The waiter approached them and asked if they wanted anything more.
“I think that’s everything,” Griff said.
Pierce said nothing, not a word, as Griff paid the bill. They walked out to the parking lot. It was raining hard now. The drops hitting the asphalt were as hard and shiny as ball bearings. They stung Griff’s face, his eyes. Or maybe that was something else stinging his eyes.
“Griff.”
“Goodbye, Pierce.” He had to force himself to meet Pierce’s eyes. And it was a shock because Pierce was struggling to keep his mouth steady. His eyes were wet—though maybe that was the rain again.
“Griff.”
Griff turned away and walked to his car. Pierce walked with him, which was somewhat anticlimactic. Griff tried to get his key in the door lock and Pierce put his hand over his.
Pierce said, “I love you.”
Griff looked up, glaring. “No you don’t. You lied to me. Like everybody else.” Now he didn’t care that the tears were coming, coming fast, mingling with the rain. “You lied to me and you tricked me and you used me. Like everyone else.”
He should have fought when Pierce pulled him into his arms. He should have punched him in his arrogant, aristocratic nose. But he let Pierce wrap his arms around him. He leaned into Pierce, and he cried.
“I do love you,” Pierce said. His breath was warm and the whispered words were rock steady. “You know I love you. I’ve loved you your entire life. Since you were an annoying little twerp. And I’ve been in love with you for the past week.” His arms fastened tighter around Griff’s shoulders. “And I know you love me.”
Griff shook his head denying this, but who was he kidding? Of course he loved Pierce. He really had loved Pierce his entire life.
“I’m sorry I hurt you,” Pierce said. His voice got choky as he said, “I’m sorry I let you down again.”
Again. No. That was Pierce feeling guilty about the past, and if they were going to build any kind of future, they had to put that behind them once and for all.
Griff shook his head. “No. Don’t.” He raised his head.
Pierce’s face twisted. “If I could undo any part of it—”
“I know.” He did know. And now he was the one comforting Pierce. Which actually helped a little.
They held each other while the rain came down in sheets, and finally Pierce looked up as though he’d only noticed they were being drowned. He scrubbed his face, kissed Griff’s mouth, and said, “Let’s go home.”
* * *
Later, much later, when they were warm and dry and comfortably wrapped in each other’s arms, cocooned in the vast and as yet mostly uncharted latitude and longitude of Pierce’s bed, Pierce asked, “How much do you remember?”
“It’s coming back. In bits and pieces.” Maybe he had begun to remember that very first day. So many things had unsettled him. He really had feared he was losing his mind. He couldn’t help a wrench of anguish when he thought of the years, years he had believed he was too small for his age, too slow, too immature. If he wasn’t crazy it was a miracle.
He didn’t say a word and yet somehow Pierce seemed to know. He kissed his mouth, rubbed his face against Griff’s, kissed him again.
“It’s going to take time, that’s all.”
Griff nodded.
“No one’s going to push you. No one’s going to pressure you.” Pierce sounded a little grim, talking to himself, preparing for future battles, and Griff settled his head more comfortably on Pierce’s chest and left him to it.
Pierce suddenly laughed. Griff, on the verge of sleep, stirred and smiled. “Mmm?”
Pierce kissed the top of his head.
“What’s funny?”
There was still a quiver of a laugh in Pierce’s voice as he said, “I just want to be there to see your expression the first time you see your new tax bill.”
Griff’s eyes opened. “I hope you are there,” he said.
Pierce said, “I plan to be.”
* * * * *
Find out if attraction is enough to keep two lovers together in this male/male contemporary romance—available now!
Lone Star
Growing up in rural Texas, Mitchell Evan’s ambition to be a dancer made him a target. Though he found success in New York City, Mitch is at a crossroads, and heads home for the first time in twelve years to figure things out. When what appears to be a reindeer jumps out in front of his car, he drives off the road and into the path of the one man he hoped to avoid.
The last person Texas Ranger Web Eisley expects to see four days before Christmas is his first love. He hasn’t seen Mitch since they quarreled over coming out to their friends and family years ago. Though he’s not in the closet now, Web has worked hard for the respect of his fellow officers, but he still regrets the loss of Mitch in his life. And his bed.
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About the Author
Frequently described as “the gateway drug” for readers new to male/male romance, bestselling and multi-award-winning Josh Lanyon is the author of over fifty titles of mystery, adventure, fantasy and romance. Josh is the author of the critically acclaimed Adrien English Mysteries series, including The Hell You Say, winner of the 2006 USABookNews award for GLBT Fiction. Josh is an Eppie Award winner and a three-time Lambda Literary Award finalist. When not writing—which is pretty much never!—Josh enjoys mucking around in the garden, film noir, fine wine, vintage mysteries and night swimming.
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ISBN-13: 9781426898327
STRANGER ON THE SHORE
Copyright © 2014 Josh Lanyon
Edited by Deborah Nemeth
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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