Page 32 of Bruised

I suppose I haven’t talked to him a whole lot. All I really know about him is his approximate age. Maybe I should start asking him stuff, just to… I don’t know. It’s not like I’m trying to get to know him—I just want to know what makes him tick, or more like, what makes him come.

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Tess says. “A little young.”

“Whatever. He wants it.” He’s fucking aching for it, in fact.

Tess grins, looking me up and down. “Of course. A stud like you.”

I grin back, striking a silly, sexy pose. We’ve messed with each other like this countless times. Joked that if we weren’t both playing for the same team, we’d have hooked up and probably had a house and kids by now. In another life. A parallel universe.

There’s a knock on the door, and I open it to see Oliver standing there, fuming.

“Did you just send Lane to get you Cokes?”

“He wanted to play fetch,” I say with a shrug.

“He’s not your fucking servant. You can get your own damn Cokes,” Oliver growls and slams the door in my face.

I raise an eyebrow. If Lane is a cute little puppy, Oliver is a damn guard dog, barking and snarling his head off whenever I even think of his precious little friend.

Tess blows out a breath. “Yikes. Brotherly love?”

“Something like that,” I mutter.

She gets up from the bed. “Anyway, I better go. Have to take a nap before work.”

“Another extra shift?”

“Yeah, I’m trying to save up for a new car. Mine’s busted. Barely legal to even drive the thing.” She hugs me, and I hug her back.

“Just be careful.”

“It’s okay,” she mumbles into my shoulder. “The boss at this place isn’t like him. Thank you, though. I’m glad we can still hang out.”

“Me too.”

I’m relieved she isn’t scared of me. Beyond relieved. She saw me in all my rage when it happened, and she’s still my friend, while Oliver… To be fair, he wasn’t really my friend to begin with, but it’s getting extreme. It’s not like I care about his opinion on what I do with Lane, but if he found out about us, all hell would break loose, and I’m more about a chill, fun summer than a drama-filled one.

He acts as if I’m some monster, but I’m not; I’m just bored. I’m just frustrated. But Oliver doesn’t understand that, and until he does, I’d better keep my nightly trysts with Lane on the down low.

Speaking of which, I can’t wait for tonight. I told him to keep his collar on, and there’s always a little uncertainty whenever I push his boundaries. It’s part of the thrill: will he obey or defy me? I can’t know for sure, but I’ll have something to tug on regardless while he whines sweetly in my lap tonight. Whether it’s his hair, his nipples, or his collar—when he’s in my bed, all of him is mine, even if it might be a while before he agrees.

13. ONLY ONE

Oliver and I were getting ready for an Xbox session when I heard giggles coming from Mason’s room. High-pitched giggles that couldn’t be his. I just wanted to see who it was. What he was doing in his room with a girl.

Now I feel stupid.

“Want to play fetch?”

Oliver caught me while I was on my way upstairs, clutching two cans of Coke.

“Where are you going with those?” he asked.

“Um, Mason told me to get them. He has a friend over.” I cringed, realizing how weird it sounded.

Oliver said nothing. He just stormed up the stairs, and before long, I heard his clipped tone as he argued with his brother. I suppose he was just trying to defend me, but he doesn’t know what goes on between Mason and me at night. The things I’ve done… Far worse things than fetching drinks for him.

Later, when we’re booting up the Xbox, Oliver turns to me with soft eyes.