Page 59 of Puck My Stepbrother

“Don’t you think you’re putting the cart before the horse? It’s like you’re trying to map out your whole life right this second. We’re young. We’ve got a lot of time to worry about that shit.”

“I haven’t planned anything, and it’s not shit. I just know what I want, and I can’t allow any roadblocks.”

“But am I really a roadblock? Like I said, we both want each other, but maybeyouwantmemore.”

Quinn drew a breath deep enough to puff his chest out. Yeah, I must’ve been driving him nuts, but I totally didn’t mind.

“We’re stepbrothers,” he said.

“No, we’re not.”

“Whaddaya mean,no, we’re not?”

“We’re not stepbrothersyet.”

He rolled his eyes, unwilling to hide his disdain.

“Now you’re playing semantics,” he said. “We’re going to be stepbrothers very soon. We can’t do anything to stop that. And it’s not like we can hide that fact from people if we became a real couple. Being together means going public about who we are.You know—no hiding, no bullshit. We’d make our relationship known to the world. Would you really go for that?”

“Of course I would.”

To be honest, I’d thought about doing it, but only to a point. So far, we’d kept our business quiet, and I had no reason to think it wouldn’t stay that way. But if he’d meant to intimidate me with the idea of going public, he could think again.

“Come on, Levi, you know that’s not true.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“For one thing, it’s all about sex with you. Maybe I’m a great roll in the hay, but that can get stale. Don’t real relationships need to be about more than that? Besides, you don’t go public with something so shallow. I’m looking for something more substantial.”

I chuckled at him.

“What’s so funny?”

“You, Quinn. You say you want more than sex, but I didn’t see you complaining in the kitchen. Matter of fact, you might as well have thrown yourself at me.”

“I didn’t throw myself at you, Levi. I?—”

I crossed my arms, unwilling to wait for the rest of his bullshit response.

“Come on, you wanted me as badly as I wanted you,” I said. “Quit denying it.”

Quinn huffed, his eyes shifting around for the nearest escape hatch.

“Listen,” I said, “there’s really no reason we can’t do this. It’s meant to be, and you know it. Would it kill you to take a chance and go slow?”

“It would, Levi. For one thing, I need to be with someone who’s comfortable enough with who they are to be open with the whole world.”

“I was open with my dad.”

“No, you weren’t. You hid it from him. Then he caught you and threw you out of the house.”

“But I never denied who I am to myself. I’m not ashamed. I just don’t use labels.”

“That’s not the same thing, Levi.”

“Look,” I said, “I know when something’s right. I trust my gut, and my gut’s telling me we belong together.”

“No, Levi. You listen to your dick, and your dick’s telling you to jump up my ass again.”