“What can I get you to drink?” the server asked me, still visibly flustered from talking to the wicked playboy across from me.
“I’ll take a Corona.”
The server—who said his name was Brent—nodded and walked away.
“Go easy on the kid, Casanova,” I said. “He looked like he was about to fall over.”
Jay grinned and stared at me over the top of his beer as he took a drink. He knew damn well the effect he had on people—male or female.
“What’s up with you lately?” Jay asked, setting the near-empty bottle on the table between us. “And don’t try to play dumb. You’ve been distracted.”
How did he always see right through me?
“The trial was a lot on me mentally,” I answered, glancing at Brent as he brought over my beer. Once he left, I focused back on Jay. “That’s all.”
“Bullshit.” Jay leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “It’s a guy, isn’t it?”
“What gave you that idea?”
“Answering a question with a question.” He arched a brow. “Did you pull that one out of your handy-dandy attorney handbook?”
“You’re such an ass.” I took a swig of my beer.
“So, it is a guy.” Jay ran his teeth over his bottom lip. “Anyone I know?”
“No,” I said and then instantly regretted it because he got that look on his face. One that told me he wouldn’t rest until I told him the truth. He should’ve been a detective. No one could bullshit him. “How the hell did you know, Foley? Be straight with me.”
“Easy.” He motioned to get Brent’s attention and pointed at his empty beer. “You haven’t been back to my bed.”
I snorted. “So that automatically means I’m seeing someone else? It’s not possible for me to just not want you?”
“Definitely not,” Jay said, having more confidence in his right hand than I did in my entire body. Cocky bastard.
“Well, I’m not seeing anyone,” I answered before drinking more beer, draining half the bottle. Cason’s face popped into my head. I hadn’t realized I’d been avoiding Jay until Mr. Cocky himself pointed it out. All because of a guy with the softest eyes I’d ever seen. A smile that hid an unspoken pain but still radiated warmth. Someone I had no right to touch. “It’s complicated.”
“Hey, I know all about complicated.” Jay grabbed the bottle Brent had just brought over and winked at the kid. Brent gawked at Jay and bumped into another table as he turned to walk away. Jay’s smile grew as he watched him, and then he moved those green eyes to me. “Talk.”
“You have to buy me a few more beers before you can boss me around, Foley.”
“Then get to drinking.” He touched his bottle to mine before throwing it back, his throat moving as he drank.
One beer turned to five. It’d been a while since I’d let myself relax like that, and Jay—even with his constant torture of poor Brent and flirting with every person who looked his way—proved to be good company.
“So, my brother is moving here,” Jay said after a while.
“I didn’t know you had a brother. Is he as big of a pain in the ass as you?”
“He wishes.” A soft smile touched his lips. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen him and his son. They’re comin’ from North Carolina.”
Talking about our personal lives was new territory for both of us. But I liked it.
“When will he be here?” I asked.
“End of summer. So I have a while before he gets down here and whips my ass into shape.”
I laughed. “Older brother?”
“Nah. Younger. But he was a Marine.” Jay leaned back in his chair. “I can still take him though.”
“Sure.” I lifted the beer to my mouth, hiding my smile.
“Can I ask you something?” Jay said.
“I doubt you’ll give me much choice in the matter.”
A crooked smile upturned his lips before falling. “Do you think Ritter did it?”
“Doesn’t matter what I think,” I answered, my stomach dipping as I met his penetrating gaze. “Our jobs are to look at the evidence and leave our conscience out of it. It was up to the prosecution to bear the burden of proof, and you succeeded in convincing the jury of his guilt. Case closed.”
“Damn, that was a textbook answer, Cross.” Jay grabbed a cigar from a passing waiter and lit it up before placing it to his lips. He inhaled, the end burning bright, and then slowly blew out the smoke. “Though, it’s interesting that you bring conscience into it.”
“Why is that interesting?”
“Because it tells me you had to throw ethics aside while defending him.” Jay took another puff of the cigar. “You’re just as glad as I am to have him behind bars.”
I hated that he was right. I’d had to compartmentalize a lot while working on Jeff Ritter’s defense, shoving my own personal beliefs to the back of my mind. Even with very little physical evidence, my gut told me he’d killed his wife.
Maybe I was as horrible as everyone said: believing someone was guilty and defending them anyway.
“You’re an asshole,” I finally said to Jay.
“But I’m an honest one.” He rested an arm on the back of his chair “You ready to tell me about the guy, or do I have to beg?”
“With a face like yours, you’ve never had to beg for a thing in your life,” I said. “You wouldn’t know how.”
“Want me to get on my knees and show you?” A challenge rang in his words. The gleam in his eyes said the same.
That’s when I truly understood the effect Cason had on me. It normally wouldn’t take much for me to give in to Jay. Yet, something held me back from asking him to come back to my house and fuck my brains out.
“Okay.” I downed the last of my beer before banging the bottle on the table and narrowing my eyes at the annoyingly handsome devil. “There’s a man I like who likes me too.”
“What’s the problem, then?”
The words halted on my tongue. Jay was an extremely sexual being, but I doubted he could even understand me lusting after a damn eighteen-year-old.
“It’s complicated,” I said again.
“He married?” Jay smiled at a man who passed our table before moving that smirk to me. “You were married, too, the first time we fucked.”
“I was getting a divorce,” I said, a bit defensively. “I’m not a cheater.”
“I know, Cross, I know.” Jay laughed and took a swig before frowning at the empty bottle. “If he’s not married, then what’s the problem? He closeted?”
“Something like that.”
“And you’re not gonna tell me what that something is?”
“You’re an attorney,” I said, taking the cigar from his hand and inhaling before handing it back to him. He watched me as I blew the smoke toward him. “You figure it out.”
The band returned to the stage after a short break, and the saxophone wailed a bluesy melody. I watched the performers as my mind drifted again to Cason. He had such a bright future ahead of him. He didn’t need me swooping in and complicating his life.
“Some people don’t like jazz,” Jay said, drawing my attention. “They say it’s because jazz doesn’t have a set rhythm, that it’s mainly a bunch of random transitions and notes chasing each other. But that’s why I like it. I like to be surprised. Predictable is boring.”
“Is that why you haven’t settled down?” I asked, catching a table of women ogling him. After a few drinks, I was sure one of them would get brave enough to come over and talk to him.
Jay returned my smile, though there was a layer of something darker behind it. “Why settle when the world is my plaything? I’ll be a bachelor for life. I can’t be tamed, though you came close.”
“Me?”
“You think I keep regularly seeing guys I’ve fucked?” Jay shook his head. “Only you.”
“What makes me so special?” I asked, sensing he was just screwing around. Jay was a sweet-talker, and it was hard
to take anything he said seriously.
Jay watched me, his expression unreadable. Annoying how he could read me so well, but he remained a mystery to me. Then, he was back to his charismatic self. As if he’d put on a mask before returning to the stage. “It’s your pretty blue eyes. What can I say, I’m a sucker for them.”
“And here I thought you liked me for my ass.”
“That too,” he said, winking. He leaned forward, a calculating look in his eyes. “And as for that challenge you gave me… consider it accepted.”
“Challenge?”
“The complicated man in your life,” Jay responded. “You told me to figure it out, and I will.”
“Just drop it, Foley.”
My harsh tone seemed to cut through his bigheadedness. I liked Jay, and it was great that we were building a solid friendship, but I didn’t appreciate him sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.
“Consider it dropped,” he said, nodding. “I was just trying to help, but things don’t always come out the way I want them to.”
Perhaps I was mistaken, but I got the feeling Jay wasn’t used to having friends. At least not close ones. And I wondered if maybe he, too, kept most people at arm’s length.
“I should go,” I said, pulling my wallet from my pocket.
Jay held up a hand. “I got your tab.”
“You invited me for a drink, and I’ve had much more than that.” I pulled out two twenties and tossed them on the table. I stood and noticed several sets of eyes focused on us. “I doubt you’ll be alone for long. Prepared to be swarmed by your admirers right when I leave.”
Jay grinned and tilted his head back, peering at me through his long lashes. “You okay to drive?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” Enough time had passed in between drinks, and I’d stayed away from the heavier stuff. “Enjoy the rest of your night.”
“Spokoynoy nochi,” he said, holding up his beer. At my questioning look, he added, “It means good night.”
I wasn’t even five steps away before a woman stood from her chair and walked over to Jay, putting her hands on the back of his chair and jutting out her ass as she leaned toward him. She was going to be highly disappointed when he turned her down. Jay flirted with women, but he had no interest in them.
I smirked and exited the bar, feeling a lot lighter than I had when going inside. As irritating as he could be, Jay had a way of cheering me up.
Chapter 9
Cason
“This is either genius or incredibly stupid,” I said to myself, opening the camera on my phone and holding it up. After days of Emery reading and not responding to my messages, I had left him alone for a while.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out when someone was avoiding you.
But then I’d seen the lube and condoms I’d taken from the hotel room and had an idea. I had placed duct tape over the front of the bottle of lube and drawn a pair of frightened eyes above it with a sharpie, like its mouth was taped over.
The lube sat on my pillow with the condoms around it. I snapped a picture and opened a message to Emery.
Me: Larry Lube has been captured. If you ever want to see him again, promptly respond with a meeting place and time. You have 24 hours.
I attached the photo and hit Send.
Laughing at my own stupidity, I put Larry in my sock drawer, along with the rubbers, and plopped down in my desk chair.
I had an appointment with a student advisor to sign up for college classes on June thirteenth, so I got on my laptop and went to the site to make sure all of my information was updated to make the process smoother. I also made a list of the classes I wanted to take. Registration wasn’t for another two weeks, but I liked to be prepared. And maybe I was nervous that something would go wrong.
Which was dumb. I’d gotten a scholarship to help pay my tuition, and I was enrolled at the school—I had double- and triple-checked. After so many disappointments in my life, I was used to things not panning out the way I’d hoped.
Ding.
My gaze shifted to my phone. Holy hell, it had actually worked.
LiamC: What did poor Larry ever do to you?
My face hurt with how big he made me smile.
Me: That’s between me and Larry.
He read the message but didn’t respond for about five minutes. Not that I was watching the clock or anything.
LiamC: I guess I’ll have to ask him about it when I meet you to get him back.
I forced myself to chill out before answering him. Because if I would’ve messaged at that moment, it would’ve been a shitload of exclamation points and smiley faces. Oh, sweet victory.
Me: You’ve made the right decision. Larry will be thankful. When and where?
LiamC: Tonight. My place.
Before I could respond, he sent another message.
LiamC: And it’s just to talk. I don’t want you getting the wrong idea.
My heart sank. He wouldn’t have given in so easily, though. It wasn’t like the movies where two mutually interested people halfheartedly pushed each other away and then came together hot and heavy a day later before confessing their love by the end of the month.
No, real life was messier. More complex.
Me: The wrong idea? This is a hostage negotiation, Mr. Liam. For Larry. Nothing else. I’ll be over around 9.
LiamC: See you then.
I had to work twelve to five that Sunday, so I took a quick shower, dressed, and left the apartment. Mom and Steve had still been asleep, both of them usually not waking up until late afternoon most days, which worked out because it meant I didn’t have to deal with them before leaving.
My shift dragged, minutes feeling like hours. Probably because I was eager about seeing Emery later. When five o’clock finally arrived, I clocked out and checked my phone. Ryan had texted me.
Ryan: What r u doing 2nite?
Shit. What did I tell him?
Me: Just got off work. Gonna grab some food.
Ryan: Wanna hang with me and Lexi afterward? If she’s gonna be my girl, she has 2 get 2 know my boy.
Why did he have to say shit like that when I was about to go behind his back? As if I needed any more of a reason to be guilty.
Me: Sure. Let me grab a burger and then I’ll be over.
That would give me a few hours to hang out with them before having to meet Emery.
I got fast food before driving over to Ryan’s house. Amber was outside digging in the flowerbed when I pulled up. It was the perfect weather for it. The days would only get hotter from here.
“Hey, Cas,” she said, using the floppy hat she wore to block the sun as she looked up at me.
“Hey. Ryan invited me over.”
“You should know by now you don’t have to have a reason to come here,” Amber said with a shake of her head.
“Yes, ma’am.”
She laughed and went back to gardening.
I walked inside the house, finding Ryan in the kitchen picking at a sandwich. I tossed the bag of burgers at him.
“Got one for you too.”
“This is why we’re friends,” he said, unwrapping a burger and taking a huge bite. “Just make sure I don’t have anything in my teeth before Lexi gets here, ’kay?”
“Deal.”
Lexi came over half an hour later, and the three of us went to Ryan’s room. He’d tried to clean it up, and I hid my smile when seeing he’d mainly just shoved everything under his bed and in his closet.
“We’re gonna go to Trev’s later tonight,” Ryan said, after Lexi talked about her day and they made out for a few minutes—a bit awkward for me. “You wanna go?”
“I…uh.” I cleared my throat. “I have plans actually.”
Ryan’s brows shot up. “You have a date? Is it the chick from the mall?”
“Her name’s Faith,” I corrected. “And no, it’s not her.”
“But it’s someone.” His smile widened. “Is she hot?”
Lexi shoved Ryan�
��s shoulder. “Stop thinking about other girls.”
“I’m not,” he said, rubbing her thigh. She was wearing booty shorts and a crop top, and Ryan took full advantage of all the exposed skin. He looked at me. “Is she, though?”
Ryan laughed as Lexi shoved him again, harder that time.
Not knowing what to say, I smiled and averted my eyes. Ryan was completely clueless. Blissfully so. Just the thought of coming out to him had my palms sweating. So I said nothing and let him assume whatever he wanted.
***
With Larry tucked inside my jacket, I approached the front door. I was more excited than nervous, though I was definitely nervous too. Just breathe. Emery said we were only going to talk, but I wouldn’t mind speaking in other ways.
Like with his body over mine and our mouths crushed together. I’m sure his touch could tell me much more than his words.
The door opened and I stood dumbfounded on his porch. Emery’s black hair hung in his face, and he held the door with one arm, his bicep bulging. My gaze hadn’t even made it farther down his body because I was locked onto his blue eyes.
“I have the package,” I said, turning to humor since my nerves were high.
Emery’s lips twitched, and he stepped aside to let me in. “Is Larry harmed?” he asked, closing the door behind me.
Facing away from him, I let myself grin. I loved how he played along with my stupid game. Then, I cleared my throat and looked at him with indifference. “He’s safe. For now. Is there somewhere we can discuss the matter?”
“Come to my office,” Emery said, his voice low and fucking sexy as hell.
I followed him down the hall, admiring the way his broad shoulders stretched the material of his gray shirt. And yeah, I checked out his ass too. Being so comfortable checking out a guy wasn’t as weird as it probably should’ve been after struggling for a while about whether I was gay. But once I’d accepted the truth, I felt free.
Well, free to an extent. The door to the cage was open, but I remained inside the bars, only sticking my head out. With Emery’s help, maybe I could be brave enough to finally take flight.
His Temptation Page 8
