What?
“No.” Wills jerked his head away. “I never cry.” But tears were spilling down his cheeks.
“Did you hurt him, Tim?” I demanded.
“No, Ah think you did that, Sweetcheeks.”
“Stop calling him that. Look, if you’re gonna punch me, punch me. It’s a long drive to DC, and I—”
Tim’s hand clenched into a fist.
“Don’t you hit him, Tim.” I scrambled to my feet and threw myself between the two men, glaring at Tim over my shoulder. No one hit Wills.
Tim arched an eyebrow. “Ah had a feelin’ you were a trifle over-emphatic about wantin’ this guy out of your life.”
“Shut up.” I pretended to find the blood on my sleeve interesting.
“Here, babe.” Wills handed me a handkerchief, and I mopped up the blood that was still trickling from my nose.
“Are you gonna forgive him?” Tim asked me, kneading his side.
“Forgive me? What for?”
“I thought…” I raised my eyes to his. “I know it’s stupid, but…”
“If it’s bothering you enough to break us up, it isn’t stupid.” Wills ran a palm over his cheek, and blinked, obviously surprised to find it wet. He patted his pockets for a handkerchief, but I had it, and it was covered with blood.
“Here.” I took a napkin from the stack on the bar and gave it to him.
“Thanks.” He dried his face. “Now please, babe. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I thought…” I had to look away, his eyes were so earnest. “I thought you were cheating on me.”
“Y’see? It isn’t…” My words sank in. “You thought what? Never mind. That is stupid! Is that why…” Color left his cheeks. “Jesus, that was why you were sniffing me?”
“What?”
“Last night, after I got home…I thought it was so hot, but…but you just wanted to see if I had another man’s aftershave or cologne on me?”
What was he talking about?
“Theo, why?” There was such pain in his voice. “Have I ever done anything that would make you think I wanted someone else?”
I’d succeeded in hurting him, better than I’d ever dreamed, although I hadn’t intended it with that action—even though I hadn’t washed his pillow case, his scent on it had become faint, and I’d needed to have it in my nostrils after such a long time.
“You could have wanted a woman again,” I said quietly, reluctant to let him know how needy I’d been. As a bisexual, he always had that option. “I’m sorry.”
“I don’t understand why you’d think I’d cheat on you. I love you.”
I cleared my throat. “Love has nothing to do with it.” Plenty of men who claimed to love their partners had been in my bed. Some of them had even shown me pictures when they’d taken out their wallets to pay me.
“That’s right.” Cris had finally caught his breath, but he staggered a bit as he rose to his feet and crossed to Tim. “You okay, babe?”
“Yeah. Ah’ll live. How about you?”
“I’ll live.” Cris grinned at me, but it was more a grimace. “Y’see, Sweet…” Wills gave him a look that dared Cris to call me that one more time, and he raised his hands in surrender. “He never told us his real name.”
But once I’d retired, hadn’t I…No, I guessed I never had—maybe in an effort to keep my past separate from the shining future that had appeared to be within my grasp? I sighed. “It’s Theo.”
“You forgot one important thing, Theo,” Cris continued, his cold stare directed at Wills. “We all cheat sooner or later. We’re guys.”
“I haven’t cheated!” Wills snapped, his frustration evident.
Tim turned to glare at Cris, his eyes narrowed and his lips in a tight line. “You. Cheated. On. Me?”
“Now, Timboy—”
“Don’t you ‘Timboy’ me!” He held up his hand, with the gold band on his ring finger, then grabbed Cris’s, with its matching ring. “Ah thought you knew what would happen…”
“I didn’t cheat. I was just trying to point out…”
“They can sort out their own problems.” Wills stepped close, into my personal space. His breath was warm on my face. “Theo, I didn’t cheat on you.”
“You were gone for four weeks.” I cringed at the childish words.
He blinked in confusion. “So?”
“I know you, Wills.” I folded my arms across my chest. Maybe I was ready to forgive him, maybe I wasn’t. “We’ve had sex two and three times a night since you moved in with me. Sometimes even more.”
“And you think I couldn’t keep it in my pants for a month? Does that mean you’ve been screwing around?”
I started choking. “No!” I hadn’t had sex with anyone but him since the night he’d walked into the ED. “I just thought…Well, someone with your sex drive wouldn’t be able to last four weeks without getting laid.”
“Someone with my sex drive? Are you mental, Theo?”