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Swallowing back a sigh, Ian silently slipped out of the living room, leaving Hollis to catch some sleep while he could. He found Lucas slumped on the love seat in the small sitting area to the left of the dining room near the stairs to the second floor. At some point in the evening, he’d lost his tie and rolled up his sleeves. His neatly styled hair was thoroughly mussed from repeatedly running his fingers through it. He looked worn to the bone, and Ian couldn’t recall ever seeing Lucas looking so…lost.
Dropping down on the empty cushion next to the property mogul, he leaned against Lucas until the other man softly sighed and wrapped his arm around his shoulders, pulling him a little closer.
“You and Hollis, huh?” Lucas asked, his voice a low rumble as he continued to stare out the window at the city spread before them.
“Well, it’s not like we’re dating,” Ian murmured.
Lucas grunted. “He would never survive dating you.”
Ian tried to push away from Lucas, but Lucas tightened his arm around Ian, keeping him pressed close. “What the hell does that mean?” Ian demanded in a harsh whisper, so he didn’t wake Hollis on the other side of the open room.
“You’ve got that man wrapped around your little finger already. Dating him? You’re going to eat him alive.”
There was no stopping the wolfish grin Ian could feel spreading across his lips. He looked up at Lucas and waggled his eyebrows. “I certainly hope so.”
Lucas growled and pushed Ian’s head back down against his shoulder, but not before Ian caught a hint of a smile, the first he’d seen on Lucas’s face in far too long. They sat together in silence for several minutes. Ian could feel the tension creep back into Lucas’s larger frame as his thoughts likely drifted back to the one man that had stolen Lucas’s heart.
But Lucas surprised him. “Today is your birthday.”
Shock filled him and he snorted. “It is. I forgot all about it.”
“We all did.”
The annoyance clipping Lucas’s words bothered Ian. He patted his arm. “Please. Don’t worry about that right now. We have so much going on—”
“It bothers me.”
“Then you guys can make it up to me later. After we get through this.” He pulled away enough to meet Lucas’s gaze. “Okay?”
Lucas nodded, once again tugging him back against him. “I have a lot make up for right now.”
Ian knew exactly where Lucas’s mind had gone.
“He still loves you. You do know that?”
Lucas sighed again and remained silent for so long that Ian thought he wasn’t going to speak, but when the words finally rumbled from his chest, they sounded fragile and fractured. “I fucked up. Shouldn’t have left…but after that night…I couldn’t stay. I could barely breathe. I didn’t want to do or say something that would destroy everything.”
“I know.” Ian stopped and swallowed against the lump that had grown in his throat. “I was angry with you when you left, but later…I got it.”
“I love you, E. I know I’m not very good at saying it or showing it, but I love you. You, Snow, Rowe…you’re my family. You’re the best things that ever happened to me and I’m nothing without you.”
Ian squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that were trying to form. He was lucky. He was so damn lucky to have found them. He didn’t understand what had made them take him into their fold, but he was so damn thankful. Glancing toward the big couch, he held back a sigh. He didn’t know if he had a shot in hell with Hollis. He hoped he did, but his family, they were his happiness and they would always come first. They accepted him, both his past and his present. There was no hiding, no lying, no secrets. They knew it all and they still loved him. And he loved everything about them. And if he and Hollis were able to make a go of things, he’d become a part of that family.
“I love you, Luc. Always will.”
“Promise me something.”
“Sure.”
“Listen to Rowe and Noah…and Hollis. Let them keep you safe. We’ll get Jagger and we’ll free those kids, but I need to know when you leave here that you’ll be careful.”
Ian relaxed against Lucas again. “I promise.”
“Thank you.”
“Will you promise me something?”
“Sure.”
“Fucking fix things with Andrei. You’re a mess.”
Lucas didn’t make a sound, but Ian could feel him chuckle under his head. “I promise.”Chapter 4Ian spotted Hollis leaning against his blue Chevelle despite the bite of the bitter cold night air. It would have been smarter to sit in the car, protected against the brisk wind as it swept over the flat farmland, but the taut lines of his body told Ian he was probably too anxious to sit still. Once they’d decided Hollis would stay with them, the detective certainly hadn’t been thrilled about letting Ian out of his sight, but he backed off when both Rowe and Noah promised to keep him safe.
