Page 82 of See My Words

Rylan tucked his head under Scott’s chin with a sigh, burrowing his nose into the hollow of his throat. “I love you. I love you so much.”

And even though Scott didn’t say the words back, Rylan felt his love in the lips that grazed his forehead, the fingers that combed with aching tenderness through his hair, the hoarse whisper in his ear. “Sleep, baby. Just sleep.”

Chapter Thirteen

“WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CLUB last night?”

Scott couldn’t help but tense at Rylan’s question. He stalled, stretching and sliding his thigh between Rylan’s before pulling him closer. All the relaxation he’d gotten from their brief nap dissipated in an instant, although he did his best to sound unconcerned as he replied, “Just had a run-in with a thirsty fan. I was not in the mood.”

Rylan pushed himself up on one elbow, looking down at him, and Scott smiled at the red wrinkles that crisscrossed his cheek from where it’d been pressed into the pillow. He reached up to brush his fingers over them.

Rylan grabbed his hand and kissed his palm, saying firmly, “I want to know what happened. Tell me.”

Scott sighed, flopping over onto his back. “It’s embarrassing, Ry, you know? This guy, I—” He flung his arm up over his eyes, trying to hide. “Um, a few months ago, he—I—he sucked me off in the gym parking lot, in my car.”

A short pause, and then Rylan said slowly, “Okay. So last night he was—what? Looking for a repeat?”

“It wasn’t even that so much.” Scott blew out a breath, leaving his arm in place so he wouldn’t have to look at Rylan. “It actually happened that night I first ran into you at Pride. After I took you home, I went to the gym, and—and this guy was there, and he was all starry-eyed and shit. It was flattering, Ry.”

He lowered his arm. Rylan’s eyes were steady on his as Scott admitted, “I used him. Seeing you again, and that picture of Heather, brought all these bad feelings crashing down on my head, and this guy—he was there and willing and I used him to make myself feel better.”

“But he thought it meant something.”

Scott nodded miserably. “Apparently he thought it meant I was interested in him. When he came up to me last night, at first I didn’t remember him at all, so he got really pissed. Called me an asshole; said instead of wasting my time on pieces of shit like Lance and all the other club fuckboys, I could be with someone who’d treat him right.”

Rylan grimaced at that. “Jesus. He sounds a little—off.”

“I bought him a drink and danced with him, hoping to smooth things over. But afterward, he followed me all over the club, criticizing everything I do, everything I’ve posted on my social media accounts, giving me his opinion on what I should have done or should do from now on.” Scott paused. “It freaked me out a little, to be honest.”

“With good reason.” Rylan’s voice was firm. “I hope Corey threw him out.”

“No. I turned around and told the dude to leave me the fuck alone, and Corey happened to be passing by and heard me. Took me aside and reamed me out without even listening to my side of it, just yelled that there’s no excuse for being rude to fans.”

Rylan’s lips twisted in disgust, and he lay back down against Scott’s chest, draping his arm over him. “I’d say he was acting more like a stalker than a fan.”

Scott snorted. “That’s exactly what I said, Ry, almost word for word. Corey got red in the face, told me to go home till I could appreciate what I have. Since I didn’t want to be there anyway, I got my shit and came home.”

He pulled Rylan closer, feeling his solid warmth against him.

“I imagine you’ll run into this sort of thing more and more as your visibility increases,” Rylan said sleepily. “Corey needs to take steps to protect you from the crazy ones, and that starts with like, you know, listening when you say someone makes you uncomfortable or gives you a bad vibe.” He shuddered. “Especially after what happened.”

Scott felt a corresponding shiver of unease move through him. “I had Jerry walk me to my car,” he mumbled. “I felt fuckin’ stupid about it, but hearing you say it—”

Rylan pushed up on his elbow again, his eyes fierce. “If Corey wants you to be so accessible, giving you a cell phone just for fans and requiring you to be ‘polite’ at all costs, then he can damn well make sure you have someone watching your back. Jesus.”

Scott grabbed him and rolled him over, coming down over top of him. “So protective,” he growled against Rylan’s lips. “You gonna be my sexy bodyguard?”

Rylan wrapped his arms around his neck and arched against him, spreading his legs to make room for Scott between them. “Since I can’t take my eyes off you no matter where we are, I’d say I’m definitely the most qualified.”

“Mmm. Sweet Ry,” Scott whispered, lowering his head to give him a gentle kiss. They rocked together, straining to get closer, arousal ramping up to a fever pitch. Rylan dug his fingers into Scott’s back as he came hard, his hoarse moans in Scott’s ear and the feel of him pulsing against him bringing Scott’s own orgasm sweeping over him in a hot rush.

Rylan gave him a sleepy smile before nestling against his shoulder, throwing one leg over both of Scott’s. They cuddled, dozing in and out until Rylan suddenly sat up. “Oh, shit. For the life of me, I don’t know what made me think of this right now but—no, it’s nothing bad,” he rushed to say as Scott tensed. “Shh, relax.” He rubbed his palm over Scott’s chest and described the email he’d gotten from Garrett.

“He replied to my original email about you a month ago,” Rylan said, his tone rueful and apologetic. “I feel like shit for not remembering to tell you, but yes, the boys are absolutely looking forward to hearing from you. They want you to make the first move, though.”

Scott bit his lip. “Understandable. Wow, Ry, I—what should I say?” He could hear how anxious he sounded, and Rylan combed his fingers through Scott’s hair.

“If it were me, I’d start with hi and tell them I’m okay. Ask about their lives. Go from there.” Rylan’s eyes were soft with understanding.