Page 88 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

Moving further from the sound of the party, David mounted the stairs at the end of the hallway.

The second floor was used for smaller parties or important meetings that couldn’t be done in his office.

At the far end, one of the rooms had a balcony that looked out over the sea.

It was his favorite place to take special guests, though usually only for events that required a certain degree of sobriety.

Walking swiftly down the carpeted hallway, he found the door at the end of the hall open a crack.

Pushing it wide, he stepped into the dimly lit room.

The plush couches and armchairs sat in the moonlight, streaming through the open double doors at the back of the room.

A shadow moved, a man shifting position and bending to lean on the rail surrounding the balcony.

Smiling, David walked forward, lips parting to greet Christian softly. He stopped just short of the doorway as he caught sight of the man, words dying before they reached his lips.

Christian stood, bent over, his elbows resting on the stone rail.

The young man was looking out at the ocean, though the distant look in his eyes said he wasn’t actually seeing the scenery.

Half his face was hidden, but the half he could see looked irritated and worn out.

Christian’s hair had grown out enough that David could see it was in disarray, little tufts sticking up as though Christian had been running his hands through it.

There was a line of cooling sweat at his temple and a black smudge along his cheek.

His uniform was askew, the collar open to reveal a once pristine, now stained, white shirt beneath it.

The moonlight caught the blond scruff of his five o’clock shadow, completing the look.

No doubt, Christian would say he looked an absolute mess.

To David, Christian was breathtaking.

Christian frowned, turning to face him with a sharp jerk. His blue eyes were shadowed as he turned from the moonlight. His bunched shoulders eased when he saw David standing in the room, a soft sound escaping him.

“Oh, it’s you,” Christian said.

“Sorry to disappoint?” David wondered.

Christian snorted. “Not at all. I thought it was someone from the catering company coming to find me again. They’ve been up my ass from the moment I told them I was the one to come to.”

“I met one of the chefs. He wasn’t a fan of yours, it sounded like,” David chuckled.

Christian’s lip curled. “The service people needed constant handholding, but the chefs weren’t even ready for tonight.

They forgot the cabbage. How the hell do you forget cabbage when you’re serving a dish that focuses on cabbage?

I had to go out and buy a shit ton of cabbage and drag it back here, and then they bitched about the damn quality.

Well, excuse the fuck out of me. Maybe you should have been professionals and brought your own damn supply! ”

David’s brow raised as he stepped forward.

He’d never seen Christian frustrated enough to swear or let such heat into his voice.

It only added to the impression that Christian had been worn down from the past couple of hours and the oddly alluring effect it had on him.

David leaned on the railing beside Christian, watching him.

“And then, the damn servers forgot their assigned tables and couldn’t get the orders right.

I had to dig through the files I’d passed to the company months ago to find what we decided on.

So, I had to find a way to print them off and ensure everyone knew where they were supposed to be and when.

It’s honestly a goddamn miracle something didn’t go wrong with the bartenders.

The worst they had was running low on ice, and thankfully, there’s a whole fuck ton of it in the storage freezers they could chip at. ”

David watched Christian’s eyes light up as he scowled at the ocean.

David had no doubt at least a dozen or more things were flying through Christian’s mind.

One box ticked off after another on the list of grievances.

He had seen Christian at work as a professional.

He had seen him half-drunk, bashful, and craving touch.

Now, he was seeing Christian when he’d hit his limit of patience and understanding, when anger and frustration boiled out in a hot stream of furious words.

Christian glanced at him. “What?”

“I’m just listening to you,” David said quietly.

Christian took a deep breath, grimacing. “I know. I’m sorry. I said I’d take care of this so you wouldn’t have to, but I honestly did not expect everything to go wrong like it did. I’m...just frustrated at the moment. I swear, I’m okay.”

David nodded. “I know you will be.”

“I just wanted this Gala to go right without any disasters.”

David smiled. “And I’d say you managed that with flying colors.”

“Yeah, except now I’m the disaster.”

David reached out, taking his thumb, damp from the condensation on his glass, and wiping at the black smudge on Christian’s cheek.

It came off easily, but his touch lingered on Christian’s handsome face.

David curled his fingers to cup his cheek, a soft smile on his lips as Christian leaned willingly into the touch.

“You’re anything but a disaster right now,” David told him.

“I feel like one.”

David set his glass aside, wiping his palm clean so he could take the other side of Christian’s face in his hand.

He turned the man’s face, his gaze sweeping over him as Christian’s frustration melted.

It was replaced by cautious hope and gratitude as he continued to accept David’s touch, half-closing his eyes at the comfort.

“Feeling like a disaster isn’t the same as being one. You went above and beyond what I expected of you tonight and succeeded. I’m sure quite a few more things, big and small, happened tonight to bring you out here, away from seeing the fruits of your labors. Frustration is to be expected.”

Christian smiled. “Thank you, David.”

Hearing his name instead of his title from Christian’s mouth sent David’s heart pounding against his ribs.

Smiling, he ran a thumb over the younger man’s lips.

David knew what he’d told Christian, that he’d needed time to think things over, to consider the risks and rewards.

But he was beginning to realize that if David didn’t take the chance, didn’t take what Christian was offering now, someone else might come along and take him up on it instead.

“Stay with me tonight?” David asked softly.

Christian’s eyes widened. “What?”

“After this is over, and we’ve sent everyone on their way. Come back, stay in my bed...with me.”

Christian’s eyes darted all over David’s face, searching. “But you?—”

David nodded. “I know.”

Unable to bear waiting any longer, he leaned forward to kiss him.

As soon as their lips met, David didn’t regret his sudden decision for a moment.

The heat he’d felt the first time he’d taken the initiative and kissed the hopeful Christian returned in full force.

More important than the lust beginning to bubble in his gut was the happiness he felt as Christian melted against him, relaxing completely.

“We’ll talk,” David whispered against his lips.

“Tonight,” Christian confirmed.

“Tonight.”