Page 64 of Surface Scratch
Before he got the chance to ask, Marcus jumped up, grabbing the lowest branch that still seemed way too high for him to reach. He pulled himself up, letting out only a small grunt as he hooked his leg over the thick limb and sat up to straddle it. He leaned his chest against the branch, extending his arm toward Caleb.
“Grab my hand,” he said with a big dumb grin on his face.
Caleb couldn’t help but laugh. He looked ridiculous. “I definitely cannot get up there with you,” he said, shaking his head.
Marcus cocked his head, his grin falling into a smirk. “Do you trust me?” he asked.
“Yes?”
“Then take my hand!”
Tentatively, Caleb reached up, his fingertips barely brushing against Marcus’s fingertips. “Yeah, this isn’t going work oh fuck—” He yelped as Marcus grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him into the air.
Before he could figure out how, he was facing Marcus, straddling the branch. He glanced down, the ground tilting as he looked at it. “Oh shit,” he said under his breath, using his legs to squeeze the branch as hard as he could.
“Don’t worry, I got you,” Marcus said, holding both of Caleb’s hands to steady him. “Just look at me, okay? Don’t look down.”
“Surely there are better places to sit. Like on the ground,” Caleb said with a nervous laugh. Why did he want to look down again? Ugh. What a terrible impulse.
“I like it up here. It reminds me of being a kid again. No worries, no work, no problems,” he said. A relaxed look fell over his face.
He did look happy, those little wrinkles in the corners of his eyes appearing that made Caleb’s lips tingle with the desire to kiss him. But kissing him would involve moving along the tree branch, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to try that. He accidentally found himself staring back down at the ground and squeezed his eyes shut.Stop doing that, you ding dong.
Marcus’s arms wrapped around him, dragging him closer until Caleb’s head was resting against his collar again. Caleb took in a deep breath, that incredible scent soothing his nerves. He melted against Marcus, listening to the impossibly slow thump of his heartbeat. It made him want to fall asleep, right then and there. In the tree.
“I know you’re worried,” Marcus said gently, running a hand up and down Caleb’s back. “I’m trying to come up with a plan that keeps us all safe. To get the Society out of town and help your brother get away from them.”
Caleb wrapped his arms around Marcus’s waist, a lump taking hold in his throat. “Do you think you can?” He was almost afraid to hear the answer.
More than once, his mind had drifted to the issue of Nick being involved with them. He knew for a fact Vincent would want every last one of them dead. After what he had been through, he couldn’t imagine a lesser reaction from the impetuous blond vampire. And what was worse was the fact that Vincent going absolutely feral on them made sense to him. They’d literally burned a child alive because Vincent had been dating the child’s father. Caleb could only imagine what kind of pain and regret Vincent felt even now.
But still. Nick was his brother. Caleb didn’t want him dead. And he certainly didn’t want him ripped apart by Vincent.
“I’ll do everything I can to get him out,” Marcus said, squeezing Caleb against him even harder. “I promise.”
He could feel his eyes trying to spring a leak even though he kept them shut to keep from looking down again. He took another deep breath in through his nose, allowing the mixture of cigarettes, cologne, cookies, and the metallic hint of blood to wash over him.I never should have spent so many days hiding under the covers.Just being close to Marcus made him feel better. Safer. Loved. A guy could really get used to this.
“I love you.”
Caleb’s eyes popped open as soon as the words left his lips and he jerked back, his eyes wide. “Shit, I mean, I-I-I—”
Marcus’s mouth silenced his own, burying his stuttered words in a kiss that seemed too soft to be real. All the parts of him that had chilled were suddenly teeming with warmth and his whole body buzzed with excitement.
“My dearest Caleb, you sweet, silly, beautiful boy,” Marcus said as he pulled away, licking his lips as though he wanted to savor the taste of Caleb on his lips. “I love you too.”
Caleb instinctively grabbed Marcus’s arm, suddenly lightheaded. And this time it wasn’t because he’d looked down. His lower lip trembled as he met Marcus’s eyes, determined not to look away. He had to make sure he wasn’t imagining this moment.
“You do?” he asked, his voice only a whisper.
Marcus grinned. “Yes.” He reached out, running the pad of his thumb over Caleb’s cheek.
Am I crying? Why am I crying?
“I love you, Caleb Walsh, with every fiber of my being.” Marcus grabbed the collar of his coat and pulled him closer to kiss him again.
Chapter Twenty
“Well?” Marcus asked eagerly as the credits on the movie rolled. His amber eyes twinkled in the dim light of the single lamp illuminating his living room. “What did you think?”
