“Otherwise known as August.”
“August would be proud to be known at the countdown to fall. What else is in this month? No holidays, no seasonal change. ‘The Dog Days of August.’ That’s its claim to fame.”
Like Spencer found more often than not, Patrick actually had a point. The Dog Days of a Chicago August could be brutal. The humidity and heat swallowed the city, the sun especially unrelenting. And was it just him, or did August go by slower than other months?
Patrickreallywas getting inside his head.
“I see I’m making some sense.” Patrick looked at him, reading his expression. Spencer didn’t mind having those eyes on him.
They reached the bottom of the stairs, and like a perfectly timed clock, Patrick opened the front door with one hand and handed off the crutches back to Spencer with another. Muscle memory at its peak powers.
“Yankee Candle will have their fall scents out, and they’re still running their Christmas in July sale, too. We can get lunch after.”
Spencer smiled to himself. Patrick’s arguments always started out ridiculous but then wound up convincing.
A few hours later, Patrick blew through Yankee Candle like the Tasmanian Devil, every piece of merchandise fighting for his attention. The center of the store had a massive fall candle display. The pyramids of burnt orange and cranberry and dark green candles were like altars to pray at for Patrick. Altars that one could freely touch.
Spencer acted cool and collected behind Patrick. He was on crutches surrounded by glass. No sudden moves for him.
Patrick opened the glass jar of a beige candle. “Pumpkin Patch,” he read off the label then smelled. “A good standby.”
He held it up to Spencer’s nose without warning. Spencer jolted back at the violation of personal space.
“It’s just a candle,” Patrick said.
“Maybe for me.” Spencer took the candle from him. “For you, this is a gateway drug.”
Patrick creased his forehead in this crazy adorable way. “Just smell.”
Spencer did so, mostly to stop looking at Patrick and his nicely-fitting chinos and the way his tucked-in shirt accentuated his lean torso.
The scent of pumpkin filled his nose, drowning out whatever train of thought Spencer’s dick was taking him on. His mind flashed back to having pumpkin pie at his grandmother’s house when he was a kid. He didn’t remember when it was, only that it felt warm and homey and full of love.
Damn, that was a powerful candle.
“Thoughts?” Patrick asked.
“Smells nice.” Spencer put it back on the display. Patrick picked it right back up and put it in his basket.
Patrick gasped and beelined to the other side of the display. “Autumn Leaves and Harvest Wreath! I love these!” He double fisted the candles the way Spencer’s friends handled two beers at the bar. “Oh, and MacIntosh. Although, I found the candles that go full-on apple are a bit too sweet.”
Spencer shrugged. He needed a PhD in Autumnology to have a conversation with Patrick analyzing fall scents. It was fun watching him get so excited and be thoughtful about something he loved. Spencer loved summer and volleyball, but probably couldn’t articulate why in as much detail as Patrick could about fall.
Patrick juggled four different candles in his arms. He was on the cusp of challenging their “You break it. You buy it” policy. Spencer held onto MacIntosh and Crisp Fall Night.
Patrick opened the Autumn Leaves candle, inhaled, and let out a low, growly moan that nearly made Spencer drop the candles in his arms.
Holy. Shit.
“Oh, just as I remember,” Patrick said. He opened Harvest Wreath and held it to his nose. Another moan escaped his lips.
Spencer pitched a tent in seconds. It had to be one of the sexiest sounds he’d ever heard, and it made him think about other places where Patrick could emit those moans.
He felt himself turn a deep shade of MacIntosh red at the erection that threatened to knock over a row of candles.
“Good?” Spencer asked. “Why don’t you pay for those and we can go grab lunch?”
“I haven’t smelled these since last November.” Patrick gave each candle another smell, emitting another low, rumbling moan. And the fact that he didn’t even know he was being sexy made it even sexier. Spencer shifted behind a display of wall scents to hide what was going on downstairs.
