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by another boom of thunder.
Come on. If I m remembering right, we can cut down this alley to get back to Via
Torino, and we can take that nearly all the way to the hotel.
Shane didn t have a clue where they were. He nodded and followed Kayden into the
alleyway he d indicated. It got darker and darker the farther they got from the streetlights. There
was another clap of thunder, and then it was as if someone had turned on a faucet overhead. The
rain poured down in thick torrents, and within seconds, they were drenched to the skin.
Shit! Shane grabbed Kayden s arm and pulled him under the archway of the building
they d been walking past. At the ground level it was a small café, already closed and locked up
for the night. A light fixture glowed above the door, illuminating the entryway. It wasn t very
bright, but at least it was something. Holy fuck. That came out of nowhere.
Yeah, you think? Kayden sounded amused. Not even a drop of warning.
Shane stared out into the street. The rainfall was so dense, he couldn t see through it, the
water hitting the pavement with heavy splats.
This reminds me of that time I got drunk in Vegas. Shane paused. Well, one of the
times, he amended. Anyway, I got totally wasted and passed out the moment I got back from
the bar. I started dreaming that I was caught out in a thunderstorm, and I nearly pissed myself
right there in bed. I woke up at the last moment and hauled ass to the bathroom. Must ve pissed
for five minutes straight. It sounded kind of like this.
Kayden burst out laughing. Shocked, Shane turned to look at him. Fuck, even the guy s
laugh was adorable. Shane had never particularly paid attention to anyone s laugh before, not
unless it was weird or irritating. But, like everything else about Kayden, that breathy laugh
turned Shane on. And the tiny little snorting sound he made halfway through was totally
endearing.
Kayden caught Shane watching him and abruptly stopped laughing, his hand coming up
to cover his mouth. Shane could see that he was blushing in the dim light.
Don t hide. Shane didn t even stop to think about what he was doing. He reached out
and took Kayden s hand in his, moving it aside. His other hand rose to Kayden s face. You re
beautiful.
And he was. Beautiful beyond words. He had such a gorgeous mouth, perfectly shaped,
with just a hint of a pout. It drove Shane crazy. He brushed his thumb across Kayden s lower lip
and leaned closer. Their mouths were only centimeters apart when he felt a hand on his chest.
No, Kayden said without meeting Shane s eyes. Don t ruin it.
Shane released Kayden s hand and stepped back. His throat ached, but he tried to brush
the hurt away. Kayden was right. It was too much, too soon. Whatever he and Kayden had, it
wouldn t survive if Shane tried to rush things. Logically, he knew that. But after having come so
close to finally being able to touch, to taste, the rejection stung.
It looks like it s died down a bit. Kayden left the cover of the archway and peered up at
the sky. If we hurry, maybe we can make it to the hotel before it starts again.
Let s go, then.
By the time they made it back to the hotel, there wasn t an inch on Shane s body that
wasn t soaking wet. He and Kayden nodded at the security guards who were posted at the doors
and crossed the hotel s elegant lobby, tracking water across the marble, their shoes squeaking.
A man and woman were stepping out of one of the elevators just as Kayden and Shane
arrived. The couple edged around them, eyeing them oddly and murmuring to each other. Under
normal circumstances, Shane might have been amused. But as it was, he was cold and
uncomfortable, trapped somewhere between misery and elation. He d gotten more from Kayden
than he d expected, and that made him happy. But the night hadn t ended quite the way he d
hoped.
Shane boarded the elevator and hit the button for Kayden s floor.
What level are you on? Kayden asked when Shane made no move to hit any other
numbers.
The fourth, Shane answered, reaching up to brush his sopping wet hair out of his face.
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