Page 22 of His Temptation

I made myself think of Cason that way, as a kid. It helped remind me that I shouldn’t want him.

“What happened once you came out?” he asked.

“I no longer have a relationship with my religious parents, and my son is struggling with acceptance.”

“Do you still hate yourself?” he whispered.

“No.” I stood and walked over to the window. Headlights from the interstate three stories down blurred together. People came and went, here one moment and gone the next. “A friend helped me out of that dark place.”

“A boyfriend?”

I turned and faltered a bit at how close Cason stood to me. I hadn’t heard him approach. Seeing his warm eyes and kissable lips, my blood pressure rose and my skin prickled. Enough about my life. Time to get down to another concerning topic. “Mind telling me what the hell you were doing tonight?”

His brows pulled together. “Meeting you for sex?”

Heat shot up my neck, and then I was gripping his shirt and pushing him against the wall. His mouth popped open, and his eyes dropped to my mouth. Fuck he was so close.

I wanted him closer.

“You can’t just meet strangers for sex, Cason,” I growled. “Thank god it was me and not some other man. Who knows what would’ve happened to you otherwise?”

“I don’t need a lecture.” He shoved against my chest with no force. Like he didn’t actually want me to move. “And in case you forgot, you were also meeting someone. So don’t act all high-and-mighty. If it was some other eighteen-year-old who showed up at your door, you’d be balls-deep in him by now.”

My hands dropped from his shirt, and I stepped backward. What was wrong with me? I had no right to be angry at him.

“It’s just not safe,” I said, putting even more space between us. Mainly because I kept looking at his lips.

“Have you seen me?” Cason held out his arms, drawing my eyes to his perfectly rounded biceps and his toned upper body. “I can take care of myself.”

Had he already hooked up with men from the app? He’d been quick to suggest meeting when we’d messaged, as if he’d done it before. He’d also mentioned “experimenting” with his sexuality.

My hands turned to fists, and the blood sounded loud in my ears.

“Are you mad?” Cason asked, his tone lifting with his brows.

I was many things—angry and worried.

Jealous.

“Only because you’re not being careful,” I answered, hoping he wouldn’t dig deeper into it. “Don’t meet up with strange men you meet online. Date like a normal teen and go out with boys your own age.”

A blank stare. And then his lips twitched. “You’re such a dad.”

I suppressed a groan. The last thing I wanted was for Cason to think of me like that. But it was for the best if he did. Made things less complicated.

“Just do me a favor and don’t be so reckless next time,” I said, unsure why the thought of him with another guy bothered me so much.

Cason pushed away from the wall and neared me. When I stepped back, he followed. His gaze lowered to my mouth before slowly lifting again.

“Question, Mr. Cross.” He smoothed a hand up my chest and tilted his head up, his lids heavy. “If you didn’t know me until now, if this reallyhadbeen a hookup with a complete stranger… would you have opened that door, pulled me inside, and fucked me? You agreed to meet, so you must’ve liked something about my body.”

Oh, there was a lot I liked.

“The point is moot,” I answered, stepping aside. Escaping his barrier of body heat that had my own heating in response. “Idoknow you.”

“But am I your type?” Cason pressed.

“We shouldn’t even be discussing this.”