It was pretty warm inside the barn we were in, the heaters working overtime to keep the cold at bay.

Well, barn wasn’t really the right word for it. The official name for where we were, according to my mom, was the Candy Cane Forest. She had converted the big barn into a space holding a… well, a “forest” of huge candy canes, all taller than six feet and as thick as the pine trees outside. There were different colors and a heavy scent of mint in the air. To make it even more mind-blowing, they had installed mirrored panels onto the walls and spaces in front of the empty stables. It made it feel as if there was an endless expanse of tall candy canes stretching for miles and miles.

It was spectacular, and I was looking forward to spending some time with Andrew inside the forest. There were a few benches throughout and an atmosphere that made you want to stay and get lost inside the converted space.

So, needless to say, I was pretty surprised when Andrew gave me the rundown on how he’d spoken to Bill and learned a few facts that made it seem like Tyler could be the thief. At first, I was a little thrown by Andrew speaking to Bill, only because I didn’t want Andrew getting his hands messy with all this shit. But then I saw how determined Andrew was to help me, and I realized how we were in this as a team now. With the “fake” label thrown out, we had become much closer to one than two.

I also realized how grateful I felt for Andrew’s help. Normally, my selfish side would have kicked in and gotten pissed at someone thinking they needed to interfere, but that didn’t happen at all. Andrew saved my relationship between my stepdad and me, while getting one step closer to figuring out who was stealing from my mother.

He was a goddamn genius, and I wanted to kiss those goddamn genius lips of his.

So I did.

“Oh,” Andrew said, surprised at the sudden intrusion in his explanation.

“Sorry, couldn’t help it. You look so hot when you’re in detective mode.”

“Wait until I pull out a magnifying glass and that cute little Sherlock Holmes cap.”

“Is that going to be all you’ve got on?”

“No,” he said. “I’ll have a tie.”

“Mhmm,” I growled, leaning in and nibbling on his ear. Just the idea of my boyfriend standing in front of me with nothing but a tie on (we could lose the magnifying glass and cap) was enough to make my dick twitch in my jeans. I wasn’t wearing any underwear, so I had to redirect my thoughts before the twitch turned into a throb.

“Wait, wait, so you think Tyler is responsible?” I was pretty blindsided by the suggestion, but Andrew seemed pretty sure as he was breaking down his theory.

“It’s a thought, that’s all,” he said.

He plopped down on the bench we were standing by. I followed suit, letting out a surprised exhale. “Huh.”

“I know it sounds a little crazy, but I really do believe Bill when he says he loves your mom and wants to protect her. And then when he said Tyler helped install the cameras, that was a huge red flag.”

“Yeah, but… why?”

Andrew shrugged. “Haven’t figured that out yet. But there could be plenty of reasons, not to mention the fact that it’s easy money for him. Money’s a big motivator; I’ve come to realize that after working at Stonewall for so long. A lot of people do some crazy stuff just because they think they can get a big payday out of it.”

I put my hands up and through my hair. I was planning on making tonight a chill evening, and this revelation was the furthest thing from “chill.” Not to mention, I had no idea about Bill’s past. My mom and I never discussed his past, and we were never close enough to talk about it together. Hearing his loss hit me pretty hard and made me see him in a different light. His explanation of the photo was a little questionable, but it could be easily verified, and I planned on subtly asking my mom about it to see if she had really asked to move her valuables in the middle of the night.

And then I got hit with a theory of my own. “You said Arturo helped with the cameras, too?”

“Right,” Andrew said, sounding like he knew where I was headed.

“So what if he’s the one?”

“Possibility, that’s for sure. But the timeline Bill painted for me makes me lean more toward Tyler. He said that this all started about five years ago. I don’t think he realized that he came into your mom’s life around five years ago, bringing Tyler into the picture. Why would Arturo work so long for your mom and then all of a sudden turn on her? It seems more likely to me that Tyler spotted some opportunities and snatched them.”

“Fuck,” I said, impressed. “You’re a freaking super sleuth.”

“No, I’m far from super.”

“Are you kidding me?” I took his hand in mine. It felt like such a familiar move already. “You’ve managed to get further into this bullshit than I have after looking for all those years. I was desperate, and that’s what led me into Stonewall. Then you come and hang out with my family for a week, and suddenly the pieces all start falling together.” I leaned in, inches between our faces. “You are super, all right, Andrew? You’re a fucking superhero, and I’m so glad to be your sidekick.”

He huffed, but his face flushed. “You’re no sidekick,” he said. I felt him beginning to rebuke my point, and frankly, I didn’t want him to. I meant exactly what I said, every damn word of it. So instead of letting him convince himself he was anything less than fucking spectacular, I crossed the small space between us and pressed my lips against his, swallowing his words.

When the kiss broke, I was taken aback by the expression on Andrew’s face. He seemed… sad?

“What’s wrong?” I asked. It sort of amazed me how well I could already read his expressions.

“I’m just… I’m happy.”

Oh, well maybe I couldn’t read him that well.

Yet.

“You seemed like you were about to cry,” I clarified. “Wondered if it was a halitosis situation.”

He laughed at that, the sound filling up the barn. “No, your breath is perfect. A little minty, but that could just be my nose interfering.”

I couldn’t help but smile a little wider and push in for another kiss. Tasting him on my tongue was enough to light a fire inside me that quickly spread down to my crotch.

“It’s just…” Andrew started when we separated. “I can’t believe this is all real. And I can’t believe how strongly I feel for you, Deck. I was never expecting this to happen when Zoey talked me into saying yes to this crazy idea. And then, when I did say yes, I thought I’d just get a nice, free vacation out of it. I’d be able to take my mind off my shitty life back at home, and then we’d go our separate ways. But I was a goner from day one. I’d just look at you and feel this… I dunno, this warmth in my chest. It wasn’t hard to deny at first, but with every hour that passed, the hotter that warmth got.”

“I’ve got some heartburn meds back in the house,” I teased. He playfully hit my thigh, looking at me with those big brown orbs that told me everything I ever needed to know.

“This isn’t heartburn; this is a heart-freaking-inferno. And you were the one who lit the match.”

I kissed him again. This one was longer, more tongue, more hands.

More heat.

“Andrew,” I said, holding his head in my hands, his breath tickling my upper lip. “This fire you’re talking about? It’s spread, jumped between us. When I look at you, I feel like nothing in my life could ever go wrong. Like you’re exactly what I’ve been waiting for my entire twenty-nine years on this floating rock.”

“Things can go wrong, Deck,” he said, his voice soft. “They will go wrong. But as long as you’re at my side, I’m positive we can right whatever those wrongs are.”

“I believe that. Wholeheartedly.”

And then our lips met again, but this time, we didn’t separate. Our kiss grew, our hands finding more and more to grab, to hold on to. It was passionate and fiery and had all my nerves feeling like live wire, ready to spark and ignite into an explosion that would rival the atomic bomb. My tongue wrestled for real estate in his mouth, probing and tasting and wanting more and more. I pumped my thighs together a few times, feeling myself growing harder and harder. My hand fell on Andrew’s lap and rubbed over his crotch and I could feel him getting harder and harder.

“I’m so fucking lucky,” I said in a break for air, my hand still wrapped around his bulge, giving him a few slow strokes over his black pants. Since I’d decided to go commando, my rock-hard cock was pretty much on full display.

“And so freaking hard,” he said, smirking as he bit on his lower lip, looking down at my visible erection. I’m sure if he looked hard enough, he could spot the exact outline of my circumcised cock head.

“You do this to me,” I said mischievously, purposefully making my cock jump, pushing up against the fabric of the jeans.

“Mmm,” he said, his eyes glued to my bulge. It was like the snake charmer had been hypnotized by the snake.

“Go on,” I said, “unzip me.”

“Here?” Andrew said, looking around with his eyebrows high. We were surrounded by a thick section of red-and-white candy canes, with a couple of rainbow candy canes thrown in the mix.

“I locked the door when we came in,” I replied, my cock throbbing again.

“You sure?”

I arched a brow and looked down at my crotch. “Very.”

Andrew didn’t need any more assurances. He grabbed the gold zipper and tugged, pulling it down. Upon realizing that there was only one layer of clothes he’d have to fight to get to me, he looked up with a big grin on his face.

“That’s so hot,” he said, leaning down to kiss my now exposed cock, my jeans still on. His lips felt like heaven against my sensitive shaft, and I knew his mouth was going to feel even more bliss-filled when he sucked me in. I lifted my ass off the bench and finished taking off my jeans since Andrew had seemed to become instantly distracted. He was kissing and licking up and down, making me see stars pop up in my vision. I dropped my head back and closed my eyes as he kissed my sac, sucking one of my balls into his mouth and massaging it with his tongue before letting go and doing the same to the other. From there, he kissed his way back up my pulsing shaft and flicked his tongue across my leaking slit.

I was in heaven. A candy cane must have fallen on me and crushed me, that was the only explanation for this fever dream I was in.

“God, Deck, you taste sooo good.” And then Andrew stuffed his mouth with my cock, and I knew then that this was no dream.

No, dreams never felt this good.