Page 12 of Disciplined: His Forbidden Crush

Rafael struggled to control the fury building in him. A part of him wanted to grab Summer and show him just how dangerous this world could be, while another part wanted to protect him from it all. But he knew that neither option was viable, not when Summer was the son of his boss, and very much untouchable.

“Sit down,” Rafael ordered, pointing at the couch. Summer ignored him, crossing his arms. Rafael’s patience snapped. He lunged forward, grabbing Summer’s arm and yanking him down onto the couch with such force that he had to hold him there to keep him from bouncing off. The scent of Summer’s clean, fresh skin filled Rafael’s nostrils, making him dizzy. He could feel the heat of Summer’s body radiating through his clothes. His blood pounded in his ears as he struggled to remain professional and calm under the circumstances.

“Let go of me!” Summer demanded. Rafael tightened his grip on Summer’s arm, shoving him back into the couch more roughly than necessary.

“Stay put,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. Summer glared up at him, his eyes flashing with defiance, but he did as he was told—for now. Rafael knew that Summer was only biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to strike back or escape. And, oddly enough, it thrilled him. He welcomed the challenge that Summer presented, the way he pushed back.

“Is this how you treat everyone, or am I just special?” Summer spat. Rafael’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at the beautiful, infuriating man beneath him.

“Keep pushing me, and you’ll find out just how ‘special’ you are,” he warned.

Releasing Summer, Rafael moved to sit in a nearby chair, keeping his eyes locked on the young man sprawled across the couch. “Your father and brother miss you, you know,” he said, his voice rough. “Do you even care?”

Summer sat up, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. “Of course I care. But they want me to be something I’m not.” He looked away, his long lashes casting shadows on his pale cheeks. “They want me to cut my hair, work out, be more...macho, like them. Like you.”

As Summer spoke, Rafael had a pang of sympathy for him. He knew all too well the pressure to conform to masculinity, expectations that had shaped his own life in ways both seen and unseen.

“Look at you,” Rafael said, his gaze sweeping over Summer’s willowy frame, the delicate features of his face, the sheen of gloss on his full lips. “You’re throwing away any chance at being respected by indulging in all this...softness.”

“Respected?” Summer scoffed, his eyes flashing with anger. “This is who I am, Rafael. I won’t change just to please my father or anyone else. If the world won’t accept me as I am, then I want no part in it!”

Rafael clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. How could Summer be so naïve, so reckless? In their dangerous world, vulnerability could be a death sentence, and yet here was Summer, flaunting his difference like a flag of rebellion. It enraged him, but deep down he couldn’t deny the allure of Summer’s rebellious spirit.

Summer’s words echoed in Rafael’s mind, stoking the fire of his anger. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the rising tide of his fury, but it was no use.

“Stop acting like a woman,” he growled. “If you don’t cut this shit out, people are going to treat you like one.”

“Maybe women shouldn’t be treated like that either!” Summer shot back, his eyes blazing. “Ever think about that, Rafael?”

Rafael scoffed, his laughter bitter and sharp. “And how badly do you think women have it?” he asked sarcastically. “I take care of my mother, my sisters. I treat them with respect. They’re happy and well-cared for.”

Summer’s lip curled in disdain. “Well, maybe not all women want to be wives and mothers, sitting at home waiting to serve their husbands. Maybe some of them want more than that. Hell, maybe a woman could run a cartel just as well as any man.”

“Ha!” Rafael shook his head, disbelieving. “Men are men and women are women. There’s no place for people who aren’t willing to play their role in that.”

“Really? What about trans people? Do you hate them too?” Summer challenged, his tone daring Rafael to disagree.

“Trans...what?” Rafael frowned, confused by the term.

“Transgender people,” Summer clarified, exasperated. “People who know they were born in the wrong body and make an effort to live as their true selves.”

Oh, them. “I don’t hate them,” Rafael conceded, though his anger still simmered beneath the surface. “At least they know what they really are and try to fit into the world.”

“Ugh!” Summer threw his hands up in frustration. “They shouldn’t have to fit into the world. The world should let people be the way that they want to be.”

Rafael snorted. “Sure, and then society would collapse. If you want to be a woman, to be treated like a woman, then go ahead. But if you want to be treated like a man then you have to act like one.”

“God, you’re so fucking old-fashioned,” Summer hissed, his eyes narrowing as he took in Rafael’s increasingly furious expression. “You really think people still care about all that macho bullshit? It’s pathetic.”

Rafael couldn’t take it anymore. His hands clenched into fists, veins bulging as he fought the urge to grab the insolent boy before him. “You are Garcia’s son,” he spat out, the words tight and furious. “You need to act like it before people start to think of you as a maricón.”

Summer’s eyes flashed darkly, and Rafael was momentarily taken aback by the intensity of the look. “Oh, I am a maricón,” Summer declared, his voice cold and defiant. “The biggest, sluttiest maricón there is. I take it up the ass from any man who so much as looks at me, and beg for it like a puta.”

Rage surged through Rafael, a blistering, almost uncontrollable force. He felt his cheeks burn with shame and jealousy, the bile rising in his throat at Summer’s words. But beneath it all, there was a twisted, desperate longing, a hunger to be one of those men, to claim and possess this beautiful, infuriating creature.

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Rafael warned, his voice choked with fury. But Summer only smirked, reveling in the power he held over Rafael in this moment.

“Aw, does it bother you?” Summer cooed mockingly, leaning in with a wicked glint in his eyes. “How about when I let them tie me up and use me like a fuck toy? Or when I let them pay me to take their cocks down my throat?”

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