Where The Heart Is: A Bay City Paranormal Investigations story

just…” He drew a deep breath and let it out. “It’s weird, is all. Hearing my name like that.”
“I can imagine. It shook me up, and it wasn’t even talking to me.” He set the equipment on Sommer’s kitchen table, where he and Sommer were sharing a bottle of Blue Skye Pinot Grigio while Dean went over the findings from Tuesday night’s investigation. “Do you recognize the voice at all?”
A strange, guarded expression flashed through Sommer’s eyes and was gone before Dean could properly grasp it. Sommer shook his head. “I don’t think so. No.”
He’s lying. Dean wasn’t sure what made him think that, but the feeling that Sommer wasn’t being entirely truthful with him was strong. “You’re sure?”
Sommer dropped his gaze to the table. “Yes. I’m sure.”
An ugly feeling nibbled at the edges of Dean’s mind. He forced himself to ignore it. Sommer wasn’t the first client to feel the need to hide a personal connection to a haunting. Whatever his reason was for lying, Dean had to respect it. For now, at least. There was a time and place for trying to force the truth from someone, and this wasn’t it.
“Has anything else happened since then?” Dean asked. “Any more ghost sightings, voices, anything at all?”
“No, nothing.” Sommer quirked a wry half-smile at Dean. “I haven’t been upstairs yet, though.”
“I thought you were going to search that room, and the dresser in particular.”
“I was. I will.” Sommer picked up his glass and took a sip. “But Carol was the one who checked the guests in yesterday, and she put them in that room, so I didn’t get a chance to look.”
Dean stared at Sommer’s hands cupped around the curve of his wineglass and tried without success to suppress the memory of Sommer’s touch. “Um. We can go do it this afternoon. If you want.”
“I suppose we could. The guests checked out this morning, and Rich has already cleaned the room, so we ought to be able to search without being interrupted.” Sommer looked over at Dean, and his thoughtful expression turned wicked. “What’re you thinking about?”
Those fucking beautiful hands doing evil, wonderful things to me. He shoved his overactive libido into a corner of his mind and padlocked it in. They could fuck later. Right now, they needed to search the upstairs room, and Dean had to nail down a time to interview Sommer’s staff.
Dean cleared his throat and forced himself to look innocent. “Just thinking about the investigation. I still need to talk to Rich and Cody, and really anyone else who’d be willing to talk to me. And I want your input about how the rest of the investigation should go, considering the apparition we saw and what we’ve found on the audio.”
Sommer arched a skeptical brow, but nodded. “All right. Rich has already gone home for today, and Cody’s off, but I’ve already spoken to both of them and they can meet with us tomorrow, if that’s okay.”
“That’s perfect. What time?”
“I told them nine, does that work for you?”
Lifting his glass, Dean drew a mouthful of pale yellow wine, held it on his tongue for a moment and swallowed. “I don’t know, I might not be able to get over here that early. Kerry’s my ride, and she’s so not a morning person.”
Sommer slid to the edge of his chair, leaned over and nuzzled Dean’s ear. “Actually, I was sort of hoping you’d already be here in the morning.”
A giddy rush of desire swooped through Dean’s insides. He let out a breathless laugh. “I can be. If you want.”
“I want.” Plucking Dean’s wineglass from his hand, Sommer set both his and Dean’s glasses side by side on the table. He laid a palm on Dean’s cheek and peered into his eyes. “Do you?”
“You know I do.” Dean reached up to frame Sommer’s face in his hands. “Can we play with your toys again?”
The smile that spread across Sommer’s face promised all sorts of sin. Tilting his head, he captured Dean’s mouth in a demanding kiss. Dean surrendered with a happy sigh. He wished they could stay here all day, kissing at the kitchen table until afternoon faded into evening and the sun sank behind the trees in a crimson blaze. But there was work to do, and Ron and Kerry were coming over in a few hours for dinner before starting this evening’s investigation.
He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Sommer’s. “God, Sommer. Kissing you totally scrambles my brains.”
Sommer laughed, fingers raking through Dean’s