Page 53 of Oz
He flushes. “No, of course not.”
“Don’t take that hearty tone of voice with me, Milo,” I say sharply. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“I always imagined that would be said in a much softer tone of voice than that of a wing commander,” he muses, and I throw my napkin at him. He dodges it laughingly and smiles. “We are friends, Oz. I’msoglad you came here.”
“I’m glad I’m here too,” I say, but my mind is on him. I hesitate. “Niall’s a hard one to summarise.” He smiles, and I stare at him. At first glance they don’t go together. Milo is slim and dark while Niall is big and bold and blond. However, I’venoticed a few intense glances that Niall’s thrown at him since he’s become a bit more confident. He’s also extremely protective of Milo and watches over him like a mother hen.
Milo shakes his head and throws his napkin down on the table. “Niall is very confident,” he says quietly. “And I’m not. He goes for men like him who are confident and mature. Not the younger brother of one of his close friends.”
“Niall is in no way mature,” I say. “But I think you’re wrong. I’ve noticed–”
“Can we not talk about it,” he says quickly. I open my mouth, words tumbling on my tongue, but I still at the look of panic in his eyes.
“Okay,” I say quietly. “Let’s just eat breakfast and then we’ve got to unpack the book order for the shop.” I pause. “And while we’re doing that, I’d like to schedule a time for me to freak the fuck out about Silas.”
He takes a sip of his tea. “Why?”
I stare at him and when Chewwy puts his head on my thigh, I scratch behind his velvety ear. “This has got disaster written all over it. I’m actually living with Silas. The last time I fucked my boss, he moved me in and threw me out within three weeks. I haven’t exactly got longevity written over me.”
“Silas has,” he says quietly, watching me with those wise eyes of his. So clear and all-seeing, the product of a quiet man who sits back and watches before he engages.
“I’m not used to this,” I mutter, rubbing Chewwy’s head and feeling the hot moisture on my jeans from his sigh. “It always starts fast and furious and ends even faster and angrier. I don’t really do relationships now. I just fuck and leave. It’s way easier to do that than–”
“Than what?”
“Than watching them go,” I say and smile. “Shit, this got serious quickly. Let’s go and mock Barry.” I push Chewwy gentlyuntil he moves and scrape my chair back, but Milo reaches over and grabs my hand to stay me.
“Why not give it a chance?” he says softly. “I think Silas might be very different from the men you’ve met before.”
“Well, the same goes for me. I bet he’s never met anyone like me before.”
“I somehow know that’s negative in your mind, but I also know that it’s true in a different way. He’s never met anyone like you, Oz, and that’s a very bloody good thing. Do me a favour?” I look up at him and he smiles. “Give it a chance. Go with him and see where he leads you.” He pauses. “After all, it’s just for the summer, isn’t it?”
I nod and smile. “You’re right. I’ll be back in London by the autumn.”
I can’t even summon up the energy for fake enthusiasm.
Later that afternoon I come down the stairs to find Silas waiting in the hallway. He’s wearing jeans and a forest-green polo shirt, and he looks gorgeous. He looks up and, seeing me, a wide smile crosses his face.
“You look amazing,” he murmurs, coming towards me as I reach the bottom step and pulling me into a kiss. The step puts me almost at his height and I look into his warm eyes, a clear green this afternoon, and smile.
“Thank you.” I look down at my outfit of skinny jeans, motorcycle boots, and a cornflower-blue short-sleeved shirt. I tug at the shirt. “Is it okay for where we’re going?”
“It’s fine,” he says soothingly.
“Eyeliner okay? I don’t want to shock the locals.”
“I don’t think you’d shock anyone where we’re going. All their attention will be elsewhere.” He pauses and strokes my cheekbone. “Anyway, I’ve discovered that I’m very partial to your eyeliner. It makes those pretty blue eyes pop.”
“They’re going to pop out if you don’t tell me where we’re going.”
He laughs and stands back, and for a second I mourn the loss of his warm arms. But then he grabs a backpack and slings it onto his shoulders before taking my hand and leading me out of the house.
I look down at his tanned large hand holding mine and look up as he steers us towards the private carpark. “So, we’re fully public?” I ask wryly. “No hiding in cupboards for us.”
He stops and turns to me with a troubled look on his face. “Did you mind? I’ve been a bit worried all day that I’ve forced you into something you didn’t want.”
I laugh. “Forceme? I don’t know if you’ve met me, Silas, but while I may be small I’m not exactly built of obedient material.” He smiles a little, worry easing from his eyes but not enough, so I reach up and stroke his face. “It’s fine. I was just surprised, that’s all.”
