Oleander House: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 1

close enough to touch. A sluggish breeze stirred the curtains and lifted strands of Bo’s hair from where it hung unbound around his shoulders. The silky tendrils brushed Bo’s naked chest, and Sam saw his nipples harden from that light touch. Bo reached out and took Sam’s hand in his.
    “Don’t tease me,” Sam said. His insides shook with fear and want.
Bo tugged Sam closer. “I’m not teasing.”
He placed Sam’s open palm on the curve of his hip. Sam let out a soft little sigh. “God…”
“I want you, Sam,” Bo breathed against Sam’s cheek. “Kiss me.”
Sam pulled back and stared, unbelieving, into Bo’s eyes. They were soft and heavy with desire. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“But…but before, you said…”
“I know what I said.” Bo ran a finger across Sam’s lower lip. “I changed my mind.”
Sam started to protest, in spite of the need quivering inside him, because he knew Bo would regret this in the unforgiving light of morning. Then Bo’s mouth was on his, slick wet tongue urging his lips open. Heat flared in Sam’s belly, and he gave himself up to it. He crushed Bo close, dipping both hands inside the thin pajama pants to explore the smooth curves of Bo’s ass.
Bo pulled back, sucking on Sam’s upper lip. “Let’s go to bed.” He took Sam’s hands and backed through the open French doors into the bedroom. Sam followed, helpless to do anything else. He pulled the curtains closed behind them…
Sam jerked awake, still in the rocking chair, his neck stiff from falling asleep against the porch rail. He sat up, stretching his cramped muscles. The throbbing ache in his groin told him exactly how much the dream had affected him.
“It seemed so real,” he said to the listening dark.
But it’s not real, and it never will be.
The thought wasn’t quite enough to wilt his erection. Something about that made Sam furious. Growling, he unzipped his jeans and gripped his cock brutally hard. He closed his eyes and jerked off, his movements fast and rough. It was as much painful as pleasurable, and Sam was glad of that. He wanted it to hurt. Needed the physical pain to drown out the deep ache inside him that wouldn’t go away.
Afterward, he wiped his hand on his pant leg, got up and went back inside. He eventually fell asleep on the bed, still fully dressed and barely aware of the wet trails on his cheeks.
    Sweat poured down Sam’s back and face as he pounded into his lover’s body with all his strength. The man screamed when he came, his legs shaking around Sam’s neck. Sam pulled out just as his orgasm washed over him, and he came on his faceless partner’s stomach.
    Something dripped on his neck, something warm and thick, trickling like molasses between his shoulder blades. He looked up. A drop of blood hung trembling from one empty eye socket of Amy’s severed head. Sam looked down again. Bo’s sightless eyes stared back at him from a ruined mask of glistening red. Then he saw the raw, bloody hole in Bo’s stomach, the strips of flesh hanging from his own gory claws, and he screamed.
    Sam sat straight up in bed, eyes wide and mouth open. His throat felt raw, and the air trembled with the echo of his scream.
    His gaze darted frantically around the room, trying to anchor himself in the real world. Sunlight made the pale yellow walls glow, and Sam realized it was morning.
    Another dream. The worst one yet. Sam buried his face in his hands. “I didn’t want it to be him,” he groaned. “Fuck, fuck…”
    Without warning, the door flew open. Sam jumped backward, drawing his knees up against his chest and pressing his back to the solid wooden headboard of the bed. His heart pounded like a jackhammer, so fast it made him feel dizzy and weak.
    Bo stood in the doorway, panting like he’d just sprinted a mile. “Sam? Christ, are you okay?”
Sam nodded. “Fine. Just…just a dream. A bad dream.”
“It must’ve been more than just bad. You were screaming.” Bo edged cautiously forward, watching Sam closely. He sat on the bed and touched Sam’s knee with a tentative hand. “Andre and Cecile both had nightmares too. Much worse than before, they said.”
“So was this one.” Sam drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Even now, wide awake in the bright summer morning with the dream behind him, he felt jumpy and on edge. As if he were waiting for something to happen, he realized.
“Cecile’s sure it means something that she and Andre both had dreams that were so