Found at the Library (7 page)

“I need him to get better, but I’m scared. I have no idea what going to this type of place will do to him. He’s so angry right now. I don’t know what’s the right thing to do.”

Mac cupped his face.

Tommy almost reared back in shock at that touch, but then realized how good it felt. It grounded him, and he needed that right now.

“I don’t know the answers, but you love your brother, and that’s the most important thing. Don’t lose sight of that...for you or for him. I won’t lie. The next few weeks are going to be tough, but if you keep Ryder’s well being at the forefront of your mind, you can get through it. He’s worth it. You both are.” As Mac spoke, his eyes flashed with fervor, reflecting the golden light off the fire.

Suddenly, Tommy realized just how close together they sat, side-by-side, thigh-to-thigh. He could feel the moist heat off Mac’s breath, and the callous on the tip of Mac’s thumb sliding across the scruff of his face.

Tommy’s gaze dropped to Mac’s lips, and his breath hitched. “How is it you came into my life just when I needed you?”

“Serendipity,” Mac whispered, leaning in, and then he kissed Tommy.

It was a sweet kiss. A first kiss. A soft brush of lips in affirmation of this weird connection they’d developed so quickly. The kiss was fast, but it rejuvenated Tommy. Every nerve in his body from his scalp to his toes lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July. He wanted more, but Mac pulled back instead of deepening the kiss like Tommy wanted.

“We
will
explore that more later,” Mac’s gaze bore into Tommy’s as he licked his lips. “But not tonight when you’re tired and upset and can’t think clearly. But this is most definitely not through.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Tommy said as he sank back onto the bench, surprisingly disappointed.

Mac lightly brushed his hand across the side of Tommy’s face. “So, what now? You need some sleep.”

“I think they’ll commit Ryder tomorrow. I can sleep after that, but thank you for caring and for bringing me food. What do I owe you for the meals?”

Mac shook his head. “Not a damn thing, but can I borrow the keys to your truck? I think I dropped my phone in there this morning.”

“Sure.” Tommy dug them out of his pocket and handed them to Mac, letting his fingers linger across his palm. Tingles erupted and spread from the touch. Was his exhaustion causing this reaction or was their chemistry really that combustible? He definitely wanted to explore it more.

“Mac?” he asked. “Can I get your phone number?”

“Oh, yeah, I’d like that. A lot.”

Chapter Four

When I create a character, I have to let go of the control on how they behave. Yeah, I create who they are, but after that, they tell me how they react in any scene. And it should be noted... Those guys can be evil fuckers.

-Observations by Mac

Two days later...

Tommy rolled over in bed and scowled at his clock. Fuck, he’d only been in bed forty-five minutes. Why was he awake now?

He squinted at the barely dawning light trying to light up the window. Probably because it was morning for the rest of the world, even if it felt like years since he’d gotten a full night’s sleep. They’d moved Ryder to his new facility early this morning, and Tommy had come home and crashed.

He rolled over to go back to sleep, but stilled when a loud thump came from the store. No. He couldn’t have forgotten to lock the front door again, could he?

Rubbing a hand over his face, he levered out of bed and slipped on some sweat pants. Ampersand squinted at him with sleepy eyes from the foot of the bed.

As he padded down the steps from his loft space into the store below, he peered into the dark.

“Fuck!” The harsh curse came from behind the register area. Tommy could see the dark outline of where a person stood, struggling with something. He had a dark hood and his back was turned to Tommy.

Tommy’s bat was behind the counter. His cell phone was up in his loft on the nightstand beside his bed. He didn’t have any sort of weapon and was barely dressed. If he were smart, he’d hightail it back upstairs and call the police, but he couldn’t afford to lose any income and if this guy damaged the register or any of the other electronics at that counter, it could run into thousands of dollars to replace it.

Stomach roiling and adrenaline shooting through his nerves, Tommy glanced around for a weapon and spotted the bucket full of cane umbrellas. He quietly slid one out and approached the man.

Tommy took two deep breaths, and then rushed the shadow. With his left hand he swung the umbrella at the intruder’s head. When the guy reared back from the hit, Tommy grabbed his arm and twisted it behind him in a clutch hold. The man yelled, but Tommy pressed him face down on the counter, using the weight of his own body to hold him down.

Cinnamon wafted to his nostrils, and his cock hardened with the combination of the scent he associated with Mac and adrenaline. “The cops are already on their way,” he growled. “I don’t know what you’re doing in my store, but you need to get the fuck out, or I will break your arm.” Tommy pulled the arm further behind the man, and he moaned in pain.

“Tommy,” the voice gasped below him. “It’s me, Mac.”

Tommy loosened his grip, but he didn’t let go completely as shock rippled through him. “Seriously?”

“Um, yeah. If you let me up, I can prove I’m not doing anything wrong. Well...maybe a little wrongish.” His words were garbled because Tommy still had him pressed against the counter.

Tommy jumped off him, trying to ignore the way his dick had fully awoken when it realized who lay underneath him. Instead, he focused on something else. “Wrongish? Aren’t you supposed to be a writer?”

Mac stood, shook out his arm, and pushed off the wet hood of his sweatshirt as he turned toward Tommy. It must be snowing again.

Mac’s eyes twinkled in the early morning light, but his expression could only be considered sheepish. “Sorry, I’m not at my most brilliant when I’m looking at possible jail time.”

Tommy snorted and waved him off. “Don’t worry. I lied. No police are on their way, but what the fuck are you doing in my store?”

“Would you believe restocking your bags?” Mac waved a hand to a large box on the counter. Sure as hell, on the side it was clearly labeled as paper bags. “The box has those damn metal staples in it, so I was trying to get it open.”

Tommy rubbed a hand across his tired eyes. Had his lack of sleep done something to his brain? Had he entered an alternate dimension?

He took his first good look at his store and the counter. It had been a couple of days since he’d been here. Everything was slightly different. There were new Post-its on the cash register and a journal lay there with more Post-its hanging out. The candy had been moved, and in its place were the bookmarks he hadn’t put out on the floor yet. At least that’s what he thought.

He turned in place, taking a good hard look at his store. It wasn’t just slightly different. The displays had been changed, rearranged. Some of them were completely gone. His mouth dropped open as he swung his gaze to Mac. Now that chagrined look made more sense.

Mac raised his hands in supplication. “I know what you’re thinking, but it’s not as bad as it looks.”

Cocking an eyebrow at him, Tommy crossed his arms. “You know what I’m thinking?”

Mac’s eyes darkened as he glanced down at Tommy’s bare chest and damned if Tommy’s cock didn’t perk right back up again. He was too tired and horny to deal with this crap this morning. Unfortunately, with only his loose sweatpants on, his growing hard-on was quickly becoming too apparent.

Mac smirked. “No, honestly I have no idea what you’re thinking about me being here, but I have to say, I do like the appearance of other thoughts and possibilities.” He bit his lip and glanced down at Tommy’s erection.

Tommy groaned. “Stop that. You’re trying to distract me.”

“Is it working?”

“Unfortunately, but I’m too tired to do anything about it this morning.”

“Wait a minute.” Mac frowned. “Why are you home? I thought they weren’t supposed to move Ryder until later today. Did something happen?”

In the two days since their dinner outside, Mac had made it a habit to show up at the hospital at breakfast and dinnertime with food for Tommy. Their exchanges over meals had turned into the highlights of his miserable days. He’d also brought Tommy fresh clothes, which Tommy hadn’t even thought about. But now as he watched Mac in his space, everything came into focus. How had Mac gotten his clothes? For that matter, how had Mac gotten in this morning?

“They had a transport free up earlier than they expected so they checked him out of the hospital this morning. I wasn’t allowed to go with him to the new place,” he said distractedly. Was that a Christmas tree in the corner? He hadn’t finished decorating the store for Christmas yet, including the trees, had he?

“Mac, what the fuck is going on here? Why are you here? How are you here? I don’t understand.” A cold chill washed over him. The heaters down in the store were set low through the night so it was cool this morning.

Of course, Mac noticed him shiver. “It’s cold in here. Can we go up to your loft? You can get a shirt on, and I’ll make you some breakfast while I explain.”

Tommy shook his head. “I don’t have any food, but yeah, I need a shirt and some tea would help. I think I need my brain to come online for this conversation. Come on.”

Mac followed him up the stairs, but Tommy stumbled to a halt as he topped them. Was he even conscious when he came home this morning? There stood another Christmas tree—one he knew he didn’t put there—in the corner of his living room.

He turned to Mac and gestured toward the tree. “Maybe I should call the police after all. Are you some sort of weird care giving stalker?”

Mac shook his head with a rueful chuckle. “No, I’m harmless. I promise. Go get dressed, and then we’ll talk.”

Tommy should probably be weirded out about this, but he felt like he’d gotten to know Mac a little bit over the last couple of days. He trusted his usually sound judgment of other people. He shook his head. Being more awake would help so he could figure out what made sense and what didn’t. Shower. He needed a shower. “Okay, give me ten minutes.”

Mac nodded and strode toward the kitchen.

Yeah, good luck with finding something edible. The only ingredients he had to make anything were pickles, sugar, and some old oatmeal. Yuck.

Upon entering his bedroom, he found piles of laundry folded and placed on top of his dresser. Yeah, now this situation headed toward creepy. This needed to be a quick shower.

***

Mac took a deep breath as he opened the refrigerator. He’d forestalled Tommy’s questions for the moment, but it was a very fleeting reprieve. He took out the eggs, tomatoes, spinach, cheese, and milk and began chopping the veggies for omelets by rote.

At the time when he’d pushed his way into Tommy’s life, it all made sense. Tommy had needed help. Mac could offer it. It was Christmas. No one should have to deal with stress alone, and even more motivating, Mac wanted to know Tommy. So, maybe he hadn’t actually spoken the offer. Minor detail. He’d done it with good intentions. But now as he considered the way he’d inserted himself into Tommy’s world, the possibility of jail time seemed much more real. Crap.

How could he spin this without sounding like some perverted idiot? Yes, he’d wanted to help because he felt drawn to the man, but that definitely sounded creepy. He needed to stick with the facts. He’d originally come because he wanted something from Tommy...to buy his book art. He needed to press that issue, although it wasn’t an issue anymore. Yes, he absolutely still wanted the piece, but if Tommy didn’t want to sell it for whatever reason, he could respect that. Now, he just wanted Tommy.

Fuck.

No, nothing at all stalkerish to see here.

He was so screwed.

“Where did you get food?”

Mac winced before turning around. He hadn’t heard Tommy come into the room.

Tommy’s mouth was pressed into a tight line, and he had his hands propped on his hips, as he waited for an explanation.

Mac shrugged like it was no big deal. “I kind of stocked your fridge.”

But Tommy didn’t react, since he’d become focused on the banker’s moneybag on the counter. He unzipped it. His mouth fell open and he looked up at Mac with wide eyes. “How much is in here?” he asked quietly.

“Um...” Mac rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly uncomfortable.

Mac reached over and picked up the cat, just for something to do, and tossed her onto her back in his arms. He scratched her neck, and she arched like a whore causing him to chuckle. It had taken her a few hours to warm up to him, but when he’d brought her some crab for lunch that first day, they had become best friends.

“What did you do to Ampersand?” Tommy demanded. “She doesn’t like anyone. In fact, she’s half-feral most the time.”

Mac glanced down at the cat, purring like an engine with her eyes rolled back. “Ampersand is her name? I didn’t know. She likes crab. A lot. I may have bribed her a bit.”

“Is that what this is?” Tommy lifted the bag with disgust. “Some sort of bribe? For what? Sexual favors?”

“No!” Mac shook his head and set the cat back down on the floor. She scampered off at his harsh tone. “The receipts are all in there, but it’s the store’s income from the last three days. I think it’s over ten or eleven thousand dollars.”

“You have got to be shitting me.” Tommy rifled through the money.

“I know. I know this looks bad, but I promise. I’m not a bad guy. I simply wanted to help, and everything kind of snowballed, and maybe I did a bit more than I should have.”

“Um, you think?” Tommy’s tone echoed with snarky disbelief. “You washed my underwear, stocked my fridge, ran my store, seduced my cat, and I have no idea what else. How the fuck did you even get in here?”

Shit, shit, shit. He was totally going to jail. And Emily would never forgive him if he missed his book deadline. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I wanted to help.”