Page 30 of Warrior's Cross

“Is that what you call them?” Julian asked innocently as he turned and looked at the herd of tussling puppies. Cameron’s jaw dropped, and he rapped Julian on the chest with hisknuckles. Julian gasped and pressed his hand to his sore chest, backing away. “Ow,” he protested, though he still laughed.

Cameron turned up his nose. “Love me, love my dogs,” he said snootily, trying to make a joke.

Julian tried to suppress a smile as he looked at the puppies again.

“Well,” he sighed with regret. “I suppose I could learn.”

Cameron wondered about that answer. Learn to love the dogs? Or learn to lovehim? He edged slightly closer to the other man again. It was a weakness of Cameron’s, something the majority of men he met didn’t like: he thrived on physical contact. He loved the simplicity of touching. He craved it even more than the thrill of hot sex. So he stole the opportunity to lean his temple against Julian’s shoulder for just a moment and press his nose to the warm skin of Julian’s throat.

Julian wound his arms around him, and he dropped his chin and kissed Cameron impulsively before he let loose a long, growling sigh.

Cameron stiffened slightly and pulled back, thinking Julian was reluctantly humoring his stolen moment of cuddling.

“What?”

“I wish I’d known I’d be here for Christmas,” Julian answered while tightening his arms around Cameron’s waist to stop him from moving away. “I would have... gotten something,” he finished uncertainly.

“Gotten something? Like a present?” Cameron asked.

“Yeah,” Julian answered with a nod, and his cheeks flushed.

Cameron gazed at him for a long moment. “You’re more than enough of a present,” he finally said.

Julian raised a wry eyebrow. “You got coal in your stocking as a kid, didn’t you?” he asked flatly.

Cameron thumped Julian’s chest again. “You’ve already told me how you’d embarrass yourself in front of an entirerestaurant to try to get me to go home with you, and you think you can come up with a better present than that?”

“I can’t help it if your standards are low.” Julian laughed as he pulled Cameron even closer and trapped his arms to protect his sore chest.

“See if you get laid tonight!” Cameron told him with a huff.

“Is that a challenge?” Julian asked as interest sparked in his dark eyes.

Cameron narrowed his eyes. “Challenge? Are you gonna get on your knees again?”

“If that’s what I need to do,” Julian purred as he kissed gently behind Cameron’s ear, holding him as if they were slow-dancing.

“And the challenge would be resisting you?” Cameron asked, sighing softly as Julian nuzzled the tender skin. Julian hummed in the affirmative and nipped at Cameron’s neck.

Cameron moaned and tilted his head back. “For how long?” he asked hoarsely. His jeans were already getting tight across the front, damn it.

“You said tonight,” Julian reminded in a murmur as he slid his hands under Cameron’s shirt.

Cameron whined softly. “Did I?”

Julian lifted his head and sniffed the air pointedly. “Smells like dinner,” he announced with an evil grin as he began to pull away.

Cameron growled and yanked him close. “One more kiss,” he demanded. Julian grinned just before it was snuffed out by the meeting of their lips.

“All right,” Cameron said reluctantly as he finally let Julian go.

“Dinner.” Then he got a crafty look in his eyes. “Can’t have you weak and hungry before bedtime.”

“That’s right.” Julian grinned happily as he rubbed his hands together in exaggerated anticipation.

Cameron shook his head slowly. “You just amaze me, you know that? Sometimes I don’t know what to say.”

Julian watched him with an unreadable expression before lowering his head slightly.