Page 145 of Shadowman

“Byron, for the love of God…whatis the issue?” I can predict his response before he even starts, so I add, “And don’t saynothing!” He slowly lowers the pillow from over his face, peering up at me. Those chocolate-brown eyes stuffed full of glistening distress. “What on earth is so bad about giving head?? Honestly, I cannot with you… So you sucked some dick. Big deal! Believe me, there are much worse things than enjoying a cock in your mouth on occasion…”

“Fucking kill me now,” he groans, rubbing his eyes.

Taking a long breath, I release it slowly.Centering my chi, because this beautiful, stubborn bloke is testing me a bit.

“Talk to me,” I hum, gliding my finger along the waistband of his jumpsuit pants. “Tell me what’s going on inside you, Raph. I promise I won’t judge anything you say. Of all people, I’m thelastperson who could ever judge anyone. Trust me.”

Byron finally allows his eyes to melt with mine. That feeling of him even considering lowering the mask and letting me trulyseehim is like a high from some designer drug I’ve been given to sample. And I’m instantly addicted; craving more ofhim, and all his messy issues.

He props up a bit on his elbow, eyeing me carefully. “You don’t… You wouldn’t understand.”

I cock my head. “Try me.”

He chews on his lower lip before muttering, “It’s… complicated. The reason I’m here, and the things that led to it… I didn’t… I never got the chance to…”

I’m vibrating, at the edge of my metaphorical seat, awaiting his words with bated breath. Whatever it is that’s choking himup must be serious. I can see his stiffness,feelhim grappling like a visible change in his chakra.

He’s afraid…

Terrified to step out of the shadows.

Cupping his jaw, my hand caresses his face. And he actually leansintoit. “Tell me your secrets, Byron. I promise, I can keep them.”

I’m bloody good at it, after all.

“I’m not… supposed to be here,” he finally whispers. “It was… a mistake.”

My heart is beating faster and faster as my fingers trail over his throat, onto his chest, feeling his do the same. “You can tell me anything, Byron. You can trust me.”

He looks like he’s weighing this for many heavy moments. But at last, he says, “I don’t speak it out loud…” And before I can tell him it’s okay, he adds, “I write it.”

“Tell Me Lies.”

I’d been in prison a few months the first time it happened. When Ren came to me with his plan.

He called it a proxy job. Something he’d apparently thought up after taking one of many rides on Velle’s dick.

“Come on, Byron,” he crooned, that pesky finger gliding lower, where my happy trail disappeared into my baggy jumpsuit pants. “You wanna get off, don’t you?”

Well… yeawas my knee-jerk reaction. But I couldn’t say that. I couldn’t admit that I was such an easy sell… It didn’t fit the image I’d been showing these people—the Byron from before,pre-Michelangelo.

I so badly wanted to be him again.He’dnever had his heart ripped out of his chest mid-pump…

But I fought it, because fighting was less scary. “Yea, but I’m not—”

“Save it.” Ren fought back. He was a better fighter than even me. “We’ve been flirting since you got here…”

“We have??” My brows jumped.

He nodded, stuffing his hand into my pants. I gasped as his fingers grazed my rapidly firming flesh. I could’ve sworn it wasflaccid, but the second his hand was in there, my dick turned to goddamn granite.

It was bad, all of it. Because I knew right from the start that hooking up with Ren would never be as simple for me as it was for him. After all, Luthor had become my best friend—the kind of friend I always wanted, but was too much of a loner to have. He was a shining beacon of trust and hope in this dreary hellhole we call Alabaster Pen. I couldn’t possibly betray him by secretly and weirdly lusting after his sort of ex.

Ren grinned, deviously victorious at how clearly my body was betraying my words. “See? No reason to fight it. This dickneedssome love… Doesn’t it?”

Unfortunately, the haze in my brain was dizzying, temptation clouding my judgements, as it does. I could barely remember any of the reasons I’d been opposed to this before he started stroking my cock. They’d all evaporated. Except for one…

“Luthor… is my… f-friend,” I grumbled, eyes closing, head tipping back while his tight fist worked up and down, his wicked mouth on my throat.