Free Island Heat by E. Davies Page B

through the premises to start the dishwasher for one last load and wipe down the tables and keep things sanitary until he could properly clean the next day. He worked quickly, nervous that if he left it too long, the handsome man who had shown an interest might get bored and wander off.
    When he saw himself out of the premises and locked up, though, Eli appeared at his elbow.
    Kevin jumped at how suddenly he seemed to be just there . “Oh, Jesus, you scared me,” Kevin laughed, pocketing his keys.
    “I'm sorry,” Eli answered with a sincere little laugh, and Kevin felt Eli take his hand and squeeze for a moment before letting go.
    Kevin's heart was light again with pleasure at the simple touch. All these small touches and gestures had left him aching for more, though; he didn't want to keep himself to just handholding and furtive kisses.
    He wanted Eli to teach him everything he'd been missing.
    “My place is up this way and up the hill,” Eli told Kevin, and they started walking together past small groups of friends, individuals, couples hurrying home with desperate intent, and the occasional large crowd of revelers laughing and wandering down the middle of the street.
    The walk didn't take long, and Eli chatted lightly about Kevin's night, asking how business was and what the most popular items were – easy questions.
    When they reached the mansion, Kevin tried not to stare at the outside of the house. It was lit beautifully even from outside with lights shining up along the walls and down from the top of the house to show off the gardens around it, the path down the hill, and the huge patio that seemed to wrap around the whole house.
    “This is... wow,” Kevin couldn't help but comment.
    “Dean and I really liked the look of this one. Different enough...” Eli trailed off. He cleared his throat and cast him a nervous little look. “Sorry, I'm going to be a little awkward. Like I said, it's been a while...”
    Kevin nodded to show he understood; he was feeling nervous too. He still couldn't believe that someone as fucking gorgeous, and apparently wealthy, as this man hadn't been dating, and briefly, he wondered if he was a workaholic or something.
    Once they stepped into the beautiful, airy surroundings of the living room, Kevin glanced upstairs to where he figured the bedrooms were.
    “Don't bother with your shoes,” Eli told him, taking his hand again to rub the side of Kevin's thumb with his own. “Do you want a drink or anything?”
    Kevin shook his head. He'd had a glass of water and several mints before starting the dishwasher. “We can go upstairs.”
    Eli looked relieved to get this explicit permission. He led Kevin upstairs and around the corner to open the bedroom door and turn on the softest light in the room – the bedside lamp. Kevin kicked off his shoes and took off his jacket by the door, just as Eli did the same.
    When he straightened up and looked around, Kevin caught his breath. The walls themselves were windows overlooking a moon-lit bay complete with white sand beaches glowing in the faint light. The stars were clearly visible despite the bright moon.
    “Nice view, isn't it?” Eli murmured. He dropped Kevin's hand to close the door behind them, and while he did so, Kevin walked forward to the balcony door and opened it. He couldn't resist getting a proper view.
    Kevin shook his head slowly as his gaze swept across the trail of the moon's reflection in the water, up to the myriad stars that twinkled down upon them. He'd never seen so many stars at once, and he hadn't been up late enough since coming here to see them before. “Is it always like this?” he murmured as he felt Eli step out behind him. He had such an enchanting presence.
    “Often,” Eli agreed softly.
    Kevin finally turned to face Eli, reaching out to carefully rest his hands on Eli's waist and pull him a step closer. Something about him looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. It was like he'd seen him before,