Page 53 of Brought By the Storm

Chapter Seventeen

Eric

Once Stefan had left the room to speak with Carrington, I saw that Mateo had a mischievous smile. “So? Have you two done any more together since I last saw you?”

“You know I don’t like to talk about that,” I answered. “It’s kind of disrespectful to the other person, don’t you think?”

“You’ve told me about what you’ve done with other guys,” he noted. “Or more accurately, what you haven’t done.”

“Ha-ha,” I snapped. “Well, I didn’t care about those guys.”

He beamed. “Ooh, so you care about Carrington, huh? That’s a development.”

I nodded, afraid that admitting it would jinx me. “Yeah, I do. He’s nothing like he was when I first met him. He’s so sweet and protective. I can’t believe he’s interested in me.”

Mateo frowned. “Stop it! You’re one of the cutest guys I’ve ever met. I’ve told you that a million times, but you just refuse to see it.”

“You’re biased.”

“Fuck I am,” he retorted. “I thought it from the day I met you.”

“I won’t age well, remember?” I shot, recalling his comment to me on the patio.

He rubbed a hand across his jaw. “I told you I was sorry for saying that. Hell, what do I know about it? I might be the one who looks like the crypt keeper in ten years. I was just trying to put a sense of urgency in you.”

I shrugged. “Well, for whatever reason, Carrington seems to like the way I look, too.”

“Of course, he does,” Mateo asserted. “He’s not blind. Only you have that impairment. Then again, you noticed he’s hot, so I guess your eyesight isn’t that bad.”

I grinned, feeling the heat rise to my face. “He is hot, isn’t he? God, you should see him naked.”

“Okay. Lead the way,” he joked, pretending to walk to the room Carrington was in.

I laughed. “You aren’t bored with Stefan already, are you?”

“Hell no,” he responded. “He’s the finest man I’ve ever been with. Dude, he’s a calendar pin-up come to life.”

“But do you like him?” I asked, wondering if there was anything between them beyond sexual chemistry.

Mateo’s expression softened. “I do. He was a little hard to get to know at first, but he and I seem to have clicked. He doesn’t talk much about his modeling or his life back home, but he’s told me a lot about places he’s been, books he’s read, movies he likes and his thoughts on politics. Did you know his home country was once part of the Soviet Union?”

I tried not to roll my eyes. “Yes.”

Mateo shrugged. “Well, you always were the smart one. Anyway, he’s very kind once you get to know him.”

“Do you want to keep it going?”

He nodded. “I would. I don’t know what he wants, though. It will be tough with him living so far away and always on the road for modeling assignments.”

I felt a wave of guilt that I was complicit in the lies we were telling about Stefan and Carrington. “Um, yeah. I get that.”

Mateo sighed. “Yes, I guess you do because you want it to continue with Carrington too, don’t you?”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Yes.”

He clapped my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. “Then I hope it happens for you. It’s about time. Listen, don’t be so afraid of sex with him that you become like a brother to him—like you did with me. I’m sure you think you’ve gone full throttle with the guy, but he might think what you’ve done is foreplay.”

I cast my eyes down, biting my lip. “Um, I doubt he thinks that.”