Page 75 of Tell Me Lies: Manlove Edition

Fear.

He swore he’d be rejected.Hell, he still could be.Will hadn’t pushed him away and hadn’t screamed, but he could.

He memorized the softness of Will’s lips, the silkiness of his hair, and the way he whimpered when he was kissed. He wanted to run his hands over the planes of Will’s chest, but he couldn’t mistake the bulge in Will’s jeans. Was he turned on, too?

Will broke the kiss. Wildness shimmered in his eyes. Pink infused his cheeks and he averted his gaze.

“You hated that.” Carsten should’ve guessed. He’d been told by men and women he wasn’t good at kissing. He pushed too hard and wanted too much.

“I didn’t say I did.” Will put space between them and sat on the edge of his desk. “I wasn’t expecting you to kiss me.”

“No?” What had he expected?

“I thought you might punch me.” Will folded his arms and crossed his ankles. “You hated me so much.”

“I did.” He hadn’t missed the way Will canceled himself out and put up barriers. He wished he hadn’t been so terrible to Will.

“What time is your concert?” Will cleared his throat. “You don’t want to be late.”

“Not until nine.” He had plenty of time until he had to be at the venue. “I looked at the hall this morning. It’s a good but standard space. Decent acoustics and plenty of room for fans. I have no idea if I’ve sold out, but I doubt it. I haven’t sold out in ages.”

“Why not?” Will relaxed just a bit.

“No one wants to listen to a country musician who’s gay and lied to them for ages about his sexuality. They want the stereotype.” He shrugged. He’d gotten used to the hate mail. The fans didn’t rush to his concerts like before. They wanted something else from him—to see him as the sexy attainable man. Being gay meant he might not be as attainable.

“That’s ridiculous.” Will didn’t shift positions, but he loosened his stance just a bit. “The music doesn’t change because you did.”

“You tell the fans that.” Was Will softening to him? Sure felt like it. Even if only a tiny shred.

“I’ve heard the music. I’m more of a rock man myself, but I’ve heard your albums and they’re not bad.” Will narrowed his eyes. His blush evaporated and he sighed. “They’re good love songs. It’s not perfect, but I’ve heard them and I can see the appeal. I’ve also seen your stage show.”

“You have?” No way. “Have you come to my concerts?” He hoped so.

“YouTube.”

“Oh.” Just as well.

“You’re good. I can see what drew the fans in and why you’ve got gold records.” Will unfolded his arms and rested his hands on the edge of his desk. “What exactly did you want by coming here? I did the art for you. What more do you want?”

“Redemption.”

“Ain’t happening.”

“Why not?” He hadn’t thought this through very well. He’d simply assumed he’d hit it off with Will and things would be fine.

“You treated me like shit. No kiss is enough to erase that.” Will cocked his head. “I still don’t understand why you did it.”

He had to be honest, even if it killed him. “You were more popular than me.”

“You’re kidding?” Will rolled his eyes. “It was because I was nice to everyone. Do you know how many people knew my name but didn’t know me? They thought they were my friends because I was nice and said hi, but none of them got to know the real person. It was enough to be friends on a superficial level.”

“But you were popular. The only reason I got elected to prom king was because Lucy had the vote fixed.” It wasn’t his best moment.

“You’re fucking kidding me.” Will rolled his eyes again. “That’s sick.”

“It is, but Lucy offered and I wanted to be on top. That’s the only way I thought I could be.”

“Didn’t want to be second to a gay man.” Will shook his head, then stood. “You’re ridiculous.”

---