“Waking up to see you bent over has me thinking of many wants, and food isn’t one of them,” Nick said in a teasing voice. “You sure have my complete attention. I’m not even remotely interested in going back to sleep.”
Galen shrugged into a shirt and leaned down to drop a quick kiss on Nick’s lips. “I left some hot water for you. I’ll go make us food.”
“I’d rather shower with you.” Nick caught Galen before he could straighten and kissed him again.
“Tomorrow,” Galen promised. “It’ll give us something to look forward to.”
“Tease,” Nick grumbled as Galen moved back, but there was a smile in his eyes. “This is the second time you’re going to send me off to work with blue balls.”
“Ha, yesterday was your fault. I was fully prepared to finish what I started,” Galen called back as he moved toward the living room. From under the draped cage he heard a twitter of greeting, and he made a detour to pull the cover off the cage. Amy cocked her head, fixed one eye on him, and let out a burst of sound.
“Good morning to you too.” Galen said, opening the blinds. The twittering and cheeps followed him into the kitchen where he pulled out the ingredients for an omelet.
Breakfast was ready and being slid onto plates when Nick appeared, wearing a pair of sweats and a Chewbacca T-shirt. It made Galen’s lips twitch. Nick would do just about anything to hold off putting on a suit for another five minutes. It was the last thing he put on in the morning and the first thing he took off at night.
“I’m probably going to be working late tonight,” Galen said as he brought the plates to the table. “Until the gala is over, I’m afraid I’ll be spending more and more time there.”
Nick frowned and poured himself a cup of coffee. “I could help you out some if you want.”
“Thank you. The more hands, the faster it’ll go,” Galen said as he buttered his toast. “I used to spend every waking moment there. It worried Suzane a bit; now I look forward to getting off at a reasonable hour.”
“Do you want to go out tonight or stay in?” Nick asked before taking a long drink of his coffee, then topping it off.
“In, please. I want to relax. We could come back here. You have pets to care for. I don’t.”
Nick had sounded jealous last night over something. Galen made a mental note to get Nick more involved with the workshop at the museum since he was interested. Then Nick would see that he had nothing to worry about with any of the men that Galen saw over the day. Nick didn’t accuse him of cheating. He didn’t try hounding Galen about what he did during the day and who he did it with. Still, the thoughts had to be there. Galen had really been a selfish SOB in the past. Regret twisted inside of him.
Galen couldn’t imagine being in love with someone, being with them, and not just knowing but seeing that person with someone else, engaging in empty sex, when you knew you had more to offer them. It would’ve driven Galen batshit too.
On impulse, Galen covered Nick’s hand with his own. “I know I put you through hell last time we were together and more hell during the six months after I walked out.” Nick’s expression moved from surprised to wary. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“I don’t think you have anything to apologize for, but thank you. And I’m sorry if I make you think that you need to keep apologizing for that. I guess I have my own baggage to work through.” Nick turned his palm up and tangled their fingers together. “I knew what I was getting into. You weren’t being malicious, and I appreciated your honesty. I’m a big boy; I can make my own decisions.”
“Yes, you are a big boy.” Galen gave him a mock leer to lighten the mood, and Nick laughed. He wanted to ask Nick what his emotional baggage was, but they didn’t have time for an in-depth conversation before Nick had to be at work. He’d get Nick to open up about it tonight.
“You are something else.” Nick touched his knuckles lightly to Galen’s jaw, his gaze softening. The way he looked at Galen made him feel so alive. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” The wariness flickered back for an instant before it was gone, and Nick smiled. Well, at least he wasn’t telling Galen to stop saying it, so that was progress. Eventually it would really sink in that this was real.
Galen refilled their coffees. “I’ve got a question for you, something that’s been nagging at me from the beginning.”
“What is it?”
“If it wasn’t for the statues, would you have called me back?” Galen didn’t know why he asked; the answer didn’t matter. It was just one of those questions that poked at him. How close had he come to letting Nick slip through his fingers by waiting so long? Nick had been so intent on the statues when they spoke again, and Galen had let him, taking whatever connection he could.
Nick got quiet as he pushed the food around on his plate. Finally he looked up at Galen, his expression troubled. “I don’t know. I’d like to think yes, I was definitely considering it, but I don’t know.”
“It’s okay. That’s fair enough.” Galen smiled at him, and Nick’s expression eased. “I knew I might have to work to get you back. I’d hoped that you’d want to try, and I was willing to jump through a lot more hoops than you gave me for the chance to get back with you.”
“I may have fought the idea of getting back together when you first brought it up, but it didn’t last long. Why say no to something I had wanted since I first saw you?” Nick glanced at the clock and slid the rest of his omelet onto his toast. “Damn, I’ve gotta change. I have a harassment accusation to look into today. I want to get the investigation started as soon as possible.”
“That sounds depressing.”
“It’s going to be. No matter what happens or what we find out, there are going to be some very unhappy people.” Nick leaned down and brushed a quick kiss on his lips. “Give me a call tonight if you need to be rescued.”
“I’ll let you know if I manage to escape the dragon lady unscathed.” Galen tugged him down for another quick kiss. “Love you.” Again and again, until Nick believed, and Galen thought he might be starting to come around. Somebody else had hurt Nick and hurt him badly. Tonight he’d find out who that was, and maybe then Nick could let go of some of the past himself.
“Love you too.” Nick disappeared down the hallway, and Galen grabbed the dishes to bring them to the sink. He’d better get moving himself. He shoved his wallet in his back pocket and searched for his keys.
“Holy shit! Galen!”
Galen spun around at the sound of alarm in Nick’s voice, half expecting to see Dexios or some other odd apparition, but it seemed quiet. “What’s wrong?” he called as he went down the hallway toward the sound of Nick’s voice in the bathroom.
“Bring me a shoe, a big-ass fucking shoe.” There was a definite sound of panic in Nick’s voice. Mystified, Galen peered into the bathroom. Nick was half-dressed, staring intently at a spot on the floor, his face pale. A large spider sat on the floor in the corner, a pretty ugly-looking one. “Where’s my shoe?” Nick demanded, holding out his hand and keeping his gaze on the spider.
“You’re wearing shoes.” Galen nudged Nick’s foot in case he’d forgotten that he already had squishing power.
“No way in hell am I getting near that thing. I need a shoe to throw! Better yet, grab me the fucking broom. Hurry, before it moves.” Galen couldn’t help himself. He started laughing and Nick tore his gaze away long enough to shoot him an incredulous look. “It’s not fucking funny.”
“It’s hilarious. Who would’ve thought you had a spider phobia,” Galen said, still laughing as he pushed Nick out of the bathroom. “Go on and get dressed. I’ll take care of it for you.”
“It’s not funny,” Nick insisted as he retreated down the hallway. “Spiders are evil.”
“I think from its viewpoint you’re the evil one. How many of its brethren have you killed?” Galen asked as he upended the cup from the sink over it and went to fetch a piece of cardboard to slide under it.
“Not enough
, because they keep breeding.”
Galen carried the spider outside and let it go, still chuckling under his breath. “Okay, all taken care of. It’s safe to come out.”
Nick emerged from the bedroom fully dressed, with an aggravated expression. “You spared it didn’t you?”
Galen shrugged with a smile. “I gave it a second chance and a warning. If it comes back, I promise to kill it for you.”
“Spider lover,” Nick accused. “I’m never going to live this down, am I?”
“Oh hell no.”
NICK asked Sean to screen his calls and shut his office door during his lunch hour so he could pore over all the journals, photographs, and copies of the myth his family had collected over the centuries. His conversation with Dexios still plagued him. There was something they were missing about the statues, some key piece of evidence that might allow them to break the curse.
He wanted to believe. He needed to believe. Galen had him all mixed up inside. One minute he was telling Nick he loved him, and the next he was hung up on something from his past, something to do with a marriage proposal. Maybe he could get Galen to talk about it tonight, because Nick got the feeling that he’d shoved his foot into his mouth so damn deep that he almost choked on his knee when he asked Galen to marry him. It was better to think that there was another reason for Galen’s refusal other than the thought of being married to him made Galen shout “Hell no.”
Nick gathered the notecards he’d made and spread them out on his desk, looking for a pattern. Then he pulled out the notes he’d made about Galen, Dexios, and Lykon and all the little incidents since the statues appeared. As he did, guilt twisted inside of him. He’d been keeping secrets too, such as how much he knew about the statues and the myth. Galen would not be happy when he found out Nick had been holding out. That had been rather asinine of him. He’d have to tell Galen the truth tonight. At this rate it was going to be like a tell-all confessional after dinner. He hoped that Galen wouldn’t be too pissed. Nick winced. He’d have to find some way of making it up to him.
He’d tackle that once he had answers to give to him. Nick picked up the first notecard. The first statue had become whole before Nick and Galen had even laid eyes on each other. The only contact that they’d had was when Galen had called him. Nick stared at the card, his fingers drumming on the table.
The myth stated that Lykon would have to accept Dexios’s offer four times. It had taken Nick a while to figure out how that one applied to the first statue. Then memory had tickled. When Galen had left all those months ago, Nick had given him an open invite to call him anytime.
Nick flicked the card and considered their conversation this morning. Would he have called Galen back if the lure of the statues hadn’t been there? He’d been hurt when Galen left, not just his feelings but his pride too. The statues had fired him up, but that was just an excuse, wasn’t it? A safe reason to call Galen back, something that wouldn’t risk his heart, because if Galen was still looking for only a lay, he had a way out.
Yeah, he would’ve called Galen back. It might have taken a few days while he argued with himself, but the chance that Galen wanted something more would’ve had him taking the risk. He’d had it real bad. Nick smiled and picked up his phone, trying Galen’s office, and to his surprise, he picked up on the second ring.
“Galen Kanellis.”
“The dragon doesn’t have you pinned down in a cave?” Nick asked, picturing Galen with that slightly abstracted look and the way it would sharpen when he heard Nick’s voice. Whatever Galen felt for him now, it was certainly stronger than before.
“Are you trying to get me killed? If she knew I said that about her, I’d be dead. How’s your day going?”
“Good, I just wanted to let you know I’ve been doing some thinking about what we talked about this morning.” Nick sat back in his chair, tapping the notecard against his fingers. “I would’ve called you back, Galen. There’s no doubt. My feelings for you hadn’t changed. It just might’ve taken me a couple of days to get my head out of my ass.”
Galen was quiet at first, and when he spoke again his voice was warm. Nick loved that sound, the way Galen spoke to him now without any of the distance he’d had before. “Thank you for telling me.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll talk to you later.” Nick hung up, smiling to himself as he turned to another notecard. It was hard to remember who had said or done what, but when the second statue had become whole, it had to have been because Galen had opened up about Bryan. Nick had asked him to tell him why he had been so reluctant to commit, and Galen couldn’t tell him at first. Nick had offered to listen when he was ready.
That had to be it, Nick making a literal offer and Galen accepting it. There wasn’t any twist to the legend. It was as straightforward as it got. So all Galen had to do was accept his marriage proposal, and it would be over with. If Galen loved him as he claimed, then what was the big deal? Say yes, and they could work out the details later.
Somehow he had to make Galen see that. Nick picked up the third notecard and frowned. This was the one that still perplexed him. Both he and Galen could see Lykon, could see how the statue would look when it was complete, and yet something was holding it back from fully materializing.
Nick hadn’t been able to miss what had happened. They’d been looking at the second statue. Galen had given him a look that had pierced him right through and told Nick that he loved him. His heart still flipped every time he thought of it, hearing those words the first time with the oh-so-sincere expression in Galen’s eyes. The third statue had come together right in front of their eyes… almost.
So what was missing?
Nick told Galen not to say the words unless he meant them, and Galen had said them anyway. If Galen didn’t mean them, nothing should’ve happened with the statues at all. Nick’s heart stopped and started again in a rapid drumbeat.
Galen loved him. He really did, even if the thought still scared Nick. He’d allowed himself to start to believe in the hallway after the disastrous proposal. And he remembered how right it felt when he told Galen that he believed him. He had to let go of his fears and embrace it, the way he had when he’d called Galen back, or when he agreed to go on the date. He’d been afraid, but the fear was worth the gain. Galen had to have been afraid too, when he’d talked about Bryan.
The missing element wasn’t Galen, it was Nick. Nick had to acknowledge Galen too. Really acknowledge and accept the fact that Galen loved him without waiting for the emotion to be snatched back. Galen wasn’t his mom. Galen wouldn’t tell him that and then cut him off cold.
Nick shoved aside the journals and dragged the copies of the myth to him again. He scanned over the pages, searching to see if his theory was right. “…until your fickle lover fulfills his promise four times over and you accept him.” Nick had to accept Galen’s love. He had to believe it. And the offers couldn’t be just anything. They had to be offers from the heart without any ulterior motive.
He’d bet that the first statue didn’t become whole until after Nick had called Galen back or the second statue until after he’d listened to Galen pour his heart out without judgment or jealousy. That’s why the third statue remained cursed. Galen had done what Nick requested, but Nick hadn’t taken him at his word.
That meant if Nick was the missing element, he had to face the fact that the family journals were biased. They were all from the Dexios reincarnation’s point of view. So the breakups and betrayals were one-sided. Cythera blamed Dexios as much as she blamed Lykon. Dexios gave up on Lykon; that’s what he’d been referring to in his last visit. And he’d been right too, about the journals clouding the truth.
Nick had a part in this legend too. If he stayed strong and didn’t give into doubt, all of them would be okay. Nick and Galen would break the curse together. His heart began racing.
Nick grabbed the phone and called Galen back. “Go check the third statue.”
“What?” Galen asking, sounding puzzled. “A
re you okay?”
“Set the phone down and go check the third statue now.” Nick heard the sound of the phone hitting the desk and running feet. He waited, hardly daring to breathe. He didn’t need confirmation. He knew, he knew it in his heart.
The pounding of feet signaled Galen’s return, and Nick squeezed his eyes shut, his heart loud in his ears.
“What the hell? How did you know?” Galen said, breathless as he came back. “It’s perfect, it’s beautiful. What did you do? You have to come see this.”
Nick laughed and sank back into his chair. “Tell me again you love me.”
A startled silence followed, and then Galen’s voice went warm again, the same warmth that Nick had not quite grasped last night. “I love you. You believe me now, don’t you? I love you. I swore I’d pound it into your head and ears until you got it.”
Nick closed his eyes and smiled. “I’ve got it, Galen. I believe you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“I ALMOST feel like this is a second home,” Nick said as he climbed into Galen’s tower office. The hint of defensive wariness in Nick’s eyes had disappeared, and Galen’s heart skipped a beat. Nick did believe him. Even if Galen hadn’t seen the third statue changed with his own eyes, he would’ve recognized that faith in Nick’s gaze.
“Suzane has accused me of treating the museum like a home. She has booted me out of here on more than one night.” Galen tipped his head back when Nick approached and sank his hand into Nick’s hair at his kiss. That same surety was there in the possessive sweep of Nick’s tongue, in the firm touch of his lips. It made Galen smile all over again.
“I hate to interrupt this interlude,” Suzane said in a dry voice. Galen broke away and looked around Nick at his assistant, who had poked her head up through the stairwell. “But I thought you should know that I found the drums you wanted for the gala.”
“Yes!” Galen pumped his fist with a grin.
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