“That’s true. Maybe when your restaurant takes off even more than what it already has, you’ll have more time for me.”
I stared at him, wondering if he wasn’t hinting at something else. “I always have time for you, Rhett.”
His breath caught at my confession.
I would be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy this reaction in him. Clearly my words had taken him off guard but one of us had to put ourselves out there. With Brady it was different. I was comfortable with him, and I could tell him exactly what I wanted when it came to sex. But with Rhett, there was something elsethere. Something lingering. I didn’t know if he dated often. I know I sure didn’t. It had been a few months since I last had sex and that was with Rhett’s son which is super fucking weird.
“I know you fucked Brady,” Rhett blurted.
My eyes widened. “Oh…well…that…that…was…I-I…just…” I stammered. I had no idea what to say to him. It wasn’t like it was a secret where Brady and I were concerned but we also didn’t go around telling everyone. Especially his father.
“Brady’s happy now, so I don’t really care that you slept with him. But…” Rhett glanced down at my mouth. “I don’t know what this is.” He waved a hand between us. “This thing.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” But I did, because I could feel it. It was like a magnetic pull. There was something between us. There had always been. Every time he walked into a room, the tiny hairs on my body would tingle. My stomach would clench. My palms would become sweaty. My face flushed. My mouth went dry. Every time he was near, my body reacted to him. I thought it might have just been a silly crush that I would eventually get over, but as the years went on, these feelings grew and became more intense.
At first, I thought it was Brady. But I realized now that it was definitely his father I had been pining after. Maybe I was using my best friend to get close to his father. I didn’t know. I probably never would.
Whatever was going on between Rhett and me, I knew that after tonight, nothing would ever be the same.
FOUR
Rhett
It didn’t bother methat Shane slept with my son. What bothered me was that I didn’t know how to move things forward between us. It was like I went back in time to when I was a teenager and discovered a female body for the first time. Or when I found out that I was attracted to guys as well. Brady’s mom helped me deal with that and had been nothing but supportive.
It left me feeling vulnerable. I had words to say to Shane but they were stuck in my head. So instead of voicing those thoughts out loud like I wanted to, I left my truck.
I didn’t bother waiting for Shane because I knew he would follow me. We had work to do. On this collaboration and us. But there wasn’t anuswas there? Not yet. Maybe not ever. But a little hard fucking wouldn’t hurt.
The home I had ever since Brady was a boy was small, but perfect. It had only ever been just the two of us, so we didn’t need much bigger than a single-story house. It had two bedrooms, a single bath, a finished basement and a giant backyard. That was what had sold me on the place back when I first started looking for a home. I had been young but the owner gave me a chance when they saw that I was a single father with a baby. It also helped that I had a steady construction job at the time. My income was stable even though I wasn’t rolling in cash.
Brady’s room hadn’t changed since he moved out a few years ago. Even the metal swing set I bought for him when he was a toddler, still sat in the backyard. It was sometimes strange livingthere by myself, but I could never move. There were too many memories.
I unlocked the front door, held it open, and waited for Shane to walk past me.
When he entered my home, a sense of peace washed over me. He looked good standing there in my space. It wasn’t like I brought a lot of people home anyway. But I liked the fact that Shane was there.
“Nothing’s changed,” Shane pointed out.
“No, it hasn’t. I even left Brady’s room the same.” I chuckled. It was more to myself, but when Shane looked at me over his shoulder and gave me a small smile, my stomach tumbled.
I tossed my keys into the clay bowl sitting on the table, in the hallway that led to the living room. Brady made it when he was in high school. It was an ugly little thing but he was proud that he made something with his hands that didn’t fall apart. It was a mixture of different colors. Brown being the most prevalent throughout. I loved it and I loved that he had given it to me. Every time he came over, he would comment how ugly it was. But I knew he was happy that I still kept it because why wouldn’t I? My son made it.
When I clicked the deadbolt into place, Shane turned around. Deep crimson hit his cheeks. Now that he was locked in my house with me, a wicked thought came to mind. Him on his knees, a collar around his throat with a leash hooked to the wall behind him. He couldn’t escape.
My dick twitched, my eyes widening at the fantasy.
Clearing my throat, I averted my gaze and headed to the kitchen. “Did you want a beer?”
“Sure.”
I had to put some distance between us and take a moment to get control of myself. He was just a guy. A little younger than what I usually went for but a guy nonetheless. An attractive onetoo. But still just a guy.You got this, Rhett. You have to have this.
Being alone with him, having him in my space, made me feel things I wasn’t used to. Sure, I had people over before. I wasn’t new to one-night stands, but this was different, and I couldn’t explain why.
“Rhett?”
I jumped, spinning around.
