Page 97 of His Temptation

He kissed my throat, and I closed my eyes with a sigh. His hand moved down my chest and dipped beneath the waistband of my boxers, taking hold of my semi-erect cock.

“Oh,” I said, clinging onto his broad shoulders. “You meanthatkind of take care of me.”

I felt him smile against my neck.

For the rest of the night, Emery made me forget about the pain in my heart. He kissed me gently, fucked me hard, and took me to the stars. By the time I came down again, he was right there to catch me.

“I love you,” he panted, holding my face in his hands. We’d just finished having sex and were trying to catch our breaths.

“I love you too.” I nestled against him and closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart.

No matter what happened with Ryan, I prayed I’d never lose this with Emery—the love, comfort, and security. I wouldn’t be able to handle losing him too.

Chapter 22

Emery

“I’m going to take a shower,” Cason said the next morning after I pounded his ass again. “If I can find the will to move anyway.”

I chuckled and pecked him on the lips before getting out of bed. “I’ll take one after you.”

“Why not just take onewithme.” He gave a sleepy smile as he stretched his arms above his head.

“Because we’d never get clean.” I fought the urge to lie back down with him and found my sleep pants where he had thrown them last night. “I’ll start some coffee.”

“Make it strong,” he called after me as I left the room.

Walking down the hall toward the kitchen, I finally let my smile fall a little. Ever since Cason had told me about Ryan’s reaction to his coming out, I had tried to stay strong for him. I knew the type of pain he must’ve been feeling, and I hadn’t wanted to make it worse.

Part of me wanted to call Ryan and gripe at him for hurting Cason. However, then I’d have to explain how I even knew about it in the first place, and that was a conversation for another day. Jay had been right, though. Ryan needed to know the full truth sooner rather than later. With how he reacted to Cason coming out, I suspected it wouldn’t be pleasant either.

I heard the shower turn on as I measured out the coffee. As it began to brew, I walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed the carton of eggs and the package of bacon.

A knock sounded at the front door.

I hadn’t been expecting anyone, so I assumed it was a Jehovah’s Witness or someone trying to sell me something. I went over and opened the door before completely freezing.

“Ryan,” I said in shock as I looked at him on the doorstep. He looked rough. Messy hair and tired eyes. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, fidgeting with his hair. “Well, no. I mean…” He sighed and glanced up at me, his eyes glassy. “Can I come in?”

I opened the door to let him inside before closing it and following him into the kitchen. He looked lost and a little dazed as he turned to me.

“Sorry for stopping by like this,” he said, his voice reflecting the emotion in his sad eyes. “At least I knocked, though, instead of just coming in.”

“Never apologize for coming to see me,” I responded, motioning to the barstool. “Have a seat.”

It didn’t occur to me until then how horrible the situation could get. Cason was showering in the other room and had no idea Ryan had come over. I could only hope he’d heard the door and knew to be cautious before walking in there.

“Something happened last night,” Ryan said, interlocking his fingers behind his head as he rested his arms on the island countertop. “You’re the only person I know to talk to.”

“What’s wrong?” I hated playing dumb, but I had to.

“Cason told me he’s gay.” Ryan pinned me with a look of desperation, his bottom lip quivering. “And I got mad at ’em. Told him to leave my dorm. I haven’t heard from him since then, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Why did you get mad?”

“That’s the thing,” Ryan said. “I wasn’t really mad. I was just shocked and I guess a little hurt that he’d kept it from me for so long. I didn’t know what to say. I still don’t. But he’s my best friend, and I don’t wanna lose him.”