“Thanks, I’ll take it now,” Shawn said, without looking at him.
“Don’t be silly,” Rutledge said, walking toward the building. “You don’t have three hands.”
“The girls don’t need me to carry them. They’re old enough to walk.”
Rutledge ignored him, of course. Of course.
“We can walk,” Emily confirmed.
“But I wanna be carried,” Bee said.
Shawn glared at Rutledge’s back and picked up the girls. “You don’t even know where you’re going.”
“I know your address. I’m capable of figuring out where your apartment is.”
Scowling, Shawn could only follow him, albeit reluctantly.
When they reached his apartment, Shawn hesitated. He didn’t want Rutledge to see it. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed of it—fine, maybe he was embarrassed of it.
He opened the door and ushered the girls inside before closing it and turning to Rutledge.
Rutledge set the suitcase down, his expression stony.
“I…” Shawn said, shifting slightly on his feet. “I’ll see you around, I guess.”
Rutledge nodded curtly. But he didn’t move.
Shawn cleared his throat, hooking his thumbs in his hip pockets and rocking back on his heels. “Thanks, by the way.”
“For what?”
“For helping me figure out I’m not straight.”
“What?” Rutledge said, almost without inflection.
“Yeah. In case you couldn’t tell, I liked having sex with a man.” Shawn smiled faintly. “I didn’t expect it, but I did. A lot. So… I have more options now. I guess I should thank you for that.”
“Options,” Rutledge said.
“Yep.” Shawn rubbed the back of his neck. “I can date guys too now.”
Something changed in Rutledge’s expression, but it was gone before Shawn could figure out what it was.
“You can,” Rutledge agreed, pushing his hands into the pockets of his jacket.
Damn. Why was it so weird, and awkward—and whatever the hell it was?
Shawn was sure he wasn’t imagining the tension, the frustration in the air, yet Rutledge’s face betrayed nothing. And it pissed Shawn off. He wanted to shake him. He wanted to shock him.
So he said, “You know, I actually can’t wait to find out if sex with other guys will be different. It’s all new and very exciting.”
Rutledge looked aside for a moment before a smile formed on his face. “Are you trying to make me jealous, Wyatt? I don’t do jealousy. Jealousy is for insecure men with small dicks and low self-esteem. And you have to care to be jealous. I don’t.”
Shawn bristled at the implications. “Why would I want to make you jealous? I don’t like you. Your family is horrible, you’re an ass, you’re beyond fucked up, and you’re a commitment-phobe. And you don’t like children—which is obviously a big deal for me. You’re everything I don’t want.”
“Good.” Rutledge glared at him.
Their gazes clashed and a rush of carnal hunger slammed into Shawn with a force that stole his breath.
His fingers trembling, Shawn found the doorknob behind him and stumbled into the apartment.
Shutting the door, Shawn leaned against it, breathing hard.
Fuck.
Chapter 13
“I don’t get it,” Christian said a week later, looking at him from across the table at the campus cafeteria. “Why is he such an asshole to you? I mean, he’s always an asshole, but lately he’s been a super asshole when it comes to you.”
Shawn suppressed a sigh. Christian was right, of course. Rutledge had been treating him like shit the entire week. Not that it came as a complete surprise.
“Seriously, did you kill his cat? Or—or leave a bloody chicken on his doorstep or something?” Christian shook his head. “There has to be some explanation. It’s getting ridiculous. People are starting to talk.”
Shawn’s coffee cup paused halfway to his mouth. “Talk?”
“Never mind.” Christian grimaced, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Just some stupid rumors.”
“What rumors, Chris?”
Christian took a sip from his coffee. “Some think it’s suspicious that Rutledge didn’t give you a failing midterm grade.”
Shawn stopped breathing. “What?”
“Some say you blackmailed him into giving you a passing grade. I told you it’s stupid.”
Shawn relaxed, leaning back in his chair. “Yeah. Stupid.”
“Actually, it is a bit strange, don’t you think? I thought he’d fail you for sure. But he didn’t, and now he’s a total asshole to you. The whole thing is weird.” Christian gave him a probing look. “You sure you aren’t hiding something from me?”
Shawn felt a pang of guilt. He took a gulp of his coffee and looked at his cup. “Maybe.”
“All right, spill,” Christian said, training his eyes on him.
Shawn began tracing the rim of the cup with his finger, following its shape. “I… remember the advice you gave me? On Rutledge?”
Christian chuckled. “You mean flirting?”
“Rutledge didn’t give me a passing grade because he took pity on me, Chris.”
Christian’s eyebrows furrowed; then his jaw dropped. “No way. You actually followed my advice?”
Shawn grimaced. “Not exactly.” He looked down at the sandwich on his plate and pulled at the cheese sticking out at the edges. “I did more than flirting.”
A clang made him look up. Christian had dropped his fork and was now looking at him with wide eyes. “You’re kidding.”