Page 4 of The Princess

“Not here.”

Nash leaned back and pretended to be at ease. “Fair enough.”

“Don’t be mad,” Damon said before stuffing half a S’more in his mouth.

The night was sort of normal after that. Ethan Bennett, probably the coolest dad on the planet, played enough songs to please his adoring crowd. A little weirdness where Damon was concerned lingered, but Nash doubted anyone else noticed.

The night ended as it always did—with Ethan playing one last song before heading inside. They weren’t wild party animals or anything, and sometimes the rest of them stayed while Ethan went to bed. But now that everyone had coupled off, it seemed that the minute the guitar went away, so did everyone.

Jonah and Spencer were the first to go, after Damon finally let them. He’d spent a good chunk of the night with them, talking and laughing. It’s where he’d been when Nash had sought Taylor out.

Colby and Milo were the next ones to go.

“Are you going to be at the gym Monday?” Colby asked, even though he knew the answer was going to be a yes.

“I wouldn’t miss it.”

“That’s right. You wouldn’t because I’d drag your ass there. Are you ready to go, Milo?” Colby called to his boyfriend, who was up by the house with Taylor. The two of them were huddled close and Taylor’s hands were tucked in the sleeves of his sweater. God, he looked young then. Young and vulnerable in a way that Nash didn’t like.

Taylor was in fact younger than him, but not by much, twenty-two to his twenty-six. There was nothing wrong with Nash liking the way Taylor looked. Or the way he was always trying to bring sunshine into everyone’s life. But tonight there was something off about the whole thing.

Taylor slipped inside and Milo appeared at Colby’s side, looking not at all worried. Nash bid the two of them goodnight.

“I’ll get the fire.” He tore away from Damon’s side and filled the bucket with water. The rule of the Bennett house was that the last ones to leave doused the fire. He poured the water slow and careful, not wanting to splash his legs and get dirty ash all over himself. When he was done, Damon was waiting by the side gate for him.

Nash looked down and saw the light in Taylor’s apartment turn off. He shoved his way past Damon and strode down to the curb where he’d parked his car. They alternated picking the other one up for fire night and this time it had been Nash’s turn.

He was able to keep his cool until he got away from the Bennett house.

“What the hell was that?” Nash asked. “You all but ignored Taylor all night, and then you came over and were all ‘me want S’more,’ like a caveman. Then you went right back to ignoring him.”

Damon let out a sigh that sounded almost painful. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me, but don’t treat Taylor that way. What’s your deal with him? Did he piss you off or something? I literally don’t see how. He’s like the nicest person we know. And that includes our asshole best friends, Jonah and Colby. Who, by the way, aren’t fucking stupid. If they don’t know about us already, they’re going to figure it out.”

“Jesus, Nash. I know all this. I said I was sorry, okay? What do you want from me?” Damon opened and closed his fist, staring down at his hand as he did it. It was something he did when he was upset, and Nash’s anger softened.

“Can you talk to me? What’s your deal with Taylor? I’m sure whatever he did, he didn’t mean it.”

The sound that came out of Damon was a strangled sound of sheer frustration. “He didn’t do anything, okay.” Damon raked a hand down his face. “He’s just so…so fucking…ugh.”

“You’re going to have to elaborate.” Nash grit his teeth. He was two seconds from pulling over, hauling Damon out of the car, and shaking him until he made sense.

“He’s so fucking pretty, okay. It fucks with me.”

Nash almost drove through a stop sign and he had to slam on the brakes. Heart thudding against his chest, he looked at Damon. “You…you’re being an ass because you’re attracted to him? Are you five?” Nash couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I didn’t mean to be an ass to him. Just…he’s so handsome, but then he wears that shiny lip stuff and that fucking sweater, and I wanted to burrow into it with him. But his brothers and his dad were right there. And the guy I’m casually, not casually, seeing was right there, and it made me all stupid and panicky.”

Nash took a deep breath and continued driving. “So, you like him? I’m not mad that you like him, Damon. We agreed we could discuss adding someone else to our relationship.”

Damon snorted. “Yeah, but Taylor is probably off-limits.”

Nash reached across the space and gave Damon’s thigh a gentle squeeze. “You’re allowed to like him. Taylor is very, very likable. And as for anything else, I’m pretty certain Taylor can make his own decisions.”

There was a heavy silence all the way back to Nash’s because he wasn’t letting Damon go home and sulk all by himself. Once they were inside away from prying eyes, Damon took Nash’s face in both his hands and pulled him into a kiss.

“You’re not mad?” Damon asked.

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