One couldn’t fault him for hoping.
Jules ran ahead when the campsite came into view. “Oh, wow! This is beautiful.”
Colorful leaves reflected jewel-toned hues in water so clear Elouan could count the pebbles lying beneath the surface, though the water must be at least six feet deep. Trees rose higher and higher toward the horizon as the elevation increased on the mountains across the lake. Distant peaks wore crowns of white. While not home, Elouan could easily imagine High Reaches from here. He placed the cooler on the ground and spread the blanket on a patch of withered grass.
Elouan and Jules removed their jackets, storing them together on the edge of the blanket. Jules’s plain blue T-shirt matched his eyes and highlighted his slender frame. While he didn’t come close to Elouan’s bulk, he sported the lean muscles typical of omegas, with extra. He must work out.
There Elouan went again, comparing a human to dragons, which wasn’t fair to Jules.
Elouan sat on the blanket, patting a spot nearby, and opened the cooler. “I hope I have one you like.” He’d taken several sodas from his fridge and even added a few more from the local convenience store.
Jules grinned. “This works.” He removed a root beer, opened the can, and took a drink.
“My favorite too.” Thank goodness Elouan brought two, or he’d have to claim another favorite so Jules wouldn’t try to return his. Something Jules struck Elouan as likely to do.
They sat side-by-side on the blanket, staring out over the blue water. Elouan loved the water, loved lazily skimming the surface with his claws, then diving at unsuspecting fish. An ache began in his heart. No! No thinking of playing with his brothers in the lake near their home. Looking backward only caused pain, as would the future’s uncertainty. Better to focus on the here and now.
Like the stunning man sitting within touching distance, currently wearing a heart-stoppingly beautiful smile.
Puffy white clouds drifted overhead, and a boat roared past out on the water. The temperature would soon grow too cold for many people to enjoy the lake. Last October, the temperatures had dropped past the point of wanting to swim long before now. North Carolina could be iffy about weather, especially in higher elevations like Asheville.
Jules took a deep breath, exhaling in a whoosh. Elouan eyed him discreetly. Was he scenting the breeze? He tilted his head back, letting the sun caress his face. A delicate smattering of freckles dotted his nose. “This is a fabulous place. We hardly go anywhere, and the city closes in, you know? Like you can’t breathe and need room to stretch.”
Elouan understood completely. “You don’t like the city much, do you?”
Jules wrinkled his nose, turning toward Elouan, eyes heavy-lidded. “Not really. I’d rather be where there’re fewer people and more wide-open spaces. I’m not a homebody, but I would rather shop at a farmer’s market than a mega grocery store.”
Sounded promising. They shared another thing in common besides love of pastries and coffee. “If you could live anywhere, where would you pick?”
Jules pursed his lips, the slightest thought-crinkle forming between his nearly colorless eyebrows. “I never really thought about it since I don’t have many places to compare to, but in the mountains near a waterfall would be my dream. There’s a fountain in the courtyard at the university. I sit there for hours sometimes, reading and listening to the sound of falling water. I’m among people but still feel a sense of freedom.”
“You like to read?” Oh, be still Elouan’s book-loving heart.
“Oh, yes! Fiction mostly, for the escape, though the occasional biography helps me learn. I like mysteries, police procedurals, especially if they’re set somewhere I’m interested in. I’ve recently read a romantic suspense set in Atlanta, Georgia, wherethe two main characters were narcotics agents. They were partners both on and off the job.” Jules winked. “Two men.”
“That’s interesting. Sounds like something I’d like to read.” Actually, Elouan rarely met a book hewouldn’tlike to read. At least regarding fiction.
“I’ll have to loan them to you sometime.”
Or Elouan would buy his own copies to add to his hoard.
Jules pulled his knees to his chest, loosely holding the drink in one graceful hand, the fingers slender, clean, with evenly cut nails. Not a callus in sight on the palms, though Elouan noticed some on Jules’s fingertips. Anrai had similar calluses.
“Do you play any musical instruments?”
Jules’s brows drew together. “What? Why?”
“You have elegant hands. Do you play an instrument?”
Color suffused Jules's cheeks. “I’ve never had lessons, but I have a violin. We don’t have a TV at home, but I’ve seen videos on library computers and found a few books at a thrift store. Mostly I play by ear. One of our neighbors used to play the guitar on his porch in the evenings. I took what I heard and used it for violin, or adapted songs Moira sang around the house. Sometimes I’d hang out in the music room at school, trying to pick up pointers.”
No TV? Even now, Elouan despaired of how he’d ever get by without his favorite shows once he returned home. “Why no TV?”
Jules shrugged. “We’d all rather read.”
Actually, so would Elouan. He probably wouldn’t have television if not for Curtis, who often kept the TV on even if he wasn’t in the room. Elouan had become a fan, but yeah, nothing beat a good book.
Amazing how Jules learned to play the violin on his own. Even the finest tutors hadn’t been able to coax musical talent from Elouan’s clumsy fingers. “So, you’re self-taught.” Impressive.
