It's Complicated: A Reservations Story

“Are you still there?” The music was muted in the background until he heard nothing more than Julian’s sultry voice. Both Beckett’s exhaustion and anxiousness eased as he concentrated on Julian’s tenor that had a way of caressing his heart. Beckett had grown to relish the gentle squeeze in his chest that only Julian had a way of reaching.

“I am. You’re at the club?” Beckett asked, letting his head drop back between his shoulder blades to look up at the million twinkling stars above.

“Yup,” Julian started. “I stopped in after work for a drink and to check on Ricco. My apartment feels lonely without my dog and you there. You still in the mountains?”

“I am.” A gentle breeze ruffled over Beckett, sending a refreshing note racing along his spine. “I don’t like the sound of you being lonely.”

“It’s better now that you called. It’s weird not talking to you. How’s training going?”

Beckett nodded, feeling exactly the same way until Julian mentioned the training.

He rolled his eyes and reached for his backpack, dropping it a couple of feet away before he laid back on it. “These are harder training excursions because the guys are so alpha. There’s a constant challenge by some member of the group over everything.”

“Oh…” Julian cooed. “I’d like to see that battle with my own eyes. I bet my big ole teddy bear has his own alpha, testosterone-driven side.” Julian’s words dripped with suggestion, as if he were licking his lips in anticipation. “My money’s on you. I’ve seen those big biceps flex.”

Beckett gave a low rumbled laugh, thinking over how well Julian had already gotten to know him. He absolutely didn’t like dominating anyone but had resigned himself a long time ago that sometimes he had to be the biggest ass in the group to make the others fall in line. A trait necessary when dealing with all these leader types of men and women. Being dropped in the middle of nowhere to survive on his own—even knowing these mountains like he did—wasn’t a time for an ego to flair in anyone.

“Probably wouldn’t be a bad bet on your part,” Beckett finally said.

“Oh! Look at you. Does my gentleman have an ego he’s hiding?” Julian quipped with all his usual sass and vinegar.

Beckett continued to chuckle, loving the way Julian teased him. “I come from parents who are very much their own people. I had to navigate their strong personalities while learning to hold my own when I needed to. Change of subject. It’s really a clear sky tonight. There’s a million stars for as far as I can see. It’s beautiful. I wish you could see it.”

This time when Julian spoke, he had a pensive tone to his voice. “I remember all the stars when I was a kid. I’d sneak out of my house and roam my entire town. It was always so dark, but the twinkle of the stars in that night sky lit my path, taking me wherever I was going. Then, when I got old enough, I’d take my parents’ car. That didn’t go over so well.”

The normal cynicism Julian used when speaking about the struggles of his childhood wasn’t there this time. He sounded ruminative, not aggravated, as if reliving a good memory.

Beckett didn’t want to risk any sort of downward spiraling topic, so he changed course. “Here’s something honest for me to say. I can’t stop thinking about you. I swear to God, you’re consuming me… I’ve been jonesing for the last few hours, trying to bide my time before I could climb this hill to call you.”

“Mmm…” Julian murmured, growing unusually quiet. Dare Beckett hope Julian felt the same way about him? Could Julian be willing to say the same words aloud to him? “I’ve been fielding questions about you all night. The regulars want to know if we’re dating and if it’s exclusive. If I don’t answer with a yes to both, then they want to know if they have a chance at you. If I wasn’t so secure with myself, I might be jealous over all the attention you’re getting.”

Not really the declaration his heart had hoped for but still a really good answer. “How do you respond?”

Julian gave a tsk before saying, “I told them I’d like to see them try. And I would. You’re hilarious when you’re so nice to all these guys panting after you.”

“Nobody pants after me,” Beckett shot back, regretting the curve Julian took in the conversation.

Julian instantly gave a cackle of laughter. “That’s the best part. You genuinely have no idea it’s happening around you. You’ve only ever seen me, not all the beautiful men partying all around you.”

A smile begrudgingly tugged at Beckett’s lips. Julian’s teasing was always so damn infectious. “What’re you doing right now?”

“St. Clair, you crack me up.”