Page 51 of Stay A Little Longer
Chapter Fourteen
“Base to Nichols, come in.”
Lance scrubbed a hand over his jaw when he heard his name come over the radio. It had been a quiet day so far. Too quiet. Quiet enough that he’d spent most of the day staring out the windshield of his cruiser at the open highway in front of him, thinking about making a run for it.
He was an idiot. He’d known that for a long time but never had it been more obvious to him than it was today. He was idiot because there wasn’t a snowballs chance in hell that he was going to do what his brain insisted and cut ties with Trent now. Before it got too deep, his brain warned and his heart laughed. Trent was already too deep, soul deep, and Lance didn’t want to deal with the pain of trying to dig him out. Didn’t want to dig him out at all.
He wanted him there. Under his skin. In his life. He wanted a chance at making it work with the man of his dreams.
But he was terrible at relationships. Hadn’t had an honest one in his life. Had no idea how to be someone’s boyfriend, let alone anotherman’sboyfriend. And damn if that thought didn’t send a shot of adrenaline through him that he hadn’t known to expect.
Hewantedto be Trent’s boyfriend. He wanted the right to call him his. Wanted the right to stand at his side and hold his hand andbewith him. The way that Trent deserved to have someone that supported him and adored him and loved him as deeply as two people could.
That was Lance. It had to be. Because the idea of letting Trent go and seeing him with someone else, made him violently, irrationally angry. The idea of Trent hugging another man from behind, his scruffy jaw on another’s man neck, it made him see red. Just the thought of Trent handcuffing someone else to a bed and kissing every inch of another man’s body made him white knuckle the steering wheel.
No. No. Trent was his damnit. He’d said so. Trent was his. That was the important part. They could figure everything else out. They had time.
It had all happened so fast. Lance hadn’t seen it coming. It had blindsided him. Hit him like a sucker punch to the jaw and whipped his head around, made him feel dizzy and off balance. But he’d fallen and Trent had caught him.
That scene, this morning, with Lemon… that had been Trent catching him. Lance had freaked out. He’d been in a full-blown panic. But Trent had refused to let him go. He’d held him steady and talked him through it. Promised that he would make it okay and Lance had believed him. How could he not? He loved Trent.
“Base to Deputy Nichols. Come in, Nichols.” Sheila’s annoyed voice came through the squawking speaker and he winced.
So lost in his thoughts of Trent, he hadn’t picked it up. Shit. He cleared his throat and grabbed the radio, forcing thoughts of Trent to the back of his head and focusing on his job, the one thing that had always made sense to him.
He was a good cop. He liked being a cop. He liked the respect that automatically came with his badge. Would he have to give it up to be with Trent? God, he hoped not.
“This is Nichols.” He reported in with a heavy sigh.
“There you are!” Sheila sounded as relieved as she did annoyed when she spoke again, “Where are you?”
“Out on the highway at the speed trap.”
“Oh, so you’re aware we have visitors then.”
Lance scratched his head at that. Technically it was one of the slower patrol spots. Locals knew the trap was there and followed the rules. They knew the FSD boys liked to stake it out. Lance had taken up post at it this morning thinking it was as good a place as any to be alone with his thoughts but he’d been wrong. He’d collected half a dozen tickets and warnings. He’d been so focused on his thoughts that he hadn’t stopped to think about why so many random people were passing through Fate today. Now, with that one sentence from Sheila, the hair on the back of his neck stood up.
“Visitors?”
“We’ve got a situation in town. Sherriff sent Lowry and Shaw over to handle it but I thought…”
Everything in Lance stilled because, was that worry in Sheila’s voice? For him? Couldn’t be. He was just going soft in the head because his heart was all twisted up in Trent.
“Thought what?” He prompted when she didn’t continue.
“Well, I thought you’d want to know about it since it’s at your address.”
His address. His trailer. Trent. His entire body jolted with adrenaline and awareness. There was a situation and the cops had been dispatched. Lance had somehow missed the call going out over the radio. Damn it.
“My address?”
“Well, the trailer next to yours actually. Unit B? Lowry’s brother owns it.”
“Yeah, I know who owns it Sheila.” Lance snapped, “What the hell is going on at it?”
He could practically hear his heart pounding in his head. Situation. Cops dispatched. To his address. To Trent’s address. He was already pulling his seatbelt on and shifting the cruiser into drive before Sheila came back through the line. When she did, he nearly wrecked trying to make a U-turn and get back to town.
“Reporters. They found out that country music guy is in town and tracked him there. They’re swarming the place. I thought you’d want to know your yard is probably overrun and…”
