Page 3 of Nicks and Cuts

“You said you were there for Pride.”

“I was.”

“You were meant to leave.”

“Um, no, I’m pretty sure my contract says I need to stay. It’s fine. I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”

Dante sighed and shook his head. “You came out, so you might as well see the room.”

However, he didn’t seem pleased about it.

Sure, check out the room in the house owned by his hook-up, who was ex-military and made knives. He was deep in horror movie territory and far too aware he was a natural blond.

“Besides, the other guy in town who lets out rooms is a rowdy drunk.”

Shannon had been warned about that, which was why he’d messaged Dante first. Dante walked over to the house and pushed open the back door. Shannon followed him to the mudroom and watched as Dante took off his boots.

At the last second, he toed off his runners and shoved them to the side.

Dante stared at them, then looked up at him. “Rack.”

Shannon picked up his shoes and set them on the rack next to Dante’s boots. He padded after him in his socks and into a big farmhouse kitchen before turning right and stopping at a locked door.

“Only one room. It’s lockable so your things are safe. It has an ensuite. Only shared areas are the kitchen and lounge room if you want. You don’t go to the other end of the house.”

Dante stared at him.

“Understood.” He liked that the room was locked and that he could use the kitchen. He was sick of the motel microwave.

Dante unlocked the room and stepped aside, letting Shannon go first.

I am not about to be locked in the bedroom. Though if it led to round two… No.

Dante clearly had issues, and some things were best left at once.

Shannon walked in, not expecting much. The room was clean with the curtains and window open, letting in the breeze and sunlight. Even the mattress looked in better shape than the one in the motel. The bathroom was definitely an upgrade. It had a tub and a shower and no signs of mold.

He wanted to take it. What was the point of looking if he didn’t?

“It’s really nice, bigger than my motel room.” He shouldn’t have reminded Dante that he’d seen it. Oh well, it was too late now, and they were both adults. It wasn’t as though Shannon had never bumped into previous flings; sometimes, they even became friends, or at least occasional fuck buddies. Not only that, but it seemed there was barely two degrees of separation between him and an ex. That was the whole reason why he’d put several hours between him and the ex this time.

Something needed to change, and given that he was the common denominator in all the problems in his life, the easiest solution was to change what he was doing. He’d tried that in the past, but it was very hard to change when everything around him was still the same. Maybe that said something about him…he was sure that his mother could recommend an excellent astrologist or past life regression therapist, while his father would tell him he just needed to put in more effort before mentioning an opportunity which was perfect for him. He was one hundred percent sure that while his parents loved him, they didn’t know him. He was the odd one in a family where everyone else was always auditioning for ads or teaching gym classes or selling real estate while waiting to be noticed.

While his job wasn’t nine to five, it was the closest thing that anyone and his immediate family had, and that included his grandparents. One set had worked in a circus as aerialists, and the other set had been all in on any marketing scam they could get their hands on. It would be easy if he could say that he came from a family of grifters, but they weren’t lazy… They just didn’t have much to show for their hard work because they were always waiting to hit the jackpot.

He, however, had realized in primary school that he had more chance of being hit by lightning. He’d also been rather too fascinated by what lightning strikes did to human bodies, which had led to survival stories…and that was pretty much the easiest explanation for how he ended up where he was.

He glanced at Dante, knowing that he was not going to be lucky enough to get him naked again. Dante acted like a man who’d decided it was safer in the closet.

Though given the success of the town’s first Pride parade, Shannon wasn’t sure that was true. Dante was the kind of man who should have had men dropping to their knees and opening their mouths.

He swallowed, pushing the thought aside.

Dante gave him a half-lidded look as if he was remembering the motel room. “The carpet is newer and so is the bed.”

“Thanks. I really needed to remember how much action the bed has seen.” At least the motel didn’t have bedbugs, and despite its age, it was clean. Of course, if people didn’t use the fan or open a window when they showered, there was going to be a damp problem that encouraged mold growth.

“It is only a short-term let. I don’t want anyone here permanently.”