An Unlocked Mind (Secrets #2)(25)

But sitting across from Vic, Rob underwent a quiet epiphany. After only two weeks, what he thought of as a budding friendship with Vic meant more to him than anything he’d ever had with Jamie. Vic was smart, funny, and he treated Rob like his opinion mattered. When Vic had asked about the current political situation, Rob expected him to laugh when he gave his opinion about Brexit, but Vic nodded and said he completely agreed. It made Rob feel ten feet tall to know that he wasn’t going to be looked down on by someone as successful as Vic.

“I guess we should be getting you to the train station,” Vic said.

And just like that, Rob’s good mood turned to dust. He’d known it couldn’t last, but still….

“Oh. Yeah, I suppose.”

Vic smiled. “I had a good time, so thank you for coming. And I do appreciate the apology. It takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong.”

Rob puffed out his chest a little and his cheeks warmed from the unexpected praise. “Thank you for lunch. I had a really good time. And thank you for the chance to….” Rob snickered, and Vic’s brows scrunched together. “Mend bridges.” He grinned.

Vic groaned, then burst out laughing.

They kept the conversation light on the way to Euston, but inside, Rob was a mess. He didn’t want the day to end. He hated the idea of going back to Manchester, of dealing with his parents, of working in a job where he clearly wasn’t valued, and of being so damned lonely. In two weeks Vic had become someone Rob believed he could confide in some day. Whether he’d accept Rob once he saw what he was really like remained to be seen, but Rob was getting tired of hiding who he was. Maybe it was time to let someone in to see the real Rob Daniels.

When they got to the train station, once again Vic parked the car, walked up to the barriers with Rob, and waited until the train had pulled in.

“Thank you again for coming,” Vic murmured.

“Thank you for having me.”

For a moment, awkward silence filled the air. Then Vic reached out and took Rob’s hand. Rob wanted to pull away. To say something about public displays of affection. Instead, he stood and stared into the depths of Vic’s gray eyes.

“You’re a good man, Rob. Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.”

And with those words, he turned around and hurried back to his car.

Rob wanted to call out, to ask if he could spend the night again, but by the time his mouth started working, Vic had already disappeared from view.

Rob boarded the train and found a seat that wasn’t reserved. He stretched out his legs under the table as the world zip by his window. In his head, he replayed their lunch on a loop, and the memory of their laughter filled him with a warm glow the spread throughout his body.

What surprised the hell out of him was that it lasted all the way home.




VIC LEANED back and stretched to pop his spine. He groaned after a series of gyrations finally released the pressure that had been building all day. Thank heavens it was nearly over and he could get out of there. The project was nearly complete; now only the final touches remained. Another hour or two of work and he could start his holiday. God, he couldn’t wait. He hadn’t been to the club since the night he met Rob, and the prospect of going there had him tingling all over. He knew exactly what he was going to do when he got there too. Find a sub in need of a good pounding, bend him over—once Vic had secured his ankles to a spreader bar, of course—and then plow that tight hole until both of them had had enough. Just the thought had him pressing his hand over his already-hard cock and sighing deeply.

“Yeah, way too fucking long.” The prospect of sex was a big enough lure, but there was still part of him that hoped that Jack had been correct about the changes taking place at the club. What if there are subs who want more than a good pounding?

Vic couldn’t wait to find out.

He glanced at the clock, frowned, and got back to work. When his phone rang, Vic groaned. He wanted this done and dusted. When he peered at the screen, however, he brightened and pressed Connect.

“Sam! How are you?”

“Good, thanks. We wanted to call and say thank you for the painting. It’s beautiful. You really didn’t have to.”

Vic was glad they liked the painting. When he’d seen it, there was something about it that made him think of Sam and Aaron. He’d intended on stopping by to give it to them, but then this project had come up and time had gotten away from him. He’d asked Janice to have it wrapped and shipped out. When she’d seen the painting, her eyebrows had arched.

“They get this and all I got was a bottle of shitty brandy?” She gave a grin, and Vic knew she was having a go at him.

Vic laughed. “I wasn’t aware you were an art connoisseur.”

She shrugged. “Not big on art, but I do love sexy men.”

Vic frowned at her. “How do you know he’s sexy? All you see is his back as he looks out over the sea.”

Janice smiled. “You see a lot more than that. Look at him.” She pointed to the standing figure in silhouette. “He’s not looking, he’s searching. There’s something out behind the horizon that’s calling to him, and he wants to find it so badly.”

Her words rattled Vic, because that was the exact reason he’d bought the painting for Sam and Aaron. He loved his friends, but he decided they needed a nudge to get them out of the house and looking for their perfect third. He hoped the painting would help.