Authors: Marguerite Labbe
Galen had to remind himself that just because Nick saw it and had a dream that mirrored last night’s events didn’t mean he would believe Galen. How could he when Galen, who had lived it, didn’t even believe it himself? He couldn’t even tell Suzane, though he’d tried, because he couldn’t think of how to say it without sounding delusional.
Pacing, he tried to decide if Nick was bluffing about having papers that proved his ownership. His thoughts jumped around as he tried to remember all the legalities of the situation and whether or not he could claim salvage rights. He could give in and tell Nick what he wanted, but he didn’t want the threat of having the statues removed hanging over his head on one of Nick’s whims.
Galen couldn’t say why he was reluctant to share what had happened. It embarrassed him, yes; still, that wasn’t the real reason. It was intensely personal, in a way that Galen couldn’t explain. And if he couldn’t tell Suzane, who had become his friend and whom he trusted and loved, then he couldn’t tell Nick, who threw his weight around with threats and seemed like he harbored his hurt.
He turned back to Dexios and Lykon, and somehow, the statue of them kissing mocked him. What would it be like to be locked in an eternal embrace with someone he loved? It had to be better than this hollow emptiness.
He touched Dexios’s jaw and slid his finger over their joined lips. The metal held a chill that hadn’t been there before and was nothing like the heat of Dexios’s kiss. Last night had awakened feelings he’d buried months ago. He’d almost forgotten how much he loved kissing, loved having strong arms around him and the hot rush of desire they brought, the comfort.
Getting the chance to see Nick again this morning had reminded him of so many other things. When Nick’s color rose and his eyes heated, Galen remembered all the little warning signs. Galen lost count of how many times they’d ended up naked when Nick got his temper going.
He’d missed Nick’s intensity, the way he had of waking him up inside, making him feel more alive than dead, and that scared him too. If he woke up, he’d be vulnerable, and Galen had never wanted to go back to being vulnerable. When they had been together all those months ago, Nick made him realize he missed being held. He missed having someone to turn to in the middle of the night. And the urge to confide in him, to let him come closer, to surrender, had grown stronger with every encounter.
And that made him run. He hadn’t recognized it then, but he did now. He’d run from everything Nick represented. Galen sighed and turned away, trying to think about what he might’ve done last night that had triggered Dexios to emerge and come talk to him. Unless he’d hallucinated the whole encounter.
Galen had been looking at the first statue when Dexios had spoken behind him. No. That wasn’t right. He’d stepped back away from it when he’d been struck with the insane urge to kiss it. Dexios had even commented on it, something about preferring flesh and bone. Who knew how long he’d been watching?
He glanced at the second statue and his cheeks heated even though nobody was around to see him. He checked over his shoulder to be sure. He could experiment and see what would happen if he knelt in front of Dexios, leaned toward the jutting, hard cock. He glanced at the security camera and his flush deepened.
Idiot. Don’t even consider it.
Galen returned to his office and tried to shrug away his embarrassment. Meeting Dexios had to have been a dream somehow shared between Nick and himself. Maybe if he explained that he’d passed out, it would placate Nick enough so he could keep the statues in his museum, though Nick would probably demand to know how Lykon had gotten to be part of the statue, and Galen had no answers for him.
He still couldn’t believe that Nick had dreamed about last night’s encounter. How the hell was it possible? Galen had been spun into a world where normal rules didn’t seem to apply, and it was weirding him out. He would’ve thought it was a trick on Nick’s part, but there had been no way he could have known what had happened between him and Dexios.
Galen leaned back in his chair and stretched out his legs on top of the desk. He knew he had fucked up what rapport they’d once had, but he’d never expected Nick to use such tactics. The little hope he’d harbored, that maybe they could give things another try, had faded. Maybe it was for the best. Galen wasn’t sure if he really wanted to open himself up to another person the way he had with Bryan, even if Nick tempted him. Nick had gotten underneath Galen’s skin and made a home. Seeing him today had reminded him of that fact.
Galen had gone from being in a long-term relationship to being alone, and after a time the loneliness had driven him out to the clubs and bars. Hookups, threesomes, and random encounters had kept him going for a while, until Nick had made him realize how empty and self-destructive they were. And once he’d quit sleeping around, where had that left him? Alone again.
He flipped on the monitor at his desk and accessed the camera in the new exhibit room. The statues hadn’t moved and remained solitary except for the first. He could solve last night’s dilemma by looking at the camera recording, but God help him, he was afraid. He didn’t know what he would see. He didn’t even know what he wanted to see.
The same argument played over and over in his mind. If he had imagined it, how had Lykon appeared? And how come only he and Nick noticed the changes?
Galen stared at the statues until his temples began to ache, and he still didn’t have any answers. Maybe he could seduce Nick into letting him keep them. His conscience flinched at the thought. No, he couldn’t toy with Nick’s emotions again. It wasn’t fair.
Enough. He had to look at the recording and then decide what to do. Galen accessed yesterday’s footage, and his pulse leapt as he hit play. The image flicked on, bright from the morning sun that streamed through the windows. Ella stood back, studied the mural, and as the camera panned the room Galen leaned in to hit Fast-Forward.
The sun glinted off the statues, including the first one of Dexios and Lykon. Galen froze, and his head spun as he tried to process it. What the fuck. He checked the time and date stamp then stared in disbelief at the whole statue. The sour taste of disappointment filled his mouth. He was crazy; there was no other way to put it. Delusional. Hallucinating.
He clicked on another file from a few days before with the same results. All the way back to the first day when Knox carted the statues in, and sure enough, it depicted the two men bound in an embrace. Somehow when the change had occurred, it had rippled back in time. Not only had it affected the memories of the people around them, it had also affected the cameras and who knew what else.
Galen sat back and drummed his fingers on his desk. There had to be a rational explanation for everything, from the statues’ strange arrival to the change last night. He’d been too besotted and excited over the exhibit to question it then, and now all of Suzane’s questions haunted him. And Nick was involved. Seriously, what were the chances that the guy he’d been obsessing over owned the Collection?
He switched back to yesterday’s footage and fast-forwarded it until he saw himself enter the room. At least if he made a fool of himself, nobody else had to see. Galen leaned forward to study the black-and-white image as he watched himself walk toward the Collection. He stared at the statue until his eyes burned and didn’t notice anything change, even when he got to the part where he’d been tempted to kiss it.
A flicker onscreen stopped him, and he held his breath as his image whirled around to confront someone. He needed sound. Why hadn’t he invested in sound?
The man came further into the room, and Galen’s heart quickened. Dexios. He wasn’t insane. It wasn’t a dream. Oh damn, Nick had to see this. Somehow, between the two of them, they’d figure out what happened. Maybe this would be enough for Nick, and he’d let the museum keep the statues.
Maybe this would be enough for the two of them to start over. He wanted to stay mad over Nick’s ultimatums, but he always had a hard time doing that once the heat of the moment was gone. Now that he had calmed down too, he could see where Nick was coming from. He had no reason to want to work with Galen, and the Collection seemed important to him. They’d just have to find a way to work it out as adults.
Galen flicked off the program and saved the file to a hard drive. He headed out to the bus stop and tried to call Nick, but the call went to his voice mail. He hoped it didn’t mean that Nick was out and unavailable. If they were going to work together for a while, Galen wanted to find some way to heal this breach between them.
“Nick, in case you decide to listen to your messages, I’m on my way over. I have something you’ll want to see.”
N
ICK
stared at the journal in his hands without seeing it as he weighed the pros and cons of calling his dad. Most likely he’d want to call a family meeting. Nick couldn’t find a museum for the Dexios Collection without telling them, and they could help. And if Galen tried to wrest the statues from him, he knew without a doubt they’d band together to stop him.
He’d convinced himself that finding the Collection would solve all his problems. Now he felt like he’d been tied to a snowball that dangled on the edge of a steep incline. There would be no controlling it once it went over. His feelings for Galen and his family only added to the mix. Ever since Nick had left San Francisco, he’d talked to his father and brothers on rare occasions. When he had, the conversations were strained and awkward. He’d much rather have a tooth extracted without painkillers than go through another silent meal with any of them.
As always, thoughts of his dad and brothers made him want to squirm inside. They had reached out to him a few times, making a token effort at reconciliation. The knock on Nick’s door jerked him out of his reverie, and he set aside the journal.
“Maybe whoever it is will go away,” he said to Rory, who bobbed his head and chirped at the sound of Nick’s voice.
He could sidestep the whole problem of his family for a short while if he figured out a way to work with Galen and keep the Collection with him. Nick had to admit that he’d acted like a heavy-handed jackass earlier. Yes, Galen was hiding something that had to do with the statues changing, but maybe it was something that couldn’t be explained easily.
The knock came again, more forceful this time, and Nick rose with a sigh. It was almost nine o’clock, and he wasn’t in the mood to be sociable, so whoever was at the door had better have a good reason to be there. The surly greeting died on his lips when he opened the door and saw Galen on his doorstep with entreaty in his eyes. His heart jumped. He’d waited a long time to see his expression so open, without that cool reserve, and knowing it irked him even more.
It didn’t help that Galen still wore the suit from this morning. Earlier Nick had been able to resist thoughts of stripping Galen of his vest and shirt just to see if his chest was as smooth as before, his nipples still as sensitive. Here at his apartment was a whole different tale. Galen hadn’t even come through the doorway, and already Nick was consumed by thoughts of him, compounded by very erotic memories.
“What do you want? I’m not looking for another fight tonight.”
Galen winced and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m not here to argue with you.” He held up a flash drive. “You want to know what happened last night? Here it is.”
Nick could only stare. Out of all the scenarios he’d imagined, Galen backing down wasn’t one of them. “What’s on the flash drive?”
“Last night’s security tape from the exhibit room. I watched the first part to make sure I didn’t imagine it all, but I haven’t seen the whole thing.” Galen seemed to steel himself and met Nick’s gaze square on. “I’m sorry for my knee-jerk reaction earlier. You were right. The statues are yours, so I need to be more open with you about what’s going on with them.”
Well, dammit, he really hadn’t expected that at all. Nick glanced at the flash drive, then met Galen’s eyes. “I’m sorry too. I came in there ready to fight, and I didn’t give you a chance. I shouldn’t have given you ultimatums.”
Nick held out his hand, and Galen gave him the flash drive. “I’ll take a look at it and give you a call in the morning.”
“Wait.” Galen stuck his foot in the door before Nick could shut it on him. “Come on, let me watch it with you. It’s only video, there’s no sound. I can tell you what was said, and we can figure out where to go from there. I have questions, and I’m sure you will too. It’ll go faster if we look at it together.”
Nick studied Galen, at war with himself. The last time he’d let Galen into his apartment, it had gotten ugly. And they were already on edge with each other. To have Galen so close would bring all those temptations right back to the surface again. He’d like to believe that he was over Galen, but his reactions proved otherwise.
He couldn’t deny that Galen was right, though. He’d have questions, and he’d want answers. Curiosity outweighed his misgivings. “Fine, come in.” He opened the door and stepped back. “What made you change your mind? Is it just because of the statues?”
Galen shook his head. “I’ll admit I hate the idea of losing them, though that isn’t why. The reason I didn’t say anything earlier was because I didn’t think you’d believe me about what happened. I didn’t believe it myself. It’s insane. But somehow you’re involved too, and I need to talk to somebody who sees the things I’m seeing. And I’m really hoping you can help me make sense of it.”
Nick took a closer look at him. Galen had changed since he last saw him. He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but the infuriating wall he always kept up seemed to be gone tonight. The tightness had disappeared from around his mouth, the unhappiness he tried to hide in his eyes. Before there had been an air of desperation about him, as if he’d been running from something or trying to fill a hole. Nick could never figure out which. Even that had faded.
Maybe they had… no, better to squash that line of thought before it started.
“I have to agree with you on one thing. I think you’re the only person I know who might give credence to the family legend.” Nick gave him a small smile. And that alone was worth the ache of being in close proximity with Galen and not being allowed to touch. It didn’t stop Nick’s fingers from itching to do so. Would he find other changes if he kissed Galen?