Whirlwind by Bailey Bradford (big ebook reader txt) 📗

the door. She greeted Laine and Severo, then stepped aside, giving Jordan his first look at the men.

Severo stared right at him with green-gray eyes that seemed to penetrate right into Jordan’s soul.

Then Severo smiled, and there was such joy in the wide stretch of his lips that Jordan forgot to be freaked out when the man reached for him. He felt an electric tingle where Severo touched his shoulder.

“Missy.” Severo didn’t say anything else, just nodded, and Jordan’s mom began to cry again. Jordan glared at the man. Severo was sexy for an older guy. He had long, straight black hair, and those eyes were something to write sonnets about. But Severo was watching him, and Jordan didn’t understand how that worked.

“What’s happening here?” Craig asked from behind him. “Why are you standing there with your hand in the air?”

Severo tapped his fingers against Jordan’s shoulder then lowered his hands. “Craig, we met at the funeral.”

“I remember,” Craig said, walking right through Jordan. “What’s going on?”

Severo looked at Laine, who shrugged and said, “It’s your show, baby.”

Craig didn’t seem bothered by the two men so Jordan was leaning toward liking the man. He should have known his mom wouldn’t date a bigot.

“Why don’t we all sit down?” Severo asked as Craig looped an arm around Missy’s waist. “Then we’ll talk.”

“Certainly.” Craig turned and led Missy to the sofa. Severo looked right at Jordan again. More words seeped into Jordan’s consciousness.

“I’m going to ask Conner to come here. I don’t know if you’ve met him yet, but he’s able to convince most doubters of the existence of spirits.”

“How are you doing this?” Jordan finally thought to ask, or asked through thought, rather.

Severo hitched a shoulder and glanced up at Laine. “I dunno. I just do it. I’ve always been able to speak to the dead.”

What was he supposed to say to that? Severo gestured and Jordan moved back, blending in with the wall as Laine brushed by him.

Jordan gawped at the man. He’d thought Laine was handsome years ago, but the years had carved him into a starker, more masculine visage than back then. He was almost fully white-headed now, and his sun-browned skin made him appear to be carved from mesquite wood. Jordan would bet the sheriff was every bit as tough and prickly as a mesquite tree, too. Some of those trees had branches with thorns on them that’d go right through the soles of your shoes. Jordan had got plenty of them stuck in his feet as a kid.

In the living room, everyone sat in awkward silence for a moment while Craig poured coffee and Missy passed around the snacks. Finally those niceties were out of the way and just in time, too, as Conner popped in. He wasn’t alone, either. Jordan knew he had to be beaming with relief and something very close to joy when Gideon and Stefan popped in, too. He rushed over to join them, and wasn’t surprised when Stefan hugged him fiercely.

“How sweet,” Conner crooned just before he smacked Jordan on the back of the head, hard. “You hurt him, and I’ll break you.”

“Same thing he told me,” Gideon muttered. Jordan looked up to see him rubbing the back of his head. “I didn’t know we could get goose eggs.”

Conner smirked.

Ro shook his head and pushed back a strand of his black hair. “Yeah, well, Conner’s special like that. He can do things the rest of us mere dead folks can’t. Yet.”

“Ignore them,” Stefan said as he released Jordan. “Conner is obviously compensating for something.”

Conner’s smirk vanished as he whipped his head around to glare at Stefan. “Boy—”

“Not a boy,” Stefan said calmly. “And I don’t need you to crack heads for me.”

Stefan and Conner glared at one another.

“Wow, talk about tension.”

Severo’s words caused them all to look at the man. Severo held out an arm. All the dark hair on it was standing upright. “Like electricity in the air. Guess the egos don’t die with the bodies.”

Craig gasped. “How dare you—”

Laine turned a stony expression his way and Craig shut up.

“What are you talking about?” Missy asked.

Severo put his arm down. He turned to face Craig. “You don’t feel it?”

“Feel what?” Craig retorted. “Awkwardness? Left out, like you all know a secret I don’t?”

“That might describe it,” Severo muttered. “What do you think happens when we die?”

Craig darted a glance at Missy. “Is this really an appropriate conversation to be having now?”

“Why not?” she returned with. “I’d like to know that Jordan was happy. Maybe he and his friend finally admitted they were in love with each other and they’re—”

Jordan didn’t hear the rest of her sentence because he was too busy panicking and trying to get out of the room. God damn it, he hadn’t thought his mom would tell anyone his secret, ever.

Conner hooked his ankle with a strong grip. “Don’t think so, you big chicken.”

“Jordan?” Gideon’s confusion was etched into the lines deepening on his brow. “She didn’t mean—she just thought because we were friends, and both gay—”

Gideon’s stunned expression said it all. Jordan had known he was more attached to his friend than Gideon was to him. He’d never have told Gideon, never.

Stefan placed a hand on his wrist. “It’s okay. Friends love each other. That’s part of being friends in the first place.”

Stefan was giving him an out, and Jordan took it with both hands. “Right. She just took it to mean a different kind of love.”

Gideon averted his face and Stefan moved to loop his arms around Jordan’s neck. It’s going to be okay, his eyes seemed to promise. Jordan rested his forehead against Stefan’s. Stefan cuddled in closer and fitted perfectly to Jordan’s body. Jordan closed his eyes and listened to the conversation among the living.

Chapter Nine

Stefan wasn’t sure what was happening between him, Gideon and Jordan. After that encounter in his bedroom, when they’d all got on—and off—so well together, he’d thought maybe there’d be more messing around.

He’d thought wrong. Ever since