Cancer: Penny Candles by Vivien Dean

Author:Vivien Dean [Dean, Vivien]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Gay & Lesbian
ISBN: 9781602727083
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC

Chapter 9

Before Sullivan, nobody intruded on Rafe's time in the church. The few times people wandered in, he always stopped what he was doing and went home, unwilling to be witnessed in what was for him an incredibly personal act. It wasn't that he didn't trust others not to mock him. The people of Chadwick were family, and had been for a very long time. He simply needed to keep this part private. His remembrances sprang from patterns set long before they'd left Miami. In a way, he didn't think anyone in town could fully understand.

Sullivan was the exception. As it was turning out, Sullivan was an exception in a lot of ways. But Rafe had never felt threatened by Sullivan's presence, though he suspected he should have been. Having him around felt natural, and after he'd shown up the second time and simply hung around without speaking, Rafe wanted him there. His quiet presence buttressed Rafe's flagging strength, making it easy to go through the entire ritual without falling asleep. Sullivan seemed to know exactly what to do, exactly when Rafe needed it. It wasn't until he had that unadulterated support that Rafe realized how much he'd always yearned for it.

The night after they painted the sign, Sullivan showed up as he always did, slipping in silently and taking his place at Rafe's side. Rafe was in mid-prayer when the warm pressure of that powerful thigh pressed along his, and for a moment, he forgot where he was. His breath skittered, trying to find a new rhythm. He had the urge to look up, to smile at Sullivan and share a moment of memory of lying next to each other under the night sky, but he tamped it down. Time and place, and neither was here nor now.

They continued without a word spoken between them. Their fingers met when he passed over the lit tinder, hot and dry, dryer than beside the stream when sweat and other bodily fluids had glossed their skin. Once, he was able to catch a glimpse of pale blue eyes beneath the thick lashes, and his world sharpened at the heat he saw there, tempting him yet again to forego his duty in favor of satisfying his desires. Only acknowledging how selfish that was stopped him.

As he shifted back to the candles, he wondered if Sullivan knew how much he really inspired Rafe to forget all of it.

When the last prayer was said and gone, Rafe finally indulged in fulfilling his own wishes.

"Did you get any sleep today?" They had been out until almost dawn. He'd had to force himself to get up in time to head into the restaurant for lunch prep.

"Not much. But I'm all right."

And from the looks of it, he was. His eyes were clear, devoid of most of the shadows that had been prevalent since his arrival, and his shoulders were strong, unbowed by the weight of the day. Rafe smoothed his hand along the unyielding line, only to feel the muscles tremble beneath his palm.

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