The train pulled up with a long rattle and a screech. Declan and Seb found a place in the back and grabbed a couple of seats. Declan didn’t know the stops they passed or which part of the city they were going to. Although with the way Seb was holding his hand and tracing his fingers down Declan’s arm, it was easy to just enjoy the ride and not worry himself over it.
After thirty years of hooking up with men, Declan was finally getting around to the best part of it.
They got off an hour later at a place called Island Green, and when they emerged from the train, Declan could smell salt in the air. He heard birds calling, and the wind across his skin felt different, almost thicker. “Are we near the ocean?” he asked.
Seb bit down on his lip and nodded quickly. He was grinning from ear to ear, and Declan had to laugh as the younger man dragged him down the street, hurrying until they reached an open storefront on the main drag. Rocky walls nearby kept them elevated from the passing canal, and people mingled on the street. None of the buildings were more than a few stories tall, and the streets were generously dotted with trees.
“I feel like I can breathe for the first time since we got here,” Declan muttered, then sucked in a deep breath of air.
“We’re right down the street from the boardwalk and the Atlantic,” Seb said. “But what do you think of this place?”
Declan turned to the storefront. It looked like any other old brick building, with scuffed windows in the front and a couple of apartments on the floors above. “Seems like it’s been empty for a bit,” he said. Seb flexed his fingers. He was bouncing with excitement, which made Declan laugh. “Okay,” he chuckled. “What’s the idea, Seb?”
Seb reached into his bag again, then pulled something out. “I got this made yesterday, right after I found the property online,” he said, then handed the long piece of metal over. “It’s just an idea. I hope you won’t think it’s too much…”
The metal was shaped like a thin rectangle, and Declan was surprised to feel its heft when he took it and turned it in his hands, revealing the engraving on the other side.
“Kaiser Security?” he asked, surprised to see his own last name. “What’s this?”
“It’s an idea I had,” Seb said, and began speaking so quickly, Declan could barely follow. “It’s okay if you don’t like it, but I was thinking about how much experience and skill you have, and how security always seemed to just work for you. You’ve said that you loved parts of it so many times, and it seemed like it was only the other people who made the jobs bad for you.” He paused, then sucked in a deep breath. “So I thought maybe it could be time for you to open your own agency? You could pick the kinds of clients you wanted to work for and run things according to your own rules, instead of risking your safety for other people all the time.” He stopped, his eyes eager as he held Declan’s gaze.
“Go on,” Seb said. “What do you think?”
Declan stared at the building, then back to the gift Seb had handed him. He took a few steps to the door, then held the placard up, placing it against the wood. “Kaiser Security,” he said. It was funny to hear his last name attached to something official like that, instead of justthose sons of bitches.
A whole stew of emotions stirred in his chest. “You really don’t want me to change, do you?” Declan never thought of himself as someone deserving of love, just the way he was. He’d always felt like he should be tolerated or put up with, never chosen for himself. But the feelings between him and Seb were about the most real thing he’d ever known, and there was no denying that. “You want me just like I am,” he said again, the words landing with the weight of truth between them.
Seb scratched the back of his head. “Well, I was going to make you promise you wouldn’t take on any jobs where you might get hurt or arrested.”
Declan chuckled, just as happy as Seb was to leave that all behind. “It’s a deal.” He rubbed his hand across his chin and furrowed his brows. The idea started to take hold, and instantly, he was itchy to start moving and to figure out how to make it a reality. He didn’t even feel self-conscious about accepting help from the younger man. He just felt supported, the same way he wanted to support Seb.
They were together, and that made all the difference.
“Of course, I don’t know the first thing about running a business like this.” He pulled Seb close, then thanked him with a kiss. “Good thing I’ve got a guy like you around to help me figure that part out.”
Seb grinned, then kissed Declan back. “We haven’t even talked about the best part yet. The whole place is for sale. We can buy it and remodel the apartments above, make them into our home. I can take the train into Manhattan when I need for research, and the rest of the time, we can live by the beach!”
“Beautiful, babe,” he said. “Just perfect.”
They were both glowing as the wind came in off the ocean. Seb held Declan’s eye, and the emotions churning inside Declan boiled over. They believed in each other, and no matter what the rest of the world thought, that trust meant that anything was possible.
“I love you, Sebastian,” he said.
Seb swallowed. “I love you, too, Declan.”
They joined in a kiss, their lips crashing together as Seb’s fingers brushed Declan’s stubble. Declan pulled the man he loved closer, savoring his taste and the soft sounds he made. “I love you,” he whispered again. “And I’ll do anything it takes to make sure you’re as happy as you deserve to be.”
“I will be happy,” Seb answered, their lips only an inch apart. “I’ll be happy because of you.”
SEBASTIAN
Declan tossed Seb onto the bed, then stood at the foot, staring down with fierce energy sparking in his gaze. The lights in Alexandria’s guest room had a soft blue glow, and in the mirror, Seb could see the ripples of muscles on Declan’s back.
Thank god the walls were thick because there was no way Seb was keeping it quiet that evening.
“Come here,” he purred, gesturing to Declan. “I want to taste you.”
Declan growled as he tugged his sweater over his head, then kicked off his pants. He was wearing a loose pair of blue boxer briefs, and his cock was heavy in the pouch. Seb undressed himself, pawing his clothes off while he looked up at Declan.
