Page 55 of Almost True
Whether Korren hates me for it or not, last night proved to me that there’s no way I’m straight. I didn’t hold back this time, and it was so fucking good that I can’t believe I didn’t figure this out about myself sooner.
I want to tell him. I can’t keep playing this game, pretending it doesn’t mean anything, when it’s started to mean everything to me.
But I don’t want to scare him off.
I need to find the right time. Not as soon as he wakes up, hungover and probably angry about what happened.
Then I wonder why Korren was drinking alone. Was it because of what happened that morning? Or was he planning this dare from the start and trying to prepare himself for it?
I doubt that.
I wish he would trust me enough to tell me what he’s struggling with. He doesn’t even need to talk to me, just tosomeone he trusts. I can tell he hasn’t. Whatever it is, he’s kept it to himself, and it’s eating away at him.
Before I can decide on the right time to bring any of this up with Korren, my alarm starts beeping.
Korren comes awake with a jolt, and I untangle one of my arms from his waist to turn off the alarm.
I can tell from his breathing that the alarm has set him on edge, so I risk sliding an arm around him once more and pressing my palm against his chest, where I can feel his heart beating too fast.
He doesn’t try to escape my arms. Instead he burrows deeper into my embrace, one leg sliding between mine, his ass grinding against my straining cock. We stay this way as long as we can get away with, not talking, savoring the warmth of the bed.
When we’re about to be late to work, Korren finally drags himself out of bed and fumbles around for his clothes. He’s hard too, which makes me want him even more.
“Fuck, my head hurts,” he mumbles.
“What’d you drink so much for?” I tease.
I regret it at once, because Korren’s expression closes over and I’m terrified that he’ll shut me out before I have a chance to tell him how I feel.
We walk to work in silence, making new tracks in the unseasonable snow that fell last night, and it’s a small comfort when Korren holds my hand without protest.
We’ve barely started our first round of push-ups when Uncle Rhodes gets a call that has him stalk off out of earshot. Even though I can’t hear what he’s talking about, his expression makes it clear this is serious.
One by one, we abandon our push-ups and get to our feet, waiting for the news.
When Uncle Rhodes returns, he’s moving with brisk urgency.
“A big fire’s just broken out near Fairbanks,” he says tersely. “It’s an aggressive one. They’ve called on every team in the state, and a few from the lower 48 as well. You have one hour to pack, and then the helicopter will pick us up.”
We all stand there for a moment in stunned silence.
“Go!” Uncle Rhodes roars.
Chapter 39
Korren
Dex and I jog home to grab what we need. Even though the urgency of the fire has put me into a state of high stress, I’m glad for a distraction, something to keep me from dwelling on the train wreck this game has become.
I didn’t want to think about last night, but until Chief Rhodes’ announcement, it was filling my mind until I worried some part of it would spill out in my expression and everyone in the crew would know the truth.
Which is that last night felt like it meant something.
It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Being drunk was supposed to make it all matter less.
At least, that was what I’d promised myself.
I thought I was getting less attached to Dex over the weeks I’d held him at a distance. I thought this one lapse wouldn’t ruin the progress I’d made.
