Page 13 of Once Upon A Valentine
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Jules.” Bran smiled that slightly lopsided grin of his and Julian took the bouquet of pink and white roses he held out.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Branson.” He managed, though his voice was thick with emotions he’d rather not look at too closely. He cleared his throat and moved to the side, “Come in.”
Bran gave a short nod and stepped past him, into the apartment. Julian shut the door and tried not to get lost in the scent of him, that intoxicating masculinity that was all Bran. He forced himself to take a steadying breath and recollect himself. He was the one in control here. He was always the one in control. Bran showing up at his door had surprised him but he couldn’t, and wouldn’t, show how much he was affected by the man’s mere presence, let alone the thoughtful flowers.
He moved around Bran, ducking into the kitchen to find a vase, “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I uh… you said…”
He glanced up as Bran slowly followed him into the kitchen and he raised a brow as the other man trailed off, “I said to call me if you wanted to talk. I wasn’t expecting you to show up unannounced.”
“Oh…” Bran’s brows knit together and he frowned, “I can uh… go…”
Julian smiled softly as he arranged the flowers and shook his head, “No. You’re here. I’d like you to stay, if you want to that is.”
“I want to.” Bran nodded and they exchanged a warm look.
“There.” Julian finished fluffing the flowers and pushed the vase aside. “They’re beautiful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
They stood there for a long moment, staring at each other, neither of them saying anything. Julian waited to see if Bran would break the silence. He was clearly a little nervous about being here. He kept fidgeting which was so unlike the Branson Frost that Julian knew, he felt he had to ease the other man’s unease.
“I didn’t realize you knew where I live.”
Bran flashed a grin at that, “Of course I know where you live. I may not work at Frost Financial but I do have access to all the employee files.”
Julian snorted, “I’m pretty sure that’s an invasion of privacy.”
“Only if you mind that I’m here.”
“I don’t. Not at all.” Julian moved around the counter, “But if you wanted to meet up to talk, I could have come to your place. It’s a lot nicer than this.”
Bran rolled his eyes, “First off, this place looks pretty damn nice, Jules. And second, I think you know I didn’t come here just to talk.”
Julian raised an eyebrow and Bran shifted uncomfortably.
“Why don’t we go into the living room? Would you like a a glass of wine?”
“No, thanks. I’m uh… I’m trying to give sobriety a go.”
He looked ashamed by the admission but Julian smiled, “I’m glad to hear that. I think it’s a wise decision that will be good for you.”
“Yeah?” Bran glanced from the glass on the counter back to Julian.
“Yes.” Julian picked the glass up and poured the remains of the wine down the drain. “And I think we should both be sober for this conversation, and whatever comes next.”
Bran offered an almost shy smile as Julian led him to the living room. Julian sat on the sofa but Bran didn’t try to sit next to him. He took up the chair opposite the couch, so they were facing each other. Julian tried not to think about just how good the man looked there, in his chair, in his apartment. He leaned back, trying to appear more at ease than he felt as desire and hope both flared inside of him in equal measure.
Bran leaned forward, elbows on his knees, “I uh… I went to see Roman today.”
“Oh?”
“I needed to apologize for my behavior last night so I went by his house. We talked for a while and he forgave me for being an ass at dinner. So did Ash actually.”
“That’s good.” Julian nodded when he paused, certain Bran had more to say.
“We uh… We talked about some other stuff too.” Bran’s silver blue gaze snagged on Julian’s mouth before he cleared his throat. “Roman was… is… a lot like you.”
