Page 56 of Warrior's Cross

Some of the tension invested in Cameron’s shoulders relaxed.

“Better than being shot,” he muttered, taking the time to push Julian’s shirt over his shoulders.

Julian smiled slightly. “I rarely get shot while dealing antiques,” he said, barely restraining a snicker.

Cameron rolled his eyes. “Antiques. How in the world did you come up with that? Is it even remotely close to what you do?” He moved around Julian, helping him remove the shirt so he wouldn’t have to twist.

“Remotely,” Julian answered defensively.

Cameron snorted and knelt down to start unlacing Julian’s shoes. “Remotely,” he repeated with a shake of his head.

“I deal with . . . old . . . things. Sometimes. I have an old gun,” Julian offered hopefully.

“Is the old gun a collector’s item?” Cameron asked cheekily.

Julian watched him raptly, his body tensing pleasantly as Cameron knelt at his feet. “No,” he answered gruffly as he lifted first one foot and then the other obediently. “Just old.”

Pulling off Julian’s Italian loafers and socks, Cameron knelt back on his heels and looked up at him.

“I don’t know that I have the energy to do to you what I want to,” Julian muttered with a frown.

Cameron slid his hands up Julian’s calves to settle behind his knees. “Which would be?”

“Unseemly, I’m sure,” Julian murmured in a slightly more hoarse voice.

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” Cameron slid his hands slowly to coast up the fronts of Julian’s thighs.

Julian closed his eyes and raised his chin, breathing out slowly as if trying to retain control. Usually, when Julian came home this tired, Cameron gave in gracefully and quite happily curled up in his arms and slept. But he’d obviously been starving to touch and be touched. Julian didn’t blame him; he felt the same way even with the extreme fatigue.

He shuddered as Cameron’s hands kept moving, just coasting over the fine fabric of Julian’s tailored trousers.

Julian’s hand slid into Cameron’s hair gently, almost unconsciously. He opened his eyes again and looked down at him, torn between wanting to touch him and simply wanting to collapse onto the bed.

Cameron seemed to sense it, though, and his hands went still.

Slowly, Cameron leaned forward and set his cheek against the juncture of Julian’s hip and thigh.

Julian ran his hand gently over the top of Cameron’s head as he looked down at him. It felt odd, standing there with the other man on his knees and hugging him. It also felt good, for a variety of reasons.

Julian felt like he was somehow protecting Cameron, even though there was no immediate danger. Julian rarely got to feel like that in other aspects of his life. It was one of the reasons he found being with Cameron so appealing.

After a minute, Cameron sighed and moved, scooting back and getting to his feet. His hands moved to unfasten Julian’s pants efficiently, this time with the simple goal of removing them. Julian still watched him unerringly. His dark eyes showed a whisper of arousal, but it was overpowered by exhaustion.

“C’mon,” Cameron said softly as soon as he had Julian suitably undressed, taking his hand and leading him over to the bed.

Julian’s fingers squeezed at Cameron’s. He didn’t know what to say, and he couldn’t let out the words that threatened. At this point they wouldn’t be very believable, no matter how true he himself believed the sentiment to be. They barely knew each other, but the connection between them, Julian believed, was real.

Stopping at the bedside, Cameron pulled down the quilts and sheet and shifted to urge Julian to lie down.

Julian stopped him and held his hand tightly, looking down at the bed as he tried to convince himself that he wasn’t mentally prepared to do what he wanted to do. That Cameron wasn’t prepared to hear it.

“Fuck it,” Julian finally breathed in annoyance. He reached for Cameron’s other hand and pulled until Cameron was facing him. “I believe I may be in love with you,” he blurted.

Cameron blinked at him several times—clearly surprised—too stunned to respond.

“I just... needed to say that,” Julian went on as he released one of Cameron’s hands and waved at his own head. “Outside of my head.”

“You think you might be in love with me?” Cameron repeated. “And you’ve been thinking it... already? Before now?”

---