Chapter Eleven

Will Sees A Whole New Side To Aiden

"So which neighborhood are we in?" Will gazed at the neat front lawns, the single-story houses set back from the road.

"This is Wauwatosa," Aiden informed him. "My place is only twenty minutes' drive from my parents."

Will couldn't resist. "But those are awfully important minutes, aren't they?"

Aiden laughed. "Yup. Eleven precious miles separate me from Mom. Even she can't see me from Bay View, much as she would love to." He pulled up outside a two-story, red-bricked house, its wide front lawn bifurcated by a stone-slabbed path leading to the front door flanked in stone.

Aiden pointed to the second floor. "My apartment is on the right. On the left is my neighbor, Carol, AKA Midnight's sitter." He switched off the engine.

"Is the pizza place near here?"

Aiden nodded. "Down Wauwatosa Avenue about five blocks, then onto West North Avenue. Maggio's. Best damn pizza you'll ever taste."

"Any recommendations?"

Aiden's eyes lit up. "Garlic bread bites for an appetizer, then I usually go for one of three fave pizzas. Fig and prosciutto—"

Will grimaced. "Figs? On a pizza ?"

Aiden arched his eyebrows. "Do you eat Hawaiian?" Will nodded. "And do you like it?"

"Yeah."

He gave Will a mock glare. "Then you've got nothing to say on the subject. Because pineapple… on a pizza?"

Will had been known to start a flame war on that subject at D & D nights, and he definitely didn't want to head down that route. "What are the other choices?"

"Raclette—that's made with raclette—"

"I know what raclette cheese is," Will interjected with a chuckle.

Aiden snickered. "Then maybe you can educate Becca. She didn't have a clue. So… raclette cheese, purple potato, roasted garlic creme fraiche and green onions. I usually add sausage."

"Who doesn't like sausage?" Will murmured.

Aiden coughed. When he stopped, he said, "And finally there's the SS Garlic. A garlic cream base, sausage, spinach, and mozzarella. You can add mushrooms, pepperoni, sausage…" Aiden's eyes twinkled. "You can even add pineapple—if you absolutely have to."

Will bit back a smile. "I'm seeing a theme here. Got a thing for garlic? Or are you trying to keep the vampires away?"

Aiden laughed out loud.

"It wasn't that funny," Will observed.

"Oh, it really was, but I'll tell you why after we've eaten. So… have you got a thing about garlic too, or should I just hit reorder?"

"Garlic works for me." It wasn't as if he was going to be kissing anyone, right?

More's the pity.

"Which one would you like?"

Will grinned. "Both of them."

Aiden chuckled. "A man after my own heart." He scrolled.

" Now can we get out of the car? Because it has to be warmer inside."

"You're right. Pizza will be here probably just before we start looking at Midnight and thinking he'd make a tasty snack." They got out of the car and Aiden led the way up the path. Inside, they climbed the wooden staircase.

Aiden paused at the front door. "This is where I warn you. Midnight's claws can penetrate denim as easily as a knife through butter." He opened the door.

There was no sudden flash of fur, teeth and claws, but a cat sitting on the rug a few feet away from them, tail curled over its front paws.

A cat with the darkest, glossiest coat Will had ever seen.

"Whoa, you certainly live up to your name, don't you, kitty?" He crouched in front of Midnight, hand extended, and to his surprise the cat bumped his face-down palm with its head, nudging it. Will smiled. "Well, hello there." Midnight rubbed against his knee, his motor running, and Will stroked along the sleek back, making sure to scritch the base of the tail.

Midnight's engine shifted into high gear.

Aiden snorted. "Oh, I get it. You heard every word I said out in the hallway, didn't you, you little bastard? You just wanna make me look stupid."

Midnight yawned, and Will laughed. "Is he saying he doesn't have to work too hard at it?"

Aiden snorted. "Knowing him? Probably." He held his hand out. "Give me your coat. Then I'll show you around. It'll take all of ten seconds."

Will chuckled. "My mom showed me photos of the place they had when she first started teaching. She said no one becomes a teacher to get rich and have a swanky place to live. They do it because something in their soul tells them to." He removed his coat and handed it over.

"I like the sound of your mom."

Aiden hadn't lied about the size of the place—it was tiny—but it had a warmth Will appreciated. The living room was cozy, with windows on two sides, and the setting sun fell on the brown leather couch beneath one of them.

"How many bedrooms?"

"Two, but I use the guest room as an office." Aiden pointed to the fireplace. "The reason I picked this place. Wisconsin can be cold as a witch's tit most of the year."

Will beamed. "Can we light a fire?"

Aiden laughed. "Exactly what I was about to do." He knelt on the rug in front of the hearth and began putting twists of newspaper behind the grate.

Will took the opportunity to sit on the couch where Midnight joined him, climbing him like a tree to bump his head under Will's chin.

"Yeah, he likes doing that." Aiden grabbed a couple of logs and placed them in the fireplace. He aimed a gas lighter at the paper and it caught fire.

Midnight was off Will's lap in a heartbeat, heading for the rug.

Aiden chuckled. "Sorry, but he's a cat. A fire beats rubbies every time."

Will surveyed the room, taking in the hardwood floor's varnished glow, the warm tones of the cabinets in the kitchen, seen through the open door, the thick red throws over the couch and the armchair…

"You have a nice place."

Aiden shrugged. "Not bad for a rental. One day I'd like a place that belongs to me—well, me and the bank." He sighed. "With a backyard like my mom's. Somewhere to sit out in summer and catch some rays."

"I'm always happy to get through another winter," Will admitted. "It's great right now on days when the sun shines, but it's too damn cold to be outside." Aiden laughed again, and Will's curiosity was piqued. "Okay, just what is so funny?"

Aiden cleared his throat. "You weren't exactly what I expected."

Will blinked. "Elaborate, please?"

"It was just an assumption, based on a couple of things Becca said."

"Such as?"

"Oh, you know, the bit about you proposing in the university library, the fact you were always reading, the—"

"You got something against reading?" Will gestured to the bookcase with its overburdened shelves. "Because… hello?"

"Not a thing. Some of my best friends are books. But it kinda built up a picture in my mind: dark hair, pale skin from the lack of sunlight… you know…" He cleared his throat again. "Just your common, everyday vampire."

Will stared at him for a moment. Then he smiled. "If I were a vampire? Trust me, there would be nothing common about me ."

Aiden met his gaze. "I can believe that."

Something about the husky quality of Aiden's voice and the way he didn't break eye contact sent a shiver through Will. Then Aiden's phone buzzed, and the moment shattered.

"Pizza's here. I'll go down and get it." Aiden lurched to his feet and left the room.

Will glanced at the cat stretched out on the rug, as though he was trying to get every inch of him warm.

"Hey, Midnight. Your daddy is gorgeous, you know that?"

And funny. And smart. And sexy as fuck. And—

And straight, remember?

Midnight licked his paw clean, avoiding Will's gaze.

Will let out a sigh. "Yeah, you know."

Oh, Aiden. If only I'd met you instead of Becca.

If only Becca hadn't come up with this stupid scheme of hers.

If only I had the nerve to tell you the truth.

Except he wouldn't do that.

It wasn't only his truth to tell.

Aiden pointed to the box containing what remained of the SS Garlic. "You want the last piece? Please don't feel you have to say yes, by the way. This is equally yummy for breakfast, so it won't go to waste."

Will smiled and patted his belly. "I'm stuffed. And there's a slice of the raclette left too."

"Great." Aiden placed the slices of both pizzas in one box. "I'll just put this in the fridge. You want something to drink? There's hot chocolate, beer, coffee, juice—"

"You had me at hot chocolate."

Aiden grinned and headed into the kitchen. He glanced at the wall clock. Seven o'clock already.

Time really does fly when you're having fun, doesn't it?

Except it wasn't flying—it was zooming—and the last hour hadn't been anything so mundane as fun. They'd talked D & D, and Aiden realized his idea of a game bachelor party was something he needed to make happen, because damn it, he wanted to play with Will, in many, many different ways.

Some of them didn't involve clothing.

"Just how did you and Becca meet?" Aiden called out as he squeezed the pizza box into the fridge. He wouldn't have matched them. The more he saw of them together, the clearer it became that their personalities were diametrically opposed.

"I was in the audience at one of her first ever performances back in our first year in college. She was dancing with this ribbon on the end of a wand… you know, twirling it, using it as a prop…"

"Was she any good?"

"Yes—until she let go of the wand, it sailed through the air, and hit me smack in the forehead." Will chuckled. "She spent weeks trying to make up for that." He gasped. "Oh my God. I never realized it until just now."

"Realized what."

"That clumsiness is a gene, an inherited trait."

Aiden laughed. "You know what? Neither did I?" A rush of heat surged through him.

Except you weren't being clumsy, were you?

You were being evil. Jealous. And Will paid the price.

He wasn't going to think about that. Forgiven and forgotten, Will had said.

"Does Becca ever visit you when she's home?"

Aiden snorted. "Yeah right. As if I'd invite her here. Too much stuff I don't want her to see."

And why did I say that?

"Now I'm intrigued."

There was one thing he could share, and now that he thought about it, he knew Will would probably love it.

More importantly, it was something Aiden wanted to share with him.

He crooked his finger. "Come with me."

Will chuckled. "Now I'm definitely intrigued."

Aiden took him to the guest room and opened the door. Will went inside.

"Ah, this is where you do all your—oh my God!" He swung around to face Aiden, open-mouthed.

Aiden smiled. "My secret hobby."

The walls were lined with framed photos he'd taken during the last three months, but he knew they weren't what had provoked Will's reaction.

The cause of his outburst sat in front of the window.

Will gave him a huge smile. "You have a telescope."

"You noticed that, huh?"

He laughed. "Becca never told me about this."

"That's because she doesn't know. She already thinks I'm a nerd because of D & D."

Will walked over to it and stroked a finger along its length. "It's a beauty. What's the aperture?"

"Sixteen inches."

"And it's what, about forty inches focal length?"

Yeah, this had been a good idea.

Will was still smiling. "Is it portable?"

"Yeah, it can easily be dismantled and put in the back of my truck for when I go stargazing."

"However did you afford it?"

Aiden gave a shrug. "Actually… I built it."

Will's jaw dropped for the second time in less than a minute. "Holy shit. It's awesome."

"‘Holy shit'?"

Will flushed. "What—am I not allowed to swear?"

"Of course you can swear if you want to. It's just…"

Will tilted his head. "Just what?"

"Well… when you talk…. You're usually so… precise. You sound so… intelligent. And definitely not your age. I play D & D with guys your age and trust me, you don't sound like you're twenty-two."

"More like forty-two, huh?" Will gave a half smile. "Blame that on my parents. From the moment I started talking, they wouldn't let me be a kid. I had to speak properly. And you try growing up with a teacher and a professor for parents. When I was little, the other children used to tease me about the way I spoke."

"I like the way you speak," Aiden confessed. "It suits you."

"Thank you." Will's flush deepened. "I don't resent what my parents did, by the way." His eyes sparkled. "And if I'm honest? I liked being different. My brother Ethan, however? He hated it. When he isn't around them, he sounds so… relaxed, so chilled. It's as if he's adopted a cooler vocabulary. I'm trying." He chuckled again. "Becca encourages me to swear more." He shook his head. "The first time I said gonna instead of going to , I think she was going to burst with pride, as though I'd done something amazing." Will gazed at the walls, and his breathing hitched. "Did you do these?" He pointed to the photos.

"Yes. Once a month I go to Harrington Beach State Park. There's an observatory, and the Northern Cross Science Foundation meets there regularly. There's a twenty-inch Panarusky telescope, and the roof rolls right off, so the views are fantastic. The only thing is, there are only about sixteen nights a month when there's enough darkness to use it." Aiden went to his laptop and opened it. "This is the Harrington Beach Clear Sky Chart. It shows what's going on every night—cloud cover, transparency, how many hours of darkness…"

Will walked over to the photo of Jupiter. "This is awesome." The note of longing in his voice unfurled something deep in Aiden's belly.

He glanced at the screen, and grinned.

"How would you like to go look at Mars and Jupiter? And maybe Saturn, except it's only average visibility tonight."

Will spun around, eyes shining. "Could we?"

"Harrington Beach is only thirty-five miles north of Milwaukee." Another glance at the screen. "If we leave now, we should have a great view of Jupiter by the time we get there. Mars won't be at its most visible until around one this morning."

"I'd love that."

Right then, Aiden loved the joy in Will's voice—and the fact that he'd put it there.

Will had to admit he liked that they were the only ones at the observatory. It was also pretty neat the Foundation trained its members how to operate the telescope and deal with the roll-off roof. He was glad of his thick coat, and Aiden had loaned him a beanie. The night air was cold enough for him to be able to see his breath, but he didn't care about that.

This had been a wonderful night.

Will peered into the eyepiece. "Look at that," he said softly. "Every time I look at Jupiter through a telescope, I have to remind myself that what I'm seeing is mostly ice-crystal clouds made of ammonia and ammonium hydrosulfide."

Then he became aware of Aiden moving closer, until they were almost touching. "Let me see."

Will pulled back a little to give Aiden a turn—and caught a whiff of Aiden's hair.

Gods, that smells good.

Will wanted to bury his face in Aiden's long hair, to breathe him in, to wrap himself up in that scent. The smell of warm, clean cotton mingled with the scent of shampoo and soap, an overpowering fragrance that spoke to Will, conjuring images of naked flesh, mouths, and fingers, of intimate embraces and sensual abandonment.

Then Aiden turned his head without warning, and their noses met in the darkness.

Actually, their noses smashed .

"Ow."

Aiden straightened immediately. "I am so sorry."

Will clutched his nose. "Is everyone in your family this lethal to be around?"

"Want me to kiss it better?"

Oh dear God, the temptation to say yes…

"It'll be fine," he said quickly.

"As much as I hate to say it, maybe we should go."

"Why?"

Aiden grinned. "Remember how you ooh 'd and aah 'd over Mars? Remember me telling you it wouldn't be visible until one in the morning?"

Oh crap. "Yeah?"

"It's almost one-thirty," he said brightly.

Will blinked. Where did the last five hours go?

That was easy. They'd been swallowed up in stargazing, good conversation, and even better company. He'd been amazed to find out how knowledgeable Aiden was when it came to astronomy.

I don't want this night to end.

The next day would bring the trip back to Minnesota, another five hours in the car with Becca…

Will already knew conversation with her would be a chore. He didn't want to chat—he wanted to close his eyes and remember his magical evening.

"Will?" Aiden turned on the flashlight on his phone, and the bright light gave his face a ghostly appearance.

Will's mind had gone off on a tangent again.

"I lost all track of time," he said as he helped put the telescope to bed and the roof back on.

"I can't take you to my parents' house," Aiden said decisively as they walked toward Aiden's truck.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll wake everyone up." He paused. "But there is an alternative."

"Which is?"

"Spend the night at my place. There's a sofa bed in the guest room."

Will swallowed. "I… I can't put you out like that."

Aiden chuckled. "You wouldn't be. Just be prepared to share your bed."

For one heart stopping moment, Will thought he was suggesting…

Then sanity returned.

"You're talking about Midnight."

"Of course. What else could I be talking about?"

What indeed?

Will's brain was trying to kill him. Well, either his brain or his libido.

Aiden was waiting for a response to his kind offer.

"Thank you," Will said earnestly. "It's a good idea. Only, I don't—"

"There's a new toothbrush in the bathroom cabinet," Aiden told him. "I've got plenty of sheets and pillows, there's a spare comforter… It's a quilt Mom made for me when I first left home to go to college." He grinned. "You'll love that, by the way. I was just discovering the awesomeness of space at the time, so she covered it with the planets and stars. And in the morning, I'll take you for breakfast." Aiden smiled. "I promise to have you back with Becca in plenty of time."

There was no way Will could say no to that.

Even if what he really wanted was to spend the night with Becca's brother.