What Hides Inside: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 2

brushing together. Heat stirred in Sam’s groin.
“Um. Okay.” Cecile rose to her feet, walked over to her desk and pulled her purse out of the bottom drawer. “It’s nearly lunchtime. I’m going to Fontaine’s, who wants burgers?”
Clearing his throat, Sam forced himself to smile at Cecile. “Will you get me a black bean burger and seasoned fries?”
“Sure thing. Bo, you want anything?”
“No thank you. I’m not hungry.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” Hoisting her purse over her shoulder, Cecile started for the door. Her arm brushed Sam’s as she passed. She gave him a pointed look, and he wondered once again just how much she’d figured out about him and Bo. “See you guys in a little while.”
The door opened, hinges squealing, and Cecile walked out into the sunshine. Sam waited until the door shut behind her before giving in to his desires and pulling Bo into his arms.
Bo melted against him, mouth opening to his kiss, fingers fisted in the back of his shirt. They both moaned when Sam’s hands slid down to cup Bo’s ass.
When the kiss ended, Bo drew back enough to look into Sam’s eyes. “I’ll miss this,” he whispered, tracing the line of Sam’s jaw with his fingertips. “It’s so good with you, Sam. I’m sorry I can’t give you more.”
In the flood of relief that Bo wasn’t still angry about Saturday, Sam almost missed what Bo had said. “No, I’m sorry. I promised to wait, to not push you, and I ended up pushing you anyway, I shouldn’t have—” He stopped as Bo’s words sank in. “Wait, what? Why would you miss it?”
Bo pushed him gently away and stepped back. “Because we can’t do it anymore. This isn’t working.”
Sam felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach. He couldn’t pretend Bo’s decision was a surprise, but it still hurt worse than anything he’d ever felt.
“Why?” He ran a hand over his face. “Is it what I said Saturday? Because I’ve regretted it ever since. I never should’ve said that to you. I’m sorry.”
A faint smile curved Bo’s mouth. “But you were right, Sam. This isn’t an adult relationship at all. You deserve better.”
A sick feeling rolled in Sam’s belly. “I want to be with you. Whatever that means, whatever it takes.”
“I believe you mean that. But it’s not enough.” Bo shoved his hair impatiently out of his face and wrapped both arms around himself. “I don’t think I can come out, Sam. Not even to our friends. And you may think you can live with that, but you won’t be able to forever. You already resent me for it.”
“Does this have anything to do with Janine?” Stepping forward, Sam grasped Bo’s upper arms and stared into his eyes. “What did she say to you, Bo? You said it wasn’t pretty. What did she do?”
Bo’s cheeks flushed like they always did when Sam was close. He licked his lips. “I told her I wanted a divorce. She didn’t like it. We said some ugly things to each other. She threatened to keep the boys away from me entirely.”
Fury bubbled up in Sam’s chest. “She can’t do that. You’re their father. You have rights. Don’t let her threaten you.”
“That’s more or less what I told her. But it doesn’t matter. She told me she’d find a way to keep me from seeing them. She said ‘Everyone’s got skeletons, Bo. I’ll find yours.’ You know what that means.”
Sam did know, and he didn’t like it. “There’s only so far she can go without crossing some legal line. We’ll be even more careful than we already are. We’ll make damn sure she doesn’t find out.”
“For how long, Sam? The rest of our lives?” Twisting free of Sam’s grip, Bo started pacing the room. “Even I can’t deal with that. No. As much as it kills me to say it, we have to break this off. Now.”
I will not beg. I won’t. “Please don’t do this.” Sam reached for Bo, barely holding back a frustrated shout when the man stumbled out of reach. “It won’t matter. She’ll just find something else. You won’t ever be able to date anyone, including women, without her twisting it somehow.”
“God, Sam. This isn’t just about Janine.” Bo stopped and pinned Sam with an angry glare. “Even if she wasn’t in the picture, I still wouldn’t be able to see you openly. I’m not ready, I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready, and it’s killing us both to keep hiding it. Go find someone else. Date Dean, if you want. God knows he wants you.”
The bitterness in Bo’s voice was