Make Me Whole

by Marguerite Labbe

  “I did with some friends, but I cancelled to go out with you instead.” They got into the end of the line, standing next to a family of four dressed up like the Avengers. A grin broke out over Nick’s face. “Now this has to be the most kick-ass first date I’ve had in a long time.”

  Pleased with himself, Galen took a sip of his coffee. “I’m glad you decided to cancel, though I have to admit, given your love of cons, I’m surprised you did.”

  Nick gave him an odd look, then tangled their fingers together long enough to give a quick squeeze. “I guess I wanted to see what you had in store for me more than I wanted to go to the convention.”

  Warmth spread through Galen’s chest, and satisfaction filled him. It had been a gamble, and it wasn’t what he would’ve normally chosen for a first date, but he’d made the right choice. Now he just had to convince Nick that he’d also made the right decision in giving him a second chance.

  NICK had promised himself he wasn’t going to fall for Galen. Not again. He’d bide his time and enjoy himself until Galen flitted off somewhere else. Now look at him. All those damned emotions were waking up inside of him again, urgent and aching, and he wanted to scramble back and call the whole thing off.

  He couldn’t think of any other guy he’d dated in the past who’d be willing to spend an entire day at a convention, not even the ones who’d had their own latent geek tendencies, like Galen. It was probably a good sign he’d been dating the wrong men.

  He set down the painted Harley Quinn glass and glanced over at Galen, who was taking more photographs. He’d been stopping everybody who had a cool costume and getting them to pose. It seemed like he was having fun too. Nick had worried for the first hour or so until he realized that Galen’s enthusiasm wasn’t going to wane.

  Galen was the perfect guy, and that’s where the trap lay. It was too late to backtrack and call it off. It was like coming to the realization that he was screwed halfway up the long first climb of a rollercoaster. He couldn’t demand to get off when he was already strapped in and on his way.

  Nick turned toward the vintage toys all still packed away in their pristine original boxes. He’d never had the patience to put them away and not play with them. He didn’t know how people had that kind of fortitude and foresight. The minute he got them, they were out of the box. Right now his old Millennium Falcon was stored away under his bed at his dad’s house.

  A wave of longing hit him. There were times when he wanted to wind back the clock and do things in a different way. An arm slipped around his shoulders and squeezed. “Hey, what’cha thinking?” Galen asked, leaning his head toward Nick’s. “Must be serious.”

  “Nothing much.” Nick set the toy down. “About my dad and all the junk I still have at his house. It must make him nuts to have it around.”

  “Yeah, my mom is forever calling me about getting the last of my stuff out of the garage.” Galen’s arm fell from his shoulder, and Nick found himself missing the casual touch. He had never considered himself much of a touchy-feely kind of guy, and he’d forgotten how much Galen was forever touching, a hand to the cheek, a quick hug, a clasp of fingers. He even found himself doing the same. “Sometimes I think it’s laziness on my part, other times I think I don’t want to cut that last tie to home. It’s ludicrous, it’s not like she’s going anywhere….” Galen trailed off, then gestured with his hand. “Oooh, will you look at that? Scarves, just like the ones on your T-shirt.”

  Nick stared after Galen as he crossed over to another vendor on the other side of the aisle. His dad had never complained once about Nick’s remaining belongings, and it made him wonder if Galen’s second theory was more insightful than he thought. Life used to be uncomplicated when he was a kid, and now it was one big snarl of conflicting, confusing threads.

  Galen wrapped a slim, black scarf around his throat, tossed one end over his shoulder, and turned toward Nick. “What do you think?”

  Nick chuckled and shook his head. “Very dashing. I don’t know how you manage to pull it off. I’d look ridiculous.”

  “It’s a skill.” Galen reached into his back pocket for his wallet, and Nick shook his head as he went over to him.

  “Let me.” Galen had been spoiling him rotten all day; the heavy bag stuffed with comics that Nick carried was a testament to that. All in all, Galen seemed to be enjoying taking in the sights and sounds more than showing any interest in serious collecting himself. And Galen looked pretty sexy with that scarf.

  “Thanks.” Galen dropped a light kiss to Nick’s lips that brought a longing for emotional intimacy that Nick had missed before. It was there, just waiting to be grabbed this time, and it was terrifying.

  They soon reached the end of the show floor, and Galen dug out the map of the convention. “Where to next? We have about an hour before the panel you wanted to see starts.”

  Nick contemplated heading over to the Artist Alley to get some of the comic books signed, but the thought of a few moments of quiet time with Galen and the chance to sit changed his mind. “Let’s see if the line’s already formed for the panel or if we can grab seats early.”

  “Good plan.”

  Galen caught his hand as they snaked their way through the crowd, and a flush of warmth went through him. Galen was going to make him crazy. He made it easy to forget the past and contemplate a future. After a few moments, Nick pulled his hand back and shifted his bags to both hands.

  Nick had been a complete idiot and taken a look through the rest of those journals despite Dexios’s warning. Story after story had been the same: betrayals, heartbreak; the only things that had been different were the details. There had to be a way to make the statues whole, fulfill all the conditions of the curse, and keep his heart intact at the same time. He was not going to end up like his uncle or all the other men in his family before him. They’d allowed themselves to be completely taken in, to fall hard. If he kept his feelings out of this, then they could all come out winners.

  Maybe he should tell Galen the whole story about the statues. He cast Galen a sideways glance and decided against it. No, it would complicate the situation and quite probably make Galen bolt early. He couldn’t let that happen until the Dexios Collection was completed.

  He knew far too well that it was easier said than done. He couldn’t make someone stay who was hell-bent on leaving. His mother had taught him that lesson. He’d begged while she’d packed. He’d cried as she walked out the door. He’d believed every word of her promises when she’d come back, even though his brothers had been more pragmatic. No matter what he’d done, he hadn’t been good enough, and she’d left again.

  “Why do you look so sad and angry?” Galen asked as they reached the line. There were a few people ahead of them, so they would manage to get good seats up front. “You not having fun anymore?”

  Nick squashed down the old anger and resentment and forced a smile. “Sorry, I am, really. Hell, I should be asking you that question. Are you enjoying yourself?”

  “To be honest, I thought today would just be okay other than being with you. I was looking forward more to your reaction than to the con itself.” Galen looked around at the crowded convention hall, and he gave Nick a grin. “But it’s a lot more fun than I expected.”

  “It takes a certain open mindset.” Nick leaned against the wall and set his bags on the floor. He felt Galen’s eyes on him, and it jumbled him up inside even more. He liked this new side to Galen, yet it unnerved him at the same time. Galen’s self-preoccupation in the months before had allowed Nick to mask some of his own emotions. He didn’t think he’d be able to get away with that much now. Galen was more perceptive than Nick had given him credit for.

  “So what’s bothering you?” Galen asked in a low voice, and when Nick glanced at him he couldn’t miss the concern in his expression.

  “I have a lot on my mind. Family stuff.”

  Galen grimaced in sympathy. “That can be the worst. I kinda wish my mom would worry about all of us a little less.
She checks in on us often.”

  Nick turned to face him as he remembered something Galen had said before. “So your mom was upset when you told her you were gay, huh? How long did it take her to come around?”

  “She was mostly just disappointed. She’d always dreamed of seeing me, my brother, and sister married off, with lots of grandkids for her to take care of. It took her a couple of months, though she tried not to let me see it because she didn’t want me to think she was rejecting me. She came to see that I can still give her all that one day, just differently.” Galen worried his lower lip, his gaze thoughtful. “When we finally talked about it, really talked about it, she let it go.”

  “What about your dad?” Nick had never heard Galen mention him, not even once, now that he thought about it.

  Galen shrugged and stuck his hand in his pocket. “He died when I was real little. I barely remember him. I’d like to think he’d be okay with it.” He turned his head and gave Nick a nudge. “How about you?”

  It was on the tip of Nick’s tongue to give his usual spiel about his dad and brothers, and then he hesitated. “To be honest, sometimes I wonder if I gave them a chance. Other times I’m pretty sure I made the right decision to move out of state after I told them.”

  “Sometimes distance brings perspective,” Galen said in a low voice as other people joined them in the line.

  “And sometimes it’s just running. I’m not sure which side I fall on,” Nick admitted, and it was more than he’d ever allowed himself to give. He was a little surprised at himself, but Galen could be so easy to talk to.

  “Maybe it’s both.”

  Galen had a point. It didn’t have to be either, and he didn’t really want to think about it anymore. This was his first real date with Galen, and he’d been brooding silently through too much of it. There had to be some kind of dire punishment for going to the Emerald City Comicon and letting his fears screw with him.

  Nick took Galen’s hand and thrust his chin out toward a man dressed as Khal Drogo. “Do you think I could pull that look off at a con?”

  Galen shook his head. “You’ve got the body, but you’re too light. He’s dark and menacing.”

  “I can be menacing,” Nick said in mock outrage and scowled at Galen who seemed not at all intimidated.

  “When you show me menacing I’ll say okay, until then I suggest Legolas.”

  “You have a thing for elves?”

  The corner of Galen’s mouth lifted, and there was a look of mischief in his gaze. “I have a thing for you.”

  The last six months may have been hell on Nick, but he couldn’t get over the changes they had brought about. Just with that look he fell a little harder, and no warnings in any journal seemed to make any difference. “You’re dangerous.”

  Galen burst out laughing, and Nick found himself laughing with him. “You’ve named me evil and dangerous in one day. Maybe I should be the one dressing up as the barbarian warrior.”

  The image of Galen dressed like that, with his chest bare, rose in Nick’s mind, and he sucked in a breath. “I could see that. However, he’s not evil, and you just proved you are.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “WHEN Order 66 came through, I quit my job and opened a comic book store in—”

  “Stop it.” Nick gasped, laughing so hard that his stomach ached and he had to stop to clutch the railing outside of his building. He didn’t know how Galen was able to recreate some of the more colorful personalities they’d met that day with such devastating accuracy. “Not the guy who swore he was a modern-day Jedi.”

  Galen turned oh-so-innocent eyes on him, an image that shattered with his sudden grin. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I don’t know how that dealer said it with such a straight face.”

  Nick shook his head and dug out his keys as they climbed the steps to his apartment. “I don’t know how you can repeat it with a straight face.”

  Galen slipped his arms around him as Nick stopped in front of the door to unlock it. “I like hearing you laugh,” he said in a husky voice. “And seeing you smile like this.”

  Nick’s fingers suddenly trembled, and he fumbled at the lock before he managed to get the key in.

  “I had a good time today.” Nick’s feet were sore; he was tired from the endless walking and noise since they’d stayed from opening to close. Over the course of the day he’d somehow managed to forget all of his worries and fears. They were back now, hovering in the back of his mind, and he knew they wouldn’t be enough to keep him from inviting Galen in. He just hoped he wouldn’t regret it in the morning.

  “I’m glad.” Galen pressed a kiss behind his ear, and it made Nick a little light-headed. The tiredness vanished underneath his craving to get Galen naked in his bed.

  Nick turned around to face him. “Do you want to come in for a bit?”

  Galen searched his face, as if sensing the meaning behind his words, and then he gave Nick a smile of regret. “I would love to, but I won’t. Not on our first date.”

  Equal parts disappointment and relief swept through him. “Well, I guess we’re going to have to have a second date.”

  Galen laughed and slipped his arms around Nick again, pressing him back against the door. “We do, and a third, and a fourth.” He tilted his head up as Nick closed the space between them and kissed him. Desire overrode common sense at the feel of Galen’s body up against his and the eager way he kissed Nick back. He didn’t think it would take much to get Galen to yield and change his mind. And he couldn’t help wondering if Galen would stick to his new principles.

  Nick groped for the doorknob behind him and stumbled back into the apartment, pulling Galen with him. He kicked the door shut, dropped his bags on the floor, and kissed Galen again. Hands slid under the back of his T-shirt, cool from the night air against his overheated skin. Nick twined his hands around the ends of Galen’s new scarf and imagined it wrapped around Galen’s wrists and tied to the headboard. He wanted to push his boundaries, taste Galen’s surrender. He groaned and heard Galen’s breath catch in response as he pushed him back against the door.

  This time Galen was the one trapped, and Nick tasted his eagerness in the play of his tongue and the way he gripped him, his body taut with hot energy. Nick pressed his thigh between Galen’s legs and felt the hard length of his cock through his jeans. Nick’s heart raced as he slid his hands down to grip Galen’s ass and pull him closer. Galen rubbed himself against Nick’s thigh with a throaty groan, and his breath escaped with a little sigh of loss as the kiss broke.

  “One more,” Galen murmured and lifted his head to kiss Nick again.

  Nick leaned back out of reach and pinned Galen’s wrists to the door. Galen’s eyes widened, and a tremble rippled through his body. Nick’s heart pounded harder. They’d flirted with these games before, though they’d always pulled back. Nick hadn’t dared to press, and Galen hadn’t invited more. He seemed to be inviting it tonight with the sudden suppleness of his body and the unmistakable throb of his dick.

  Galen wet his lips, his eyes hazy with need. “Please. One more kiss.”

  Nick’s cock ached, and that simple little “please” was enough to make him breathless. He kept Galen’s hands pinned as he leaned closer, staring right into his eyes until their lips were so close he could feel Galen’s breath against them. He’d expected Galen to pull back, not beg for more, and he didn’t know whether to feel triumphant or disappointed over how easy it was to seduce him.

  He brushed his lips over Galen’s, felt him press closer, and then Nick shifted and sought the warm curve of Galen’s neck instead. Another harder shiver went through Galen as he turned his head to give Nick better access. “That’s wrong, going right for my weakness.”

  Nick grinned against his throat, lips nibbling, tongue tracing the rapid beat of Galen’s pulse. He let his mouth wander until he found the right spot, and Galen squirmed against him. “Don’t,” he said with a strangled whimper even as he arched his neck a little more and pressed
closer, as though he couldn’t make up his mind to struggle or stay put. “Please, dammit, you tease.”

  Nick chuckled and nipped him below his ear, then again at the sweet spot where his neck curved to meet his shoulder. Galen melted against him with a wanton sound caught in his throat. “Oh yeah, right there.”

  “Are you sure you won’t stay?” Nick asked and circled the spot with his tongue before moving back up toward his nape. “I haven’t even gotten started teasing you.”

  Galen jerked his hands free and fisted them in Nick’s hair. He tugged him down and kissed him hard on the lips. “God, you make me crazy, you bastard.”

  “It’s entirely mutual.” Nobody could make him feel as reckless and out of control as Galen did.

  Galen kissed him again and let go of him with a shake of his head. “I can’t, Nick. I’m not giving you any more reason to doubt me.”

  Nick stepped back, stunned by Galen’s insight. Was he that transparent? As much as he wanted Galen, he needed to know that Galen really planned to stick around this time. It seemed that no matter what Galen did, he managed to get Nick all muddled up inside. He took a deep breath, willing his libido to calm down. He was going to need a cold shower; at least he wouldn’t be the only one. “Okay, then.”

  Galen caught his hand and kissed his knuckles. “Another time.”

  “I’ll hold you to that.” Nick touched the curve of Galen’s jaw and smiled at him. “I get to pick where we go on our second date.”

  “It’s a deal. Make it soon.”

  Nick leaned his forehead against the door after Galen left. Right now his heart was grateful for Galen’s refusal, but his cock was pissed off. Galen seemed sincere. But past experience and the depth of his want to trust made him wary. He wanted to believe that Galen would be different from his mom and the rest of his family. He wanted to believe that this situation wouldn’t play out in the same way that every other Dexios and Lykon reincarnation seemed to have ended.