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me, Adam. You look so serious.
 It is serious. Adam took the chair opposite Rhone, his dark eyes
finally steadying and holding on Rhone.
Rhone decided he didn t like that one bit, either.
 What? Rhone spit out, his mouth going dry.  Just say it. What?
 All right. I ve been thinking about it all night, and I ve decided to
move out. I m gonna get my own place.
Rhone reeled, expecting just about anything except that.  What? Why?
After all these years? I don t understand.
 It was only supposed to be temporary, Rhone. Adam pushed out of
his chair and started to pace the length of the kitchen.  I made you
feel sorry for me, and you let me stay for --
Rhone shifted in his chair, following with his eyes, searching for
something deeper than Adam s words. This couldn t be happening.
 No, Adam. I never felt sorry for you. It wasn t ever that.
 Okay. Adam dug his fingers into his thick tufts of disheveled hair,
showing agitation that Rhone couldn t comprehend.  Then we got
comfortable with it.
 What prompted this? Rhone couldn t help feeling stupefied, and he
really disliked not being privy to full disclosure. About anything.
 You ve never even hinted that you wanted out before.
 I just& I just&  Adam swooped into the chair next to Rhone, his
eyes beseeching and bright.  It s not you; it s not me. It s not either
one of us; it s just the situation itself. God, I m twenty-five years old.
I think it s time I lived on my own.
But you need me to look out for you! screamed in Rhone s head.
Outwardly, he said,  I didn t realize I was cramping your style.
 You re not. You never have. I ve had some of the best times of my
life here with you. Adam s eyes fluttered closed for a moment,
hiding something, Rhone felt sure of it. Before Rhone could fathom a
guess, Adam came back to him, clear and in control again.  But now I
feel like I need to try it on my own.
Snippets of their time together, of the two of them watching TV,
trading parts of the paper, or sharing meals flipped like a photo album
through Rhone s mind, stunning him with the amount of time he and
Adam spent together. Moments they wouldn t have anymore if Adam
went away.
 Are you sure you want to do this? Everything in Rhone told him
Adam needed Rhone in his daily life to keep those old family demons
away.  If you think we each need more space, we could just get a
bigger place. We can definitely afford it now.
 No, I m sorry. Adam didn t look any happier than Rhone felt, which
just stirred up even more heartache and confusion on Rhone s part.  I
need to try something different for a while. It s past time.
Rhone forced a smile to his face, when in reality he wanted to hit
something. Hard. And repeatedly.  I suppose I understand. Christ, he
didn t want to lay a guilt trip on Adam.  I m just being selfish because
I m gonna miss your cooking.
 Right. Adam chuckled, but his gaze sobered as he got to his feet.
 Thank you.
 No problem. The soft relief in that thank you made Rhone grateful
that he didn t kick up more of a fuss. Even if on the inside he wanted
to lock the front door and never let Adam leave.  What else is a best
friend for?
 One last meal? Adam went to the refrigerator, and Rhone jerked a
little in his chair, realizing he would never get to watch Adam move
around the kitchen with such fluid grace while he cooked again.
Rhone never even realized he did it -- on a daily basis, no less -- until
just this moment.  Eggs and bacon to go with the muffins?
Shaking off the disturbing random thought, Rhone said,  Sounds
good.
Rhone grabbed the sports page, reading as he listened to Adam
murmur to himself in broken Spanish while he cooked. Damn it,
Rhone turned the page, he would miss that little quirk too.
Chapter Six
The Present
Holding back at the door to his brother s office, Rhone watched Adam
from across the length of their suite of offices where he chatted with
Kasey, his hands and arms animated in what looked like a heated
discussion. Almost a year had passed since Adam had moved out, and
even though Rhone saw him at work every day, he still hadn t gotten
used to waking up to a quiet apartment and not having Adam there at
night.
At first, he told himself it would be great. He could bring a date home
and start something up on the couch in the living room if he wanted to,
or even the kitchen, if the mood struck him. Rhone only had one
hiccup in that plan. He had yet to have a date he wanted to take home
and get naked with, no matter the room. He basically went home to
crash now. Otherwise, he worked. With business booming, he didn t
even have to make excuses for his ridiculously long hours.
Canin finished a call and joined Rhone at the door. His gaze drifted in
the direction of Rhone s.  Thinking about killing their weekend and
keeping them working along with you?
Rhone whipped his attention to his brother.  What the hell does that
mean?
 It means you have worked yourself to the point of exhaustion, and
that is not good in any business, but most especially not in security.
Canin s tone brooked no argument.  You are taking an early weekend
and leaving right this minute. You do not step foot in this office unless [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]