Chapter Eight
“I have eaten way too much today,” Brent complained as he set his ice cream bowl down on the coffee table, sitting back on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. “You’re a bad influence.”
Riley chuckled beside him, still working on his own ice cream. “Food is good for you. Ice cream is full of protein and mint is technically a leafy green. Carb loading is a thing real actual athletes do, so it has to be healthy. I’m just trying to take care of you.”
“It always seems to be you taking care of me,” Brent said.
“You’ve taken care of me alot,” Riley responded, licking the bottom of his ice cream bowl before setting it down as well. “You just do it so automatically that you don’t even know you’re doing it.”
“Yeah?” Brent raised an eyebrow, surprised at that information.
“Seriously, yes. You’ve always been there for me. This is the absolute bare minimum you deserve in return.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true,” Riley said, turning to look Brent in the eyes. “You give so much of yourself to other people and you do it without a second thought. You don’t evenseeyourself doing it. I’m trying to give back. That’s all.”
Brent nodded slowly, taking that in. He didn’t necessarily know what Riley was talking about, but he knew Riley wasn’t lying to him.
He trusted Riley. Riley and Emily were the only two people he really, truly trusted.
“Well, thank you,” Brent said. “For all of this. And I know I keep thanking you, but I’m not about to stop. It means a lot to me that you’re here.”
Riley reached out to take Brent’s hand, closing his long, elegant fingers around it and squeezing tight.
Riley had the fingers of an artist or a musician, but he’d never really been either of those things. Probably because he had the singing voice of a startled cat and the color coordination skills of a toddler.
“It means a lot to me that you want me here,” Riley said softly. “That you trust me to soothe your pain instead of adding to it.”
Brent did trust Riley to soothe him. He always had. He alwayswould.
Riley would never hurt him. He knew that the same way he knew the sun would rise tomorrow.
Brent brushed his thumb over the back of Riley’s hand, staring into his warm brown eyes. Riley’s kindness shone out of him, his innate goodness so obvious to anyone who looked.
Before he’d decided he was going to, Brent leaned in, his eyes falling closed as his nose brushed against Riley’s, his lips making soft, hesitant contact. Brent’s mind wasn’t quite ready to commit yet, too afraid of rejection and consequences, but his heart…
His heart wanted to feel loved.
Riley would make him feel that way.
Not loved in quite the way he wanted to, but what Riley had to offer was enough. More than enough for now.
That was, if he was willing to offer it.
Brent really hoped he was. The need to be close to someone was overwhelming, and he couldn’t imagine it being anyone other than Riley right now.
He’d never been with another man before, but he knew Riley would be gentle with him.
“Brent,” Riley murmured, his voice soft and low, pushing gently against Brent’s shoulder.
It wasn’t exactly the needy gasp he’d been hoping for. Brent’s heart sank.
He backed away to look at Riley, wondering how badly he’d just screwed up.
“Before you say anything, I’m not saying no,” Riley started. “I just want you to be sure that this is what you want. I don’t want you coming out the other side hating me for taking advantage of you.”
“You’d never take advantage of me,” Brent said. He knew that for certain. Riley would never take advantage of anyone. It wasn’t his style.
