Chapter Twenty-Four

Jaron hadn't missed the city at all. The hustle and bustle annoyed him, and his fatigue only made that feeling worse. Everyone had a mission to get from point A to point B as quickly as they could, and god forbid a person stood in the way. When Jaron lived in the city, he didn't drive. He took public transportation. What a wonderful thing that had been to his nerves. Driving sucked. At least he had something to look at besides cornfields and flat land.

He had the directions to the hotel on the seat beside him, but he didn't need them because he saw a sign for the hotel up ahead. The tall building might have blended in well with the rest of its surroundings, but the hotel owners had done a fine job of funneling people right to it.

He pulled into the hotel's parking garage and parked before pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and flipping it open. He sent a text to Travis. Hey, call me plz.

He tapped on the wheel for a total of five minutes before he decided to get out of the car. He shut off the engine and pocketed the car keys before grabbing his overnight bag and heading inside the hotel.

In the elevator going down to the hotel lobby, he looked at his phone again. Nothing.

Gotta talk 2 u. Call me.

Each second that went by without a response twisted Jaron's gut. And yeah, he knew he wasn't giving Travis enough time to respond. His impatience wore him to the bone, thinning out his nerves, making him a jittery mess.

The elevator opened into the hotel lobby. The lobby had a sitting area with a couch and a couple of matching plush chairs. A man sat on the couch with his bags at his feet and a newspaper in his hand.

The lobby desk lay straight ahead against the far wall. A restaurant with the hostess standing at a podium lay on the left halfway between the front door and front desk. A noisy bar stood on the other side directly across the large room.

A drink would calm his nerves. He pulled out his phone before entering the bar. No way would he hear it in there, even if the song playing had a slow beat. He headed to it and stood just inside the large open door, letting his eyes adjust to the lighting.

The bar had blue lights and shiny silver everywhere. The after-work crowd had arrived if the number of people drinking and dancing were any indication. Some were at the bar, drinking off the stress of their day. Those were his people, so he closed the distance between himself and the bar. He found an empty stool and sat next to a woman in a dark suit with a glass of wine in her hand. She looked as if she hadn't been able to close an important deal. Her hair hung down past her shoulders, and she sighed several times. She gave him the once over and must have found him uninteresting because she didn't glance his way again.

The bartender had on a black T-shirt that covered lots of muscles. He smiled before speaking. "What can I get you?"

"Beer. Whatever's on tap." Jaron pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out a bill to cover it and a tip. He held the bill against the bar and scanned the room to give himself something to do while he waited for the drink.

When his gaze made it to the dance floor, he saw Travis. The bag of chips and soda he had bought from the gas station and ate on the way threatened to come up. He took a deep breath and then another. He rubbed at the ache in his chest and pushed down the hurt.

God, Jaron wanted to punch the bitch who held Travis in her arms. But he wouldn't. Because he was a better person than that. Damn it.

He fucking knew it would happen. Travis would break his heart all over the fucking place.

He took a deep breath and turned around, not wanting to look at Travis with his cheek pressed to some bimbo's face and his arms around her waist, holding her as if she meant something to him.

The woman beside him looked from him to Travis and his date, then back again before her gaze turned sympathetic.

Jaron ignored her. That proved easy when the bartender placed his drink in front of him. Jaron slid the bill across to him. "Keep the change."

The bartender nodded and moved on to the next customer.

Jaron sipped the drink and thought about his next move. He had driven all that way to deliver a message, and he'd do that with compassion and understanding, because at the end of the day Travis had still lost someone. That fact hadn't changed regardless that he was a cheating bastard who deserved a kick in the balls. He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, counting to ten. Calm. Calm. He wouldn't kick anyone ever.

His eyes were gritty from lack of sleep, and his emotions threatened to spill over because of it. Adding alcohol to the mess wasn't his smartest move.

He pushed his half-full drink away and climbed off the stool, grabbing his bag from the floor.

Shoring up as much courage as he could muster, he crossed the room. He tapped Travis on the shoulder and swallowed down all the violent urges. Anger kept the hurt at bay. It wouldn't for long, though. He needed to be alone when he finally broke down.

Travis and the woman stopped swaying to the music before he turned. His eyes widened, and he smiled. "You're here."

Jaron nodded.

Travis took him in his arms and hugged him. Jaron let him but didn't return the hug, his body stiffening. His discomfort must have alerted Travis to the fact something was wrong. He pulled back but cupped Jaron's face. "What has that look on your face, baby?"

God, Jaron couldn't take it anymore. He stepped back. "Don't touch me. Don't you ever…" Jaron stopped, he took a couple of deep breaths to calm down, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see Travis.

"What the hell?" Travis' confusion had Jaron opening his eyes. Travis looked from the woman back to Jaron again. "No, baby. You got it wrong. Amber and I are—"

Jaron held up a hand. "I can't hear the excuses right now."

"I understand you're angry." The woman took a step in Jaron's direction.

"I'm beyond angry, but that isn't the point. It's also none of your business." Jaron met Travis' gaze.

Travis had a tic in his jaw, and his expression suggested he was about as angry as Jaron felt.

"Get her away from me. I mean it, Travis."

Amber rolled her eyes. "I'll go but know that you're gonna feel like shit once it's all straightened out."

She left him and Travis standing on the edge of the dance floor. She went to a booth in the corner and sat next to another woman, dressed in jeans and boots. Amber laid her head on the woman's shoulder and laced their fingers together. They seemed…together. Not just together but like together, together. Comfortable with each other enough to share living space and finances.

Jaron sighed and ran his hand down his face. He didn't have the energy to figure out what the hell that meant so he didn't try. He said the first thing that came to his mind. "Trick is gone. I truly am very sorry for your loss."

"I figured that's why you came." Travis looked as if Jaron had delivered a kick to the balls after all.

Jaron nodded and walked away, heading out of the bar. He stopped when Travis yelled across the room. "You're not even going to hear me out."

Jaron turned, meeting Travis' gaze. "I'm tired, Travis. Too tired for this right now." And he was five seconds from losing his shit. He didn't want to do that in front of Travis and the rest of the bar.

Travis closed the distance between them and took him by the elbow. He wanted to pull out of his hold, but his brain went fuzzy. "Have you slept at all?"

"No."

"You drove straight here?" Travis gave him the side-eye as he led him through the lobby to the front desk.

"Yes."

"Jesus, Jaron. No wonder." Travis sighed in frustration. "I guess you called it. Got what you wanted, didn't you?"

Jaron shook his head and fought the tears that swam in his eyes.

Travis stopped at the front desk. "Can I get an extra key to my room, please?"

The woman behind the front desk darted her gaze to Jaron before turning to Travis, smiling. "Certainly, sir."

Travis gave his name and room number. The woman handed him a card with the hotel's logo on the front. "Can I help you with anything else, sir?"

"No thanks." Travis took the card and headed to the elevator. Once they were inside, he handed the keycard to Jaron.

Jaron took it with shaky fingers.

"Have you eaten?"

"No."

Travis sighed again and looked straight ahead. Shiny metal reflected their blurry images standing next to each other. The door slid open and Travis guided Jaron down the hall to the left.

They stopped in front of a door about halfway down. Travis fished around in his pocket and pulled out his keycard before using it to open the door. He let Jaron go in first.

Jaron dropped his bag onto the floor beside the bed and sat down. He wanted to close his eyes, but if he did, he'd fall asleep, and they had a few things to talk about first. He opened his mouth to speak, but Travis held up his hand.

"Not right now. You're tired, and I'm pissed. We'll both say things we don't mean. Best if you take a shower. I'll bring you clean clothes."

Jaron nodded and stood, undressing before heading to the bathroom.

"What do you want to eat?" Travis asked from the other side of the door.

Jaron turned on the water for the shower, adjusting the spray.

The door opened, and Travis poked his head in. "What do you want to eat, baby?"

Jaron shrugged and didn't meet his gaze. Tears fell, and they came from a place of pure exhaustion.

"Pizza?"

Jaron shrugged again and stepped into the shower.

Travis sighed, and closed the door.

Travis had laid boxers and a T-shirt next to the sink for him. He must have gone through Jaron's bag, not that Jaron cared. He didn't have anything to hide. He dried off and got dressed before leaving the bathroom. A part of him had expected Travis to leave the room, but he sat with his back against the headboard of the bed. He had on pajama pants, and that was it. He flipped through the television channels.

"Pizza will be here in a few minutes." Travis never looked his way as he spoke.

The heater unit below the window churned out warm air.

Jaron stood there and let the last hour wash through his mind. Anger came back to him easily. "Don't you have a woman to go back to?"

Travis' gaze snapped to him. "Don't start with me, Jaron."

"I'm just wondering why you're still here."

"Besides the fact that it's my room."

Jaron narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, besides that."

"I love you. That's why I'm still here." Travis put the remote control on the side table beside the bed and stood. He pointed to it. "Lie down before you fall."

Jaron sighed and obeyed Travis. He climbed on the bed and lay down. "You're a shithead for saying that to me after that scene downstairs."

Travis sat on the bed beside him and picked up the remote again. "I'm not the shithead here, Jaron."

"Just go back to the bar and leave me alone."

"Go back to my cousin, you mean. I would, but she and her wife probably went back home by now."

Jaron sucked in a breath and burrowed into the covers. "Cousin?"

"Yeah. Kathleen and Amber own a horse farm just outside of town. She would have come to see me anyway, but she grew up riding Trick too. We were consoling each other."

Shit.

Travis turned to meet his gaze, giving Jaron a pointed stare.

Someone knocked, and that broke the spell. They both needed a reprieve anyway.

Travis got up and answered the door.

The smell of pizza hit him even before Travis paid the delivery guy.

He took a pizza in a box along with two bottles of water over to the table in the corner before waving Jaron over.

Jaron sat across from Travis and took a napkin. Travis opened the box, and the smell of pepperoni hit him. His stomach growled, and he took a piece. He moaned and shut his eyes when he took a bite. Jaron could feel Travis' gaze on him. When he opened them again, their gazes met and held. Neither spoke, but Jaron could see the hurt on Travis' face. He'd put that look there.

Jaron put the pizza on the napkin and hung his head. He took a deep breath before speaking "You don't deserve the lack of trust. You didn't earn it."

Travis nodded and took a bite of pizza. He chewed and swallowed before speaking. "Eat."

"I'm trying to apologize, Travis."

"I know. It can wait. Eat. Then Sleep. Tomorrow you'll go home, and I'll finish up with the buyer. We'll talk after I get home." Travis gestured to the pizza. "Eat."

"I don't want to go to bed with us fighting."

"Well, I'm not talking to you about this right now, Jaron. I'm not ready."

"Fine. But I want you to know that I love you too."

Travis' eyes had that sparkle they sometimes got, and he smiled. "That's the most important thing we needed to get settled."