Cason snorted. “You don’t need my permission.”
“It’s just for some drinks. A jazz band is playing tonight.”
“Jazz?” Cason arched a brow.
“It’s not my thing, I admit. But Jay enjoys it, and it’s not too bad.”
“I hope you have fun.” His gaze dropped to my mouth.
“Same to you.” I touched his chin. “Don’t get too wild with all the pizza and zombie games.”
He grinned. “I’ll try not to. Guess I better go.”
“Text me when you make it to the college. So I know you made it safely.”
“Will do.”
We kissed again before he left. I changed from my casual clothes to something a little nicer—a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. I had a quick bite to eat and then left to meet Jay.
The street was crowded, and I had to park in a lot several buildings away from the cigar bar. The muggy air clung to me as I walked down the sidewalk. A group of girls laughed as they passed, one of them talking about having sex with a guy who had a Tic Tac–sized penis.
I grinned and went inside the 906. Jay sat at the same table as last time and waved me over. He didn’t have a drink in front of him yet.
“You look hot,” he said, eyeing me up and down.
“Thanks.” I sat across from him and told the waiter I wanted a beer.
Jay ordered the same as me, being sure to hold contact with the waiter long enough to send the poor kid away from the table in a flustered mess. Satisfied with himself, he smirked and leaned back in his chair.
“You’re such a playboy.”
“And proud of it,” Jay responded, before looking toward the stage where the band was preparing their set. “What made you want to go out with me tonight? Boy troubles?”
“No.” The waiter brought our beers, and I took a swig. “Not exactly.”
“Well, that’s ayes,” Jay said, before taking a drink of his beer. “Tell me.”
“I told Cason I love him.”
He’d been about to take another drink and stilled his hand, his brows shooting upward. “Do you? Love him?”
I nodded.
“Kinda soon for that, don’t you think? It’s been, what, a month?”
“Almost two months,” I corrected and then rubbed the back of my neck where it’d become suddenly tense. “But, fuck, I know. It’s soon. And complicated. Ryan is just now talking to me again after the blowup with you. I don’t want to lose him again, but I’m in too deep with Cason to turn back now.” I released a sharp breath before meeting Jay’s curious gaze. “Tell me what to do.”
“Okay, first of all, chill out.” Jay nodded to the bottle in front of me. “And drink more beer.”
I took a drink and waited for him to say more, bouncing my leg. Damn, I was a nervous wreck. I normally kept my problems to myself, so it was strange talking to someone about them.
“Ryan loves you,” Jay continued, ignoring the busty brunette that walked way too slowly past our table to get his attention. “He might be a moody teenager who’s cold one second and hot the next, but he loves you. He got so pissed at you because of how he found out about us.”
“Thanks for the recap, Foley, but I know all of that.”
“Thenhearwhat I’m saying, you bastard,” he said, his green eyes pinned to me. “If you keep this lie going, it’s going to bite you in the ass. Because hewillfind out, and when he does, he’ll feel betrayed and hurt just like last time but only worse, becausethistime you’re with his best friend. You need to tell him before that happens.”
“He won’t take it well,” I said, before downing more of my beer. I’d need several more before the night was over. “Cason isn’t out. That’s another hurdle. I can’t exactly tell Ryan we’re together when I’d be outing Cason in the process. This is so fucked-up.”
