Page 21 of Edge

Jory swallowed, visiblyturned on as Damian leaned back and winked. “I’m lying of course.”He licked his lips. “There’s nothing better than sex—with the rightman.”

His dinner partnernodded, looking a little dazed. “Yeah, I guess that’s true. Sexwith a stud is good.” He took a sip of his wine. “But I’d like toride with you sometime. Sounds like fun.”

Oh boy, thisman is mine. Damian picked up his fork anddove into his prawn cocktail starter. “This looks so good and I’mstarving. Shall we eat?” He forked a mouthful of food in and hummedhappily at the taste.

Jory started nibbling athis mushroom starter. Damian took another spoonful of his dish thenlaid down his fork and smiled. “While we eat, I have a fewquestions for you. Hope you don’t mind.” Then he launched intothem.

“I’ve seen youin the news, obviously. I mean I did look you up. Who’s this guycalled Roger you hang out with? Is he a relative or something? Imean, you live together, don’t you?” Damian babbled away. “AndLangenstein is German, isn’t it? Did you ever live in Germany?What’s it like?”

Jory laid down hiscutlery and frowned. “What’s with the interrogation?” he muttered.“Maybe you should slow down on the booze. It makes youramble.”

Damian blinked andrealised he’d been oblivious to Jory’s body tensing, and the stormpassing over his face. The man seemed on edge all of a sudden, andthere’d been a distinct bite to his last comment.

“Sorry.”Damian wasn’t quite sure how he’d manage to offend his dinner date.He ran a hand across his mouth, miming a zip. “I’ll keep my gobshut for the rest of the night then.” He gulped down the remainderof his wine, his buzz dissipating with Jory’s obviousdisapproval.

Shit.Trust me to ruin our date being nosy.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Damian

Damian wasn’t surewhether it was his obvious crestfallen expression—he never was ableto hold a poker face—or Jory’s sense of decency that tickled hisguilt button when he reached across the table and covered Damian’shand with his.

Damian blinked at him,startled.

“Sorry,” Jorymurmured,” I didn’t mean to be such a bitch. I get a little het upabout my private life. Didn’t mean to take it out on you,though.”

Damian shrugged. “Noproblem. I understand.” He stared down at his emptyplate.

Jory sighed. “My dad wasGerman, and he brought my mum over here when they got married.”Jory twisted a fork around in his fingers. “I was Jory Langensteinfor a long time.” He hesitated. “My little brother Lark and I wereborn here.” He paused as if waiting for Damian to speak, but he wassure he didn’t want to probe the delicate situation about Jory’sfamily. He needed to tell him about it in his own sweettime.

Damian nodded slowly. “Iget it. Did your parents decide to change it then?”

Jory drew a deep breath.“No, I did. When I was fourteen, we had a family tragedy. Mybrother passed away. A year later, my parents died too. I didn’twant my surname anymore so I had it changed.”

Damian’s sat back insurprise. “Wow, at fifteen you were allowed to change your name? Ithought you had to be emancipated and over sixteen to do somethinglike that?”

Jory shook his head andlaid the fork he’d been playing with onto the table. He picked uphis drink and took a gulp. Damian had the feeling the guy needed abit of liquid courage. “No, the emancipation of minors isn’t athing here in the UK. It’s more a US thing.” He cleared his throat.“Because I was able to prove a case against using my old name, myrequest was granted.”

Damian pursed his lips inthought. “Huh. I didn’t know.” He waved a waiter over and placed anorder for a coffee. He cocked one eyebrow at Jory, who shook hishead. “Nah, not for me. Caffeine this late at night would keep meup and I have trouble sleeping at the best of times.”

Once the waiter left,Damian leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “I alwaysfind coffee is the best thing to round off a meal. I sleep well. Itdoesn’t affect me.” He waved a hand at Jory. “Penny for thosethoughts. You okay?”

Jory smiled. “Yeah, I wasthinking how lucky I was to be here with a guy who understands thevalue of privacy. Few people do.”

Damian nodded. “I knowwhat it’s like to be close-mouthed. Mum was a diplomat and we wentto loads of places in my youth where I was taught to be seen andnot heard. Along with ‘never repeat anything you might hear’ toanyone. It was a case of ‘loose lips sink ships,’ and I had itdrummed into me from an early age.”

“Where areyour folks now?” Jory asked.

Damian shrugged. “In myfinal year at school, my parents left me in Dave’s care becausethey couldn’t get on with each other. They called it quits. Dadmoved back to Ireland, where he was born, and Mum lives in Rio deJaneiro at the British Embassy. I barely see them. I get theobligatory birthday card and Christmas card from them both, butthey’re so wrapped up in their own lives, they tend to overlookme.”

Jory winced. “Ouch. Idon’t understand why parents have kids, then completely cut themout. I mean, why have us in the first place then?” His tone held anedge of bitterness.

Damian nodded. “Yeah. IfI ever have kids, I’ll be sure not to make the same mistakes myfolks did.”

Having children wassomething Damian had never considered, but he liked the idea oflittle rug rats looking like Jory scampering about a comfortablefamily home.

Get your headback in gear, he admonished himself,slightly amused.