What Hides Inside: Bay City Paranormal Investigations, Book 2

laughed. Pushing away from the desk, he walked over and slipped both arms around Sam’s waist, tilting his face up in clear invitation. Cradling Bo’s head in one hand, Sam kissed him, the touch soft and gentle. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, filling Sam with a wonderful sense of peace.
“Nothing good can possibly come of this,” Bo declared, and bent to kiss Sam’s neck. “Why can’t I stay away from you?”
“Because you don’t want to.” Sam lifted his chin, shuddering when Bo’s tongue pressed against his pulse point. “Because you know we should be together, no matter how difficult it might be.”
“I’ll end up hurting you.” Snaking a hand under Sam’s sweater, Bo pinched his nipple hard enough to make him yelp. “I don’t want that.”
“If you don’t want to hurt me,” Sam panted, thighs spreading as Bo’s palm slid between his legs, “don’t leave me again. I can handle anything but that.”
Massaging Sam’s swelling cock through his jeans, Bo bit delicately at the angle of his jaw. “What if leaving is the best thing I can do for you?”
“It isn’t.” Unable to think past the waves of pleasure, Sam grabbed Bo’s wrists, pulling his hands away from his crotch. “Listen to me, Bo. I know you think you’re hurting me by keeping us a secret, and by not going to bed with me. And I know I made you think that. But I’ve realized that even though those things are important, there’s nothing more important to me than being with you. Whatever that means.”
Bo stared at him, dark eyes brimming with fear and want. “What about my sons? I won’t lose them, Sam. I won’t. If it comes down to keeping them or keeping you, I’ll choose them, no matter how much it hurts us both.”
That stung, though Sam knew it shouldn’t have. Bo couldn’t be expected to favor Sam over his children. “I know that, and I understand, believe it or not. But I don’t think it’ll come to that. I think Janine’s manipulating you, Bo. She can’t possibly know about us, we’ve been too careful. And even if she did, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be enough for her legally keep the kids away from you. Even cheating spouses get to see their kids, and you didn’t cheat on her.”
Closing his eyes, Bo leaned against Sam’s chest, his head resting in the curve of Sam’s neck. “I hope you’re right.”
“Me too.” Sam wrapped his arms around Bo, holding him tight. Holding on for dear life.
Chapter Nine
    By the time David and Cecile arrived twenty minutes later, Sam was hard at work on his computer. He glanced up and grinned at his friends.
    “Hi guys,” he said as the couple entered the office. “Cold today, huh?”
“I’ll say.” David shrugged his jacket off and hung it on the coat rack. “What the hell happened to that nice warm weather we were having?”
“It’s November, sweetie. November’s usually cold, even here.” Handing David her coat to hang up, Cecile hurried over to the coffeepot and started to pour cups for herself and David. “What are you working on, Sam?”
“A list of questions. I talked to Bo earlier, we figured you and I could go out today and talk to the South Bay students whose names Mr. Innes gave us. David, you and Dean are doing some more library research today, right?”
“That was the plan, yeah.” David wandered over to stand beside Sam. “Speaking of Dean, didn’t y’all go out last night?”
A jolt of panic shot through Sam. He glanced at Bo’s half-open office door. Bo had the phone receiver pressed to his ear, nodding as he scribbled something on a notepad. To Sam’s relief, he didn’t seem to have heard David.
“We ended up not going out,” Sam answered, keeping his voice low. “We just sat and talked for a while. Hey, how’d you know that anyhow?”
“Overheard you asking him.”
“David.” Cecile gave her boyfriend a disapproving glare along with his coffee. “You shouldn’t listen in on other people’s conversations.”
“Thanks, babe.” Taking the Styrofoam cup from Cecile, David grinned, utterly unrepentant. “Hey, I was just glad Sam took my great advice.” Leaning his free hand on Sam’s desk, David dropped his voice to a conspiratorial murmur. “So. You, um…talked. How’d that go?”
Sam quirked an eyebrow at his friend. “You really want details?”
David paled. “Details?”
The temptation to tease was strong, but Sam took pity on him. “Don’t worry, David, I wouldn’t give you the details