Dissonance (26 page)

“I want to see your face,” Galen said.

Cam nodded.

Galen ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
He’s nervous.
Galen, always calm and in control, was nervous. That made two of them. The thought made Cam feel better, somehow. Less vulnerable. Cam touched Galen’s cheek, met his intense gaze, and touched him reassuringly.

Galen lay back on the bed and Cam straddled his hips, then leaned over to kiss his Adam’s apple, tease it with his tongue, and nip and lick his way around Galen’s jaw and feel the stubble there. With his fingers, he explored Galen’s chest and the downy, almost translucent hair. He flicked his tongue around Galen’s ear and nibbled on his lobe as he tweaked Galen’s nipples. Galen’s soft sigh caused Cam’s softening cock to fill once again.

Cam reached for the bottle of lube, slicked his fingers, and parted Galen’s thighs. All the while, Galen watched him with his singular gaze. Cam had known many a man to avoid his eyes in such an intensely personal situation.

Galen sighed again, visibly relaxing as Cam pushed a single finger inside and began to gently pull and stretch the muscles.

“Mmm,” Galen murmured as Cam took his cock in his hand and continued to work him open. Galen grew harder and moaned again as Cam pressed a second finger into him. Galen’s breath stuttered as Cam continued to work Galen’s cock and opened Galen enough to fit another finger inside.

Cam leaned down and took Galen’s cock in his mouth. “Cam!” Galen shouted, no doubt still hypersensitive from his orgasm. Cam gently released him, slipped his fingers slowly out, then rolled the condom onto himself. Enough denial. He wanted Galen
now
.

He pushed Galen’s impossibly flexible legs back so they touched Galen’s shoulders. Another benefit of yoga, Cam thought with a barely repressed grin. He wondered what other positions Galen might be able to manage that he’d never considered himself.
Another time
. He hoped there would be another time.

He paused with his tip at Galen’s hole. He wanted to take his time and feel all of this. He pushed inside, savoring the sensation of Galen’s muscles resisting the intrusion, watching himself as he entered Galen slowly, fully, glancing up from time to time to see the expression of pain and pleasure on Galen’s gorgeous face. Their gazes locked as Cam seated himself inside, then began to move.

Cam saw Galen struggle to keep his eyes open. With any other man, even Aiden, Cam might have looked away, afraid to open himself and risk rejection. But with Galen, he felt nothing but acceptance.

Cam moved faster now, his own moans joining Galen’s. Galen smiled and clenched around him, pushing him to his limits before releasing the tension.

“Bloody hell, Galen,” Cam laughed as he responded by varying his speed to pull himself back from the edge.

Galen’s eyes sparkled with pleasure and he bit his lower lip in a playful, impish grin. Until Cam squeezed his cock harder and ran his slicked palm up and down. Two could play at that game.

“Oh, fuck!” Galen shouted.

“Like that?” Cam asked, almost giddy at eliciting that response.

“You’re going to make me come again.” Galen seemed to lose the battle for control, his eyes fluttering and closing of their own accord.

Cam picked up the pace, knowing his own orgasm was imminent but wanting to make Galen come again before he gave himself over to his own pleasure. He rocked on his knees to change the angle, watching Galen carefully to see when he’d found the perfect spot. The subtle tilt of Galen’s head and the way he moved to meet Cam’s thrusts told Cam what he wanted to know. Over and over again, he aimed for that spot until Galen convulsed beneath him and spilled into his hand.

Cam let himself over to his body’s need. He felt the tingle at the base of his spine, felt it build until he cried out and came with such intensity that flickers of silver clouded his vision. “Galen!” he shouted as he collapsed onto Galen’s chest. Galen wrapped his legs around him as he shook.

Their gasped breaths settled into an even rhythm, Galen breathing out as Cam breathed in, sharing the space between their bodies. After a few minutes, Galen released Cam from his legs and rolled onto his side, taking a boneless Cam with him.

“You really are beautiful, Cam,” Galen whispered as Cam struggled to understand why sex felt so different this time. Then Galen kissed him again and Cam forgot he wanted to know.

C
AM
RESTED
his head on Galen’s chest. They’d washed up more than an hour before, but he couldn’t sleep. He’d wanted to tell Galen over dinner what he’d learned at the library, but with Jamie showing up, he hadn’t had the chance. Now he didn’t know how to tell him.

Lord Sherrington, I really need to speak with you. I heard about what happened with Dan. Call me at home. Please.

Cam had spent the better part of the day replaying the e-mail message in his head. A message from Ron in accounting on Cam’s personal account. The same account Dan had e-mailed before he’d set Cam up. Was it another trap? Either way, the FBI would know about the e-mail, since they were probably monitoring the account.

“Something up?” Galen asked as he stroked Cam’s hair.

“It can wait.”
At least until I can figure out how to tell you.

“Cam, just say it.” Galen kissed Cam’s head. “I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“You have an uncanny knack of knowing what I’m thinking, you know?” he said with a chuckle. “Must be all the meditation.”

“Process of elimination,” Galen replied. “We just had amazing sex, it’s really late, and I know you’re tired, but you can’t sleep. So whatever you have to say must have something to do with us, or it wouldn’t be keeping you up.”

Cam wasn’t quite sure he followed the logic, but he wouldn’t question the end result. “I went to the library again today. There was a message from Dan’s underling, a kid I hired a few years ago. Techie working in accounting. Said he had something for me. Wants me to call him.”

“Are you sure that’s safe?” Galen tensed just enough for Cam to notice. Strange, how he’d become more attuned to that sort of thing having spent some time around Galen.

He’s worried about me.

“No.” Cam laughed. “It’s probably not safe. But I called him back. Call it a hunch.”

“You? A hunch?” Galen leaned in and kissed Cam’s cheek.

“I can be spontaneous,” Cam protested, knowing Galen wouldn’t buy it for a minute.

“All right.” Galen pressed his lips together and grinned.

“In any event,” Cam continued, enjoying Galen’s gentle teasing, “he didn’t ask to meet. He e-mailed it to a new account I created.”

“And?”

“And there’s a spreadsheet in cyberspace the authorities haven’t seen yet.” Cam had spent most of the afternoon reviewing the document and thanking his mother for having pushed him to study accounting at university. “A spreadsheet that shows someone
else
made the transfers the FBI is looking at.”

“So what’s wrong with that? It’s what you’ve been hoping for, right?”

Cam nodded. “But—”

“But nothing, Cam. This is great news, and why you’re not jumping up and down because of it….” Galen looked at Cam and frowned. “You’re worried about me, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” He knew he should be thrilled at the prospect of returning to his former life. But leaving Galen now, when they’d finally gotten together—
No. He made it clear he isn’t interested in that, and you’re the last person who needs a relationship right now.

“What does it show?” Galen held him almost imperceptibly tighter. Almost. But Cam felt it, and it made him feel safe. He could do this with Galen’s support.

“It’s a second set of figures for the wire transfers the FBI is looking at. These are the
real
numbers. And one more thing. There are approval codes associated with these transfers listed on the document. Only certain people within the company have access to those codes. I’m not one of them.” Cam closed his eyes and drew a long breath, then released it slowly.

“But you know who
does
have access.” Galen kissed him again, and Cam nearly sighed in response.

“Yes. And my uncle’s at the top of the list.” It wasn’t proof that Duncan had done anything, just that Duncan had the means at his disposal to wire the money.

“But you think he did it.”

“Yes.” Cam whispered the word, as if by speaking it, he might cause something to happen: the world might shift, and he wouldn’t be able to maintain his precarious balance. But things had already changed, hadn’t they? They’d changed the moment he’d realized that Duncan had more than one reason to want him out of the picture. “I think he’s trying to set me up. By changing the access codes, he pointed the finger at me, while all along he’s been pocketing the money he’s made illegally.”

“And if he makes you out to be the criminal….”

“He undermines my credibility if I ever bring charges against him for abusing me,” Cam finished. Saying the words wasn’t as difficult as he’d expected it to be. He still felt the demons dance around his mind—whispers of thoughts, questions. Why hadn’t he pushed Duncan away? Why hadn’t he told anyone? Why had his body responded to Duncan’s touch when he knew it was wrong?

“Will you tell them?” Galen asked after a long silence.

“I don’t know.” He really didn’t. “If I can prove he was the one who made the transfers, he’ll probably rot in jail the rest of his life.”

“But that’s not the question, is it?” Galen pressed, his voice gentle, his body warm, welcoming, and reassuring.

“No.”

Galen stroked Cam’s cheek. “You’ll do what you need to. Whatever that is, you’ll figure it out. Sometimes it just takes time to see the right path.”

T
HAT
NIGHT
,
Galen awoke to Max’s protective barking and someone pounding on the front door. Cam grabbed Galen’s waist and shivered.

Galen kissed Cam’s cheek, then slipped out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. “Someone’s at the front door. Stay here, okay?” He schooled his expression and breathed deeply—Cam didn’t need to know his heart was pounding and his chest suddenly felt tight.

Breathe. Relax. Focus.

Cam nodded, although Galen saw fear on his face.

“Don’t worry. I’m pretty sure I know what this is about. I’ll be back in a few minutes. You stay put, all right?”

Cam nodded and pulled the covers over his shoulders.

Barefoot, Galen padded down the stairs and over to the door, followed by Max, who stood sentry and barked. Galen drew a long, slow breath, then opened the door. Before he had it open more than a few inches, someone pushed hard on the other side, nearly causing it to hit him in the face.

“You fucking piece of shit!” Charles Thompson shouted as he punched Galen in the jaw.

Knocked backward from the impact of the blow, Galen managed to regain his balance in time to catch Charles’s fist as he swung again.
Damn.
He’d been an idiot not to realize the man would come in fist-first. And drunk. Galen smelled the liquor on him.

Breathe. Focus. Relax.
He’d become stronger. He could handle Charles.

“You the fag who called the cops on me?” he demanded, undaunted by Galen’s grip on his fist. “Told them I beat that little shit?”

“Are you all right, Galen?” Cam asked from the landing.

Galen nodded, not taking his eyes from Charles. He ignored the throbbing in his jaw. His racing heart had slowed a bit, and he was once again clear-headed. “Mr. Thompson is Jamie’s stepfather,” he said, hoping Cam would stay where he was if he understood the danger. He doubted Charles had a weapon, but he wouldn’t bet Cam’s safety on it.

“I asked if you’re the one who called the cops,” Charles hissed.

“Would it matter if I told you I didn’t call them, Mr. Thompson?” Galen spoke calmly. He knew it wouldn’t help to escalate the situation. He guessed Jamie’s sister had reported the beating to the police.