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you guys can talk about anything. Maybe I m too much a reminder of
how we grew up and how much we needed our grandmother all those
years. I don t know, damn it. He won t talk to me. Dark circles stood
out stark on a washed-out face, the lower half covered with two days
growth of stubble. Canin s eyes brimmed with sudden wetness,
betraying how much it killed this man to ask for help with his baby
brother.  Find a way to get in there and take care of him, Adam.
Please. I can t lose him too.
 I m not leaving his side. I promise. Adam looked to the door
himself and almost felt as if he could see through it to the broken man
on the other side. His heart ached in accompaniment, beating with
something well beyond friendship or a crush.  I ll take good care of
him and call you on your cell with updates. I know it s a lot to put on
your shoulders, while you re trying to deal with this loss too, but if
you can be available for Kasey while she takes the lead right now& I
know Rhone wouldn t want to lose clients because we re all focused
on him.
 No, he wouldn t. Canin s hard face softened with open love for his
brother, and Adam fleetingly wondered why he didn t feel for Canin
that magnetic pull he suffered every time he got within ten feet of
Rhone.  Don t worry about me; I can take care of myself, and I ll
make sure the business doesn t suffer, either. Just focus on Rhone. I ll
talk to you soon.
Canin left, and Adam took off his suit jacket, preparing to do battle.
He tried the knob on automatic, but other than a rattle, it didn t turn.
 Rhone? Adam knocked softly and then opened his palm against the
wood.  Rhone, it s Adam. I m worried about you. Can you open the
door, please?
Pressing his ear against the cool surface, Adam strained to hear
something, anything, on the other side. He didn t even get a rustle of
bedding or the padding of feet on hardwood flooring. Trying again,
Adam added,  We don t have to talk if you don t want to. I just need
you to open the door and show me that you re all right.
Nothing.
God, Adam didn t want to break down the door. And with the hinges
on the other side, taking it off wasn t an option. Besides, he would
never violate Rhone s need for privacy while he grieved. Adam just
had this frantic racing in his heart that told him he needed to know
that Rhone was okay on the other side of this door. Not to mention
that if he didn t get a response within a few hours, Canin would do
something drastic, out of fear for his brother s safety.
Rhone would hate that.
Adam slid to the floor. Pressing his shoulder against the outer frame,
he laid his head against the door.  Rhone? Desperation registered
Adam s voice a little bit high and scratchy. Through his constricted
windpipe, he said,  Listen to me. You don t have to let me in; you
don t have to say a word. Just give me something. Please. He looked
down and saw the glimmer of what was probably a lamp, giving off a
hint of light from the bedroom.  Just slide your fingers under the door
so that I know you can hear me and that you haven t hurt yourself.
That s all I ask.
An agonizing moment passed wherein Adam held his breath the entire
time. Then, the blunt tips of three fingers and a pinky appeared
through the crack at the bottom of the door. A small sob escaped
Adam, and he clutched his hand around those digits, needing to feel
them as well as see them. Rhone didn t pull away, so Adam kept
Rhone s fingers under his, unwilling& no, unable& to let go.
 Thank you, Adam whispered through the barricade of the door.
 We ll just sit like this for a while. However long you need. He
settled his shoulder and head in a more comfortable position, holding
onto Rhone as he adjusted for a long night.
* * * * *
Hours later, Adam awoke with a start, groaning as his back tightened
in a spasm from the awkwardness of his position. Coming alert
quickly, Adam breathed a sigh of relief as the tingle from Rhone s
rough fingers still holding onto his shot up his arm and straight into
his heart. Unfortunately, pressure pushed against his bladder and
made its need clear too.
 I have to use the bathroom. Adam slid his hand off Rhone s fingers.
Coldness immediately prickled goose bumps all along his arms.  I m
not leaving you. I promise I ll be right back.
Hating to part from Rhone even for a minute, Adam pissed quickly,
pausing only long enough afterward to make another call to Canin.
After giving him an update and getting specifics about the funeral
arrangements, Adam made his way back to Rhone s bedroom. He
didn t see Rhone s fingers sticking out from under the door and had
two seconds of panic that he had lost his small foothold with the man.
Then, Adam noticed the smallest crack in the door, and his entire
body seized with longing and the need to nurture and comfort.
Oh, God, he s letting me in.
With his fingers shaking, Adam pushed the door open all the way and
stepped inside. Rhone lay on the bed, curled on his side with his back
facing Adam. His bare back. He wore only sweats. Adam couldn t
help the way his cock twitched any more than he could his desire to
rain a thousand kisses over every inch of bare flesh he saw, not [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]