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He advanced on the door, and I took a step back. I was taller and bigger than him, but the fury in his eyes said he could have fucked me up, even with a gun in my hand. Before I could open my mouth to retort, he slammed the door in my face. Fucking jackass. Our exchange pissed me off. Not only because he was a dick but also because he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His flawless brown skin, kissable lips, and bright eyes, even when brimming with anger, were beautiful. And his body. Jesus, his body. He wasn’t big like me, but he was cut. The lean muscles of his chest and abs and the defined muscles of his quads stood out, even though I only got a brief glimpse.
Shaking myself, I went downstairs and grabbed my phone from my bag. I slid my thumb across the screen to unlock it and pulled up Cassie’s contact information. I pressed call and waited for her to answer. Her phone rang three times before her excited voice washed over me. “Big brother! This is a surprise! How are you?”
Usually, when I called Cassie, I would answer in much the same way, with enthusiasm and a warm voice. Not today. I was irritated with that fucker upstairs talking down to me and how my body reacted to him. “Who the fuck did you invite to our cabin?”
“Excuse me?” she asked. “I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, but you need to fix your tone. I am your sister, and you will respect me. If you want to ask me something, ask, but shelve the attitude.”
Of course, she was right. I shouldn’t have come at her like that, and I said as much. “I’m sorry, Cassie. You’re right.”
“Apology accepted, big brother. Now let’s go back. What are you doing at the cabin? I thought you had a case.”
Whenever I didn’t want to come for a visit, I told my family I had a big case I was working on. I hated lying to them, but I was trying to establish myself in my career. Vacations could wait.
“I needed some time off and wanted to get away from South Carolina. I was going to call and tell you after I got some rest,” I lied. I hated lying to her most of all, but I didn’t want her to think I didn’t want to see her. I did, but I wanted to be alone for a while first. Not like that would happen now, though.
“Aww, that’s sweet. But I’m not heading up there. You know I hate driving, and I hate driving up there by myself even more. Maybe you can come down here before you leave? Momma and Pop will be thrilled to see you. They should be back from Italy next week.”
I rolled my eyes. I definitely didn’t want to see my parents next week. They’d fuss over me being a cop and hound me about finding a safer profession. That made me pause because any other time I thought about them asking me to find another job, I would get aggravated, hating how much they got on me about being in law enforcement. This time, though, I started to mull it over a bit. It was dangerous being an FBI agent, and not just physically. My mental health took a hit from this case. They might have been onto something.
“I’ll think about it. I’ll probably come in a few weeks. Now, who is this man in the cabin?”
She sighed into the phone. “That’s my best friend. He had a really tough day last week, and me, Momma, and Pop thought it would do him some good to get away. His boyfriend cheated on him and—”
“He’s gay?” I closed my eyes and cursed myself. Fuck. This wasn’t a good idea. The beautiful man upstairs liked men. It wasn’t a good idea for me at all. Not that I would try anything, but now I could imagine the possibility. I did not like him, but I couldn’t deny how good he looked.
Cassie hadn’t said anything for close to thirty seconds, so I thought she had hung up. “Hello?” I spoke hesitantly.
“Luke, I love you, I really do, but if you give him shit about being gay, I will kill you. He is the most genuine person I’ve ever met, and his sexual orientation is not up for discussion. He needed a break, so I gave him the cabin so he could get his head on straight. If you have a fucking problem with that, you can leave. I won’t tolerate homophobia. Not even from you.”
“What? No, that’s not what I meant. I was only asking… I’m saying… he… he doesn’t look gay.” I slammed my eyes shut, hating that the sentence even crossed my lips. What the fuck does gay look like? I’d known many gay men when I was active duty. They looked like men. They didn’t have a ‘look’ that pegged them as gay.
“Good-fucking-bye, Luke,” Cassie gritted out, then hung up the phone. I deserved that. Cassie rarely cursed, and she dropped two f-bombs in one conversation. That was bad. I would call her later to explain, but I was too confused about how I was feeling to get into it.
“You get the answers you were looking for?” I heard from above me. I looked up to see him leaning over the loft’s railing, with sweatpants and no shirt. I swallowed heavily and tried not to let my eyes roam over his chest and lean abs. He had a slight smirk on his lips, but it was far from friendly. He looked like he wanted to say a lot more, judging from how his jaw was clenched. I swallowed again and answered him. “Yeah, Cassie told me who you were. I’m sorry I—”
“I already told you, fuck your apology. I don’t like repeating myself. This cabin is big enough for us to not run into each other. I’ll stay upstairs, and you can stay downstairs. I’ll avoid you in the kitchen and use it when you’re done. Don’t want my gay to rub off on you.”
Before I could clarify what I meant or that I didn’t mean it, he turned on his heels and walked into his room, slamming the door. I really didn’t like that guy.
Chapter6
Tristan
You would have thought that Lucas, coming from a family as fantastic and open-minded as Cass and her parents, wouldn’t be a homophobe. The disgust in his tone when he asked if I was gay cut deep. I didn’t know him, but I always wanted to meet the man Cass talked about constantly. She looked up to him, and I thought he and I could have a friendship of sorts because of her. That wasn’t going to happen now. I still wanted to know what he meant by me not looking gay. I looked like a regular dude. Sure, there were some men who were more feminine, but even that didn’t mean they were gay. True, I didn’t fit the bullshit stereotype of what a gay man is supposed to look like, but I only liked dick. I could be ‘masculine’ and like dick. That would make me gay. Which I was.
I cursed to myself, cutting off my inner rambling. I was pissed I let that comment get under my skin. I had been through a lot since I came out to my parents, and they kicked me out. Luckily for me, I was only homeless for a month before I went off to college. Couch-hopping was not fun, especially when some of my friends had to hide me because their parents knew my parents and would tell them where I was. And my parents would tell their parents they kicked me out because I was gay. It was hellish, but I made it through.
Facing some of the slurs on campus was tough, especially directed at those who ‘looked gay.’ I stood up for those guys as much as I could. I hated a bully, and I hated people being picked on for who they chose to love. I didn’t get as much shit because I was bigger than some of those other men—though I’m not huge—and I made it known I wouldn’t take any shit. But the whispers, the threats, and the disgust I saw took a toll. It took my first love, my college boyfriend, to get me out of that defensive space. He was an out baseball player, and that was rare in college. But he didn’t apologize for it. People respected him for that, and when we started dating, I got a lot more respect. I stopped apologizing for being myself.
I scooped up my phone and shot a message to Cass.
Me:Met your brother. He’s a delight. *eye roll*
Cass:What happened? You okay?
Me:I’m fine. Nothing like having a gun pulled on you before ten in the morning.
Instead of a text, my phone rang in my hand. I sighed and plopped down on the bed. I probably should have left the gun part out. “Good morning, love,” I answered in a defeated tone.
