Page 10 of Dirty Dare

“Yeah, I wasn’t worried. But I won’t either.” He’s pulling away, his arms slicing back overhead, one and then the other. “Not that it would make a difference if you did. Everyone knows I’m gay.”

The dock rocks, or maybe it’s just me. But suddenly my chest is doing something almost violent. “Wait, what?”

He stops with a short laugh, holding up a hand, because I’m balanced at the edge, a breath away from diving in after him.

“Whoa, Trev. Settle. Don’t worry. You’re secret’s safe with me, man. Always was. Always will be.” And he’s on the move. One stroke, two, and then without breaking his rhythm, he rolls onto his stomach and swims off into the darkness.

4

Cam

Running my hands over my face, I listen to the chime of my phone alarm gently increase in volume. I don’t want to get up.

I don’t want to start another day knowing that Trevor is back in town. I don’t want to be looking for him around every corner, thinking I see him in every crowd, and if it actually is him, making sure no one picks up on that weirdly intense vibe between us.

But most of all, I don’t want to get caught in the same whirlpool of regret I lived in when he left after high school.

Because I had my chance.

He’d taken my hand that last day while the house he lived in with his mom and sister was emptied into a moving truck, and told me he was all in. That we didn’t have to hide. Trevor wanted me. And anyone who didn’t like it could screw off.

I’d thought about my dad. The store. Everyone I knew and the life I was terrified to lose… and then I told him I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

The big, tough captain of the hockey team stood before me with tears in his beautiful blue eyes and begged me to change my mind. To give us a chance. He swore no one had to know. That if I wasn’t ready, we could keep it a secret. He’d stay. Get a job. That we could find a way.

I wanted him. But I wasn’t ready. I’d been too scared to trust. Him. Myself. The people I loved most in this world.

Turns out, most of my friends and family were pretty awesome when I told them.

But Trev? Okay, who knows what would have happened if I’d said yes that last night instead of getting in my truck and driving straight through until morning so there was no way I could get back before he left.

Maybe if I’d given us a chance, he would have been all in the way he promised. Or maybe he would have realized within a few hours or days that we weren’t worth risking his dreams over—

Fuck. I press the heels of my hands against my eyes and rub.

This kind of speculation is exactly what I don’t want to start my damn day with.

My life is good. It’s everything I said I wanted. And his life just keeps getting better. I’ve seen him play. No way are the Slayers sending him back down.

And he’s not out.

It’s that simple.

All I need to do is stay away from him and both our lives will keep on going just the way we want them to.

Easy. Last night was a moment of weakness. Okay, more like two hours of weakness. Followed by another of sitting in the dark, watching all the Internet clips of Trevor I could find on my laptop.

I throw my legs out of bed, stretch the muscles that got twice their anticipated workout yesterday, and get ready for work. I’m already running late, so there’s no time for coffee or breakfast, only a record-breaking shower before I hop in the truck and start to drive.

I’m making a bigger deal of him being back than I need to.

Seriously, I need to turn my focus back to the here and now. The town I love. The natural beauty that is literally surrounding me with the deep woods and a lush canopy of maples, cedar, balsams, and birch so thick the warm, golden sun can only sneak through for a peek here and—

What the hell?

I brake to a crawl as I approach the completely jacked hottie jogging shirtless up my road. The man who isn’t a permanent fixture in this landscape but fits in like he never left.

Trev’s wide smile is directed at me. He waves and starts to walk, pushing thick fingers through a mess of untamed blond waves I really shouldn’t be thinking about getting my fingers into… pulling. Sweat drips down the hard-packed terrain of his chest and layered abs, soaking into a pair of gray sport shorts that don’t leave nearly enough to the imagination.

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