Detour (The Getaway Series Book 5)

by Jay Crownover

  I heard a low rumble escape Rodie’s chest and reached out to put a hand on his arm. I immediately jerked it away when he turned burning eyes in my direction.

  Seeing he’d finally scored a direct hit, the mayor straightened his shoulders and declared, “We’re pressing charges regardless. He started the fight and that’s against school policy.”

  Cy rolled his eyes as he turned toward the principal. “If you’re expelling Cam for the fight, you better plan on expelling Dalton and the other instigators for the threats and language.”

  The principal held up both his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Fine. Fine. All of the boys involved will be punished properly. I’m warning everyone in this room, if Dalton and Cam can’t figure out a way to get along, and if they keep disrupting the other students, both boys will be removed from the school on a permanent basis.”

  Lane made a sound of disbelief. The mayor and his son started to argue, but Rodie held up a hand and demanded everyone to be quiet.

  “You need to do your job. It’s your responsibility to follow up when a student tells you they feel threatened. As I already mentioned, I spoke with your boss on my way over here. He’s now very aware of just how badly you’ve dropped the ball.”

  The principal swore quietly as the mayor hauled Dalton out of the room, giving Rodie a dirty look as he went. The animosity between the two city leaders was evident, and I knew whatever grudge the mayor had against Rodie had just been bumped up a notch.

  “You’re arresting my kid over my dead body, Rodie.” Lane stepped into Rodie’s space, putting a finger in his face.

  “Calm down.” I gently pushed Lane back, unconsciously taking Rodie’s side in the argument I knew was coming. “You have to let him do his job.”

  “Last time we did that, he put my innocent brother in jail.” Lane was heated and not thinking straight. He was never going to be able to think rationally when it came to the teen he thought of as his own.

  “Let’s go check on Cam and Brynn. We’ll get him a lawyer, just in case.” Cy’s voice was calm, but he didn’t look any happier than Lane. “I’d tell you it’s nice to see you, Sheriff, but it hasn’t been lately.”

  Rodie heaved a deep sigh. “Got a job to do. That’s all there is to it. Keep Cam safe. Keep him away from Dalton and the mayor before things get even more out of hand.”

  Cy looked at me and cocked his head slightly. “You coming with us?”

  I’d ridden into town with Brynn and still needed to find my way to either the hospital or the ranch. I nodded slowly, keeping my gaze on Rodie. “Yeah. Just give me a second.”

  The brothers exited the room, making it slightly easier to breathe. The principal muttered something about needing to get some air, leaving me and Rodie alone in the office. Wordlessly, we turned to face one another. I didn’t want the man I’d slept next to last night to be the same one responsible for persecuting a kid who’d already had a terrible life full of rejection and judgment.

  “You know things are going to get progressively worse for Cam; that’s why you had your guys keeping an eye on him and warned him to document everything. He’s going to end up dead if things keep going the way they are now.” I shook my head. “You don’t know what it’s like to have to fight just because you exist.” It was a low dig, but one that was true, nonetheless. “You have no clue how hard Cam has it.” Or how difficult things had been for me for my entire youth. Sometimes I wished I’d pretended, played straight the way he had, but at the end of the day, I wanted to be free to be myself even if it made my life harder. It was ridiculous to weaponize love, and I refused to live that way.

  “I don’t know what Cam’s going through, but I know exactly what the rest of these kids are capable of because I was one of them. I’m trying to keep him safe. I want to help him protect himself, but I still have to follow protocol. I need to talk to my deputy, then Cam. If there’s enough evidence it was assault, I’ll do what I have to do.”

  He was so cold, so matter-of-fact about it all, but I knew deep down inside he had to be hurting. All of this happening with Cam had to hit just a little too close to home for him, the same way it did for me.

  I sighed, grabbing his shoulder and giving it a squeeze now that we were alone and there was no risk of anyone seeing the slight contact. “You better watch your back, Sheriff. It’s one thing to have the mayor gunning for you, if you end up with the Warners as enemies, losing your job is going to be the least of your problems.”

  He paused, then nodded, shifting so my hand fell away. I watched him walk out of the room, shaking my head. I wasn’t sure what was worse, having a crush on him when I thought he was a cute straight boy, or having a crush on him now, knowing he was a cute but very confused gay boy.

  Once again, I wondered if I even liked him, because at the moment, it felt like I could very easily hate him.

  Rodie

  I wasn’t sure Wyatt was going to let me in when I once again knocked on his door in the middle of the night. There was no hiding the disappointment in his gaze when he walked away from me earlier in the day. It mirrored the disappointment in Cam’s gaze when I finally made it to the hospital to speak to him. The poor kid was at such a huge turning point in his life, thought he was leaving hate and prejudice behind him, only to end up smack-dab in the center of a new nightmare. He seemed resigned to the fact he was never going to find peace, and I could feel Brynn glaring daggers into my back as I offered useless platitudes. Nothing I could say was going to change the way the mayor’s son had been raised or shine a light on the darkness in a prejudiced heart. I’d never felt less qualified to protect someone, and keep them safe, than I did when Cam asked me if I was there to arrest him.

  Fortunately, there was plenty of evidence to show that Dalton and his group of thugs had been harassing Cam before the fight broke out. One of my deputies even confiscated a Snapchat video showing one of Dalton’s crew tripping Cam as he tried to walk away when they surrounded him. It was enough to justify a self-defense claim and I knew the county’s district attorney wouldn’t bring forward charges on assault, knowing they would immediately be tossed out of court. It was going to piss the mayor off even more than he already was, but I was eternally grateful I wasn’t going to have to put Cam in cuffs. I was worried about the escalating violence at a bone-deep level and warned the teenager to watch his back. I knew Cam was no stranger to adversity, and I hated that he couldn’t seem to catch a break. I hated that I couldn’t stand up for him without fearing serious professional and personal repercussions. The only other time I’d felt this helpless was when I watched them lower my mentor in the ground, wondering what more I could have done, feeling that I had somehow failed the man who meant so much to me.

  Cam simply shrugged, as if this treatment was to be expected, and thanked me for giving him a heads up about keeping track of everything. I felt his quiet acceptance of the ugliness he faced like an arrow right through my heart. I wanted to hit something. I wanted to knock on the mayor’s door and put my fist in his face. I wanted to shake some sense into his son. I felt absolutely filthy that I’d ever been proud to have such a disgusting human being’s approval. I was really starting to wonder if this job was worth it. But then again, what if the mayor managed to put someone as easily controllable in the position as Delaney’s ex-husband? Kids like Cam wouldn’t stand a chance.

  It took a minute, but eventually, Wyatt opened the door. He looked as if he’d been sleeping, aside from the glass of amber liquid in his hand. His fair hair was sticking up in random directions. He had a shadow of scruff along his sharp jawline. The only piece of clothing he was wearing was a pair of black boxer briefs. He didn’t look particularly happy to see me, but he opened the door and took a step back, wordlessly handing me the glass of whatever he was drinking as I stepped into the darkened interior of his borrowed bunkhouse.

  I finished the rest of his drink. It turned out to be an expensive scotch. I could tell by the earthiness, smoothness, and lack of burn
as it went down. I stepped carefully as I made my way to the kitchenette to drop the empty glass in the sink. The only light in the room came from the moonlight shining through the windows.

  I braced my hands on the edge of the counter and let my head hang heavily. I heard Wyatt moving around in the room behind me, and eventually, a small amount of light filtered through the room as he turned on a lamp.

  “No matter how badly you feel, or how frustrated you may be, you need to keep in mind Cam is feeling the same, times one hundred. This was supposed to be a fresh start for that kid. Now, he’s facing the same kind of thing that had him running away from home in the first place. He’s not facing it on his own this time, which is good, but he’s still facing it. You don’t get to give up on him. You don’t get to pretend this doesn’t affect you.” There was no mistaking the censure in his voice, and it sliced right through me.

  My hands tightened on the edge of the counter and I closed my eyes briefly. “I know all of that.” I just had no idea what I was going to do about any of it. But I knew, at the end of the day, I couldn’t let anything happen to Cam. Regardless of how it made me look or if it compromised my position as sheriff.

  A moment later, I felt warmth press against my back. Wyatt’s forehead touched the base of my neck where my head was bent, and his arms wrapped loosely around my waist. I didn’t realize how cold I was, that there had been a chill in my blood, until Wyatt’s warmth started to seep into me.

  “It’ll be okay. There are more people interested in doing the right thing than there are people determined to do the wrong thing. We just have to stick together.” His palms pressed into my stomach and pulled me closer to his body. We were built pretty similarly, but I still felt like I was surrounded by a bubble of comfort and acceptance with his arms around my midsection.

  “I feel guilty.” The words felt like they were ripped from the darkest, most hidden portion of my heart. “High school was no picnic for me, but I didn’t have to face anything like what Cam is going through. But I should’ve. If I’d been honest. If I’d been open about who I was, I would’ve been in the exact same boat as him. I feel like maybe his experience wouldn’t be so bad if he wasn’t the first to say, ‘this is who I am, deal with it.’”

  Wyatt made a noise and I felt the brush of his mouth on the base of my neck. The tiny kiss sent chills dancing up and down my spine. “Can’t turn back the clock. And even if you could, who knows if being out when you were younger would have made any difference now. You said your family already had issues with you; coming out might’ve been too much for them. You could’ve ended up on the streets the way Cam did, and we both know stumbling onto guardian angels like Brynn and Lane is a rarity. Honesty isn’t always the best policy. Believe me, I know from first-hand experience.”

  I remembered that he mentioned things had been even harder for him when his abusive mother found out he was gay.

  “Lying doesn’t feel like it’s the right thing to do anymore. I’m not ashamed of who I am, and it’s exhausting always having to pretend.” I was tired of it. I just wanted to live my life the same as everyone else. I didn’t want to have to give Wyatt a look or silent warning when he touched me in public. I wanted to be free to touch him without worrying about who was watching my every move. I’d finally reached a breaking point I hadn’t even been aware I was running toward.

  One thing I knew with absolute certainty was that every time things became overwhelming, Wyatt was the person I wanted to turn to. As someone who was used to handling everything on my own, it was a new experience to want to lean on someone else. Especially when that person admitted they might not be staying around forever. I needed to remind myself that Wyatt wasn’t permanent, and the support and wise words he offered were temporary. Sooner or later, I was going to be facing heartbreak on top of the existential crisis I was currently going through. I needed to save my strength, because getting through both was going to be a battle.

  “You shouldn’t be ashamed of who you are. You’re working with some pretty good stuff, Sheriff.” Wyatt’s voice turned husky and his slight East Coast accent was a little more prominent than usual. I grunted in agreement, letting my eyes drift closed when I felt his hands start to work the fabric of my shirt free from my pants. One of his palms hit the lower part of my stomach and my muscles contracted in response. My dick twitched with awareness and started to press insistently against the zipper of my jeans. I think my body did a pretty good job of letting him know he was also working with some pretty good stuff. I liked the way his hands felt on me. There was no hesitation in his caress, no fear. He touched me the way I wanted to touch him from this point forward.

  His teeth nipped at the curve of my neck as his quick fingers made fast work of my heavy belt buckle. I tilted my head to the side to give him better access, sighing in satisfaction as the nip turned into a full-on bite. It stung just a little, and I knew I was going to have a mark on that spot tomorrow. One I wasn’t going to try to hide.

  Wyatt methodically popped open the snaps on my shirt, leaving it fluttered open. He efficiently got my belt unbuckled and my jeans unfastened. I felt like I was caught up in some sort of dreamy haze, as he purposefully pulled me out of my clothes, all while his mouth left a hot trail of bites and kisses up and down the side of my neck. The sensual assault made my knees feel like they were suddenly made of water and forced my heart to thunder loudly inside of my chest. I was always so busy trying to overwhelm him that I was unprepared for what it would be like when he turned my own strategy against me. I wanted to close my eyes and never wake up from this moment because it didn’t feel real.

  I always had secrets, either from my career, my past, or because of my hidden sexuality, that I constantly lived in fear of being revealed. Wyatt was the first person ever from whom I wasn’t hiding anything. He was the first person who I felt knew the real me, and the fact he still let me in tonight, the fact he was still touching me, tasting me, pressing his body against mine as if he couldn’t get close enough, was almost too much. I wanted to ask him to stay. I wanted to tell him how important he was, how much this moment meant, but the words got caught behind fear in my throat. I didn’t want to pressure him and scare him off. Not now. Not ever.

  My jeans ended up around my ankles, caught on my cowboy boots, and the buckle from my belt hit the floor with a loud clang. My own boxer briefs joined them a moment later, as Wyatt worked the stretchy material down my long legs. A second later I was forcibly turned around, his mouth landing squarely against mine, and his toned body beautifully bare as he pressed up against me once again. He put one hand on the counter next to my hip as he leaned into me, and the other he used to rummage around in one of the drawers next to the sink. I heard things clattering around, but didn’t get a chance to ask what he was doing because his tongue pushed between my lips and swirled around mine.

  I muttered my approval and wrapped a hand around the back of his neck to pull him closer. We both gasped in surprise when the heat of our exposed cocks pressed against each other. The silky-smooth hardness rubbing against my own was enough to make my breath catch and my eyes roll back in my head. He felt so good gliding right up against me. Without thinking about it, I started to reach for both the throbbing and aching shafts. I wanted to hold them against each other. I wanted to rock into him. I wanted to feel him sliding against my hand and along the length of my cock at the same time. I wanted it all, and then I wanted to do it again in as many different locations and positions as I could think of.

  Wyatt batted my hand away before I could get a grip on our straining erections. I pulled my mouth free from his punishing kiss to ask what he was thinking, but immediately swallowed the words when I felt his hand encircle both of us. There was something warm and slippery slathered all over his wide palm. When I got my wits back, I made a mental note to ask him why he had lube stashed in the tiny kitchen, or rather, I was going to thank him for being a Boy Scout and always being prepared.

  The pressure from Wya
tt’s hand as it smoothly glided up and down had me breathing hard. The way he played with my mouth while his hand drove me out of my mind had pleasure coiling tightly at the base of my spine and all my extremities tingling in anticipation. Blood rushed from every part of my body to the spot where Wyatt was rubbing our cocks together in a slow, maddening rhythm. It’d been a while since I let anyone handle me this way, and there was no doubt everything Wyatt did was worth the wait.

  Since his hands were busy, I used mine to run all over his chiseled torso. I carefully ran my fingertips over the raised scar tissue decorating his shoulder and various other spots on his broad chest. I rolled the pad of my thumb over the erect tip of one of his nipples and felt his body jerk in response. The kiss we were sharing turned a bit more forceful, and I felt the edge of his teeth, letting me know he liked the light caress. I switched to the other side, making him pull his head back so he could growl at me. The sound made my dick even harder, and I swore it pulsed in his hand.

  Wyatt tightened his hold as he continued to work us both over. The only sounds in the room were our breathing and the totally erotic sound of flesh on flesh as our cocks rubbed against one another. I swore I could feel the thick vein that ran along the bottom of his shaft throbbing in time to my heartbeat. The sensation was something else, and I wasn’t sure how long I was going to last.

  I used the hold I had on Wyatt’s head to pull him back in for another kiss, needing something to ground me before I exploded in his hand. He whispered my name quietly against my lips and sank into the seductive onslaught of lips and tongue. It was my turn to use my teeth, and when I did, I felt his hips kick against mine and the motion of his hand get erratic. His hand tightened, and I felt his thumb slide over the slippery head of my cock. It was all too much. Too much emotion. Too much pleasure. Too much to lose if everything went wrong down the road.