“How’d you get the scar?”
Rico’s dark lashes fluttered open. “A fight. When I used to hang out in the clubs I ran into a group of assholes trying to rape this young guy. I tried to stop it and they came after me.”
Shit.“Damn, they could’ve killed you.” He traced the scar with his knuckles, unexpectedly emotional at the thought of anyone hurting Rico. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt worse.”
“Yeah. I haven’t thought about it for a very long time.”
“Sorry…I didn’t mean to make you remember.”
“S’okay. You can make it up to me.” He threw off the comforter, exposing his naked body. “Starting now.”
The phone started up again, and Adam’s lips twitched at Rico’s growl of annoyance.
“What the fuck?”
“It says it’s your father.”
Shooting up to a seated position, Rico grabbed the phone and jumped out of bed, walking to the other side of the small studio.
“Dad? Is everything all right?” He cut his eyes to Adam, then turned away. “Sorry I haven’t called lately. We’ve been busy with jobs.” He stretched, and Adam admired the dip of his spine as it curved into his beautiful ass. “Nah, I’m not doing anything. You aren’t interrupting. If I had a date, I’d tell you.”
A bit hurt that Rico still kept him a secret, Adam left the bed and went to the bathroom to give Rico some privacy. Rico rarely mentioned his family in Florida; Adam didn’t even know his father’s first name. He stared in the mirror, wincing at his face in the harsh light. Both had agreed to keep it casual, but Adam had thought when Rico had come to see him in Texas that they’d crossed the line from mere hookups to at least more than friends. It had certainly seemed so when Rico had shown such concern after their run-in with the Jenkins crew. Once they’d returned to New York, and much to Adam’s disappointment, he’d disappeared, calling only once or twice to see if Adam was interested in coming over. And much as Adam wanted to resist him, when it came to Rico, the wordnodidn’t exist in Adam’s vocabulary. The sound of that man’s low, sexy voice made Adam a pushover.
But was he the only one sharing Rico’s bed?
The painful thought of anyone else kissing Rico or making love to him in that bed they lay in together caused spots to rise before Adam’s eyes. Much as it burned his ass, Adam didn’t have a right to ask or be upset if Rico did have someone else over.
Get a grip. You can’t decide to be a fuck buddy and then change the rules. Not if you want to keep being with Rico.And Adam wanted to be with Rico, but how long before Rico figured out Adam wanted more? Scrubbing his face with his hands, Adam wished for guidance, but he was swimming in uncharted waters; he hadn’t felt this helpless and alone since Wayne.
A knock sounded on the door, and he opened it to a bare-chested Rico who, much to Adam’s dismay, had put on his sweatpants.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah.” Adam mustered a smile. “Finished your call?”
“Sorry about that. It was my dad, and he likes to hear all about how the business is doing.” Leaving him, Rico headed back to the bed, where he flopped down and stared at the ceiling, an arm flung over his forehead. “He and I don’t get a chance to talk much, so whenever he has a free moment…”
Joining Rico, who lay stiff and tense on the bed, Adam wanted to ask questions, delve deeper into the mystery of this man who’d sent him spinning, but didn’t want to overstep the boundaries they’d placed between them.
“Is everything okay?”
“You have a great relationship with your parents. They never gave you shit about being gay or anything?”
Where had that question come from?
“Did yours?” He held his breath, not at all certain Rico would answer.
Rico shrugged but said nothing, intriguing Adam further. But when it became obvious Rico wasn’t about to say anything more, Adam struggled to find the right words to explain his coming out without revealing too much of his painful past.
“It wasn’t easy growing up in my part of Texas, knowing you were different. I think my parents had an idea, but then they were not the stereotypical conservatives.”
“I know that type.”
Adam darted a sharp glance at Rico but found him staring in the opposite direction, his jaw hard.
“Yeah, well, when I was sixteen I kissed my first guy, and lemme tell you, I was scared as the day is long, but nothing has ever felt as right as that kiss. I ran home and hid in my room, shaking and almost crying. My mother came in and thought I’d gotten in trouble at school.”
Rico rolled on his side, eyes wide. “Did you tell her? Do you remember what you said?”
