He wanted to go back to this morning before he ever opened his eyes. He wanted to wake up in Carson’s bed so he could slip out without confrontation and be on his merry way. If that were possible, he would’ve told himself it was just another one-night stand behind him and that moving on was his only option.
Too bad he couldn’t turn back time.
“When are you headin’ outta town?” Carson asked.
Atticus shrugged.
“Do you have to go today?”
Atticus met Carson’s stare and held it. What answer was Carson hoping for? Did he hope Atticus was leaving so he could hook up with Slade? Or was he hoping Atticus would stay so they could have a repeat of last night?
Carson’s blue-gray stare told him nothing.
Technically, he didn’t have to be in Dallas until Monday morning, so he had no reason to go today. At the earliest, he had intended to go tomorrow night. According to the email with his itinerary, he would be bunking in a cabin owned by Sniper 1 Security. It was available to him now, but the thought of spending two nights in an unknown place with nothing to do didn’t appeal to him.
Then again, spending one night feeling like the rope in a game of tug of war wasn’t all that appealing either. Both Slade and Carson had said that they had history and that it was only sex, but Atticus could feel the tension when they were near each other. He wasn’t sure whether they were lying or if their encounters had been so good that they were combustible when in close proximity.
He did not want to think about Slade and Carson fucking, dammit. It pissed him off, made him jealous, and yeah, it fucking turned him on. It was stupid. Really fucking stupid.
“Well, if you’re still in town tonight, can I see you?”
Atticus glanced at Slade, who was sitting in the truck.
“Hey,” Carson said softly. “Are we good?”
He turned his attention back to Carson. “I don’t know.”
“What can I do?”
“Tell me the truth.”
“About?”
“Everything.”
“What did he tell you?”
Atticus frowned. “Nothing. And that’s the problem.”
It was mostly true. Slade had given him enough to make his own assumptions, but that was all they were. He wanted to hear Carson’s side of the story.
Carson looked in Slade’s direction, then back to Atticus. “Fine. Tonight. Meet me at Moonshiners.”
Atticus’s eyes narrowed. He wasn’t sure he believed Carson was going to open up to him about his history with Slade. He wasn’t even sure he really wanted to know. But he did know he wasn’t interested in playing this game with either one of them. Certainly not if they were using him to make each other jealous.
“I’ll let you know,” Atticus said, unable to fully commit.
“Okay.” Carson took a step back. “Call me later. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll still be at the bar. Find me if you want to talk.”
Atticus nodded, then turned toward the truck. He climbed in, aware of Slade’s eyes boring holes into him as he buckled his seat belt.
“We’re goin’ to Moonshiners tonight,” Atticus said, slowly looking at Slade. “And you’re goin’ too.”
“Do you want me to?”
Not really, no.“It’s time we got this shit cleared up once and for all.”
“I don’t th—”
