The words were all Arik needed to hear. He moved between Kellus’s spread legs and threaded his fingers through Kellus’s hair, dislodging the leather strap that held the pieces back. Arik gently tugged the long strands of silky hair, using his free hand to caress the sexy stubble on his chin, tilting the man’s face up. The range of expressions ghosting across Kellus’s face now hovered somewhere between sorrow and longing. It was too much to bear. All this extraordinary man wanted in the world was to be loved and that was exactly what Arik wanted to do.
That realization had him swallowing whatever words he’d planned to say. His thumb caressed Kellus’s full lower lip as his heart hammered in his chest. He’d done it—fallen with no possible way to retreat.
Instead of saying any of that, he pulled Kellus off the stool and gathered him in his arms to hold him tightly against his chest. Kellus was slower at returning the embrace, but his lover’s arms finally came around him, gripping tightly by the back of his shirt.
“Were they here when you got home?”
Kellus shook his head no.
“I can have someone watch the place until we can work out a better security system for you,” Arik whispered against his neck, before pressing his lips against Kellus’s pulse.
After a brief moment of silence, Kellus unexpectedly pushed away, moving out of his arms.
“You can’t do that,” Kellus argued.
Arik only let him get so far away before reaching out a hand, grabbing Kellus’s wrist. He pulled his phone from his pocket with the other hand, sliding his thumb over the screen to call his head of security.
“Sure, I can. It’s very simple.”
Kellus then crowded him, placing a hand over his, blocking him from dialing the number.
“I barely know you. You can’t send someone over here,” Kellus declared emphatically.
“Sure, I can,” Arik repeated and moved his hand, lifting the phone to his ear.
“Please don’t,” Kellus’s words rushed out in alarm.
“Why not?” he asked, listening to the ring.
“I can’t pay for it, and I don’t want to owe you,” Kellus answered.
Arik liked how straightforward his guy was and wanted to explore that more fully, but right now, he would do anything within his power to keep Kellus from being hurt again. The art was the only thing Kel had left, and he’d be dammed if he let John take that from him too. Just as he started to tell Kellus not to worry about anything, he didn’t expect payment, Mac, his head of security answered.
“Mac, I’ve got a situation. A friend of mine’s being harassed. He’s in Tarrant County. I need someone to watch the place tonight and then all day tomorrow until you and I can talk about a complete overhaul to his security system, especially on the shop he has out back. They were able to bypass his house’s system and get inside last night.”
“Sure thing, boss. Send me the address and give me about thirty minutes to get someone out there,” Mac said.
“That’s fine. We’ll be here until he arrives.” Arik kept his eyes focused on Kellus’s through the conversation and also when he lowered the phone, disconnecting the call.
“This puts an even bigger divide between us,” Kellus said, moving several steps away.
“There’s no divide between us, Kel. Stop trying to put one there,” Arik replied, following Kellus as he rounded the table. “Tell me what happened this morning.”
Kellus gave a deep sigh and glared back at him with a frustrated attitude. “I came home to a destroyed house. John had to know I wasn’t coming home. I don’t know how, but he left me a note. I know him too well. It was a challenge. He’s watching,” Kellus said, trailing a finger around a corner of the table as he moved.
“They were here a while?”
“Yeah, it was only when it got too loud that my neighbor called the police. They stopped by today and said everyone scattered when they arrived, but they did make some arrests. None were John.”
“And he left you a note?”
Kellus nodded. Arik followed Kellus around the table, showing he’d go anywhere his guy did, because he’d just circled the whole table like a crazy man. Whatever point or distance Kellus tried to create disappeared when those blue eyes landed on the art that he’d been working on when he’d arrived. Moments later, Arik realized he’d completely lost Kellus. His full attention rested on the glass as he bent over the table, studied the material, and moved the pieces again. All Arik could do was grin and shake his head. The very dominant artist side of Kellus had just made its presence known and showed how Kellus dealt with the craziness of his life. He lost himself in his work.
“What’s that?” Arik finally asked.
“I have a dozen orders to get done, but I thought it could go with the one in your living room,” he explained absently, never lifting his head as he placed several additional pieces on the board.