Another Believer by Stephanie Vaughan Read Free Book Online

he’d made a mistake when David immediately reverted back to the ultra formal, talking-to-a-stranger body language that Jonah had spent all morning coaxing him out of.
    “Look, I can tell this isn’t going to work. It’s… You’re too… Thanks for, um, everything. I’m just going to go back to my seat now.”
    David turned with more of the quick, economical movements Jonah had admired since they met and opened the door. Jonah’s legs were longer, though, and he was after David in a heartbeat.
    “Don’t go. Please. David. Look, that was stupid.” David wouldn’t look up and Jonah found himself talking to the top of David’s head. All of that inky black softness was inches from Jonah’s nose and he wanted to run his hands through it, see if it could possibly feel as soft as it looked. He’d like to brush his fingers along the close-cut sides before taking David’s head between his hands and kissing the man again.
    “David?” With the door open, though, anyone could see in, and already David’s gaze was straying nervously in that direction.
    Glancing up briefly, the soft, deep brown of David’s eyes immediately sucked Jonah in. He couldn’t wait for the chance to sit and gaze into them for hours on end--beginning immediately after they’d had sex, ideally.
    “What?”
    The wary, defensive look was back in David’s eyes, though, and Jonah wondered what it would take to actually earn David’s trust. “I know I’m not handling this very well. It’s just that I really want something to happen here. What can I say to get you to believe me?”
    “I don’t know. I--”
    “Can I help you gentlemen find something?”
    The steward who’d checked their tickets earlier stood in the hallway outside. In his hands he carried a pile of clean towels, and he looked eager to carry on with his mission, but not before he’d shooed the pair of misguided explorers back the way they’d come.
    “Umm…”
    “As a matter of fact,” Jonah hurried to get his story in before David could contradict him again, “what we were doing was checking out the accommodations.”
    David’s eyes widened and the eyebrow went up, but he stayed mercifully silent while the attendant eyed them skeptically and tried to look past them into the shower stall.
    “Really?”
    “Absolutely,” Jonah dropped an arm around David’s shoulders to keep him from sidling away and smiled his most winning smile. “We realized that if we pooled our money, we could probably get one of the smaller compartments--what are they called?”
    “Compartments? You mean a roomette?”
    “That’s the one. We were looking for you, actually. Can you tell us about availability?”
    His expression reflecting exactly what he thought about the likelihood of Jonah’s story, the attendant shifted the stack of towels under one arm and reached into an inner coat pocket. Pulling out a folded, laminated card, he consulted it briefly before tucking it back into the same pocket he’d taken it from. “There might be something open. I’d need to double-check with the steward before I could let you have it, though.”
    “Could you do that? That would be great. Wouldn’t that be great, David?”
    “Jonah...”
    David’s voice had a hint of what-the-fuck in it that Jonah hurried to cover. “I know, I know. It’s my fault--I didn’t get my ticket in time and messed everything up. Totally my fault. But they might still have something. It doesn’t hurt to ask. So, do you have any idea if you do?” He turned back to the attendant.
    “I’ll have to check and get back to you.” The look he shot them was full of meaning, and Jonah got the message as the man stepped back to give them room. “I know where you gentlemen are sitting. I have to finish my rounds first, but I’ll find out and come let you know.”
    “Thanks. That’d be great. C’mon, David, let’s get out of here.”
    Taking David’s hand, Jonah led them back the way they’d come, the two of them