Chapter 1
Rule number one in security: keep your eyes on the merchandise. Harrison Winters was breaking that rule all over the place.
He didn’t know what it was about the stall owner that had him ignoring his job so thoroughly. Maybe it was the way he moved. Lithe and quick, he seemed to have boundless energy, as if the crowds and noise of the Comic-Con fed into his vitality instead of sapping it. His smile was fast to appear and long to linger, and when he laughed his whole chest shook with the force of it.
Running his gaze along the man’s form, Harrison wondered what he looked like naked. Well-formed muscles were clearly defined by a fitted black t-shirt. A flat stomach led to narrow hips and an arse that begged to be grabbed. Even the simple, black suspenders that held up his pants had Harrison longing for a sharp pair of scissors.
The extended visual journey ended with a return to the man’s face, and the black eyeliner that had been applied with a heavy hand. That’s when green eyes clashed with brown and Harrison froze. He was so busted. The man held his gaze for a moment—a long, drawn out, provocative moment. Harrison watched the rise and fall of the man’s chest increase in deepening breaths and his shoulders pull back. Those full lips pressed together in a thin line and long fingers raked back the brown hair that had fallen into his eyes.
Harrison couldn’t help himself. He winked.
The green eyes widened in surprise, then the man turned on his heel and walked the other way.
With a heavy sigh, Harrison cursed his faltering discipline. He shouldn’t have winked. If the stall owner complained to management about the flirtatious nature of the security guards, his boss would have his hide. The guy probably wasn’t even gay. Eyeliner might be an indicator out on the street, but in the middle of a Comic Convention, where cosplay ruled and make-up was just another prop, it meant nothing.
Drawing once more upon the discipline that formed the foundation of his life, Harrison forced his attention back to the task at hand. He’d lapsed, it was true, but there was no point in dwelling on the fact. The best thing he could do was put it behind him and get on with his job.
That proved harder than expected over the next half hour. Now he’d been noticed, the sexy as sin stall owner’s gaze came back to him on a regular basis. But never for more than a fleeting moment, and never accompanied by his trademark smile. Harrison rode the hard edge between keen arousal and a fierce regret that his presence made the man so uncomfortable. It wasn’t long before the awkwardness of the situation began inching toward torture.
Thankfully, Harrison wouldn’t be out on the main floor much longer. He was only there because one of the other guards had been delayed getting to the venue due to an accident on the freeway. Normally, he spent his time coordinating the security on a higher level, not providing first-level protection for t-shirts and novelty mugs.
Harrison checked his watch. A few more minutes and Sean should be there to relieve him. Then he could get back to work that kept his head busy and his nether regions out of trouble.
“Got somewhere better to be?”
Lowering his wrist back to his side, Harrison saw the object of his fascination standing beside him with crossed arms and an irate frown. His gaze returned once more to the liner framing those crystal, clear eyes. He wanted to watch it run in dark rivers down the man’s face as he cried in frustrated ecstasy. Harrison bit down on the inside of his cheek to keep from somehow betraying the lust that coursed through his body. “No, sir.”
“Good, because this is only my livelihood you’re supposed to be watching. I’d appreciate it if you kept your eyes where they belong.”
Harrison’s jaw clenched and his teeth ground together. So, he got caught checking the man out, that was no reason for him to be a jerk about it. Looking down at the name tag pinned to the man’s t-shirt, he saw thatJeremywasHappy to Help!Sadly, Harrison suspected the offer didn’t extend to helping him out with the partial boner he had in his pants. He cleared his throat, dragging his mind from the gutter it had scrambled into. “Consider it done.”
Silence fell, but Jeremy didn’t move and eventually Harrison turned to look at him once more, careful to keep his expression blank. “Was there something else?”
The other man continued to frown, but curiosity had softened his glare. “You’re English?”
“Once upon a time. Now, I’m Australian.” He’d left England behind when he was thirteen and had no intention of ever going back. He’d held onto the last traces of his accent though, mainly because it sent Aussie boys weak at the knees. Jeremy didn’t seem susceptible.
He did give a sigh though, as his gaze dropped away. “Look, I didn’t mean to—”
“Sorry, man.” Sean appeared at Harrison’s side, red-faced and out of breath. “The traffic is a nightmare out there. I expected to be here over an hour ago.”
“No problem,” Harrison said, glad for the interruption to what surely would have been an awkward conversation. Clapping Sean on the back, he moved out of the way to allow the other man to take his position. “This here is Sean,” he told Jeremy, who had taken a step back, arms still crossed in front of him. “He will take excellent care of your… livelihood.”
That ready smile tugged at the corners of Jeremy’s mouth. “Right,” he said with a nod. “I’m sure he will.”
Sean looked back and forth between them, as if trying to figure out what he’d missed.
“Have a nice day, sir.” Not waiting for a response, Harrison turned and made his way across the floor, heading for the control room where his boss could fill him in on any issues that had arisen while he was otherwise occupied. He’d make sure he stayed away from Jeremy’s section of the main floor whenever possible for the remainder of the convention. The man may have set his blood to burning, but the feeling obviously wasn’t mutual and there was no point in taunting himself with someone he couldn’t have.
More than anything, he was disappointed in his own behaviour. One look at Jeremy and he’d started breaking the rules that kept his life on track without a second thought. Rules like living with integrity and exercising discipline in his actions. There wasn’t a lot of either to be found in hitting on someone while on the job. He’d have to take more care in the future to keep his emotions in check. Letting his heart set the rules was a good way to lose his mind.
