Storming Love: Wild Fire ~ Jackson & Nick by Laura Baumbach

Author:Laura Baumbach [Baumbach, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: gay romance
Publisher: MLR Press LLC
Published: 2015-08-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

“Doesn’t look like we got any rain to go with all that lightning we saw last night.” Nick sipped his coffee, gazing out the glass door leading to the back porch and the forest beyond. The coffee was rich and strong, perked in a steel drip percolator on the gas stove. Nick had never seen it made that way and actually thought he might like it better than the coffee from his two-hundred dollar pod coffeemaker back at his apartment.

Jackson joined him, mug in hand. “There’s a huge lake about a couple hundred yards through those trees.”

Nick could see a footpath begin between two arched limbs then it disappeared into the thick woods.

“My first nature hike. Yeah.” His obvious lack of enthusiasm was only partly in jest. “I’m kind of liking me on this side of the glass. You know, looking out at the beautiful scenery but not a part of it.” He raised his cup in a salute, smiling over the rim at his lover. His face was beginning to ache from smiling this morning. “Less chance of meeting mountain lions this way.”

There was an answering grin on the big man’s face but it didn’t seem to reach his dark eyes. “I’m going to cut you a break, greenhorn. Let’s leave the nature walk for later. Right now, we’re going to drive down and check in with the locals.” Jackson finished his coffee in one huge swig and put the mug in the sink, all the while his gaze searched the peaceful scene beyond the door, like he was looking for something Nick couldn’t see. “Should have done it last night, but I opted for getting off the road before dark over adding an extra hour to a long day.”

Jackson seemed perplexed as he scanned the sky and the woods, his gaze studying the sudden bursts of wind that came and then just as suddenly disappeared, making the underbrush sway and the fallen leaves dance across the ground. “But I think we’d better get to it now.”

“You’ve got that look on your face.” Putting down his own unfinished drink, Nick touched the other man’s shoulder, massaging the healing injury, conscious that he had been responsible for giving that shoulder a bit more of a workout last night than was medically advised.

“What look?” Jackson nailed him with a steely stare that didn’t manage to hide the troubled lines around his eyes.

“The one that says ‘Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!’.” Surprise shot across his lover’s face. Even Nick was shocked at how well he knew the other man.

His voice softened, sincere and caring. “I saw it when you came into the ER with the three kids with smoke inhalation. We didn’t even speak that night, it was so hectic. Then I saw it again the first night we met, after you came to. Before you realized you were safe in the ER.” He studied the grim set of Jackson’s jaw, watched him go to tug at his ear then stop himself, controlling his outward response to the situation.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.