Miller’s eyes are sympathetic. “Those who shout what year we’re in and say it’s easy to just come out have no idea. This industry wants to chew us up and spit us out.”
“Spitting is never good etiquette.”
He levels me with his shut up look. “I’m trying to have a moment here.”
“Sorry. Continue.”
Miller covers my mouth with his hand so I don’t interrupt again. “There are a million reasons not to do this. There are a few good reasons to go for it. But there’s only one reason why I’m here. It’s you, Marc. Always you.”
I’m not even sure when he removes his hand from my mouth or who moves first, but next thing I know, I’m kissing him again.
Fierce and claiming.
Heat travels over my skin when Miller lifts the hem of my shirt and his fingers skim down my stomach. I’ll never tire of his touch, his mouth, his body against mine. It’s where I’ve always belonged, but I was too busy looking at everything and everyone else to notice.
Miller grounds me, makes me less impulsive, and settles the ever-buzzing energy I usually have.
He makes me more human, and I love him for it. Not just the love I’ve always had for him, but the type I never knew existed.
“I love you,” I blurt.
Miller pulls back and smiles. “’Bout fucking time you caught up.”
I try to shove him, but he holds me firm.
“We should do the Lennon article. Actually … I’ll rephrase. We’ve done the Lennon article. We should tell him to print it.”
“What?”
“Lennon wrote an article on what you guys talked about that day we were supposed to sit down with him, and I had him rework it so it involves both of us and the truth about coming out in this industry. Why it’s still hard. Why, even though there’s been an athlete in nearly every sport come out, they’re still lonely fish in a big pond. Statistically, there has to be more.”
“But what about—”
“The fallout is gonna suck, but we have a great supporting network around us even if your management team isn’t involved in that. We can get through it if we promise we’ll get through it together. That we’re in this together. Just us …”
He hasn’t brought up the threesome thing since the day with his PT, and while I can’t be sure he’s hinting at that or is going for a us versus the world thing, either way, my answer is the same.
“Only us,” I say.
He’s all I need, and if Miller had to step back to become more confident in what we have, then I can’t complain about his freak-out. I think deep down I knew he’d come around after he had a chance to think it through, but that one little voice in my head telling me he could walk away damn near broke me.
“I have something to show you.” Miller disappears into the bedroom, and I follow him. He pulls out some stapled papers from his bag, flips to the last page, and hands it over to me. “I want to give you everything you want.”
At the bottom of the page, the last line of the interview reads:
When asked how he feels about Marcus Talon, Shane Miller smiles. “I’ve been in love with Marc since before I knew the possibility of having him was a reality.”
“I thought everything we did in college was just about sex. That it was a kink I had to want to share women with you, but it wasn’t. I was falling for you way back then.”
“About … uh, that. I have a surprise for you.” Miller glances toward the bathroom. “It’s kinda a compromise on the three-way thing.”
I follow his gaze and narrow my eyes. “Is there a hooker in the shower? Because I feel like this is a test … in which case, my answer is no. I don’t want the super-hot, super boobish hooker in the bathroom, thank you very much.”
Miller laughs. “No hooker. Although, I’m sure if I’d asked, I could’ve gotten the desk clerk up here. She’s a USC alum, and she’d heard stories about us.”
“Our reputation precedes itself.”
“Dunno if that’s something we should be proud of.”
“Is that slut shaming I hear again?”
Miller grins, and I’m thrown back to that morning in my bathroom after we took home those girls … wow, a year ago already.
“What?” Miller asks.
“What, what?”
“You look weird.”
“Thanks.”
Miller huffs. “You look like you’re concentrating. It’s alarming.”
“Ha-ha. I’m having one of those ‘How did we get here?’ moments. It’s kinda surreal to think of where we were a year ago.”
“Probably not as surreal as this.” Miller takes my hand in his and leads me to the bathroom, and as soon as I see his compromise in the shower, I have to laugh.
“Only your true love brings sex toys as compromises.”
“It was super fun bringing that through security at the airport.”