AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then why ask to be transferred?”
Another sigh tumbled from his lips. “Did you hear what happened in Laramie ten days ago?”
Butch usually tried to avoid goings-on in Wyoming, but that rang a bell. “Some college kid got beaten up, didn’t he?” Butch was sure he’d seen something like that on the news.
Race nodded. “Agaycollege kid. And the two guys concerned did more than beat him up. They tortured him, then left him tied to a fence. And on Monday? He died. He was twenty-one.Twenty-one, Butch.”
He had no words.
Race laced his fingers in his lap. “I guess it brought home to me something I’d been trying to ignore.” He raised his chin and looked Butch in the eye. “Wyoming, Montana… these are not good places to be if you’re queer. And while I’m pretty sure none of my coworkers harbor secret desires to beat the living crap out of me because I like guys, I’m not willing to put that shaky belief to the test.”
“Why Atlanta? Georgia can’t be all that welcoming either.”
Race let out a wry chuckle. “You’re probably right, but Atlanta isn’t like the rest of Georgia. For one thing, it has a hub of gay guys, and where there’s community, there’s strength—and safety in numbers. And while Iamhappy to date both sexes, I don’t want to keep watching my back.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Sunday.”
Butch gaped at him. “So soon?” He narrowed his gaze. “There’s nowayyou could’ve arranged a transfer so goddamn fast.”
Race shrugged. “The timing was right, that’s all. The news only confirmed what I’d been thinking for a while. I called Head Office last week, just to see if there was anything available. Turns out, there was.” He bit back a smile. “And if you hadn’t been in such a hurry when you got here tonight, you’d have spotted all the boxes in the living room.”
Butch snorted. “Iwas in a hurry? As I recall, you opened the front door stark naked, then turned to let me see the butt plug. So yeah, I might have been a little distracted.” He couldn’t believe it. Race—leaving. Butch knew he’d miss Race’s company.
He’d also miss that tight ass.
“We gonna stay in touch?” Race inquired.
“Sure.” Easy to say, right? And hewouldtry, but they’d both have their own lives to lead.
Race expelled a long breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left it until now to tell you. That wasn’t fair.”
Butch gripped Race’s still damp, bare shoulder. “Quit acting like we’re breakin’ up or something. And I totally get why you told me after we fucked.” He’d probably have done the same thing.
Race smiled. “It’s been quite a ride, hasn’t it?”
Butch chuckled. “Yeah.”
“So here’s the million-dollar question. You gonna find yourself a girl once I’ve gone?”
He let out another snort. “Dude, I’m twenty-eight. Any woman looks at me, she’s gonna have wedding rings dancing behind her eyes. And I don’t need that.”
“Noteverywoman wants that, you know. Some of them just like to fuck as much as you do.”
Butch frowned. “That doesn’t sound like the kind of woman I’d be interested in.”
“So it’s okay for a guy to fuck around, but not a woman?” Race stared at him. “Ever hear the term ‘double standards’?”
“Guys know what guys want, okay? Guys don’t complicate things.”
Race shook his head. “Dude, you are so deep in denial, you can’t even see the daylight anymore.”
“Who’s in denial?” he retorted. “Why’re you coming out with all this bullshit?”
“Coming out. Apt choice of words.” Race proffered his hand. “Let’s say goodbye on good terms, all right?”
Butch could do that.
