Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 99918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
“Me, too. The hotel’s a block or two from here,” Tristan added. Dylan stopped and looked down the street, his eyes moving up, looking at something in the distance. Tristan followed his gaze to the tallest high-rise downtown. The building with the bright red H encased in a circle, shooting up from the street and towering in the night sky. He had to admit, from here, the view was quite magnificent.
“Is that where we’re staying?” Dylan asked.
“The Hilton, yes,” Tristan confirmed.
“I can walk. It’ll do me good to clear my head,” Dylan said. He wasn’t asking, more telling Tristan that he planned to walk the distance. Dylan went to the car, grabbed his suit jacket out of the backseat, and slid it on to his shoulders. “Thank you for tonight.”
Tristan got the impression that the response had more to do with those Southern manners he’d heard so much about than truth. Dylan turned away and started walking toward the hotel. “Wait, I’ll walk with you. It’s not the best part of town.”
“I got it. I’ll be fine,” Dylan called back, now several feet from him. “Goodnight.”
“Follow us,” Tristan told the driver as he tossed his jacket into the backseat. He had to jog a few steps to catch up. That seemed to surprise the man.
“I’m fine. Really. Get in your car and go,” Dylan demanded, his steps faltering.
“I’m not letting you walk alone out here. A walk will be good for me.” Tristan dropped his hands in his slacks and walked beside Dylan, matching his stride. “Did you have a good time tonight or did I overstep?” Tristan asked, changing the subject when it looked like Dylan was still going to argue this out. It took the length of an entire block for Dylan to finally answer.
“It scares me a little.” Surprised at Dylan’s honesty, Tristan gave him a sideways glance.
“How?” he asked. He needed to know exactly where that came from so he could conquer and ease that thought.
“I’ve kept this secret for so long it’s hard to let anyone know,” Dylan explained, his eyes on the concrete in front of him with each step he took.
“But you would soon enough. Your kids are growing up. It’s time for you to move on,” Tristan repeated Dylan’s words back to him. Dylan didn’t respond to that. “This quiet thing you do’s hard to gauge.”
“I’ve always had to keep quiet,” Dylan answered, avoiding his eyes.
“You’re a good-looking guy. You’ll find someone in no time when you finally come out.” Tristan bumped Dylan’s shoulder.
“It’s not about that,” Dylan sighed.
“It should be. You’ve lived your whole life alone—” Tristan started.
“I’m not alone,” Dylan cut in.
“Let me finish, you’ve spent your whole life alone, hiding a main part of who you are. It must be daunting to consider finally revealing yourself. You don’t seem like the player type. Once you’re out, someone’s gonna snatch you up.”
Dylan laughed a little as they turned a corner to the hotel walkway. “I’m just an average guy. If I looked like you, I’d totally be a player.” Those unguarded words sent panic to Dylan’s eyes, and his gaze darted up, colliding with Tristan’s. He gave a genuine smile. He’d been told over and over that he was nice on the eyes. He didn’t really have a problem getting guys, but something about this man thinking he was handsome made him feel good.
“Thank you for that,” Tristan said honestly, his smile still in place. Dylan remained quiet as they walked up the steps to the hotel. A bellboy opened the main doors.
“Where’s the reservation desk?” Tristan asked.
“Right over there, sir,” the bellhop pointed to an area in front of them. Tristan didn’t say anything more as he went to the desk and got Dylan’s room key.
“Here you go. Thank you for going with me tonight. I hope I didn’t freak you out too much,” Tristan apologized as they walked toward the elevators.
“You did, a little. But it’s okay. I can get to the room from here. You don’t have to walk me up,” Dylan said as Tristan punched the call button. An elevator opened, but neither man stepped away. For the second time tonight, they were standing almost chest to chest, staring at each other. Tristan realized then that he hadn’t made a mistake by taking Dylan to the club and perhaps the visit fueled the small amount of interest showing in Dylan’s eyes.
“I know you can. I’m just finding I like to do these things for you,” Tristan answered in all honesty. That drew a hint of color to Dylan’s cheeks, but he didn’t look away.
“I’m going up now.” Dylan hooked a thumb toward the elevator doors that were closing and Tristan reached out to press the up button again. The doors slid immediately open, but neither took their eyes off the other.
“Since we won’t speak of this again this weekend, when you do decide to come out, I want to be first on your list of people you visit. Hell, I’ll even come to you. I bet you’re spectacular in bed.” Tristan grinned. He meant those words. But his confession drew nothing but silence from Dylan.
“I’m going,” Dylan repeated, and this time, he took a couple of steps backward, throwing out an arm to keep the elevator doors from closing again.
“Goodnight, Dylan,” Tristan replied, forcing himself to remain in place. No matter what he thought, Dylan’s hesitation wasn’t an invitation. He was curious and perhaps relieved that finally someone else knew.
Dylan lifted a hand and stepped inside as the alarm sounded. Tristan was forced to watch as the doors closed, severing that momentary bond he thought he felt. He was proud of himself for not following. His body on the other hand vehemently disagreed. He forced himself to turn around and leave. Those few minutes by the elevator had been intense. He hadn’t realized that while he was under Dylan’s spell. He slowly made his way across the hotel lobby, thinking about that departing look in Dylan’s eyes. It hadn’t been an invitation. Right?