On a Roll by Beth Bolden (free ebook novel .txt) 📗

It was Sean. At first, Gabriel was sure that he’d come over to talk to him, but he didn’t spare even a single glance for Gabe, up in the truck, clearly outlined in the big window. Instead, he’d stopped by Ren, and Gabriel had expected Sean to say a few words and move on. He wasn’t . . . moving on, that was. He was standing there, laughing with Ren like Ren had been his primary objective the whole time.

And that was . . . Gabriel couldn’t handle that.

Before he’d not really ever considered Ren a threat when it came to Sean, but now that Gabriel knew that he was only looking for sex? And his cousin was rather infamous for only providing sex?

It was a terrible, rather perfect combination, and Gabriel felt a chill right down his spine at the thought that Sean had figured that out. That he’d try to replace Gabriel with his cousin.

Gabriel didn’t even remember yanking his apron off and running down the back stairs of the truck but he felt his feet hit the ground and that was when he realized he could hear them.

“So you go twice a week, then?” Sean said, and yeah, Gabriel thought with anguish, that was undeniably admiration in his voice. For Ren’s undeniably gorgeous physique.

Gabriel felt like throwing up.

“Sometimes three times,” Ren said, and yeah, Gabriel would have to be deaf not to hear the flirtatious edge to Ren’s voice. That was the same tone he used every single time he was setting up for a hookup.

He wouldn’t do that to Gabriel. Would he?

Gabriel didn’t want to discover the hard way that he might.

“Wow. Well, I can definitely tell,” Sean sounded very impressed. Gabriel rolled his eyes. He considered walking around the truck and interrupting them, but . . . he also felt stuck in place. Mesmerized by the horrible possibilities blooming right in front of him.

So instead, he kept listening.

“Maybe I could stop by sometime,” Sean continued. “Get you to help me out.”

It truly was bad enough that Ren was considering doing this at all. It was even worse that Sean was initiating it.

“Oh, maybe. I usually go on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays,” Ren said very casually and normally, Gabriel might not feel a surge of righteous indignation—but he knew exactly what Ren was doing. This was what he did. And he’d clearly decided that if Gabriel wasn’t going to take Sean up on his very obvious offer, then he might as well.

But that was not okay, Gabriel decided in a huff. Ren knew how he felt! He had feelings, and even though Ren might think that was silly, they still mattered.

He marched right out from behind the truck and over to where they were sitting. All cozied up together on the picnic table. Ren still had his shirt off and he looked tan, and if he hadn’t been Gabriel’s cousin and he also hadn’t hated every molecule in his body right now, he might have been tempted too.

It was more than a person could goddamn bear.

“What are you doing?” he asked, glaring at both of them, and refusing to specify who the question was actually for.

“I’m sorry, were we bothering you?” Ren asked in a silky tone. “I thought you were up in the truck, keeping yourself busy.”

“Well, I was,” Gabriel said, “but I couldn’t help but hear your little . . . conversation.”

“Oh, you were eavesdropping,” Sean said. He shot Ren a look. “Don’t you ever get really, really tired of his bullshit?”

“All the time,” Ren said airily. Gabriel had a sudden realization that his cousin was actually . . . enjoying this. Anger surged inside him again.

“That explains it, then,” Sean said.

“Explains what?” Gabriel demanded to know between clenched teeth. If he’d thought this situation was unfair before, finding Ren flirting, shirtless, with Sean, was on a whole new level.

“Explains why Ren is so cool,” Sean said. “He’s got to balance you out, man.”

Gabriel was half a breath away from retorting that his general Gabriel-ness had not bothered Sean last night, when he’d propositioned him, or the night before that, when he’d kissed him. Twice.

“Ren is not . . .” Gabriel felt his temper begin to short-circuit.

“Right, of course not. Ren’s not anything,” Sean said, unconvincingly. “I was just asking how he got so ripped. Wondered what gym he went to.”

Gabriel’s temper frayed the rest of the way. “And I’m sure he wasn’t out here so you’d come by and coo over his muscles either.”

Ren shot him a look. “I’m working on my tan. You know that.”

“Yeah,” Gabriel said. “You’re working on something, that’s for fucking sure. When you’re done ‘working’ on that, maybe you could get your ass back in the truck and actually do something I pay you for.”

“You’re being an asshole,” Ren said in precise, careful words. “But alright. I guess my break’s over.” He turned to Sean. “Sorry about that. But then you know how he is.”

“That I do.” Sean shot Ren a blindingly beautiful smile. Gabriel realized with a sinking, pathetic heart, that Sean had never looked at him like that.

What was he even doing? He wasn’t going to win the guy over with gruff words and accusations and arguments. He’d learned that much over the last two years. But he couldn’t seem to help it. He saw Sean and he saw red—but also green and blue and purple and a whole rainbow of colors. He saw a future. But Sean? All he saw was that annoying asshole he wouldn’t mind fucking.

It was enough to bring a grown man to his goddamn knees. Enough to make a guy cry.

Sean turned to go, and Gabriel realized, not only had he handled that in completely the wrong way, he was everything that Ren claimed he was. He was the King of Feelings.

How did someone like that fuck with no feelings? He didn’t know—but he should at least try, shouldn’t he? Or could he give Sean