Page 41 of Warrior's Cross

Julian snorted and easily picked Cameron up so his toes dangled above the ground and gave him a little kiss. Cameron laughed and set his hands on Julian’s shoulders. “Okay, I cannot tell you how much I like it when you do this.”

“Oh, really?” Julian asked with a smirk.

Cameron grinned and kicked his feet gently, but couldn’t get any footing on the hardwood floor. Julian tightened his grip and kissed him slowly. Cameron sighed against his lips and opened his mouth to invite a deeper kiss.

“Would you care to do anything before I take you to bed?” Julian asked in a low voice.

“Um. Not that I’m notreallyinterested, but I have something for you first,” Cameron answered as he was held suspended.

Julian blinked in surprise, but then he smiled slightly. “It better be damn good,” he whispered teasingly.

Cameron didn’t smile; he was suddenly nervous. “You’ll have to tell me, I guess,” he said.

Julian’s smile fell as he saw that his teasing had fallen flat, and he slowly released Cameron and nodded obediently.

Biting his lip slightly, Cameron backed away once he was solidly on his feet. “Why don’t you go ahead to the bedroom, and I’ll bring it in there?”

Julian looked at him curiously and nodded again, moving slowly.

Cameron watched him until he disappeared into the darkness behind the screens. He walked over to the desk and slid open a drawer so he could pull out an envelope. He’d prepared it over the weekend, and he’d wondered ever since if it was the right thing to do. He held the envelope in his hand for a moment as he doubted himself. What if it was too fast, too much, too soon? What if he scared Julian off? It had only been a month or so...

But he’d already told Julian he had something to give him. He couldn’t back out now.

After another few moments’ waffling, Cameron grew annoyed by his indecision. He turned on his heel and walked between the screens to join Julian. He approached the bed where Julian sat and held out the envelope. Although he wasn’t shaking, he was afraid his voice would crack if he tried to speak.

Julian looked down at the envelope and then up to meet Cameron’s eyes questioningly.

Cameron’s lips pressed together for a moment. “It’s for you,” he said shakily. “Don’t... ” He gave a short, nervous laugh. “Don’t feel obligated to accept.”

Julian took the envelope without looking away from Cameron. He smiled at him affectionately and carefully slid his finger under the flap of the envelope as he looked down at it. He glanced up at Cameron one more time and then peered into the envelope. It held a keycard and a key, both strung on a simple black woven key chain. Julian blinked down at it before looking up at Cameron in surprise.

“I said any time,” Cameron said, not mentioning the fact that Julian already seemed to be able to get into the building without the card. “I meant it. I want you to know you’re welcome here.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Julian said candidly. “Thank you, Cameron.”

“You’re welcome,” Cameron answered as he watched Julian carefully.

Julian stood and picked Cameron up again with a smile. “I’m thrilled,” he whispered.

Cameron gasped softly in relief as he braced one hand on Julian’s shoulder. “I’m glad I made you happy.”

“Well, it’s Tuesday,” Julian murmured with a smile as he slowly turned them in a circle. “You always make me happy on Tuesdays.”

“Technically, it’s Wednesday,” Cameron corrected.

Julian hummed in acknowledgment. “Spoilsport,” he accused softly.

Cameron’s smile was unrivaled. “But you’ve been with me all the Tuesday nights and Wednesday mornings lately,” he pointed out.

“That’s true,” Julian acknowledged with a grin as he set Cameron on his feet again. “Perhaps we’ve earned ourselves another day.”

“Yeah?” Cameron asked hopefully. He’d love to see Julian more than one night a week. He’d wondered sometimes why Julian couldn’t be here more often, besides the obvious explanation of work. Julian had to sleep at some point, didn’t he? Why couldn’t he do it here? But Cameron kept those questions to himself. They’d almost argued once over Cameron pushing for information, for explanations. He didn’t want to risk it happening again.

“I’ve seen you at the restaurant every Tuesday for months,” Julian was saying as Cameron thought about the situation. He looked down at Cameron curiously. “Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve... Do you evernotwork?”

Cameron gave him an amused smile. “I guess we have that in common, don’t we?”

Julian shrugged. “Do you work so much because you like it or because of the money?”

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