Up For The Challenge Read Online Riley Hart, Devon McCormack

Categories Genre: M-M Romance, Romance Tags Authors: ,
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Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 367(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
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“This busting butt thing I can get behind,” I said with a wink.

He rolled his eyes but despite his tense expression, I could tell that once again he was trying to hold back a smile.

All I wanted to do was help him cut loose. Let his guard down. Especially now that this information about his parents had me even more curious about him. Wasn’t every day I met someone who could actually relate to my own situation with my brother, and that was…in a sort of fucked-up way…kind of nice.

Ethan gazed at me for an unusually long amount of time, strangely…like he was trying to figure out what I was thinking about, or perhaps why he felt the need to share so much with some stranger who he’d only met the night before—something I was wondering myself when I told him that shit about my brother.

“Wow. This is probably why I don’t come to cemeteries,” Ethan said. “They start conversations like that. I’m sure you didn’t need to hear that much about me.”

“It was nice to hear. It can be nice to talk to someone about stuff like this. I’ve learned over the years it’s not something most people are really willing to discuss.”

Ethan nodded. “Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. Although sometimes I wonder if it’s other people who don’t want to talk about it or if it’s just me trying to avoid the issue.”

“Fair point.”

I figured it was time for us to head out. I just wanted to swing by and see Brady, and since I had, I thought I should make it up to Ethan for coming, and for being great company during the trip.

“Considering I just ruined your weekend,” I said, “what do you say we get out of here and maybe grab the drink you mentioned earlier? There’s a bar not very far from here I usually go to.”

“I think it might be best if I just get back home,” Ethan said.

Shit if that didn’t make me feel disappointed. I was kind of enjoying chatting with him—something that really surprised me.

“Yeah, no, that’s fair. I can just drive us back to my place. We can schedule that three-way some other time.” I winked.

He chuckled. Like an actual chuckle that he didn’t stifle. Wow. Something about that excited the hell out of me.

“You know,” he said, “on second thought, I think I owe you a drink for last night.”

5

Ethan

The plan was to drive back to Sean’s place, park there, then walk to this bar and grille not too far from his condo. I fidgeted in my seat during the ride back, which pissed me the fuck off. I wasn’t a fidgeter. I was cool, calm, and collected all the time, and apparently a cliché. Cool, calm, and collected? Where in the fuck had that come from?

The thing was, Sean put me on edge, and I couldn’t say exactly why. Partially it was because I felt like I had to play catch-up with him, and usually people had to catch up with me. And for him, it didn’t seem to be intentional. He just sort of went one step ahead of me without trying, which was annoying and strangely intriguing and addicting.

It was as if he had this superpower that kept me on my toes and also shocked me into saying and doing things I didn’t typically say or do.

I hadn’t been lying when I’d said I didn’t go to the cemetery, but that was just the tip of the iceberg.

I also didn’t talk about my parents. Ever. Not about their deaths, at least. I sure as shit didn’t tell anyone about my grandmother—if you could even call her that. She’d thought my dad wasn’t good enough for my mom from the start. And when they’d gotten pregnant with me in college and had to drop out, she basically turned her back on my mom. Turned her back on her for choosing my father and me. She apparently hadn’t been too excited about getting stuck with me.

Jesus. I shook my head. This was the last thing I wanted to be thinking about right now. I couldn’t believe how easily Sean had talked about his brother. It wasn’t like that for me.

“What’s wrong?” Sean asked as we pulled into the parking garage at his place.

“Nothing.”

“You shook your head.”

“No, I didn’t.” I obviously did.

“Did so.”

“Did not.”

“Did—”

“Is there something wrong with you?” I asked, then felt my forehead wrinkle when I realized I was smiling.

“No, but you seemed down, so I wanted you to smile. Go, me!”

I let out a soft chuckle. He really was cute as hell. I was secure enough in my sexuality to admit that. Plus, I knew it was the excitement of the past twenty-four hours coupled with the fact that he had something in common with me that no one else did. It was hell to lose someone you loved. Only, with my situation, there wasn’t only someone else to blame. There was me.


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