Page 58 of Savage Ambition

He was already falling.

And God help me, the part of me Salvatore hadn’t yet managed to break yet wanted to catch him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SHAW

Istared at my textbook, the words blurring together. My trust fund could secure the best education money could offer, but it couldn’t purchase clarity about the mess I’d created between Dante and Jace. I could pay Dante’s astronomical hourly rate at Gennaro Corporation, but I couldn’t afford the consequences of Jace discovering the truth.

Trent knocked once before shouldering his way into my room, balancing a large pizza box and a six-pack of beer. “Sustenance for the sexually conflicted,” he announced, kicking the door shut. “Supreme with extra cheese. I figured you needed comfort food.”

The smell of hot pizza made my stomach growl. “Thanks. I was starting to consider my textbook as a potential food source.”

“That bad, huh?” Trent set everything on my desk, careful not to disturb the high-end laptop I’d splurged on last semester. He cracked open two beers and handed me one before dropping onto my king-sized bed with a slice already in hand. “So, are we gonna talk about it, or are we pretending nothing happened at the brothel?”

I took a long sip from the bottle, leaning back against the wall. Soft lighting cast shadows across the understated expensive furnishings Uncle Seymour had insisted on when I moved in. Unlike my miserly father, my uncle enjoyed spending his millions. “Depends on what ‘it’ is.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Trent’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Maybe the fact that President Dragon is actually Dante Gennaro, and you’ve been paying to fuck him while Jace runs around threatening to kill anyone who suggests you might be into men.”

The pizza slice stopped halfway to my mouth. “Uh…”

“What? Am I wrong?” He took another bite. “Cut the bullshit, Shaw. I saw the employee book at the brothel. President Dragon is Dante. The resemblance isn’t just uncanny, it’s fucking identical. Plus, you nearly shit yourself when Jace mentioned it.”

I set my food down, appetite gone. “Trent…”

“Relax,” he said, talking through a bite of pizza. “I’m not Jace. You know I’m not here to give you shit about hooking up with Dante. I meant it when I said I have eyes and am comfortable enough in my sexuality to acknowledge he’s one of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen. If he looked at me the same smoldering way he looks at you, I’d probably have a bisexual awakening.”

His lighthearted laughter eased my anxiety. “Dude, I get it. There’s been sexual tension between you two from the moment you met. You don’t have to explain it to me. Though I gotta say, paying to hook up with the guy you’ve been crushing on since high school is a bold move.”

Heat crawled up my neck. “I don’t know if bold is the right term.”

Trent grinned. “Can’t say I blame you. The guy is an objectively distracting sex god. I mean, damn. You’re only human, man. Quit being so hard on yourself for having the only logical reaction to being around that walking pheromone. Of course you’re going to have feelings for him. How do you not?”

“While I appreciate the support, can we not do this right now?” I sighed and stalled, eating the rest of my pizza. “My heart just isn’t ready.”

“When would you prefer to do it? After Jace figures it out and loses his fucking mind?” Trent gave me a sympathetic look. “Because that’s where this is heading, Shaw. Jace’s slow on the uptake because he’s living in the land of denial, but even he’ll figure it out eventually.”

“I know.” The admission felt like giving up. “I know, okay? But what am I supposed to do?”

“For starters, you could tell me what the hell is going on.” His voice softened. “I stood up for you that night. The least you could do is be straight with me.”

I snorted. “I’m not sure I can be straight with anyone.”

Trent rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean, smart-ass.”

“I didn’t get to ask before, but why did you bring up President Dragon after our visit? You knew it would set off Jace’s rage.”

“Because after my awesome orgasm, my last two brain cells foolishly thought it was a great way to try warming him up to the idea of you and Dante together when he was feeling just as good after having sex. I’m sorry I put you in such a bad spot. I really misjudged how livid he’d get.”

“It’s okay. I appreciate that you try to get through his thick skull, even when it backfires.” I took a swig of beer, glancing at the collection of Egyptian artifacts displayed on my bookshelf. They were one of the few things that weren’t still in storage. I could more than afford to move out, but after losing my parents, I found comfort in living with my uncle and cousin instead of being alone. “Fine. Yes, President Dragon is Dante. Yes, I’ve been paying to see him. And yes, I know how fucked-up that is.”

“For how long?”

“Since Jace’s birthday.”

Trent whistled low. “So while Jace was getting blown by Secretary Dominique, you were with Dante?”

I took several long swallows before answering. “Pretty much.”