Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85167 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 426(@200wpm)___ 341(@250wpm)___ 284(@300wpm)
Right now, the scariest thoughts revolved around one person. The same one who’d been on his mind for days.
Tam.
He grabbed his phone and stared at the text he’d sent an hour ago.
I feel like Tacos. You in?
Still no reply. He would have sworn he’d heard Tam come home earlier, but it was almost midnight now and he didn’t have the balls to knock on his door. Especially if Tam was avoiding him.
Torturing himself like this wasn’t helping his frustration either.
He had to do something. From the corner Mikey seemed to roll his eyes, like Just man up and call him, you idiot.
“Easy for you to say. You’ve got a shell.” And now he was talking to himself. Before he went totally crazy, he dialed. Nerves made his knees bounce so he stood and paced to the kitchen and back again.
“Hello?” Tam answered. The connection wasn’t great and there was loud music in the background that made it hard to hear.
Definitely not home then. Disappointment sank like stones in his stomach. “Hey.”
Someone laughed. It wasn’t a voice he recognized, but that didn’t mean much when he’d only ever meant Tam’s friends once.
“Hello?” Tam’s voice rose as the conversation around him swelled so much Driver could make some of it out. Dancing. Hot as hell. And another, Fuck him.
“Tam? Hello?”
“Driver?”
“Yeah,” he said, flicking his finger at the unopened mail on the island.
“Sorry, I can barely hear you.”
Clearly.
“Where are you?” Don’t ask, asshole. You sound jealous.
Fuck it, he was jealous. What was the point of denying it now? There was no one around except a turtle, and Mikey already knew how pathetic he was.
“At Switch with the boys.”
“Oh.” Switch?
“Can I call you back? We’re kind of in the middle of something and it’s really loud in here.”
Driver hung his head. “Yeah, sure.”
“K, bye.” And the line went dead.
With one sweep of his arm and a guttural growl, he swept everything off the countertop. Papers ruffled as the takeout menus landed on the tile floor. Fuck!
He wanted to punch something so bad. It might give him a bit of satisfaction.
In the pit of his stomach, a wave of doubt made Driver queasy. This was his own fault. Had he thought Tam would be waiting around for him when he’d been the one to put a casual label on their relationship? Hell, he’d practically forced Tam to go.
Driver had no one to blame but himself. He couldn’t be mad at Tam for going out with his friends. It had been stupid of him to expect anything different. But the scariest part was, once he was gone this would be his life. Wherever he was, his thoughts would stray to Tam and he’d wonder where he was, what he was doing...and who he was doing it with.
Because now, and probably forever, all he could imagine was Tam’s sexy ass dancing in the dark sexual atmosphere of some club surrounded by sweaty, greedy, lustful men.
* * *
Tam waited until he was in relative privacy outside the club before he called Driver back. The buzz from all the shots Georgia insisted on buying still pumped through his blood, right alongside the thrill of maybe—possibly—hopefully dancing on the Switch stage.
Even if it was a temporary gig, it would be amazing.
After they’d made plans for an official audition the next day while the club was closed, Mark had left them to enjoy the atmosphere on their own terms. And boy, had they.
When the Sassy Boyz took to a dance floor, crowds parted.
Tam smiled remembering how much fun they’d had. It had been a long time since they’d all let loose like that. It had been exactly what Tam had needed.
Driver’s voice was scratchy when he answered. “Hello?”
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“It’s okay.”
“I just got your text. Have you eaten?”
“Made a sandwich earlier, no big.”
“Oh, well, I’m starving. I’m going to pick something up on my way home.” Tam picked at the sequins on his pants. “Are you mad at me?”
“No. I’m just exhausted.”
“Right. Fine. I’ll let you go then.” He hung up and pinched the bridge of his nose.
No one ever told you how to fix a broken heart or how to hold yourself together when everything seemed designed to shatter you. Tam’s past made him stronger, but was there anything that could withstand this blow?
He didn’t think so.
It was shooting straight at him in slow motion and he couldn’t even step out of the way. Anger dulled the pain to something bearable at least, so he built the fire and let it roar inside, just to keep worse agony at a distance.
His phone beeped indicating a text but he ignored it.
He didn’t want to fight over the phone. He didn’t want to fight at all, but he didn’t see any other choice. There was a cheap takeout place a couple blocks from his apartment so he swung by and grabbed enough for two. Maybe it would be a peace offering.