“We should go, Hawke. There’s one other person I want to talk to.”
Tate’s body had gone stiff as he’d spoken and as tempted as I was to try to coax some of the easiness back into it, I knew it wasn’t the time or place so I nodded and stepped back. I walked around the truck and got in and tried not to feel disappointed that Tate refused to look at me. It was, after all, what I wanted…distance, time to think.
It only took a few minutes to get to our destination and I knew instantly who we were going to see when Tate told me to pull into the bank’s parking lot. His piece of shit ex had worked in a bank and had been the one who’d told Buck where Tate was two years earlier.
“Your ex?” I growled.
“Reggie,” Tate responded as he unbuckled his seat belt. “Although I suppose calling him my ex is generous. He was more of a fuck buddy and not a very good one at that.”
Tate made a move to get out of the truck, but I grabbed him by the wrist to stop him.
“What does that mean?”
Tate sighed and then shrugged. “It’s a small town, Hawke. Not a lot of options for a scrawny, scared kid with a homophobic father and brother.”
“So you weren’t in love with him?” I asked, hating the jealousy that was surging through me. Fortunately, Tate didn’t seem to notice it.
“Love?” Tate said with a harsh chuckle. “I barely even liked him.”
“Then why?” I pressed.
“Forget it,” Tate murmured and tried to pull free of my hold.
“Why, Tate?”
He finally turned to face me, his expression an intriguing mix of defiance and shame.
“Because it was easy to pretend with him.”
“Pretend?”
“Yeah, unlike you, I pretended all the time. I pretended he was my boyfriend and that I didn’t feel cheap and used after he finished fucking me. I pretended I loved him and that we were going to build a life together. I pretended I didn’t have to hide who I was and that for five God damn minutes, I was actually safe!”
Tate tried to tug free of my grip, but I pulled him closer and then sealed my mouth over his, not caring who might see us. I kissed him until he went soft beneath my lips and started kissing me back.
“You don’t have to pretend anymore,” I reminded him.
“Don’t I?” Tate murmured, but before I could even try to figure out what he meant, he whispered, “Sorry,” and tried to escape me again.
“Was there anyone else?” I asked. I had no idea why it was so important for me to suddenly know if there’d ever been someone special in Tate’s life.
“No,” Tate said as he dropped his gaze. “I went to a club once after Reggie moved away, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be.”
“What did you think it was going to be?”
“Do we have to talk about this?” Tate asked quietly.
“No,” I finally said as I released him. The tension between us grew and I didn’t try to stop Tate when he got out of the truck. He waited for me as I walked around it before heading into the small building.
Lulling had turned out to be a rural, almost desolate town with just a small town square. The population was just shy of a thousand people and my guess was that many of them either made their living running ranches on the surrounding farmland or made the hour long commute to San Antonio. The few businesses that remained were a throwback to another time and the bank was no exception. The décor as soon as we walked in screamed that the place hadn’tseen an upgrade in several decades and there was only a singular teller standing behind the counter and one cubicle with a starchy older man punching numbers into an older model computer.
There was no doubt in my mind that the teller picking at something on the skin of his hand was Tate’s ex and I had to curb the urge to walk up to the counter and drag the man through the little space that allowed him to interact with his customers. I sensed Tate tensing up next to me, but he didn’t hesitate to make his way right up to Reggie.
“How may I help you today?” Reggie mumbled just before he lifted his dull eyes. They instantly widened at the sight of Tate.
“Chris,” he whispered and then looked around the small space as if half expecting to see someone else. His eyes only stayed on me for a brief moment and I knew right away who he was expecting to see.
“Reggie,” Tate acknowledged.
