Page 99 of Should Our Hearts Catch Fire

“What are we watching?” he asks as they step inside.

Gabriel scrolls on his phone. “Well, our options for this time were eitherThe Guardians of the GalaxyorThe Nun.”

Ellis holds his breath. Fuck. He should’ve checked what’s on. Or at least tell Gabriel he hates horror and gore when he was asked about his preferences.

“I went withGuardians,” Gabriel finally says.

Thank fuck. “Sounds good to me.”

“Yeah? You seen the first two?”

“The first one, I think. It’s the one with the mentally unstable racoon, right? And a talking tree?”

Gabriel’s lips twitch. “I’ll count that as a no. We can change it toThe Nunif you—”

“No! No, uh…this one is good.”

Gabriel’s brows are practically in his hairline, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Are you scared of horror movies?”

“No,” Ellis says, probably too quickly to be believable. “I just find them lame. I mean, everyone is so dumb. Why would you go to a scary-looking house in the first place?”

Gabriel’s lips purse, and it’s obvious he’s trying not to smile. Stepping towards Ellis, he runs a hand down his arm. “You know I’d protect you, right?”

Ellis gives him a flat look. “I’m not sure your mojo is suitable for banishing a demon.”

“True,” Gabriel concedes, his fingers tracing nonsensical patterns over Ellis’ forearm. “Zeke, on the other hand, would be all over that.”

“Would it work?”

“No. Everyone would die.”

“Thought so.”

Gabriel’s hand finds Ellis’, and their fingers intertwine. “So,Guardians?”

“Yes, please.”

Gabriel smirks. “I actually went to see it before, but don’t remember anything.”

“How come?”

“I went with Ash and we bumped into Dawson and Kieran.” He gives Ellis a pointed look. “Sat next to them too.”

Ah.“Ash and Kieran?” That must have been even more interesting than the movie.

“Yup.” Gabriel’s expression is mildly grossed out. “Let’s say I was distracted by Kieran’s hostility and Ash’s stupid dick.” The expression is instantly replaced by one of regret. “That sounded a lot better in my head.”

“Sure it did.” God, he adores this man, even though he’s a force of nature. Or maybe because of that.

Gabriel scowls. He looks like a grumpy kitten.

Ellis kisses him.

The movie is…fine. Truth be told, they could be watchingThe Nunand Ellis wouldn’t notice. Because Gabriel has been driving him nuts, pun intended. His hand has been all over Ellis since they’d sat down, fingertips brushing featherlight over his forearm or drawing patterns into his palm. It’s a testament to how depraved Ellis is that such an innocent action makes blood roar in his ears, his skin hot wherever Gabriel has touched.

All the stroking and caressing takes him back to when Gabriel was giving the same attention to a different part of his body. He’s grateful for the dark, and his foresight to wear a pair of loose-fitting jeans.

Gabriel, on the other hand, seems engrossed in the movie, as if all the touching is something he does subconsciously, his other hand digging in a box of popcorn.