Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 140629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 703(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
But all of Noah’s attention was on Mike as he stepped forward with a flush darkening his tan skin, which made the lightning-shaped scars spreading across his cheek appear even paler than they were. The terrible accident that had drowned Gunner in crippling debt and tied him to Snowman and the gang he worked for left scars all over Noah’s body, and even on his face, but he seemed stronger and healthier than ever when he stood in front of Gunner with both hands on his hips.
“This is really uncalled for. Give the guy a break!”
Only then it occurred to Gunner that to Noah he was just a stranger, not the older brother he was meant to look up to.
Mike rolled his eyes. “You should take your break now. Maybe he’ll suck your dick as a thank-you.”
Noah scowled and rubbed his wide, freckled nose. “See you in fifteen. Let’s go, hm?” He pointed to the door, and Gunner took this opportunity to exit, but there wasn’t much dignity to it.
He might still have his personality, but what was that good for when he couldn’t challenge neither Doherty nor Mike? His pride was deteriorating, and he questioned every fashion choice he’d made today.
“Thanks for butting in,” he mumbled as they left, his gaze stopping on the store’s logo at the front of Noah’s T-shirt. Had he recently started working for Mike?
Noah was such a good kid. He didn’t have to step in but had still chosen to challenge his boss to help out a perfect stranger. The brown freckles sprinkled across his nose and cheeks made Noah look very young, but when he met Gunner’s gaze, walking him out of the store and into the afternoon sun, he seemed so put together it made Gunner ashamed of his own lewd actions.
Suddenly, he wanted to cover himself with something big and baggy, straight from Caspian’s ugly wardrobe, but Noah made him sit on a bench in front of a fountain close to the mall entrance and rested alongside him. Even seated, the seventeen-year-old who usually reached up to Gunner’s shoulder, was taller than him.
“I’m really sorry. They’re douchebags.”
“I can see. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Gunner hid his face in his hands as dark thoughts swirled in his head, replacing the earlier cotton candy. He’d been so preoccupied with presenting cute and getting his belly full of pancakes that he forgot all about his responsibility to Noah.
With their father dead and Noah’s mom earning peanuts at her two jobs, Gunner had been the one to take on the burden of paying for Noah’s medical bills, and the physiotherapy that had brought him back into shape and prevented him from having a limp for the rest of his life. The massive sum Gunner had borrowed from Snowman and his boss paid for it all, but it kept mounting up, and who would take care of it if not Gunner?
Who would make sure Noah had a chance for a better, more honest life when the accident had already put him at a disadvantage financially and with school? Caspian was too self-absorbed to continue paying off the debt and would surely disappear on Noah and his mom, leaving them to deal with the fallout.
Noah’s hand moved up and down Gunner’s back. “Don’t worry. Mike’s super-hot but has the personality of a turd. You’re better off finding someone else.”
Gunner’s self-flagellating thoughts came to a halt, and he looked up, meeting his brother’s dark brown eyes.
Had Noah just complimented Mike Choi’s physique?
What?
“I just… I thought I had it in the bag. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m sorry. I’m wasting your break.” Gunner stared at the lilac shoes he’d considered cute only an hour back yet now wasn’t so sure about.
Noah patted his shoulder and got up with a snort. “It’s okay. Plenty more fish in the sea. I heard Grindr is where it’s at.” He winked at Gunner and walked off, leaving him stunned.
How did his little brother know such things?
From Mike Choi, no doubt, but there was no point in focusing on that when Gunner didn’t know how much time he still had in this new body. Maybe he should listen to Noah and… take the plunge?
He decided to forget the hurtful words and ignore the intrusive thoughts about whether his new style made him ridiculous or sexy in a “gay” way, and stared at Caspian’s expensive phone. He’d seen Caspian’s message exchanges on the hook-up app before, but now that he was considering finding a partner for himself, he wasn’t sure how to approach that daunting task. Taking new photos, ones that presented his real self, should be a good start.
But all plans died in his mind when he entered Caspian’s profile on the app and saw that the bastard had replaced the unknown hunk that had featured there before with photos of… Gunner. Or himself. However that worked now.