Concealed Hearts (Hometown Jasper #4) - Nicky James Page 0,19
he asked after a time.
“The odd man has come and gone over the years. Nothing serious. Most guys aren’t interested in the deeply closeted type. They want promises I can’t give them, or they think they can change how I feel.”
“I can assure you, you won’t have that issue with me.”
“I know.” And then. “Is that what we’re exploring here?”
“I’m very attracted to you, Tomi. Full transparency here, I don’t know what can happen between us. You’re in Vancouver, and I’m here in Jasper. Neither of us wants to broadcast who we are to the world, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’d like to explore what we can. Even if all we do is talk on the phone.” He sighed. “But that’s probably not enough for you, is it?”
“You could come to visit. I live in a big city with plenty of discreet hotels far from the university campus. I’m not trying to be difficult, but Jasper is out of the question for me. There’s nowhere to hide there, and explaining my presence in town would be impossible.”
When he didn’t respond, I kept going. “The following two months are flexible for me. I can rearrange lab time without an issue.”
“I’m not sure if I can get away.”
My heart sank. I was pushing for something Windsor probably wasn’t ready for. All I wanted was to spend more time with him like we’d done in Jasper a few weeks back—except with a better understanding of who each other was. Where it went from there was anybody’s guess.
“I can hear you reading too deeply into that, Tomi. Don’t. I haven’t had a vacation in years, but it has everything to do with only having a small group of constables at my disposal. Getting away isn’t easy, and if I come to BC, I don’t want it to be for a weekend. I would want to be there longer. Right now, my two top officers aren’t in positions to step into my shoes. John has infant twin girls who’ve left him sleepless since they were born, and Harriet is a single mom. Her extra help is limited to babysitters and her mother.”
“Okay. I get it.”
“What if we had somewhere discreet here? Somewhere off the grid where no one was wiser. Would you come this way? It might be easier, to be honest. I could still be on call but take shorter days or a few off. We could have a lot more time together.”
A knot tightened in my core. It was the same ever-present feeling I got whenever I thought of returning to Jasper.
“I’m not sure.”
“Give me a couple of days. Don’t say no yet. I want to see you.”
“Sure, but do you know what you’re going to do with me when you do, Chief?”
He laughed. “Don’t tease me. I’m already trying to forget the fact that you’re lying in bed naked while we talk.
I was in underwear, but I didn’t correct him.
“Are you going to take that image to bed with you tonight?”
He groaned, and the rumble ran hot through my veins, centering in my groin. He didn’t respond.
“Am I embarrassing you, Chief?”
“You’re doing things to me that I’ve ignored for far too long.”
“Maybe I should let you go.”
“I really do want to see you, Tomi.”
“I really want to see you too.”
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Keep me posted?”
“You know it.”
We said good night, and I lay in the dark a long time, wondering what it would be like to be in Windsor Elkhart’s presence now that we’d both shown our cards. What kind of a lover would he be? The thought of his strong hands exploring every inch of my bare flesh sent a shiver over my skin. If we kissed, how would he taste? Would he take control or insist I lead? Those fantasies I’d brought home all those weeks ago could become a reality if I let them.
But heading back to Jasper spoiled those good feelings. I hoped he could figure out a way to come to BC instead. I wasn’t sure if the other way around could work.
Chapter Five
Windsor
Although I usually left street patrolling to my constables, I was restless and didn’t want to warm a desk chair any longer. After dishing out responsibilities that morning, I decided to head out and get some fresh air. For the past few days, I’d been racking my brain, trying to come up with some way of convincing Tomi to come to Jasper.