Page 14 of High

I chuckled. Leaning over to brush Manny’s bangs off his forehead, I shoved myself from the mattress and headed toward the connected bathroom. It took some effort to get my clothes off, but it wasn’t as painful as the feel of the water cascading on my injury. Hissing, I grabbed a washcloth and ran it over my arm, avoiding contact with the really sore areas.

The door opened gently, and I glanced through the glass shower at Manny, who stood hesitantly at the threshold. We’d seen each other naked a few times over the years, but we’d never actually done anything with each other. Before his father locked him away, I’d admitted to him that I liked him as more than a friend, and he’d done the same, and I’d planned on telling him more—like I wanted him to live with me permanently—but then everything went to hell. Now he stood there, eyes squinting, and his mouth twisted like he didn’t know whether he wanted to yell at me or not.

I flipped off the switches to the shower and opened the door, stepping out. His gaze immediately rose to the injury on my arm, and he shook his head.

“I didn’t think he’d hurt you.” Manny glanced down my body, and I didn’t miss the way he stopped on my soft cock, a light blush working its way across his bronze cheeks.

I snorted. “Don Antonio isn’t who he used to be.”

Manny leaned against the marble sink countertop and curled his arms around himself. His jaw twitched and he lowered his head. “What happened between them, Thio? Between Papá and Tío Luis?”

I shook my head and grabbed the towel hanging on a bar right outside the shower. Wrapping the thick cloth around my waist with an injured arm wasn’t easy, and Manny didn’t offer any help, but I managed to get it tied there. Water clung to my chest, but I didn’t bother wiping it down as I stepped closer to him.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said.

He turned outraged eyes on me, the browns of his irises dark and stormy. “I was locked up like a prisoner for over four years, and you sit here in your nice bathroom and tell me it doesn’t matter? It fucking does matter. Mierda!”

I reached for him, but he backed away from me, glaring. “Manny….”

“Tell me. Tell me what happened.”

“I can’t.” I gritted my jaw so hard that I expected my teeth to shatter. “I can’t, hermoso. It’s business.”

“And I’m not entitled to know your business?” He reared forward and poked me on the chest with his fingertip, then paused and let his eyes trail down the thin pink scar that ran from below my right ear, over my shoulder, and stopped just above my pec. “What happened to you, Thio?”

Lots of things, but I couldn’t begin to tell him my journey to becoming the jefe I was now. I’d changed from the young man Manny knew. I’d grown to be tough, a man others feared, and the only time I could be the softer side of myself had been with my family, and now Manny.

“Listen.” I cupped his face, and this time he didn’t move away. His cheeks were so warm, and it felt good to touch him like this again. I hated the injury on his face, though. Ryan would need to look at him too. I’d missed everything about Manny, from his soft skin to the way he stared up at me with those big brown eyes of his. “I would like nothing more than to tell you, but I shouldn’t. It would put you in danger. This is my life now, Manny. I’m the jefe of the Reyes Cartel. I… do things that the old me never did. I need you to understand that in order to protect you, hermoso, I can’t tell you a lot of things I’d like to.”

“Why?” He sucked in his bottom lip and touched my chest, his finger tracing the scar there.

“Because we have enemies and they aren’t good people. They’d take you from me and ruin you to hurt me. I won’t let that happen.”

He shook his head and shoved away from me. “So I’ve gone from being Papá’s prisoner to yours?”

“No.” I sighed and didn’t bother reaching for him again. Manny had always been quiet, but when he was angry, he didn’t do it half-assed. “You’re not my prisoner, but you are under my protection.”

“Fuck you, Thiago.”

I winced at the way he said my entire name. Mierda, he didn’t do that unless he was really pissed off.

“I don’t need you or Papá protecting me. I’m not a child.” He spun on his heel and stormed out of the bathroom. I didn’t follow him, but if he left the room, someone would shadow him. The men already knew the rules when it came to Manny.

There was some slamming around on the other side of the small walkway, which I assumed were drawers opening and closing. I let out a long exhale and went through the walk-in closet. He wasn’t in his room, so he’d definitely left. I headed to my own bedroom and grabbed some clothes. It took me longer than usual to dress, and by the time I got to my shirt, the door jerked open and Ryan stood there, arms crossed over his chest and an unimpressed stare on his face.

“You took longer than five minutes.” He stalked forward and grabbed my shirt, slipping it over my head. He carefully helped me put my injured arm through the sleeve.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” I rolled my eyes and he snorted. His hand pressed against my chest in a lingering caress and I froze, grabbing his wrist and removing it.

Ryan shook his head. “Don’t worry, Thiago, I know the deal. Manny’s back. It’s not hard to see how you feel about him.”

I stepped away from him and touched my arm. With the short-sleeved shirt, Ryan could get at the wound easily. “He’s important to me, more than he’ll ever know.”

Ryan smiled, and there was something in the squint of his eyes that made me feel… like an asshole. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“It is when you’re the jefe of the Reyes Cartel. My enemies can’t find out about him.”

“Did your father know how important he was to you?” he asked, crossing his arms.