Robert knew a change of subject when he heard one. “Yes, you did. Because your father told you to. Let me ask you something, and please, be honest with me. If your father hadn’t told you to come and see me, would you have done it on your own?”
With pursed lips, Galen dropped his chin to his chest. “No. I didn’t want to do it when he told me to. The way Noel handled it was clever. Father was pissed because Noel got one over on him. He still says he intends to sue, but I’m pretty sure his lawyers will tell him he got the money back, so he has to let it go.” He lifted his head. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, I promise. If you don’t want to come with me, that’s fine. It was just an invitation, and I don’t want to put any pressure on you. Maybe if you come with me, you’ll see a different side to families.”
Robert knew the moment he said it that Galen’s hackles would start to rise. He had been slavishly devoted to his father, and it was hard when everything you believed turned out to be a lie. He was no different than a lot of the people who’d come through the shelter—broken, defeated, and suddenly being forced to question the reality in which they now lived.
Robert wondered if Galen realized how much like Noel he was right now.
“I’d really like it if you came with me, but that’s up to you. I won’t be angry or hurt if you don’t come, but I will be disappointed if I can’t spend some time with you.”
There was hope in Galen’s eyes when he looked up. “Really?”
“Yes. I told you before, I enjoyed having chili with you then, and I very much like it now. You’re an intriguing man, Mr. Merriweather, and I would like to get to know you better.”
What would Lincoln and Noel say if they knew Robert was asking Galen out? Robert was sure there were misconceptions on both sides. If Lincoln knew that Galen hadn’t wanted to take back the check, would that matter to him? Or was the animosity between the two so deep that they wouldn’t be able to get over it?
“So what do you say? Will you come with me?” Then he had an idea. “To make it less stressful, you could ask Andy to come with you if you want. He can be your buffer if you’re uncomfortable. And to sweeten the deal, Mom is a great cook. She always makes this chocolate-strawberry cake for dessert and serves it with vanilla ice cream. I promise you won’t find anything like it no matter where you go.”
Galen’s eyes got a bit wider. “Well, I do like chocolate.”
“Then come with me. Bring Andy. We’ll make a party of it. And if you get uncomfortable for any reason, you say the word and I’ll take you home.”
The hope shining in Galen’s eyes called to Robert on every level. He liked to solve people’s problems, to help them reach their full potential. Galen might not have been appreciated by his father, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t something there for Robert to help him find.
“Please.”
When he bit his lip, Galen was adorable. Robert wondered how long it had been since he’d been shown anything other than disdain. Had anyone ever given him praise? God, it was weird how much Robert wanted to find out. He very much enjoyed the facets of Galen’s personality—the shy, the prickly, the uncertain. Had he ever had a visceral reaction to anyone else?
“Okay. I’ll ask Andy if he’d like to come with me.” Galen drew in a slow breath. “This is okay, yeah?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
“To be honest, I half expect this to turn into a scene from Carrie where you get me there and dump blood over me.”
Robert chuckled. “I am not angry with you. I’m not happy with your father, though. Does that bother you?”
“It did last week, but now? Hate him all you want.”
“No, I don’t hate him. That would give him power over me, and I can’t have that. Booker T. Washington once said, ‘I shall allow no man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.’ If I allow your father to make me hate him, then that darkness starts to creep in and makes me worry that my heart isn’t strong enough. I already have enough testing my resolve. I don’t need to add hate to it.”
Galen’s jaw dropped. “You can’t be real. No one is that nice.”
“Oh, I’m not nice. I’m fiercely protective of what’s mine. Be it the people at the shelter, my reputation—” Robert reached out and squeezed Galen’s hand. “—or my friends. I will always do my best not to let anyone or anything hurt any of them.”
Galen was about to reply, but his phone rang.
Robert grinned. “I’m going to guess that’s Andy.”
“Yeah.” Galen pressed the button. “What’s up, Andy?”
A slow smile spread over Galen’s face, but it wasn’t as wide as the one he’d given Robert. The warmth he’d seen wasn’t there. It was, as he expected, a smile for a friend.
“Shut up. He’s eating. No, chili, you perv.” Galen looked at Robert and rolled his eyes. “And you know he’s right here.” He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure you are embarrassed. Say, Robert asked us to come to dinner at his parents’ house the last Sunday of the month. Are you up for it?”
Robert had finished eating while Galen was talking, but then ended up sputtering when he heard what came next.
“No, it’s not for a threesome.” Galen peered up at him. “It’s not, right?”
Robert laughed so loud, the staff behind the counter stared at him. “No, it’s not an orgy. I’m a one-person guy, and I expect my partner to be on the same page with me.”
“There you go. No orgy. Just dinner. Will you come?” Galen shook his head. “For God’s sake, go out and get laid or something. Maybe that’ll get your mind out of the gutter. Will you go with me to dinner at Robert’s parents’?”
The interplay between the friends warmed Robert’s heart. At least he knew Galen had some stability in his life.
“Okay. I’ll see you when I get back to your place.” He hung up. “Andy said he’d be happy to attend.”
“Oh, I’m sure he said something far different, but that’s okay.”
Galen’s cheeks pinked. “He’s got a one-track mind sometimes.”
“He makes you smile. That’s good enough for me. Are you staying with him?”
“Yeah, for now. It’ll take a while for father and the lawyers to steal everything from me, so right now I have to wait to see what’s going to happen.”
The way Galen’s voice quavered, Robert knew that, despite the flippant attitude, he was scared. “It’s going to be okay.”
Instead of the angry outburst Robert had been expecting, Galen’s voice was soft, yearning. “You can’t know that. No one can. My father’s going to take what I’ve done as a betrayal, and that won’t end well. I’ve seen him do some real crap to people for a lot less. Finding out he never planned to give me the job when he retired? That hurt. But when he told me that if Lincoln had come back, he would have fired me on the spot? Yeah, it sucks.” He drew in a sharp breath. “I thought I’d earned at least a modicum of respect, but it turns out he doesn’t really have it for anyone. Well, except maybe Lincoln.” There was such bitterness in Galen’s voice.
“You know that’s not true, don’t you?”
His gray eyes flashed, and his expression grew hard. “What do you mean? He obviously cared more about Lincoln than me.”
“Do you really think if he cared, he would have gone behind Lincoln’s back and tried to hurt him? It seems to me, the only person your father cares about is himself. It’s what he wants that’s important, and that’s it.”
There was a slight tilt to Galen’s head. “I have to admit, I never thought about it in those terms. You’re right. No matter what, he still wanted Lincoln back under his thumb. His happiness didn’t matter, only what Father wanted.”
“So, the nice thing is that now he has neither one of you.”
“I’m sure he’s still going to pull some crap. I wouldn’t put it past him to try to buy Lincoln’s building, just so he can bulldoze the place.”
“Come on. Less thinking and more walk
ing.” Robert stood and held out a hand to Galen, who looked at it like it was going to strike him. Then he hesitantly raised his hand and slipped it into Robert’s. Robert picked up his tray and took it to the counter, then led Galen out the door, heading east to the lake.
Under other circumstances, this might have been romantic. But right now, with a mass of problems hanging over their heads, it was one person clinging to another, hoping for a little stability in the warm July night.
THE MOON off the lake was beautiful. Galen had never really taken the time to notice it before, but here, now, with Robert? He saw a lot of things he would have dismissed. He took a step closer to Robert and brushed their fingers together. When Robert took his hand, Galen sighed happily. Who knew that a shitty night could be so wonderful?
Robert squeezed Galen’s hand, bringing his attention back to the moment. He pointed over toward a stand of trees. “See the geese?”
Beneath them at the bottom of a hill, a group of Canadian geese were huddled together, heads bowed. They seemed so serene.
“They’re cute.”
“But they can be vicious if they think someone will hurt them.” Robert smiled down at him. “Sound like someone you know?”
Galen’s cheeks heated. “Sorry.”
“Hey….” Robert tucked a knuckle under Galen’s chin and tugged up so their eyes met. “It’s not a complaint. It’s actually me paying you a compliment.”
“Really?” Galen snorted. “How is comparing me to a goose a compliment?”
“Because just like you, they’re protecting themselves. They’re friendly with those around them but are prone to attack things that threaten them.”
Even though he tried to be annoyed by the comparison, Galen found himself lost staring into Robert’s eyes. Then Robert did the most curious thing. He smiled at Galen again.
“I’m glad you came with me. I needed some company to distract me from my thoughts. And you, Mr. Merriweather, are very distracting.”
From anybody else, the line would have been corny, but Galen believed he saw sincerity in Robert’s expression. If anyone had asked him where the urge came from, he would swear he didn’t know, but he stood up and brushed their lips together. Robert’s lips were full and soft, and the scruff of hair around his mouth gave a peculiar tickle, but there was a heat there Galen had never experienced before. When he stepped back, there was fire in Robert’s eyes.
Robert reached out and brushed the pad of his thumb over Galen’s lips. “Galen, you’re playing a dangerous game.” Then Robert cupped the back of Galen’s head and brought their mouths together once more. This time the kiss wasn’t chaste. It was demanding, dominating. Galen opened his mouth and surrendered to Robert, who swept his tongue inside, probing, teasing. Galen had never been kissed like it before. He wanted to drop to his knees and worship at the altar of Robert.
When Robert groaned and took a step back, Galen matched the plaintive sound.
“I have to go.”
“What? No. We just….”
“It was only a few hours, but I had an incredible night. And it makes me look forward to the next one.” He kissed Galen’s nose. “You have no idea how much I want to kiss you again.”
“I’m not stopping you.”
Robert grinned. “I know, and that’s part of the problem. I wasn’t kidding before. I don’t do casual. If this is going to be something, then I need to make sure of how we both feel. Does that make sense to you?”
For Galen, it had always been fuck and run back home, wondering why he let himself do it once again. He’d never had a chance to possibly care for someone, because he couldn’t ever be out of the closet enough to show them he cared. Now? Having quit, that weight was no longer on his shoulders. He was free to explore with Robert, if he wanted.
“Yes, it makes sense.”
“Thank you.”
Galen grinned. “Just for the record, if you did do casual, what would we be doing right now?”
“I wouldn’t.” Robert reached up and cupped Galen’s cheek. “Even if I did, I don’t think you’re the type of person I want casual with. I like you. I’m coming to respect you. I think that if I only indulged in one night with you, I’d always regret what might have been.”
Holy hell, Robert knew the right words to say. He made the ache that had been Galen’s constant companion for the last several days fade to almost nothing. Had anyone ever said such sweet words to Galen? Not that he could remember.
“Could I get your number?” Galen widened his eyes as he realized what he’d said. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t ask.”
“Why?” Robert fished his cell from his pocket, held it up, and took a picture of Galen. “Okay, give me the number.”
Galen rattled off his number and watched as Robert put it into his phone. Then, a moment later, Galen’s phone rang.
“And now you have mine.”
“Thank you.” He studied the curve of Robert’s lips—the way they bowed, the slight grin, their softness. Had he ever noticed those things about anyone before?
“Okay, I’m going back to the shelter, but I wanted you to know that my dreams tonight? They’re going to probably be about you.” He leaned in and kissed Galen on the neck, sending a shiver coursing through him. “Let me walk you to the taxi stand.” He slid an arm around Galen’s shoulder. “Would that be all right?”
“Sure. Okay.” Galen cursed his breathy voice. Robert made Galen feel like he could swoon and fall into his arms. “What about you?”
“I’m going to walk back to the shelter.”
“Oh, hell no. That’s almost a mile, and it’s late. You’ll get in the cab with me, and they can drop you off first.”
Robert chuckled. “Would that make you happy?”
“Has nothing to do with me being happy. It has to do with you doing what you’re told.”
When Robert leaned closer and put his head atop Galen’s, Galen had to bite back a whimper. He understood sex—it was easy, uncomplicated. What Robert was making him feel was anything but. There was a warmth blooming in his chest that he’d never experienced before. His thoughts drifted back to that night at the bar, to the two men who’d made him feel appreciated, something he hadn’t been for a long while. Robert? With just a touch, he was grounding Galen in the moment, making him feel as though he was somehow important.
“Then we’ll do it your way. For now.”
And as weird as it sounded, Galen wanted to keep that feeling for as long as he could.
“We’ll always do things my way.”
“Keep thinking that, if you want. But you’re going to learn sooner or later, my way is the best, and when you accept it, the happier we’ll both be.” Robert’s tone was light, humorous, but an undercurrent of desire flowed through those words too.
And Galen couldn’t wait to see what they meant.
Chapter Eleven
“WELL?” ANDY sat on the sofa, his legs crossed. He waylaid Galen as soon as he walked in the door. “Don’t spare any juicy details.”
“There aren’t any juicy details.”
Dark blue, almost indigo eyes blinked twice. “What? What do you mean, there aren’t any?”
“I wanted to, believe me. Shit, I would have taken him to the Pfister and gotten a king suite, even if it was only for an hour.”
Andy grinned. “Honey, something tells me that man is going to last a lot longer than an hour. It’s the quiet ones who are always the most surprising. I’m willing to bet you that he’d bend you over any flat surface, and by the time he’s done with you, walking straight would be a pipe dream.”
Oh shit. That sounded damned good. Galen held up the grocery bag. “Chunky Monkey.”
Andy’s forehead puckered. “That bad, huh?” He got up and went to the drawer, opened it, and pulled out two spoons. He went back to the couch and grabbed one of the pints of ice cream from Galen, then took his spot once more. He opened his ice cream and dug in. “Give. What’s wrong?”
Galen sat on
the opposite end of the sofa. “He kissed me.”
“Well, that’s a good start.” Andy tilted his head to the side. “Isn’t it?”
“But that’s all he did. I mean, I offered. Shit, I would have blown him in the middle of the road if he wanted. But he said he doesn’t do casual sex.”
“And you find that to be a problem?”
One big spoonful of ice cream, and then Galen frowned. “Who doesn’t want a blowjob?”
“Believe it or not, I’ve heard rumors that not every guy is a slut. Some have standards or something like that. Maybe Robert is one of them.”
“It’s a blowjob. It’s not like I’m asking the guy for a lifetime commitment.”
“Did you ever think that maybe it’s what he’s looking for?”
They ate in silence for a few minutes before Galen huffed a breath. “What if it’s just me? I mean, I’m not the surest bet for long-term. If he knows that, then maybe he realizes the best he’d get from me is sex. I mean, I’ve never had a boyfriend or girlfriend, right? How do I know I’m capable of it?”
“You’re an idiot, you know that? What did I tell you happened when we were in that alley? What did you say to me?”
“Uh, I was drunk and don’t remember.”
Andy scowled. “I’m calling bullshit on that one. You said you wanted someone to see you, to get to know the real you. And now, you’ve got a man who tells you he doesn’t want to jump in the sack right away, and you’re scared.”
Galen straightened his spine. “I’m not scared.”
“What would you call it? And you know what? I want you to think very carefully before you answer that question. Wait until your ice cream is gone.”
“But—”
“Did you finish your ice cream? No. Shut up and eat.”
The carton emptied slowly, which Galen was grateful for. He let Andy’s questions bounce around in his head, but the answers weren’t forthcoming.
“Well?”
“I don’t know.” At least he was being honest. “All I can see are roads that lead to disaster. I’ve done nothing to prove myself to him. I came in and quite literally took food out of the mouths of the people he’s helping. Why should he forgive me?”
Galen's Redemption Page 10
