The ringing of his phone broke Jordan out of the trance he'd been in. He made a face then ignored the blasted thing, Jordan glanced back at the painting in front of him, taking it in once more. His eyes watered suddenly and Jordan had to blink to clear them. He glanced at his watch and cursed when he realised it was three in the afternoon. He'd had an appointment with Mandy at the gallery at two to go over the final pieces for his upcoming show.
He'd been working on this piece for the last eight hours. As he'd woken up in the early morning hours with idea for it and hadn't been able to get back to sleep without putting brush to canvas. The arid landscape of central Australia started back at him, the reds and ochres blended so seamlessly. The image was one from his childhood that he hadn't thought about in years, but suddenly couldn't get out of his head and had to get down on canvas.
Jordan placed his brush in the glass bottle of turps to clean the paint and cleared up his work surface. He then glanced at himself and realised he needed a shower before he went anywhere. Forever, perpetually, having to run for a shower before meeting someone.
No, that wasn't true. He managed for Nicor most days. Not always. But he definitely managed for his mate better than anyone else.
On his way to the bathroom, Jordan remembered the missed call and went back for his phone. He unlocked it and found four missed calls from Mandy and two from Nicor. He called Mandy back first. Nicor would understand. She might actually kill him this time. Amanda had to be psychic. Had to. Maybe the hounds would look into her lineage for him so that he could figure out whom to appease so she wouldn't accidentally kill him on purpose.
"Yes, I know, I'm late," he said as soon as she answered the call.
"You better be in the car and on your way here right now." She sounded annoyed. Jordan couldn't blame her. Really. Lucky for him she never stayed angry at him for long.
"I'm just getting into the shower," he told her truthfully, knowing, from past experiences, that lying to her would only make things worse.
She sighed heavily down the phone.
"I'm sorry. But I really think you'll like the reason behind why I'm late," he told her honestly.
"I bet I will. Hurry the hell up. I have shit to do this afternoon," she said then hung up. Someday she really would kill him. Not today, though.
Jordan didn't think twice before he dialled Nicor, put the phone on speaker and placed it on the bathroom counter while he undressed.
Nicor answered almost straight away, as if the man had been hanging out for his call. Then again, his mate was probably playing one of his games. No noise came through the phone so he must've paused it.
"Everything okay?" Nicor asked as Jordan started the shower to warm the water up.
"Yeah, sorry, got caught up in a piece."
"Ahh…" Nicor went quiet for a moment before he asked quietly, "Jordan? Is that the shower I can hear? Are you naked?"
"Ummm." Jordan blushed. "Maybe?"
"Would you like to come over this afternoon?" Nicor asked, his voice a little huskier than normal. "We can watch some Netflix and order delivery for dinner. Like a real dinner. I'm not asking for Netflix and chill."
"Sounds wonderful, but I'm late for a meeting at the gallery," he told Nicor regretfully. He really would like to curl up on the couch with the man and zone out to some movies. That sounded wonderful.
"Oh." That one word conveyed so much disappointment.
Jordan didn't even think before he opened his mouth. "Would you like to come with me to the gallery? We can go back to your place afterwards."
"Really?" Nicor asked. "You don't mind me seeing your work for the exhibition?"
Jordan thought about that, and realised he really was okay with Nicor seeing the exhibit before everyone else. "No one is supposed to see the new stuff until the show opens to the public, but you're not just anyone. I'd like it if you came with me."
"I'm on my way."
"Wonderful. I'll see you soon." Jordan disconnected the call then stepped into the shower to wash all the little splashes of paint off.
Jordan was waiting out the front when the large SUV pulled up in his driveway. He climbed into the passenger seat and gave Nicor's hand a squeeze. His mate chuckled.
"What?" he asked.
"You missed a bit." Nicor leaned over and scratched lightly at his Jordan's right cheek. He pulled his hand back to show a fleck of deep red paint that he'd managed to miss.
"Thank you. You wouldn't believe how often I find flecks of paint on me in places I have no idea how they got there in the first place."
"I look forward to finding out someday." Nicor winked, then pulled back out into traffic. "Point me towards the gallery."
Jordan told him the way, then relaxed and enjoyed the company as Nicor navigated through the busy city streets.
"I'm in trouble," Jordan muttered as they turned onto the road with his gallery.
"Why?" Nicor asked him confused.
"You see that woman standing over there?" Jordan pointed.
"Yeah. What about her?" Nicor asked.
"That's Mandy. My agent, remember? She only ever waits outside for me when she's not happy."
Nicor laughed, found an empty parking spot on the side of the road and parked. "You ready to face the music?"
Jordan groaned but got out of the car anyway.
As soon as Mandy saw him walking towards the gallery she crossed her arms over her chest and yelled to him. "What time do you call this?"
"I said I was sorry," he told her as he stepped up in front of her.
Mandy harrumphed, the scowl on her face making her look rather cute, or so Jordan thought. Nicor's large hand slipped into his own as his mate stepped up beside him on the walkway.
He didn't miss the shocked expression that replaced Mandy's anger in an instant. Her eyebrow raised and she looked at Jordan with wide eyes. "And who is this large specimen of man?" she asked, then furrowed her brows. "Haven't I seen him somewhere…"
"Mandy, this is my boyfriend, Nicor. Nicor, my agent Mandy," Jordan interrupted her before she could say anything else. Jordan didn't know why he did that. It wasn't like Nicor wouldn't see in a few moments.
"Boyfriend?" Mandy asked shocked. "Since when?"
Nicor grinned at her and held out his hand for her to shake. "Pleasure to meet you. Jordan's told me wonderful things about you."
Mandy snorted, but shook Nicor's hand anyway. "I highly doubt that."
Jordan coughed awkwardly. He loved Mandy. The woman had put up with his shit for five years and still managed to make him a hell of a lot of money along the way. But he might not have always been flattering about her when he was telling Nicor stories.
"What's the big rush in getting me down here?" Jordan asked, wanting to change the subject.
"What's the big rush?" she repeated back at him in a slightly sarcastic tone. "Oh, I don't know. We only open your next exhibit in three days, and I still need your final approval on the layout. No big deal."
Nicor coughed beside him and Jordan had the grace to blush. "Sorry. I kinda forgot."
"You kinda forgot?" Mandy asked, her voice raising several octaves.
"Come on. Let's go inside and get this over with before you have a heart attack right here on the footpath."
"And who's fault would that be?" she asked as she allowed Jordan to steer here towards the gallery door.
The windows were all covered from top to bottom with black paper. Big white letters proclaimed across the centre of the windows that a new Jordan Makan Exhibit was opening this Friday.
Jordan and Mandy stepped inside, when Nicor tried to follow them Mandy turned around and held her hand up in the universal sign of stop.
"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.
"Inside, with Jordan."
"I don't think so buddy. No one gets to see until opening night," she assured him adamantly.
"I'm not just anyone. You can trust me."
Mandy scoffed.
"Let him in, Mandy."
Mandy stared in disbelief.
"I trust Nicor with my life. He's not going to betray me."
"Never," Nicor promised.
Mandy sighed and stepped back. Not that she had any choice in the matter.
They closed and locked the door behind Nicor. Jordan kissed his mate tenderly on the cheek before he stepped back.
"Why don't you wander around while Mandy and I go take care of the details? I'll try not to be too long," Jordan said.
Nicor's gaze had wandered off to the side, his eyes widened as he stared at Jordan's work. "You did all this?"
Jordan shrugged. "It's taken a while."
"Go," Nicor told him. "Do what you need to. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Take all the time you need."
"Thank you."
Nicor walked over to the portrait of his mother and stared at it with open wonder on his face. Jordan wanted so very much to go over there and be with Nicor, but Mandy had a point. They had work to do if they were going to open on time. They'd already delayed the opening by several months due to his council project and all the shit that had gone down when he'd met Nicor. He was looking forward to the exhibit finally being done, however, Jordan had completely lost track of the days recently.
He and Mandy headed to the office to go over the paperwork side of things. Then she had her assistant, a preppy looking young man with glasses and a bowtie follow them around with an iPad making notes as they walked the studio, studying where every piece was placed, what Jordan wanted moved and why. They checked and double-checked every name plate to make sure they were correct, along with the description plates.
Jordan was fairly particular about how his art was showcased, it wasn't something he could describe or explain to someone else. Mandy did the best she could with what she was given. But there was a feeling Jordan got. A flow to his work that only he could feel and see. And that was what he'd always fallen back on when setting up for shows like this one.
Mandy didn't question him. She and her team made notes and made it happen.
Jordan even went so far as to pull pieces off the walls and placed them on the floor, leaning against the wall in their new spots so he could verify what he needed to.
He saw Nicor several times out of the corner of his eyes as they worked. His mate stayed quiet and left them alone. If it wasn't for the occasional glimpse as he moved about the gallery no one would even know he was there.
Jordan's stomach growled loudly letting him know he'd been here longer than he'd planned. He glanced at his watch and swore when he realised it was nearing seven and they'd been there for nearly four hours. God, Nicor must think he was an ass for dumping him for so long.
"I'm so sorry," Jordan apologised as he found Nicor staring at a painting of himself in hound form.
Nicor glanced at him quizzically. "What for? The painting? It's stunning. As are all the other pieces in here."
"No, for leaving you for so long."
Nicor looked at his watch then and his eyes widened in surprise. "Holy crap."
Jordan laughed. "Okay, I don't feel so bad now."
"You shouldn't feel bad. Your work is incredible, I think I've told you that before. I could look at it for hours without getting bored. I love what you did with the surfboards."
"Thank you." Jordan felt himself blushing slightly under the praise from his mate. "You ready to get out of here? I can feel Netflix calling our names."
"Sounds like a plan."
Jordan linked his fingers with Nicor's and together they left the gallery. Mandy would change what needed to be done and have the place ready to go by Friday. The drive back to Nicor's place was quiet, the radio playing softly in the background.
"What do you feel like for dinner?" Nicor asked as they parked under the building and climbed out of the car.
"You feel like pizza? Though I don't think I'm up for making any. Mind ordering in?"
"Sounds good to me. Anything in particular?"
"Nah, not fussy. As long as there is no pineapple and no black olives." Jordan pulled a face to show his true dislike of those two things. His mate had a weird sense of adventure with food sometimes. Today he needed normal.
Nicor laughed. "I totally agree. Black olives are the devil's food. And who ever thought of putting pineapple on pizza deserves an eternity in hell for that blasphemy. Make yourself at home," Nicor told him as they entered the apartment. "I'll place the order for dinner then come and join you. You remember where everything is?"
"Thanks, yeah, I'm good." Jordan took a seat on the large plush sofa and picked up the remote to the TV. He might have grinned when he noticed each of the hounds had their own Netflix profile.
Jordan clicked into Nicor's to see what kind of movies and shows his mate had been watching.
He glanced away from the TV a few minutes later when he heard the clicking of nails on the tile floor and was surprised to find himself looking at a large hellhound.
"Well hello, you," Jordan said in surprised delight.
He patted the couch next to him in enthusiasm and the large hound practically leapt onto it from where he'd been standing. Jordan laughed as the hound licked his face several times. Jordan patted the short silky hair and scratched behind his ears.
Nik let out a low whine of enjoyment.
"You like that don't you?" he asked as he kept scratching. Nik flopped down on the couch beside him, his large head, heavy in Jordan's lap. He didn't mind. He'd missed this guy. "I take it you don't care what we watch then?"
Jordan flipped through the movies until he found something interesting and pressed play. He put his legs up on the coffee table and got comfortable, patting and lightly scratching his hound the entire time.
They were interrupted by the sound of the internal phone ringing.
Nik whined but got up and headed toward the sound.
Jordan lost sight of him, and moments later he heard Nicor's deep timber of a voice answer the call.
"Pizza's here!" he called out not long after.
When Jordan saw him again the large hellhound was only wearing his jeans riding low on his hips.
There was a snatch of conversation and then Nicor appeared again carrying a couple of pizza boxes, a garlic bread and a large bottle of coke.
"Yum," Jordan said, he couldn't take his eyes off his nearly naked mate. The man pulled off the "jeans and nothing else" look really well. The light smattering of hair on his stomach lead to a tantalising trail down below the waistband of his jeans.
"I know, smells delicious." Nicor placed the boxes down on the table before disappearing again.
Nicor walked back into the room carrying a couple of empty glasses. Jordan looked at his mate. Really looked at him, and decided he liked what he saw. He thought he might be starting to fall for this man. The fact that he'd shifted and let Jordan spend time with his hound had really opened up Jordan's eyes and heart to the lengths that this man was willing to go for him.
There would be time enough to think about his emotions later, though. Now, it was time for pizza.
They settled back on the couch with their pizza and soft drinks. Jordan happily ate slice after slice of garlic bread—that shit was delicious—and pressed play again on the movie. Halfway through the movie he had to stop chowing down. No way could he keep up with his mate anyway. Where did Nicor put all that food?
Groaning, Jordan collapsed back into the corner of the couch and patted his now full belly. "So full."
The pizza had been too good to stop at just two slices. He burped, quite loudly and blushed at the unexpectedly loud noise.
Nicor laughed beside him, then burped himself.
"Oh my god, that's so wrong, but still funny," Jordan said while trying to hold back a laugh.
Nicor winked at him then burped again.
Jordan threw a cushion at him, which Nicor caught, tucked behind his bod and settled back into the opposite side of the couch. "Thanks for that."
"Hey, thief, give that back, it's my cushion," he complained as he held out his hand for his property back.
Nicor snorted. "Shouldn't have thrown it at me if you wanted to keep it. It's mine now."
"I don't think so." Jordan lunged for the cushion.
Nicor wasn't giving up without a fight though and soon the pair of them were completely ignoring the movie and laughing so hard as they play fought over the ownership of a cushion.
"Omph." Jordan groaned as they rolled, and realised there was no more couch for them to lean on, the pair of them crashing to the hard floor below them. He shivered as the cold floor seeped through his clothes.
His breath hitched as Nicor lay atop him, their faces mere inches apart.
Their laughter died suddenly as they lay there and stared at one another.
Before either of them could say a word, the sudden tension in the room was broken by the shrill ring of a phone. Nicor closed his eyes and Jordan knew what that meant, his mate was being pulled away again.
Nicor climbed off him and Jordan missed the warmth of his mate's body against his own. He grabbed the helping hand his mate held out to him and climbed up.
He snatched the cushion off the couch and placed it behind his back as he sat back down again.
Nik glared at him and pointed. "This isn't over, not by a long shot." Then he answered the call. "Hello?"
Jordan watched as Nicor's shoulders tensed and his entire body went on alert. He was being called away again. Jordan knew it. He felt a sudden pang at the thought of his mate once again being pulled away from him. He hated how much this must be tearing Nicor up, worrying about his pack, and about how Jordan was going to react to his need to go.
Nicor's expression didn't change as he nodded and listened to whoever was on the other end of the call. It was time he gave some serious consideration to moving to Melbourne.
Nicor hung up the call, before he could say anything Jordan beat him to it. "You have to go?"
"I'm sorry," Nicor whispered, pain clearly etched on his features for Jordan to see.
"Hey," Jordan said and stood. "There's nothing for you to be sorry about. We knew going into this that you would get called away if your pack needs you."
"But I'm going to miss your opening," Nicor said sadly.
"That's not important. There will be others. What's important is making sure your pack is safe, and for that, they need you. When do you have to go?"
Nicor glanced at his watch. "Adze has me booked on the first flight out in the morning."
"So, we still have the rest of the night?" Jordan smiled.
"Yeah," Nicor grinned wickedly, then dodged around Jordan, grabbed the cushion and flipped over the back of the couch. He held it out, taunting Jordan.
He growled.
"Hey! Give that back." Jordan climbed onto the couch and reached out, but Nicor stepped back, then took off laughing.
Jordan followed his mate, chuckling just as hard. If this was how they were going to spend their last night together for who knows how long, he wasn't about to complain. He'd worry about how much he was going to miss Nicor tomorrow.