Free Golden Dancer by Tara Lain Page A

different. Strangely, his investigation so far showed no evidence that this man, Mac, was gay. No male partners at all. Not even any rumors. Odd.
    He could understand what Trelain saw in the reporter. Under that scruffy styling, or lack thereof, the man was good-looking and wildly magnetic. Compelling, really. But if he wasn’t gay, why the hell was he here?
    A soft bong announced an e-mail. Daniel clicked. So Von Berg said publicly he saw no connection between Daniel and the missing Golden Dancer , but he was trying like hell to find evidence. Daniel smiled. The old bastard believed Daniel had the statue. Well, if that was the case, let him prove it.
    * * *
    When he got back to the living room from his office, Trelain had returned to his seat on the couch. The two men were conducting an interview for this much-heralded profile they were doing for MacAllister’s news site. Much-heralded fairy tale, in Daniel’s opinion. Literally. If ever a man needed an excuse to be with another man, it was MacKenzie MacAllister. The man was as straight as a dog’s hind leg and clearly had a passion for Trelain.
    Now, Daniel sipped his cappuccino and watched the interesting dynamic between the two of them being played out at his dinner table. How did Daniel feel about them? Mixed feelings, actually. He wanted Trelain—badly. But the other man had a powerful appeal too. As long as Mac clung to his image of himself as het, he was no threat to Daniel. But who knew where this little drama could lead? Trelain was powerful bait.
    “So, Mac, did you get all the information you need for your profile?” Daniel had learned quite a lot himself listening to the questions. Mac had asked Trelain about his mother, who had literally rescued the child from Russia. He’d gotten a bit more data on the reporter too. Ballet dancer parents. There was the connection.
    Mac sipped coffee. “Keep feeding me like this, and I’ll never finish the profile just so I can enjoy more dinners.” He smiled. “Actually, the most important part of the profile is the photos. My boss is crazy for those. I’ve set up a photo shoot for tomorrow and wondered if there was a chance we could do it here? I know it would be an imposition, but…”
    “Of course. I’d love to see the shoot. And with the beach and the pool, I’m sure you can get a lot of wonderful shots.”
    Mac looked into his coffee cup, probably for forgiveness, the bastard. “I, uh, wanted to apologize for assuming you were, uh…had poor intentions toward Trelain.”
    Daniel grinned. “I’m hardly a saintly protector, Mac.”
    The guy squirmed a little. “I know. I just mean…” The chocolate eyes finally met his own. “He explained how wonderful you’ve been to him and what a relaxing time he’s having here. I’m really sorry for jumping to the conclusion that you were just using him. I guess I feel protective toward him, uh, because my parents are such huge fans of his.”
    The guy was really self-deluded. Daniel smiled. “No apology necessary. I know my reputation isn’t stellar in the romance department, and I’m sure I’d feel just as protective of Trelain as you do, uh, if my parents were dancers.” He saw Mac glance up, startled. Good. Keep him thinking. “Since you’ll be here tomorrow anyway, why don’t you stay tonight?”
    Trelain smiled with an expression Daniel really wished wasn’t so hopeful. “Yes, Mac, stay.”
    Mac looked a little flustered. “Oh, no, thanks. I just live out in the canyon. I’ll be here early in the morning to set up.”
    Damn, he didn’t want to be jealous of this man, but he was. Shit. “Great. Before you leave, why don’t we have some brandy on the terrace?” He ushered the two men, one so tall and gangly, the other grace personified, out through the great room to the open doors of the terrace. The late May weather hadn’t turned to southern California’s famous June gloom, and the space heaters kept the outdoor seating comfortable. He