“They’re so much fun to create.” Jackie clasped her hands in delight. “They finished setting up yesterday, so you’re just in time.”
Aaron thanked her and moved toward the signs leading to the showcase, Jay right on his heels. They ran into several obstacles on their way, having to backtrack and change directions multiple times.
“It’s like the wild west out here,” Jay huffed after two young boys ran across their path, leaping from one couch to another. Their father was several couches behind, yelling their names to no avail.
“In and out,” Aaron repeated like a mantra as he continued forward. Spotting a shortcut, he eased between two dining tables, stumbling over the chairs before righting himself in triumph. “We did it!”
“This is rough.” Jay glared at him before sucking in his stomach and trying to shuffle through the same gap. “I’m leading the way back. Some of us don’t have the figure to fit in these narrow spaces you keep finding.”
Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and with his face flushed from the exertion, Jay looked unbelievably sexy. He hadn’t shaved in a few days, his dense stubble on the verge of turning into a beard, and Aaron had an urge to rub it against his cheek.
Existing in Jay’s presence was a constant exercise in restraint.
He turned and walked through the low doorway to escape the temptation. The space resembled a small apartment, and they easily found the main bedroom. After examining the drawers and poking at the swirly handles, Aaron declared the dresser sufficient. The vanity next to it wasn’t on his list, but it was too pretty to pass up.
He tapped his phone screen to cross off the final item with satisfaction. “I’m done.”
“That was fast. Let’s go back to the living room. I saw a china cabinet my sister would love.”
“Lead the way, Cap’n.” Aaron gestured for Jay to go first.
“Such a smart-ass,” Jay muttered, stalking out of the bedroom and heading straight to the tall, gorgeous piece with rippled glass panels in the corner of the living room. Jay took his time examining it while Aaron wandered around, noting little details.
“Did you know the fake books for staging bookshelves are sold by the foot?” Aaron shared, his fingers tracing the embossed leathery spines. “Like fabric. I’ll take three and a half feet of antique encyclopedia and a yard of bright contemporary young adult.”
“Think the same place sells those fake books to open secret doors?” Jay bent down to test out the drawers, and Aaron’s gaze lingered on Jay’s powerful thighs. The way his jeans stretched over the rippling muscles should have been illegal.
“I think those are regular books, just attached to some mechanism,” Aaron responded, mesmerized by the deliciously sculpted ass presented to him like a tempting treat, begging for a lick. He tore his eyes away before Jay caught him staring.
Suddenly, the wall shuddered with a loud thump from the other side. There was a loud yell, and Aaron’s muscles tensed.
He moved on pure instinct, lunging forward and wrapping his fingers around Jay’s wrist in a steel grip before tugging in a single powerful burst. He had no chance of moving Jay’s body by force—his best bet was to throw Jay off-balance in the right direction.
His gamble paid off. Jay took a step to keep from falling, stumbling along as Aaron pulled on him with all his strength.
A deafening crash filled the room. They turned toward the source, finally making sense of what happened. The bookshelf in the corner had fallen forward, crashing into the space right in front of the cabinet—where Jay had stood a moment ago.
Scattered shards of glass from a large vase littered the ground, glittering in the light.
Silence rang in Aaron’s ears. Was it the sound of his blood pounding or did high doses of adrenaline come with their own sound effects? He became aware of tightly squeezing Jay’s wrist and eased his grip without letting go. He couldn’t let go right now. He needed to keep touching Jay, making sure he was okay.
“Holy shit,” Jay whispered, echoing Aaron’s thoughts.
Two employees rushed into the room, stopping short at the doorway—a wide-eyed woman and an older man frowning, his phone already to his ear.
“What happened?” she asked, staring in shock at the mess on the floor.
“Looks like the bookshelf wasn’t anchored properly,” her coworker replied, shaking his head. “The kids bumping into the wall probably made it tilt. I’m calling Dan.”
Jackie came in from behind and spotted Aaron and Jay. “Are you okay? Were you near the bookshelf when it fell?”
“I was…” Jay cleared his throat. “I was standing right there. Right in front of it.” He turned to Aaron, his eyes shining with gratitude. “You saved me.”
Aaron’s face heated at the weight of Jay’s words. “You would have been fine.”
“No, I would have gotten a severe concussionat the least,” Jay argued. “That was incredible. How did you move so fast?”
“I just…moved on instinct, I guess. I didn’t really understand what was happening. Lizard brain,” Aaron said, reluctantly letting go of Jay. Now that the rush was wearing off, it seemed strange to keep holding on.
