Sterling crossed his arms loosely over his chest and continued to stand watch, but no matter how gruff and impartial he wanted to look, he smiled. Internally, he knew that Adrian didn’t mean what he’d said—he was trying to comfort his brother in an incredibly trying time—but on a shallow, surface level, he ignored the truth to encourage the pridehefelt.
When was the last time he’d had aboyfriend?
Sterling glanced over his shoulder at Adrian and Gabriel. The two of them were curled up together, Gabriel held safe in Adrian’s arms as Adrian comforted him. Adrian was young, and from the little Sterling saw of him in The Shepherd, he acted his age—but here? Reunited with his family, on familiar grounds, he was a differentperson.
Older. More mature.Devoted.
The self-absorbed, snarky side of Adrian was gone, and the man who took his place was a man Sterling could see himself staying with. Someone hemight—
There was laughter nearby. Sterling cut his thought short and turned his attention toward the noise. The men and women gathered outside the Lowe family home were engaged in lively conversation, and it looked like someone had just crackedajoke.
Irritation, grating like sand beneath his fingernails, soured Sterling’s mood. He found himself shifting his weight from foot to foot to disperse hisenergy.
It wasn’t a time to crackjokes.
It wasn’t time tolaugh.
Pinned by a small swarm of Adrian’s relatives, he’d been briefed on what was happening. Gabriel’s disappearance four years ago, the dissolving state of the family, and now his sudden return in the middle of the night. It was a joyous occasion, but based on the look on Gabriel’s face and the way he clung to Adrian like Adrian was his favorite stuffed animal, more needed to be done. Someone needed to step up and call the police about his return, or at least get Gabriel some kind of medical assistance, but instead, Adrian’s family had turned Gabriel’s return into a grand socialevent.
It wassickening.
An environment like this wasn’t healthy for anyone, let alone a boy who’d gone through severe trauma. But what were Sterling’s options? He’d come to drop Adrian off, not to changehislife.
There was nothing he could do but endure until it was timetogo.
“Sterling?” Adrian asked from just behind his shoulder. Sterling hadn’t heard him get up, but when he turned, Adrian was directly behind him. Gabriel had returned to the stoop and was settling back in with hisblanket.
Sterling dropped his arms and gave Adrian his full attention. Gabriel wasn’t the only one who needed his support—Adrian did, too. All of the small pieces were clicking into place, painting a picture of Adrian that Sterling never would have thought tolookfor.
A distant family. A huge, empty house. A personaltragedy.
The life Adrian led was privileged, but it was far fromhappy.
“Yes?”
“Thank you for driving me home.” Adrian nodded in Gabriel’s direction. “I… I need to stay here for a while. I’m sorry that things didn’t really work out the way you wantedthemto.”
“I already told you where you stand. You’re welcome to come back to The Shepherdanytime.”
“Thanks.” Adrian opened his mouth, but then he closed it again and shook his head. “I just wanted to say that I had fun, and that I don’thateyou.”
“Iknow.”
“Sometimes I say things Idon’tmean.”
“I know.” Sterling wanted to reach out to bridge the space between them, but he stopped himself from following through. There was nothing more between him and Adrian than a single night—a heated affair that had left them both satisfied, but that otherwise lacked substance. It wasn’t his place to step in now. “All I ask is that you watch your behavior while you’re on club property. Remember the rules. If I catch you doing something like that again, I won’t be so lenient thenexttime.”
Adrian smiled, and when he spoke next, he did so through a subdued laugh. “Iknow.”
That was it, then. The final goodbye. It was probably for the best—the longer he stayed here, the more involved he’d want to become. There were so many wrongs here, so many worrisome disconnects and red flags that made Sterlingwantto stay. Issues he’d faced in his youth while his own family fell to pieces were present here, and now that Sterling was on the outside looking in, he recognized them, and he itched to correct them. He’d saved his family as best he could, but now? As an adult with tremendous resources watching someone else go through similarevents?
Adrian didn’t have to suffer—not to the extentSterlinghad.
“So… thanks.” Adrian hesitated, then took a step forward. His hands sank into the front of Sterling’s shirt, then he pulled himself forward and stole a kiss from Sterling’s lips. It was a delicate thing, and it barely lasted more than a second, but it reignited Sterling’s arousal and made himcravemore.
More contact. Moreintimacy.
MoreAdrian.
