“What happened?” she finally asked. “And I’ll know if you’re lying.”
Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck. “My dad happened. He caught me wearing makeup when the cops came to pull my monitor. He was mad I almost embarrassed him.”
Charlie’s face went as red as her lipstick and her fury made Linc like her just a little more. “If there’s any karma in this world your dad will get face raped by a chainsaw,” she swore.
“God willing,” Linc muttered.
Charlie’s gaze strayed to the bandage on Wyatt’s shoulder. “Did he hurt your shoulder too?”
Wyatt once more looked to Linc; the boy’s despair had Linc wanting to take the blame just to keep Wyatt from having to explain himself. But it wasn’t Linc’s story to tell. Whether Wyatt told Charlie the truth or a lie, Linc would swear to it.
“Ginger.”
The girl’s nostrils flared, and before Linc could stop her, she reached out and ripped the bandage from Wyatt’s shoulder. “Ow!”
“You let that cracked-out slag cut you? Again?” she shrieked.
Again? The word bounced around Linc’s skull. He hadn’t noticed any other scars on Wyatt, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to explore his body as thoroughly as he’d wanted. How many times had this happened before? Would Wyatt do it again?
“It was a pill party… I took something… It messed with my head.”
Charlie slung her purse off her shoulder and smacked Wyatt with it to punctuate her words. “Are you really this fucking stupid? What the fuck, Wyatt? You promised me you wouldn’t do this shit anymore. You fucking promised.”
Linc waited longer than he should have before yanking the purse from her hands and firmly pushing her down onto one of the lounge chairs. “Sit. Stop doing… everything. Stop screeching, stop hitting, just—just stop. You’re giving me a migraine.”
Charlie crossed her arms, glaring at Wyatt and Linc. Her brows suddenly shot toward her hairline and she jerked her head back to Wyatt. “Did your father put those bruises on your neck? If he did, you should’ve called the cops. There needs to be a paper trail.”
Wyatt flushed to the tips of his ears, his hand fluttering to his throat almost against his will. Almost like he was remembering. Fuck. Now Linc remembered too. Wyatt under him, naked and begging as Linc jerked him to orgasm, his fingers flexing around Wyatt’s throat. Wyatt licked his lower lip, his heated gaze making Linc glad he wore jeans, even if his cock would have a permanent imprint of his zipper.
Linc tried to will the thoughts from his head, turning his attention back to Wyatt’s nosy friend. He knew the exact moment Charlie dropped all the pieces into place, and she sucked in a breath, her hands clapping together with delight. “Wait… was this asex thing? Are you two having a sex thing?”
“Oh my God, will you shut up?” Wyatt pleaded, throwing a look into the house like his father might lurk somewhere within, eavesdropping.
“Itis,” she hissed before cackling. “That’s amazing, you kinky little shits.”
“It’s not. Stop saying that.”
Charlie’s brow furrowed. “What’s the big deal? If anybody needs to get laid, it's you. You are way too tightly wound.”
Wyatt looked like he was praying a hole would just open and swallow him down. “It's not like that.”
“He didn’t choke you during a sex thing? ’Cause the way you two were just now eye-fucking each other and the rather impressive hard-ons you’re both sporting at the mention of said choking tells me you’re both either really kinky or psychopaths. But if you’re saying Linc choked you for a different reason, I will still kick his ass. So, which is it, boo?”
Wyatt’s hands flailed. “This is so none of your business.”
She scoffed. “Everything about you is my business. Why are you guys acting like this is such a big deal? You’re both adults.”
“I’ve been entombed in the closet for life, and Linc works for my dad; if anybody finds out it would ruin both our lives,” Wyatt confessed before clapping a hand over his own mouth. His gaze cut to Linc, brows furrowed like he thought Linc would be angry. He wasn’t, but Wyatt looked so adorable, Linc temporarily forgot they weren’t alone and put a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder. Wyatt’s face relaxed, though his eyes still seemed sad.
Linc should’ve panicked over Wyatt’s confession, but having Charlie in the loop made Wyatt happy and she was clearly Wyatt’s fiercest defender. She’d never do anything to hurt him. Wyatt hated secrets, hated that nobody in his family ever talked to each other.
“How would your dad find out? Are you going to tell him?”
Linc now understood why Charlie was so important to Wyatt. She had never met a thought she didn't speak, and she’d rearrange the universe to make sure Wyatt was okay. Linc couldn’t ask for anything more than that. Charlie was probably the only person Wyatt could count on.
Charlie wasn’t done pleading their case. “You guys spend like ninety percent of your time alone. Graciela isn’t going to tell. I’m certainly not going to tell. Lock the front door. Problem solved.”
This time, when Wyatt looked at him there was this small flicker of hope, a silent question. Could they? Could they make it work? Linc shook his head. “I only have this job for the next five months and then I have to go back to Orlando. That’s nonnegotiable.”
