Page 24 of Deceiver

As if I don’t have bigger issues to deal with. My house is freaking haunted and it’s my dad doing it. Fine time to finally show up in my life.

I glance at Wilder as he makes a turn, his eagle-eyed gaze on the traffic in front of us. “Have you always lived in Salem?”

“No. I spent quite a bit of time in New York until last year. I grew tired of the city, and my ancestors settled in Salem. My home is a family home.”

“Mine too.” I smile, sitting up a little. We have something in common. “My grandmother left it to me.”

“Your father’s or your mother’s mother?”

“Mother. I don’t know my dad’s side because he wasn’t close to them.”

“A trend in your father’s life.”

“Yeah.” I pick at my cuticle for a second. “Did you go to school somewhere else?”

He glances briefly in my direction. “School?”

“Like college. I assume you went to college because of how polished you are. I thought maybe you went somewhere out west because you don’t have a Massachusetts accent at all.”

I notice how his brow creases as the silence between us deepens.

“Sore subject? Sorry.”

“It’s not.” Wilder clears his throat. “Though I’m from Salem, I’ve traveled extensively. That’s likely why I don’t have a regional accent.”

“That’s cool. I haven’t traveled at all. I haven’t even been to New York. I went to Connecticut for a few conferences with my company, but that’s pretty much it.”

He nods but doesn’t say anything else. So much for conversation. I try again anyway.

“I’m twenty-nine.”

“I know,” Wilder says.

“Right.” Tapping my fingers on my thigh, I look outside. I’m so curious about the handsome man next to me. He looks young, but carries himself like someone much older. He’s so hot, but he’s single, so he must be flawed. Or have really high standards. Does he even date men?

“Can I ask you a personal question?”

He makes a soft snickering sound. “Sure.”

“Are you cool with gay people?”

He turns his gaze in my direction briefly. “Yes. People are just people. I base my decisions on how they behave, not who they love.”

I nod. “That’s good.” I chew on my lip for a second. “I am, just so you know.”

Wilder slows the car as we come to a stoplight. “I’m bisexual.”

A wave of heat spreads through me at his admission. Great. I have a crush on this man. It’s been way too long since I’ve even talked to a man, much less been this close to one so good looking. His air of mystery is a little intriguing too.

“Are you cool with bisexual people?” he asks, a smirk on his lips.

“Yes.” I laugh softly. “Definitely.”

“I considered myself to be a gay man for many years. I was firm in that decision, however, I fell for a woman and found that I was deeply attracted to her. It changed my entire perception of myself in the best of ways.”

“What happened with her?”

A muscle in his jaw twitches as he drives forward again, his fingers tight around the steering wheel. “She died.”