Authors: Marguerite Labbe
As he headed up to his office, his cell phone rang, and he smiled when he saw Nick’s name. “What are you doing up at this time?”
“Cursing the lack of coffee and you for sounding so damned awake. What’s your excuse for this god-awful hour?”
“I got here early to check it out and to remove last night’s evidence. We left buttons scattered everywhere.” Galen’s voice echoed as he headed up the stairs in the tower.
“Oops.” Nick didn’t sound at all repentant. “How are you feeling? No more dizziness or fighting off Greek warriors last night?”
“Nope, made it home without a problem.” And crashed hard.
“I got your picture. So last night was a bust, and nothing’s changed.”
“You said it.” Galen stuck the buttons in his desk drawer and tossed his keys on the desk. “I’m not sure what else we can do. I did hear the statue whisper again, asking for help, but there were no new miraculous appearances.”
“That’s odd,” Nick said, his voice thoughtful. “I don’t remember any mention of whispers in my uncle’s journal. I’ll look again. Maybe it didn’t register when I read them.”
“Or maybe he didn’t write it down because he didn’t want his family thinking he’d lost his mind,” Galen said.
“There is that. Look, we need to talk about last night,” Nick replied, and Galen’s heart sank. Nick didn’t say it, he didn’t need to. Galen was pretty sure that what he wanted to talk about had less to do with the statues and more to do with them. “And not at the museum either.”
“How about lunch?” Galen checked his calendar. With Suzane gone and Heather off for the afternoon, he needed to be there most of the day. Maybe Knox would be interested in manning the front for an hour or two if he was free.
“No, I don’t want either of us having to rush off to be someplace else. Are you free tonight?”
Galen held his breath as anticipation grabbed him. This was an opportunity, to get Nick alone without the statues getting in the way of the two of them. “We could have dinner at my place. I’m not a bad cook.” There, it was out. He’d never invited Nick over to his apartment before, even though the other man had hinted about it on more than one occasion. He waited, stomach clenching for Nick’s reply.
“I’d like that,” Nick said in a softer voice. “Does six work for you? Can I bring anything?”
Galen sat back, the knots in his stomach easing. Nick hadn’t dismissed the idea even though they hadn’t had their date yet. If he ran to the market at lunch and stashed the groceries in the fridge here, he would have enough time to get dinner started before Nick arrived. “That works for me, and if you want to, you can grab a bottle of wine. You know what I like.”
The long pause on the other end heightened his nerves, and when Nick spoke again there was a slight strain in his voice. “I know I keep asking this, and this is the last time. Are you sure? I’m not trying to be difficult, but I can’t start something that isn’t going to go anywhere. Not again. I want you to be as honest with me now as you were then.”
The panicked clenching returned tenfold, and Galen shut his eyes, which turned out to be a mistake because the moment he did, he saw the tilting whirl of lights as the car spun out of control again and the flashing strobe of emergency lights cutting through the rain-streaked, spider-webbed glass. This was it; either he drowned or headed toward the shore, time to put the past behind him.
“I promise to be completely honest with you.” Galen hesitated, trying to get his thoughts together. “You make me want to try, and I haven’t wanted to do that with anybody in a long time. I don’t know if I’m going to panic and try to pull away again. I do know that I… I care about you, a lot. And if you’re willing to see where this goes, then I am too.”
“Fair enough. I’ll see you tonight.”
Galen’s heart flipped as Nick hung up on the other end. He wasn’t sure what Nick meant about that; still, the other man hadn’t cancelled their date for the weekend. It wasn’t what Galen had planned for their first date, and maybe Nick wouldn’t call it that even if Galen did. A date. How long had it been since he had a date and not a hookup? He didn’t know, but it felt nice to anticipate this one.
G
ALEN
spread the savory mix of spinach, feta, onion, and dill on top of the layers of phyllo dough and then laid another buttered layer of dough over the small casserole dish. Spanakopita was one of his favorite meals, and the recipe had been handed down for generations in his family. He liked it because it had much less dough than in other versions he’d ordered in some of the local restaurants. In his opinion the filling was the best part.
He slid it in the oven and turned to clean up before Nick arrived. If he didn’t keep busy, nerves would take over. He’d never invited another man to his apartment, the place he’d shared with Bryan. In the last two years, it had ceased to be a home and merely became the place where he slept and ate when he could be pulled away from the museum. Starting renovations hadn’t helped make the apartment feel like he was embarking on a new beginning. Maybe inviting people here would.
Galen loaded the dishes in the sink and wiped down the cool slate counter. Out of all the rooms, the kitchen was his favorite, with its muted red walls and pale honey cabinets. This was the first room he’d made his own, and it was the room he spent the most time in when he bothered to come back at a decent hour.
He started in on the dishes and was almost done when the doorbell rang. He paused, his stomach jumping as he eyed the clock—right on time. Was he ready for this relationship talk? Even if it was a casual relationship for the moment, what if Nick decided he couldn’t risk it?
The doorbell rang again, and Galen took a deep breath. If Nick was willing to swan dive into another try, considering he’d been the one to be hurt last time, the only thing Galen could do was give it a go as well. If he lived in fear of falling in love and losing that person again, he would never move beyond this little, lonely box he’d put himself in. And if Nick decided to run, Galen wasn’t above pursuing him.
Nick’s eyes lit up as Galen opened the door. And the smile that crossed his face made Galen question all his worries over what Nick wanted to talk about. Because if he was nervous, it didn’t show. Nick had taken the time to change out of his suit into jeans and what looked like a brand new polo shirt. “I was beginning to think you’d gotten trapped in your exhibit room and I’d have to go rescue you.”
“Nope, you caught me with my hands in the sink and soap suds up to my elbows.” Galen stepped back to let Nick in and gestured toward the kitchen. “I wanted to get dinner in the oven before you got here.” That was a bad idea, since working on dinner during their conversation would’ve given him something to concentrate on. Thinking about it made his tongue clumsy and his stomach knotted.
Nick held up two brown bags, the neck of a wine bottle sticking up from each. Another bag hung from his wrist. “I wasn’t sure what we were having, so I bought a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir.”
“Good choices.” Galen took the bags and waved his hand toward the couch. “Take a seat and let me put these away.”
“I have a hard time picturing you being domestic,” Nick said in a teasing voice from the living room. “I keep remembering you flirting at the clubs and bars, or smooth and sexy in your suits at the museum, not running around your apartment in bare feet.”
Galen’s heart sank to his stomach, and doubt crept in. Nick didn’t know him at all. He knew the façade that Galen had put up after Bryan died. He’d never seen him in a worn T-shirt in the workshop with the kids, trying to help them pull a project together, or his wild excitement whenever he discovered a new artist or found a new piece for the museum. Suzane and Heather saw that, Knox and Ella, and a few of the other kids who’d managed to get close before Galen could shut them out. All Nick knew of him was some sex-crazed, barhopping, empty man.
Galen set the bottles down on the counter and pulled out two wide-mouthed wine glasses. When he entered the living room with the wine, Nick was standing by the fireplace, looking over the array of photographs that marched along the mantel. Most were of his family, a couple of Galen and Bryan. He didn’t think it was right to bury them in a drawer and hide them away, but now he wondered if he should have.
“I don’t usually wear suits at work. Not unless I’m meeting somebody important.” Or trying to impress an ex-lover with something he wasn’t. Idiot move there.
Nick turned around and must’ve seen the unease on Galen’s face because he came closer and took a wine glass with a reassuring smile. “Hey, I like this side of you, it’s much more approachable.”
“You don’t know me.” Galen sat down on the couch and set his wine on the glass-topped table. “That guy you had feelings for? That wasn’t really me. I hope you’re not disappointed in the real version ’cause I’m done with the way I was before.”
“The guy I knew then was maddening and frustrating because I knew there was a lot more to him. I could see glimpses of the real him, and that’s the part I wanted to see more of.” Nick sat down next to him, his expression serious. “And I’ve gotten to know him more these last couple of days.”
“I think you’re certifiable for risking getting hurt again,” Galen said under his breath and Nick must’ve heard him because he laughed. “But I’m glad you are.”
“I play it safe more times than I care to think about. I hope it’s worth it. We’ll see.” He looked away, his expression thoughtful, and took a sip of his wine before he met Galen’s gaze again. “Promise me one thing tonight?”
“What is it you want?”
“Tonight should be about us, trying to figure out where we’re going from here and enjoying each other’s company. I don’t want to talk about the statues or the curse. I don’t want those distractions. I just want to relax with you. Though, for the record, it doesn’t count as the first date. I want to see what you’ve got planned for Saturday because the gleam in your eye when you mentioned it has got my curiosity up. Is that okay?”
“You must have read my mind.” Whatever Nick wanted to discuss, it wasn’t to suggest leaving this as a business relationship. Galen bit his lip. “Can I ask one thing first, and then we won’t mention Dexios or Lykon again tonight? I swear.”
“Shoot.”
“Last night, when Lykon took control and Dexios kissed him, you interrupted.” A shuttered expression dropped over Nick’s eyes, and Galen just knew he had been right to be worried. Nick had been jealous. Not that he didn’t have cause, but their past was one thing, and Galen didn’t want it clouding their entire future. “Why? ’Cause I’m telling you, it wasn’t me kissing him. I had no control.”
“I wasn’t jealous, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Nick shook his head, and the closed-off expression disappeared. “Hard to believe, I know, but you’re right, it wasn’t you. Lykon looks different; hell, he smells different. I jumped in because I was afraid Lykon would take you over completely in order to be with Dexios any way he could. I was afraid you’d be lost and trapped. It was pure instinct that had me reacting the way I did.”
A slow smile spread across Galen’s face as relief poured through him, drowning all those stupid little anxieties he’d let plague him all day. “Good to know. You can bite my neck any damn time you think you need to. Let me tell you, it worked better than an electric shock.” He reached for his glass and took a sip of wine. “Want to help me make the salad for dinner?”
“Not yet.” Nick set his glass aside and reached for him. “I’ve been thinking about this most of the day.”
Anticipation leapt up as Nick leaned in and kissed him. Galen’s lips parted under the warm assault, and his heart quickened. He hadn’t let himself think past the lust that he’d always had for Nick to the emotions underneath. Now he didn’t try to hold them back. Warmth and tenderness mixed with his desire in a heady rush of pleasure that beat all the hot, quick, backroom encounters between them before.
Galen pulled Nick closer still, sinking into his arms, savoring the slow thrust of Nick’s tongue. He tasted like the wine he’d been drinking… and Nick. Galen had missed the taste of him. The kiss broke with one last little nibble on Galen’s lower lip that sent a ripple down his spine and a fantasy of laying Nick naked on his bed to explore his body with similar nips and tastes.
“Feel free to accost me with your lips anytime the urge hits you.” Galen stole another quick kiss and pulled back with a smile.
N
ICK
loved the warm, open expression in Galen’s eyes. It revitalized his entire face. He didn’t know how he’d missed it before. He’d mistaken Galen’s reserve and sensual escapades as someone who had no need for anybody else and who lived for the pleasure of the moment. Maybe at the time Nick had been right about the second part; now he was beginning to think he’d been dead wrong about the first. He hoped so.
“Come on, let’s get the salad together,” Nick said, and Galen rose, holding out his hand to help Nick up. “What’s for dinner? It smells amazing.”
“Spanakopita. With a name like Charisteas you’d better like cooking from the old country.” Galen peeked into the oven and steam came out redolent with the scent of spinach and cheese. “My mom wasn’t too happy at first when I told her I was gay. Since then she’s come to terms with it, and she got along with the boyfriends I brought home. I don’t know if she’d be happier to hear that I’m dating again or that you come from a family with Greek roots too.”
Nick winced. Galen’s words brought back very uncomfortable memories of when he’d come out to his dad and brothers. He probably should’ve tackled his family members one by one instead of trying to get it over with all at once. Then again, he knew he couldn’t have handled rejection after rejection. Whatever had happened between Galen and his mom then didn’t seem to be weighing on Galen’s mind now. And it wasn’t a topic Nick was eager to explore tonight.
“I happen to love spanakopita.”
Nick glanced around the kitchen as Galen shut the oven door and adjusted the temperature. This room seemed much homier than the cream, glass, and austere metal of the living room. He preferred the kitchen.