Waiting for Ty by Samantha Ann King Read Free Book Online Page B

his foot while simultaneously opening the refrigerator. He managed to juggle the butter, sour cream and a bag of shredded cheddar cheese to the bar in one trip.
    With everything ready, they sat on barstools and began to load their potatoes.
    “How’d the meeting go?” Landon asked.
    “Great,” Ty said enthusiastically. “I got documentation and more names, plus another interview tomorrow.”
    His hopes soared. “So you’re staying another night?”
    “Yeah.” Ty ducked his head but not fast enough to hide the guilt in his eyes. “What did you do today?”
    Landon tried to tamp down his growing sense of dread. “Checked email. Did laundry. Avoided my sister’s calls.” He nodded toward their plates. “Went to the grocery store.”
    Ty speared a steak with his fork and transferred it to his plate. “Which sister?”
    “Nikki.”
    “Why not take Nikki’s calls? I can understand Meredith. She’s scary. But Nikki?” He cut off a hunk of meat and put it in his mouth.
    Landon picked at the baked potato with his fork, not eating it, just stabbing the chunks into smaller and smaller pieces until it resembled mashed potatoes. “It’s weird, but Nikki can always tell when something’s wrong. Must be something in my voice, because she picks up on it, even on the phone.” He shrugged. “I figured everyone would be better off if she conversed with my voice mail until we worked things out.”
    Ty swallowed and laid his fork on the plate. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared somberly at Landon. “You want to talk about this now?”
    “After dinner,” he said. Shit. He didn’t want to talk about it at all. He just wanted everything to be okay.
    “Well, I’m done, and you’re sure as hell not eating.”
    He looked up, surprised.
    Ty nodded to the potato. “Ever heard of potatocide?”
    Landon followed Ty’s gaze, although he already knew what he’d see. He allowed a small smile. “Guess I’m not as hungry as I thought I was.”
    “All right, then. Let’s talk.” Ty swiveled around on the bar stool until he faced Landon then asked in a harsh voice, “What would your coworkers think if they knew you were fucking a man?”
    The question didn’t bother him, but the tone of voice made him cringe and deflated what little hope he’d managed to hold on to all day. “Depends. Some would be okay with it. Some wouldn’t.”
    “Would you lose your job?”
    “No. I work with openly gay researchers.”
    “You’re gay?” Ty asked.
    “No. Bi.” He didn’t ask the next logical question, whether or not his friend was gay. It didn’t really matter. Besides, the way Ty was with women, he had to be bi. Of course, it could be an act. After all, until yesterday, he’d thought Ty was straight.
    “But you’ve never been with a man before?”
    “I’ve considered it. But I’ve never wanted a man badly enough to deal with the repercussions. Not until you.”
    Ty grimaced and his glance slid away. “What about your family? How would they react?”
    He’d speculated about that often enough, but the answers weren’t easy. “I can’t say for sure. You know I’m not that close to my parents, so their opinion doesn’t matter.”
    “What about your sisters? You’re solid with them.”
    “I think if I’m happy, they’re happy.” He paused, afraid to voice his next thought, afraid of the answer. “I’m guessing your family is pretty conservative.”
    “Oh, yeah. They’d disown me.”
    Landon didn’t want to come between Ty and his family, but he didn’t want to lose him either. “And your job?”
    “I don’t know,” he said softly.
    “Why?” he asked, truly bewildered. Why would loving a man matter? Ty was a great reporter, a great writer. Who he loved didn’t change that.
    “Texas is good-old-boy politics, and the good old boys are often my sources. It’s important that they feel comfortable with me. I don’t know how being gay would affect their comfort level. Would they see me as