kiss at midnight, and unless Nick got his head out of his ass and started communicating, Brian might kiss him here in the middle of the bar, and serve him right.
Then he blinked damp eyes, because he didn’t want his first New Year’s kiss to be about angrily outing his boyfriend. Looking down, he let go of Nick. I can do this. I can be whatever he needs. Steadily, he said, “Either way is fine with me.”
Nick’s knee nudged his. Some of his turmoil must have come through, because Nick said softly, “No way. I’ve got plans. Another half hour is all.”
“Okay.” He could do a half hour. He pushed his chair away from Nick, raised his bottle, and tried to see how slowly he could nurse one longneck cider. He didn’t look over when he heard Nick slide his own chair back and get up.
The minutes dragged. Nick made some kind of circuit of the bar, to get to a guy Brian recognized vaguely as a clerk in the local hardware. They chatted for a minute, then Nick’s return path took him past a big, shaggy-haired guy. As that man turned to say something, Brian recognized Reggie from the country store.
He set his bottle down, tense and ready for something to happen. Instead, Nick and Reggie exchanged a few words that ended with Reggie giving Nick a friendly looking slap on the arm. Nick didn’t react at all, which made the two friends next to Reggie laugh and raise their beers at him. Nick grinned that no-holds-barred grin and made his way around the tables back toward Brian. A long way around, he realized, with a couple of stops to talk to pretty women. By the time Nick sat down again, Reggie and his friends were teasing three of the women and not looking their way.
Nick set his empty mug down and glanced at Brian. “Ready to head out?”
“Sure.”
They made a low-key exit, slipping outside without a word to anyone. In the lot, a light snow was beginning to fall after all. Nick cranked the heat up in the car and set the wipers on high for a moment.
Brian waited until they were on the road and he was sure Nick wasn’t dealing with slippery conditions, before saying, “What was all that?”
“Strategy.” Nick gave him a quick, sideways look. “I should have explained.”
“You think?”
“It’s just… you might not like it.”
“And it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission?”
Nick’s chuckle was a bit forced. “I guess.”
“So tell me now.”
“Well, you remember that Reggie guy? His protection militia idea?”
“Yeah.”
“It occurred to me that the sheriff might like to know what those guys are up to.”
“Might.” He had a sneaking idea where this was going. “If someone was willing to tell her.”
“Or if she could get someone hooked in with them. Problem is, by now, I’m sure they all know who’s on her side, and who isn’t.”
“You busted Sam for her.”
“Yeah, but she let him go, so maybe my evidence wasn’t good enough. Anyway, that was cut and dried, catching him in the act. Anyone might’ve stepped in. I’m new in town, she’s questioned me about a crime, and so far, her active deputies haven’t liked me.”
“And she asked you to go undercover with Reggie’s guys?” Brian clenched his teeth. Is she trying to get the gay guys killed? “She does know you’re gay, right? She wants your balls ripped off in some shed? Because I sure don’t.”
“She didn’t ask me. I volunteered. I’m pretty sure the gay part isn’t common knowledge yet since I’m not getting any reaction from those dudes.”
I wanted Nick to have fun, not get beat up. Brian rubbed his aching forehead with one fuzzy mitten. The soft pressure felt distant, like his hand was inches away from his face. Maybe he’d had a couple of hard ciders too many. “So you’re offering to sit on a time bomb. Why? Because you’re bored? Because what we have together isn’t interesting enough?” Definitely too many drinks. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Nick looked over as if to reply, then pressed his mouth in a thin line. His hands tightened on the wheel till his knuckles turned white. “I can’t answer that properly in this fucking car.”
“Don’t bother.” He leaned his head against the cool of the side window. In the high beams, the snow flashed past them like the viewscreen of a starship going into warp drive. There weren’t many people on the road, but the occasional