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“Because it’s quiet.”
“Partly. And partly because there’s a good feel to the place, you know?” He smiled when Norma Jean rubbed her head on his hand, asking for more petting. He obliged. “Sweet cat you have.”
“I think maybe she’s been drugged. Or switched out with a pod cat. She isn’t normally that good with anyone other than me.” He wrapped his fingers around Quinn’s ankle again and closed his eyes. “I meant it, though. Stay the night. There are only a few hours before we have to be up and back at work anyway.” He yawned. “I’ll even make you breakfast.”
When Quinn didn’t answer, he lifted his heavy eyelids to find the man had lost his battle to sleep. Shane stared at him, couldn’t seem to make himself look away. Quinn’s black hair, thick and long on top, had fallen back off his forehead and his glasses sat askew. Lips that drew Shane even now, rested open. He looked strangely vulnerable when asleep. And cute as hell.
Shane blinked, slightly rattled by the warmth spreading through him.
He wasn’t after forever with the guy, but he definitely wanted to take this thing between them further. There was a spark he’d only felt a couple of times before in his life and both those times, he hadn’t pushed for anything more. He wanted to with Quinn, to see what kind of sex could come from a more intimate knowledge of another’s body. Nothing permanent, of course. He’d never had an interest in being completely monogamous, in settling down. But he’d like to have some fun with Quinn. He found him interesting. And sexy as hell.
And Quinn had been right about their chemistry. It was off the fucking charts.
He couldn’t wait to explore all of that slim, sexy body, to see how explosive they could be together.
Shane quietly got up and grabbed a throw blanket off his reading chair in the corner. Norma Jean, recognizing bedtime, walked off Quinn and jumped to the floor. She’d slept with Shane every night since he’d brought her home from a shelter as a kitten.
Quinn didn’t stir at all as Shane covered him up with the blanket and slipped off his glasses. He had no idea what prompted him into sliding his fingers into Quinn’s hair and kissing his forehead. He also didn’t understand the weird tug he felt in his chest. He carried his frown of confusion to bed.
He was obviously more exhausted than he’d realized.Chapter TenShane lifted his right hand as he looked up at the looming Krohn Conservatory. Rare autumn sunlight glinted off the massive glass and metal structure. The day wasn’t working out quite how he’d planned, though the night before had been really nice, and he was glad that he was able to drag Quinn out with him. The previous day had largely been spent trying to track down his dad’s friend while Quinn had been locked on his computer trying to research the email address attached to the message as well as working on his program for searching through social media comments regarding the mayor. Neither of them had gotten the chance to dig into the names mentioned in the email.
Those damn names were bothering him. They felt familiar but wrong in a way that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He’d managed a five-second search on his phone of Danglars and gotten nothing useful. Then his dad’s friend finally got a hold of him, agreeing to meet at the Conservatory. He couldn’t pass that up. The hacker kept using Brenda Spring’s name, so it seemed like a damn good idea to dig into the woman just a little bit. At least he felt useful when Quinn was doing all the computer work.
Trees and bushes reached up along the wide sidewalk leading to the building, while autumn mums in orange, red, and white filled the smaller beds around the wooden benches.
Eden Park was a quiet place in the city—somehow managing to be close to downtown Cincinnati but escaping the general noise and rush of cars. Just a little haven tucked away, and Krohn Conservatory was the crown jewel. The enormous greenhouse was home to a collection of thousands of exotic plants and trees, offering Cincinnatians a glimpse into a different place, thousands of miles from home. Maybe a lush, tropical rainforest or an arid desert.
Pulling open the door, he smiled at the old art deco touches in the metal door handle and decorations edging the building. He followed Quinn inside and quickly paid the small fee for both of them, then pocketed the receipt. It would be marked off as a business expense, but if he was remembering correctly, there were a couple of secret spots in the rainforest that he could sneak off to with Quinn after their meeting with Rose.
