Page 24 of Mine to Keep (Bloody Desires #10)

He smiles. “Sometimes. When I want to get out of my head or I want some quiet. Nothing major.”

“Can I see?”

“Yeah, sure.” He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, showing me a few pictures of paint-drenched canvases with an almost abstract design.

I’m not well-versed on art and what’s good or not, but I can tell from this picture that Javier poured everything into his work.

I can almost feel his soul coming off the canvas.

I flick through the album he showed me, bright colors assailing me, the fine lines and curves of the painting stirring something in my chest. It’s like I can see Javier sitting in front of a canvas, no shirt, paint dotting his face, arms, and chest. Sitting with him, chattering nonstop, is Talon, the sunlight shining on them as I watch them from across the room.

I…I want that. I told them that I was their ‘something more’ and I can see it, like a movie playing. My life, our lives.

Fuck, I’m losing my fucking mind.

Clearing my throat—after I shake my head to clear the thoughts running through my mind—I hand his phone back. “They’re great.”

Javier’s smile is radiant. “Thanks. Sometimes, stuff pops in my head and I have to paint it. These are the ones Talon convinced me to take pictures of before I gave them away.”

“He could totally make money selling them,” Talon says. “Get, like, a studio and shit. Those rich fuckers would pay good money to have this in their homes.” He bumps Javier again. “You could donate the money to the group homes you sponsor.”

Javier shrugs, though a smile is pasted to his face. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.” He glances over at me. “What do you think?”

I shrug, pausing as a few people slide around us to get to the next exhibit. “I don’t know much about art, but your stuff is really good. You’re talented. I think Talon is right.”

His smile widens as he says, “When we get back home, I’ll talk to my dad. He can get me in touch with someone that can help. He runs in those ritzy circles.”

Turning a corner, we enter a room that has statues, some in unusual poses, others looking like they were living people that were petrified into stone. One in particular reminds me of Patience, so I guide Talon and Javier away from it, tamping my sadness down by sheer force of will.

“Sculpting would be fun, yeah?” Talon asks, looking at the statues. “Messy though. And I don’t have that attention to detail. I’d probably fuck up the nose, get upset, and not want to finish. Never mind. Not so fun anymore.”

I throw my head back and laugh at how quickly he talked himself out of sculpting. It’s almost like?—

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I turn my head to the left almost imperceptibly. Again, that shock of red hair greets me. Heart thudding, I step around the statue as if I’m studying it, but I’m trying to get around the woman so I can see if?—

A tall Black man walks up to the woman, wrapping her in his arms and spinning her around. The woman laughs loudly and her face comes into view.

It’s not her. It’s not the woman I saw in the pub and on the street.

My heart rate doesn’t slow down. It thuds in my chest like a drum, marking time to my unease. I’ve never been this on edge. Then again, I’ve never had the feeling that something… big was going to happen. I’m not sure what, but my intuition hasn’t failed me yet, so I’m going to trust it.

For now, I’ll push it out of my mind and enjoy our time together, until I hear back from Peggy.

We continue to walk around the museum for another hour before my boys start complaining about hunger. There are a few restaurants within walking distance, and I let them to pick. I don’t have preferences for food, so I’m down for whatever they want to eat.

Once we’re inside the restaurant, we’re seated in a corner booth near an emergency exit. I sit near the door, facing the front entrance. If someone walks in with some bullshit, I’ll see them and get my boys out of here.

I check my phone for a message from Peggy. I’m surprised I have one, since I didn’t feel my phone vibrate.

Peggy: I’m on it, handsome. You might be paranoid, but I’ll put your mind at ease.

With a smirk, I text her back.

Me: You’re a lifesaver, Pegs.

I slide my phone back into my pocket as a server comes over. We give our drink orders and the boys order an appetizer.

I can’t shake my paranoia, though. The woman in the museum looked just like the woman at the pub. Either I’m losing my shit or I need another break.

Or I need to start getting more serious about my retirement plans.

Talon leans his head on Javier’s shoulder. “What next?” he asks as he stifles a yawn.

“I get you both back to the room so we can rest. You’ve had an eventful day.”

He yawns again. “By the time we’re headed home, our jet lag will have gone away.”

“We’ll work around your jet lag. We have a few more days to have fun. We can take naps in between,” I tell him, leaning back when the server places our drinks in front of us.

A few minutes later, we put in our orders and as the server walks away, I look at Talon.

“What did you both mean when you said you both need something more?” I ask Talon. “I know you want a Daddy, but is there something else?” Javier didn’t get a chance to give me more information that first night before leaving to comfort Talon.

Talon ducks his head, his cheeks flaming.

Javier grabs his hand, squeezing gently, and says, “I’ve known Talon for a while.

And even though I know he can take care of himself, he’s so small,” Talon shoots him a dry look, making Javier grin at him, “and fragile. I can’t give him what he wants…

” He looks around and lowers his voice, “…in bed. We wanted to try. After a few months of us being friends, we talked about it, but we knew it wouldn’t work. ”

“Why can’t you give him what he wants? You did fine when I told you to.” This is probably a conversation more suitable for the hotel room, but no one is around us.

Javier smiles sardonically, a blush on his cheeks. “I like to bottom more than I top. I mostly bottom when I’m with men. And it was easier to do because you told me to.”

“And I’m a strict bottom,” Talon says. “We’re not suited for a relationship in the long run. Unless we have someone else that can give us both what we need.”

I hum. “And, Javier, you like to be tossed around, huh?” That blush creeps higher up his cheeks as he nods. “What else?”

He shifts in his chair, then groans, his eyes rolling back in his head. It takes me a moment to realize that Talon’s hand is below the table. “Tell him, Javi,” Talon whispers.

After taking a few deep breaths, Javier says, “I like…being restrained? Tied down. Feeling helpless but knowing whoever I’m with will take care of me.”

Talon’s eyes go heavy-lidded, his hand moving faster under the table. “I’d like to see you like that. Tied up and waiting to be fucked.”

I adjust myself under the table as plans form in my head. “Don’t make him come in here, little one,” I say in a stern voice. “We still have to get back to the hotel.”

Talon nods, removing his hand. Javier lets out a shaky breath, then shoots Talon a look. “I’ll repay you for that.”

Giggling, Talon pecks a soft kiss on his lips, then slides a finger damp with precum into his mouth. “I look forward to it.”