“Are you sure? It was hot,” I replied.
“I don’t wanna know.” Marshall bent and picked up a box of liquor. I could have sworn he mumbled something wondering why he’d lingered outside to wait.
“I’m hard to resist,” I joked, then turned to hear Brax’s response, only to find he was already gone.
CHAPTER NINE
Braxton
On Sunday, after work and finishing the grading for my TA class, I made plans with Manuel so that I wouldn’t let my dick talk me into doing something I knew I shouldn’t be doing. We grew up one street away from each other. His dad worked construction, and his mom had been making authentic Mexican food at the San Luco’s Cantina restaurant for as long as I could remember. She was the best cook I knew. When Asher and I would fight as kids or Dad would do dumb shit, I always went to Manny’s.
Even though he was my age and wasn’t going to school, he still lived at home. SoCal was expensive as fuck, and a lot of people did that—stayed home longer, or parents moved in with their kids when they got married and started a family.
“Hey, Mama G,” I said when Lucia opened the door. I might as well call her just Mama since my own had never been around. She left a long time ago and never came back.
“It’s good to see you, mijo. You keep too busy. Between work and school, we never see you.”
“I’ll be better about stopping by,” I promised. I should. The Gonzaleses had always treated me like I was family. “Manny in his room?”
“Yeah, he’s back there. That girl just left. You tell him she’s bad news.”
I laughed. Lucia never liked Manny’s girlfriends. I’d been nervous when I’d come out. I didn’t give a shit about my own dad, and I’d known Grandma wouldn’t care, but I’d been nervous about how Manny and his family might take it. I couldn’t imagine losing them. But none of them had given a crap, and Lucia had just said, “I already knew, and I’ve always loved you.” I had no idea how in the fuck she had known, but I remembered the overwhelming feeling of relief.
“I’ll tell him,” I promised, then made my way upstairs to Manny’s room. I knocked and pushed the door open. He was sitting on the bed, looking through what I thought was the schedule book for the week. He worked with his dad. “’Sup?”
“Not much. What’s up with you, College Boy?” We bumped fists, and then I sat down in a beanbag chair.
“Nothin’. School and work are kicking my ass. Asher is partying at the house every night. Dad’s still in prison. You know, the usual shit.”
“I feel you. Your brother fucking sucks. How’s Grandma?”
“She’s good. Spunky as ever. You should go see her sometime.”
He nodded.
“Who’s the new girlfriend? Mama G doesn’t like her.”
“She doesn’t like anyone I’m with. She probably wants me to date you. She’s always going on about how proud of you she is. Brax is going to college, blah, blah, blah.”
“You’re not my type,” I teased, then, “she’s proud of you too.”
“Yeah. I know.” For some reason, my annoying-ass thoughts went to Ty. I’d always been attracted to men I shouldn’t want, men I couldn’t have, or not really. There was something about a cocky, pretty boy that did it for me every time. Maybe because that was so different from my reality? I didn’t know, but after it had come back to bite me in the ass once, I’d never let myself do more than fuck them. And I sure as shit didn’t enjoy myself with them outside of orgasms, the way I did with Ty.
“Yo. You’re spacing off. What’s up with you?” Manny asked.
A sexy, frustrating jock was up with me, and I didn’t like it at all. “Nothin’.”
“You staying for dinner? Mom’s making tamales.”
I smiled. “You know it.” There wasn’t a chance in hell I was turning down Mama G’s food.
But the whole night, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ty and wondering what he was doing.
He sat beside me in class the next day.
“What are you doing, Tyson?”
“Oh, is this seat taken?” he asked innocently.
“Yes.”
“Liar.”
“You really want my cock again, don’t you, Lacrosse?”
“Nah, I don’t even remember what it was like. You’re not that memorable.”
“Is that why you’re stalking me?”
“No, that’s just because I like to bother you.”
I definitely hadn’t seen myself as a masochist until I met Ty.
Students were still filing into the room when our professor entered. He didn’t give a shit and immediately jumped into today’s lesson.
It was confusing at first, but as I took notes, I was pretty sure I understood it. Ty had his laptop up, but he was in his email, then started searching sex toys, which I knew he only did to see if I was watching him.