Cast Off (28 page)

“You’re telling me you got photos that could have come from a stalker or blackmailer and you never called me?”

Okay, now he was a little intimidated by Kurt’s angry cop voice.

“I told Rick we should call the cops, but he didn’t want to. Probably because he didn’t want to explain the name change thing.”

“I definitely want to know about the name change.” Surprisingly, Davy was a lot more forceful than Ian would have guessed.

“I can’t be the one to tell you, but you can read about most of it on
Errant
. He was featured on the Friday Lost Ones story this week. Part two, next Friday, will also include our sex pictures.”

“No, he wasn’t.” Davy shook his head.

“Yeah, he was. Check out the Sandor Svenson story.”

“There was no Sandor Svenson story.”

Ian stared at Davy. “Don’t tell me you read
Errant
?”

A cute blush colored the tips of Davy’s ears and the tops of his cheekbones. “Guilty pleasure. And according to last week’s quiz, Kurt might actually be a werewolf.”

Kurt twisted his head to flick an incredulous gaze over Davy before turning his attention back to Leon.

Huh. There really was no accounting for taste. “You must have missed it. I saw the layout that he put together.” Ian jabbed a thumb in Leon’s direction.

“I’m telling you, there was nothing about Rick. Or this Sandor person.” Davy started tapping at his phone.

Ian pulled out his phone too, and turned it on. Prominent were the number of voice mails he had. None from Rick although he had missed several calls. Hector had called three times as well, and sent a text.

Curiosity getting the better of him, he checked the text.

Story pulled with apologies. Your job is here if you wish, but I understand if your resignation stands.

Ian took a deep, cleansing breath. That was more consideration than he’d expected from Hector and
Errant
. But he couldn’t compromise his integrity any further to work at that place.

“They pulled the story.”

“But, but…,” Leon sputtered. “I thought after the story ran, you wouldn’t want him anymore.”

“Leon, that story could utterly destroy a man’s life, his career.”

“What story?” Davy pounded a fist on the table. Kurt did not look any more patient.

“Guys, it’s not really my story to tell. But all I can say is that Rick is an amazing, strong man. And Leon, even if Rick leaves me after the mess you made, I won’t be having you pick up where he left off. In fact, after tonight, I very much doubt we’ll ever see each other again.”

“But what about work?”

“I quit.” His simple statement drew three sharp inhalations, but only Leon tried to protest. “I’m going to go find Rick, try to make things right.”

Dylan might kill him, but he couldn’t drag this out any longer.

“But, Ian, I didn’t mean for this to happen, wait….” Leon stood up, but Kurt pushed him firmly back in the seat.

“No, you sit. We’re going to have a long talk about privacy and stalking. Assuming you don’t want to have a similar discussion at the police station.”

The last Ian saw of Leon, he sat like a scared boy getting chastised by his father. The very least of what he deserved, considering he was plenty old enough to understand there were consequences to his actions. At least he could rest easy knowing it was a young man who hadn’t fully thought out what the end results of his decisions were, and not some dangerous stalker after Rick.

Chapter 10

R
ICK
parked in the driveway and stared up at his house. He loved his house, but he hadn’t been able to return to it last night after seeing Ian kissing that… that… hot twentysomething kid. Had Ian even waited an hour before seeking solace in that guy’s bed? Seeing Leon in one of Ian’s suits had been the final twist of the sword in his back. His house held too many memories of Ian that he’d headed straight for Jon’s place, who luckily hadn’t gone out for the night.

But then, as Jon had so aptly put it, his own actions had hardly been above reproach and if he let his fear drive away a man he cared about… a man he loved, well, he only had himself to blame. If there was any salvaging this relationship, he was going to have to suck it up and talk to Ian.

Jon had stayed with him as long as he could before he had to go and check things out at Anaconda, leaving Rick to toss and turn in Jon’s guest bed all night. The only good thing about this shit-fest of a night was that Jon had spoken the truth. Losing Ian had hurt and made him cry like nothing else since his parents had died, but he never had even a momentary thought about physically hurting or killing Ian. One less thing to stress about.

What he needed was a shower, a charger for his phone, and something to eat that wasn’t ice cream. That bastard Ian was going to destroy his waistline, especially if he wasn’t going to be around to sex it all off.

He swung his legs out of the car and stretched, his lower back protesting how fucking soft Jon’s guest bed was. The early morning sun only illuminated how fucking depressed he was, and he trudged toward his front door, planning to spend the day hiding in his own guest room, where Ian hadn’t even set foot. Maybe he could get enough rest that he could find the courage to chase down Ian at his place and throw out that Leon kid.

Almost at his door, he didn’t notice the lump on his porch bench until it moved and he jumped, squealing like a girl.

“Rick?” Ian’s eyes were red-rimmed and bleary.

“Ian? What are you doing here?” Had he truly been there all night? The déjà vu was uncanny, although he was far happier to see Ian than Oscar.

“Waiting for you.”

They both spoke softly, as though afraid the other would spook.

“Um, I spent the night at Jon’s. I, uh, went to the wedding, and uh….”

“I know. I know what you saw, and believe me it wasn’t what it looked like. I tried to call you.” Ian waved his phone gently.

“I forgot my charger.” He took a deep breath. It was now or never, and he pushed his fear back again, plunging headfirst into what he desired most. “Want to come in?”

“Please.”

Rick led them inside, and they sat at the kitchen table.

“I’m so sorry for everything.” Ian spoke before he could, even though Rick thought he should be apologizing.

Then Ian proceeded to tell him a nearly unbelievable tale about that harmless-looking kid Leon.

“I don’t really think he was being truly malicious about it. I just think he was being selfish. If I were young and impulsive, I might have done the same to try and keep you.” Rick gave him a tremulous smile, unsure if Ian was truly here for reconciliation or only for closure.

“Really?” Ian stood and pulled him to his feet. “I was such an ass. I shouldn’t have left like I did. I know it was only for… a few hours all together, but I missed you so much.”

“I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have let my fears ruin what we had together.”

“It’s not ruined, and it’s not past tense. Unless that’s what you want.” Ian’s serious blue eyes stared into his own.

“No. That’s not what I want.”

Ian cradled his face with both hands and brought their faces together, Ian’s lips as necessary to his happiness as air was to his continued existence. The kiss was soft and warm, Ian’s tongue gently slipping between their lips to coax open their mouths.

An alarm rang out, and Rick pulled back.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, I set my alarm in case I fell asleep out there. I’ve got to get ready for the ‘morning after’ breakfast with the family.” Ian grimaced. “I could skip it.”

Rick had to man up. Ian came with family, like he came with the baggage of a 1920s socialite on a transatlantic cruise.

“No. I don’t want you to skip it. Maybe there’s room for one more?”

Judging from the enormous smile and tight hug, it had been just the right thing to say. The butterflies of dread in his stomach were nothing to the doldrums of despair that tore at him when he thought he’d lost Ian.

“Really, you’ll go with me?” The wattage of his smile dimmed. “We’d have to go now. Which means no make-up sex.”

“Don’t think you’re getting out of that….” Rick sucked in another breath. Time to go for the gold. Darling was out. “Love.”

Ian’s lips trembled and he clutched at Rick’s waist. “I… I love you.”

Rick had never been so happy yet so close to crying in his entire life. “I love you too.”

“Dammit. Now I really want to skip that breakfast.”

Laughing and sobbing at the same time, Rick kissed Ian. “It’s okay. You can make it up to me later, love.”

“Can I get ready here? I’ve probably got something suitable to wear upstairs.”

“Share a shower?”

“Weren’t you the one who just said we were going to the breakfast?”

Rick rolled his eyes. “Fine. Go on, I’ll see if I can scare up some coffee.”

“Oh my God, coffee. I love you even more.”

Rick laughed, his very soul lightened by Ian’s presence.

I
AN
in a dress shirt and khakis was almost as sexy as Ian in a suit. But then, Rick found Ian hot all the damned time.

“Will you drive with me? I’d like to go together.”

Another rule crumbled into dust. It was going to be a relief not to adhere to those rules anymore. “Of course.”

As Rick got into the car, a large frame wrapped in brown paper caught his eye. Mostly because it took up the entire backseat. “What’s that?”

“Oh, shit. We need to stop by my condo first and drop that off. Mom said I was going to have to haul some stuff back from the hotel where the bridal party got ready, so I’ll need the backseat free.”

“Oh, I see why you wanted me to come with. I’m the muscle.” Rick flexed his biceps and was amazed by the heat in Ian’s eyes rather than laughter. “Seriously, though, what is it?”

Ian proceeded to tell him an incredibly touching story about a family that would never treat anyone like a castoff, and for the first time in decades, true hope for the future bloomed in his chest. He could do the family thing with a family like the O’Donnells.

“I want to see it.”

“Sure, when we get it upstairs, I’ll unwrap it. We’ll have a few minutes’ grace before we’re totally and irredeemably late.”

U
PSTAIRS
in Ian’s condo, Rick ripped off the paper and propped it against a wall so he could take a good look at it. The picture was even sweeter than he imagined. “This one here, with you in the middle. That’s recent.” Ian had said the one in the middle was the brother with the weighty problem, but he hadn’t bothered to mention what any of the problems were. Rick hadn’t realized the images spanned such a large number of years.

“It is. Mom took it the day I came out to the family.”

Rick brushed his fingers over it, hoping Ian would never again have reason to be the brother in the middle.

“Where are you going to hang it?” There didn’t seem to be a perfect place to hang it in Ian’s condo.

Ian shrugged. “Don’t know if I will. Since I don’t have a job, I might not be able to keep the condo, anyway.”

“You don’t have a job? They didn’t fire you over that story, did they?” Ian had said he’d gotten them to retract the story, but he’d given no more specifics than that.

“No, I quit. I can’t work there anymore. Not once I realized how devastating those stories could be, and how much they skew the perspective in them.”

“But we’ll probably both be out of work. That’s not good.”

“How so?”

Rick shrugged. “The story’s out there. We’ve probably only postponed the inevitable. Without jobs, we’ll both be homeless.” He smiled to let Ian know he was teasing. He’d thought long and hard about it and while it would hurt his practice in the short term, he was damn good at what he did and he’d be able to tough it out.

Ian winked at him. “We’ll have to move in with my parents to keep from being homeless.”

“Don’t be silly.” He lightly punched Ian on the shoulder. “My place is paid off. You can move in with me.”

Tension filled the room and they froze as they realized what Rick had said.

“Not yet, though, eh?” Ian’s voice trembled just a bit.

“No, not yet.” Rick touched the edge of the picture frame. “This would look perfect over the fireplace at my house.”

“But you said you’re not ready.” Ian’s desire for that to change, as well as his love, was there for Rick to read in his eyes.

“I’m not.” He gulped. “But consider this a promise that I will be, one day soon.”

“Thank you.” Ian gathered him close and gave him another sweet kiss. “I love you.”

“Me too.”

Ian cleared his throat. “All kidding aside, I think we'll talk to Stephanie to see what legal options you’ve got, but I’d be surprised if this story issue cropped up again. It was only Avery’s spin and Leon’s desire to dig up dirt on you that manipulated the story from being one of personal growth and strength. Which it is. And I’m an account manager. I can work just about anywhere that sells advertising. We’ll be fine. And when we’re ready, we can talk about moving in together.”