Just Between Us Read Free Page B

the subject.
    “A little over two weeks.”
    Ryan nodded. “That’s not bad at all.” Especially compared to the last one. That one had been over the course of months. Sam got breaks in between, but not much down time. Until now.
    “Yeah, it should give me plenty of time to work on the next one. Jeanne is all about that.” Sam chuckled.
    Ryan knew his friend’s agent was a barracuda. Sam was lucky to have her in his corner when it came to contract negotiation, but she didn’t let Sam slack either. Ryan grinned at the thought of the slender, silver-haired ball-buster. He quite liked her sharp wit. “Oh yeah?”
    Something moved across Sam’s face, a shadow behind his eyes that was there and then gone. His jaw ticked. He looked away from Ryan, toward the partition, and then back again.
    “Yeah…hey, can I ask you a question?” Sam suddenly leaned slightly toward him, elbows resting on his spread knees. Ryan turned toward him, startled by the intent expression on Sam’s face and the deep, serious tone of his voice.
    “Sure. Of course. What’s up, Sam?”
    The dark-haired author clenched his hands into fists, took a deep breath, and then blew it out. “What would you say if I told you that the leads of the next book were both men?”
    Ryan had been studying Sam’s face, the dark haze of stubble along his strong jaw, not used to seeing him so close up. It took several seconds for Sam’s words to sink in.
    “What?” The word came out slightly strangled, but Sam didn’t seem to notice.
    “One is an arson investigator, and the other is a federal agent. There’s an organized crime element, trafficking humans, a leak in the bureau. A lot like Firebrand only... not.” Sam shrugged.
    “And they’re... uh... they get together?” Ryan swallowed, his throat dry. His brain was stuck on the fact that this was Sam asking him what he’d think if he wrote a romance novel about two guys.
    “Well, yeah.” Sam frowned. His shoulders hunched forward slightly. “Is that... would it bother you?”
    “N-No,” Ryan croaked. “Why would it bother me?” Sam’s leg brushed his side, the warmth of him scorching through Ryan’s clothes. He wanted to shift closer…closer to Sam’s insanely desirable body, but then, it would be too obvious.
    Sam’s gaze was steady on his, determined. Ryan resisted the urge to fidget under the scrutiny, his mind whirling as he tried to figure out how he should react. Was Sam testing him? Had he guessed Ryan’s secret and was trying to tell him nicely that it bothered him? The thought of Sam ending their friendship made his heart drop.
    This new silence seemed to last hours. With a forced chuckle, Ryan shrugged. “Anyway, won’t that be kind of har... er... difficult?”
    “Huh? Why?” Sam leaned closer, brows furrowed, his hoppy breath wafting against Ryan’s cheek.
    “You’re not gay.” He blurted the words, eyes widening.
    Sam ducked his head, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah, well...” He leaned back suddenly, slouching against the seat. “Not exactly.” A flush tinted the tan planes of Sam’s cheeks.
    The confession detonated in Ryan’s chest with all the force of a hydrogen bomb. He tried to suck in a breath as his lungs seized. Sam was watching him, gaze steady. Ryan’s cock jumped, even as his brain struggled to process Sam’s words.
    “What do you mean ‘not exactly’?” He forced his voice to come out husky and low.
    Sam’s full lips curled into a sexy little grin. “I experimented a bit. In college.” He shrugged. Lust twisted in Ryan’s gut at the thought of Sam with his strong hands on another man’s body, stroking and teasing. There was a jolt of jealousy as well, that it hadn’t been him, but it was fleeting and drowned beneath the torrent of desire he’d held back for 13 years.
    “I…had no idea.”
    “I know. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.” Now Sam’s grin was slightly crooked, and Ryan could swear the