and teasing, they all suggested talking to your friends, talking to someone who knows you really well. I was going to call St. Claire, but I didn’t have her number. I had to tell my captain what was going on, because he wouldn’t give me St. Claire’s cell-phone number without an explanation.”

Elliot wasn’t sure if he should be impressed or mortified. St. Claire knew he was gay, but from the sound of it, Ray had just outed them both to every law-enforcement agency in the city. “You got advice from my boss?”

Ray pouted. “No. She said if I didn’t know you well enough to figure out how to ask you out on my own, I could go fuck myself.”

“She
what
?”

“I thought of the Pop-Tart thing on my own. She smuggled them into the building for me, though.”

Elliot didn’t mean to laugh, but he couldn’t help it. “The guy who was so worried about funny looks from strangers came out so he could ask for romantic advice?”

“It was important.” Ray leaned up to kiss him gently. Elliot met him halfway, pressing his lips to Ray’s softly. Ray pulled him close, deepening the kiss with a hunger that left Elliot lightheaded.

When Elliot lifted his head away to take a quick breath, he was stunned by the warmth in Ray’s eyes. Ray moved his hands to the tie holding Elliot’s pants tight. Elliot caught his hands quickly. “Thought you said something about takeout?”

“After.” Ray leaned up to kiss him again. Somehow, Ray slipped his hands free and went back to loosening the tie.

Elliot enjoyed the kiss for a moment, but then he felt Ray slide his fingers around the waistband of his pants. Ray slipped his hands inside, cupping his ass and shoving his workout pants down. “We should go inside,” Elliot gasped. “The canyon trails run right along the fence. It’s chain-link.”

“I totally lied.” Ray nipped at Elliot’s neck. “I am that much of an exhibitionist.”

Elliot laughed as the stubble on Ray’s chin tickled his collarbone. “I’ve got neighbors.”

Ray chuckled against his pulse point. “Do you think, after the sirens, the shootings, the crime-scene cleanup, and all the crap in the news,
anything
else you do could shock your neighbors?”

Before Ray managed to obliterate his capacity to think, Elliot wondered just what he was getting himself into. Whether they made it all the way to their own fairy-tale ending or not, he was sure he was in for one hell of an adventure along the way.

About the Author

A.J. T
HOMAS
writes m/m romance, mostly for her own amusement. She began writing as a child, but never attempted it seriously until later in life, penning naughty fan fiction and then original stories. Her time is divided between taking care of her three young children, experimenting with cooking and baking projects that rarely explode these days, and embarrassing her husband with dirty jokes. When she’s not writing, she hikes, gardens, researches every random idea that comes into her head, and develops complicated philosophical arguments about why a clean house is highly overrated.

She has earned a BA in English Literature and has worked in a half-dozen different jobs, from law enforcement officer to librarian. Originally from the Northwest, she has traveled all over the United States and currently lives in California. If she ever stops moving around long enough to call any place home, her heart is set on settling down in the mountains of Virginia.

Blog: http://ajthomasromance.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AJ.Thomas.Romance

E-mail: [email protected]

Romance from
A.J. T
HOMAS