Painted On My Heart

He saw no use in arguing with Arik; he seemed to have an answer for anything Kellus opposed. He shoved out of the chair and left the office, letting his annoyance make his steps a little heavier as he marched back toward the bedroom to dress. Arik was too much—all that calm and reasonable, always saying the craziest things, then having a sensible, rational explanation that followed. Add in the fact that Kellus’s traitorous heart seemed to never follow the clear directive of his brain to take things slow. Instead, he foolishly connected with every single one of those insane arguments, loving the way Arik wanted to help him.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” Arik said, startling him from behind.

“What’s that?” Kellus asked, never looking back as he entered the bedroom.

“We’ll clean your place tonight—I can even hang the ceiling fans—if you agree to go along with me on my next business trip.” Clearly, Arik was a comedian.

Kellus didn’t immediately laugh as he went for the closet where he’d put his bag last night. Several moments passed as he pulled his clothes from the duffle, contemplating that newest crazy notion coming from Arik’s mouth. He looked up when a shadow darkened the small space. Arik stood in the open doorway, staring at him, waiting for an answer.

“When are you going?”

“Soon as possible. I generally travel three weeks out of every month. I’ve been home a long time now,” Arik said, turning to let him slip out of the closet. He headed for the bathroom.

Three weeks out of every month? Wow. Okay. He wouldn’t be spending as much time with Arik as he had originally hoped. His heart gave a small ache, but he ignored that, trying to process this new bit of information. Arik had come on so strong, talking about relationships and futures. No, Kellus hadn’t believed he was serious, but he also recognized that they did really get along very well when he pushed aside all the other bullshit of his life. Okay, so he had believed Arik when he’d talked about commitment and long term. Now, he felt dumb, making the ache in his chest intensify.

A bigger, more heartbreaking thought came to mind. Did Arik have guys in every city he had resorts in? Oh shit, how had he not considered that option? He’d been so focused on keeping Arik out of his mess that maybe he hadn’t looked at this budding attraction with clarity.

“So you’d leave in the next few days?” Kellus questioned when he caught sight of Arik in the mirror. He kept his eyes downcast as he pulled his jeans on with the robe still in place. It was silly and an awkward adjustment, but the ache in his chest felt raw which was incredibly stupid. He’d known Arik for such a short time. Once he managed to tuck himself in, he tossed the robe on the sink and reached for his T-shirt.

“Well, in theory, we’d leave in the next week. I have a family commitment this weekend, so maybe next Sunday. If you agree,” Arik said, moving closer.

“I have a lot of work to get done.” Kellus checked his appearance in the mirror and reached up to push his hair back from his face. Finally, Arik’s gaze caught Kellus’s in the mirror.

“I fly private, bring what you can. There’s plenty of room.” He held the stare. If Arik invited him to go, that had to mean no one waited on him at the destination. But damn, three weeks was a long time to be gone. He forced himself to look away. What the heck was going on with him? He’d been fighting this coupling from the beginning. Why was he so hurt that Arik planned to leave?

Kellus bypassed Arik who was casually shrugging on his suit coat, acting as if he had an answer for anything thrown his way. Kellus ignored that and headed toward the bedroom. He took a seat on the edge of the sofa before toeing on his shoes without socks. When he folded them and his underwear to pack in his bag, Arik was close and reached to take them out of his hand then he turned to leave him sitting there.

“I’ll have them washed for you. What do you think about the travel?”

“It seems silly for me to go and lug all that around,” Kellus finally said, hoping he hid all the turmoil rolling through him.

“Damn, you’re hardheaded. You’re gonna make me work for every single thing, aren’t you?” Arik asked, bringing him his duffle bag. Arik looked as frustrated as the tone he’d just used. The whiplash of all this fucking emotion was overwhelming. He stared at Arik, trying to mentally regroup. This man in front of him wasn’t a bad guy, and honestly, if Arik had a guy in every port, why would he have just asked him to tag along? He had to hang on to that hope and stop second-guessing everything. John had done such a number on him for so long, but Arik wasn’t John. Not by a long shot. The relief of that conclusion was staggering, and Kellus let a heavy exhale escape, not even knowing he had held his breath. His hand landed on his chest, absently rubbing at his heart. What was wrong with him?