Chapter Twenty-Seven
chapter TWENTY-SEVEN
E than was ready to close up shop within fifteen minutes. He’d never done that before, never stopped working in the middle of the week, but he needed this. Beau’s plan to get away from it all, even briefly, was the only option at this point. Either that, or he was going to take out his misery on Beau, and even if they weren’t permanent or long-term, he didn’t want to hurt him. Admittedly, he was developing feelings for Beau—strong ones—and the idea of hurting him didn’t sit well.
And worst case, at least he’d have these memories to fall back on later.
“I’m gonna head home and get some stuff. I’ll pick you up at your house in an hour. That work?” Beau asked as they stepped out of the shop before Ethan locked the door behind them.
“All right.”
With that, Ethan watched Beau walk away. That’s when it dawned on him that he was starting to treat this like a relationship. The problem was... he couldn’t figure out if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
On Ethan’s way home, he had to pass by the main office, and he noticed Jared’s truck out front. Shit. He truly needed to stop in and give him a heads-up as to where he’d be. Not that he cared to explain his whereabouts to anyone, but he knew Jared would fly off the handle if he wasn’t made aware. Hell, he’d probably be in an uproar anyway, but that was out of Ethan’s control at the moment.
The least he could do was warn the guy.
Parking next to the Walker Demo truck that Kaleb had passed on to Jared, Ethan took his time getting out of the truck. The wind had died down somewhat, but the day hadn’t warmed up much at all. Which was a little surprising, considering February in Texas was hit or miss, but it wasn’t usually this cold.
He stepped into the Walker Demo office only to hear Jared arguing with someone. Not wanting to walk right into the line of fire, he peeked in the door and noticed Jared on the phone. At least he hadn’t walked into the middle of something.
“Sable, I don’t have time for this shit,” Jared snapped, leaning back in his chair.
Sable. Ex-wife.
Ethan knew from the stories he had heard that the two of them didn’t get along. Based on the inflection in Jared’s voice, the rumor seemed to be true. Figuring Jared would see him sooner or later, Ethan made his appearance known and nodded when Jared glanced up at him.
“I’ve got to go.” Clearly not waiting for a response, Jared slammed his finger on the phone screen and then tossed his cell on his desk. “What do you want?”
“Well, good fucking afternoon to you, too.”
Seemed as though Jared was the lucky bastard who had found the irritation that Beau had managed to fuck out of Ethan earlier.
Jared grinned, a gesture Ethan hadn’t seen often. They were kinda like two peas in a pod, neither of them known much for their bubbly personality.
“Sorry.”
“No worries. I know exactly how you feel. It’s been one of those days.”
“Yeah, it sure has.” Jared leaned forward, resting his forearms on his desk and staring at Ethan. The guy looked tired. And a little frazzled. Then again, he’d been on the phone with his ex-wife, so that could explain some of it. Ethan had heard the story, but he’d never delved further because his cousin’s business wasn’t his concern. Considering Jared had never pushed Ethan to talk, he figured he’d return the favor.
“I’m gonna be out of town for a couple of days,” Ethan blurted out, unsure how to deliver the news. He prepared for Jared’s response by shoring up his spine and staring back at him, but nothing came.
“Where’re you off to?”
“Houston,” Ethan said promptly. He hadn’t planned on explaining himself, but he couldn’t seem to shut up.
“Going with someone?”
That question would’ve normally pissed Ethan off, hating when people tried to stick their nose in his business, but he found himself replying despite himself. “Yeah. I’m heading down there with Beau.”
Watching for Jared’s reaction, Ethan took a deep breath when his cousin simply nodded.
“Anything I can help with while you’re gone?”
“Nah. Nothing important. Brendon’s truck is almost done, but the boy can stand to hitch a ride for a few days. He’s fucking hard on that truck.”
Jared laughed and leaned back in his chair. “I noticed that. When will you be back?”
“Saturday or Sunday. I’ll check on things then, but I doubt there’ll be anything pressing.” There never was. They had enough equipment and vehicles to handle one or two being out of commission for a week or so. Ethan wasn’t worried that his absence would hinder progress.
“Cool,” Jared said, glancing down at his phone.
“All right, then,” Ethan mumbled, thrusting his hands in his pockets and turning for the door.
“Hey, E?”
“Yeah?” he asked, not turning around.
“You need something, give me a call.”
Ethan swallowed hard, but managed to force out a “Sure.”
Jared had been at Moonshiners the night before, which meant he’d seen everything go down. For those who were close to the family, he figured they could put two and two together. He didn’t out and out talk about his sexual preferences, but he knew it was common knowledge who he spent his time with. Considering he’d never had a girlfriend in his life, Ethan wasn’t naive enough to believe his family didn’t know. He just felt as though the less they knew, the better off they’d be.
Not wanting to think about it anymore, Ethan rushed out the door and back to his truck. Yeah, it was definitely time to get out of town for a bit.
AFTER A QUICK shower, Beau grabbed the bag he’d brought back from Ethan’s, dumped its contents, and refilled it with clean clothes. He kept his eye on the time, already anxious to get back to Ethan. For some reason, he didn’t want to give him time to change his mind.
The tattoo had been an excuse, something Beau had really never given much thought to, but also something he was excited about. He’d come up with the idea after studying Ethan’s, wondering what had compelled him to put that quote on his back. So, along with being curious about the story behind it, Beau figured this was a way for them to get a little closer. He honestly hadn’t expected that Ethan would’ve gone out of town to get the skin art though.
The idea of going to a city where they could be completely anonymous, no risk of being recognized, had thrilled Beau instantly. Obviously, Ethan hadn’t been opposed to the idea, either. Once he gave it some thought, Beau considered it to be a stepping stone. A test of sorts. Just to see exactly how open to this relationship Ethan really was.
Not that there had been any mention of a relationship.
Yet.
Once he was back in his truck, Beau grabbed his cell and called Zane. Figuring he should let someone know where they were headed, he left a voice mail when Zane didn’t pick up. He didn’t give too much information, but he offered just enough so that Zane wouldn’t worry and the rest of the Walker clan wouldn’t end up in a panic when they realized Ethan was gone. Knowing Ethan, he wouldn’t share his whereabouts with his family if he didn’t have to.
Ten short minutes later he was pulling up to Ethan’s house. His nerves shot to astronomical levels as he stared out the windshield. This was a monumental step for the two of them. The significance of what they were doing hadn’t affected him until now. They were going out of town. Together.
Alone.
A couple of days, just the two of them. No interruptions. No assholes like Jimmy or Ricky. Only them.
Forcing his door open, he slid to the ground and headed up the front steps, smiling when Ethan opened the door to greet him, a duffel bag in one hand, his keys in the other.
“Took you long enough,” Ethan teased, and Beau’s heart did a somersault. Was the guy actually joking with him?
After Ethan’s outburst that morning, Beau wasn’t sure how hard it would be to get him to smile. It hadn’t taken much apparently. Then again, throw in some intensely satisfying sex, and he could see why Ethan was smiling. He sure as hell was.
“If I’m not wrong, I’m the one waiting on you right now,” Beau said on a laugh.
Ethan tossed his bag at Beau, and he caught it easily before turning back to the truck while Ethan locked the front door.
Once they were inside, Beau flipped the key and the powerful engine roared to life.
“This piece of shit gonna make it to Houston?” Ethan asked, looking serious.
Beau’s laugh rumbled through the truck, rivaling the sound of the engine. “Don’t doubt the mechanic in me,” he answered when he caught his breath.
Glancing over before backing out of the driveway, Beau noticed Ethan’s smile was bright enough to rival the afternoon sun. Right then and there, he made a point to make Ethan smile as many times as he possibly could over the next couple of days. This laid-back version of Ethan was rare, and although he wasn’t willing to question the personality overhaul, he knew not to take it for granted.
Neither of them spoke much until they hit the highway that would lead to their destination, but once they were on the open road, Beau glanced over at Ethan. Should he risk it? Asking questions? At the moment, he couldn’t see what he had to lose because Ethan didn’t have the choice of running. At least not until they stopped somewhere.
“Is there a meaning behind the tattoo?” he asked, using the steering wheel controls to turn down the radio.
Beau felt Ethan’s eyes on him momentarily, but there was no response. When he looked over, he noticed Ethan had returned to staring out the window as the trees passed by rapidly.
“Yeah,” Ethan finally said but didn’t elaborate.
“When did you get it?” Beau was going for the easy questions first.
“I had just turned twenty-one.”
Beau chuckled, frustrated by Ethan’s lack of answers, but fully expecting it. He felt the full brunt of Ethan’s gaze on him a moment later, and Beau glanced over, shifting his attention between Ethan and the road repeatedly, waiting to see what he would say.
“Give me some time, all right?” Ethan asked, his voice low and gravelly.
“Time?” Beau was confused.
“I’ll tell you the story, but not right now.”
Beau nodded as he swallowed hard. He was strangely pleased by Ethan’s response. The fact that he intended to open up to him was more than he expected. It was proof that what was happening between them wasn’t just one-sided. Ethan was feeling it, too.
They drove in silence for about twenty miles, the radio the only sound apart from the road noise from the tires. Beau settled into his seat, propping his arm on the console. He brushed Ethan’s fingers by accident and looked down to see Ethan mirroring his posture, and he had the sudden urge to hold his hand.
He refrained because he didn’t want to set Ethan off, but a minute later, the warmth of Ethan’s fingers as they linked with his had his heart thumping triple time in his chest.
“Surprised?” Ethan asked as Beau white-knuckled the steering wheel with one hand and focused on not squeezing Ethan’s fingers too hard with the other.
“A little, yeah,” he admitted.
“I’m not making any promises for the future,” Ethan went on to say. “But for now, I’m good with this.”
Beau was good with it, too. More than good actually. It almost seemed too easy. Getting Ethan to break out of that steel-lined shell hadn’t seemed like an easy task, but the more time they spent together, the easier it seemed to get.
Too bad Beau knew that there wasn’t anything easy about Ethan. And this was probably too good to last.
For now though, he’d take what he could get.