Yolks on You Box Set

Chapter 12-2

Are you really okay closing up? asked Kiko, sitting in the truck waiting for Dom to stop staring at Bob and Bab. Katie’s text was almost immediate.

Yes. Sorry about the cell phone policy, but it makes me feel safer tonight.

You’re not even going to get a lecture over it, typed Kiko. He couldn’t get angry at Katie about it. He himself had broken his own policy today. He might have to consider amending it.

LOL. How’s it going?

I don’t kiss and tell.

You only kissed him? replied Katie, an implied “get on with it!” untexted. Kiko grinned. He could only hope, really.

Get back to work or you’re fired.

LOL sent Katie again, then nothing more. Kiko didn’t have to wait much longer for Dom to get in and buckle up, frowning out at the donkeys.

“And they’re just normal to you,” he said as Kiko started the truck.

“Well, not exactly. These two are newer, only about three years old. They’ve gone through a series of Bob and Babs.”

“So when they die they just get more donkeys?”

Kiko shrugged. Dom shook his head.

“Now that’s even weirder. Don’t tell me that’s not weird.”

Kiko grinned.

“I admit it’s a little weird,” he said. “Did they tell you any useful pieces of gossip?”

“No.” Dom slumped a little in his seat. “Kiko, I don’t know that we’re going to be able to figure this out.”

“Hopefully the police have already apprehended someone.”

There was a pause while Dom whipped out his phone and poked at it, the glow from the screen illuminating his face in light and shadow. Kiko forced himself to stop glancing over at him. Dom was quiet as he read the screen, tucked the phone away.

“Doesn’t look like they’ve announced any arrests. Plus, wouldn’t it be all over the place if they did? Everyone would be calling up everyone else to gasp about it.”

“I think even I’d hear about it,” said Kiko, somewhat disappointed. He wished he could have an undistracted Dom to himself, and beyond that, it wasn’t particularly pleasant thinking that another explosion could happen at any point.

“So the police could use a little help still.”

“Dom, I really don’t think they’d listen to us, even if we happen to figure out who did it. We’d be just another couple of crackpots venting frustrations with a town resident to them. Why should they believe us?”

“We’ll have logic on our side,” said Dom, now using his phone to light up his list. “Are you sure you don’t know anything more about Sam?”

Kiko sighed and gave in.

“He’s not really a regular in town. But he’s got a lot to deal with, you already know.”

“His kids? Anything weird about them?”

“Just because they’re from Mount Angus doesn’t mean they’re weird,” said Kiko, turning onto the road leading to the egg hunt grounds. “The twin girls seem fine. A little quiet for their age, but they probably learned to be because of a sick mother. As far as I know they’re fine, whatever you’re implying; the few times they’ve been in Yolks on You they’ve been polite, and gentle with Mother. It’s surprising the amount of children who can’t be gentle around a living creature.”

He pulled into the grassy lot and parked, shutting off the truck. He took the opportunity to observe Dom in the low light of the man’s phone, the look of concentration on his face, reminding himself it was just the weekend they’d get to spend together. He’d take what he could get, even if Dom was distracted. Kiko was realizing that in some ways, he wished he had someone around who made life a little more exciting than what he normally had to deal with, vomiting children or a disgruntled goose that destroyed the odd paperback he’d left within reach. He wished Dom could stay.

He shook himself. It must be the effect of all the recent stress, that he’d be thinking so strongly about someone he barely knew, barely met. He tried to hold back a sigh and failed; he was going to have to get over this weekend after Dom left. He could see that already.

“What is it?” asked Dom, looking up and putting his phone away. He peered out the window. “Shouldn’t there be a cop car here or something? You know, staking out the place. After everything.” He opened the door and Kiko met him around at the truck bed. “Anyone can mess with these eggs out here. There was someone here last night, right? Maybe we should have reported it…”

“We thought we saw someone,” said Kiko, wondering whether Dom had simply wanted an out then. Kiko was fairly sure there had been a person; he remembered the crunch of footsteps, the fast shadow. He knew also that he was very, very tired, though—maybe they had mistaken a deer for a person.

“You’d think there’d be someone here to keep watch anyway,” said Dom.

“I doubt the cops could spare anyone.”

“Still,” said Dom as Kiko passed him a box and a flashlight. “What Mount Angus doesn’t need is a child dying.”

Kiko agreed with that. And Dom had a point; the death of a child would wipe out the Eggstravaganza permanently. No one would trust the safety of their children in Mount Angus ever again. And without tourists, Kiko’s business would go under. He had a feeling he was about to become as interested as Dom in finding the culprit behind the explosives. But first, egg hiding. And then, because there would be no children here until one o’clock tomorrow, he had other things on his mind he wanted to do…

Hiding the eggs seemed to take longer than it had the night before, and all Kiko could think of was how much he wanted to be through with it. He was tired, so tired, after so little sleep last night and so much excitement otherwise. He just wanted to finish this up and take Dom back to his house; but he was getting the impression Dom didn’t particularly care to go home with him. He decided he was going to try what had failed so miserably last time.

“I think I need a proper kiss tonight,” said Dom as they pulled more boxes off the truck. Kiko moved immediately to him, heart racing as Dom’s lips met his, did not pull away immediately. Kiko broke the kiss, slid their boxes back onto the truck bed. He turned back to Dom and grabbed his butt, pulling him closer.

They leaned into each other, mouths meeting again. Dom opened up for Kiko’s tongue, fingers tangling in the hair at the back of Kiko’s skull. His entire body tingled with excitement, expectation. Finally. He’d only met Dom a few days ago, but finally, finally, they were connecting like this.

Kiko gripped Dom’s cheeks through his pants, but the fabric was too thick for the touch to be thoroughly enjoyable; besides, Kiko wanted to feel his skin. He slid his hands under Dom’s shirt, rubbed the small of his back, trailed up, then around. The smooth skin under his palms was warm. He pulled them around, across Dom’s front, over his near-flat stomach, down to the hem of his pants. He grabbed and tugged Dom directly up against him.

Dom broke the kiss then, stepping back. He pulled down his shirt and pulled up his jacket, which had nearly fallen off him. Kiko, feeling awkward and disappointed, put a hand to the place on his scalp where Dom had been playing his fingers. Perhaps he hadn’t liked that Kiko had, just for an instant, brushed against the hardness in his pants. Kiko held back a sigh. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a matching eager bulge.

“Well,” said Dom, unable to look at Kiko. “Not to be awkward, but…”

“It’s okay if you’re not interested,” said Kiko, wanting to give him an out. Dom shook his head, smiled hesitantly.

“No, it’s just…I mean, how much are we going to want to hide the rest of the eggs after we…?”

“I understand your point,” said Kiko, trying to steady his breathing, hoping the pounding in his veins would follow. “But I want it on the record that I very much resent stopping.”

Dom chuckled, moved to grab his box of eggs.

“Hurry up, then,” he said.