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It had been a long time since he’d gone anywhere overnight, so he didn’t have a holder for his toothbrush. He got a baggy out of the kitchen, catching a glimpse of Baer, who was still looking over the items on his shelves.
The man stood only about five ten, but he had such a large presence about him, he seemed to take up more room. He’d pulled his red hair into a tail at his nape. It looked soft, and Wiley wanted to touch it so badly.
Shaking his head, he grabbed all his meds and went into his bedroom to find Queenie back in the suitcase. He gently took her out and since she snuggled into him, he carried her into the living room toward her carrier. She quickly figured out what he was doing and screeched, clawing at his arms. It took some doing to get her into the thing, but he finally closed the little door and latched it.
“Is she scared of the carrier or something else?” Wiley asked. There were some advantages to knowing a guy who could talk to animals.
“Not scared, exactly. She doesn’t like change and knows the carrier means just that. She’s picturing what’s probably her vet’s office. Hates shots. Plus, she has an irrational fear of being too far from her food bowl.” Baer’s low chuckle sent skitters of warmth down Wiley’s spine.
Wiley went into his bedroom and took a moment to stand, running his hands through his hair. His attraction to Baer wouldn’t do him any good. He needed to shut that shit down before it got him into trouble. There was no way a man like that would be interested in someone like him. At least, he was like eighty percent sure Baer was gay. Something about his smile and the way Baer had looked at him in the bakery parking lot had said he might be interested. But that was before all hell broke loose.
Even if Baer was gay, he probably went for the bigger guys. The ripped guys. A skinny geek couldn’t get his attention.
Plus, Wiley had his other problem. He looked at all the meds in his suitcase and shook his head again. That was never a pleasant conversation whenever he tried to date someone, and the dating usually stopped not too long after it.
But Wiley wanted him with a need that felt deep somehow—like just getting to know Baer would change his life.
He looked at his skinny arms and sighed. He worked out, had some small muscles, but nothing like Baer’s muscular frame. He was more interested in drawing his comics and playing video games.
Speaking of which, he walked into the living room and unhooked his Xbox to put it into his suitcase. He caught Baer’s grin out of the corner of his eye and couldn’t help but mimic it. Yeah, he had his priorities.
He also grabbed all the computer gear he needed for his current comic project. Luckily, he could draw just about anywhere.
“Do you work with a writer or do them all yourself?” Baer asked as he picked up one of the comics.
“Mostly myself, but I do occasionally draw for other people.” He walked to the shelf and pulled down a few comics. “I can bring some if you want to check them out.”
“I do. I’m interested in what you do.”
Wiley nearly did a dance of joy at Baer’s eager tone. It wasn’t often he met someone truly interested in his work. He’d discovered that if he didn’t work for one of the big names, he didn’t matter.
“Sorry you got caught up in all this, and I’m having to take you out of your world. Hopefully, it’s not for long,” Baer murmured as he placed a figure back on the shelf.
“I could use an adventure,” Wiley reassured him. He meant it. Not only would being around magic users refill his creative well, but he wanted to be there. Wanted to see what they did and how they were saving the world. He grabbed a bunch of comics and his laptop to shove into an additional backpack. He went for the controllers and a few games. “You play?”
“I do. We can set up some battles, if you’d like. The other guys don’t play, so it’ll be fun to have some competition.”
Wiley would love having someone to game with in person. All his interactions with other players were always online. “Do you guys have Wi-Fi all the way out there?”
“We do.” Baer picked up another one of Wiley’s favorite action figures and turned it over in his hand. “You don’t leave these in boxes?”
Heat filled his cheeks. “I buy two of each and keep one in the box. I barely have room for my clothes in my closet.”
Chuckling softly, Baer put the toy back.
Wiley couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking as he grabbed a couple of his favorite action figures and walked to his bedroom. It was kind of silly to bring them, but they gave him a feeling of home and security.
