Without A Doubt (Love Starts Here Book 1) by E.M. Lindsey

Author:E.M. Lindsey [Lindsey, E.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Rhys knew he was being a fool. The last thing in the world he should be doing right then was spending personal time with Carter. Not only was it crossing professional boundaries, but he didn’t trust himself. He couldn’t trust himself with a man who had crashed through decades of barriers he’d built up in order to keep people out.

And granted, he did want to find someone who could make him feel again—maybe even deeper and more profoundly than Viggo once had, but not like this. Not with him.

Rhys wanted to open up on his terms, but every time Carter looked over at him with that playful little smile and the look in his eyes that told Rhys that maybe he was worth forgiving, he lost a little bit more of himself. The feeling was terrifying, down to his very marrow.

And yet…he couldn’t make himself stop.

He did refrain from watching Carter change, though the younger man was so enthusiastic about the pair of board shorts that he had gone for the waistband of his sweats before Rhys was even near the door. And it took him a full minute to catch his breath in the hall before he hurried down to the garage to see if the kayak and paddles were where Viggo had left it all those years ago.

It was, stacked along the wall, covered in cobwebs and layers of dust. Rhys clung to the visions of his husband bringing it home when he opened the garage door, but instead of that old, hollow pain in his chest, he thought about how this moment would have made Viggo smile. He’d be laughing his ass off right now at the thought of Rhys trying to work his way through actual emotion.

He’s cute, Viggo would say, because Carter was exactly his type. He’ll be good for you.

That last voice though, sounded more like Henrik, which was one of the reasons he was terrified to tell his best friend how he felt. Henrik would only encourage it, and the end of that road would only be disaster.

All the same, he felt a little bit reckless and free as he took the garden hose to the kayak and washed it as clean as he could manage. He glanced up once to find Carter’s face smiling down at him from the kitchen window, and he managed a short, stuttered wave before he heaved the thing on top of the Jeep, then found the straps to tie it down.

By the time he was finished, he had managed some semblance of control, and he let himself back into the condo. Carter was in the kitchen when he poked his head around the door, and Rhys saw him packing up the insulated lunch bags he must have found under the sink.

“Are you going to be picky about the food?” Carter asked with a grin. “Or can I surprise you?”

Rhys’ heart thudded in his chest. “Surprise me.”

He raced back down the hall to change and find towels and sun block.

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