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But then Lucas would smile at him, mischief sparkling in his eyes, and Andrei just knew that he shared that little bit with no one else in the world. He was drawn in by Lucas’s intensity, his fierce loyalty, and an inner strength that could not be surpassed.
“You do this every year?” Lucas asked when he was pleased with his design several minutes later.
“Used to. My dad loves Halloween.” He paused and flashed Lucas a crooked grin. “Of course, my parents grew up in the country that gave birth to Dracula.”
A soft snort escaped Lucas as he set his pencil aside and picked up a knife. “You dress up?”
Andrei stopped Lucas when he tried to cut out the eyes first. “Cut out the lid. You gotta pull out the guts first,” he instructed, picking up his own knife. “I dressed up most of the time. There was always a Halloween party somewhere. You?”
Lucas gave a brief shake of his head but refused to elaborate. Of course, that was kind of par for the course. Lucas didn’t talk about his past, not that it seemed like he had many good memories to share.
“What the fuck?” Lucas suddenly groaned as he stuck his hand into the pumpkin. “This is disgusting!”
“Big baby.” Andrei chuckled, pulling the lid off his own. The scent of earth and the sharp tang of pumpkin filled the air.
Lucas looked into the pumpkin, horror drawing lines in his handsome face. “How much of this stuff needs to come out?”
“All of it.”
“What?”
“All. Of. It.”
“This is repulsive.”
“I had no idea you were such a prima donna. Should we have hired someone to gut your pumpkin so you didn’t get your hands dirty? No, wait. I’ve got your phone in my pocket. We can call Candace and have your assistant gut your pumpkin.”
Lucas flicked his pumpkin-covered fingers at Andrei, flinging the goop across the counter to smack on Andrei’s cheek.
“Hey!”
“Guess you should have dressed appropriately.” A smug smile slid across Lucas’s lips as he dug his hand back into the pumpkin. “This is messy.”
With a grin, Andrei reached over his shoulder and grabbed his T-shirt, pulling it off in one smooth move before tossing it across the room toward the couch. There was no missing the way Lucas’s hungry gaze swept down his bare chest, making Andrei wonder if he’d spoken too soon when he put carving ahead of other activities.
“That’s a good start,” Lucas murmured with a wicked grin. Andrei didn’t have a chance to comment. Lucas pulled his fist out of the pumpkin and flung the guts at Andrei with a laugh. Andrei twisted and dove for the opposite counter, but there wasn’t enough room to move. The cold, sticky goo splatted across his shoulder and back.
Andrei hissed at the sudden chill but didn’t hesitate as he lunged for his own pumpkin. He grabbed a stringy, seed-filled glob and threw it at Lucas who was attempting to pull out a second handful, catching him across the chest. Lucas’s dark laughter filled the penthouse as he threw more at Andrei, getting half of it in his hair.
Abandoning his pumpkin, Andrei stalked Lucas around the island, both of them holding globs of pumpkin guts in their hands. “You know you’re not getting away from me,” Andrei taunted, bringing a light to Lucas’s bright eyes.
“Why escape? We’re both armed and I think I’ve gotten the better of you so far.” Lucas took a step back, his bare foot landing on some of the splattered pumpkin, and started to slide. Andrei closed the distance in an instant, catching him and slamming him against the refrigerator before he could fall.
Their bare chests pressed tight, both men were suddenly oblivious to the bits of pumpkin caught between them as they kissed. Heat surged, burning away thoughts of their brief competition, so all that was left behind was a biting need to be closer. A groan rumbled up Lucas’s throat and Andrei swallowed it down. He tasted of bourbon and his spicy cologne clung to his skin, teasing Andrei’s nose, tempting him closer.
Andrei choked on a laugh as Lucas smeared pumpkin across his back as he pulled him closer. “Hell. I’m going to be picking pumpkin seeds out of my ass, aren’t I?”
Lucas licked along Andrei’s lower lip before giving it a sharp bite. “Don’t worry. I’ll get those.”
“You’re the only person who could possibly make pumpkin carving sexy.”
Something shifted in Lucas’s eyes and some of the hunger dimmed, changing the light that played there into something softer. “Thank you for this,” Lucas said, his deep voice barely more than a whisper. “From now on when I see a pumpkin, I’ll always think of this moment.”
Andrei kissed him, letting himself get lost in everything that was Lucas so he didn’t have to think about the ache that rose in his chest at the man’s words or the fact that he wanted to give Lucas more moments just like this. Pulling back, Andrei flashed Lucas a wicked grin. “Then let’s see about giving you a memory that’ll make you blush when you see a pumpkin.”
