A smile snapped to Kenneth’s lips. “Yes, and no. At some point this weekend, I have to meet with a land developer who hopes to expand into New York. He wants to convince me to smooth the way for him.”
“Do you take bribes?”
Kenneth snorted. “There isn’t a politician alive who isn’t getting wined and dined by someone. It’s unavoidable. I’m in the position they need. They think they can ease the way with the right amount of perks. But—at the end of the day—it doesn’t work that way. Their interests have to align with the best interests of my state. Otherwise, I’d never get re-elected.” He flashed Nic a smile. “Obviously, I easily did that, so I must be doing something right.”
It was all bullshit, of course. Archer had bought the election and Kenneth didn’t have the luxury of thinking about New York. He did what was best for Archer and no one else. Archer needed land for warehouses. Those warehouses would hold guns, stolen cars, and whatever else Archer needed. In New York, they would be located in the perfect spot to easily flood the streets without traveling long distances to the city. There were farms on the edge of the city that would sell for the right price. Kenneth hoped to pitch the idea to his state with the promise of jobs coming to the area. That would give Archer breaks on the legal side of things such as taxes and whatnot. No one was completely immune from the IRS. Archer had to look legit on the surface. He excelled at that part. That was why Archer did so well as a crime lord. When it counted, he looked completely above board.
Kenneth tried to move on from talking about work. “Anyhow, my meeting should only take two hours, tops. That leaves me with an entire weekend to relax and focus on you.”
Nic didn’t respond.
Kenneth stole a quick glance his way. Nic silently watched him with enough heat to make Kenneth lose his breath. He focused on the road. His thoughts raced. When Nic had texted him, agreeing to this weekend, Kenneth had expected a bit of a pushback. He imagined Nic felt the same unwanted attraction Kenneth felt. It was odd for a lot of reasons. For one, they had always felt like they were on opposite sides. In a way, they were. Kenneth was a criminal. Not that Nic knew that. For another, Kenneth had been surgically remade to look like a man over twenty years older than him. While the original Kenneth Yearly had—thankfully—looked much younger than his age of fifty-seven, Nic still believed him to be fifty-seven. In reality, Kenneth was a year younger than Nic. Kenneth hadn’t expected this kind of complication in his life. He had promised Archer six years. For the next six years, he would play the senator, working out his term. Then Archer would find a real senator with real qualifications. Afterward, Kenneth could retire and disappear. If he wanted, he could reverse his surgery and go back to being Jared. He would have Kenneth’s money and be free. Right now, he felt the invisible chains. They were heavier than ever.
“I’ve never seen you nervous. You’re usually annoyingly cocky.”
Kenneth scrambled for a lie at Nic’s observation. “I guess—if I’m being honest—I never expected you to be genuinely attracted to me. I’m a lot older than you.” God. Everything inside him rebelled against those words.
“That guy you disappeared with for months was around my age.”
Fuck. Things kept getting worse. Every lie he told was a stumbling block for the future. Archer had made it look like Kenneth had disappeared with the man who had actually killed him. Too many things could go wrong from here. “Yeah, well. That wasn’t exactly a healthy relationship, was it?”
A soft, sexy-sounding chuckle rumbled from Nic. “I guess that’s true since I saw an image of him leading from your house with what looked to be a bloody sledgehammer.”
Kenneth cringed inside. “Just a bit of role play that turned into an escape plan. It’s not easy having your every move fodder for the masses. I just wanted to be free. Have you ever felt that way?”
Nic didn’t answer right away. When he finally spoke, he sounded sad. “Honestly? I’ve felt that way a lot lately.”
Guilt washed over Kenneth. He understood what Nic didn’t say. It was Kenneth’s fault. His career had taken a hit by Kenneth turning up alive and well while Nic had been investigating his murder. Now, the dreams he had were all but dead. His prospects for climbing the FBI ladder were low. That was on Kenneth. More so than Nic would ever know.
He tried lightening the mood. “For a weekend, you get to be just you. Not Detective Higgins. Just Nic.”
To Kenneth’s surprise, Nic took his hand. “And you get to be just Kenneth.”
“Yikes.”
A sexy rumble of laughter caressed Kenneth’s ears. “I don’t know. So far, I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you when you’re just being you. I actually like that version of you.”
“Actually?”
Another chuckle filled the car. “Yes, actually. I didn’t like you at all before spending time with you. You’re not what I expected.”
Truthfully, that warmed Kenneth’s heart. That meant Nic liked the real version of Kenneth. That mattered. Nic was right. For one weekend, Kenneth would just be himself. Honestly, he couldn’t wait.
Damn. Nic really liked this version of Kenneth. Every hint of nervousness he showed made Nic a little more desperate to fuck him. God. How had he gotten here? Kenneth kept casting looks Nic’s way. He didn’t pull his hand away, but he looked unsure as hell. Having Kenneth off balance fed something dark in Nic’s soul. He hadn’t thought about it, but it had been some time since he last had sex. Kenneth was the first person to catch his attention in a long time. He had been too busy to even think. That was over.
Kenneth turned left and headed down a long driveway. It took a minute, but finally, a two-story home that looked like it was more windows than walls came into view. The place was gorgeous. He could already see the pool and a huge pond in the distance.
“This is gorgeous.”
“It belongs to a friend.”
Damn. It must be nice to have friends who loaned whole-ass houses for the weekend. Nic kept that thought to himself. He recognized now part of his problem with Kenneth was the wealth. Nic didn’t think he was jealous. He just hadn’t met a rich person he liked. It didn’t look like he could say that anymore.
Kenneth parked. They climbed from the car. Kenneth beat him to the back to grab their bags. Nic tried to grab his, but Kenneth walked away with both suitcases, leaving Nic to close the back. With a shake of his head, Nic followed on Kenneth’s heels. That feeling of something being off about Kenneth overcame him again. It didn’t give him a bad vibe or anything. There was just some revelation right out of his reach. The detective inside of him wanted to dig until he found every secret Kenneth held. There was something about his mannerisms Nic couldn’t discern.
Then they were inside, and Kenneth set their bags aside. Something inside Nic roared to life the second he closed the door, shutting them away from the world. He molded against Kenneth’s back and kissed the side of his neck. It felt like breathing. That was how natural it was for him to touch Kenneth.
Kenneth hummed.
Nic's arms encircled him. He ran his hands up Kenneth’s torso. Damn. It was solid beneath his touch. His nipples were hard.