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off the carefree thing. There was a weightiness to his voice that spoke of pain.  I ve
never been to Coney Island so I have no idea how it is. Getting fucked in a secret
hideaway didn t count as part of the Coney Island experience, even if it was located in
the middle of it all.
 Dude. Mateo shook his head.  How is it you re here all this time and haven t
been to the boardwalk?
Mateo sounded genuinely surprised and Shane laughed at the incredulity in the
other man s expression.  York didn t leave me that much free time.
 That s fucked, man. Mateo pushed his chair back and got to his feet.  Totally
messed up.
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 What s messed up? Pablo entered the kitchen in shorts, his upper half bare
although one would ve been hard-pressed to find skin not covered in those
mouthwatering tattoos. He wore flip-flops and silver droplets of water glistened on his
face and freshly shaved scalp.
 Your boy here has never been to Coney Island. Like, never. Mateo sighed as
Pablo shot Shane a look he felt in his groin.  What else haven t you experienced, Agent?
Ever had you some Junior s?
 What s Junior s? Shane grinned when Mateo grabbed his chest and staggered in
fake outrage. He did know what Junior s was, but he hadn t had time to check that out
either.
 Seriously? Mateo sized up Pablo.  Your boy s coming with us to Coney Island
and maybe tomorrow we ll force feed him some of Junior s cheesecake, see how he likes
it.
 Whatever. Pablo turned away and opened the fridge, his actions stiff, his voice
cold.
Shane met Mateo s gaze and mouthed a thank-you. Any time he had left he wanted
to spend with Pablo. The man teetered between hot and cold, his eyes pulling Shane in,
giving him hope while his voice and words pushed him away.
Right now Shane chose to put his hopes into the actions Pablo had yet to take. He
had yet to kick Shane out of his house, something he could ve easily done. Could still
do. Shane crossed his fingers behind his back and went for the bag he d brought with
him the night before.
Upstairs in Pablo s bedroom, memories of the time they d made love in the wide
bed flooding his mind, he changed into shorts and a t-shirt and hurried back downstairs
to where Pablo and a few of his men waited.
While the other guys were loud and boisterous, laughing and ribbing on each other,
Pablo remained quiet as they climbed into a black SUV and drove off. All during the
drive to the beach, Shane felt Pablo s eyes on him, heavy and hot. Weird, because while
Pablo sat up front with designated driver Mateo, Shane was squeezed in between three
huge guys arguing an age-old question over the booming hip-hop music Biggie or
Tupac?
Shane shut his eyes and let it all wash over him. Where he was and who he was
with. Why? Why was he seeking out a relationship with a man who kept pushing him
away?
He had two days with Pablo. Two days to see if what he felt was reality or fantasy.
Two days.
* * * * *
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Sinner, Savior
Coney Island was packed with people. There was barely any space on the
boardwalk to stand much less walk. The noise, from people and the music, was
deafening.
The hot sun beat down on Shane s exposed neck and shoulders with a vengeance,
turning his skin a darker shade than usual. He should have remembered sunscreen.
Some of the men went straight for the beach while Pablo, Mateo and Shane stood in
the unending line for hot dogs. Well, Pablo and Mateo did. Shane sat at a table nearby
with a couple, hiding from the sun under their too-small umbrella.
He ate the hot dogs and even some cotton candy, turned out both Mateo and Pablo
had a bit of a sweet tooth. What he loved, loved, was the funnel cake. He ate three of
those, bought by Pablo without a word.
They walked the boardwalk until Shane s feet hurt, the crush of people bumping
him into Pablo, who held him steady with a finger hooked into Shane s belt loop. They
barely spoke, the people with and around them doing much of that, but every time
Shane looked up, Pablo s eyes were there. On him. Touching and caressing where his
hands didn t.
They spent as much time in the cool water as they did on dry land, alternating
between swimming everyone but Shane and eating. Those men could eat.
As the sun went down and the temperature grew cooler, they stood around as
Mateo, the designated daredevil of the bunch, took a ride on some sort of bungee jump
thingie. Shane watched with his heart in his throat as Mateo flew over the crowded
boardwalk and back with only a flimsy harness strapped to his middle.
Fuck.
The men laughed and egged Mateo on, filming him on their cell phones. Shane just
stood and watched, his hand fisted in the back of Pablo s t-shirt. Finally they made their
way back to the car, Shane with two more funnel cakes and a bottle of water for the
road.
By the time they pulled up in front of Pablo s house, Shane was dead on his feet and
down one funnel cake. All the men piled into Pablo s house, bringing noise and sand
with them.
 Use the bathroom downstairs, Pablo ordered them. The first in a long time Shane
had heard his voice.
 Hey, Agent, Mateo called as Shane climbed the stairs.  Enjoyed yourself?
 I did. Shane licked powdered sugar off his fingertips.  Thanks for including me.
 Anytime. One of the others, Reggie, smiled at Shane.
Shane smiled back then sobered when Pablo scowled at him. He made his way to
the bedroom and put the last of his cake on the dresser before taking a quick rinse in the
bathroom. When he came back out, towel knotted around his waist, Pablo sat at the
edge of the bed, innocence on his face, powdered sugar dusting his lips.
Shane stood and watched him.  What did you do?
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Avril Ashton [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]