Page 8 of Warrior's Cross

The man nodded and tilted his head to the side discreetly, as if he were aware of the light hitting him and highlighting the bruising.

Cameron acknowledged him silently and deliberately lowered his eyes; he didn’t want to make the man uncomfortable. Apparently, they were back to the silent dance.

Cameron returned five minutes later with the bottle of wine and a crystal glass, setting them down along with the bread-basket from a tray he handed off to another server. He started working on uncorking the bottle, pausing to look out at the falling snow with a pleased smile before returning his attention to what he was doing.

The man watched him contemplatively, his expression giving away nothing else as he waited for Cameron to finish. Humming just slightly under his breath, Cameron looked up at him as he set the cork aside. The man had never examined it before, and Cameron didn’t figure he would now, so he went ahead and poured a few blurbs into the glass.

“We’ll be needing another,” the man said to him as he poured, his voice barely above a whisper, as always.

Cameron’s hand shook a little as he pulled the wine bottle back.

“Of course, sir,” he said. He wondered if the odd ritual from that night weeks ago would be repeated. He wasn’t sure he wanted to see it; that was when his fascination had gone into overdrive. But if the man wasn’t going to repeat that gesture, that meant he was actually meeting someone.

The dark man reached out and took the glass gently, his big hand cupping the crystal and bringing it to his lips without even disturbing the liquid inside. He tasted it slowly and nodded his approval as he set the glass down on the table.

Cameron’s mouth curled up at one side. He would never tire of watching this man sample wine, he knew that much. He leftthe man sitting for a few moments before reappearing with the other glass, placing it carefully with the other place setting, and departing without comment.

The big man stood suddenly as Cameron moved away from the table. His eyes were on the entrance, and his fingers deftly buttoned his suit coat as he stood straight and tall. The movement nearly startled Cameron into turning toward him again, but he managed to keep moving as he glanced toward the entrance.

Keri was escorting a woman to the table. She was tall, blonde, and thin, pretty in a fake sort of way, her long legs accentuated by her stiletto heels and the high slit in her black dress. The man greeted her with a murmur of words and kissed her cheek as he pulled out her chair for her.

As soon as he reached the service area, Cameron had to hold himself back from darting to the shutters to try to see what was going on. He reminded himself to act properly, to be respectful of the customer and his privacy, and then he sighed, knowing it was a losing battle.

“That’s the first time he’s ever had someone with him,” Miri said as she stopped next to him and peered through the shutters.

“Quit spying,” Cameron chastised, even though that was exactly what he wanted to do. Miri looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Cameron bit his lip as he looked at her. “What are they doing?” he asked, almost against his will.

“He’s definitely talking to her,” Miri answered with a wry smile as she turned back to watch some more.

Cameron sighed and picked up a water pitcher. If the man had someone at the table with him, then he needed to go check on them. It had never happened before, and it struck him that he might be slightly jealous. Cameron thought of the man’s timeat Tuesdays as his, no matter how unrealistic it was. And if it were a date, it was poking all kinds of holes in Miri’s theory.

He unobtrusively approached the table, silently taking up first her water glass and filling it, then his.

“I received your offer this morning,” the woman was saying in a low, pleasantly smoky voice as Cameron filled their glasses. “That’s not the price we agreed on, Julian.”

“It’s the price, nonetheless,” the man she addressed murmured as he leaned back and looked up at Cameron. He nodded his thanks.

Cameron swallowed hard on a knot of nervous excitement.Julian.

That was the man’s name. Finally, after all these months, he knew the man’s name. It was such a rush and a relief. Why had he never thought to ask Blake?

“What’s good here?” the woman asked as she picked up her menu. “I assume you’re footing the bill?”

Julian merely nodded.

“The special tonight is braised boar marsala over creamed potatoes with baby peas,” Cameron offered after clearing his throat. “The house favorites are vegetable penne in lemon sauce and marinated shrimp in champagne beurre blanc.” Somewhere inside, he was turning over the man’s name. Julian. Julian. The dark man looked like a Julian.

“Shrimp sounds wonderful,” the woman responded with a smile that showed a glimpse of perfect teeth. She closed her menu and handed it to Cameron. “I’d also like a cosmo,” she added. She looked at Julian and grinned mischievously. “You don’t mind if I drink on the job, do you?” she teased.

Julian narrowed his eyes and cocked his head slightly. “If it will improve your performance,” he responded with all seriousness.

Cameron pressed his lips together to keep from frowning. He took the menu with a soft murmur of acknowledgment and turned toward the bar. One cosmo, coming up. Surely to God the woman wasn’t what she was talking like. She looked far too classy for that, and the man—Julian—certainly he’d never need to pay for companionship.

Cameron put in the woman’s order and couldn’t keep his eyes from straying to the mirror to watch them. They were obviously talking, the man still stoic as the woman waved one hand around lazily.

Cameron’s eyes widened as he saw the woman’s foot rise and deliberately rub along the man’s calf. Julian tilted his head and said something in response.

Coughing slightly, Cameron picked up the drink. He headed back over to the table, delivering it silently, trying not to listen to the end of their conversation and failing.

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