An Unlocked Mind (Secrets #2)(55)

Rob yelled and pulled it against his chest. “Possession is nine-tenths and all that.”

Vic laughed. “It’s fine. So, what’s this about your track record?”

Rob sighed. “I sort of use them to death, then buy a new one. Only that didn’t happen after the last one. I couldn’t scrape together enough money. Then when things started going tits-up, I blew through what I’d saved. Instead of standing my ground and working my way through the mess, I let it build up until I couldn’t handle it. That brought me here, to you.” He gave Vic a shy smile that softened his features. “So I guess it wasn’t all bad.”

The thought that he’d had an impact on Rob’s life made Vic feel ten feet tall.

“It’s going to get better,” he promised. “We are going to see this through together.”

And it was time to get working on that.




THREE DAYS since Vic had taken him to Manchester to empty his flat, and the warm fuzzies had started to wear off.

Not that Vic had any clue as to what was going on inside Rob’s head. Rob made sure of that. Vic had told him to use the time they had to read, relax, and definitely not stress, only it wasn’t that easy. There was nothing on the job front from the company Vic worked for, which only served to exacerbate his nerves. What if they don’t have anything for me? There was no way he could stay with Vic if he wasn’t earning.

Then there were the bills.

Rob had gone online to inform the post office of his change of address, and he knew that any day now, the bills would be fluttering their way onto Vic’s doormat. Not that he could pay them. It didn’t matter how much time he spent with Vic, learning how to meditate, to focus, to find his center—the knowledge of those debts would pounce on him, shattering his newly found composure, gnawing at whatever small measure of calm he gained in their sessions.

He couldn’t share his fears with Vic. Not when he was doing everything he could to help Rob climb out of the hole he’d sunken into. But it felt like for each couple of feet that Rob scaled to get out of the pit he’d created for himself, there’d be a rockfall and he’d end up lower than when he’d started. Daylight was way above him, unattainable—a brief glimpse of blue in an otherwise gray, dark world.

Rob reasoned with himself that things would get better. Vic kept telling him so.

God, Rob wanted to believe that.

Part of him hated that he felt this way. Vic was doing his best to help Rob change his mindset, and here he was, pushing aside all he’d learned to wallow in self-pity.

And then there were the dreams. They weren’t bad—quite the opposite—but they were… intriguing.

The past couple of nights, Rob had awakened in the early hours, aware of his aching dick and filled with a yearning he couldn’t explain. Something was missing, and for the life of him, he didn’t know what. It wasn’t until he awoke from a dream, his eyes and cheeks damp, that he realized what was going on.

In the most recent dream, someone was kissing him. Nothing overtly sexual, just the feel of warm lips on his, on his neck, his chest, his belly. Gentle hands caressed him, stroked him, sending a slow pulsing sensation through him that felt undeniably good. More than that—it felt right.

Rob had never been one for kissing. In his mind, there was something very intimate in the act, and that was one road he avoided at all costs. But the intimate nature of the dream-kisses implied that the person caressing him knew Rob, balls to bones, and that shook him. All he retained on awaking was the flash of cool eyes, the feel of warm hands exploring him, and the knowledge that, fuck, he wanted to know this person, to share more than kisses.

As for the dampness on his cheeks? At first, he had no idea what that was. He couldn’t have been crying in his sleep. Men didn’t cry. And what the fuck was there to being kissed that would make him cry in the first place?

It was only after the second time it happened that he realized. He’d wept for the promise held in those kisses, that glimpse into something so profound that he’d yet to encounter.

Of course, he should have known he couldn’t hide shit from Vic. The man saw everything.

“Are you all right?”

Rob took another drink of his coffee before replying. Breakfast was almost over, and the prospect of another quiet day of reading and reflection loomed in front of him. In truth, it was probably what he needed, if only he’d let go of his worries.

“I’m fine. I… I didn’t sleep well, that’s all.”

Vic peered at him over his mug. “Then maybe we need to do things differently today.”

Rob blinked. “Oh?” His heartbeat sped up a little. Differently in Vic’s vocabulary could mean anything.

Vic put down his mug. “I’m going to take you to one of my favorite places. It’s where I go when I need to think, reflect, chill out.” He glanced toward the window. “And it’s the perfect kind of day for going there too.”

Rob waited for more information, but Vic chose that moment to take another bite of toast.

I swear he does that on purpose.

“Anything special I need to wear?” Rob demanded. “Waterproof jacket, swimwear, goggles, wetsuit?” He couldn’t resist poking at Vic a little.

Vic merely arched his eyebrows. “Feeling more confident, are we? A jacket, and shoes you’re comfortable walking in, will be just fine.” He peered at his phone. “And be ready to leave in fifteen minutes.” He grinned.