Page 62 of Cursed
“Back in the day, this was a pub and a lot of sailors came here,” Evan filled him in while they waited for their menus from what he had read online. “Over time, it fell into disuse and was going to be torn down, but a local patron wanted to preserve the history and rescued it, on the condition that it be a self-sustaining museum. So…it’s a pirate-themed bar and restaurant with real pirate memorabilia.”
They both ordered the she-crab soup plus the crab dip for starters. Seth opted for the seafood pasta as his entree, while Evan chose the parmesan-crusted tilapia.
“Save room for dessert,” their server told them. “Our kitchen makes something different every night. You don’t want to miss it.”
Their appetizers came out quickly. Evan hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he took the first bite. He finished the soup faster than he expected, and dug into the house-made pita chips and crab dip.
“That’s really good,” he said, and Seth’s approving murmur filled Evan with a different kind of hunger. He shifted in his chair as his cock filled.
“We might waddle out of here if dinner is just as good,” Seth agreed. “Go walk around and look at the exhibits. I’ll hold the table and then we can switch.”
Evan loved that Seth indulged his nerdiness. Pirates were one of his favorites, fascinating him since childhood.
He had expected a kitschy, pop-culture display and instead found a truly museum-quality exhibit. Hand-drawn maps, cargo manifests, and letters brought the reality of life aboard the ships into focus as did “Wanted” posters and articles about ships sinking and pirates being sent to the gallows.
Despite Hollywood’s romantic depiction, the reality of pirates’ lives was bleak and short.I guess that’s why they lived it up in port when they came into any money. Most of them weren’t going to survive long enough to retire.
Even so, the displays didn’t dampen Evan’s mood. His historian side was fascinated by the memorabilia the restaurant had collected, and he was enough of a romantic to be able to set the facts aside and enjoy a good swashbuckling movie.
“Interesting stuff,” Evan told Seth when he returned to the table. Their drinks had been refreshed, and Seth had put a dent in both appetizers.
“I’ll go have a look,” Seth replied. “The rest of the food is yours. It’s pretty addictive.”
Seth walked away to see the displays, and Evan dug in. Lunch seemed like a long time ago, and he’d had a nervous stomach over the whole idea of shopping for engagement rings and actually, finally, beingengaged.
Evan popped a chip in his mouth and paused as the light caught his new ring.We’re really engaged.
He had often thought about pledging their commitment to one another but hesitated because it never seemed like quite the right time, or he feared it might be used against them. Evan felt pleased that Seth had been the one to bring it up, reassuring him that he was not alone in his feelings.
He splayed the fingers on his right hand, moving his hand so that the light glinted on the metal and admired the craftsmanship of the ring.
It finally happened.
Evan hadn’t doubted his feelings for Seth since the very beginning. Time and shared danger strengthened their bond, and he had lost count of the number of times they had taken crazy chances to rescue each other.
He glanced up as Seth returned and caught his partner looking at his own ring. Evan laughed. “Still a little surreal, right? You okay with it?”
Seth met his gaze with a sultry smile. “Much more than okay. Just can’t quite believe it’s real.”
“I promise to make you very sure it’s real when we get home tonight,” Evan told him in his sexiest voice.
Dinner was even better than Evan expected, and he was surprised that he nearly finished his portion as did Seth.
“The food is fantastic, although I doubt they had the same options aboard pirate ships,” Evan said. “Or dessert.”
They ordered the cheesecake, and Seth checked his watch. “I should call Milo before it gets any later. He’ll have my hide if he hears the news from someone else.”
Evan waited as Seth called his mentor. “Hey, Milo. You and Toby doing okay?”
“Yeah…we’re fine. How about you? Everything going okay with the job?”
“We had good backup for the job—it’s handled,” Seth replied, speaking in code because of the people in earshot. “But I wanted to let you know: Evan and I are engaged.”
Evan heard a whoop in the background that he knew was Milo’s partner, Toby.
“Well, it’s about damn time,” Milo said, straightforward as ever. “We wondered when the two of you would get your heads out of your asses and make it official. Got a date planned?”
Seth and Evan both laughed at Milo’s response. “No date yet, but we bought rings,” Seth told him. “Don’t worry, when we figure everything out, you’ll be the first to know.”
