An Unlocked Mind (Secrets #2)(16)

Silently Vic counted in his head to five before speaking. He confined his reaction to a shrug. “Okay, that means more for me. I like a hearty breakfast.” He reached over for the plate.

Why the hell did I bother?

“Wait. Please?”

It was the plaintive edge to the please that stayed Vic’s hand. “Something to say?”

Rob scuffed his shoe against the floor. “I’m… would it be okay if… could I….”

“Go on,” Vic urged.

“Could I have the omelet?” Rob said in a small voice.

In that moment everything about Rob confirmed Vic’s suspicions. Rob was desperate, reaching out for something—or someone—to hold on to. He was a man drowning in emotions he didn’t understand.

And Vic wanted to help him.

“Yes, you may.” Vic withdrew his hand.

“Thank you.” Rob sat down and picked up the fork. His first bite of the eggs had him closing his eyes and humming softly in appreciation. Vic had never seen such a sensuous reaction before over a simple breakfast.

That internal tugging was back, only this time it was stronger.

“I’m sorry you had a bad night.”

Rob shrugged. “I just couldn’t fall asleep.”

“Oh? Was the bed not comfortable?”

“No,” Rob hastened to reply. “It was fine. Just not used to being in a strange place, I guess.”

Vic smiled. “I understand that. When I go away for work, I have problems sleeping.”

“What do you do?” It was the first genuine show of curiosity from him.

“I’m a landscape architect. Most of the time I work out of an office, but I also travel around England, checking out the jobs the company I work for has been hired to do. When it was founded thirty years ago, they mostly took care of homes. People liked their work ethic, so the jobs got bigger. Eventually they branched out to include landscaping for businesses and the like.”

“Sounds fun,” Rob murmured, lifting the last forkful of eggs to his mouth.

“It’s not bad. What about you?”

Rob blinked. “I work in a supermarket. I do whatever they need done, but usually it’s stocking shelves or working on the tills.” He lowered his gaze to the table.

Vic smiled to himself. “That’s a good, honest job.”

Rob jerked his head up, his nostrils flaring, his lip curling. “It’s a shit job,” he snapped. “Not like what Alex—” Rob stopped. His gaze dropped to the table again. He put his fork down, then pushed his plate away. “Never mind.”

The unexpected vehemence of Rob’s reaction briefly robbed Vic of a reply. But after a moment, he came out with the only response that seemed fitting.

“Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll take you to the station.”

Rob lifted his chin and looked him in the eye. “Now. I’m ready now.”

The swiftness of his reply saddened Vic more than he’d expected.

He can’t wait to get out of here.

“Fine. I’ll get my keys.”




THE FLUTTERING in Rob’s stomach wouldn’t quit, and he had no idea as to the cause.

Vic drove in silence into the center of London, not even swearing at the sheer volume of traffic on the roads and the constant stop-start as they headed for Euston.

He works here. Maybe he’s just used to it.

Rob stared through the windscreen, looking at a leaden sky, heavy with the threat of yet more rain. The journey gave him time to think, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

In spite of Rob’s misgivings the previous night, Vic had turned out to be a surprisingly all right guy. Not that it mattered. Rob had no intention of returning to London, to Secrets.

You’ve said that before, more than once, and yet you still keep catching that train. Moth—meet flame.

Maybe it was time he tried to figure out why.

Except he already knew the answer. It was just easier to deny it, to push it down deep where he couldn’t find it. A habit that was plainly not working for him, because it messed up his head and his emotions. Rob took a deep breath and forced himself to confront what he knew to be the truth.

I wanted to prove that Alex was wrong. Prove that you can’t find love like that, from being spanked, beaten, whatever. Why it was so important to prove his brother wrong was the part Rob found more difficult to understand.

Except that was a lie too.

He recalled all those times he’d visited the club and stared at the men who gathered there. Those times when he’d told himself that it was wrong, that it wasn’t for him. If he were honest, the antics at the club didn’t bother him at all. After all, he kept going back, didn’t he? He wouldn’t do that if it were all as big a turn-off as he kept repeating to himself. He knew another reason existed to explain his visits.

Rob had to prove that he was wrong. That he wasn’t like Alex.





Chapter Six


WHEN MONDAY morning arrived, Rob walked into work with a spring in his step.

I got Vic all wrong, didn’t I?

Rob was man enough to admit it. When they’d arrived at Euston, he’d figured Vic would wait until he was out of the car, then take off. He was shocked when Vic parked in a nearby car park, accompanied him into the station, and then waited with him at the barriers until they’d announced the train’s imminent arrival. His final words had been for Rob to have a safe trip.