12. Baylor

CHAPTER TWELVE

BAYLOR

“Why are you even here?”

“Excuse me?”

“Before you moved to Mapleview, you were busy almost every single night. What happened to Big City Baylor? You always had a date or some social function going on, but since you moved to town, you’re here almost every night. What gives?”

Austin chuckled and when he caught my glare, he straightened his expression and went back to his textbook. “I told you, I was ready to make some changes in my life when I moved here.”

“What kind of changes?” Marcus asked.

“I don’t know, just…changes.” I caught the look he shared with Austin, a look of total confusion.

“Going out is overrated,” Austin added. “I would much rather stay home with Coach and cook dinner together.”

He gave his best toothpaste-commercial smile, and Marcus looked at him googly-eyed. Jesus Christ, going out was definitely better than this. I ignored the T-shirt Austin wore that proudly proclaimed he was Coach’s Boy. Whatever. Their brand of kinky shit wasn’t my bag. I was pretty much vanilla in the bedroom, but that didn’t mean that I was boring. Just not into… whatever it was they were into.

“That’s why I’m here,” I answered with a smile. “Nothing this town has to offer beats Marcus’s cooking.”

Marcus laughed and rolled his eyes. “You’re so full of shit.” He turned to Austin. “Sweetheart, could you grab me another bottle of water?” Austin hopped up to grab the water and Marcus waited until he was out of earshot before asking, “What was that shit at the diner the other night?”

He looked at me strangely, and I could see the curiosity burning in his dark eyes. “What shit?”

“The way you slurped that pickle like you were sucking cock.”

Damn it, I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks and knew they were turning red in front of his eyes. It was a dead giveaway that I was guilty of something. “I don’t know what you mean. Isn’t sucking cock your thing? Not mine.”

“Funny, I would have said the same thing until I saw you with that pickle. It looked like you were staring at Austin’s coach.”

I smacked him on the back. “You’ve gone around the bend, buddy.”

I could feel the weight of his stare as he continued to watch me. “Were you flirting with him?” I remained quiet, which only made him prod harder. “Since when do you flirt with guys?”

Oh, fuck it. Why bother? All of this lying and evasiveness was just exhausting. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“What do you mean? It wouldn’t be the first time? When was the first time?”

“While back, late at night at a bar. There was this guy.” I shrugged, letting my words die off.

“And?”

“And?” I returned. “We fucked.”

Marcus looked stupefied. Shocked beyond reason. “So, are you, like, gay now?”

“Hell no. It was a one-off.” Mostly . “I’m mostly attracted to women. They’re familiar, comfortable. But it was enough for me to realize…”

He was fully invested now, turning to face me, his expression intent. “Realize what?”

“That I shouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket. Who knows what could happen, or with whom?”

“I can’t believe this. You’ve never said anything.”

“That’s not really the kind of thing I need to share, is it?”

“Of course it is! It’s me, your best friend. We tell each other shit.”

“Oh really? That way I see it, you have a lot of catching up to do with me. Let’s start with Austin.” Nobody knew Marcus better than I did, and I had a feeling he wasn’t just getting cozy with Austin short- term. Marcus was the kind of guy that liked to put down roots. He was a Daddy at heart. He loved commitment and responsibility, things that made me shudder. I had a feeling he had marriage on his mind. The fact he hadn’t discussed it with me yet didn’t mean he wasn’t planning it.

“Let’s not.” After a minute, he asked, “Did you top or bottom?”

I laughed. “It’s killing you, isn’t it? Not knowing?”

“You bottomed, didn’t you?”

“You’ll never know.”

Thank God Austin returned with his bottle and the conversation died.

He resumed studying, but minutes later his phone beeped, alerting him to an incoming message. Austin glanced at his screen. “Coach, Wild’s outside. Can I join him?”

“Do you feel like you know enough to pass that Classic Lit test?”

“I promised you an A, Coach. You know I wouldn’t let you down.”

“Have fun.” He pressed a kiss on Austin’s lips, and when Austin tried to extend the kiss, Marcus pulled back with a chuckle.

Austin disappeared into their bedroom and I couldn’t help but ask, “You love that shit, don’t you?”

“What shit?”

“That whole ‘being-a-good-boy-for-Daddy’ shit you two have going on. ‘ I would never let you down, Coach. I live and breathe for you ,’” I mimicked in a falsetto voice .

Marcus laughed. “You and I are like night and day, Baylor. You were always such a brat. No matter how old you get, you haven’t outgrown it yet.”

“Brats can be fun.”

“Not my style,” he argued. “I like a boy that bends over backward to please me.”

That was a loaded statement I wasn’t going to touch. “You can fucking have it,” I murmured, thinking it sounded absolutely boring. Nothing about that excited me. Casey Collins, on the other hand—with the way he harassed me and belittled me, stood toe-to-toe with me, and held his ground as he challenged me—definitely exciting. That shit made my dick harder than a wooden bat. I would never have thought so, but there it was. Maybe I was a brat.

Austin breezed past us wearing a navy-blue Speedo and dragging a towel.

“Whoa, hold up,” Marcus called. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I told you, out back with Wild.”

“You didn’t mention anything about the hot tub,” he accused.

“Oh yeah,” Austin grinned. I was pretty sure that grin had gotten him out of heaps of trouble in the past. “We’re gonna go in the hot tub. See you, Coach. See you, Baylor.”

He was gone before Marcus could protest again. Leaning back against the couch, I laughed.

“Laugh all you want, but you’re the one who has to come over here to get a taste of life because yours is lacking. Your time will come.”

“My time for what? Letting a little goody two-shoes like Austin lead me around by the balls? Not going to happen, friend.”

“We’ll see about that,” Marcus predicted. “Sounds to me like change is coming for you hard and fast, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a fucking mess.”

What the fuck did he know? “Oh, yeah?”

“It always is with you, Baylor,” he answered smugly.

By the time we finished watching the game, Austin still hadn’t returned. I walked into the kitchen and peeked through the window at the two boys in the hot tub. Marcus joined me, reaching into the fridge for a drink.

“It doesn’t bother you how he’s practically naked with that Wild kid?”

Marcus chuffed. “Wild’s harmless. For the most part,” he amended.

I looked again. “You sure about that?”

Marcus glanced out the window. His expression changed, and he moved to the door, sticking his head out. “Hands above the water, boys!”

“Sorry, Coach.”

“Yes, Sir.”

I doubled over with laughter. They had him so wrapped around their fingers it was ridiculous. I’d never let a brat twist me like that.

Marcus grumbled. “He’s a good kid, if a little headstrong. ”

“You’re not worried he’s going to try something with Austin?”

“I’m sure he already has,” Marcus admitted, smirking. “Someday, Penn and I will probably let the boys play—as long as we’re there—but until then, we do our best to remind them to keep their hands to themselves.”

“Wow, that’s some kinky shit, my friend.” Was I the only guy in existence who wasn’t turned on by a twenty-year age gap?

Marcus grinned. “Just takes trust in your partner, which Austin and I have. The rest is icing on the cake.”

I’d love to have that kind of trust in someone. I couldn’t picture it, though. Maybe someday.