Page 37 of Tameron

“Sorry,” Dayton said, but his voice was rough, gravelly. “Got carried away.”

I focused on Marcus so I could read his lips. “Yeah, I can see that. I guess I was wrong and you two are together. Well, enjoy yourselves.”

I barely registered him leaving. All I could focus on was the way Dayton’s arm was still around me, the way his body felt pressed against mine. The way his eyes had darkened with desire. I refocused on him.

“Tam…” His cheeks were flushed, probably as burning as mine. “That was…”

“Sorry about…”

“Don’t.” He swallowed hard. “Don’t apologize. But maybe we should talk about what just happened.”

We should. We really should. But not here. Not with this many people around and me having to sign. There was no way I could do this in ASL. ‘Can we get out of here?’

His eyes widened slightly. ‘You sure?’

‘Very sure.’

He studied me for a moment, then nodded. ‘My place or yours?’

‘Yours. Nash would never let me live this down.’

His lips quirked. ‘Neither will Dax, but at least he can’t hear us.’

Us. There was an us now. Holy shit, what was I doing? But for once in my life, I didn’t want to overthink this. I just wanted to feel.

The drive back to his place was silent but charged with a tension I’d never experienced. Every time we stopped at a red light, I could feel Dayton’s eyes on me, and it took everything in me not to turn and kiss him again.

My hands were trembling slightly, and I couldn’t tell if it was from nerves or excitement. Maybe both. This was so far outside my comfort zone that I should’ve been freaking out, but instead, I felt…alive. More alive than I had in years.

When we pulled into his driveway, neither of us moved for a moment. Then Dayton turned to face me. ‘Are you sure you wanna come inside? It’s okay if you’ve changed your mind.’

I met his eyes. ‘I want to talk to you.’

He made the sign for okay, and we got out of the car. Once inside, we headed for the living room, where Knives immediately came running. Dayton picked her up with one hand and nuzzled her as he sat on the couch. I hesitated for a moment, then put my hearing aids back on. As always, it took a minute or so to get readjusted, but Dayton waited patiently.

“What happened today?” he asked. “You said you had a bit of a weird day?”

I hadn’t planned on coming out to him, but after that stunt I pulled, I had little choice. “We watchedThe Mummy. It was…enlightening.”

His eyes widened. “You had the classic reaction to that movie?”

“You mean, did I realize I was bi? I sure did.”

He slapped his hand in front of his mouth, but I could still see the laugh crinkles around his eyes.

“It’s okay to laugh.”

“You sure? Because you’re allowed to tell me it’s not funny.”

I shrugged. “Pretty sure that when I tell the others, they’ll laugh their asses off too. Even Nash had trouble keeping his composure.”

“You told him already?” Dayton’s eyes widened.

“I tell him everything, so yeah. Right after the movie. He wasn’t surprised at all.”

“And now you’re here with me.” His expression grew serious. “After claiming me as your boyfriend.”

Heat crept into my cheeks. “Sorry about that. I panicked.”

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