by Leah Ross
“The same way I know that the Rebels lost fair and square last night—you allow your emotion to blind you to the truth. You can’t manipulate your way through everything, Hannigan.” She pointed after the object of William’s desire. “He’s not… like you.”
“How can you tell?”
“I just can.”
William wrinkled his nose at her in distaste. Then he jumped out of his chair, headed for the stairs. “I have to meet him!”
Shana bolted up and raced after him. “Oh, gods! I better come too, or you’ll make the poor guy dive out a window in fear!” She took off after him as he raced up the wide stone steps.
William strode down the thickly carpeted hall, poking his blond head into each open door as nonchalantly as possible, searching for his quarry. A huge guy leaned against the frame of one with his arms crossed, nearly blocking the entire entry with his bulky, muscular mass, watching William on the hunt and smirking. “Classes haven’t even begun, and you’re already searching for an empty room to make out with your girl, Hannigan?”
Stopping short, William shuddered and he glared at Sean Ennes, a burly wrestler who had arrived on the same day as William had. The two men had already struck up a friendship, but Sean had inexplicably convinced himself that William and Shana were a hot item because they were always together. “Make out with Shana?! Gross! She’s been my best friend since before I can remember. That would be like kissing my sister!”
“Gee, thanks, Will,” Shana said sarcastically. “You really know how to make a girl feel special.”
William grabbed her hand and dragged her along. “Come on!”
Sean darted out a hand and pinched Shana’s rear. “I’ll make you feel special, Delecourt.”
“Not on your life, Ennes!”
William became frantic as they neared the end of the hall. Had mister dark and delicious escaped? Then he lurched to a stop and his jaw popped open. Through the door, inside the tiny room, the most perfectly gorgeous breeches-clad ass that William had ever seen was on display as his mystery man yanked items out of his massive duffle.
Shana knocked his chin with her knuckle and whispered, “Stop drooling, Hannigan. That’s not the first impression you want to make.”
Giving his head a little shake, he strode forward confidently to welcome the newcomer. “Hi there! Welcome to Holystorm!” He stuck out his hand as the man turned.
“Afternoon.” He shook William’s hand firmly. “Thanks.”
“William Hannigan. First year.”
“Guinn McCabe. I’m a first year as well.” His eyes seemed locked on Shana, even though he was still addressing William.
William’s heart sank dismally and his enthusiasm deflated. Served him right for getting his hopes up. “This is Shana Delecourt. First year also. We came here together.”
Guinn’s brows lowered in a disappointed frown. “Oh. Sorry for staring, then.”
William blushed. “No, no. We’re not together, together… She’s my best friend.”
Guinn’s face lit back up in a devastatingly roguish smile. “I see.”
William groaned inwardly. This was not going at all the way he’d hoped. He’d wanted to sweep this man right off his feet, and all he was managing to do was push him and Shana together. Blast it all! Why did the little know-it-all always have to be right? But William had long ago learned how to deal with his disappointment. That’s just what he had to do when he was so ‘different’ from everyone else and his sexual preferences were explicitly illegal in the Annali Republic. Playing up his carefully maintained façade and hiding his dangerous little secret was just a way of life for him now.
He felt the overwhelming urge to run away, but he figured it was better to start a friendship than have nothing at all. William offered up his own mischievous grin. “Yeah, I have all the dirt on this one, so whenever you want me to spill her guts for you, Guinn, just let me know.”
Shana gaped at him in horror. “You evil, evil man! You would do that to your best friend?!”
With an innocent smile and guileless spread of his hands William did what he did best—manipulate the hell out of the situation. “I’m just trying to be friendly here.”
Guinn stepped up to the rescue. “Don’t worry, Ms. Delecourt. I won’t let him tarnish your reputation.”
She blushed furiously. “That won’t be necessary. And please call me Shana.”
“Shana,” Guinn said in a low rumble that sent a shiver up more than one spine in the room. He gathered her small fingers in his much larger ones and brushed his lips across them. Capturing her warm brown eyes in his gaze, he held them captive. He found everything about her attractive—from her petite frame to her wide brown eyes to her soft, long brown hair—and he definitely wanted to get to know her better. She looked radiant in her casual ivory sundress with gauzy ruffles that grazed her ankles, and Guinn found the sheer sleeves fluttering down to her elbows and the tiny sandals strapped to her feet enchanting. He was wasting no time and staking a claim on Shana that very moment.
He liked William already too. His irreverent, sarcastic sense of humor was quick, and his undercurrent of devilish wit was highly amusing. Guinn could definitely see himself getting into far too much trouble with the man, and their contrasting complexions would ensure that they’d be an irresistibly attractive team. Against Guinn’s dark brown hair and steely eyes, William’s stylishly tousled yet carefully groomed mop was blond and his eyes were a mesmerizing green. His grey shirt was tailored in fine linen and laced loosely from collar to sternum over flawless pale porcelain skin, the cuffed sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Black breeches and glossy black boots completed William’s roguish ensemble, further enhancing his scandalous allure.
Clearing his throat pointedly, William broke the spell. “Not bad here, yeah? Everyone gets their own room—however miniscule and closetlike it may be—and the view from the towers is nice.”
Guinn turned and cast his gaze out the window to the sparkling vista of ocean beckoning in the distance. “It’s perfect.”
William saw the longing in Guinn’s expression and smiled. “You must be in the naval command program, mate.”
“What?” Guinn frowned at him in confusion. “How did you know that?”
William tapped the side of his head and gave the man a smug half-smile. “Perceptive, that’s me.”
Shana snorted rudely. “Manipulative, more like.”
“Bugger off, Delecourt,” William growled.
“So, which programs are the two of you in?” Guinn asked.
Shana heaved a sigh. “Medical.”
“That’s impressive,” Guinn said, raising his dark brows.
“That’s what was expected of me,” she mumbled, frowning at the floor.
“Architecture,” William supplied, his scowl softening at Shana’s discontent.
Guinn cocked his head at him. “Really?” It seemed a bland choice for a man so clearly extroverted.
“Yes, really.” William crossed his arms, defying Guinn to ridicule him.
“Hey,” Guinn said, raising his hands in defense. “As long as you’re passionate about it, yeah?”
William’s face broke into a wide grin. “Too bloody right!” He linked an arm through one each of his friends’ and led them back out into the hall. “Now come, fellow slaves to the academic grindstone, I have a terrible caffeine craving that demands satisfaction. Let us go and investigate whether this campus has anything approximating a decent café.”
~*~
The next few days were a whirlwind of supply-gathering, introductions, orientating, and matriculating, and on the eve of the first day of classes, Guinn, William, and Shana monopolized far too much furniture real estate in the men’s common room, sprawled in exhaustion.
“We’re getting too old for this,” Shana sighed.
“Speak for yourself, girlie,” William retorted.
“Says the man draped over an entire sofa looking like he’s ready to pass out,” she said with a smirk.
Shana scoffed, “I know you are, Hannigan.” He chucked a pillow at her.
Guinn laughed. “Don’t you two ever give it a rest?”
“No,” they answered immediately, in unison.
“How about a drink?” Guinn suggested, lowering his voice.
William’s eyes popped open and he assessed his friend’s sincerity with utmost gravity, the contrast between his seriousness and his current inverted position making him look completely ridiculous. “What kind of drink?”
“The kind requiring specific glasses and discretional consumption.”
William rolled off the sofa into a poised crouch so quickly that Guinn and Shana didn’t even have a chance to wonder about it. Springing up, he grinned and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Forbidden contraband! Oh, we’ll get along famously, McCabe!”
After a full bottle of rum shared amongst them in Guinn’s room, and halfway through a bottle of whiskey that Shana politely refused, she stumbled off to bed, leaving the men to their unwise binge. As Guinn closed the door once more after she’d left, he weaved his way back to his bed and flopped clumsily upon it, jostling William who slumped against the side. William grunted a slight protest but raised his glass in a toast and downed the remaining liquid.
Guinn clanked his glass too late against his friend’s now empty one, drained it, and let it fall the several centimeters to the plush carpet as his arms dangled over the bed. “So…” he slurred. “You’re not with Shana…”
“Not with Shana…” William agreed, his words less cumbersome, but only marginally.
“Gods, why not?” Guinn flung a badly-aimed backhand at William’s shoulder. “She’s beautiful, fun, smart, fun…”
“Just friends, mate,” William replied, completely avoiding the question.
“Then can I…”
William moved away from the bed and turned to face his friend. “Shit man, I’m not her bleedin’ father! Do whatever you want!”
“I want… her.”
William rolled his eyes and waved his hand in irritated dismissal. “Then have at her, mate.” He heaved a sigh and flopped on the floor with a frown.
Guinn stared at him as steadily as he could manage. “Yer still her best friend, Will. I don’t wanna piss you off. I like you.”
A groan escaped from William’s mouth as he dropped his head onto his arms, desperately beating back the beacon of hope that flared naively at Guinn’s words. He had no right to hope for anything from Guinn. That was a pointless quest through no-man’s-land to a dead end. The sooner he could cut his losses and move on, the better off he’d be. But as he stared into his new friend’s fathomless dark eyes, he knew he’d never be able to cut Guinn from his life. Those eyes, that body, those irresistible lips. William moved closer, foolishly allowing his desire to control him. “I like you too, Guinn.”
Guinn smiled at him and his eyes closed. Then his head dropped to the mattress and he was still.
William frowned askance at his friend. “Guinn? You all right?” A soft snore was all he received in response. “Godsdamn it all…” He stood and maneuvered Guinn’s solid body to lie properly in his bed and covered him with a blanket. As he looked down at the man, William berated himself mercilessly. “You’re a stupid idiot, Hannigan,” he muttered under his breath. “Why do you always have to pick the impossible ones?”
Putting away the evidence of their over-indulgence, William checked on Guinn once more. Finding his friend still snoring off his drunken stupor, he smiled and risked a rake of his fingers through Guinn’s thick, dark hair. Then he let himself out and trudged back to his own room, shutting out the world and leaving him to wrestle with his shame alone.
~*~
The three friends didn’t see each other much during the day, with each of them studying in a different program, but they did make it a point to get together each evening for dinner as often as possible. It was just before dinner at the end of their second week when Shana rushed up to William, breathless, her cheeks pink with excitement. William noticed Guinn enter the dining hall several seconds later, a silly, lopsided grin displayed on his face, and he knew exactly what was going on.
“He finally asked you out, didn’t he?” William guessed.
Shana’s face fell and she pouted. “Aw… You ruined the surprise.”
He lifted a brow at her. “Not much surprise there, sweetheart.”
As Guinn approached, she held a finger up to him in a gesture to ask for a moment alone with William. She grasped her best friend’s arm and dragged him to a secluded corner of the massive hall. “Are you all right with this?”
William sighed exasperatedly. “I’m fine.”
“Will, honey, I’m serious. If this truly bothers you, then I’ll turn him down. Nothing’s worth hurting my William.”
“That’s very sweet, but if you turn him down for my sake, I’m afraid I’ll have to maim you severely.”
She smirked at him. “You wouldn’t hurt me and you know it.”
He sighed. “Sadly, you’re right. But I am serious. Don’t you dare turn him down for me. I won’t stand for it.”
“Have I told you how much I love you, Will?” she gushed, wrapping him in a huge hug.
“Incessantly.” He hugged her back and dropped a little kiss on the top of her head. “I’m happy for you, Shana.”
They strode back across the hall, arm-in-arm, to join Guinn where he’d grabbed them a table. “Everything all right?” he asked them with a deceptively relaxed air that William didn’t believe for a second. He could sense the wary tension emanating from his friend and he definitely caught the jealous gleam in Guinn’s dark eyes.
A kernel of fundamental understanding clicked into place in William’s mind, and he gently but hastily created some distance between himself and Shana. He smiled brightly and extended his palm to Guinn. “Took you long enough, McCabe. Congratulations.”
Guinn shook William’s hand with a bit more force than necessary. “Thanks.” Shana sat next to Guinn and he pulled her close, his eyes still on William.
Leaning on the table, William smiled down at Guinn and used his most soothing tone, despite the admonitory narrowing of his eyes. “I know what you’re doing, mate, and you don’t intimidate me. Stop looking at me like a territorial predator. I am not a threat to you.”
Guinn continued to stare at William, but he frowned and then shook his head as if clearing his mind of something. When he looked back up at his friend, he grinned widely with no hint of malice in his expression or demeanor. “So, what are we having tonight?”
“You two go,” William said. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll hold the table.”
“Thanks, mate!” Guinn snatched up Shana’s hand and led her toward the buffet line.
Shana glared back at William with a knowing look and a silent promise to speak with him later. William only gave her an innocent smile. When they’d gone, he crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the table. He knew exactly what Shana would reprimand him for at her next opportunity. She’d berate him for using his power against an unsuspecting victim for his own gain. But she’d only be partly correct. Yes, Guinn didn’t know about William’s innate mental abilities, and yes, William had intentionally used that ignorance against him. But he’d done it for all of them, not just himself.
Guinn was driven, ambitious, and very accustomed to having his way; it didn’t take a lifetime of knowing the man to see that. But William sensed a darkness deep within his friend of which he wasn’t sure even Guinn was aware. William wasn’t sure of the magnitude or severity, but he’d long ago learned to be wary of the secrets he could sometimes feel hidden far away from the outside world. He’d glimpsed something dangerous inside Guinn, and rather than provoke it into violence, he’d chosen to manipulate it into complacency. He’d deal with the consequences later, when he had a better handle on what he was dealing with.
Fo
r now, he truly was happy for Shana and Guinn. Shana was like the sister he’d always wished he had—instead of the one he actually did have—and Guinn was definitely on his way to best friend status as well. He wished them all the happiness in the world and he was thrilled to just be along for the ride, even if his heart was breaking.
Chapter Three
Holystorm, four years later
“What the hell do you want from me?” Guinn shouted.
“Some attention! Some interest! Hell, even some of your precious time!” Shana yelled back. “But I guess that’s just too much to ask of you!”
“It’s the end of fourth year, Shana! I have so much shit to worry about!”
“You don’t think I know that? It’s all I ever hear about!”
“Don’t you have exams to focus upon? Or something else besides berating me for not showering you with enough attention?!”
She glared at him, trying not to let her lip tremble. “You’re a selfish, arrogant man, Guinn McCabe.”
“Fuck you, Shana.”
“No,” she said sadly and a bit wistfully. “No, I can’t remember the last time we did that, actually.”
“Is that what this is about?”
“No, Guinn! This is about you putting your career before everything else! I’m so tired of coming in second to your ambition!”
He groaned in exasperation. “I don’t have time for this! I need to pack.” He went back to yanking items from his dresser and closet.
“Fine! Go! Do what’s best for you! It’s what you always do!” She turned to storm out.
Guinn sighed and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. “Shana… I’m not trying to neglect you.”
“No, it just happens.”
“Maybe this is good for us,” he said hopefully. “Our separation over the break can give us some breathing room, and we can have a fresh start at the beginning of term.”
She glared and seethed silently at him for a minute. “It’s perfect, actually. Go and have a wonderful, carefree break without my specter hovering over your head. I’m done, Guinn.” She stalked through the door and down the hall.