“Come on, Tris, don’t you start doubting how good we are now. Until we find out who’s threatening us, I won’t risk you. Or my daughter.”
He takes the bitchy wind out of my sails in a handful of words. Because I do know we’re playing for keeps, but sometimes my doubts make me focus on things and people that don’t matter.
“Tris,” he says gruffly. “We good?”
“Yeah,” I answer as my eyes lock on a gas station turn off as my day and all its revelations leave me feeling exhausted. I don’t talk again until I’m driving past the gas station and pulling into the park next to it.
“Hang on, King, I’m parking.”
“What’s going on?” he asks impatiently.
“I’m having a moment and just need to let it happen. My head is full of crap and I can’t think past any of it. I miss you. I want to call Maverick. I want to stop lying. But I know that’s alie. I’m tired and need some chocolate. Or sex.” My words and thoughts pretty much erupt out before I get the chance to vet or even put them in any logical order.
“I’ll call Big Tom.”
“Why?” I ask despite already knowing the answer.
“You need me.”
“No, I’m good. Like I said I need sugar. Everything you said is right and I know that. I think I just got the wobbles is all. Pretty sure that happens to everyone. I’ll be right as rain in like an hour or so, and once I think about it properly, I’ll see for myself that I’m being a fruit-loop and having a panic for no reason.”
“I got the sugar you need,” he growls under his breath, but it’s not full of frustration or irritation. It really is King being worried and nothing else. “A ride will be good. Joker wants to show me something over in the next county anyway. We can check in with a few things on the way.”
“Really?”
“I’ll give you what you need, killer. I’ll bend you over my bike and give you exactly what you need.” Our call is interrupted by King getting an incoming call. “Raney’s calling.”
“Take it.” My voice cracks, and I check the car park in case I missed her or Koz, but the service station is only full of truckers and mom and dad travellers.
“Don’t brush me off. I’ll call her back. You’re important too, Tristan.”
“I never said I wasn’t,” I hiss back. And as soon as the words leave my lips, I feel like a dick again. Thankfully, there’s a vacant parking space directly in front of me, and I pull right into it before the reality of the day really hits home. I squeeze my eyes shut and start reciting the alphabet backwards, anything to stop the swirl of emotions pulling me towards a void of darkness. “Sorry,” I squeeze past my biting jaw once I make it to R.
“Tristan,” he growls down the phone and I let myself sink into the comforting noise he makes. Without exaggeration, hearing his voice or being near him is settling. He has the ability or it might be a strength that I sometimes need to borrow which I think is what finding your compatible life partner is all about. “Give yourself a break. You had a day but don’t read shit into it. I’m on your side and you bet your sweet ass sometimes that means you come before everything and everyone. Today is one of those days.”
He waits for an answer. He’d wait all day too. I know from past experience he can be as stubbornly determined as I can. In spite of that, the thought of seeing him for a couple of hours is exactly what I need. “You’re right.” He chuckles, and I feel lighter.
“I always am, killer,” he says, “I’ll be reminding you of how fucking amazing you are real soon, huh?”
Chapter
Thirteen
MAVERICK
“Hey, how was the shoot?” Steel asks as soon as he walks in the change room. Without waiting for a response, he starts changing and pulls off his black tee, throwing it in the bag.
I’ve never hid shit from Steel or his brother. Not once since we were kids have I had to lie to either of them or not tell the whole truth because there’s never been anything that could tear us apart. But in the space of one afternoon, I’ve got walls up and excuses building because something tells me I need to hide the spunky, blonde hair, bubble-gum smelling Omega.
“Fine. I’ll get the funds wired over pretty soon so on the way home we can stop off at an ATM,” I say, stripping down bare. Probably a bad idea since I’m still sporting the lingering effects of meeting my scent-matched Omega, my dick still firm, but Steel’s seen me butt ass naked before.
I can’t get her out of my thoughts which makes fucking sense since she is who she is. I just hope it doesn’t take her long to figure out her side.
Steel spins around to face me, his eyes dropping straight to my cock. They stay there for a long time too until he brings his grey eyes to mine. As always they’re full of fucking excuses.
Twisting away from his regret, I put on training jocks followed by a pair of work out pants and leave him to sort himself out. I get it, I really fucking do. His father is a homophobic prick who has an unhealthy obsession with the concept of same sex couples. If he knew his son and I were regularly intimate, he’d take a pound of flesh from the both of us.
“Come on,” I mumble, “let’s forget about shit for a bit and just train.”
