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Savage sighed, “Yeah—I’m just on edge lately with these damn tests needing to be done yesterday and I’m being an ass. Sorry,” he offered. “And to answer your question—I haven’t told my club that I’m bi.” Hell, he hadn’t told many people about that part of his life. Savage was careful not to bring any of the men or women he slept with home to meet Chloe. He didn’t want to expose his daughter to his unstable dating life and that was exactly what it was—chaotic.
He hadn’t been much of a serial dater, usually not making it past one night with a person. It was easier that way. He didn’t have to make any promises to anyone, and he didn’t expect anything in return. The one time he broke his no-dating rule, he ended up running away like a fucking coward when messy feelings got in the way.
“So, we doing this?” Savage asked. He started for the driver’s side of his pick-up, not waiting to see if Bowie was going to join him or not.
“I get it,” Bowie said. “I don’t share that part of my life easily. I haven’t even come out to my family yet.” Bowie slipped into the passenger side of the cab of the truck and pulled his seatbelt on, clicking it in place.
“What about your truck?” Savage asked, nodding to where Bowie’s vehicle sat, just down the road.
“I’ll get it tomorrow when I’m back on duty. That is if you don’t mind giving me a lift back to my place later.” Bowie seemed to assume Savage would just agree and honestly, he didn’t mind. If he was Bowie’s ride for the night, there was a better chance they’d end up in Bowie’s bed for a little while. Savage never left Chloe overnight, but he had a sitter with her, and he knew that she’d agree to a few extra hours if he paid double.
“Sure,” Savage said. “No problem.”
“Thanks,” Bowie said. “I have to admit, I could use a night out. It’s been a shit show around base, and I could use the break.”
“Yeah, I heard about the cutbacks, and I guess being down so many people makes for more work for the ones who are left.” Savage knew some other guys on base from his club and they were all complaining about the changes to the budget and having to take on more hours for the same pay. His MC was made up of mostly military guys, both active and retired. But his guys came from all walks of life—he even had a few one-percenters who he was happy to help get their lives straightened out. He liked helping his guys and even took a few of them under his wing, as a sort of personal project.
“Yep, it sucks. But what am I gonna do? Uncle Sam owns me, and I go where he tells me,” Bowie said.
“Where are you originally from?” Savage asked. He usually didn’t get too chatty with his “dates” but there was something about Bowie that made him want to know more about the guy.
“Texas,” Bowie said.
“You get homesick?” Savage questioned.
“Naw,” Bowie admitted. “Like I said, I still haven’t come out to my family, and keeping a secret like that weighs on a person. It’s easier being away from home and not having to worry about watching my back or saying the wrong thing.”
“I get that,” Savage said. “I haven’t exactly been forthcoming about my sexuality with my friends or family either.” He had a few close buddies in his club that knew the truth and he trusted them not only with his secret but with his life.
“I’d like to blame my military background for all the secrecy, but that really isn’t an issue anymore,” Bowie said.
“Yeah, that wasn’t the case when I enlisted.” Savage had served under the, “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” era and he had to admit, it had its pros and cons. Not having people diving too deep into his personal life was always a plus. He valued his privacy over everything else.
“You originally from Huntsville?” Bowie asked.
“Yeah,” Savage said. “My family was from here, but they’re all gone now. Well, everyone except Chloe and me.” Savage mentally kicked himself for talking about his daughter. It wasn’t something he did with complete strangers, and he was starting to worry that asking Bowie out might have been a bad choice. Sure, the guy was the sexiest man he had seen in a damn long time, but he was completely blowing his rules out the fucking window with Bowie, and that usually didn’t end well for him.
“Who’s Chloe?” Bowie asked as if he was able to read Savage’s mind.
“My kid,” Savage admitted.
“You have a daughter?” Bowie asked.
“She’s six and I adopted her when she was a baby. Chloe is my sister’s kid and when she and her husband died in a car accident, I took Chloe in.”
“Wow,” Bowie breathed. “I’m sorry about your sister and brother-in-law. But Chloe is lucky to have you, man.”
Savage shrugged, “Thanks. And I’m the lucky one. She came into my life when I was in a dark place, and she gave me a purpose. She’s a great kid.”
“That makes sense,” Bowie said. “She seems to have a pretty awesome dad.”
Bowie
Bowie wasn’t sure how the hell he had ended up in the sexy stranger’s pick-up agreeing to go for a few beers with him. He had been watching Savage for weeks now, not that he’d ever admit to it. Bowie had always been attracted to older men and Savage was his type, right down to his salt-and-pepper beard that made him want to give it a tug.
It had been a damn long time since he found anyone interesting enough to go out for a few beers with. When Savage first asked him out, he wasn’t sure he had heard him correctly. He usually had a pretty good idea when a guy or woman, for that matter, was interested in him. But Savage didn’t give him anything to go by. It was hard to get a read on the guy and that made Bowie want him even more. He always did like a challenge.
Honestly, dating men was kind of new to him. He wasn’t lying when he told Savage that he hadn’t come out to his family yet. It was one of the reasons why he jumped at the chance to be transferred to Huntsville from Texas when the opportunity arose. He hated that he was taking the coward’s way out, but that was easier than admitting that he was bi. He was even beginning to avoid his weekly calls home to his parents because he gotsick of dodging their questions about whether he had someone special in his life. Even if he had, he wouldn’t be able to admit it because that would mean telling his parents who he was.
