Page 2 of The King of Halloween
And those lips…
Damn. Hot damn, with a side of blue cheese for dipping. They could have been the model for candy wax lips but in a deeper shade of brown instead of clown red.
“Yes?” this Adonis asked, his voice smooth but also quiet in spite of the din of commerce.
This man didn’t tower over people, but Adam felt like a cute little bunny hiding under a mountain to escape the rain in his presence. The back of the jacket had hidden not only the soft swoop of his belly but also the absolutely jacked arms and shoulders. This stranger was like a snuggly teddy bear that could shred the Hundred Acre Wood.
And he’s staring at me.
“Hmm?”
“You said hello.” The man smiled cautiously, then he touched the nose piece of his glasses and pushed them up. Adam was so lost in his eyes that he didn’t even notice the hardware around them. The frames were thin and golden with a round shape. So he was a jacked, teddy bear librarian.
“I did, didn’t I?” Adam said. “Uh, you…my girl.” He winced. “My employee said you wanted to see my special masks.”
“Oh, yes. You’re the shop owner?” He returned one of the crowns he’d been holding to the shelf, then faced Adam. “This place is…amazing.”
Beaming to the tips of his toes, Adam smiled. “No? It’s not much.” He nearly choked on the swallowed humility. “But I do my best to embrace the Halloween spirit.”
A demonic, motorized laugh cawed above them. With a great clack, a white sheet blew just over their heads—giggling as it went.
The stranger pointed up as the ghost reached the end of its flight just above the door and began to rebound. “Did you make that FCG yourself?”
He knows what a flying crank ghost is?“Yes.” Adam’s fingers nervously picked at his vest. No one else cared about the decorations he’d made from scratch, much less knew about their construction. “There are quite a few of my personal props around here. Over in the corner, you can see my mummy.”
Adam pointed between two racks of costumes to his most beloved, and oldest, animatronic. It couldn’t do much more than wiggle at the waist and occasionally flash its eyes red, but he’d had Imhotep since taking over the store. The stranger leaned closer to take a peek. It was such a tight squeeze, he nearly brushed his cheek against Adam’s extended arm.
Those soft, ebony waves wafted over his black shirt. Adam stopped breathing. The longer the man stared, taking in every little detail from the foam ankh to the very real cobwebs, the more it hit Adam how much time had passed since he’d been this close to any man, much less a ripped teddy bear.Don’t breathe in his scent. Don’t breathe in…
Damn it.Myrrh and sandalwood—a deadly combination.
“Did you use gauze or cheesecloth?” He swiveled his head, and those enchanting, soul-trapping eyes beamed right into Adam’s.
“Linen. Had to be. Authenticity is key.”
“I assume you pulled out his brains with a spoon as well.” The stranger laughed, and Adam’s brain went pinging around inside his skull. All conscious thought turned into a tiny rubber ball bounding off into the ether, leaving Adam capable of chuckling and nothing more.
“You have others too? Are they as well crafted?”
Say something. No, idiot, don’t try to grin. Dear god, don’t do that weird half smile that makes it look like you’re stroking out.Charming, attractive men tended to cause half of his face to paralyze. The one time he’d gotten the courage to talk to the man he saw at the gym every day, the guy turned out to be an EMT and rushed Adam to the hospital. It was either admit he’d been failing at flirting to the man with a girlfriend, or pretend he’d actually suffered atransient ischemic attack.
“Um…”Be cool. Casual.“Yup.” Adam shot him a finger gun, then tried to use all of his swagger to lean against the table. His elbow went straight down through a cowboy hat, turning the ten gallons into a pint.
I give up.
A low, derisive snicker caused him to pop up and turn. Chrissy gave him a look that caused entire civilizations to ward against the evil eye. He had this. It was another customer with a problem. Just like every other day.
“A monster in a box?” the man exclaimed. Wide-eyed, he ran over to the old shipping crate that rocked back and forth as chains rattled. A side was sawed off to reveal the furry werewolf arm inside. He ran his hand across the top, setting off the mechanism. “These are so cool.”
“Adam.” He jerked forward, hand out less like a greeting and more to claim him. Just before he approached the man, he froze. “My name. It’s Adam. People, they call me Adam.”
“Hey, boss.” Chrissy walked past with a pricing gun at the ready. She pretended to mark up the angel wings, then stared him dead in the eye. “Why don’t you tell him your name?”
“Ha. Stein. Adam Stein, is my full name. And this is my store.” He flung his hands up like he was Willy Wonka showing off the candy factory. Alas, no rivers of chocolate formed, nor did any children bungle themselves into mortal danger. “You wanted to see the masks. They’re this way.”
“Raj.” He placed a hand to his chest, those luscious lips knocked into a wry smile. “RajChoudhary. Pleased to meet you, Adam.”
Those two syllables, an “A” then a “dam,” burned down Adam’s spine like liquid gold. It wasn’t just hearing them. Watching them—his name—form on Raj’s lips made him want to fall to his knees and show what he could do with his lips and tongue.
