Page 4 of Outside the Lines
“Ian Meyers.”
His shy smile played with my nerves in wicked ways, and we both let go at the same time. I could almost hear Lydia whispering in my ear,Go for it. Except whenever I did, I got shot down hard. I’d given up on men long ago, at least in these kinds of situations.
Being polyanda bisexual guy was asking for trouble. We stuck to swinging with other couples and all the guys were straight, so I got to look, but not touch. Bi guys weren’t exactly welcome as swingers.
Ian? I really wanted to touch Ian. Would never happen, though. “Do you need somewhere to build it, too? I mean, if the paint has to dry quickly, this is a great space. We keep the humidity down, or try to, for the books and comics.” I nodded to the bread-and-butter section of the store. “Plus, if you need anything . . .”
Ian’s grin wasn’t so shy now. “I suspect you don’t have stunt artists running around playing hacky sack in the aisles, either.”
“No, not usually.” I laughed. “Though some of the crew do come in for their comic fix. Not sure who’s who.”
Ian seemed startled by that tidbit of info. “You don’t have any trouble with the fans?” He nodded in the direction of our next-door neighbor, Howling Moon.
“You’d think they’d come in here too, right?” That had been our hope when they’d opened next door.
Ian nodded.
“Some do, but far fewer than you’d expect. They can get Wolf’s Landing comics at their local stores. Here, they’re only interested in the stuff you can’t find anywhere else. Other than the comics and the books, we can’t sell anything Wolf’s Landing, so they glance around at the comics and leave.”
Ian wore a shocked expression again. “You . . . can’t sell Wolf’s Landing stuff?”
“Not anymore. They licensed all the merchandise to certain vendors once the TV series hit big.” Which had been about the same time Howling Moon had opened. “Makes sense, in a way. Don’t want one shop poaching from another.”
“But you can still sell the comics?” Ian focused on the new issues racks with such a longing that I wanted to slide up to him and give him a hug. Desire, loss, and need played across Ian’s face. Part sexy, part heartbreaking.
I’d seen that before. In parents who wandered in with their kids and in those who came in off the street “just to look around,” as they said. Had usually collected comics as kids, but stopped, or had their issues thrown out, or something like that.
I wondered what Ian’s story was. “Well, there’s really only one distributer for comics. Not even Hollywood can break that monopoly. We get the Wolf’s Landing issues in with all the other comics.”
Ian nodded absently, that yearning still etched in his face. He clenched and unclenched his hands.
So far gone. “You collect?”
He shoved his fingers through his hair. “Used to. No time now, and Anna will have my balls if I don’t get this set finished.”
I croaked, and he got the most wicked smile.
Yeah, I kind of wanted his balls. In my mouth. But explaining everything about my life? That shit took time, and I wasn’t fooling around with anyone until I told them about my situation. Of course, that inevitably led to never seeing the guy again. Ah well. “So, when do you want to get started?”
Now his grin was straight from the devil. “On the set?”
Fuck, yeah, he knew I was into him. “I— Yeah. The set.” Heat on my face. “I’m in the shop every day, so I’m available whenever.”
“For the set.” That smoldering gaze burned straight down to my dick and balls.
I wasn’t going to get out of this gracefully. Might as well head toward what we both wanted . . . and then get shot down in flames. I swallowed my fear. “Let’s start with the set.”
Ian had eyes I could drown in. A smile too. “Okay,” he said. “Then you’re on for tomorrow.”
I struggled to find a sexy or witty reply, but was saved by Ian’s phone whistling.
“Fuck,” he muttered, and whipped the cell phone out. “Shit. I’m gonna be late for a meeting.” He met my gaze. “I’m sorry. I gotta run.”
“No problem. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”
His grin was perfection and he did that up-down number again, practically undressing me with his eyes. “I hope so.” He turned and headed out the door.
Well, here we go. I watched the trail Ian blazed and returned to my model. It seemed such a dull, amateur job now. Much like my flirting.
