Free Slow Dreaming by Anne Barwell Page B

time before. He knew his way around, and the cover the Tempus Institute had put in place for him was airtight.
    His fingers brushed against his wallet, still in his pocket. He fought the urge to open it and compare the photograph he’d been given to the reality of the man he was about to have coffee with. Sean’s was one of the few files Jason had been tempted to read, to the extent that he’d gone as far as flipping through the highlights. He didn’t know what it was, but something in that image had touched him. Jason closed his eyes, bringing the details to life in his mind once more. The color of it had faded with time but the essence of its subject remained. Sean was smiling, his lips crinkled up at the corners, his attention caught by someone or something the camera could not see. It wasn’t posed, more of a candid shot taken unawares.
    No secrets. I want you to know me.
    Or rather Sean wanted the person at whom the smile was directed to know him.
    “Penny for them?” Sean interrupted Jason’s train of thought. He placed a cup on the table, the thump of it against the wood causing Jason to open his eyes with a start. They still used crockery, not the plastic or paper cups that were already sneaking in some of the other places. “Everything okay? I asked Ruth to give you the same order you’d had before. Hope you didn’t want anything different.”
    “Yeah, everything’s fine.” Jason shrugged. “Just thinking. I do that occasionally. It’s supposed to be good for the soul.”
    “I’ve heard that.” Sean chuckled, sitting himself down and adding several spoonfuls of light-brown crystals to his own drink. Jason stared. He’d seen them on the table earlier, of course, but hadn’t known what they were and didn’t want to risk showing his ignorance or ruin a good cup of coffee. “Coffee sugar. Want some?”
    “Sure.” Jason helped himself. He took a cautious sip, decided it was definitely something else he could get used to, and added another spoonful. “We don’t have these at home,” he explained, noticing Sean’s amused expression.
    “I don’t either. They’re a bit pricey, and I’m on a budget.” Sean stretched back in his chair. He had long legs, lean but muscular. His jeans slid up at the ankle to reveal tanned skin at the top of his sock.
    “Umm, yeah.” Jason forced himself to focus on the conversation. Sean was an assignment, nothing more. There was no point in getting too friendly, as there would be no future in it. “Do you come here often?”
    “Most days.” Sean looked up, took his glasses off, and polished them with the hem of his shirt. His eyes were the most amazing shade of light gray, although close up like this, without the magnification of his glasses, they appeared almost blue. “But then you’d know that, yeah?” It was spoken as a statement rather than a question, casually and without accusation.
    “Excuse me?”
    “You were in here yesterday. I saw you watching me.” Sean leaned forward in his chair.
    “Do you have a problem with that?” So much for subtle; he was definitely slipping.
    “Nope,” Sean said as he took another sip of coffee, “unless you have a problem with the fact that I was watching you ?”
    “Why?” The word came out more accusing than he’d intended. Surely his cover couldn’t have been compromised. No one knew he was here. Jason glanced around more than a little nervously. Could this be a test of some sort? A final assignment designed to make sure he ended up in those damn stacks? If it was, it was a dirty one. He hadn’t hidden where his preferences lay; there’d been no need for it. It was one of the few things in his time that was not preplanned and controlled by the powers that be. If Sean just happened to be the type of guy to which Jason was drawn, that was no one’s business but his own. It didn’t mean he couldn’t do this assignment properly, either. He might have some issues with authority, but geez, he could still