Page 22 of Mr. Naughty List

Sighing, RJ wondered if Aaron would have taken him home the night before if he knew that RJ was a butthurt bastard who resented his little siblings for the house, the dog, the mom, and the life that he’d never had? Would Aaron have wanted a petty-hearted man like that in his apartment, much less in his body? Probably not. He was a teacher after all. He probably put all children first. A motherfucking hero.

With the hottest ass and sexiest whine and…shh. Shut up, RJ. Mom’s staring at you.

“So, I guess you aren’t going to tell me where you were last night?” She raised a fair brow at him.

“There’s nothing to tell. Unlikely I’ll be there again.” Though, God, he hoped he was wrong about that.

Her lips twisted and she shot a glance at the kids like they might understand that their older brother was a slut. She drew close and whispered in his ear, “I wish you’d be more careful. HIV might be manageable these days, but it’s still out there, and there are other STDs. I hear that they’re all on the rise because of the success of PrEP, and—”

“I wore a condom,” RJ said in a normal tone.

“Shh!” she slammed her hand down on the counter.

“What’s a condom?” Beau asked.

“It’s nothing,” Mom said. “It’s something for grown-ups.”

“What’s an STD then?”

So, the whispering hadn’t worked either. RJ felt a little vindicated by that.

“A kind of disease,” RJ said, reluctant to lie or obfuscate.

“Do you have a disease?” Perri asked, chewing her eggs slowly.

“No. Do you?” RJ tweaked her hair.

Perri giggled. “No.”

“I’m ’llergic too,” Beau said, shoving his plate with the eggs away and giving RJ worshipful eyes. “Like RJ.”

Mom rolled her eyes but didn’t argue with him. “C’mon. Get your shoes from the closet. We’ve got to get to Target and be home in time to fetch Carter off the bus.”

The kids went off to get their shoes, one cheerfully, the other with as much woe as he could muster.

Mom rounded on RJ. “Listen, I know you grew up differently, and that’s my fault. But in this house—”

“I know. Watch my language.”

“And call your mother if you’re going to be late…or not home at all.”

“I promise. I’m sorry.”

She rubbed her brow again and then offered him another smile. “Apology accepted.”

“Can I catch a ride with you guys to Joel’s place?”

His mother sighed and checked the clock on her phone. “Yes. But watch what you say in front of the kids.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell them details about my wild night.”

Mom shuddered. “Better not. Not unless you want me to tell you about mine.”

He winced. “Ew.”

Mom laughed and flipped him off before hustling out to the front hall to help Beau with his sneakers. RJ grinned to see a glimpse of the woman who’d raised him—the one who’d cursed and given people the middle finger. He missed her sometimes. Then he headed upstairs to grab his boots, wallet, and phone.

He checked his messages again.