Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 115(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 77(@300wpm)
Something flashed in Keegan’s eyes as they looked into mine. They somehow darkened and brightened at the same time. Was it longing I saw? Or was I imagining things? It didn’t appear to be anything negative, although he wasn’t speaking. Maybe he was tongue tied now. At any rate, I didn’t want to risk making him uncomfortable or pushing any boundaries. So, I turned my attention back to my cards and asked him, “Do you have any twos?”
Keegan blinked at my words before shaking his head free from confusion, focusing on his hand as well. “I have one.” He handed it over before asking, “Have any fours?”
“Go fish.”
He lifted a card from the stack before wrinkling up his nose and stuffing it amongst his others. Apparently, it wasn’t a four. “So, what do you do when you’re not helping out at the animal shelter?”
“I work at the distribution center in Prestonsburg.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
Keegan shrugged. “It pays the bills, but it’s boring. I just put stuff in boxes and attach labels all day.” I wondered if that was perhaps why he enjoyed games so much; they served as a distraction and break from mundane life. “The only exciting thing is that I prepare bags of dog food for shipping. Sometimes a bag has a rip or a can is missing the pull tab, so that means they can’t be used, and I get to take them to the shelter. That’s how I went for the very first time, and how I met Ruby.”
“That sounds wonderful.” I was pleased to hear the company allowed him to donate the unusable items, and that he’d found something he enjoyed because of it.
“It is, but that’s the only wonderful part. Even the uniform I have to wear is boring.”
I imagined he would make anything look fantastic, but could understand that the mandated uniform wouldn’t be his personal style. I was curious about Keegan’s attire choice. It was alluring and beautiful, and I wanted to know the story behind it, but I didn’t want to come across as judgey or rude.
Maybe he saw something in my expression, or maybe he’d been asked countless times, but he offered, “I like looking pretty. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.”
“Complicated?”
He gave a sad smile. “Some people are really offended by the clothes I wear. That’s why I like it here so much; nobody says anything mean.”
I hated the thought of this precious young man getting picked on or made fun of for any reason, but especially for something as trivial as clothing. The world had bigger things to worry about than what someone chose to put on their own body.
I rested my cards on the table and leaned in close. “If someone is offended by simple pieces of cotton, that reflects poorly on them, not you. What makes you happy is your business, and nobody else gets a say in what it should be. Besides, they’re probably just jealous that you look better in those clothes than they ever could.”
Even in the dim light, I could make out Keegan’s pupils dilating as his glossy lips parted slightly. Oh, how I wanted a taste of those pouty pillows. But I didn’t want to cross a line. Some men didn’t like physical affection when they were in little mode. Though we were having a pretty ‘normal’ or ‘adult’ conversation, we were still playing a game, so I didn’t want to muddy the waters. I also didn’t want to be rejected. I could be reading the situation totally wrong, and he wanted nothing to do with me in that way. Maybe he just wanted to play Go Fish.
I lifted my cards into my hand again, and asked, “Do you have any kings?”
Keegan stared at me for a long moment before closing his lips and studying his own cards. “I…I have two,” he answered quietly, and passed them over. I put them with the two I already held, and laid all four onto the table top. He seemed to switch back into a playful mood as a smile crossed his lips. “You’re very good at this game.”
It was all a matter of luck, but I would still take the compliment. “I have played this game a lot with my boy.” I looked up at Keegan, waiting for him to ask for a number, and found that his smile had vanished. His lips were stretched into a tight line and his eyes were no longer dark and hungry; they were practically burning from under his brows.
“You have a boy?” He sounded so angry, and my heart broke. I was enjoying our game and conversation, but he obviously wasn’t any longer. Did he have something against men with children? Maybe he thought I had a young child at home, and didn’t want the responsibility. Hopefully his mind would change once he heard that my son was fully grown and out of the house. Hell, maybe that would make it worse; Henley’s age probably wasn’t too far from Keegan’s. Maybe he was realizing how much older I was.