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“You’re welcome anywhere in my home, Quinn. There are even a few areas I hope to show you for an extended period of time.” Shane nodded at a large metal barn style door on a sliding track. “Especially behind there.”
He saw the bed beyond the open door and his belly fluttered with renewed excitement. He walked to the edge of the kitchen. A long, narrow living room was to the right, and Shane had managed to make it even warmer with an L-shaped beige couch in front of more bricked walls. A large-screen television stretched across the opposite wall and there was more colorful art, like that at his office, on the walls. He’d suspended a couple of bicycles over windows at the end of the room. He pictured Shane on one of those bikes. His imagination supplied him with a pair of tight, black bicycle shorts. Sweat broke out over his lip. He licked it off and turned back to Shane. “This is gorgeous. You did all the work yourself?”
Shane nodded and sipped his water, his gaze locked on Quinn. “I did. With my dad. Want to see why I haven’t been able to leave?”
“Of course!”
Shane waved him over to the stairs, but before Quinn reached the bottom, something screeched and slammed into his shoulders. He twisted in time to see a black and white cat flee around the corner.
“Shit. You okay?” Shane touched the back of his neck. “Did Norma Jean scratch you? She can be a bit of a bitch.” He slid his fingers up into Quinn’s hair.
He wanted to close his eyes and lean into the touch like he was the cat. “I’m fine. I was just startled.”
Shane squeezed his neck, then let go. “Come on. What I have to show you will make up for it.”
The stairs led right to a fenced-in deck on the roof. It held another comfy looking couch—this one built for the outdoors—some chairs, a grill, and…Quinn’s mouth fell open. “An outdoor television?” It wasn’t a big one, but it was the perfect size for the small area. He spun around. “And this is yours? Nobody else in the building shares it?”
“No, it came with the condo and it’s all mine. It’s not very big, but it’s perfect for me and a friend. Or two.” He winked. “It’s surprisingly private, too.”
Quinn felt his cheeks heat at the mention of two friends. He immediately pictured Shane and two men on a blanket here. Sweat-covered bodies in motion. Fuck. His pants grew tighter.
It was definitely private. In three directions, anyway. Which was surprising given that the building hadn’t seemed that tall. But one side didn’t look private at all. Quinn pointed to the rows of windows in a nearby building.
The wickedly sexy grin that should be declared a lethal weapon returned. “That building is still empty and on the market. It hasn’t had any renovations, so it’s still just a massive, open warehouse. Those windows are all too high for people to see out of, but that will change once someone like Lucas Vallois spots its potential.”
Quinn nodded as he spoke of the well-known land developer who was currently busy sprucing up Cincinnati and all its neighboring townships.
Shane continued. “Eventually, I’ll have to put up a short wall when that place sells. But for now, I can sit up here and catch a game and a breeze at the same time. The condo is small, and I love its peculiar personality, but this has kept me from selling the place.”
“I don’t blame you.” Quinn sat on the couch. “I don’t think I could leave either. You’re also within walking distance of so many cool restaurants and bars.” He stretched his arm across the back of the sofa. “Of course, I’d have to find a way to get a game system up here and figure out how to keep it protected from the elements.” He leaned his head back and looked at the waning moon. “Your own rooftop deck. It doesn’t get much cooler than that.”
Shane sat next to him and put his feet on the small wicker coffee table. He rested the back of his head on the couch and looked at the sky, too. “It’s a beautiful night.”
It was. Stars twinkled like gold and white glitter in the clear sky and it was still warm enough to be comfortable out—though he wouldn’t mind snuggling under a blanket out here. With Shane. His nerves had left. Shane might excite the hell out of him, but he had a welcoming, easy-going nature that put Quinn at ease, too. He rolled his head to look at the man and found him watching him.
And like that, the nerves zapped back to life. The man might talk of no-strings fun, but his dark eyes probed constantly, making him feel like Shane wanted to know everything about him—down to his deepest secrets.
