Another crack of thunder—but neither moved.
They were close enough now that Rocko could feel Apollo’s heat, even through the chill of the storm.Close enough that if one of them leaned in just an inch…
But neither did.
Not yet.
Instead, Apollo exhaled a breath he’d been holding for too long and tugged Rocko forward — not in anger, not in panic, but in a grounding gesture.Rocko stepped into it willingly.Their foreheads touched for half a second—brief, accidental, electric.
Both froze.
The storm raged around them, but that moment… it was quiet.Careful.Charged.
Apollo pulled back first, but only barely.His voice was hoarse.
“Get inside before you actually disappear again.”
Rocko smirked.“Only if you’re coming with me.”
Apollo snorted, shaking his head—but the ghost of a smile tugged at his mouth.“Like I’m letting you out of my sight.”
As they walked back toward the main house through the rain, side by side, the space between them felt different.
Closer.
Warmer.
Dangerous in a whole new way.
And for both men—neither willing to say it out loud yet—something had shifted.
Something that wasn’t going away.
CHAPTER NINE
Rocko
Rocko couldn’t have designed a better day if he’d had a word with Mother Nature herself.The sun was shining, and the sky was brilliant blue.It was warm enough to walk outside without a jacket, and even the animals took advantage of the sunlight by basking in its rays.
Rosaline was busy cooking, the aromas filling the house as she chased away anyone brave enough to enter her kitchen domain.Most of the crew were gathered around the dining table, digging into trays of eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage, and other breakfast goodies.It all seemed so natural, homey even, and a familiar ache hit Rocko in the chest as he observed the scene.
The first thing Rocko noticed was that Apollo and Griffin were missing.
“Morning, Rocko, are you hungry?”Ellen asked.
“Yes, famished,” he said before sitting beside her and loading a plate.“So, what are the plans for the day?”
Before she could answer, Apollo and Griffin walked in and sat at the table.Apollo came to sit beside Rocko, and his skin prickled with delight.What the fuck is wrong with me?How am I so attached to this man?He wasn’t the type of guy who believed in insta-love, but he did believe in insta-lust.What he was feeling went well beyond that.
“We have to run over to the Fitzgerald farm for a bit this morning,” Apollo announced as he grabbed a piece of bacon.“We’ll be back in plenty of time for the barbecue.”
“The Fitzgeralds?”Rocko asked.He hadn’t heard that name before, and with his supercharged memory, he would remember if he had.
“Yeah, Mary from the restaurant, her father Frank Fitzgerald’s farm.”Ellen filled in the blanks.“You’d better not be late for the barbecue.”
“Oh yeah.The waitress.I remember you guys had helped him with something before.”
“He’s had some issues with his health over the past six months, and we help out where we can,” Griffin explained.
