“I was so proud of myself for building these beautiful places that my mom always dreamed of visiting that I never even realized she wouldn’t have been able to. I made them completely unattainable to people like my mom – every single resort I’ve built would have been just another dream for her.”
“You wanted to be successful,” Hunter offered.
“No,” Roman said, shaking his head. “I wanted to rub people’s noses in it. I wanted to show them that I could be someone despite my last name…despite where I came from.”
“Any people in particular?” Hunter asked cautiously.
Roman chuckled. The kid was too damn smart.
“My father and his wife.”
“Is that who you went to live with after your mom died?”
Roman nodded. “My older half-brother, too.”
Hunter was quiet for a moment before saying, “Your brother was older than you? Your dad was married before he met your mom?”
“Nope. I’m what they used to call a bastard back in the olden days,” Roman muttered. “My father was having an affair with my mother while he was still married to Gray’s mother. Gray is my half-brother.”
“Fuck,” Hunter whispered. “Wait, so you had to go live with your dad and the woman he was cheating on?”
Pain radiated through Roman’s chest and for a brief moment an irrational fear went through him that he was having a heart attack. But as he struggled to draw in breath, he realized that for all the times he’d remembered his shitty childhood with Victoria and Walt, it was a hell of a lot different to be talking about it out loud.
“Hey,” Hunter whispered as his hand settled between Roman’s shoulder blades. “We don’t have to talk about this, okay?”
Roman managed a nod and tried to focus on catching his breath as he felt Hunter’s fingers begin massaging the back of his neck. His cold skin instantly heated at the touch and when Hunter urged him to lay down on his side and then settled along his back after covering them with the blankets, Roman felt the tension start to ease from his body.
“What’s in Missoula?” Roman asked as Hunter’s body heat began to seep into him. His unruly body began to betray him as his anxiety switched over to desire.
“I go to school at the University of Montana.”
Right. Hunter was still a teenager for God’s sake. That fact should have settled Roman’s ardor but it didn’t – not one fucking little bit.
“What are you studying?”
“Political science.”
“Are you hoping to get into politics?” Roman asked.
At Hunter’s silence, Roman rolled over so they were facing. “You’re not the one who wants the degree, are you?”
“Public service is a noble profession,” Hunter murmured.
“Is that your argument or his?” Roman asked gently.
“Veto,” Hunter whispered, his eyes down cast.
Roman reached out to stroke his fingers over Hunter’s cheek. “Fair enough,” he whispered. He gently tipped Hunter’s chin up so that he was forced to look at Roman. “Can I stay here tonight?” His hand was resting on Hunter’s neck and he felt him swallow hard.
“What? The Dusty Spur not to your liking?” Hunter asked.
Roman ignored the nervous attempt at humor and let his thumb stroke over Hunter’s frantic pulse. “I like these accommodations much better,” he murmured.
He heard Hunter inhale sharply before he finally nodded. Since staying face to face was a supremely bad idea, Roman flipped onto his back and tucked his arm beneath his head. He felt Hunter shift next to him, his warm body barely touching Roman’s. Strangely enough, the lack of contact bothered Roman even more so he extended his free arm and worked it beneath Hunter until he finally got the silent message and used Roman’s arm as a pillow. And then it got better because Hunter shifted just enough to get more comfortable and ended up pressed against his side.
Neither spoke as they stared at the inky sky above them. Roman had been to the most glorious spots the world had to offer and he could honestly say nothing compared to the sight of the canopy of stars above him. And there sure as hell had never been anyone who even came close to making him feel what Hunter did…not that he knew what that was exactly; he just knew it felt fucking perfect.
***
Hunter came awake slowly and knew right away he was alone because there was no warm arm keeping his head off the ground anymore. And while he wasn’t exactly cold beneath the blanket, he missed the warm, hard body that had been pressed against him all night. Sunlight was just starting to seep over the lake and he could see a flock of Ring-necked ducks diving for their breakfast. Disappointment went through Hunter in knowing that Roman had left without even letting him know but he supposed it would have been too much to expect otherwise. He’d read too much into last night. And even if by some miracle he hadn’t, would it really matter what Roman’s motivations for staying were? It didn’t change the fundamental truth that Hunter was beyond fucked up. His actions at the club were proof of that and that wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Not to mention what Roman would think of him when he found out the devastation Hunter had heaped on an innocent person because of his own cowardice.