“I didn’t realize you live across the street from Carson,” Atticus said.
Slade wondered if it was a coincidence that Atticus brought up Carson or if he could read his mind. He hoped it wasn’t the latter since his thoughts bordered on pornographic.
“Yeah,” he said, although he wasn’t sure it needed a response. “I saw Carson this mornin’,” he admitted. “At the bakery.”
Atticus remained quiet, not looking at him.
Slade managed to choke back the words before blurting out that Carson was practically dangling Atticus as bait to get a rise out of him. He wanted to simply because he wanted to put a rift between them. It was petty, yeah. And he wasn’t petty by nature, but Carson tended to bring out the worst in him.
“Does it bother you that I’m … dating him?”
Dating? Was that what Atticus and Carson were doing?
Slade kept his attention on the road. “Why would it?”
“He … uh … mentioned that you and he used to be a thing.”
Yeah, they had. Right up until Slade ran headfirst into the brick wall Carson put up to block him out of a future. Slade had been barreling full steam ahead, falling in love with a man he had no business being in love with, and thenBam!It was all over. It all crumbled around him. It was then he realized Carson wasn’t capable of committing. Not the way Slade needed. Carson’s kink made it difficult for anyone to get close to him. The fact that he wanted to watch the men he was with fucking other people kept everyone at arm’s length.
“I wouldn’t really call it a thing,” Slade lied. “We fucked. A long time ago.”
“Okay.”
“Is it serious? You and him?”
Atticus was quiet for a moment, and Slade figured he wasn’t going to answer, but finally, he said, “I’m leaving for Dallas on Sunday. For six weeks.”
“I heard.” And he’d been honestly disappointed as well as relieved. Slade was getting used to seeing Atticus every day, but every time he did, his mind drifted down a path it had no business on. He spent more time fantasizing about Atticus than was appropriate. He was hoping that six weeks away from him would do him good.
“Will you be back for the weddin’?” Slade asked.
“I was planning on it. Why?”
“Just askin’.”
Slade managed to keep his mouth shut for the remainder of the drive. He avoided warning Atticus about Carson and his strange brand of kink. Carson was right about one thing. Atticus wasn’t a kid. He was a grown man capable of making his own decisions about his life. He didn’t need Slade sticking his nose in his business.
Slade’s phone buzzed in his pocket. A second later, Atticus’s did. Slade left his where it was, but Atticus pulled his out to read the text message.
“That’s Luca. He said he confirmed that’s still her address.”
That was good news.
“And there’s a sketch of the dude.”
Atticus held his phone up. Slade caught a brief glimpse of a pencil drawing. Not long enough to tell if it looked like the guy they saw last night.
“Is it him?”
“Yeah,” Atticus answered, once again looking at the phone. “Darius has talent.”
It probably helped that Baz was a former police officer. He likely captured plenty of details without even realizing it.
“How’re you at pickin’ locks?”
Atticus chuckled. “I can hold my own. You?”
“My best time is under a minute.”
