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“The Fall Of.”
Henry turned up the last stretch of road hedged by dark, thick woods. A drumming hum of raindrops fell heavy on the roof. Henry turned on the wipers.
“Oh God, Henry.”
“Impeccable timing.” Henry looked rather amused. Like he couldn’t have timed the rain better if he’d written it in a book.
The high gray walls and unwelcoming house behind them loomed. The arched windows were dark. “When can I start holding your hand?”
Henry laughed.
When they stepped out of the car, he took Cameron’s bag.
“You can leave it,” Cameron said. “I doubt anyone here will steal it.”
Henry took the bag and clasped Cameron’s hand warmly, tugging him into a run. Under the shelter of the old porch, Cameron peered at the bag.
“I don’t want you to be alone tonight.”
Cameron swallowed and his heels jarred as he rocked on the stone porch. “Well. That will be distracting.”
Henry’s smile was infectious.
“Could we go to the library?” Cameron asked, hurriedly following Henry inside.
“We can go wherever you like.”
“Wherever?”
“Wherever.” Henry paused. “Except my dad’s study.”
“Bluebeard?”
A chuckle. “Anywhere but the west wing study, Cameron.”
Henry led him past an elevator and up a broad staircase of polished oak, and after two flights, along a narrow gallery. Doors stamped one side of it every six yards, lighted between by electric lamps shaped like wall torches. Rain-splotched light streamed through gridded stained-glass windows.
Cameron grabbed Henry’s hand. “Where are we going?”
Henry squeezed. “To the guest room.”
“Please don’t say it’s far away from yours.”
“It’s in the west wing between mine and Georgie’s. You share a bathroom with her and a door with me.”
Henry steered Cameron inside. The four-poster bed stole his attention first, followed by floral wallpaper. A few pieces of dark-stained furniture were stationed in the corners. Warm, cozy.
He toed off his shoes. Henry set the bag on the bed and pointed to the two doors in either wall. “Bathroom. If it’s locked, Georgie’s using it. My room. Sorry, the lock on that one doesn’t work.” He opened the door and ducked through.
Henry’s room was the same basic setup as the guest room but the air smelled like him, and his bedside table was crammed with books that didn’t fit along the wall of his desk. Everything tidy and in its place. But the bedcovers were wrinkled, as if Henry, or a very large cat, had curled on top of them after it was made.
“Is this your childhood room?”
“With fewer Lego, yes.”
Cameron perched on Henry’s bed and gazed down the spines of books. “The Oz series?”
“They arrived yesterday. I ordered them the minute after I finished reading your email. The first one.”
Cameron’s head shot up. “Why?”
“I haven’t read all of L. Frank Baum and”—Henry opened the first book—“I want to study all your languages.”
Their eyes held and his skin prickled, pants tightening. Henry’s intoxicating scent swirled with the weight of imagined memories Henry must have made in this room. His senses yearned for more.
He wanted to kiss again, wanted to feel Henry’s weight, to whisper against his neck and feel him squirm.
He wanted to be able to ask for it.
“Henry?” he said softly.
Henry clapped his book shut and set it down. Fingertips touched Cameron’s cheek, and grazed through his hair. “I like you wearing my hoodie. My socks.”
Cameron swallowed. “I like—”
A knock rattled the door, followed by Georgie’s voice. “Henry? Are you home already? Was it a bad date?”
With a chuckle and a wink at Cameron, Henry stepped back and opened the door.
Georgie rolled in and stopped. “Shit, am I interrupting?”
Cameron lurched off Henry’s bed. “No. We were about to poke around the house.”
Georgie rolled back a foot and winked. “Be safe.”
Now she was warning him? He eyed the pressed copper ceiling tiles and mysterious trunk and heard a distant creaking.
He wouldn’t sleep a jot tonight. “Maybe we shouldn’t poke around, Henry.”
“Dad’s not here,” Georgie said. “It’s the best time to poke.”
Henry shook his head, lips twitching. “Stop it, Georgie.”
“Low hanging fruit.”
Cameron pushed up his glasses. “I’m easy to tease, no worries.”
“Was there something you wanted, my darling, nosey sister?”
“I heard noises. It seemed logical to investigate.” Her gaze darted between the two of them. “From now on I’ll reconsider the instinct.” A smirk. “When you’re finished doing your thing, we have Fred’s party to organize.”
“He needs a party?” Henry asked, bored.
“We haven’t seen him all year. I thought it’d be nice. Low key. Some booze. Maybe a DJ.”
“Maybe a little carried away?”
“Fine, I’ll make a playlist.” She glanced at Cameron. “You should come, meet our brother.”
Henry grimaced. “Inflicting Fred on Cameron will not reflect well on me.”
“I think it’d reflect very well on you. He’ll fall in love by comparison.”
Sweeping behind Georgie, Henry grabbed the handles on her chair and swiveled her out of the room. “That’s enough from you today.”
Her laughter rang from the hall. “Have fun enlightening Cameron on all your oddities.”
