His brother had to know that Callen had enjoyed what he’d saw, and then, he was going to know his secrets.
All.
Of.
Them.
Instead of answering him, he went there.
“Why are you staying here to do this, Ethan?” Callen asked.
He considered the question. It wasn’t lost on him that his brother avoided his first suggestion.
Yeah, he was willing to bet that his brother was uncomfortable with what he saw. Well, he loved Gene, and he didn’t care that he was a man.
The heart loved who it loved.
“Well, I shot a fellow Fed. He was in the process of killing my man. Our boss called me in, and he tried to use myrelationship with my partner, which is against the rules, to bully me. He wanted me to go somewhere without Gene or lose my job. I chose the latter.”
Callen just listened, and it wasn’t lost on him that his brother didn’t answer the real question. He was telling him about the journey here.
“I panicked, and instead of flying back toPhilly, where I’m living now, I came here. I needed…I needed a place to hide, and this place is familiar,” he offered, finding the right word.
Callen still didn’t say anything.
At first.
“Why my place?”
Ethan shrugged.
“I didn’t want to deal with Wyler or Timothy. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind me being around. I needed to regroup. I’m sorry you left your home, and I sullied it up. It’s clear you saw what you saw and are upset about that. I like dick. I’m in love with Gene, and he makes me happy.”
Oh, Timothy had warned Callen about shitting on his brother’s sex life. Only, that wasn’t even close to what he was thinking. Callen wished it was that simple.
How did he explain that he needed his brother to go so that he didn’t do something inappropriate with him?
Because he loved him, andNOTin just a brotherly way.
Callen wasn’t having it.
“Stop it.”
Ethan stared at him.
“Stop what?”
He was to the point.
“That self-depreciating behavior. You know I’d never not let you in at my place or have issues with you liking men. That’s not what I’m talking about. You hate me, and you left,” he stated. “You can’t stand me. Why are you back here?”
Honestly, Ethan didn’t want to do this. He was pretty sure coming back with a motorcycle, and a jacket for his brother was a clear sign that he was trying to make amends.
The real enemy was Timothy.
Not Callen.
Only, he was on Callen’s turf, and he’d hurt the man with theNew Orleansbullshit. He came here, and now, he had to face the demons that were riding him in this hellscape. He had given him a laundry list of mixed signals.
