Page 67 of Warrior's Cross

Julian lowered his head. Disappointed that Cameron hadn’t reacted better to what he’d hoped would be something sort of romantic?

Cameron couldn’t tell. Then Julian sighed and looked back up, nodding.

Cameron glanced at the ceiling. “I’m not so sure I like that,” he muttered. “There’s no telling what I’m saying to you.” Then he stiffened. God, all the things he worried about happening to Julian, wondering what he would do if Julian didn’t come back, what he could do to keep the other man’s attention... did he voice those worries at night?

“Mostly you try to take my order and tell me to clear tables,” Julian told him, trying not to smile.

Head snapping up, Cameron looked at his lover, appalled. “No, I donot!”

Julian smiled and shrugged lopsidedly. “I’ve heard worse.”

Cameron narrowed his eyes, realizing he’d been pulled off track.

He sighed and filled up his glass, though Julian’s still stood untouched.

Julian was obviously a lot better at talking around things than he himself was. If he wanted to hide something from Cameron, he could probably do it without Cameron ever knowing. It was a sobering, depressing thought.

“What’s my favorite color?” he asked.

Julian gave a slight smile and glanced at the puppies. “Green?” he guessed as he studied them.

Cameron followed Julian’s gaze and smiled slightly as he shook his head. It was a valid guess, he supposed. The dog’s collars were blue, yellow, red, and white. No green to be found. Cameron figured a man like Julian wouldn’t be able to pick a particular dog to name after his favorite color, so he wouldn’t use that color at all. Julian was using that logic and applying it to Cameron. It was sweet, in a way, and Cameron had to fight not to kiss him for it.

“Where do you live?” he asked instead. “When you’re not here with me?”

“At home,” Julian answered as he looked back at Cameron. “Whatisyour favorite color?” he asked curiously.

“I don’t ask very good questions, do I?” Cameron muttered after drinking down almost half his glass again. He looked back up at Julian.

In answer to his question, Cameron pulled open the collar of his shirt with one hand and brushed his fingers over the garnet stone in the pendant.

Julian’s eyes followed the movement and then drifted back up to Cameron’s in surprise. “You just need to be more specific,” he murmured in answer to the question Cameron had posed.

Cameron wondered why Julian looked mildly shocked, and he kept his fingers on the pendant, stroking the stone warmed by his skin.

His brow wrinkled as he tried to frame his next question. “More specific,” he murmured. He raised speculative eyes to Julian’s. “Will you take me home with you someday?”

Julian blinked at him and hesitated. “You’d want to see where I live?” he asked uncertainly.

“Yes,” Cameron answered, tilting his head as he looked at him. “Is that a problem?” Julian looked down, obviously trying to think it through or stall before giving an answer. Brows raising, Cameron took another big drink of wine and set downthe mostly empty glass with a clink to fill it back up. Julian’s pause was not reassuring. “Is there someone else living there?” he asked, his confidence bolstered by the wine and growing unease. “Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Wife?” he asked pointedly.

Julian looked up quickly. “What?” he asked in shock.

Cameron took his time filling up his glass yet again. “It’s a yes-or-no question, Julian. Actually, they both are. Pretty specific ones,” he rambled a little before unconsciously raising a hand to squeeze the back of his neck and pull at his ear.

“You think I’m married?” Julian asked, his voice rising unusually high.

“Right now I don’t know what to think. But I do know you well enough to know that if you were going to say no, you’d have said it immediately,” Cameron claimed, waiting to see if Julian contradicted him.

Julian stared at him incredulously. “What, you think just because you hit someone with a hammer, they’re going to immediately say ‘ow’?” he asked.

“I need more wine,” Cameron muttered, filling up his half-empty glass. “You act like two totally different people sometimes, you know that?”

“What?” Julian repeated helplessly.

“All right.” Cameron said sharply, setting down his glass. “Set my mind at ease, one way or the other. Do you live with anyone else besides me on a regular basis?”

“No,” Julian answered with obvious pain in his voice. He stopped suddenly and his brow furrowed as he looked down. “Unless you count Preston,” he corrected.

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