mind, then Shawn picked up.
“What happened?” He winced at his own frantic tone.
“You got my text. Obviously.” Shawn sounded cranky.
Clearing his throat, he tempered his voice. “I apologize. I…” He…what?
“I know.”
There was a silence and it was Trent’s gut that clenched instead of his heart. He heard a sigh on the other end of the line.
“Let’s start over. I’m glad you called. It’s good to hear from you.”
Trent took a deep breath. “I’m glad I called too. I…I miss you.” He searched around for something to say that didn’t involve grilling Shawn on what had happened. He had nothing.
“I tripped.”
Trent was thrown off by the statement. Then he realized Shawn was referring to his knee injury. In which case, Trent felt like a real dope.
“I see. You said everything’s okay, but no walking for a while?”
The moment Shawn chuckled, all the tension left Trent’s body. It was unbelievable the marked difference between the two states of being. Maybe he should’ve met with a counselor after losing Paul, the way Lee had hounded him to.
“It was so humiliating. I’d chased after a suspect, no problem, then jogging back to where Vicki was I tripped over a damn tree root in the parking lot of a motel. Talk about stupid.”
“It’s not stupid. Pulled muscle?”
“Sprain. Contusion on the kneecap. I’m supposed to go back to work on Monday if the doctor clears me.”
“Okay then.” He searched around in his brain to find a way to delicately bring up the
next part. “I’m coming to get you when I’m off work. You’re staying at my house this week.”
He wasn’t good at delicate—or subtle.
“I am? You’re not much of an asker, are you?”
“Were you going to say no?”
He heard Shawn groan. “I suppose not. But I don’t want to be a hassle or be in your way.”
“I never would have asked—I mean, told you—if I didn’t want you there.”
“I guess I’ve figured that out about you. Which I do like, by the way.”
“Good. I’ll be there in a few hours. Don’t move around getting ready, I’ll help you pack up when I get there.”
“Am I being told again?”
“Yes.”
Shawn snorted. “Okay then.”
Chapter Six
He was simultaneously irritated and thrilled that Trent had demanded he stay with him for the week. Ever since they’d talked, he had worked the conversation through his mind, trying to discern what it was that had him pulled in two different directions. Sure, he was madly in lust with Trent, thought there could be more—but he wasn’t a child, or helpless.
He’d spent most of his life sucking it up and handling everything on his own with little or no outside support. He hardly needed another human being to be there for him all the time.
He became surprisingly emotional. Picking at the blanket covering his legs, he bit at his bottom lip to keep from crying like a big baby. Of course he’d handled things on his own. No one had cared enough in forever to show him any support, any consideration. Once his family knew about him, it had all gone away and been replaced by disgust. Hatred.
Everything swirled around in his gut as he realized he absolutely adored the way Trent took charge of him, how he nakedly showed his concern. Was that the only reason he had such an immediate closeness to him? Yet, they had an undeniable attraction, one that had occurred way before Trent had been his hero at the Bellagio. They also had a lot in common, so there was that too. If he added all of that along with how good he felt when he was with him—that had to outweigh anything else.
Didn’t it?
“Fuck.”
His excitement at being with Trent for the week was getting messed with and it pissed him off. He wanted to smack himself upside his head at all of his overthinking, although he managed to save a healthy portion of his anger for his family. Any weird issues he had plaguing him over beginning a relationship with Trent was their doing.
But
“What happened?” He winced at his own frantic tone.
“You got my text. Obviously.” Shawn sounded cranky.
Clearing his throat, he tempered his voice. “I apologize. I…” He…what?
“I know.”
There was a silence and it was Trent’s gut that clenched instead of his heart. He heard a sigh on the other end of the line.
“Let’s start over. I’m glad you called. It’s good to hear from you.”
Trent took a deep breath. “I’m glad I called too. I…I miss you.” He searched around for something to say that didn’t involve grilling Shawn on what had happened. He had nothing.
“I tripped.”
Trent was thrown off by the statement. Then he realized Shawn was referring to his knee injury. In which case, Trent felt like a real dope.
“I see. You said everything’s okay, but no walking for a while?”
The moment Shawn chuckled, all the tension left Trent’s body. It was unbelievable the marked difference between the two states of being. Maybe he should’ve met with a counselor after losing Paul, the way Lee had hounded him to.
“It was so humiliating. I’d chased after a suspect, no problem, then jogging back to where Vicki was I tripped over a damn tree root in the parking lot of a motel. Talk about stupid.”
“It’s not stupid. Pulled muscle?”
“Sprain. Contusion on the kneecap. I’m supposed to go back to work on Monday if the doctor clears me.”
“Okay then.” He searched around in his brain to find a way to delicately bring up the
next part. “I’m coming to get you when I’m off work. You’re staying at my house this week.”
He wasn’t good at delicate—or subtle.
“I am? You’re not much of an asker, are you?”
“Were you going to say no?”
He heard Shawn groan. “I suppose not. But I don’t want to be a hassle or be in your way.”
“I never would have asked—I mean, told you—if I didn’t want you there.”
“I guess I’ve figured that out about you. Which I do like, by the way.”
“Good. I’ll be there in a few hours. Don’t move around getting ready, I’ll help you pack up when I get there.”
“Am I being told again?”
“Yes.”
Shawn snorted. “Okay then.”
Chapter Six
He was simultaneously irritated and thrilled that Trent had demanded he stay with him for the week. Ever since they’d talked, he had worked the conversation through his mind, trying to discern what it was that had him pulled in two different directions. Sure, he was madly in lust with Trent, thought there could be more—but he wasn’t a child, or helpless.
He’d spent most of his life sucking it up and handling everything on his own with little or no outside support. He hardly needed another human being to be there for him all the time.
He became surprisingly emotional. Picking at the blanket covering his legs, he bit at his bottom lip to keep from crying like a big baby. Of course he’d handled things on his own. No one had cared enough in forever to show him any support, any consideration. Once his family knew about him, it had all gone away and been replaced by disgust. Hatred.
Everything swirled around in his gut as he realized he absolutely adored the way Trent took charge of him, how he nakedly showed his concern. Was that the only reason he had such an immediate closeness to him? Yet, they had an undeniable attraction, one that had occurred way before Trent had been his hero at the Bellagio. They also had a lot in common, so there was that too. If he added all of that along with how good he felt when he was with him—that had to outweigh anything else.
Didn’t it?
“Fuck.”
His excitement at being with Trent for the week was getting messed with and it pissed him off. He wanted to smack himself upside his head at all of his overthinking, although he managed to save a healthy portion of his anger for his family. Any weird issues he had plaguing him over beginning a relationship with Trent was their doing.
But
Similar Books
