1. Chapter One

Chapter One

"Do you have to do that now?"

Owen looked up from the laptop at the sound of Sebastian's voice. "What? The accounts? Yeah, actually I do."

Sebastian's frown deepened, and Owen felt a tinge of remorse for his response, but hell, he had work to do. He picked up the pile of invoices he was working his way through.

"I only need five minutes, Owen."

Owen's gaze flashed to Sebastian's. "I said, not now," he snapped. Owen instantly regretted the words. Well, maybe not the words themselves, but definitely his tone. Sebastian didn't deserve to be spoken to like that. He cleared his throat and softened his voice. "Listen, babe, I'm sorry. It's just I really need to get this sorted." He looked at his watch. "Give me another thirty minutes and I'm all yours."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "If only that were true."

"Seb, for God's sake, you need to stop pushing. Do you think I want to be stuck in here all day?"

Owen glanced around their home office, taking in the filing cabinets, overflowing bookcases, and the two cluttered desks. The beautiful bespoke furniture was hardly visible under the mountain of paperwork and piles of catalogues. He looked out the wide window that showcased the city vista, taking in the glorious view across the city to the mountains for the first time that day. A pang of regret stabbed in his gut—he used to take pleasure in the gorgeous surrounds every day, but now he could barely remember the last time he set foot outside before tackling the never-ending office work. The persistent ache in his shoulder and lack of sleep didn't help.

"You know what, Owen?" Sebastian's voice was laced with something scarily calm. "I have no idea what you want anymore. Once upon a time I thought I did but now I don't have a clue."

Sebastian ran his hand through his hair, spiking the dark strands in a gesture Owen knew so well. Jeez, he hated what he was doing to Sebastian, how he was treating him, but just a little bit longer and they could move forward and put the last few months behind them. All he needed was a little patience.

Owen pushed back from the desk and moved to stand behind Sebastian. He put his hands on his shoulders, feeling the tenseness of the muscles beneath his fingertips. At least he didn't move away, and Owen took the fact Sebastian hadn't shrugged him off as a positive sign. He slipped his arms around Sebastian's waist and put his chin on his shoulder, following his gaze out into the bright summer morning.

The scent of Sebastian's aftershave filled his nostrils, familiar and comforting, as was holding him in his arms. Owen loved to hold onto Sebastian, to feel his strong body against his own, and know the man belonged to him, and him alone. They'd been together for six years and that feeling had never left him. He was as much in love with Sebastian now as he'd been then, if not more, and loved the life they'd built together. Although he knew Sebastian probably felt differently—he was no doubt itching to get out and see some more of the world, restless now they were settled in Tasmania and didn't travel as much as they used to.

"I'm sorry, Seb. I know it's tough, but if we get the new contract then things will improve. It seems like I've been ignoring you—"

Sebastian spun around in his arms. "Seems like? For Christ's sake, Owen, you have been ignoring me."

Owen stepped back. "It's not intentional—"

"And you make it sound like you're the only one doing any work around here." Sebastian placed his hands on his hips, and his lips tightened. "I've been the one looking after our suppliers and dealing with all the import bureaucracy. You chose to take care of the sales and accounting side of the business. If you want to look at swapping shit around, I'm only too happy—"

"That's not what I want. Jeez, babe. I just want things to get back to normal."

"Don't we all." Sebastian huffed and dropped his hands to his side, shoulders slumping in resignation. "I don't want to fight with you, Owen. I just don't know what to do to fix things."

Owen reached for him, pulling Sebastian into a hug. "I know, babe. I don't want to fight anymore either."

They stood like that, Owen holding Sebastian close, before Sebastian finally raised his arms and hugged him back. Owen could finally breathe again once he had those strong arms around him. He took comfort from the touch and relaxed slightly in the sudden quiet that filled the room.

He just wished things would go back to how they used to be.

"Seb, can you take a look at these?"

Trudy thrust a pile of brochures in front of Sebastian, holding out a cup of coffee at the same time. He gratefully grabbed the coffee and took a sip before looking at the cover of the top brochure. He looked up at her and raised a brow. "The auction catalogues? Already?"

"Don't doubt my power to get things done. Don't they look awesome?"

Her grin was infectious, and Sebastian couldn't help smiling back. His own smile widened as he flipped through the first few pages. "They look terrific. Just how I pictured them."

Each glossy page depicted a photo of a piece of furniture against an austere backdrop. The effect ensured the focus was on the antique, almost as if the piece was a sculpture in an art gallery. Expert lighting highlighted the qualities of each unique piece. A small section of text provided the detail—the age, the material, and a short fact about where it was found. As Sebastian flipped through the pages, he was transported back to the trip he and Owen had taken, traipsing through the rural provinces of China to discover lost pieces to bring back to Australia where they were painstakingly restored to their former glory.

It was amazing to see the fruits of their hard work and dogged determination to rescue these beautiful treasures and ensure they were appreciated for centuries to come, but then his thoughts turned in another direction. The business trips were fun and importantly profitable, but he wanted to treat Owen to a proper holiday. Owen bore the brunt of the boring end of the business, at least in Sebastian's opinion, leaving Sebastian free to focus on the elements he enjoyed, and he wanted to show his appreciation.

He looked back at their office manager who was still hovering by his desk. "Hey, Trudes, how do you feel about looking after the place on your lonesome in the new year?"

"Planning a holiday?"

Sebastian grinned. "You bet. Owen's been working way too hard lately and he deserves a break. You know we try to head down the coast when we can, but I want to take him away from everything."

"Overseas?"

"I think so. Far enough away that he's not distracted by work or the temptation to ‘duck into the office for a sec.'" He made air quotes as he said the words that fell from Owen's lips way too frequently. Owen was so laser focused on ensuring the business was a success, that Sebastian worried about him. He wanted Owen to take more time off, to enjoy the life they'd built with each other. Sure, there were busy times when they were both overloaded, and they adored the business they'd built together, but they could afford more time away than they took.

Trudy snorted. "You're both as bad as each other. I can't keep the two of you away from here despite the fact you also have an office at home."

They rented the small commercial space in the central city location, mainly as a place to meet with clients face-to-face, but in truth, a lot of their business was conducted online, and they could telecommute easily. Sebastian waved a hand. "You know it's good to separate business and pleasure as much as we can."

"Ooo." Trudy waggled her brows. "Too much personal distraction at home is there?"

"Oh, don't you know it!" His thoughts were taken immediately to the image of Owen lying in their bed this morning, all warm and sleep mussed in the white sheets, dark eyes meeting his as Sebastian had bent to kiss him, lingering for a long moment before heading out the door. God, he'd been tempted to climb back under the covers and show Owen just how much he loved him. If only I hadn't had the damn client meeting. But half an hour wouldn't have been nearly enough time. Thankfully tomorrow was the weekend and maybe he could convince Owen to make the most of a lazy lie-in.

Or a not so lazy one.