Yet he’s let me go twice now without argument.“I’ve gotten that impression, yes.”
“He’s also very guarded. Comes with the territory in our family. Being able to pick and choose what you show people is a survival tactic. It’s also handy in court. I’m sorry you never got to see who he really is.”
“Which is?”
“Christ, he’s funny. Incredibly intelligent. A right bastard when he wants to be, though it’s somehow charming. He loves to push buttons. I especially thought you’d work out well for that.”
“Because I enjoy being annoyed?”
“Are you saying you don’t?”
Heath huffed. “An odd sort of compliment, is all I’m saying.”
“But you do enjoy it, because it leads to sparring, and Iknowyou love that.”
He did, dammit. Going toe-to-toe with someone verbally wasincredibly stimulating, both mentally and physically—if it was with the right person. Evan especially could tie him in knots of pleasure with his teasing, mentally and physically…
He dared a glance across the room to where Evan was shmoozing and let his thoughts off leash. Elegant. Poised. Pulling smiles and laughter from the group with obvious ease, Evan was a man in his element. An element Heath wanted no part of, yet still he yearned to be on that man’s arm.
“I think I might have feelings for him.”
Christian had the nerve to beam. “That’s wonderful! Why do you look miserable?”
Heath gave him a pointed stare. “My track record with your demographic is abysmal.”
“Evan is a unicorn among my demographic. He wasn’t born into this bullshit. He was dragged, kicking and screaming. Literally.”
Heath flinched as though struck. The image of a young freckle-faced boy being pulled from the only home he’d known hit brutally hard.
“What if he changes his mind and elopes with a woman?”
It was Christian’s turn to flinch. “I suppose I also deserve that.”
Yes, you most certainly do.
“Here’s what I’ll say to that. He’s forty-five years old and never once looked at a man until he met you. Two weeks with you and he quit his job, entered therapy, and turned this pet project into a powerhouse.”
“Who’s to say it was my influence? Anything could have motivated him.”
Christian chuckled, stepping away from the display. “He’s been walking the same path for three decades, Heath. Nothing small was changing his trajectory. Just something to think about.”
Christian left him with that thought, the weight of whichdragged him back to sitting on the bench. Across the room, he spied Evan now chatting with Olivia and an older couple, who appeared utterly charmed by whatever he was saying. It struck him again how utterly at ease Evan was while surrounded by people whose bank accounts could feed a small nation.
It was another reminder that a life with Evan would require routinely having to truss himself like a turkey in the name of charity. That he’d have to make small talk with the sorts of people who thought public education was a waste of tax dollars and usedsummeras a verb.
“Why are you sitting in the shadows, leaving that gorgeous man alone with these predators?”
Andres. Just what he needed while sitting at rock bottom. Was there no justice?
“He’s free to move about the world. I have no say in what he does.”
Andres had a carefully practiced series of expressions he used in public spaces, because it was important to him that he convey his emotions while looking utterly flawless. So when his face twisted with outrage, Heath knew it was possibly the first genuine reaction he’d had in ages.
“You spurned him? After months of pining and wailing and gnashing of teeth, you threw him back in the pond?”
“Where do you get off lecturing me? You conspired with Christian to make me go on that vacation. This is entirely your fault.”
Icy blue eyes rolled to the ceiling as Andres blew a nonexistent tuft of hair out of his eyes. “Heath, you have been lonely and miserable for years. This was an opportunity to shove you out of your comfort zone and force you to do something nice for yourself. Who needs to be forced on vacation? You, because you’re a goddamn curmudgeon.”
