“Stop it,” Asher muttered, leaning over to prod Cameron in the forehead with two fingers. “Whatever is going on in that head of yours, just stop it.”
Frowning, Cameron pushed his hand away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re still thinking about what happened at the restaurant.”
It would be childish to deny it, as well as a total lie. Cameron said nothing.
“Cam, let it go. You didn’t do anything wrong, and even if you had, there’s nothing you can do about it now.”
He was right, of course, which didn’t help at all. Cameron wasn’t the type of person to justlet it go. “They’re going to take what I said and twist it into something horrible.”
“Probably.”
“It’s going to be all over the internet by morning.”
Asher shrugged. “If it’s not already.”
Groaning, Cameron sank lower, sliding off the built-in bench until every inch of him was submerged. The skin that had been exposed to the chill of the night air stung asthe heated water churned around him. The roar of the jets battered his eardrums, blocking out everything else, and the recessed lights cast hues of blue and purple across his closed eyelids.
For one fleeting moment, nothing else existed, but it couldn’t last. Even if he could have held his breath forever, hiding wouldn’t change anything.
“Are you okay now?” Asher asked when he resurfaced with a gasp.
Sliding back onto the bench, Cameron wiped the water from his eyes and pushed his dripping hair back from his face. “Not really.” He would be, though. He had no other choice. “Do you think we’re doing the right thing by staying quiet?”
“We’re not staying quiet. That was the whole point of tonight.”
“Yeah, I know, but we didn’t even answer any questions about the trial, or what happened when you were a kid. I mean—” He shrugged defeatedly. “—did it really do any good?”
“Talon said—”
“I know what Talon said.” Sliding closer, Cameron stared up at him, searching his face for any clue as to what he was feeling. When Asher met his gaze, he said, “I’m asking whatyouthink.”
To his credit, Asher didn’t answer right away. He didn’t give Cameron one of his signature, roguish smilesor some flippant, witty comeback. In fact, he looked just as lost as Cameron felt.
“I don’t know,” he answered after what felt like an eternity. “I don’t know if we’re doing the right thing, because I don’t even know what the right thing is.” His voice was calm, even, but a world of pain shimmered in his eyes, darkening the bright amber. “I don’t know anything right now, which is why I have to trust that Talon does.”
The part of Cameron that needed control and order wanted an immediate solution. He wanted a clear course of action with logical steps and concise rules. A list of pros and cons would be a bonus. Yet, in their current situation, normal protocols didn’t seem to apply, and no matter how he tried to rationalize it, nothing made sense.
“Yeah, okay,” he relented, cuddling into Asher’s side and burying his face against his neck. “I guess you’re right. I just hate it.”
“I know you do, Cam.” Asher shifted around, pulling him more securely into his arms, and began stroking his hair. “I hate it, too.”
They fell silent after that, and though Cameron did his best to quiet his restless mind, uneasy thoughts kept intruding on the moment. He worried about what the blogs and articles would say about him, about Asher. He wondered if he’d done more damage than good by speaking his mind. He quietly raged at Landon Dwyer and Kyle Anders for starting the whole mess in the first place,and he contemplated how much longer the madness would last.
“You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?” A hint of amusement tinted Asher’s sleepy voice.
He winced. “Sorry.”
“Mmm,” Asher hummed as he skimmed his fingers down Cameron’s spine. “Maybe you need a distraction.”
From the wandering hands on his body to the naked cock swelling against his hip, Cameron didn’t need to buy a vowel to know exactly the kind of distraction Asher meant. He played along anyway.
“Oh? What did you have in mind? Maybe trivia? Or a board game?” He sat up and tilted his head. “Do you even have board games?”
Strong arms wrapped around his middle, lifting him easily out of the water and sliding him across Asher’s thighs. “Cameron?”
He couldn’t help but laugh at the disgruntled look on Asher’s face. “Yes?”
