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“Well, er, I didn’t. It was Steve’s. He got it when he moved out.”
“But that was only a few months ago. He couldn’t have been that broken up about it.”
“Oh, you’d be surprised how attached a person can get in a short time. Plus, he always wanted a dog when we were together. So did Miranda. Alas, I’m allergic.”
Trey eyed him. “Didn’t know that either.”
Trey didn’t say anything for a time. “Okay, buddy. If you say so.” Trey made sure the look he gave Connor said two things—one, he didn’t believe him, and two, he’d let it slide this time. He figured by not pressing, he’d cause Connor to be even more uncomfortable, maybe make him think twice about lying to him again.
Because, if there was one thing Trey was good at, it was detecting lies. He’d had so much experience telling his own, it was easy to see when others tried to pull the wool over his eyes. “I’m gonna go take that shower.”
“Okay. I’ll get lunch started.”
Trey paused at the hallway leading back to the bedroom and bath. “Don’t bother. I’ll go out and grab something.”
“Uh, okay. Let me throw something on, and I’ll join you.” Connor wore only a pair of flannel boxers and a worn Rat City Rollergirls T-shirt. That also bugged him. He’d been practically naked with his ex.
“That’s okay. You have work to do, right?”
Connor didn’t say anything. Trey could see he was stunned and a little hurt. “Right,” he said softly, edging by him to go to his office.
Trey let him stew. As he showered, he smiled. If anything at all was going on with this Steve person, Trey thought it wise to nip it in the bud. He wasn’t too concerned. After all, Connor had cried in his arms over how betrayed he’d felt when Steve left him, broken-hearted, for another man. He’d thought they were forever.
Trey finished showering, after taking his time lathering, rinsing, and shaving his balls. He danced to the Bluetooth speaker on the bathroom counter, which was now playing an ’80s Spotify dance mix playlist as he toweled himself off.
In the bedroom, he dressed quickly in jeans, T-shirt, hoodie, and the same running shoes. Maybe he’d head over to Capitol Hill for lunch, and see what pretty boys might be out and about in Seattle’s gayborhood.
He was married. He wasn’t dead.
As he headed back through the hallway, he heard Connor on the phone, his voice low.
“Yeah, yeah. I understand. I don’t know if I can do that.” Silence as Connor presumably listened to the person on the other end. His next words revealed who that person was.
“Steve, Steve, listen to me. I know you’re upset, but—” Again, the silence as Steve cut him off.
Trey crept closer, listening. If he were a dog, his ears would be pointing straight up.
Connor sighed. “Okay, okay. I’ll see if I can get away for an hour or so tonight. Sure, meet you at the bar at five-ish.”
Trey moved back quickly as Connor disconnected. He then walked out into the living room and dining room combination, zipping his hoodie up, his face an uninformed mask. “Be back in a bit!” he called out. He headed out the door before Connor had a chance to say anything. The last glimpse he had of Connor was of him sitting on the couch, phone in his hand, looking unsure and maybe lost.
On the sidewalk, Trey breathed in the air. There was a promise of summer in its warm—for Seattle—undercurrent. He pulled out a phone to summon an Uber. While he waited, his mind, insecure, raced.There’ll be consequences if this Steve asshole is now coming around, sniffing around his husband for a second chance. As Carole King once sang, it’s too late, baby. And as she didn’t sing: he’s mine now.
Back off.
Chapter Nineteen
CONNOR APPROACHED TREY, who was sitting out on the balcony with his iPad. Ever since Trey’d been laid off—due to downsizing—from his law office position, he’d spent most of his free time on the little tablet. One time, Connor had glanced over his shoulder and he was sure he was looking at porn. Another day, he thought he was on a hookup site, but Trey snapped the leather cover of the iPad shut so quickly Connor couldn’t be certain.
He hated that he was already suspicious of this handsome man he’d fallen for. Why did he have to marry him so quickly? After all, most folks would probably tell him he was old enough to know better. What was the conventional wisdom? Marry in haste, repent at leisure. Even Connor thought he was beyond the age for such impulsiveness.
Not that he was repenting. Not really. The sex was phenomenal. Every night, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, drenched in sweat, no matter how chilly the weather. Connor had even worried his neighbors might hear because he and Trey were so vigorous, simply getting lost in the moment, without a care for propriety. In many ways, it was as though Connor had shaved years off his physical age—magical. He’d believed the days of such passion had long fallen into his past. They certainly hadn’t been a part of his life for a good while. He’d doubted those days would reappear with any serious frequency ever again and chalked it up to biology and loss of testosterone.
Beyond the sex, though, red flags began popping up immediately after their ceremony down at City Hall. Trey was often moody, especially in the mornings, barely speaking to Connor. For the most part, this was okay with him because morning was work time. But god forbid he should mention work to Trey—another red flag. Trey had been laid off within three days of their marriage. Connor could see no evidence that he was trying to find something else. It was also very strange that Trey, who claimed to have been a major player at a law firm, got no severance package. He didn’t even get unemployment benefits. And when Connor would casually ask how his job search was going, since he’d seen no signs of any search at all, Trey would rebuff him with more moody silence or brief, unrevealing answers, like “I’m looking. Don’t worry about it.” He might snidely ask if Connor was worried about making the mortgage payment, even though he knew Connor had paid the condo off years ago.
Once, when Trey inquired if they should apply for food stamps when Connor innocently asked if he had any job leads, Connor decided to leave that line of questioning alone. Hedidmake more than enough money for both of them, but that wasn’t the point.
He’d assumed he was marrying someone who could stand on his own two feet in many ways, financially among them.
