Boyfriend for Rent (12 page)

“Can we talk about this outside? Away from all this attention?” McDermott asked, his eyes darting back and forth at the people eavesdropping.

“No.” Casey shook his head. “I’ve had enough of hiding with you. If you wanted to pretend to be something you’re not, you should’ve just left me alone.” He turned to Jessie. If McDermott had walked away quietly, Casey would’ve let him go, but he was tired of McDermott pushing everything off on him. “Did your boyfriend tell you he used to date me?”

“What?” Jessie’s eyes bugged.

“He’s joking, aren’t you, Casey?” McDermott shot a threatening glance towards Casey. When Casey didn’t respond, McDermott continued, his voice unsteady. “Even if that was true, the past is the past
, and sometimes it’s better to let things lie.”

Casey laughed. “Oh, yeah, lie. You’re really familiar with that word, aren’t you?”

“We all have secrets; things we don’t want out there in the world,” McDermott said, leaning in with a low tone.

Casey heard the threat and knew what McDermott was hinting at. His mouth flattened. If McDermott wanted to go there, Casey would too. “Secret? Like stealing kisses in the locker room when everyone else on the team had gone home? Like fucking me
, but not having the balls to take me to prom? Like making me lie to everyone even though we lived together for four years? Kicking me out and changing the locks so I couldn’t even get a change of clothes, all because I dared to touch your arm in public?”

McDermott’s face had gone from gray to red.

Casey took a breath. He wasn’t done yet. There were so many more things he wanted to say. It was like everything over the course of his relationship with McDermott was bubbling up and wanted its chance to be heard.

“Come on, babe, let’s go,” Hunter suggested. He put his hand on Casey’s arm, feeling the muscles flex under his palm. His own blood was boiling
, and it was taking all of his self-control not to punch that self-satisfied prick right in the face, but Casey was his first concern.

Casey glanced up at Hunter and nodded. They started to turn when McDermott opened his big mouth again.

“Hey, Hunter, Casey ever tell you he used he used to give erotic massages to strangers to make ends meet?”

Hunter spun without stopping to think about it. His arm was up, fist clenched, as he turned, using all of the force of his moving body to drive his fist into McDermott’s jaw. Pain flared through his knuckles and McDermott dropped like a fly. Hunter was sure he’d felt something crack, but not in his hand. He had a feeling McDermott wouldn’t be using his mouth for anything for quite a while. Before anyone else in the crowd could do anything more than gasp and stare, Hunter grabbed a stunned Casey by the hand and walked with him through the parting crowd. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

_________ o _________

CHAPTER 33

S
o maybe it hadn’t been the best idea to go to this thing
, Casey thought.
But watching  Hunter punch McDermott made it all worth it.

When they arrived in their room, Casey couldn’t gather his things and get them checked out fast enough. Just being in that building was making his skin crawl. He wanted to be as far away from this place as possible. He wanted to go home.

Both he and Hunter were quiet until they reached the outskirts of town. Only then did Hunter break the silence.

“I’m sorry,” Hunter said.

“For what?” Casey was surprised. “He deserved it.”

Hunter cracked a smile. “Yeah.”

“And about what McDermott said, about what I used to...”

“Doesn’t matter,” Hunter interrupted.

“What?”

“Everyone has a past. Doesn’t matter what you used to do. I know who you are.”

Casey fell silent for a moment. He could let that set the tone, keep things warm and comfy between them, but he’d been debating asking this question for the past couple of miles and couldn’t ignore it. Not after everything that had just happened. He had to know. “I just have a question for you.”

“What?”

“We almost kissed. On the dance floor.”

“That ain’t no question.” Hunter glanced at Casey.

“Was that real, or am I way off base?”

Hunter didn’t speak for several minutes, his eyes fixed on the road. Casey couldn’t read anything from the other man’s face. Finally, Hunter gave a one word response in the form of a question. “Why?”

“Never mind.” Casey turned his eyes back to the road, too, and pretended he’d never asked. Pain cut through his heart, so much sharper than it had been when McDermott had ended things. He should have known better than to think that this was anything more than friendship, that Hunter had been doing anything more than playing his part. And he’d played it well. He’d half-convinced Casey that it had been real. It had all been wishful thinking on his part, reading into things that weren’t there. There was only one thing he could do now. “So, guess it’s time for me to move out.”

“What? Why?” Hunter jerked the wheel, nearly driving them off the road.

Casey barely noticed, too wrapped up in his pain. He picked at a non-existent thread on the hem of his t-shirt. He gave a flimsy excuse, his voice flat. “I mean, we’re done here, right? Reunion's over.” What else could he say? That he couldn’t stay because he was falling in love? That every time he saw Hunter, he wanted to touch him and kiss him? That it was too painful to be under the same roof and know that they would never be together?

“I mean, if that’s what you want,” Hunter’s voice was carefully neutral. “‘Course, roof’s not fixed, and old Dollie would miss ya.”

“She’ll get over it,” Casey answered. And Hunter would too. He’d meet some beautiful woman and forget all about the time he pretended to be gay to help out some poor kid upon whom he’d taken pity.

“You know what
?” Hunter’s voice grew harsh. “No. You’re not fucking going nowhere.” His tone shifted into something almost pleading. “Stay. Just stay.”

Pop! Tss.

“What the fuck was that?” Casey jerked his head up.

“Blew a tire.”

_________ o _________

CHAPTER 34

S
tranded in the middle of nowhere, and the air between Hunter and Casey was as thick as ever, but they had bigger problems. Namely that they were stuck in the middle of nowhere and it was close to midnight. They were pulled off to the side of the road, trees all around them, a starry sky overhead, and absolutely no civilization in sight. If Casey was remembering correctly, this was a stretch of about eight miles of nothing but forest. And, of course, no streetlights, which meant the only light was from the moon.

“We can call Triple A or something?” Casey suggested.

“No reception,” Hunter said. “It’s not that chilly. Could go camping while I change the tire. If I can see good enough.”

“Camping?” Casey said the word like he’d never heard it before.

Hunter jerked his thumb towards the bed of the truck. “Back there. I got sleeping bags. Well…I have one sleeping bag. You can have it.”

“Are you sure?” Casey asked. He couldn’t believe this was happening. They’d been at a point where a decision had to be made, and now they were back to their polite friend-talk, the moment lost. He didn’t think they’d ever get it back, and if they didn’t, he was going to have to leave. He couldn’t take being near Hunter any longer.

Hunter climbed out of the truck and reached behind his seat, producing a thin, worn sleeping bag. “Yeah, I’m cool. Just get some rest and I’ll see what the damage is. If I can change it tonight, I will, but if I can’t, I’ll sleep in the cab and get us on the road in the morning. Shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes once the sun’s up.”

Casey didn’t bother to argue. He didn’t have the energy. It was late and he was exhausted emotionally and physically. He climbed into the bed of the truck and unrolled the bag. He climbed into the roomy bag, squirming in an attempt to get comfortable. He didn’t think that was going to happen. The metal bed was full of dents and dips, not to mention the debris that had collected since the last time Hunter had cleaned it. And then, when Casey stopped moving, the chill of the night air started to seep through the thin material. He shivered, one shudder after another passing through him.

“You all right?” Hunter asked.

Casey started. He hadn’t heard Hunter coming over. “Fine,” Casey said, his teeth chattering. He didn’t want any
more pity.

Hunter hopped in the back of the truck and unzipped the sleeping bag.

“What are you doing?” Casey asked, a sliver of panic going through him.

“Getting you warm,” Hunter said, slipping behind him. He pulled the zipper up behind him, pushing their bodies tightly together.

Fuck
, Casey thought as his ass pressed against the front of Hunter’s jeans. This was not where he’d wanted this night to end up. He’d planned for he and Hunter to go back to the hotel, laugh and joke, then sleep so they could get on the road early. He’d hoped that maybe they’d end up closer. Then, after their dance, for a brief moment, he’d let himself think that it might be possible for this to be something else. He stared at the inside of Hunter’s truck as he agonized over asking Hunter about the almost-kiss. Every ridge, every crevice, every fleck of dirt, everything he could see and imagine in the moonlight.

He wasn’t the only one not sleeping. He could feel Hunter’s chest against his back, could feel the other man breathing, even his heartbeat, neither of which were slow enough for Hunter to be sleeping. In fact, they seemed almost too fast. Casey wasn’t going to read anything into that. He’d learned his lesson. Hunter was just probably nervous, thinking that Casey was going to think this was some sort of flirting.

Casey squeezed his eyes shut and tried to will himself to sleep. He just wanted to be somewhere else. Somewhere he wasn’t overly aware of the body behind him. Where he could have a good cry rather than thinking about the heat radiating off of Hunter, warming Casey in ways that were more than just physical.

“Yes.”

Casey almost didn’t hear the whisper.

“What?” Casey kept his voice low. He didn’t understand what Hunter was saying.

“Yes. I meant it.” There was a note of something in Hunter’s voice that Casey didn’t recognize. “I wanted to kiss you.”

That was when it hit Casey what he was hearing. Hunter was scared. Big, strong Hunter
, who’d threatened to beat McDermott before he’d even really known Casey. Hunter, who handled massive horses like they were nothing. Hunter, who’d let an entire ballroom full of people think he was gay just to help Casey. That same Hunter was terrified to say that one word.

Casey rolled over so he was facing Hunter, the sleeping bag keeping them pressed together so close
ly that there was barely an inch between them. It was his turn to be the strong one. He looked up at Hunter and saw that the other man was looking away. Casey reached up and gently laid his hand on Hunter’s cheek. His heart fluttered.

“It’s okay, Hunter.”

“No,” Hunter shook his head. “It’s not.”

"
Oh." Casey dropped his hand and tried to put some distance between them. That’s what it was. Hunter was freaking out because he’d wanted to kiss Casey. “Don’t worry about it.” Casey could hear the ice in his voice and hated himself for it, but better ice than pain. “You just got caught up in the moment, in the part you were playing. I get it. It’s not personal.” He started to roll back over so Hunter wouldn’t see his tears.

“No, you don’t get it.” Hunter’s hand was suddenly under Casey’s chin, holding his head in place as Hunter propped himself up on one elbow. His expression was intense, his eyes blazing. “It is personal, Casey. It’s very personal. I didn’t get caught up in anything. I knew exactly who I was and where I was, who I was with.” His thumb brushed against Casey’s bottom lip and his eyes dropped to it for a moment, before returning. “It’s not okay
, because I made such a big deal about you telling the truth and how much I hate lying, and I’ve been lying for I don’t even know how long.”

Casey couldn’t breathe. He had to be dreaming. This couldn’t be real.

“I’m not going to lie anymore,” Hunter said.

He bent his head and Casey’s heart gave a wild leap as their mouths came
together. Casey felt a moment of hesitation and steeled himself for Hunter to pull back, but then it vanished and Hunter’s lips were parting and his tongue was tracing the seam of Casey’s mouth.

Heat flooded Casey’s body and he wrapped his arms around Hunter’s neck, pulling the other man down on top of him. Hunter was heavy, but Casey welcomed the weight. Their hands ran over each other, their touch obstructed by their clothes. Casey tugged at the hem of Hunter’s t-shirt. He needed to feel skin. He’d been wanting it too long. Even if nothing else happened between them, he wanted to touch Hunter.

Hunter raised himself up enough so that they could look at each other. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this.”