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“Shut up,” Gideon mumbled, his face heating even as he snuggled closer against Ryder. Yeah, not a horrible fate at all. He wanted to enjoy his new condo, but he wasn’t going to complain if this ghost meant he was now spending his nights stretched out in Ryder’s bed.
No, this was an excellent excuse to get closer to his new boyfriend.
Chapter6
Ryder
It took four days of Fox going back and forth between the witches and Gideon to schedule a time to meet at Phoenix. Gideon demanded they not tell Rafe anything about the haunted trunk. He was terrified that any mishap would cause the overprotective vampire to yank Gideon out of his new condo and put him in the Varik manor. Ryder tried to reassure him it wasn’t likely to happen, but Gideon wasn’t willing to take any chances.
Neither was Ryder.
He felt bad that Gideon was spending very little time in his place, but not that bad. It meant Gideon was curling up in his arms each morning to sleep. And now that he had a sofa, they’d snuggle up there in the evenings while Gideon introduced him to all the strange shows he liked to watch. Some of them were interesting, but mostly he was happy to be with Gideon, listening to him talk and watching his face light up when something surprised or delighted him.
What would happen to these cozy nights after the ghost was gone? Would he even want to watch his shows with Ryder?
And was Gideon interested in more than making out on the couch?
They’d been going slow so far, which he appreciated, but Ryder was craving so much more. He wanted to explore all of Gideon. He’d seen plenty of the man’s perfect body while he danced, but he’d never been given the chance to roam every inch of him with his mouth.
That was a thought he shoved aside as he watched for any sign that the witches had arrived. All they’d gotten from Fox was that one had brown hair and would be wearing a bright-blue shirt. The other one—the necromancer—would be in a gold vest. When they arrived, they were to go to the reserved banquette farthest from the DJ booth.
For a Wednesday night, Phoenix was doing brisk business and Ryder hated stealing the prime real estate that would make Rafe some serious cash during the night, but he was hoping they could get this meeting done quickly before Rafe or Philippe noticed. Lola was already eyeballing him from her spot at the end of the bar.
Just as panic was settling into his stomach, a man in an electric blue button-down walked up to the bar and ordered a beer. His brown hair was longish on top with a fade on the sides. Several earrings lined his right ear while the left appeared to have a small silver dragon wrapped around it.
After he paid for his beer, his eye caught on Ryder staring at him. Most people broke eye contact immediately and scurried away. This man lifted an eyebrow with a scar that cut through the center and walked over to him.
“You Ryder?” he asked, lifting his voice above the beat of the music.
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
The man laughed. “Fox said to look for the scariest motherfucker in the place, and that would be Ryder.”
He rolled his eyes. Lovely.
“I’m Maddox. Skylar is on his way,” the witch introduced. He took a swig of his beer and smiled at Ryder, as if standing next to the scariest motherfucking vampire wasn’t a big deal.
Ryder nodded and pulled his phone from his pocket. He shot Gideon a text to say that at least one of the witches had arrived. Gideon was getting ready to perform, but he wasn’t scheduled to go on for another hour.
“I reserved us that booth along that wall.” Ryder pointed to the seats in question. “You can wait there while I fetch my friend.”
Maddox gave him a little salute with his beer bottle and weaved his way through the crowd toward the banquette. Ryder ignored the questioning glare he could feel burrowing in the back of his head from Lola and moved off the main floor to fetch Gideon.
The smaller vampire met him after a couple of steps with a nervous smile on his bright-red lips. He’d finished his hair and makeup for the evening but was still in his street clothes of jeans, T-shirt, and zip-up yellow hoodie. Gideon did not look like the sex god that would dance above the masses tonight but an adorable snack that Ryder very much wanted to steal away from the rest of the world.
As they returned to the club, Ryder remained as close as a shadow. It was unlikely most people would recognize Gideon in his everyday attire, but Ryder didn’t want to take the chance of someone bothering him. Gideon had been a favorite of Rafe’s clubs over the year, and he’d attracted quite a fan club. But no one was allowed to get close to him. Ever. Ryder would never permit anyone to harm his Gideon.
Gideon’s steps slowed as he drew close to the waiting witch. Ryder placed a reassuring hand on his hip, reminding him that he was right there with him. No one would hurt him.
“Hi, I’m Gideon,” he introduced as he stepped up to the banquette.
The witch grinned broadly at him and waved one hand. “Maddox. You’re Fox’s friend. The one with the ghost trouble?”
“I am.” Gideon slid into the booth on the opposite side of Maddox and Ryder followed right behind him. He almost smiled when Gideon’s hand bumped his under the table and then immediately threaded their fingers together. His voice said calm confidence, but the little tremble in his fingers screamed nervous energy. “I want to thank you and your friend for coming all this way to meet with us.”
Maddox groaned and sank into the seat as if he were melting into the leather. “Trust me, you’re doing me a favor. You ever have a Monday that was so Monday that it leaked into Tuesday and Wednesday?” He held up his beer. “I needed this.”
Gideon shrugged, still smiling brightly. “I don’t work on Mondays. The club is usually closed.”
