Page 54 of See My Words

“Come on, beautiful,” Chris murmured to him, holding out his hand. “You cooked, they clean, we play.”

Minh, immediately diverted, squealed in delight as Chris yanked him to his feet and into his arms, dancing him out onto the patio where the music was still playing softly.

Rylan watched them for a moment, grateful to Chris for keeping Minh distracted. Not like it was going to be any hardship; he snorted to himself as Minh promptly went into full sex-kitten mode, undulating his lithe body against Chris’s, his sensuous movements bringing a heated flush to Chris’s cheeks.

Rylan and Scott cleaned the kitchen in silence, and when Rylan went out to the patio to make sure the grill was turned off and the grates brushed, he discovered that Chris and Minh had shed all their clothes and were in the Jacuzzi, wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Jesus,” Scott muttered at his shoulder. “They didn’t waste any time.”

“Nope.” Rylan grinned as he closed the cover on the grill and tiptoed after Scott back into the house. “It’s awesome. They’ll have some hot fun tonight, which is what they both need.” He went out into the living room to make sure the front door was locked and all the lights off, and when he returned, Scott was nowhere in sight.

Rylan picked up the half-full wineglass he’d left on the kitchen island and took a sip. Time to start chipping away at the thick walls Scott had thrown up around himself and hope he could get back in. With a last peek out at the patio and the figures now entwined on one of the oversized chaise lounges next to the pool, Rylan put his wineglass in the sink and made his way upstairs.

“Mmmm,” Rylan said, joining Scott on the balcony. “Shame on you for spying.” Down below on the chaise, Minh was on top of Chris, between Chris’s widespread legs, his hips circling as he ground down against him. Chris clutched his ass, encouraging him.

Scott shrugged, a half smile tilting up the corner of his lips. “If the shoe were on the other foot, Minh would be sitting in the Jacuzzi with a glass of wine, giving us sex tips and enjoying his ringside seat. At least with us up here, they can pretend they have some privacy.”

Minh kissed his way down Chris’s body until his head was buried between Chris’s thighs, and Chris tangled his fingers in Minh’s silky black hair, his neck arching back and mouth falling open as Minh swallowed him to the root.

“Damn, that’s hot.” Rylan nudged Scott with his shoulder, and Scott snorted.

“Yeah. You realize that in the space of twenty-four hours, he’s now had three different dicks down his throat. Slut much?”

Rylan sighed. “There’s that word again.” Scott shot him a questioning glance, and Rylan said, “Slut. Whore.”

“If the shoe fits…”

Rylan leaned his hip on the railing, facing him. “I hate those words, though. It used to bother me a lot when I’d hear Heather slut-shamed so much.”

Scott tensed, a muscle in his jaw starting to tick, but before he could say anything, Rylan went on, “She wasn’t a slut. She was a sheltered, naïve, young girl who didn’t stand a chance against—”

“A monster?” Scott’s voice was guttural, and Rylan put his hand on his corded forearm, praying for the wisdom to go through the door he’d just impulsively opened. This was dangerous territory, and he knew it.

“A thoughtless, inconsiderate, immature, selfish young man. He wasn’t a nice guy, Scott, by any stretch of the imagination. But hardly a monster.”

Rylan stroked Scott’s arm. “Whenever I think about all this, the only person I blame one hundred percent is Heather’s mom. She’s the one who let her down, who wasn’t there to love her child unconditionally when Heather made the biggest mistake of her life by trusting the wrong person.”

Scott pushed off the railing with a violent motion and stalked back into the bedroom. Rylan followed, closing the door to the balcony gently behind him, his heart aching. He’d started this, and now he’d have to finish it.

Your instincts are spot-on when it comes to him. Minh’s voice echoed in Rylan’s mind. Trust yourself.

“But it wasn’t a mistake that had to ruin her life,” he said to Scott’s rigid back. “If her mother hadn’t let blind devotion to fucking religion turn her against her vulnerable, scared child—”

Scott threw himself down onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. His face was white, his lips a thin line, but Rylan took comfort in the fact he hadn’t demanded he shut up, or get out. Yet.

Rylan didn’t try to approach him. “When she was kicked out and went to live with her friend, she was seventeen years old with a newborn baby. No education, no job prospects, no support—I can’t even begin to imagine how terrified she was. Those asshole brothers saw that and took advantage of her, and she did what she had to do to keep a roof over both of your heads. She was trying to keep you with her. Maybe, just maybe, she was trying to be—a mom.”

“A mom?” Scott barked out a scornful laugh. “Your definition of mom and mine are worlds apart, Rylan. She did it to save her own ass, that’s all.”

“It’s all in the way you look at it, Scott. She could have abandoned you somewhere. She could have left you by the side of the road, or at a fire station; I don’t know. But she didn’t, and her body was the only currency she had. She’s not a slut.”

“You’re crazy.” Scott sat up and glared at him. “You met her. You saw her.”

The memory of that night Rylan spent huddled in Scott’s arms while they listened to Heather screwing a stranger in the next bedroom crashed over him and he flinched. Scott noticed and sneered. “Still don’t think she’s a slut?”

Rylan gripped his knees. “What’s that saying? Self-fulfilling prophecy? So many people passing judgment, calling her names, until she didn’t even know who she was anymore.” He went to sit on the edge of the bed. “Imagine if instead of insults and judgment, she’d had someone early on to understand, to listen, to help. Just one person to say ‘Everyone makes mistakes, Heather. Yes, you ended up in a terrible situation, but you did what you had to do in order to take care of yourself and your baby. You’re not a bad person.’”

Scott turned his head away. “You live in a fucking dream world, Rylan. She’s a bitch.”