Page 3 of Once Upon A Valentine
“Why don’t you come with me?” He stopped next to Bran but didn’t look directly at him, instead watching him out of the corner of his eye as he glanced up at the stars as well.
The heat of Bran’s body so close to his helped mitigate the worst of the biting cold but it also created other problems. The smell that he’d learned was distinctly Bran over the last few years seemed to swirl around him. The man smelled… expensive. That was the first word that had come to Julian on the day they met and he found it still rung true. Expensive, like dark spices and vanilla and leather. There was something intensely heady and erotic about the scent and he’d never been able to figure out if it was a specific cologne, Bran’s natural musk and pheromones, or some combination of the two. Not that it mattered. No matter how much he ached to slide his nose along the soft spot below Bran’s jaw and find out, he would never, ever give in to that urge.
Julian licked his suddenly dry lips and heard Bran sigh heavily beside him. He felt that quicksilver gaze on him a moment before Bran looked away again just as quickly. He was glancing back up at the sky before he spoke again.
“I’d go anywhere with you Jules, but I’m not going back in that house.”
Anywhere? Julian couldn’t help but turn to face the other man. Those words hit him somewhere deep inside, curling around his heart and refusing to be ignored. Bran would go anywhere with him? What did that mean? He shook off the urge to ask, knowing the other man was drunk and he shouldn’t read anything into what he said, not ever, but especially not tonight.
“You’ve made it very clear that you don’t want to be at this engagement party for your brother. Are you upset that Gibson asked Felix to marry him?” He asked instead and earned a derisive snort.
“Of course not. Felix makes him happy. I’m glad they worked out their issues last Christmas and I’m sure they’ll make a beautiful life together. I would never begrudge my brothers falling in love. They deserve all the happiness the world has to offer.”
He didn’t miss the fact that Bran said his brothers deserved love and happiness. No mention of it for himself. It wasn’t a surprise. He’d had the feeling for a long time now that Bran’s brash behavior meant to push everyone away was some sort of self-imposed punishment. He didn’t thinkhedeserved to be happy.
“Ah, I see.”
“You see what?” Bran all but growled, turning on him, eyes hard and skeptical. “What is it that you think you see, Jules?”
“You.” Julian admitted softly and then shrugged, looking away, wondering why he had admitted something he’d been denying for so long. “I see you.”
“Bullshit. You see the same thing they all see, what Iwantthem to see. If you saw the real me, you wouldn’t be out here talking to me. You wouldn’t want anything to do with me. I’m a selfish bastard and they all know it. That’s why they didn’t come after me themselves, because they know they’re better off without me.”
Julian stared at him for a long moment, taking him in, trying to decide if Bran really thought so little of himself. It was clear that he did and Julian’s heart ached for him. Not just because he wanted to be closer to the handsome man but because he wanted, more than anything, to hold Bran and tell him that he was just as worthy of love as anyone else in that room. Instead of doing that, or telling him any of the things he knew about him that he really shouldn’t, he said the only thing he could.
“They didn’t come after you because I told them I would.”
“Why?”
“Why what?” Julian blinked at the quick, snapped question.
“Why did you offer to come after me? A sense of duty to Gibson? Because you’re his little problem solver and he made me your problem tonight?” Bran narrowed his eyes, something vaguely disgusted crossing his handsome face. “Yeah that’s it, isn’t it? You saw the same thing in there that I did. You’re too smart to have missed that we’re the only ones not paired off. You know as well as I do, they set us up so they could push me on you.”
“So?” Julian feigned nonchalance.
“So?” Bran barked a rough, unamused laugh. “They invited you so they’d have someone to keep tabs on me, to rein me in and keep me under control.”
“You think they invited me to be your babysitter?” Julian tilted his head, curious as to the way Bran had come to all the wrong conclusions even though he knew there was no talking rationally with a drunk man. “Well, if that’s the case, Felix really is the kind of party planner that thinks of everything. Youdoseem to need a babysitter tonight.”
Bran scowled, “Fuck you, Jules.”
Julian chuckled lightly but shook his head, “Not tonight, Branson. Not tonight.”
Bran’s dark brows knit together and Julian barely contained a smirk at the confusion that painted his handsome face. Good. He liked the idea of throwing Bran off-kilter, even if Bran likely wouldn’t remember this conversation come morning.
“What?” Bran blinked at him but Julian sighed and waved away the question.
“Nothing. Forget it.” He motioned towards the side of the house, “You said you’d go anywhere with me except back inside, so come on. If you won’t go back to the party, I’ll take you home.”
“You’re going to take me home?” Bran still looked mildly confused.
“Yes. I’m taking you home.”
“With you?”
Julian felt his lips twitch but shook his head, “No. I’ll take you to your apartment and make sure you get in safely. Gibson should be able to enjoy the rest of his engagement party without having to worry that you’re driving drunk.”
“I’m not drunk.” Bran tipped his chin up defensively.
