Page 22 of The Christmas Accomplice

“How do you know that about snakes?” Reece said. “Are you some kind of snake whisperer in your off hours from analyzing web data?”

“You remember my job?”

“Yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t I?”

Welton lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug but didn’t look up from the cables. He wasn’t used to someone paying such close attention to him. Dean had stopped listening to most of what he said halfway through their relationship, and Welton had been working remote for over a year now, so he didn’t even have co-workers to converse with. He’d been able to use online chat, but it wasn’t the same as casual conversation around someone’s desk.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Reece leaned in over the top of the bin, resting his forearms on the plastic edge and pinning Welton with his gaze. “Do snakes whisper their secrets to you?”

“Doc—” Welton’s voice cracked on the second syllable, and he had to pause to clear his throat. “Documentaries. I sometimes watch nature documentaries.”

“That’s cool.” Reece moved back, and even though Welton was able to breathe again, the air in the room felt a little chillier. “I saw a snowy owl one time while I was snowshoeing along the trails.”

“That’s a lucky sighting.”

“It was.”

The flicker of smile at the memory made Welton wonder if someone else had been by Reece’s side during that moment. A surprising wash of jealousy went through him, leaving in its wake a quiet sadness. Someone as handsome and outgoing as Reece naturally had someone special in his life. Even if he was gay, which Welton now thought might be the case, Reece would not be single. Anything Welton might have thought was going on between them was really just Reece being friendly and welcoming because it was his job. The man worked at a ski resort, and Welton was one of the guests.

But still…

The quiet voice inside didn’t seem to be able to give up on the idea that, available or not, Reece found him attractive.

Reece stood and leaned over to rub his knees, grinning as he did it. “Not as young as I used to be.”

“You’re perfectly aged,” Welton said, wondering just where the hell his bravery was coming from as he directed his attention back into the bin.

“Like a fine wine?”

“Exactly.” Welton gave a quiet cry of triumph and stood up, brandishing one of the cables. “I think I found it.”

Reece’s smile made Welton’s heart pound. “You’re like the best claw machine in the history of the world.”

“I don’t know about ‘the best’ claw machine.” Welton held out his hand. “Music player please.”

Reece fished the device out of his front pants pocket and placed it in Welton’s palm. It was warm, and Welton started to harden at the thought of it snugged up against Reece’s cock and balls. To distract himself, he strode toward the plugs in the wall behind the dance area, fingers curled tight around the plastic casing. He absolutely was not envisioning his fingers holding tight to Reece’s cock instead. Nope, not even a little bit.

In short order, he located a series of plugs and a dial behind one of the small doors in the wall that looked to be dedicated to the sound system.

“Looks like the resort has speakers in the ceiling and walls,” Welton said. “So, you won’t need to bring your own speakers and sound board.”

“Right. The deejays in the area love working weddings here because they don’t have to lug around all their heavy equipment if they don’t want to.”

Welton connected the music player and stood up. The cable was ten feet, so he was able to hand it over to Reece. “Find something to play and test it out.”

Reece stood close beside him, his body heat and smell of shampoo and deodorant comforting and more than a little distracting as he scrolled through the options.

“I made a playlist of popular Christmas songs. Here it is. Let me find the perfect song to mark this occasion.” Reece tapped on a song and “Jingle Bells” began to blare.

“Turn down the volume on the player!” Welton shouted over the music.

After Reece dialed it down, the song played at a more comfortable level, and they smiled at each other.

“You saved me,” Reece said.

Welton blushed and looked away. “I wouldn’t go that far, but I’m glad I could help.”

Reece set the music player on the floor by the wall, then gestured toward the dance floor and raised his eyebrows.