Page 178 of Cross & Crown

going to kill you. Or give you a sloppy blowjob in a hal way,

whatever.” He gave Nick’s dress shirt a yank, and buttons

went flying.

“Motherfucker,” Nick hissed as Kelly laughed raucously.

Nick fought past the al ure of Kelly’s hands on him and asked,

“What did you say before?”

“I said if you don’t open the door and fuck me, I’m

dropping to my knees right here in the hal way.” To emphasize

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his point, he pulled the zipper on Nick’s pants and popped

the button free. “Actually I like that plan, key or not.”

The image tore through Nick, almost wiping his mind

clean of any other thought. He even reached up to grab Kelly’s

hair, his fist tightening in preparation of holding on while he thrust into Kelly’s mouth later. But he shook his head, fighting the niggling feeling that he was missing something. “Before

that,” he said, and his voice was hoarse. “What’d you say?”

“Uh, about the Irish?” Kelly asked. “White knights?

Circles and arches and eternity and warriors? I don’t know,

I talked a lot tonight, you shouldn’t let me do that when I’m

drunk.”

Nick grabbed Kelly’s face with both hands. “Eternity.

Spirit meeting matter. Archways. Warriors.” They stared at

each other for a few seconds, and then Nick made a sound like

an animal in pain as he backed away from Kelly and slapped

himself in the forehead. “God! Why the fuck couldn’t I have

figured that out an hour from now?” he shouted.

“What, figured what out?”

“It’s a cemetery,” Nick hissed. “The star points us to a

cemetery.”

Nick zipped up his pants and stalked off, heading toward

JD’s and Julian’s room.