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.The man wouldn t go home, no matter how hard Courttried to push him away, no matter the nasty, untrue things Court had hurled athim.The tears fell harder. I I you gave me shoes. Dane had almost fallen back to sleep, and he turned under the sheet. Didn twant you to cut your feet, he mumbled and nestled deeper into his pillow. What? A snuffled moan pegged him as still mostly asleep. Come back to bed. Twitching like a marionette being jerked along by the strings, Court did,crawling back onto his half of the bed, still clutching the dirty shoe to his chest. You really need that? Dane mumbled.His answer came out in a very unmanly sob. Yes. Okay, then. Eyes still closed, Dane wiggled closer. Don t cry, love.It ll beokay. Warm, strong arms enfolded him, drawing him up against Dane s broadchest, the sneaker an uncomfortable lump between them.Court embraced himback, one-handed, sighing into the broad chest, the warm skin, taking all thecomfort offered.To be touched like this it was everything he d ever dreamed.Putting it into words was difficult. I want to live, Court whispered after a fewminutes of comfort, the tears softening and the irrational desperation finallyfading. I want to know I should be alive. Nobody gets to know that. But After a brief struggle, Dane yanked the shoe from between them and out ofCourt s grasping fingers. Enough of that.It s in the way. The magic faded, onlyCourt didn t want to give up the sneaker.It represented something, not that hewww.samhainpublishing.com 315 Finn Marloweknew what, exactly.Dane chucked it, and of course it went straight back into thecloset, a perfect pitch thudding against the wall.His big calloused hand hookedhim under the buttock, and Dane yanked them together impossibly close, barelyenough space left between them for the slickness of their sweat. Stop it, Dane said. Stop asking for answers to questions nobody else getsthe answers for.Nobody.Not me, not you.Not the frickin pope. But I need to know& The fact is that you are alive, and it s damned well time you started livinglike you were. On some level, Court knew that made perfect sense.Didn t mean he likedhearing it and especially not from Dane-the-Pain Harper who was too smart byhalf.But didn t he deserve more somehow, a better answer than the oneeveryone else got, hell, any answer at all? Dane had no sympathy whatsoever. You re a big, bossy jerk.You know that? The words, sniffled out, sounded likethose of a whiny kid. Yeah, I am.And because I like you, I m gonna be the one to give you sometough love. The sheet went flying and in one quick movement, eased along by the glideof salty sweat on skin, Dane straddled him, pinning Court s hands down beforehe had time to think of defending himself.Frustrated, full of snot and hurt, Court braced his foot into the mattress andtried heaving him off. Get off me, you asshole! You don t know shit. I know a helluva lot more than you think. Dane s finger s dug deeper into Court s wrists.His weight was immovable,his resolve unshakable. Like what, huh? 316 www.samhainpublishing.com Forever in One Second I know that we only get to take this journey once.One life.That s it, babe.You can choose to live it or you can let it all pass you by hiding from it.Live infear or embrace it with both arms.Pick one or the other. Frustration boiled in his chest.Dane didn t get it. It s not that easy. Never said it was. Why can t you just lie to me? But he wouldn t.Ever. I don t know what todo. Dane let up on the squeezing.Relenting, he sighed but didn t release himcompletely. What do you want, Court? I m curious.If you could have anything,what would you ask for? Within reason.And you don t get a do-over oranything else magical. Things I d never dare to dream, that s what I d want. I don t know. Start small. What do I want? Since there was no fairy hovering about with a magic wand,that meant he wouldn t be getting rid of his burdensome gift anytime soon.Whatwas left? If he could have anything he wanted? Taking a leap of faith and a bigchance in trusting Dane with everything, he realized he was ready to say it outloud and lay it all on the line.Dane could damn well live with the answers if hewas so intent on digging out all his secrets. I would& stay. Yeah? Here? In this house. And? And I would go to work every day and wait impatiently for the weekendsto come around so I could spend the days at home
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