Page 13 of Flirt
That cocky smirk was back, and Nico nodded a couple of times as he pushed up from the sofa. “Pretty much, yeah.”
“When?” He wouldn’t sleep with the guy on the first date, but if they hit it off, it could be just the distraction he needed to stop obsessing over Asher.
“Thursday.”
“Text me the details. I’ll be there.”
“You’re serious right now?”
Fuck, he was so going to regret this. “Yeah, I’m serious.”
~
Slouched in his favoriteoverstuffed, leather armchair by his library window, Asher swirled the bourbon around in his glass a couple of times before downing it in one swallow.
The previous night had been a goddamn train wreck that he’d spent all day trying to forget. Granted, he hadn’t climbed out of bed until nearly three in the afternoon, and even then, he’d immediately gone in search of something to dull the memories.
So far, the whiskey hadn’t helped.
Kyle Anders had been the last person in the world he’d expected to ever see again. He’d spent so long trying to shove that part of his life into the deepest corners of his mind, until he’d almost convinced himself it had never happened. Then, one chance encounter had brought it all rushing back.
No, it hadn’t been chance. Not for a second did he believe that coincidence had brought them together again. A quick internet search had only proved his suspicions.
Asleep, with only a sheet covering him to the waist, the picture had been first posted on a high-traffic celebrity gossip blog, then quickly picked up by every digital media source imaginable. He didn’t know how the petite blond he’d taken to bed Friday night had learned his real name—he never used it for a hookup—but there it was, preserved forever for the world to see.
Asher Dare Gay? Exclusive Details About My One Night Stand with the Author of the Popular Marshall Kane Book Series and Movie Franchise.
The only saving grace was that the blogger, Landon Dwyer, hadn’t revealed his actual address or the club where they’d met, only “a gay club in downtown Dallas.”
For the low price of $19.99, Asher had then been able to access a detailed background check on Kyle Anders that included an impressive arrest record dating back over a decade. His latest conviction—public intoxication—had been filed in Vicksburg, Mississippi just two weeks ago.
How he’d ended up in Mississippi, Asher neither knew nor cared. The blog had been posted just before 10:00 AM, barely two hours after Landon had left his house. From there, he could only speculate, but it wasn’t unreasonable to assume Kyle hadn’t just bumped into him by accident.
He’d come looking for him. Thirteen hours would have been more than enough time for him to see the blog and make the five-hour drive from Vicksburg, especially if he was as unhinged as his arrest record indicated.
The only thing Asher didn’t know was why.
It had been more than fifteen years since he’d last seen Kyle, but physically, the man hadn’t changed much in that time. His face was a little more angular, his hair longer and a little darker, but otherwise, he looked just the same as Asher remembered. Fifteen years, and those hollow eyes still made his blood run cold.
It had been clear from Cameron’s reaction that he’d thought Kyle was an old flame, and Asher found himself glad for it. Better he thought Asher had dated the guy than to know the real story, because despite the adage, the truth wouldn’t set him free.
In this case, the truth was a cold, lonely prison caged by memories and locked with fear.
Cameron had definitely picked up on his distress, and he’d taken charge, cutting right through Kyle’s taunts and stripping him down to nothing. It had been the sexiest damn thing Asher had ever seen, and if he hadn’t beenstunned into paralysis, he would have dragged Cameron across the table and kissed him senseless.
He stared down at the hand resting on the arm of the chair, a smile playing across his lips. Without hesitation, Cameron had taken his hand, threaded their fingers together, and drawn a line in the sand. If Asher concentrated enough, he could still feel the steady weight and the warmth against his skin. Where most guys would have run, Cameron had stood his ground, all because Asher had needed him.
Instead of thanking him or offering any type of explanation—not even a lie—Asher had been the one to run. He hated that the memories Kyle invoked could reduce him to a trembling, irrational mess, and he hated that it had happened in front of Cameron even more.
Cameron fucking Stone.
He’d never obsessed this much over a guy, and certainly not one he hadn’t so much as kissed yet. The things he knew about Cameron could be counted on one hand, and nothing that would make him want to stick around to learn more. Telling himself to let it go and move on didn’t change anything, though.
“I can’t stop thinking about him,” he admitted to the empty room, as if he said it out loud that would somehow make a difference.
It didn’t.
The next part of that confession was a little harder, but after another swallow of whiskey, he managed to say it, even if it only came out as a whisper. “I want to see him again.”
