Page 71 of Declan
“What?” he asked, leaning closer.
I wanted him closer, chest to chest. Heart to heart.
“Nothing,” I lied. “Let’s keep moving.”
The archeological museum had been fun, but the Aegean Maritime Museum was where Kyler really let his nerd flag fly. I’d had no idea he was so interested in old nautical maps, navigation instruments, and types of sailing ships. He was like a little kid with his wide-eyed wonder as he went to all the exhibits, learning the difference between Athenian triremes and the Byzantine dromon—which was a warship.
Gideon seemed interested as he looked at it all, too.
As an ex-military man, I was sure it was fascinating to see how past civilizations did things on that front. It would be for me, anyway. He read over a summary of some of the famous Athenian battles and how the trireme had been used before moving on to the section about Egyptian ships.
When we left the Maritime Museum and walked back outside, there was a group of teen girls huddled on the cobblestone path. They looked over at us and giggled to each other. An older woman was with them, but she went into one of the cafés.
“Seems your fans have spotted you, Price,” Gideon said, straightening his stance.
I cracked a smile at the sight of my large bodyguard preparing to defend me against a horde of screaming fangirls. So, imagine my surprise when they ignored me and approached him instead.
“Are you, like, a model?” one of them asked him.
Based on their accents, I’d say they were Southern American.
“Or an undercover agent?” another asked.
“A bodybuilder?” the third interjected.
Gideon peered at them through his sunglasses. Unmoving. Not talking. The guy wasn’t used to the attention.
“Sorry, ladies,” I said. “But me and Agent Carter here have to be on our way.”
“Wait!” one said as she gave me the up-down. “Oh my god! You’re Declan Price!”
Kyler snorted a laugh as the three of us left the group of girls with their mouths open. From behind us, I heard them screaming and jumping up and down.
“You okay?” I asked Gideon, grinning.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” he snapped.
His defensiveness made my smile widen. But I let the subject drop, not wanting to piss him off.
The incident got me thinking, though. Three years of having him by my side, and I’d never seen him date anyone or have the occasional hookup—that I’d seen, anyway. He kept all matters of his private life, well, private. I didn’t even know his type. As friendly as we were, he still held true to the bodyguard-client relationship a majority of the time. Never becoming too familiar or open.
We grabbed lunch at another seaside restaurant. I ordered Dolmas with lemon sauce. They were stuffed grape leaves with finely chopped yellow pepper, dill, and rice. Kyler ordered a Greek salad and mussels.
“Hey,” he whined as I stole one off his plate.
It was garlicky and fucking delicious.
“Can we go to the beach after this?” he asked, slightly bouncing in his chair as he chewed. “I bet that water feels amazing.”
I froze in my chewing.
Swimming would be nice, I agreed, but it was torture enough being around Kyler with his clothesonand not being able to touch him. Having him bare-chested, showing off his gorgeous tan and patches of freckles, all while getting wet and basking in the sunlight…fuck, I got hard just thinking about it.
There were about twenty-five beaches on the island. Paradise was the party beach, as were most of the other southern beaches, like Paraga and Psarou. Maybe we could choose a less-frequented beach. Because I doubted I’d have enough self-control to keep my distance from Kyler.
Just then, two guys walked past, holding hands as they moved down the path. One pointed at a boat in the harbor, and the other playfully nipped at the guy’s arm before pulling him in for a kiss.
Mykonos was known for being LGBTQ friendly. No one gawked or spewed insults at gay or lesbian couples. And in the nightlife scene, there were various popular gay clubs. Although amazing, it was like a punch in the gut to me. There I was, fighting my urges to do something simple like holding Kyler’s hand in public, while there were so many other people who openly embraced who they were.
