Dreamspinner Press Year Five Greatest Hits

by Tinnean

  “Considering what?” Eli deliberately baited him. He leaned casually against the bedpost at the foot of the bed and waited for him to answer. He noticed the comforter drop to Will’s lap and was amazed at the effect his bare chest was having on him. The sight of his smooth, creamy skin stretched over wide shoulders and a narrow, defined torso caused a tightness in the pit of Elijah’s stomach and an almost overwhelming need to get into bed with him.

  “Considering your ridiculous offer last night,” Will shot back, not in the mood to play word games anymore.

  “Why ridiculous?” Eli’s voice was soft, but his body language commanded Will to explain. He moved to stand over him. Will felt vulnerable in his present position, so he moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Elijah stepped back momentarily, but then seated himself beside him. Will could feel the roughness of Eli’s jeans as his left leg brushed against his bare thigh, and it sent a tremor through his body, which he stifled by shifting away from him abruptly.

  Eli countered by slipping his arm around Will’s waist and resting his hand on his hip. He was distracted for a moment by the sight of Will in nothing more than a pair of boxer briefs, allowing a view of his firm thighs. Eli’s thumb moved gently, slowly, in a rhythmic pattern over them. “Why ridiculous?” he repeated.

  “You expect me to believe that you would….” Will’s voice wavered as he tried to finish his sentence. The word “marry” was sticking in his throat. “That you would….”

  “Marry you?” Eli finished for him.

  “Yes, exactly.”

  “Say ‘yes’, and I’d marry you in a heartbeat.” His words even amazed him, and he realized that indeed the thought of Will as his husband was not unpleasant.

  Will started to laugh but stopped when he saw the seriousness of Eli’s expression. He wasn’t amused, and he wasn’t joking.

  “Why is it so hard to believe?” Eli moved closer as he spoke, and his hand moved to Will’s waist as his arm brought him a little closer.

  This is ridiculous, he thought. He no more wants to marry me than he wants Martin to marry Katrina. He has something in mind, and it most certainly will not be nice. He and Martin were made to look like fools. He needs retribution, and he doesn’t care who pays, as long as it is in the family. All of these considerations raced through his thoughts as Eli waited for him answer.

  Eli restated his question. “Why do you find it so hard to believe?”

  “Because it is unbelievable,” Will answered. “An offer like that, given to someone like me, from someone like you, under these circumstances, is more than a little suspect. Wouldn’t you agree?” he challenged, meeting his gaze squarely.

  “What is it that you suspect?” he asked almost absently.

  “I suspect that you are playing me for a fool. You think that like Katrina, I will forfeit everything, including my self-respect, for a rich husband.” His anger and frustration rose. “You make that ridiculous proposal after knowing me for only a few days. I could be an axe murderer for all you know. Maybe I killed my last three husbands, you don’t know. All you really wanted was for me to jump at the opportunity so you could show that I, too, am nothing but a gold digger and then… who knows? I assume you had something particularly ugly in store for me.”

  “You’re right on the mark. Although, I’ve always been quite certain that you are not an axe murderer, and I would never do anything ugly to you.” He paused for a moment, as if he were considering his next words carefully. “I was testing you to see if you were telling me the truth, or if you were, as Katrina stated, the brains of the operation.”

  “So, was the bank card a test too? Were you expecting me to rob you blind?” He stood up and crossed over to the desk. He needed distance and was not enjoying being close to Eli right now.

  Eli looked up at Will from where he was still seated on the bed. “Yes.” Cold and clear, it was all he said.

  His honesty was a relief, but the truth was also chilling in its calculated simplicity. “So where do I stand?” His tone was less angry and more resigned.

  Elijah stood and walked toward him. Will stiffened but fought off the desire to back away as he approached. Eli’s eyes locked with Will’s. “I believe you are who you have presented yourself to be. You are a man who, begrudgingly, is forced to take care of his sister. You don’t approve of her and have little to do with her outside of the trouble spots in her life. You live a sheltered, bitter, angry existence in a small town. You keep yourself cut off from others as much as possible. I believe you have suffered much disappointment at the hands of relatives, and perhaps friends, and have since decided that your best course is to depend on no one but yourself.”

  Eli’s words sunk in slowly. He wasn’t making fun; he was serious. This was much more of a declaration than he’d expected. Will wasn’t prepared for the insight he gave. How dare he lay me bare like this as if he knows me. Will turned on him with contempt. “Oh right, it’s all my fault, of course! Isn’t it always. What gives you the right to analyze me!” he burst out. “I’m no more angry or bitter than the average person. I have nothing to be angry or bitter about!”

  “Then why are you yelling?” he asked softly.

  Eli’s tone and his question caught Will up short, and he found that he didn’t have a good answer for him. “Because I’m angry at your condescending attitude. You don’t know anything about me,” he said, calmly as he could.

  “Your parents left you nothing except seven acres at Whitefish Point. They gave everything to your sister,” he stated. “If it were me, I would be angry and bitter.” He stepped closer and took one of Will’s hands. “Katrina received over one million dollars in cash and assets, most of which have been squandered over the past two years. How does that make you feel?”

  “Shortchanged,” Will stated calmly. “Katrina has been needy her entire life, there was never any time for me. The will was the final blow. I didn’t want their money or their property,” he clarified. “At this point in my life, I really don’t care anymore about any of it.”

  “You wanted to be noticed,” Eli stated softly and too knowingly.

  William stared at him for a moment, wondering how he could be so accurate. How does he know what I felt? “Yes, I did, but it is too late for that now,” Will responded as his eyes searched Eli’s for the understanding that was in his words.

  “Parents sometimes put too much responsibility on a child. They believe the child is capable and therefore don’t worry about them as much as they probably should. They saw Katrina as a screwup and someone who would need to be taken care of for the rest of her life. You, on the other hand, showed independence, common sense, and ambition. They didn’t need to worry about you. That doesn’t mean that they loved you any less.” He gently ran his fingers down the side of Will’s face and under his chin, forcing him to look up at him. “Did you read their will or did you just let the lawyer handle it?”

  “I didn’t want to read it. I didn’t want to see what was there.” He swallowed hard but kept eye contact. “I was afraid there might be worse things than just being cut out, things I really didn’t want to know. I took the lawyer’s interpretation and let it go at that. I didn’t want to see the same contempt in the will that I did in their eyes when I came out,” Will stated sadly.

  Eli stared at him for a long while then stated clearly, “You need to read it. I believe it would be more healing than harmful.” He let Will go and walked toward the door.

  “I’ll think about it,” Will said flatly.

  WILL SHOWERED and dressed in a white, cotton T-shirt and blue jeans with his old, black Converse tennis shoes on for comfort. He was so glad that he remembered to bring them. They were the shoes he once out-ran a gay-hating jock in high school with. He cherished those shoes for their security and speed.

  Mrs. Coleman was pouring him a cup of coffee as he entered and handed it to him before he sat down. Will smiled, appreciating her kindness.

  “Thank you,” he said and took a seat at
the table.

  “You’re welcome.” She returned his smile. “Can I get you something for breakfast?”

  Before he could answer her, the kitchen door swung open, and Eli entered, filling the room with his presence. “I’m taking you to breakfast, Will.”

  “Why?” Will asked flatly as he took a swallow of the steaming-hot coffee. He shifted his gaze away from Eli and back to Mrs. Coleman in an attempt to ignore the statement.

  Eli grabbed the back of Will’s chair and swung him around to face him. “Because I want to show you off.” Eli grinned at Will’s shocked expression. He had instinctively reached and grabbed Eli’s forearms as he was being unceremoniously thrown around. With as little effort as it would take the normal man to adjust his shirt collar, Eli had lifted Will’s chair with him still in it and turned it completely around. Will let go of Eli’s arms and continued to stare in disbelief for a few more moments before he was able to respond.

  “No, thank you,” Will answered with as calm a tone he could muster under the circumstances. To Will’s dismay, Mrs. Coleman quietly excused herself from the room. He turned his head in an attempt to beseech her to stay, but she already had her back to him and was leaving the room. Eli abruptly took Will’s hand, and in one swift movement, jerked him to his feet so that he was slammed against Eli and held in place, their faces mere inches apart. Eli searched his face with those intense blue eyes, taking in every nuance of reaction.

  “Come on, Will,” he teased, “you have nothing to be afraid of.”

  “Nothing… except you.” Will riveted him with a steely glare and at the same time leaned as far away from him as he could.

  Will’s statement took him aback. Eli’s expression changed, softening immediately. He searched Will’s eyes and saw… fear… real fear, masked by a guarded distrust.

  “It’s just breakfast,” he said in a much softer tone. “You could use a change of scenery.” He slipped his arm around Will’s back and gently but firmly began to lead him toward the door.

  Will reluctantly agreed, because he felt he really had no choice when it came to Elijah Hunter. “A change of scenery would be greatly appreciated,” he said with very little enthusiasm, but Eli accepted it with a triumphant smile.

  They took one of the Land Rovers, which was one of the working vehicles and apparently not big on comfort. Eli took one of his jackets and folded it up for Will to sit on. Will wondered why he was getting the china-doll treatment, but decided not to comment.

  Eli drove to a small café about forty-five minutes from the ranch. It resembled some of the mom-and-pop operations back in Whitefish Point, one large room with varying sizes of tables and a long counter with about ten stools. The room was nearly full with individuals and families enjoying a Sunday-morning breakfast. Upon entering, the building fell completely silent and all eyes were on him; even the children were staring. Will entered first, with Eli coming in behind him. As soon as Eli began to survey the room, looking for a table, every eye began to dodge in an attempt to avoid any eye contact.

  Apparently I’m not the only one who is afraid of him, Will pondered as he turned to regard Eli, who seemed oblivious to the effect he was having on these people. The waitress carefully approached and showed them to the most private table in the café. It was near the front window and had a fake plant on a stand that partially blocked it from the view of the other patrons. Will could hear a low rumble of voices, but couldn’t make out anything that was being said. The waitress looked at Will with concern and sympathy showing in her eyes.

  “Can I get you something to drink, hon?” she asked sweetly.

  “A pot of coffee, thank you,” Eli answered for them both.

  The waitress nodded, and Eli smiled at her. She nearly fell over, she was so startled by the pleasantry. She hurried away and within minutes was back with the coffee and two cups.

  “Thank you.” Eli smiled again, and the waitress looked at Will for clarification, but he merely echoed the smile.

  Elijah Hunter came to the café and smiled at her… twice. She would be telling everyone she knew for weeks, and no one would believe her, the waitress thought.

  They ordered steak, eggs, and toast, and it was ready and served before they had finished their first cup of coffee. Will was impressed and a little shocked by the reactions Eli elicited from people, yet he remained unaffected by it all.

  “I think you are scaring these people,” Will commented.

  Eli looked around casually, not really noticing anything. “I come here from time to time. They’re used to seeing me.” He shifted his gaze back to Will.

  “When was the last time you came here?” Will smiled, knowing for a fact that these people were not used to seeing Elijah.

  Eli thought for a while and then he, too, had to smile. “About seven years ago.” He then laughed. “Time goes quickly, Will, it’s not good to waste any of it.” He watched Will as he finished his breakfast. His thoughts were still full of the incident with John Gerard. There was something there between them, and he was determined to discover what it was.

  Will was nearly finished when Eli sat back in his chair and let his eyes travel over Will as if weighing and measuring once again. Will instantly began to stiffen. “Tell me again about your relationship with John Gerard,” he said softly.

  Will looked at him directly and locked gazes. “There is no relationship between us. I told you this already. Asking me again isn’t going to change the fact that I have nothing to do with John Gerard and never did,” he finished through gritted teeth. “I’m done here,” he stated and dropped his fork.

  “He was very familiar with you at the ranch,” Eli pressed and leaned toward the table.

  “He recognized me from the plane. There is no relationship and no familiarity beyond the plane.” Will stood up abruptly and stated, “I’m out of here.” He turned and headed for the door. Eli laid a hundred-dollar bill on the table and went after him. He caught him in the parking lot.

  “Tell me the truth.” He wasn’t yelling, but it was a demand. He stood with one hand on his hip and the other rolling a toothpick in his mouth. Will turned around to rivet him with a stare that would have crippled lesser men. He noticed then that every window of the café that overlooked the parking lot was full of faces. All the patrons where jockeying for a position in order to observe the event. It caused embarrassment to show on Will’s face, and Eli immediately turned toward the café in response, the people scattered like birds, not wanting to be caught intruding on them.

  “I’m done talking.” Will went over to the Land Rover and got in, slamming the door behind him. Eli did not appear satisfied, but he let it go, for now.

  THANKFULLY, LATER that day, Elijah and his brother were called away on business, and Will found out that he would have two weeks to himself. This was time that he could spend gathering his thoughts and calming his nerves. These were days that allowed him to settle back into himself. It was easier for him to build his resolve without the constant interference of uncontrollable emotions. If he could tuck it all away, he could get through this time and hopefully keep his property. Elijah was artful and cunning in his relentless desire to prove him to be the immoral liar that he believed Will to be. Defense had become a twenty-four-hour-a-day job, defending against Eli’s tender manipulations, against his outright accusations, against his subtle games… it was all too tiring.

  He kept mostly to himself over the days they were gone. He had his meals with Mrs. Coleman and enjoyed some light conversation, but avoided any discussion of Katrina or the Hunter brothers. He wanted a rest, and Mrs. Coleman was happy to oblige.

  Will played the piano in the evening after Mrs. Coleman had gone to bed. He preferred no audience right now. The piano gave him an emotional release, and he didn’t want anyone hearing and interpreting his torment.

  Mrs. Coleman informed him during dinner one evening that the boys were due back in the morning. She seemed excited for their return, unlike Will, who was dreading it. Elij
ah had had two weeks to design new and interesting ways to torture the truth out of him. What will he do next? he thought as he finished his pot roast and vegetables. He wasn’t happy, but he smiled at Mrs. Coleman anyway and said, “Yes, it will be nice to have them back.”

  It was after eleven when Mrs. Coleman said her good-nights and left Will reading in the living room. When he was sure Mrs. Coleman was upstairs, Will moved to the piano and began a string of sad and mournful selections. This would be his last night of peace, and this would be the last night that he would be able to use the piano as a release. He couldn’t play if Elijah were around. He would see through him too quickly and would certainly use Will’s weakness to his advantage. As much as he pretended to believe him, Will knew that Eli was simply trying to put him enough at ease that he would trip up. The unfortunate thing, he conceded, was that if Eli continued pursuing him, there was a chance he might accidentally do something out of character. There was a chance Will could forget that it was all a game with him and might try to own the fantasy he was weaving. With this thought bearing down on him, he began playing the funeral dirge with depth and determination. He finished with a dramatic pounding of the keys, and it was then that he realized he was not alone.

  “Are you really as sad and hopeless as your music would imply?

  He turned abruptly to see Elijah relaxing in one of the chairs with a glass of wine in his hand. Will had no idea how long he’d been there watching him. He stiffened and slowly closed the piano and stood up. “Good night.” He was going to say nothing more. Eli saw, he heard, he knew, he didn’t need any words from him trying to explain or deny. He was tired, and he was going to bed.

  “You can’t run away, sweetheart,” he said and placed his drink on the table before getting up to follow him.

  Will stopped at the foot of the stairs and faced him. He didn’t want Eli following him to his room. That wouldn’t do. “Yes, I am sad and hopeless. There. Can I go to bed now?” He was dangerously sarcastic.