Out Of My Mind Read online

  Then, taking a deep breath and acting before he could back out, he turned the door knob, pulled the door open, and walked through it.

  He found Nick and Mary Jane in the kitchen.

  Nick's back was to Rafferty, giving him a mind-boggling view of bare skin to the waist, and the tight sensuous hug of blue jeans over his butt and legs. Raff dragged in a breath to fight the instant lust the sight produced.

  He turned his focus to Mary Jane, who faced him. She wore some kind of flowery brown skirt and a heavy wool cardigan, had her dark-red hair pulled up into a loose knot on her head, with about half the hair already spilling out, and held a grocery bag and a newspaper--probably Nick's she'd brought in from the porch. Mose was rubbing against her legs, thwacking his tail. And a large silver pot sat next to her on the counter.

  From the sound of it, she was good-naturedly reaming Nick a new one.

  "I call and call and you don't answer the phone, then when you do, you won't let me come over and take care of you, but I see Rafferty's Mustang outside--"

  Oh, crap. Rafferty hadn't thought about the fact his car was in plain sight in Nick's driveway. There would have been no hiding even if he'd wanted to.

  "--which means you'll obviously let your partner come see y-- Oh!" Mary Jane's mouth had opened in surprise when she spotted Rafferty. She stared at him over Nick's shoulder.

  Nick turned. For a split second he wore the same surprised look as Mary Jane and then a smile bloomed on his face, and his eyes filled with a dizzying warm light that Raff was pretty sure could heat him up on the coldest day of the year.

  "Hi," Rafferty said, looking at Nick, but addressing them both.

  "Hi." Had that word that was really a soft low rumble of open desire come from Nick?

  Then Raff realized how he probably looked right now. Exactly the way he'd been afraid Nick would look that morning on the boat when the Coast Guard had shown up...barely dressed, hair rumpled with sleep, looking like he'd just had fabulous sex all night. And--oh, shit--he just remembered self-consciously about the love-bites Nick had left on his chest. Not to mention from the obviously now-open doorway in the hallway behind him, he'd just come out of Nick's bedroom.

  The moment was broken when Mary Jane grinned, then her gaze slid back to Nick and she walloped him on the shoulder with the newspaper she was holding. "You big sneak! All these years you told me Rafferty was straight!"

  "Well, I kinda was," Raff supplied, but she was on a roll and he wasn't even sure if she heard him.

  "And this is why you wouldn't give me his phone number! Because you were already taking his sexy ass to bed!"

  "Um...phone number?" Rafferty asked.

  Nick grinned.

  So did Mary Jane, but she did it with a loud, dramatic "Hrumph!"

  "Excuse me...phone number?" Raff prompted.

  "Mary Jane's had the hots for you for ages. She's been driving me nuts the past couple of months since your divorce was final, wanting me to set you two up."

  "Except you were already--"

  "Yeah, yeah," Nick interjected, giving Mary Jane another grin. "I was already taking his sexy ass to bed."

  Rafferty felt a flush of heat slide up his cheeks. Damn, he hadn't blushed since he was a kid.

  "Well!" Mary Jane said, putting her hands on her well-endowed hips and eyeballing them both with a twinkle in the blue orbs that could have brightened any room. "See if I waste my time slaving over the stove to make you chicken soup again because you're 'sick.'" She tsked-tsked. "Sick, my ass. You bad boys...you're playing hooky from work this week, aren't you? So you can have delicious romps in bed."

  Rafferty's blush deepened. His cheeks felt like they were on fire now.

  Nick was chortling.

  But then Raff realized the oddest thing...for all that Mary Jane's naughty teasing was making him blush, he didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable standing here in the kitchen, half-dressed, with Nick shooting him steamy looks, and someone seeing it and knowing they'd just spent the night together. In fact, it felt surprisingly comfortable. It felt right.

  Without planning it or thinking it through, his feet carried him the few steps across the room to Nick. He buried his fingers in Nick's hair and tugged Nick into a kiss. Not a sweet, in-front-of-company peck...a kiss. He felt Nick's shock for all of one second, and then one of Nick's arms was wrapping around Raff's waist while his other hand came up to cup the back of Raff's head and pull him closer still.

  "Holy balls of fire. I'm going to have to go home and take a cold shower before I can go teach," he vaguely heard Mary Jane say in a breathy voice.

  She might have said something else, too...something about "Why were all the sexy, smart ones gay?" and putting the soup in the fridge and letting herself out.

  But Rafferty hardly heard any of it. His senses swirled with Nick's taste, the feel of his hands, his lips, his hard, warm body, and his spicy-clean scent blended with raw, masculine arousal.

  Sharing life with this man, standing at his side through the highs and lows, lying next him every night and waking up in his arms every morning, was what he'd been craving for longer than he'd ever realized. And for the first time, Rafferty felt complete.

  He knew he still had steps to take, knew he'd just started this journey, but whatever the future held, he knew he and Nick would weather it together.

  M. L. Rhodes

  Award-winning and bestselling author M. L. Rhodes has been writing for a living for over twelve years. Along with the erotic man-love fiction she currently pens for Amber Quill Press, she's also had published everything from magazine articles, to steamy romantic suspense novels, to straight erotic romance. In her fiction works, her characterization and emotional storytelling have received high critical acclaim from such places as Romantic Times Magazine, The Romance Studio, and JERR and have garnered her numerous awards in the writing industry.

  In her M/M stories, she enjoys pairing together strong, independent heroes who are open to exploring both their sexuality and their emotions. Men fall in love with one another every day, and M. L. believes in celebrating that!

  If you'd like to keep up with what's going on in M. L.'s world and find out about her new and upcoming releases, surf on over to her web site at www.mlrhodeswriting.com. She also loves hearing from readers. You can reach her at [email protected].

  * * * *

  Don't miss Under True Of Heart, by M. L. Rhodes,

  available at Amber-Allure.com!

  A hundred years ago, the high sorcerer of Velensperia launched a swift and deadly attack against the draegans--a race of dragon shapeshifters who'd always lived in harmony with the humans. The draegans were all but destroyed, with the few who remained scattered and in hiding. Now, a group of them have united and begun to fight back. Their leader, Keiran Hareldson, seeks to free his people from the cruel repression the high sorcerer's reign has imposed on them.

  Gaige Rizik is captain of the sorcerer's High Guard, and known for his lethal ability to hunt down his prey with no remorse. His orders are to infiltrate the draegan rebels' camp, learn their plans, and identify their leader so he can be destroyed. But when Gaige joins the rebels, posing as a human sympathizer to the draegans' cause, he discovers the shapeshifters aren't the bloodthirsty beasts he's been led to believe, and their leader is a passionately captivating man who only wants what's best for his people. Keiran sparks powerful emotions in Gaige, tearing down his walls of steely control, and stirring a longing in him he can't deny.

  Torn between his duty to the high sorcerer and his growing feelings not only for Keiran, but for the draegan way of life, Gaige knows he's damned no matter which side he chooses. In a world of lies, deception, and dark secrets, one false move will bring destruction to all he's begun to hold dear. With the fate of so many lives on his shoulders, Gaige's only hope is to follow his heart...and pray it's true enough to save them all.

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