Page 21 of The Bright and Hungry Future of Hawks

Nikolas just stared at him. Eventually, he offered, “I am actually so intrigued as to how you might pull that neat trick off that I’m going to say yes. Surprise me.”

Ben grinned. “It’ll be fantastic. Trust me.”

“Better than this proposed dinner?”

“Huh?”

Nikolas drained his glass in one long swallow. “Something is burning.”

Ben didn’t care. He was ecstatic. As he sorted the dish, scraping a few blackened pieces into the disposal, he kept glancing at Nikolas, who now knew he was being watched and therefore wasn’t concentrating on his story at all. Finally, Nikolas lifted his gaze to Ben. It was a searing, powerful moment of communion. Ben was reminded for the first time in a long while that he and Nikolas had an existence together as lovers entirely separate to the large, extended family they had created together—no, at the core of it all.

Ben then remembered with a shiver Nikolas’s words after the earthquake on Dartmoor. They were the radiance which created the world—albeit their tiny version of it in a hidden Devon valley.

He could not tell if the shiver had been pleasant or ominous.

* * *

Chapter 13

Fourteen Years Ago

They had parted after the walk, Aleksey lying he had some work to do, and suggesting Ben could amuse himself in the library for a few hours. He was inventive in his punishments when he wanted to be. He suspected it might be the first time Benjamin Rider had ever been encouraged to discover what libraries housed.

He’d needed some time alone to think about things.

And, obviously, smoke.

Half a pack gone already, he was no further forward in his deliberations. Except for realising that he had changed his mind about Ben Rider.

He did not now think it for the best at all if Benjamin told him to fuck off.

And for the first time in his life, Aleksey could not see the path which had led him to this conclusion. Obviously, Ben Rider still had his superb body. The eyes were just as green as they had been at Sennybridge—more so, in fact, given extra brilliance by the coastal light. So the fall into exposure and ruin which all that perfection threatened was entirely real. But he sensed he was now losing control in subtler ways—he was falling in a different direction, and it was entirely unnerving.

He was falling to a place from which he suspected he would not wish to be saved.

And he could not work out for the life of him how this had occurred.

Ostensibly they had just talked.

He had asked intelligent and relevant questions. Ben Rider occasionally said something useful.

But it had not escaped Aleksey’s notice that when he had asked if Ben had found something he was willing to give up his beloved Special Forces for, Ben had considered this and asked back ifheran the Department. Personally.

And hence the need to take a break from the man and smoke…huh…three-quarters of a pack of cigarettes.

Aleksey glanced at his watch.

Three.

Alcohol was required.

He sauntered downstairs to the private kitchen to find Ben Rider leaning against the window, looking out at the back view of the courtyard and offices.

“Good afternoon, Benjamin. Good read? The library here is excellent. Many rare volumes of great—“ Fuck! What was the word? Anti something or other. He felt a slight sweat of panic at appearing anything other than completely serene and perfect in front of this man, then realised he probably didn’t need to worry when it concerned words describing books, so concluded lamely, “Age.”

“I have a phone, sir. I surfed the net. Had a great afternoon. Good nap?”

Suppressing a jaw clench of irritation, Aleksey decided filching a bottle of wine to take upstairs was not a good look, so he had a brainwave and offered, “It must be time for afternoon tea. You are English. I had forgot.”

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