The three people moved away from them, and Alex handed Corbin the box.
He couldn’t just walk away. Something compelled him to follow them.
“Give me a second,” he said to his partner, before leaving him standing there with the box.
Then, he jogged over to the threesome, pulled his wallet out, and passed them all cash. The woman hugged him, and Corbin saw the compassion when he touched her face with care.
Oh, and it somehow made it so much worse.
God damn it.
His partner was a good person.
And he liked him.
More than he should.
That was problematic for so many reasons. First, he was gay, and Alex wasn’t. Second, he couldn’t get attached to anyone. Will had been his soulmate, and he couldn’t risk loving someone again, only to be the reason they died.
Now, he was annoyed that he was seeing Alexander Bartlett in a whole different light.
He wasn’t just some guy humping every woman he could, he was also a kind person.
A good person.
That was always the sexiest thing about someone, too.
As he walked back toward him, Alex smiled at him, and Corbin’s heart skipped in his chest. The butterflies picked up, and they were back after being gone for a very long time.
“Please no,” he whispered to the universe in pleading. “I can’t do it again. Let my heart stay dead.”
As Alex reached him, he took the box.
“Let’s head to the hotel, and I’ll write up my notes for later. Elizabeth is meeting us for dinner when she’s ready, so we’ll update her then. She’s likely eyeball deep with the cemetery employee.”
Corbin was staring at him.
And saying nothing.
“What?” Alex asked, looking around.
Corbin had to cover.
Because the mother of all panic had him by the balls, and he needed to put space between them.
The way he pushed his hair from his eyes, and smiled was a little too familiar.
It.
Haunted.
Him.
This man reminded him of Will on so many levels, too.
“The eyeball-deep part caught me off guard. Too soon, Alex,” he said, covering the wash of feelings he was having.
They were too overwhelming for him.
