Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,27

that’s a rule.”

“Sure it is.”

“Where?”

“Here.”

Jacob laughed, shaking his head as he turned back to the movies he was crouched in front of. Levi watched him for a little while longer. The sunlight through the window bathed him from one side, accentuating the arch of his back, and the slope of his shoulders. He was somehow intimidating and gentle as he crouched innocently, poking through the movies as he made up his mind.

You’re drooling.

Levi huffed, backing into the kitchen as he muttered under his breath. “Don’t think for one second that you and I are on speaking terms right now.”

What?

“I watched him secure that ladder, he was as careful as he could be. There was no reason it should have fallen out from under him like it did. That is unless you were responsible.”

You’re accusing me?

“Right, like you’ve never done something like that before. Or dumped a whole shelf of salsa on someone. Or pushed them down a flight of stairs.”

He tried to steal your wallet on the way out!

“And what did Jacob do?”

There was a long silence, and Levi knew Lou was thinking hard about what he was going to say next. Levi snorted as the oven beeped, alerting him that it was preheated. He yanked the pizza out of the freezer, unwrapped it, and slapped it on his pizza stone.

“All I’m saying is, he’s a good guy, and I’d really appreciate it if you would let me entertain the fantasy of having someone like him for a little while longer. We both know how this is going to end,” Levi hissed as he shoved the pizza into the oven.

“How what’s going to end?” Jacob asked from behind him.

Levi jerked, slamming his hand in the oven door. He hissed, yanking his hand free, shaking it as he muttered under his breath.

“You okay?” Jacob asked, eyes big.

“Fine, just...stung, is all,” Levi muttered.

“Didn’t mean to scare you,” Jacob said, reaching out.

Levi almost pulled his hand back but remembered his own words before Jacob had surprised him. There really was only one way for what he and Jacob had going on to end. The other man might not know it, but Levi did. In so many ways, it wasn’t fair to either of them. Jacob had no idea there was an expiration date for knowing one another, and Levi never got the chance to really be close to anyone.

Jacob’s fingers were gentle as they took hold of Levi’s hand. He turned it over, looking at it carefully. “Doesn’t look like you burned it.”

“No, just pinched it was all.”

“Sorry.”

“You’re fine. I’m just used to having the house to myself, I guess. Well, that, and how does someone as big as you manage to move so goddamn quietly?”

Jacob chuckled. “Stuff you learn on deployments can be a pretty hard set of habits to break. The quieter you are, the less likely you are to get shot.”

“Makes sense,” Levi said, acutely aware that Jacob hadn’t released his hand yet.

Jacob seemed somehow closer as he looked up, catching Levi’s eyes. “We all have our tricks, I guess.”

“Planning on showing me more of yours?” Levi asked.

A crooked grin spread over Jacob’s face. “That an invitation?”

Levi choked, only then realizing what he’d said. “That...I wasn’t…”

Jacob’s other hand came up, and he gently rested a warm finger against Levi’s lips. “I’m going to kiss you, if you’re alright with that.”

Levi waited until Jacob pulled his finger away to speak, finding his voice waver. “Why now?”

“Because I’ve wanted to kiss you for a while now. And I want to do it while I have you right here, and before we drink beer.”

“Don’t want it to be an excuse, huh?” Levi asked, trying to make a joke.

Jacob’s hand stayed on Levi’s, the other curling around his neck. “Exactly.”

Levi left his hand in Jacob’s and dropped the other to his waist. He could feel the warmth of Jacob’s skin beneath his cotton shirt and the shift of his muscles as he leaned in. The smell of sawdust and a sharp body wash filled his nose as Jacob closed the distance. There was a moment of hesitation when their lips were just shy of touching.

Levi smiled, closing the last millimeter between them. His chest tightened as their lips met, stomach flipping. Jacob’s strong fingers pulled tighter on the back of his neck, and Levi felt himself melt against the other man. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but he found himself pressed against Jacob’s front, holding tight to him.

And then Jacob was pulling back,