“Right, boy-o, that’s weird.”
Josh regarded him mildly.“And the bug up your nose is named…?”
“I’d rather not say his name,” Liam muttered as they got in the back of the small vehicle.“Not in public.”
“Freaking you out?”Josh asked, grinning.
“Too right,” Liam muttered.“But tell me more about you feeling better.”He offered a less-distracted smile.“I can’t get enough of that.”
Josh sighed and leaned his head against Liam’s shoulder.“I’m hungry,” he declared.“Can we get something amazing to eat on the way to the hotel?”
“Apple strudel?”Liam asked, eager to hear it.To his memory, Josh hadn’t voluntarily eaten since he’d asked for real food on the train.They’d managed to get a pretzel down his throat before he’d really gotten scary.
“Schnitzel,” Josh said.“I understand there’s a fusion place that does garlic tomato breading on their schnitzel—Grace hasn’t shut up about it.Want to stop there?It’s about a block before we turn off into the hotel.”
From the front of the Uber, a young woman with her hair done in several braids and tipped in purple, as well as sporting a nose ring, said, “I know the place.I’ll stop there while you run in for takeout if you like.”Her voice was lightly accented English, and while Josh engaged her in conversation—and arranged for Liam to stop for takeout, it seemed, Liam sat back and allowed himself to relax a little, as he hadn’t done since Stuttgart.
“So where are you from originally?”Josh asked.“Mm… eastern Canada?Maybe Toronto?”
“Good ear!”she said delightedly.“I’ve been here for ten years.My original job was as a nanny, but the kids grew up, moved out, and I’d fallen in love.I did not want to leave.”
“Well, it is a beautiful city,” Josh said.
“Not with the city!”the girl chortled.“With my girlfriend!I mean, Prague is beautiful and all, but as soon as she gets her passport and visa, we’re going to Toronto immediately.I’m dying to get married, and my parents can afford to throw us the works, but not if they have to fly the whole family to Prague!”
Josh chuckled.“Absolutely fair.Well, I appreciate the rec for the food.The Mozart is amazing, but I miss eating on the streets of a city, you know?”
“You’ve traveled a lot,” she said knowingly.“Always hoping to find that wonderful little hole in the wall that is magic for your visit to a new city.”
“Exactly!”Josh crowed.“You understand.My best friend is here too.I’m glad he can do the exploring since I can’t right now.”
She was paused for traffic at the moment, but she took him in as he leaned against Liam.
“At the hospital—it was bad?”she asked delicately, and Liam knew without looking that his cheeks were hectic with his newfound vigor but that his face was pale with the almost chronic lack of oxygen.
“Not so bad,” Josh said.“Bad would be cancer again.This is just getting too worn down before I was fully up to a hundred percent.”
“That’s still a shame, particularly when you are on a romantic vacation.”
Liam felt more than saw Josh’s eyes on his face, and some of the panic that had seized him on the train from Stuttgart bled out of his body.He met Josh’s eyes happily—but with a certain resignation.This would be life together.Whether Josh’s body was 100 percent and he was pushing it to 120 percent, or whether he was trying to rest after pushing himself too hard, the anger at Danny wasn’t the only thing that drove Josh Salinger.
Josh Salinger drove Josh Salinger.He wanted to see, do, be, explore, enjoy, manageall the things.And he was so bright, so competent at everything he tried, he could fool the world into thinking it was no big deal.
Liam understood what a big deal itwas.It was Liam’s job to catch him when he got knocked down.
“It hasn’t been bad,” Liam said softly.“I understand our balcony overlooks the river.”
Josh smiled delightedly.“Some blankets—”
“—a heater,” Liam added sternly.
“And some takeout.I mean, it’s theMozart.How could it not be romantic?”
“That’sthe spirit,” their happy guide said.“But first let’s stop for the takeout, and then let’s get you back on vacation.”
THEY MANAGEDto make it into their room with nobody the wiser, but when Liam set the food on the table, he turned to find Josh standing suggestively close, staring at him with knowing eyes.
“Really?”Liam asked, but gah!The tender skin of Josh’s throat tempted him, and Josh’s long fingers in his hair tugged him down, down, down into a kiss… just a kiss… just Liam’s hands, rucking under Josh’s shirt.
