“Well then that changes everything. Daddy’s got the big bucks.” Greer reached across the bar, pushing Marisol her tip as he got to his feet.
“Y’all be safe getting home,” Mac said, pushing off his barstool.
As Dallas started toward the front door, Greer’s hand wrapped around his. They made it about three feet before Greer tightened his fingers around Dallas’s, giving a firm squeeze. “Guy, huh?”
Dallas cast a quick glance in Greer’s direction. Even then it took a second to decide if Greer was in fact jealous. Then a few more seconds to get past the absurdity of such a thought. Of course, Greer wasn’t jealous. What did he have to be envious over? That was Dallas’s job in their relationship. “Straight, arrogant, asshole of a guy. Reminded me of Donny. I couldn’t help myself.”
Greer pushed open the door, urging Dallas out ahead of him. “I’m traveling too much if you’re lonely and hustling other guys.”
Dallas turned around, taking a couple of steps backward until he came to a stop in the middle of the parking lot. “Are you serious? I can’t tell.” What a laughable thought. Greer was messing with him. Dallas turned and started for the streetlight to cross. “Come on. The light’s green.”
He took off jogging and made it across the street before the streetlight changed to red. He looked over his shoulder. Greer wasn’t there. He turned quickly the other direction, only to do a one-eighty to see Greer still on the other side of the street. Both Greer’s hands raised in a what-the-hell gesture as they stared at one another.
“What’s wrong?” Dallas called out.
“I don’t know, Dallas.” The tone and posture said that Greer did in fact know what had him upset and refused to budge a single inch.
=?=
What was happening?
Perhaps he was consumed with the green-eyed monster. Dallas was a beautiful man. Of course, other men would pay close attention to his guy.
Greer crossed his arms in frustration and pushed back on one foot, tapping the other. He stared at Dallas who glared right back at him. His brows dropped into a hard line as his annoyance at himself bloomed. Greer’s fists went to his hips in frustration.
Dallas was soundly out of the closet now.
Ah, that was it.
He wasn’t jealous but insecure and worried. He didn’t like Dallas being lonely and out looking for something to fill his time. Greer should be there with him.
“Are you sure about us?” Greer called out.
“What?” Dallas asked in such a way that he might have really meant that was the dumbest question a person could ask. “Greer, I played darts with an asshole.”
“Am I tying you down prematurely?” Asking the question out loud caused unbearable pain to slice across Greer’s heart, causing him to lose his brazen attitude. Greer found it hard to breathe and lifted a hand to his heart, absently rubbing at the pain in his chest.
“Prematurely to what?” Dallas asked, either dodging the question, or he countered back with another really good point. Dallas wasn’t heading in the same direction as Greer.
The light changed and Greer stepped off the curb at the same time Dallas did, coming for him. “I just played darts with a guy that kept taunting me because Marisol told him I could play.”
“It’s not that,” Greer said, meeting Dallas at the halfway point and having the foresight to take this conversation to the other side of the street. He turned Dallas, taking his arm, and jogged through the three second beeping timer. “You haven’t had time to find yourself. Should we give you more time?”
“Greer, it was darts,” Dallas said, turning angry. He tore his arm from Greer’s hold and stepped several feet away in the opposite direction of their home. “This is ridiculous.”
“No, listen to me. We committed fast, maybe too fast.” In a life dedicated to pleasing this one man, the weight of the implication of losing Dallas had Greer’s shoulders slumping, and a heavy, pitiful sigh slipped free. He closed his eyes. The unbearable pain of his thoughts was too much to absorb.
“Are you saying it’s too fast for you?” Dallas asked. His soft, hurt voice caused Greer to move past his own bullshit. Dallas was hurting and confused. His expressive face showed he had no idea what was happening. Greer took a deep cleansing inhale, letting the exhale release all the sudden bout of negativity and doubt, sobering him right up.
“Of course not. I’d marry you today if you’d let me. This is new for me too. I just don’t want you to resent me later because you felt I pushed you too fast.” The three feet separating them was the most Greer ever allowed between them. What was he doing? He started for Dallas, reaching out to take his hands in his. “I trust you. I don’t know what just happened…”