Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 63481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63481 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
“Are you upset?” Will said, breaking the silence that fell over the living room.
Gadiel shrugged, unable to look him in the eyes. Upset? Not really. There was disappointment, of course—he’d foolishly pinned so many hopes on Scott—but he didn’t feel anywhere near as disappointed as he probably should have.
Besides the strange, irrational panic building inside him, mostly he was just annoyed. And embarrassed. And angry. Did he mention embarrassed?
“He was wrong,” Gadiel said. “I don’t have a thing for you.”
Will blinked. “I meant the kidnapping attempt. Are you seriously more upset about what Scott said?”
Gadiel shrugged. “It’s hardly the first time someone has attempted to kidnap me. And Scott was wrong.”
“Okay,” Will said, his tone placating.
Gadiel glared at him, his face becoming hot when their gazes met. “Don’t patronize me. He was wrong. And I’m still angry with you, by the way. Very angry.”
Will’s lips twitched.
Gadiel narrowed his eyes. “Do you find it amusing?”
“It?” Will said with a straight face.
“You know what I mean. Don’t play dumb!”
“I’m not playing dumb,” Will said. “You could mean a number of things. For example, the end of your relationship with Scott—though it was never much of a relationship.”
That panic spiked again, as if Will had touched the subject close to the root of the problem, but it still remained elusive.
“Or did you mean your little crush on me?” Will said, looking away for a moment before meeting his eyes. “No, I don’t find it amusing. Actually, thanks to that, I foresee a lot of bitching and whining in my future. Scott isn’t easy to be around when his ego is wounded. He really was infatuated with you, though I think he was more infatuated with your pretty face than your personality.”
Gadiel looked away, trying not to show how much Will’s words hurt.
But Will must have still noticed something. He frowned. “He doesn’t know your personality. All he cared about was your pretty face.”
That made Gadiel feel a little better, but he still wanted more. He wanted to know what Will thought about him. He wanted Will to say that Scott had been an idiot not to fall in love with him because Gadiel was gorgeous, smart, wonderful, and good. But of course Will wouldn’t say that. Will didn’t see him that way. Gadiel’s crush was just an inconvenience for him.
“I don’t have a crush on you,” Gadiel bit out, trying to save what little of his pride remained. “Scott got it wrong.”
Will gave him a look Gadiel couldn’t quite read before looking away. “There’s no need to sound so defensive,” he said, his lips twitching. “You’re still a teen. It’s natural for teenagers to get silly crushes.”
Ugh, Will’s attitude was only pissing him off more. It felt so condescending, as if Gadiel wasn’t capable of anything deeper than a silly crush. It made Gadiel’s hands itch with the urge to scratch that amused little smirk off Will’s face—and then lick him and kiss him and bite him all over.
Fuck, he needed to get a grip.
“I’m not being defensive,” Gadiel ground out, lifting his chin. “I have nothing to be ashamed of. I do not have a crush on you. I’m a healthy nineteen-year-old who hasn’t had sex in months. The truth is, anyone with a pulse would do.”
“Right.”
God, that tone just rubbed him the wrong way.
It made Gadiel spitting mad. He wanted to shatter that confident, condescending look on Will’s face. He wanted to wipe it.
He knew how to wipe it. Will considered him an amusing little kid with a silly crush? He’d show him.
Gadiel heard himself say, “I’m entirely serious. Yes, I’m attracted to you. But I was attracted to Scott too. I’ve been attracted to hundreds of other men. It means shit. I don’t have a crush on you.” He smiled. “You don’t believe me? I’ll prove it to you.”
His brows furrowing, Will stepped closer. “What?”
“You’re my bodyguard,” Gadiel said. “It’s your job to keep me safe.”
Will nodded, his expression slightly bemused. He was no longer smirking. Good.
“Hooking up with strange men puts me in danger,” Gadiel said.
Will nodded again, but his expression was more wary now.
“So it’s your job to find me men I can safely hook up with,” Gadiel finished.
Will stared at him. And stared at him some more.
“You’re adorable, kid.”
Gadiel glowered at him. “I’m serious.”
“Sure you are,” Will said with an entirely condescending chuckle, practically rolling his eyes.
And Gadiel saw red.
“I want cock,” he ground out. “Any cock. Not yours. Any goddamn cock would do. You don’t believe me? I swear to every god out there, I’ll stop the first man I see and suck him off to prove it to you.” He was dead serious. He was mad enough to do it, just to prove a point to Will. To prove that he wasn’t a stupid kid with a stupid crush who shouldn’t be taken seriously.