Edward relaxed in the driver’s seat, one hand on the wheel. He smiled over at Daniel, but there was a little sadness to it and Daniel instantly felt guilty.
“It’s a little hard to take in all the sights and do the tourist thing when you’re worried about people shooting you or kidnapping you.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that stuff.”
Edward reached over with his free hand and squeezed Daniel’s thigh, stopping any further apology. “Don’t. I’d admit that this is the most fun I’ve ever had on a job if it wasn’t totally insulting to you.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been in danger the entire time you’ve been with me. I shouldn’t be having fun.”
Daniel grinned, placing his hand on top of Edward’s. “Yeah, well, I must be a real sicko, because I’ve been having a blast with you.”
“But you are right. It is frustrating at times. I’d love to see some of these places. I’ve always wanted to visit the Musée d’Orsay. It has a large collection of Cézanne and Degas.”
“Oh! And Monet.” Daniel cocked his head to the side and narrowed his gaze on Edward. “I didn’t know you liked art.”
Edward smirked. “Just the old stuff. Modern art is too weird for me. I’d love to see all those places you mentioned. I did stop in the Louvre once just to see the Mona Lisa. I felt like it was expected of me since I was in Paris. Did the same once with the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum.” He paused and shrugged one shoulder. “It’s just not as fun to do all that stuff by yourself.”
“But after we—” Daniel knew he didn’t stop himself in time, because Edward flinched and slid his hand out from underneath Daniel’s.
Somewhere along the way, Daniel had let himself forget that he was just a job for Edward. They’d had some laughs and some great sex, but at the end of the day, Edward was on a mission to recover the lost information and to take out some spies. When it was all over…well, when it was over, they would have to go their separate ways.
Things were getting all mixed up. Their time alone didn’t quite feel so casual any longer. Daniel didn’t feel like a burden or just part of a mission.
“Do you…” Daniel started again when the silence had stretched for more than a minute, but he stopped himself again.
“Ask me.”
“It was a stupid question,” he murmured.
“Please.”
“Do you ever get time off? Like vacation time?”
“Not as much as I would like. Most of the time when I’m off, I head home and hang out at my place. Sleep a lot. Catch up on some reading. Work is a lot of travel, so it’s nice to kind of stay in one place for a while.”
“Makes sense.”
But while he tried to keep his voice light and casual, there was a weight growing on his chest, crushing his heart and lungs until it was becoming hard to breathe. Before reality came crashing down, he wanted to say that he’d meet up with Edward anywhere in the world he wanted to go. He’d happily tour the museums and royal palaces and all the interesting places of the world with him. Edward had a brilliant, sharp mind, and they’d proved that they could talk for hours about nearly any topic under the sun. Daniel would love nothing more than to see all these amazing places that were currently at his fingertips with Edward, particularly if they were both seeing them for the first time.
More than that, there was a quiet little part of him that knew he’d also be happy holed up in Edward’s apartment or condo or house or whatever the fuck he had, watching TV, eating takeout, and talking about nothing. Because he simply liked being with the man.
And very soon that wasn’t even going to be an option.
The open countryside suddenly ended in dark, thick woods that ran straight up to the road as if it wanted to beat back humans trying to enter the area. Daniel could easily imagine kings, lords, and the entire royal retinue riding through the forest on the hunt, making enough noise along the way to scare their game far from them.
Edward carefully drove their new rental car through the city, passing tidy homes and cute stores. Shoppers and tourists wandered down the sidewalk, not seeming to be bothered by the gray skies as they went about their day. It was only a few minutes before he caught the first glimpses of the château through the gold-tipped spiked fence.
There was no stopping the forlorn sigh. Daniel thunked his head against the window and stared at the long building holding the treasures of French history. “Edward, you have one job today,” he started.
“I think I’ve got a few more than that, but what are you thinking of?”