Page 14 of Tracked By Sasquatch

Devin recovered first. “Okay, what truth do I owe you?”

Scrubbing his hand down his face, he asked his question.

“Tell me about the last time you had sex.”

That was not at all what he wanted to ask but maybe it would lead to what happened to her and if it didn’t then that was a good thing. A great thing, actually.

But Devin was no idiot. She had his number.

“Is that really what you want to ask?”

“No.”

“Then speak plainly, Squatch. We are too old and too familiar with each other to play games.”

“I want to know what happened, but not because I asked, but because you want to share it with me, okay?”

He could hear the whiny, needy tone in his voice and he fucking hated it.

Devin reached up and cupped his cheek, looking at him with genuine affection.

“Then why not ask me? Not just tonight but anytime?” She seemed genuinely confused.

“Because.” He stopped himself. Not sure if he could say the next words. They were simple enough, but the subtext was not. “I didn’t want to be like everyone else. I didn’t want to be just another person wanting the truth because they needed to know it for themselves instead of being there for you because you needed to tell it. I wanted you to see me as more. More than your brother’s brother. More than another man who wanted something from you. I wanted you to find me worthy of your secrets.”

Worthy of you.

Just… worthy.

DEVIN

Holy truth bomb, Batman.

Devin stared into his dark brown eyes for what felt like an eternity. There was so much there simmering just below the surface. She didn’t know but a fraction of his story but it had impacted him in ways she couldn’t fathom.

It was there in the hope written across his face. Hope for what, she wasn’t sure she could hazard a guess, or that she even wanted to.

Fuck, she was messed up too, just a different flavor of trauma.

Sure, she hadn’t exactly hit the Powerball in the parent lotto, but he’d had it bad too. Of course, he’d had an Aunt Phoebe which made a difference for sure, but being unwanted by a parent never really goes away.

People just find more creative ways to manage it.

Lost in her head, she hadn’t noticed him start to shut down. Did he think she wouldn’t share?

Shit, just five minutes prior she wouldn’t have even considered it, but the truth was perched on her tongue.

He placed his hand on top of hers resting on his cheek, pulling it away, but she didn’t want him to release her, so she placed her other hand on top of his other and held it tight.

She watched his lips move, he was preparing to say something, probably to tell her she didn’t have to, but she rushed ahead.

“It wasn’t what everyone thinks. I’ve heard the whispers.”

He snapped his mouth closed and rubbed his thumb along her hand.

How could she tell him the truth without revealing everything. She wanted to talk, she really did, but the words failed her, so she did the best she could and just let her heart guide her tongue, because if her head was in charge she wouldn’t say shit.

“There was a guy who came into my work once or twice, then I ran into him at the grocery store. When I ran into him at the same gaming store I played at, he asked me out. I thought why not, we obviously have a lot in common. We’d only gone out on a few dates, but I got a weird vibe from him, so I decided to move on. It wasn’t a big deal.”