Page 24 of Touched By Destiny

“Should we move on to reviewing the list of incidences and concerns from guests we’ve acquired this week?” Gabriel asked, trying desperately not to discuss Eric with the man’s father for another second.

Since nothing was more vital to Clark than safety, he discussed every aspect with Gabriel frequently, so it was an easy topic to distract him. Monday or Tuesday afternoons always began with a similar discussion about the previous week, and new procedures or schedule adjustments were made as necessary. Pushing their conversation toward business kept Gabriel from falling further into the well of hopelessness and remorse plaguing him.

No matter the consequences, Gabriel couldn’t regret that night in the hotel. As quick as his release had come, those moments with Eric were sacred memories. Hot, sexy ones constantly slipping into his happy dreams of them together. And Gabriel foolishly wished for a second chance to hold Eric close.

It would never happen again. Eric had barely spoken to him since the night he’d called to tell him their relationship was impossible. Gone was the easy friendship they’d shared, and in its place was a constant, haunting silence. But that didn’t stop Gabriel from yearning to be at his side. Which just proved what a fool he was.

???

“I snuck some chips out of the kitchen,” Richard said, pulling the glass door shut behind him as he handed a bag and bowl to Eric. It was below triple digits for the first time in a couple of months, but not by much. Eric sat outside on the balcony that led into his bedroom. “I left your door open. Mari says she’ll come up once we’re done gawking.”

Eric set the bowl on the table between the two chaises and emptied the bag of chips into it as his brother flopped onto the seat on the other side of their snack. They were both barefoot and dressed casually in fashionable shorts.

“He just got there; we may be here for a while,” Eric remarked.

“Right? We’re appreciating the male form, and we will not be rushed,” Richard replied, helping himself to some chips.

“If it were some gorgeous woman wearing boxing gloves, Mari would drag us out here to watch.”

“Next time Gabriel works out on his deck, we should convince him to invite Rhonda.”

“Last year, Mari’s crush on Rhonda was almost as bad as mine on Gabriel. Mari’s smart,” Eric said, bitterness making his voice sharp. “She got over it and went back to meeting beautiful women.”

“Somewhere in your soul, maybe you recognized him as being part of you,” Richard responded softly. “Don’t be hard on yourself because it hasn’t worked out yet. It’s not a silly crush. He’s your friend. One of the people closest to you. No one probably knows more about the spirits you communicate with than Gabriel. You miss that, don’t you?”

Closing his eyes and breathing in slowly, Eric reflected on the past three weeks. He’d somehow enticed Gabriel into ahotel room and had the most incredible moments of his life. Then he’d been dumped. Twice. It was difficult not to feel stupid. And cheated. He’d been handed his soulmate. Only Gabriel—who was currently stripped down to nothing but a pair of loose shorts, pummeling a punching bag on the wide deck of his home—wanted nothing to do with Eric.

The distance separating them didn’t allow Eric to see any emotion on that handsome face. Which was nothing new. Since Gabriel returned from his vacation, he’d kept his expressions carefully neutral. Eric hoped he was as successful in his bid to do the same. He’d been smart enough to keep conversation to a minimum in order to keep the anger and embarrassment from showing, and Richard was right. He missed him.

“Yeah,” Eric replied. “Not once in all the years since I first learned I could hear spirits has Gabriel ever complained about me standing outside talking to things only I can see. It doesn’t matter how many days or weeks it takes until the spirit is ready to be coaxed into a portal; Gabriel is curious about their lives, and I truly believe he wants them to find happiness like I do. It’s been hard to keep that bottled up and force myself not to spill everything to him about the spirits I’ve aided since that night at the club.”

He yearned to see Gabriel’s mouth curled in amusement when Eric had a funny detail about a ghost to share, or to hear the husky laugh that never failed to cause a lovely shiver to rush through him. And Eric was annoyed that he was searching for Gabriel’s happiness when the man had stolen it from him.

“Because long before you finally got him into a hotel room, he was your friend,” Richard replied. “How many necros are lucky enough to find their soulmate after they’ve built a bond like you have with Gabriel? We’re taught to seek out our other half, but at the same time we don’t want to build a strongrelationship with someone only to learn they aren’t the person destined for us. It’s a minefield, Eric.”

Eric was unsure how to respond to his brother, so the sound of the door opening again behind them was a welcome intrusion. But when he glanced back, it was his mother stepping outside instead of Maribeth.

“You’re having dinner in less than ninety minutes; why are you out here eating chips?” his mother asked as she contradicted her words by snagging a couple of the salty treats for herself.

“I was taught to appreciate the finer things in life,” Richard replied with a grin that didn’t quite reach his blue eyes. “So, Eric and I are out here watching a gorgeous man sweat very sexily and celebrating with excellent fare.”

“Our Gabriel is beautiful,” their mother agreed, resting her weight against Eric’s chaise. “And it’s positively sinful the way those muscles bunch as he works out.”

“I slept with him,” Eric offered conversationally.

“Did you?” his mother asked, lifting her brows in surprise. A few seconds later, her lips curved. “Lucky boy.”

Eric fortified himself with chips and enjoyed the view of his soulmate, landing punch after punch in the bag bolted onto the roof of his deck. He still wanted him. Nothing about that would ever change, and it was both thrilling and maddening. “I’m thinking about doing it again.”

“Are you?” Richard asked, his voice rising with shock and concern.

“You’re young and unattached. Have fun but remember…Gabriel will always be a part of this family,” his mother warned. “Don’t do anything to make it weird. Seduce him if you like, but don’t get tangled up in anything that breaks either of your hearts. You’re adults; you can have sex without strings. Andremember, taking chances with sex is the only way either of you will ever find your soulmate.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to get involved with Gabriel,” Eric said. Although his heart and soul ached for the man, Eric had already learned how dangerous it was to have feelings for Gabriel. “I’d just like to enjoy his body.”

“It’s quite a body,” his mother responded. “Don’t fill up on chips; we’re going to have a nice dinner. Alden is coming, and it’s been so long since we’ve had the whole family together.”

Rosalind disappeared into the house, and Eric wondered how she’d convinced his uncle to finally join them at the table again. Although both his parents spoke of their closeness with Alden, that had ended when Eric was still a child. There were photos of Alden throughout the house wearing a bright smile, but Eric rarely saw any joy on his often-absent uncle’s face. Perhaps he was finally turning a corner and was finding some happiness again.

---