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"You don’t sound happy about it"
"I helpbusiness
Gabriel is taking a special course to be a firefighter in the spring, so if I stop helping, too" He let that thought trail off
"You told ht? Have you heard back from any?"
Nick hesitated
Adam’s hands went still "What?"
"I’ve heard back froet back to the sexy talk That was loaded with pressure, too, but he didn’t want to think about college
"AndI haven’t opened any of the envelopes Or the e-mails"
Adam sht and looked over his shoulder
"What was that for?"
"That was for you being an idiot" Adahter "And for your posture, while I’ to do that for three days"
"What’s wrong withwith your head is a better question You probably have acceptance letters in there Maybe even scholarship offers, if you’re fourth in your class"
"I don’t want to talk about school" His shoulders had tightened back up, and all of a sudden, he didn’t want to be a part of this conversation
Ada a little more force than was absolutely necessary "Do your brothers have any idea that you’re sitting on a stack of unopened , but his hands were slower now, less suggestive
"I can feel you judging htful "Did you work tonight?"
"Yeah Nothing big--a little yard maintenance" He’d ridden the lad to have an excuse not to talk Chris watched him the whole time, but never said a word about the cafeteria outburst
Nick should have kept his stupid ht?"
"No--not really Sometimes But Mike’s been busy this week, so he asked hts"
"You still have homework to do?"
"Not a lot" A lie But he could probably finish when he got home, if he didn’t fall over froet up early and finish And he had yet to crack the book on the physics test he’d ht for that
"You still worried about Quinn?"
WTF Nick shoved Adaht the whole point was to be relaxing"
Adaain
He held hiainst Nick’s ear "It is But you’re all jacked up worrying about everyone else I’ to wonder orries about Nicholas"
Nick flushed and relaxed back into his hands "I like that,"
he murmured
"That no one worries about you?"
His cheeks warmed further Someday he’d be able to reconnect his mouth to his brain "No The way you saidcloser to run his hands down the front of Nick’s chest He did it slowly, letting each part of his hand stroke its way down Fingertips, then palm Shoulders, then muscle, then niles
Nick hissed in a breath He wanted hiht?" he said quickly
"Why don’t you letthe heers brushed bare stoers slid inside the waistband of his jeans
Nick froze and captured his hands Then he couldn’t move
He couldn’t breathe
Adaainst Nick’s neck
"Talk to hts were spinning like a tornado, completely out of control "I don’t knohat you want"
Low laughter against his neck "I don’t think that’s true"
Nick thought his cheeks would never cool That e to pick up the pieces
He couldn’t decide if he was angry or turned on or both "Don’t tease ment You’re safe here, rehts
"Talk toI don’t want you to--"
Adam pulled a hand free and put it over Nick’sitWhat do you want? Does anyone ever ask you that? What do you want, Nick?"
No No one ever asked him that Nick put a hand over Ada breath and shook his head "I don’t know I don’t knohat I want"
Adahtly, sweetly No pressure, just a brush of lips before drawing back
"Well," said Adam, and Nick could hear the sive you a few ideas"
CHAPTER 13
Quinn giggled and looked up at the starry night sky, accented by bits of flying ash from the fire "I didn’t realize you’d make a whole bonfire"
Tyler lay next to her on a fleece beach blanket he’d fetched from the truck "Well, you said you were cold"
The fire stretched over six feet high, whipping in the breeze
Tiny gas lalowed across the bay; this probably looked like a distress beacon "Won’t someone see it?"