Page 37 of Why Cruise

Well, duh.I wasn’t actually going to say that out loud, though. My mind spun, trying to figure out where this conversation was going.

“Okay, look, I was a little bit of a player at the beginning of my career. Being seen with beautiful, important omegas creates good press and opens a lot of doors for you.”

I put my hand to my chest and gasped. “Justice Twill is a fuck boy?”

“Was. I said was.”

“I don’t know, Mr. Twill. Your behavior thus far would say otherwise.”

“Yeah, okay, she fucks like a rock star, but the business connections were even better,” he said defensively, but then narrowed his eyes. “Are you… teasing me?”

I tried to smother a laugh but I couldn’t.

“Great,” Justice threw up his hands dramatically, “I’m stranded with beautiful omegas and all they want to do is tease me.”

I sucked in a breath and turned away from Justice like I was examining a painting. Beautiful? Did he think I was beautiful? No.

“I just, well, not everyone approves of the paragon system. I didn’t want you to think there’s something there that’s not there.”

No, it’s cool, and it’s not like I could ever be as important and desirable as Aria.The words scrolled out in my head and then stopped dead before they reached my mouth.

“I’d really rather you not diminish yourself in front of me.”

That hadn’t been a command or a bark. Justice probably didn’t even remember he said it. But I couldn’t make myself violate it, regardless.

I swallowed hard and licked my lips. At light speed, my brain sorted through a billion different things to say and settled on something boring and safe. “Aria is fascinating. I’d love to go to Sanctum one day.”

“Oh,” he said in surprise. “When we get back to Port Haven, I’ll take you. It’s luxurious for sure, but it is just a bar.”

Did Justice fucking Twill just ask me out on a date?Heat flashed through my body.Oh, no no no. Get a hold of your omega hormones, Theo Evergreen. You cannot walk through a museum with Justice Twill and a hard-on.

We drifted through the galleries, finally stopping in front of a massive still life. Fruit and flowers arranged just so, everything perfectly positioned to show off the artist’s skill with light and shadow. Justice and I tilted our heads at the same angle, studying it.

“Not a fan.”

“I don’t really like classical art,” we said in unison, then turned to stare at each other before breaking into matching grins.

“What do you like, Theo?”

The way he said my name made it really hard to breathe.

“I could show you?” The words tumbled out before I could second-guess them.

His lips curved into a smile that made me wonder if we were still talking about art.

“Please.” The word went straight to my dick. Alphas didn’t ask “please.”

I led him back to the room we were just in and stopped in front of a massive canvas of bold colors and sweeping lines.

“Classical art always feels like looking at someone’s PackSpace feed,” I said. “All filtered and posed. You’re just supposed to look at it. You’re not actually part of it.”

“What else are you supposed to do with art but look at it?” Justice asked, but his tone was curious rather than dismissive.

I stepped closer to the canvas. “See how the colors pop right here? The artist wants you to look here first. And then she pulls your eye across the canvas, with the blues and greens swirling together like waves. The color creates movement. It’s like…” I searched for the right words. “It’s like a dance with the viewer. You don’t just look at it, you experience it. You are part of the art.”

Justice was quiet for a long moment, his eyes tracking the patterns I’d pointed out.

“This painting is the reason I wanted to come here. Genevieve Toile is a controversial figure. She refuses to let her art hang in any of the major museums. She wants you to work for it, travel, get out of your comfort zone to see it. She also refuses to appear in public, believing that knowing her designation would change your perception of her work.”

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