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Color flooded Hunter’s cheeks and Roman was reminded again by how innocent the younger man seemed to be, the previous night’s events at the club notwithstanding.
“I get it,” Roman said with a sigh. “You don’t want your parents to know you’re gay-”
“I’m not,” Hunter interrupted. “I’m not…what you said.”
“Fine, bi then.”
“No!” Hunter nearly yelled and then his eyes shifted back to the door to his father’s office. Shit, the kid was as deep in the closet as he could be. “Can we just go?” Hunter asked quietly, his eyes once again on his lap.
Roman started the car but didn’t put it into gear. The more he remained silent and unmoving, the more agitated Hunter became. The way the guy’s eyes darted up and down the sidewalk had Roman wondering if he was hiding from someone.
“Roman, please,” Hunter whispered.
It was the first time Hunter had said his name and it turned Roman on more than it should. But his need for answers was actually stronger than his lust and he said, “If you’re not gay, what were you doing in that club last night?”
Hunter stiffened at the question but didn’t answer. But within seconds, his jumpy gaze settled on a young woman walking down the sidewalk in their direction. She had yet to notice Hunter.
“Okay,” Hunter said hurriedly. “I’ll tell you if we can just go now.”
Roman should have felt more of a sense of satisfaction but all he felt like was an ass for using Hunter’s need to remain unnoticed against him. He put the car in reverse and then drove in the direction Hunter had told him. Once they had made it to the outskirts of town, he glanced at Hunter expectantly. Hunter wasn’t cowering anymore but he still looked tense.
“Why the club, Hunter?” Roman asked.
“I didn’t know what kind of place it was,” Hunter responded lamely.
“Let’s say I’m willing to suspend belief long enough to believe that bullshit - are you telling me the sight of all those men groping each other on the dance floor didn’t give you a clue?”
Hunter remained stubbornly silent, his eyes focused on the scenery flying by.
Roman shook his head in agitation and reminded himself it was none of his business. He was here to up his own net worth, not help some confused kid admit he preferred dick to pussy. So he had no idea what possessed him to ask, “Last night with those bikers – was that your first time?”
Still no response but Roman didn’t miss the way Hunter dashed at his eyes.
“Look, if it was about needing it rough because you like pain or something, there’re places you can go for that…there are guys who can give you what you need without putting you in danger.”
Roman felt sick even mentioning the idea to Hunter since the thought of some man – any man – inflicting pain on the young man’s body to help him get off had Roman’s protective instincts firing on all cylinders.
“It wasn’t about that,” Hunter suddenly whispered so softly that Roman barely heard him.
“Then what-”
“I went there to prove I wasn’t…I wasn’t what you said.”
Jesus, the poor kid couldn’t even say the word gay?
“And did it?” Roman asked gently. Hunter still hadn’t looked at him even once since they’d left town.
“Watching those men dancing together, kissing, touching…” Hunter’s voice dropped off.
“Turned you on,” Roman supplied.
Hunter nodded. “And then that biker came up to me and I didn’t…I wasn’t…” Hunter struggled to find the right words and this time Roman remained quiet. “I thought that if I was with someone like him then maybe it wouldn’t be true.”
A chill went through Roman as understanding dawned. The realization was so disturbing that he had to pull the car over to the side of the road. His fingers bit into the steering wheel as he forced himself to dispassionately ask, “And when you followed him into the pool room and saw the other men?”
But Hunter didn’t answer him and Roman didn’t really need him to. Roman started counting in his head in a desperate effort to remain calm as he tried to accept what Hunter had put himself through just to prove to himself that he wasn’t attracted to men.
“I didn’t know it would be like that…” Hunter choked out and Roman saw silent tears begin to slip down his face. “I knew it would hurt but I didn’t expect…”
