“Oh, Winn and I took a nice, long walk on the trail earlier. That’s pretty much it.”
“It was sure nice out. Sounds like a great way to spend the day to me.”
“How’s the shoulder treating you, son?”
“Eh, it’s still not one hundred percent yet, but it’s getting there.”
The back sliding glass door opens before Roger can respond, and my head turns, gaze colliding with a startled pair of ocean blues. My heart clenches, not knowing how William’s going to respond to me being here.
“Colt,” he says lowly before clearing his throat, gaze flitting to his dad for a second before returning to me. “What are you doing here?”
Roger heaves a sigh, our attention turning to him. “I guess I’ll be off to bed now.” Patting his thigh, he says, “Come on, Winnie girl.” That’s all it takes for her to scurry after him, her tail wagging behind her. They’re halfway down the hall before he turns around and adds, “Now, I hope you two are a bit quieter tonight than you were the last time you were here.”
With a wink and a Cheshire cat grin, Roger turns and disappears into his room without another word, leaving William and I to sit with that bomb he just dropped on us.
Jesus fucking Christ.First Shooter, and now this. He’s going to toss me on my ass before I even get a chance to say a word at this rate. Chancing a look at him, I find him as expected: jaw clenched, lips pinched, and his hardened gaze staring at the area his father was a moment ago. The air feels thicker.Goosebumps are raised on my arms, and not the good kind.
Deciding it would be best to just cut to the chase, I say, “Can we talk?”
Gaze flitting to mine, my body heats up from the one look, the memory of what we were doing just hours ago coming back to the forefront of my mind. How good it felt to have his hands on me and his cock in me. The way his filthy words washed over me like the most potent of drugs. Experiencing William in that way—feral, hungry, and so goddamn free—is a high unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. He’s breathtaking when he lets go.
Nodding tersely, brows set in a hard line, William mutters, “Let’s go on the patio.”
Well, I guess this is better than kicking me out.
Sitting in one of the spacious patio chairs, William drops into the one beside me. There’s a tense silence that passes between us, and I don’t like it. It’s uncomfortable.
Fuck, may as well get this over with. “Shooter’s not going to say anything,” I blurt out. When his eyes lift, meeting mine, I add, “If that’s what you’re worried about.”
Sighing heavily, William brushes his fingers through his hair. “I’m worried about a lot of things, and Shooter gossiping about what he saw isn’t high on the list.”
My brows pinch with confusion. “It’s not?”
“Not necessarily, no,” he mutters.
“Then why did you run out of my house earlier in such a hurry?”
“Colt…” The way he says my name, like it pains him, has my throat tightening. “Where do I even start? Aside from the obvious, that even being with you in an intimate way is a betrayal to my friendship with your father, how about the fact that you’re half my age?”
Annoyance flares in my chest. “Those are fucking coward excuses, and you know it.”
His eyes flash to mine, narrowing. “Excuse me?”
“It’s not a betrayal to your friendship,” I start, my pulse racing. “Do you have some romantic history between you two that I’m not aware of?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake, Colt,” he scoffs. If I wasn’t so irritated, I’d laugh. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Okay, didn’t think so. It’s not a betrayal.” Sitting forward, I press my elbows into my knees, my hands clasped in front of me. “Sure, he’d probably be kind of pissed if he found out, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. And who fucking cares if I’m half your age. I’m an adult, you’re an adult. Everything we’re doing is consensual, so why does it fucking matter?”
“Kind of pissed?” he balks. “Colt, have you met your father? He’d be more thankind of pissed. This is so much bigger than you and I being consenting adults, why can’t you see that? I’ve known you since you were a baby! You don’t see anything wrong with that?”
I huff. “Not really, no. It’s not like this started when I was a child, and you moved away when I was a teenager, William! It had been years since I last saw you before that night in Seattle.”
“You really think people would believe that?” he scoffs.
“Who fucking cares what people think!”
“Colt, I am a doctor!” he shouts before lowering his voice. “I am a goddamn professional, a respected member of this community. My reputation matters. I can’tnotcare what people think. Quit being so fucking ignorant. You may be able to live however you want, do whatever you want, and not give a fuck about how the world perceives you, but I don’t have that same luxury.”
