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There were going to be mince pies and mulled wine; he was going to have to be jolly, heaven help him.
Really, the man was just precious, the way his broad shoulders squared up and his affable face got all serious and fierce when he wanted to protect his friends, the way he didn’t hesitate to lay hands on Leo but kept his touch far too light to do any harm.
“you can’t blame him for being a bit jumpy. Lord knows I go a bit daft when I have to take a mouse out of a trap, so it’s no wonder men can get strange after all that killing.”
“That’s me, all right,” Leo remarked, flicking open his lighter and lighting both their cigarettes behind his cupped hand. “A necessary evil.”
“At least try not to freeze to death,” Sommers said. “Even if you are used to it.” And so Leo went into the night, wrapped in a wool muffler that smelled of antiseptic soap and slow caresses by a rare wood fire, a reminder of an honest man who still wanted to keep him warm.
James couldn’t have said whether he moved to Leo or if it was the other way around, but his back was soon against Leo’s chest, one of Leo’s arms tucked snugly around him.
“May I?” Leo didn’t think anyone had ever asked his permission to kiss him, and for a moment he savored the novelty of being treated like something worthy of care. “Please,” he whispered, and James brushed his lips over Leo’s own. It was just a small thing, barely a kiss at all, but it sent shivers along Leo’s skin.
“Be fair.” James stood and eased himself into Leo’s lap. Leo sighed into his shoulder, his hands resting easily on James’s hips. It was oddly thrilling when someone who could likely incapacitate a man without much effort was as meek and docile as a sleepy kitten.
Leo was a good liar—no, Leo was the best liar. But all he could think about was the truth, and the truth was that he was much, much too fond of the doctor.
He smelled of carbolic soap and tea, which Leo thought was the most honest thing in the world for a man to smell like, and he was never going to have tea or wash his hands without thinking of this man.
“I don’t think I can handle kindness,” Leo whispered, and James’s hand went still. “I’m not sure I can be unkind to you,” James said.
This was the price he paid for the work he did. In fact, as far as James could tell, Leo did nothing but pay for it. He was alone, maybe even lonely, and if he kept going like this, he’d be dead soon.
“So stay and let’s, er.” He gestured between them vaguely. “Let’s eat supper and have bad dreams and visit the piglets. Whatever you like. Just don’t go.”
“I know that the decent thing for me to do would be to disappear into the night, to keep you far away from dangerous people.” “Is that what you’re going to do?” “I never was any good at being decent.” “Good. Thank God. I’d hate to think I was falling for something as dull as a decent man.” Leo smiled and buried his face in the pillow.
