Page 11 of Booking Burke
“You mean bring a man home?” Damn, how the hell had the kid figured that out so fast?
Burke nodded. His right hand came to rest over Eli’s heart.
“I’ve kept kind of a low profile here, even though everyone knows I’m gay.” Eli wasn’t sure he wanted to go down this road. Even though they’d just fucked each other’s brains out, they were still practically strangers.
“When did you come out?” Burke asked softly, pressing a kiss against Eli’s shoulder.
Eli tensed up. “I didn’t.” He hated telling this story. So far, only Cisco knew what had really gone on back home. The whole sordid tale came spilling out during their first job interview. Cisco had been cool about it, hugging Eli when the story was over. Telling alover, rather than a friend or potential boss, was a different matter.
“What do you mean you didn’t?” Burke’s frown was visible in the low light. “I don’t understand how it’s possible tonotcome out, but have everyone know you’re gay.” He lifted his head so he was looking Eli in the eye.
“My best friend outed me.” Elias sighed. “At my own wedding.” His words were filled with pain. Shit, this was going to be harder than he thought.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This was supposed to be an easy night of hard fucking, but now Burke was hanging on every word. What surprised him more than anything was that his young lover wanted to hear the story and was ready to offer his comfort.
Burke’s mouth hung open. He moved closer to Eli, rubbing a hand over his heart. “Sounds like a story you need to tell.”
Eli scoffed. “We just fucked each other raw. Listening to my sob story isn’t what you came here for.”
It was Burke’s turn to shrug. “I didn’t come here to fuck you, Eli. I came because I wanted to be with you. I want to hear the story. Tell me.” He pressed a tender kiss to Eli’s mouth.
Sighing, Eli rested a hand on Burke’s face. He nodded. “I’d been best friends with Jensen since he moved to town when we both were in the sixth grade.”
“Where’s home for you? Every now and then, I hear a hint of a southern accent.” Burke offered a shy smile.
Eli nodded. “I’m from South Carolina originally.”
Burke shook his head. “The south isn’t exactly known for its liberal mindset concerning the LGBTQ+ community. I get the feeling this isn’t going to end well.”
“Your feeling is right. I’d met Kassie back when I was in the academy and she was still in college. We dated for a while and then the pressure started for us to have sex andget engaged.” Eli had always thought of himself as being so strong. Telling this story made him feel weak.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. I’m guessing there was no way you could come out to your family?”
“No. None at all. I was going to be a third-generation cop. My mother was a Sunday school teacher. There was no way I could live life on my terms there. So, I got with Kassie because she was a sweet girl. I knew I needed to do this so no one would suspect that I wasn’t like them.”
Burke was shaking his head. “What happened on your wedding day? How did Jensen find out your secret? Were you kissing one of the groomsmen?”
“I kissedhim.” Eli felt those old feelings rising up, threatening to overwhelm him. “I’d been in love with him for so many years. Half our lives. I made a desperate last-ditch effort to get what I wanted most in my life.” Christ, that made him sound so desperate.
Burke rubbed a hand against the side of Eli’s face. “Jensen didn’t kiss you back?”
“It was worse than that. I could have dealt with him not being interested. He shoved me away from him like I was poison, not the guy who’d been his best friend for fifteen years. I tried to make a joke out of it. That I kissed him to thank him for being there for me all those years.”
“He didn’t buy it.” Anger burned in Burke’s eyes.
“No. He didn’t buy it. He accused me of ruining Kassie’s life. I told him to tell our guests that the wedding was off, but he made me do it.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Eli shook his head. “I had to stand in front of everyone at church, my parents, family members, coworkers on the South Carolina Highway Patrol, and tell them all that the wedding was off. Kassie’s family was shouting at me, wanting to know why. My parents sat there stunned. I walked out of the church feeling like a free man, but I knew that wasn’t going to last long.”
“Let me guess, after you were gone, Jensen told everyone what happened between you.”
Eli had never seen a reaction to his story like this before. Cisco has listened, shaking his head the whole time, but Burke was different. He was pissed off. Eli had no doubt Burke was the kind of man who would have stood up for him, no matter what. “Yeah, then, to make matters worse, he asked the pastor to cleanse him ofmysin.”
Burke pulled Eli into his arms. “I’m so sorry. No one should have to go through that.” He held Eli tighter, as if his arms could protect him from harm.
“Everyone disowned me after that. Friends, family, my parents. I lost my job. My apartment. Everything. I knew I needed to get the hell out of South Carolina, so I started Googling gay chiefs of police. I knew that my old boss would give me a shit recommendation. My only hope was to find a commanding officer who would understand what I’d gone through. Cisco Jackson was that, and so much more. He’s been not only a mentor, but also a friend.”
