Page 98 of His Temptation

“I think you should tell him that,” I said, leaning against the counter. “You don’t always have to say the right thing, Ryan. You just have to talk to him. Tell him you aren’t sure what to say but he’s still your friend. Because I’m sure he feels pretty shitty right now.”

Ryan sucked in a shaky breath and wiped at his eyes. “I’m sure you felt shitty, too, with how I treated you.”

“That’s in the past,” I said, not wanting to make him feel even worse.

“I don’t know why I push away everyone I love,” Ryan whispered, glaring at the countertop. “It’s like I’m broken or something.”

“You’re not broken,” I said, drawing his attention back up. “Sometimes fear makes us do crazy, oftentimes hurtful things. When we love someone, we fear losing them. It can make us irrational.”

“I think that’s what happened with Lexi,” he said. “She was the first girl I actually cared about, and I was afraid she’d dump me or hurt me… so I acted like a total shithead and hurt her first. And with Cas…” He shook his head. “I don’t know. I was hoping you could help me.”

“With what?”

“Well, you’re gay,” Ryan said. “Maybe you can talk to him? I think I’m the first person he’s come out to, so I’m sure he’s struggling and could use someone to talk to who understands what he’s going through. I’ll only make it worse if I try.”

I heard the shower shut off.

So did Ryan.

“Is someone here?” he asked, his brow dipping in the middle.

What the hell do I do?

Saying no would be an obvious lie. But saying yes would prompt more questions.

“It’s okay if you have a guy over,” Ryan said. “I mean, it’s definitely something I don’t wanna think about, but you’re allowed to be happy, Dad.”

His words made my eyes water. I’d wanted to hear Ryan say that for so damn long, and when he finally did, I couldn’t even enjoy it because of the guilt suffocating me.

And then it got even worse.

“Okay, shower’s all yours, big guy,” Cason said, walking around the corner in just his boxers, his hair damp.

My heart stopped. Just fucking stopped beating. I couldn’t even breathe.

“Cas?” Ryan asked, standing from the barstool.

Cason gaped and looked at me before focusing on Ryan. His mouth moved, but no sound came out.

“What thefuckare you doing here?” Ryan asked, stepping toward him.

“Ry… I…” Cason stammered. “I can explain.”

Ryan turned to look at me, fire blazing in his eyes. “Are you fucking my best friend?”

The answer must’ve been written on my face, because Ryan’s nostrils flared and he flung back around and punched Cason in the jaw.

“Ryan!” I yelled, charging toward him.

Cason raised an arm to block a second punch, and then Ryan tackled him. His fists blurred as he jabbed at Cason’s stomach and chest.

“My dad?” he screamed, his voice breaking. “You fucking asshole!” I wrapped my arms around Ryan from behind and pulled him off Cason. “Let go of me!”

“Calm down,” I yelled, holding his arms tighter so he couldn’t hit me.

“You’re both sick,” Ryan shouted before spitting at Cason. “Going behind my back. How long has this been going on? Huh?” He thrashed around in my arms.

Blood streamed from Cason’s nose, and his bottom lip was cracked open. His cheeks were wet with tears. “I’m sorry,” he said, getting to his feet.