Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 112917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Impressionable teens were one thing. Messing with my reputation and causing a public relations situation was another.
Landry sat up straighter. “And I’ll hire someone to beat the shit out of you because I’m not that nice.”
JK’s jaw dropped open. “No one? Bro. We need to get you laid. You can do it at my place. There’s no cameras or nothin’.”
I could only imagine the state of JK and his roommate’s bachelor apartment at the edge of town. “Um, no, thanks.”
Pearl smacked him on the chest. “With who? You think he’s suddenly going to give it up for the one good-looking gay guy in Barlo?” She glanced at Grace’s brother. “No offense, Hayden, but you’re jailbait.”
“N-no,” the poor kid stammered. “I-I didn’t say anything. H-he… I…”
I mouthed the word sorry at him, but it only made him blush harder and mutter something about the heat and smoke from the fire.
I tried to change the subject. “Can we stop talking about my sex life, please?”
JK wasn’t ready to let it go. He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at Landry. “What about these guys? Your friends from Yale? Surely you all…”
“Ew,” Silas said, exaggerating.
“Hook up with these guys? Nooo.” Landry pretended to gag before flicking his hair over his shoulder. “They’re all leg-shackled now. Monogamous as fuck, like the straights. Besides, hookups are a surefire way to complicate a… a friendship.”
I looked at Landry curiously. He spoke like he knew this from experience, and by process of elimination, there was only one person he could be talking about. More than once over the past couple of years, he’d let something slip that made me think he and Kenji had slept together, but I’d never asked either of them directly. Kenji wouldn’t answer, and Landry would only turn it into a joke. Besides, it was infamous among the brotherhood that Landry annoyed the fuck out of Kenji.
But then again, I’d worked hard to hide my crush on Bear, and all that strong emotion Kenji displayed might be less about dislike and more about fighting an inconvenient attraction.
“Okay, but… why not just do it once?” Grace said, turning toward Landry. “You’re both single. You could pop his cherry, right?”
Landry squinted at me as if assessing the possibility.
I glared at him. “You wish.”
He shrugged. “I mean, I’d do ya. And JK so generously offered us a camera-free zone, which sounds romantic as all heckity.”
“Don’t fake a Southern accent,” I said with a laugh. “You’ll make someone choke on their beer.”
Landry winked at me. Pearl sighed. “The more I think about it, the more I think it’s kind of nice. You’re saving yourself for someone special.”
I barked out a laugh. “I’m definitely not. I’d have sex tomorrow if I could ensure it wouldn’t end up on the internet.”
Landry made a big production about looking at his watch. “I do have some free time in the morning.”
I felt more than heard Bear shift his weight behind me again. Suddenly, I felt light-headed and vaguely sick. Ryan Galloway—my Bear—the man I had a secret and all-consuming crush on, had just found out my most embarrassing secret.
I was a world-famous rock star.
And a complete and total virgin.
I felt my eyes drift closed as I tried to decide whether to take off running and attempt to lose myself in the scraggly woods at the end of Gran’s street.
Landry must have caught the look on my face because he turned to Pearl. “You said there was one good-looking gay guy in Barlo. Were you talking about me, or do I need to get someone’s number? Because, like I said, I do have a few hours free in the morning…”
Silas immediately began giving him hell for his playboy ways and rolled right into a story from Yale about the time Landry had decided to try being straight for a month.
“It was Lent,” Landry said with a sniff. “You’re supposed to give up something good.”
“You’re not Catholic,” Silas pointed out.
I tried to let my embarrassing moment go, but I couldn’t. My entire face prickled as I tried not to make eye contact with anyone. Revealing personal information wasn’t something I was used to doing without careful consideration, but I didn’t want my cousins to have a false impression of me and think my life was a stereotypical rock star bang-fest. I worked my ass off, and I spent more time worrying about getting a full eight hours of sleep and staying hydrated than I did trying to get laid.
After a few more minutes and more topic changes, I took the opportunity to go into the house to use the bathroom. I ignored Bear as he trailed me silently. When I came out of the hall bathroom, I was surprised to see Grace’s little brother waiting outside.
“It’s all yours,” I said, gesturing toward the powder room door.