Free Promise Rock 03 - Living Promises (MM) by Amy Lane Page B

one step, Collin was inside those long, angular arms, wrapping his bulky biceps around Jeff's shoulders and holding him with hard, purposeful security.
Jeff looked surprised for a moment, and then he must have seen Collin's intent as he moved his face closer, holding his hand to the back of Jeff's head as he barreled in for a kiss.

Chapter 4

    Jeff: Fractured Fairy Tale

    SO. NOT. FAIR.
    Yeah, Jeff remembered him. The angular cheekbones, the square jaw, those things had filled out, and so had his chest, and his arms were truly amazing. The dark blond hair was parted in the middle and hung to sweep his jaw line. Most of the time Jeff had seen him, it had been pulled back behind his ears in a half-ponytail, but not today. The long hair made him look young, and tough, and… oh, damn, the kind of kid that Jeff would have gone for in a heartbeat a half a million years ago.
    Up close, his eyes were… amazing. They were an average color— brown, like Jeff's, but they also had flecks of gold and flecks of green, and these dark brown lashes, and that bad-boy's lean mouth was drawn up in a scowl, and he was holding Jeff in a way that… oh, God…. Jeff could hardly remember being held like this.
    The last person to do it had been Kevin.
For a moment, the weight of Kevin's brother, of the letter sitting in his pocket like a piece of cannon-shot, of Jeff's careful little bubble of hedonism, was supported in those wide-fingered bony hands, and Jeff felt almost young as those arms wrapped around his shoulders, even as the one hand cupped the back of his head and angled him for a kiss.
His mouth opened under Collin's lean-lipped twist of triumph, and Collin's tongue swept into his mouth. Ahhh… ahhh, God….
He must have whimpered, melted, something, because in about two seconds, Collin had his back pressed against the wall, his shoulders pinned, and was ravaging his mouth like Patton ravaged the Philippines, only with less khaki and more—oh Christ, more tongue. Five years… could he really have survived for five years without being kissed? Without being held? Without smelling sweat and feeling stubble against his chin?
Collin growled . There was no other word for it—a warm, possessive rumble came up from his chest, and he ground his hips up against Jeff and, oh, God….
Shit—wasn't he in the middle of something?
Pulling away and ducking under Collin's arm was easy, because Collin wasn't expecting it—and horribly difficult, because Jeff didn't want to do it.
“You're a sweet boy,” he said, but he was panting so it probably didn't sound as condescending as he was trying for. He tried again. “You're a sweet boy, Collin, but I've got some shit to do right now!”
And with that, he managed to trot through the door of the restaurant and flee out the other side.
    K IMMY and Mikhail were waiting for him in the front of the restaurant. They had apparently rounded up all of the stuff at the table while Jeff was lapsing into emotional maelstrom, and were ready to go.
    “Did we pay up?” Jeff asked, hoping they'd left a hell of a tip after all of that.
Crick's car was still parked outside, so Mikhail cast a sour look at Kimmy and then, as the shortest, climbed into the back of the Mini Cooper, saying, “Yes, and moose-woman here left half a fortune in cash. I hope that boy's cow-eyes were worth it, heifer—that money would have paid my rent back in the old country.”
“The boy wasn't making cow-eyes at me , Mikhail. Besides, I thought your ass paid your rent in the old country!” Kimmy shot back, and Jeff grimaced. She and Mikhail really must have loved each other for her to go there. Mikhail wasn't exactly ashamed of his past, but he didn't usually let it be used as target practice, either.
“Okay, it would have paid your rent. I would have lived in a fucking palace, how's that? And I was talking Lucas, making the coweyes. The other one was obviously aimed at… what does he want?” Because Jeff had just turned the key as