Brantley had played out the fantasy of what might’ve happened if he’d taken the lead rather than allowing Reese to control the pace. In his version, he would’ve been sliding deep inside the man, taking him with a passion that had eluded him for so long. The urge was so potent Brantley was surprised he even recognized it. It surpassed any of the urgency he’d experienced before.
“We’re not gonna find her here,” Reese said.
The words pulled him out of his thoughts as he guided his truck into the wide circular drive of Nicholas Prince’s home, with its fancy, if not gaudy, water feature centered in front of the enormous mansion on the hill. From behind, he knew there would be a phenomenal view of the lake, the water spread out for miles. It was the view people paid for here, something that was unique to this area, but he seriously doubted the house lacked any of the luxuries accessible to the wealthy.
“Well, we’re here, so we’ll see what we can find out.”
Ten minutes later, after they’d sauntered up to the front door, knocked, and had a brief conversation with a very unhappy majordomo who managed the place while his rich employer was away, Brantley accepted that Reese was right. They wouldn’t find Juliet or Kate here, of that he was certain. Based on the response from the man they’d all but interrogated, he was not Juliet’s biggest fan, so even if she did stop by, he would not be offering her safe harbor.
And now they could mark this residence off their list and hope that Travis and Gage would get somewhere with the rest of the locations JJ had dredged up. If they were lucky, Nicholas Prince would give them some input on where Juliet might go if she wanted to stay off the grid.
“Where to now?” Reese asked when they were back in the truck, winding their way down the hills toward the highway.
“You’re the one who talked to JJ. What’d she say?”
“That she would trace the woman back to birth if that was what it took.”
And Brantley knew JJ wasn’t exaggerating. The woman was nothing if not meticulous when it came to digging up information on people.
“Well, I guess we’ll go back to my place, see if she’s found anything else.”
“Y’all are close, huh? You and JJ?”
“To a degree, yeah. We kept in touch while I was away, saw each other every now and again when I stopped in on leave.”
“You ever date her?” Reese asked.
Brantley laughed, catching Reese’s gaze. “No. I’ve never been with a woman. Never had the desire to be.”
“So you’ve always known you were gay?”
“Always. From the time all my friends started checkin’ out the girls in the fifth grade, I knew I had no interest.”
“But you don’t think it’s one way or the other for everyone?”
Brantley focused on the road. “Of course not. I don’t think there’s a sexuality playbook. I think some people know from a young age whether they’re gay, straight, bisexual, or transsexual. Others learn from experiences what they’re open to, what they need.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
“I’m not tryin’ to be right,” he said, reaching over and touching Reese’s hand. “If you’re questionin’ what happened this mornin’ or you think you owe me an explanation, forget it.”
“I am questioning it,” Reese countered, his voice harsher than before. “Never in my life have I lusted after a man. And this mornin’, I was kissin’ you.”
Brantley knew he could turn this into a joke, tease Reese until the mood lightened, but he got the feeling Reese needed to work through this logically.
“Did you enjoy it?” he asked, ensuring Reese heard his curiosity and his sincerity.
He felt those golden eyes move to him, but Brantley didn’t look over. He realized he wanted to hear Reese’s answer because it mattered to him.
“At the time, yeah.”
A surprising disappointment flooded him.
“Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I want to blame it on … a dry spell.”
Brantley pulled up to a red light, peered over at Reese. He let his gaze drop to the man’s mouth before shifting his attention back to the road. He would not make this about himself. Brantley had no confusion over what he wanted. What he’d wanted all along. But he could not force Reese on this. The man would get to where he was meant to be one way or another.
“But I know that’s just a bullshit excuse,” Reese said softly.
After taking a deep breath, Brantley let it out slowly, not wanting Reese to hear the relief he felt.
They were both quiet for the last ten minutes of the trip. By the time Brantley pulled into his driveway, he was expecting Reese to jump out of the truck as soon as it came to a stop. When he didn’t, Brantley shut off the engine, unhooked his seat belt, waited.
