Page 44 of Stay A Little Longer
“Thought you might.” She leaned back in her chair and gave him a long once-over, “Since he spent the night with you and all.”
His blood ran cold at the words. Spent the night with him. Lemon knew Trent had stayed the night. Lemon knew Trent was in his trailer right now, at this very moment, and a sick feeling of dread curled in his stomach.
“Can you do me a favor and tell him I’m here? I assume he’s in some state of undress and I really don’t want to see it so...” She shrugged as if she hadn’t just said she knew Trent was nearly naked in his bed, “I thought I’d wait out here for him but you came out first so, be a dear and tell him I’m here would you?”
Lance stared at her for a long moment, his jaw hanging open no doubt. She looked so calm, so classy, so… Lemon. Unfazed by the fact that she’d somehow discovered her friend was sleeping in his bed and thereby that he was gay. She hadn’t even batted a lash. Had teased him a little in fact now that he thought about her tone of voice. He stared at her so long he saw her eyebrows wing up before she grinned and shook her head.
In a very loud, very clear voice, she called out, “Trenton James Thorne, get your sweet ass out here before your new boy toy passes out, would ya?”
Lance felt faint. He was sweating despite the cool morning. He also felt a little dizzy and lightheaded. Lemon was here. The country music superstar that rivaled only Trent in sales. Trent’s best friend. His boss’s soon to be wife. She was here, sitting on his patio, announcing to him and to anyone in hearing range that he and Trent were sleeping together. He swayed slightly but a set of strong hands wrapping around his biceps kept him from going down.
“It’s okay.” Trent was there, right there with him, holding him up, keeping him steady, reassuring him with soft words and a gentle touch, “It’s okay. Don’t freak out. Baby, please, don’t freak out. Breathe, baby.”
Lance felt embarrassment flame up his cheeks, replacing the lightheadedness with nothing but heat. Baby. Trent had called him baby in front of Lemon. Twice. And he was treating him like he was some kind of fainting maiden that might fall over if he didn’t hold him together.
“Let go of me.” He tried to jerk his arms away but Trent held firm and he hissed. “I said, let go.”
“No.” Trent’s eyes narrowed and he followed him, holding steady as Trent tried to back away, instead shoving him against the side of the trailer, “No.”
“Damn it Trent.” He felt himself shaking and hated the reaction, hated the fear that slithered through his veins and the fact that Trent knew him well enough to know he was freaking out and wanted to run away. “She… she… she knows.”
“Look at me.” Trent demanded and as if the past few days he’d been brainwashed, his eyes automatically followed the command, rising to meet those beautiful blue eyes that were staring down at him with hurt and worry and something else, something that made his breathing hitch again, “Look at me. That’s it, baby. Look at me. Just focus on me. She doesn’t matter. Forget she’s even here. Focus on me.”
“Hey!” A feminine squeak of disapproval came from nearby and Trent jerked his gaze away to glare at her.
“Goddamnit Lemon. Go away. Go inside. Just, leave me the hell alone for a minute and let me deal with the mess you made.”
Trent’s gaze came back to Lance’s before Lemon could possibly say anything and he sighed, raising his hands to cup Lance’s cheeks, “She doesn’t know shit. She doesn’t know how I feel about you. Doesn’t know how you feel about me. She doesn’t know anything so she can’t tell anybody anything. Do you understand?”
Lance felt the panic attack that had been seizing him begin to loosen its hold but he shook his head, “She knows, Trent. She knows that I’m… gay.”
Trent winced and Lance felt the ground beneath his feet shift all over again. Damnit, he couldn’t even say it out loud without nearly choking on the word. And that hurt Trent. He could see it all over his beautiful face. Hurt him because Lance’s denial of who he was meant the future was a bleak and unsure thing instead of obvious and standing right there in front of him.
Trent smoothed a hand down his throat, holding him steady and swiping his pulse point soothingly, “It’s okay. She isn’t going to tell anyone. I promise. I told you that I wouldn’t out you. I won’t let her either. She’s my best friend and she would never hurt me by hurting you. Believe me. Please believe me.”
Lance quivered at the touch and the words that made everything inside him want to melt into this man’s embrace. His mind was still racing, sorting through the scenarios. Lemon telling Shane. Shane slipping up and saying something to someone at the office. Lemon telling everyone even accidentally. His parents and sister finding out. His friends. His entire world crumbling to pieces all around him.
“Lance, please trust me. You trusted me with your body. Now trust me with your heart. Please.” Trent was all but begging and when Lance looked back up into his blue eyes, a sense of calm washed through him like he had never known.
He did trust Trent. With his secrets. With his past. With all his hurts and fears. He’d trusted Trent to take care of him, to know what he needed, to listen and to lean on for days now. He trusted Trent and he believed him and more than that… He loved him.
He loved Trent Thorne and even if his entire world crumbled and he lost everyone else that he called family or friend, he would be okay just so long as he didn’t lose Trent.
Lance raised his hand which was still shaking slightly and covered Trent’s where it rested on his cheek, “Okay.”
“Okay?” Blue eyes searched his face hesitantly.
“Okay. I believe you. Okay. I trust you.” He nodded slowly, “If you say my secret, our secret, is safe with her, then I believe you.”
Trent’s eyes darted all over his face again, as if searching for the truth, and then his pinched brows loosened and he softened. His touch gentled and he moved closer. He brought their foreheads together until their mouths were an inch apart, until they were breathing the same air and his voice was ragged with what had to be relief when he spoke.
“Thank you.”
Lance shook his head, “Sorry I freaked out.”
“She ambushed us. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’ll be more careful next time. I’ll…”
Lance tilted his head just enough to brush their lips together, stopping Trent’s rush of words. There was no reason for Trent to be the one apologizing. It was Lance that had asked him to stay. Lance that had invited him into his home and into his life and bed over and over again. If anyone was to blame for not being careful it was Lance, not Trent.
