“Okay,” Galen murmured. He took in a deep breath, and the tension uncoiled from his body. He reached out and took Nick’s hand. “I think that’s a good start. I’m not saying I’ll never consider marriage, but if I do, I need it to be for the right reasons.”
“Then I’ll shelve that question for another day.” Nick drew Galen closer, touched his forehead to Galen’s. “I’m sorry about grilling you over what you were doing today and worrying over why you didn’t call. I need to trust you, trust in us. That’s my own problem, not yours.”
“Let’s go to my place. We can talk there.”
A CONSEQUENCE REALIZED
LYKON studied the swirling dark clouds over his head with a wary eye as the wind picked up again. The boat shuddered, rocking in the rough sea, spray lashing over the side. The cold water smacked him hard, forcing the breath from his lungs as he held onto the wooden rail. He barely noticed the splinters driving into his palms and fingers as he searched for the shore with increasing desperation.
He’d been trying to find Dexios for months without any sign to give him hope. Too much time had passed with no word from him despite Lykon’s messages to his home village, more than enough time for regret to sink in past his fears. He’d started to miss Dexios before the dust had settled on the road from his passing. As the time stretched longer, Lykon had gone from being hurt to being angry before his anger faded to sorrow. He’d injured Dexios far more than he’d let himself acknowledge, and the last expression in his lover’s eyes haunted him still.
The waves rose higher, so the little boat seemed to be climbing each crest before plunging down the other side again. The fishermen screamed orders at each other over the wind, and Lykon tried to help, doing whatever task they demanded of him. He and Dexios had dreamed of owning such a boat and plying the waters around the island they were headed to. It was far away from either of their villages and the last place that Lykon could think of to search.
He’d find Dexios and figure out a way to close this rift that he’d caused. They’d build a home by the sea. Dexios loved to watch the play of water on the shore. Lykon would spend the rest of his life proving to Dexios that he wouldn’t be ruled by his fears anymore. He only had to find his elusive lover first.
Lykon searched the horizon again, straining to see any sign of the rocky shoreline that Dexios had often described to him as they lay together at night, wrapped up in each other’s arms. He had to be there. Lykon could sense the place calling to him, a whisper on the wind, a murmur in Dexios’s voice.
A terrified scream jerked his attention away from his thoughts, and Lykon twisted around to see a huge wave bearing down on the boat. He stood frozen, Dexios’s name roaring in his mind, as he faced an enemy he could not fight. The boat lurched, timbers cracked, and Lykon shouted as they tumbled down toward the dark, seething waters. There seemed to be a face on the waves, angry and vengeful, its maw opening to swallow him whole.
Dexios. I am sorry. I tried to make it right.
As the waters sank over his head, Lykon felt a hand grab his hair before he blacked out.
LYKON awoke to the sound of Dexios calling his name. For a moment, he thought he sensed his lover’s strong arms about him, and he smiled, turning to reach for him, only to have his arms find nothing but air. He opened his eyes and found himself lying on a stretch of lonely coast. Sand clung to his wet, shivering body, and the remains of his garments clung to him in tatters.
“Lykon.”
He lurched to his feet as he heard his name again. “Dexios! Dexios, I am here.”
He searched wildly for any sign of his lover and thought he saw a figure in the distance. He stumbled toward it, calling out Dexios’s name with no response. Dread grew in his heart as he drew closer. The figure had Dexios’s stance and breadth of his shoulders, but it was too still.
Lykon sank to his knees, his stomach churning as he gaped at the man. His back was to him as he faced the sea, and the sunlight glinted off his armor, surrounding him in a halo of light. Lykon stared, the light hurting his eyes as he silently willed Dexios to move.
He seemed frozen in midact, as if some Gorgon had gotten a hold of him. “No, no, Dexios.”
“Lykon.”
The whisper of his name had Lykon back on his feet, running toward Dexios. He stumbled to a halt in front of him, his eyes stinging as he stared at the statue of his lover. It was perfect in every detail, the strong line of his jaw, the tender fierceness of his brow, his empty arms circled as if to enfold Lykon in his embrace.
Lykon reached out a hesitant hand and wept as he wrapped his fingers around the cold, hard arm. “What happened?” There had to be some way he could free Dexios from this curse.
“You broke a pledge sworn in my name.”
Lykon closed his eyes at the sound of the woman’s voice behind him. He leaned closer and rested his head against Dexios’s shoulder while the ache inside of him threatened to drown him as the waves had not. “Why punish him, Cythera? The sin was mine. Lay your curse on me instead.”
“You both failed, and therefore you both carry the cost. You are punished as much as he, perhaps more. He merely waits for you with the utter faith that one day he will look upon you again and hold you in his arms. He will be waiting for a long time before you both redeem yourselves. He asked for the time to wait for you, so I granted it, and in return he promised he would be patient. Perhaps he will remember that vow.”
Lykon looked at Dexios’s face, the desire and love captured there as he waited with parted lips to kiss him. At least he was not afraid or in pain. Lykon touched Dexios’s jaw, then turned to face the goddess, sinking to his knees. “Set him free. I beg of you.”
“You have the power within you to set him free yourself.” Hope stole the air from his lungs only to have it dashed away again when Cythera smiled. There was no mercy in her expression. “Though not in this lifetime.”
She waved her hand, and three new objects shimmered on the sand, solidifying into more statues of Dexios. “Lykon, make me whole. Please.” The whisper seemed to come from all of them at once, and Lykon stumbled from one to another, trying to rouse them.
“What must I do?” Lykon knelt beside the final statue, where Dexios lay in repose with such a familiar expression of sleepy, loving contentment that Lykon wanted to weep. Again Dexios’s arms were empty as he held onto air, and the wrongness of it screamed out at him. Lykon should be within that circle. “If you will not free him, let me join him. Let us be statues together. Let them be made whole.”
“One day perhaps. Not today. Dexios will no longer be alone, now that you are here to care for him while he waits.” The goddess touched Dexios’s bronzed hair with a fond look in her eyes. “His love sings. Can you not hear him calling to you? You have broken your vow, and I will not free him so you can hurt him again with your empty promises or to have him give up the fight so easily. You will be reborn, and when you are you will have the chance to free him. Fail and the statues will remain uncompleted in that lifetime, and you will have to wait again. Only when all four stand complete will the curse be lifted. You both must be steadfast. Look to the statues, they will be your omens.”
“You came back.” Dexios’s voice shivered in the air and Lykon wept.
“I was such a fool.” Lykon clung to him, hoping this was just a nightmare and that Dexios’s limbs would unfreeze to take Lykon into his arms again. “Forgive me.”
“There will be challenges of your commitment to each other.”
Lykon’s head jerked up at that silky tone and the threat implicit in it. “Challenges?”
“Of course, one has to betray another to see if the faith will be kept.” A slender hand fisted in his hair, and Lykon’s heart slammed against his ribs as her lips twisted. “Yes, I think you will be the instrument of betrayal.”
“Wait!” Lykon reached out to the goddess as she faded. “Tell me more. What must I do in this lifetime?”
“Care for him, see that he comes to no ha
rm while he waits for you. That is all you can do for Dexios now.”
“Wait! Please wait!” Lykon shouted as the goddess disappeared, but she did not return. Desperate, he looked up and down the beach, searching for another living soul. Storms often lashed this area of the coast. He had to find shelter or make it. He had to keep Dexios safe until he could find a way to make it right.
“Lykon.” The whisper hung in the air.
“I am here.” Lykon kissed the cold brow. “I will not forsake you again. I am here.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
GALEN laid his head against Nick’s chest and listened to the rapid beat of his heart while Galen’s own breathing calmed. They tangled their limbs together, as Nick slid his hand down Galen’s sweaty, slick back. “I have been dying to do that all day,” Nick rumbled.
Galen smiled and turned his head to kiss Nick’s chest. His body had that pleasant ache from the aftermath of intense sex instead of the not-so-pleasant ache of blue balls. “So was I, whenever I was given a moment to think.” And every one of those quiet moments had been filled with Nick: naked Nick, Nick telling him he loved him, the sometimes wary look in his eyes, and the way he would always put on music for Amy and Rory so they could dance. All of those little things had filled up the emptiness inside of Galen.
“So what was it that kept you running around all day?”
Galen was relieved to hear curiosity in Nick’s voice instead of suspicion and jealousy. He couldn’t handle that all the time. Either Nick trusted him or he didn’t, but they wouldn’t get very far without trust.
“The opening gala is in a month. I can’t believe how quickly it’s looming closer. And Suzane’s in a tizzy getting it all together since she missed so much time. Since she’s naturally contrary, she keeps demanding my opinion just so she can argue with it. Today she was hell-bent on finalizing the catering, and she decided we needed a little music, so we had it out over that.”
Nick chuckled and squeezed Galen’s shoulders. “I like her. I’m glad she’s doing better.”
“Me too.” Galen trailed his fingers down Nick’s chest, exploring and thinking of teasing him into a second round. “We had the security lights installed in the exhibit room. That’s when I noticed the second statue. I was getting ready to text you. When I saw Dexios and Lykon together, it startled me so much I dropped the cell and it broke. I think the installation guy thought I’d lost my mind.”
Nick laughed again and captured Galen’s fingers before giving the tips a gentle nip. “I can only imagine the scene you made.”
“I wanted to send you a picture, and I couldn’t ask him to borrow his phone, not when the picture was R-rated. So I waited until Knox got in. You’ve met him, remember? He hangs out at the workshop and helps us around the museum part time. Suzane wants to hire him in a more permanent capacity. Though, I suppose I probably shouldn’t have used his either, not if he’s a potential employee. You’re the HR manager, what do you say?”
“Definitely not, some people would say using an employee’s phone to send R-rated pictures could be considered grounds for harassment.”
“Hmmm, well, I’ll apologize to him tomorrow.” Galen rolled onto his stomach, crossed his arms over Nick’s chest and smiled at him. “There was nothing at all underhanded about me using his phone. It was a freaky turn of events.”
Nick’s expression turned regretful, and he smoothed Galen’s hair back from his forehead. “I’m sorry about that. I was reacting to you suddenly being unavailable and uncommunicative more than anything else. Which goes back to when you left and stupid shit with my family, but it’s not fair to hang it all on you. You get busy at work, so do I. It happens, and I just have to deal with my own issues.”
“It’s different now. It was different from the moment I got up the courage to call you. And now that I know I love you, it’s even more different than before.” Galen kissed Nick and repeated the sentiment. “I’m going to keep saying those words until you believe them. Before, we had sex, and I’d like to think, the start of a friendship. Just because you can’t get a hold of me doesn’t mean I’m going to up and disappear on you.”
“Are you sure you won’t reconsider marrying me? I know it all came out wrong earlier tonight, and maybe I’m rushing us—”
Galen pressed his fingers against Nick’s lips and shook his head. “One thing at a time. You have your hang-ups about the past and so do I. And one of them is being proposed to for all the wrong reasons. It’s a commitment, not a lark, not an excuse to have a hold on somebody or doing it for another person, like Dexios and Lykon. When you can say that you want to marry me because you want a future together, because you can see that future, and it’s not an excuse, then you ask me.”
Nick cocked his head, his gaze becoming curious. “You’ve been proposed to before?”
“Not tonight. I don’t want to talk about past relationships when I’m naked in your bed.” Galen straddled Nick’s body. “The only person I want to think about is you. But I think if things keep going the way they are and you’re not sick to death of me by the time the gala is over, then we can discuss taking things to another level.”
Nick cocked his head, slid his hands up and down Galen’s ribs before his hands settled on Galen’s hips. “Another level? And I’m assuming you’re not talking about eloping, so… maybe moving in?”
Galen leaned over him and gave Nick a small smile. “That’s a possibility. Let’s just take this one day at a time. We both have issues to work through. Okay? And it just so happens that my lease will be up around that time. Why don’t we keep that thought as a possibility?” And if not Nick’s, then Galen knew he needed to get out of the place he’d shared with Bryan anyway. He should’ve done that a year ago.
“I know I rushed things, and I know we’re starting over, not really picking back up from where we left off.” Nick lifted up to press a kiss to Galen’s mouth. “When I see something I want, I go for it, but I should be giving you time. I didn’t give it to you last time. I guess what I’m saying is it’s okay, we can wait until after the gala to talk about it again.”
Galen’s heart started beating faster as Nick’s hands wandered over Galen’s body, and he pressed more of those kisses down from Galen’s lips to his jaw, then his throat. For a moment Galen worried Nick would refuse, that he wouldn’t be ready to take a step back. They had enough pressure on them with the statues and their past heartbreaks. They didn’t need more.
“I have another seven months on my lease.” Nick slid his arms around Galen and turned them both around so Galen was under him. “When that’s up we can find a place together if that’s what we decide.”
Galen warmed inside. Together. He liked the sound of that. And maybe in seven months they’d both be ready to consider making their relationship permanent. He wanted it. He was a little frightened by how much he wanted it. That permanency. But only if Nick truly believed that it could work. Galen wasn’t going to go into it already handicapped. “That sounds like the best thing you’ve said all night.”
“Is that right?” Nick said with a mock growl.
Galen laughed and nodded. “Yep, and I think we should celebrate.”
Nick’s lips wandered down Galen’s jaw to his throat, eliciting a thrilled shiver from him. “And how do you propose we do that?”
Galen slid his leg up along Nick’s and hooked it around his waist as he arched his throat. “Oh, I’m sure I can count on you to be very inventive.”
THE early-morning light filtered through the blinds as Galen lay curled up next to Nick, watching him sleep. This was a simple pleasure he didn’t want to take for granted. If he had a say in it, he would choose to wake up like this every morning for a very long time. Galen kissed Nick’s temple, then rose to shower and make a quick breakfast for both of them.
He could’ve handled their confrontation better last night. He’d been too tired and too excited to notice Nick’s tension. Galen stepped under the hot spray and let it wash over his
face. And admittedly, he’d been hurt to realize that Nick still didn’t trust him. He’d just have to earn it, bit by bit if that’s what it took. It had taken Galen almost two years to get to this place again, where he was willing to risk his heart. He owed Nick the time to heal as well.
It would take a while, especially with the way Galen had reacted when Nick proposed. It had grabbed him right by the gut. Galen leaned his hands against the wall, letting the water relax muscles knotted by memory. Bryan had asked because it was a lark, something fun to do, to add to his bucket list, not because he really wanted to settle down. He’d loved Bryan, and he knew Bryan had loved him in return, but trying to hold onto him was like trying to hold onto running water.
That’s what they had been arguing about right before the accident. Galen shuddered. It was almost enough to make him go to Nick and say yes. They could grab the license and go before the justice of the peace and get married. Nick wasn’t Bryan; he wanted the same stability that Galen craved. They’d find a way to make it work. We love each other, right?
Sometimes love wasn’t enough.
Galen laid his forehead against the tiles with a sigh and shut off the water before it cooled. Nick would want one too, this morning.
No, he couldn’t jump into a marriage for the wrong reasons, no matter how much it stung Nick last night. In the meantime, Galen would keep doing what he was doing, keep being honest with Nick about how he felt. This was going to take work, like any other relationship. Hadn’t that been Dexios’s and Lykon’s problem? They’d been too impatient to work through their troubles?
Galen toweled himself off and smiled as he heard Nick’s light snore when he went back to the bedroom to change for the day. The snoring broke off, followed by a throaty, “Mmm.”
Galen glanced over his shoulder as he pulled on his pants. Nick smiled at him, eyes half-lidded. “Morning, you hungry?”
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