Found at the Library by Christi Snow Page A

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