FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: A Way With Men

The man is running from us. Headphones pressed in firmly, blocking out all noise as I fight to catch him. He has no idea we’re here, completely oblivious to us racing after him. It isn’t long before the car will hit him. It isn’t long before he will be thrown to the ground, left bleeding and alone.

“Holy shit. I can’t run this fast!” Seneca yells.

I glance over at the other man who is running beside me. Dark blond hair pushed back, having been styled with care, tight black pants preventing any stretch of his legs. He makes the white button-up look perfectly casual. The only contrast is the red watch that jingles as he runs. While I’m thrilled if my cowlick isn’t sticking straight up, he’s thrilled only after looking perfect. One thing he’s clearly not perfect at, is running.

Jinx’s body continues to wiggle in excitement as Seneca gets the dog in a headlock. “You have no confidence in yourself. You obviously have no confidence in me if you think I’m just going to run away once I steal your virginity.”

“I’m not a virgin!” I say as I give his chest a light push with my foot. He topples onto his back and Jinx pounces on him, body wiggling uncontrollably as he flops onto him.

“I promise you that I’m not doing it because I feel bad that I shot you. I’m not doing it because of any of that. I’m doing it because I realized how stupid I was after you were hurt. I realized that I could lose you and at that moment, I realized that just being friends wasn’t enough.” He begins crawling over to me, which makes Jinx decide to jump on his leg and start humping him.

“Even my neutered dog wants to have sex with you!” I exclaim.

Seneca starts laughing and pushes Jinx off him. “What can I say? I have a way with men.”

Seneca is the complete package. He’s smart, sexy, and confident, much to Chevy’s annoyance. They’ve worked with each other for two years, and even though Chevy might secretly find his partner charming and attractive, playful harassment is all they have.

Chevy was born with a unique gift that allows him to go into the memories of others. As detective, he uses this ability to find peace for victims who have been hurt or attacked. He delves into their memories and can pick out minute details that will help them put the criminal behind bars.

But neither Chevy nor Seneca are prepared when they are asked to go into the mind of a serial killer in hopes of finding survivors. They are even more unprepared for the monsters they find inside the man’s mind. Drawn into a memory where it’s hard to figure out where the truth exists, they realize that there may be more to the serial killer than they originally thought. The dark world draws the two men together in a way they never dreamed.

It will take everything Chevy and Seneca can give to stop the darkness that could consume their minds. As the two are forced to face what is keeping them apart, together they realize that there’s more to the mind and heart than either of them know.

Within the Mind is a 90k word romantic suspense with lots of snark, an ominous gramophone, and finger cuddling, because we all know spooning isn’t as great as it sounds.