Page 8 of Only You

“Then count on it.”

His gaze darted down to linger on my lips. His breath hitched, and I felt the familiar draw of attraction between us, urging me to lean in and kiss him. But kisses wouldn’t make him trust me again.

Daniel’s attention moved back to my bruised wrist. “This looks really bad, Peter. Tell me what happened?”

“It was fucked up down there.” I kept the words quiet. “In Atlanta, I mean. Like, everything wassofucked up.”

“What happened?” Daniel turned to cup my cheek. He examined my face as though looking for more damage.

The heavy memories didn’t mesh well with the butterflies in my stomach. I moved his hand off my cheek but continued to hold it. He let me. “We had a fight.”

“About his girlfriend?”

“No. About condoms. He didn’t want to use one.”

A dark expression slammed across Daniel’s face. “But you did, right?”

“No.” I closed my eyes remembering my cold rage, how the heat of lust had iced over.

“Peter—” Daniel’s voice went tight with anxiety.

“No, I mean, we didn’t evenhavesex. I told him no, and we fought about it.”

Daniel cursed. “With AIDS, we have to be safe every time. No exceptions. How can he justify that?”

“I think it was a test. He accused me of sleeping with someone else this summer.”

Daniel let out a sharp exhale.

Heat rushed through me, as I said, “I guess I kind of did. You and me at the motel.”

“We made out, got off together. That’s all.”

“That’sall?”

Daniel squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t take it like that. What happened meant a lot to me. You know it did.”

“I know it’s too late for me to say this and for you to believe me, but it meant a lot to me, too.”

“I believe you.” Daniel cleared his throat. “Did he explainwhyhe didn’t want to use a condom?”

I choked on a laugh. “He said we were monogamous—me, him, and Leslie.”

Daniel’s brows rose. “Wow. That’s one way to look at it. But I’d sure like to—” He bit off the rest of his thought.

“It’s okay. Say whatever you want.”

Daniel touched my wrist again. “I only care that you’re safe. You are. Right?”

“I am. I’m safe.”

“You didn’t have sex without a condom?” he confirmed.

“No.”

My mind flashed to the night Adam had spent with me the weekend before I went down to visit him in Atlanta. Despite his assurances, I still had a sick suspicion he hadn’t used a condom the last time we’d fucked. I’d even counted the used ones in the trash, making sure they’d matched the number of times we’d had sex, and they had. But still… I couldn’t shake the feeling.

Daniel and I were quiet for a few moments. The air between us grew humid with our shared breaths. I wanted to lean closer, and I wanted to move away. The push-and-pull was back, but this time it was on my side.

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