Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
“Uh, most of the dancers on stage were girls,” Tate continued. “But there was this one guy who caught my attention and completely captivated me. I stopped looking for my friends and watched him. He was so hypnotizing I couldn’t even breathe.”
Liam’s jaw hung open. Speaking of not breathing. He didn’t dare inhale for fear of missing even one word of Tate’s story.
Finally, Tate lifted his gaze to meet Liam’s. Liam fell headfirst into the powerful emotions capturing him. Regret, suffering, longing. So many dominant emotions this poor man had no idea how to handle. “He was so beautiful, Luxe,” he whispered. “I stood there watching him for what felt like hours. I couldn’t tear myself away. I didn’t want to.”
“Tate…” He gripped the man's hands to keep them from diving through his hair again. They trembled slightly, stilling only when he squeezed Liam back.
“It was the first time I felt attracted to a guy. It was confusing. I didn’t get it at first. Everything was too overwhelming, but I was so spellbound I couldn’t stop staring or even be worried about what my feelings meant. I have no idea what ballet it was, but it was incredible.”
“Swan Lake,” he whispered.
Tate’s half smile held a world of pain and sadness. “Fitting.”
“Yeah.”
“Eventually, my friends caught up with me while I was standing there gawking. I played it off but still got all sorts of shit from them. Why the hell was I watching? Did I have a thing for girls in tutus? What was with the male dancer? A fairy, they called him over and over.”
“Fairy,” Liam said with a roll of his eyes and as much haughtiness in his tone as he could muster. “I was an elegant swan, not a flitting fairy.” No point in pretending they were talking about anyone else.
“Yeah.” Tate let go of his hands and reached up to cup Liam’s face. “Prettiest swan there ever was.”
This man…
He couldn’t keep from nuzzling his cheek against that coarse palm.
“Uh, anyway, we hung out for a while and did the usual fair shit. I stopped to take a leak before we left, and when I came out of the bathroom, I couldn’t find anyone. At first, I thought they ditched me, but then I heard what sounded like a fight.”
Oh God, here it comes.
Liam couldn’t keep his eyes from filling with tears as traumatic memories he’d worked so hard to leave in the past came flooding back. He sucked in a stunted breath and blinked as fast as he could.
“Want me to stop?” Tate ran his hands up and down Liam’s thighs. The man had a lucrative career as a masseuse if he ever wanted a change.
“No,” he whispered, shaking his head. “I want to hear it all.” He had to hear it all. He tried to focus on the feel of those warm, strong hands instead of his turbulent emotions.
With their eyes locked, Tate continued, “I followed the sounds around the back of a trailer and found Randy and Daryl watching someone taking a serious beating. It only took me a second to recognize the victim was the dancer I’d watched earlier.”
Yes, he was.
“I lost it. I didn’t know who had attacked him, but I knew why, and I lost my shit.”
He didn’t need to close his eyes to conjure clear images of that night. “They wore ball caps and bandanas over their faces,” he whispered. “I tried to grab one guy’s bandana so I could see his face, but I was in too much pain. All I could do was curl in a ball and try to protect my vital organs. ‘Fairies didn’t belong in our town.’ That’s what they’d said before they knocked me down. I told them they were as stupid as they were ugly if they couldn’t tell the difference between a fairy and a swan.” Maybe someday he would chuckle at the memory of that smartass quip, but the memory of the punch that followed his bold statement ensured that day hadn’t come yet.
“Jesus, Luxe, you’ve got balls.”
Liam shrugged.
“You’d been so perfect on that stage,” Tate said, seeming unaware he’d started talking about Liam directly instead of the anonymous dancer. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t stand to see someone hurting you.”
Tears spilled out of Liam’s eyes. “You yelled. Screamed for them to stop.”
Nodding, Tate said, “They didn’t listen, so I… I tried to stop them.”
It was the most horrible night of his life, and Tate had been there. He’d been Liam’s savior. Whatever perceived wrongdoing Tate punished himself for, it wasn’t necessary. He had been the only person to stand up for a beaten gay kid, the only one to help.
“You saved my life, Tate.” He inched his hands back under Tate’s shirt and resumed touching as much skin as he could reach. “It was bad. The doctors told me if it had gone on much longer, I’d have suffered internal bleeding and possibly died.”