Page 77 of Tell Me Lies: Manlove Edition

Up close, Carsten noticed the flecks in Will’s eyes, amber among the dark brown. Noticed the thickness of his lashes and the dusting of freckles on the apex of his cheeks. He even saw the slight growth of whiskers on the hollow of his cheeks. “I want one night to prove to you that the attraction between us is real and you know it. One night to show you we could have one hell of a time. One night to prove we should’ve gotten together back in the day because we’re better as a twosome.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. We’re in totally different worlds. You’re famous and I’m a professor.”

So he was considering it? Carsten could work with that. “So?”

“It won’t work.”

He knew better. “What if I told you it could? Would you give me a chance? One night?”

Will stared at him but said nothing. His mouth opened and closed, despite his lack of sound.

“Because that’s what I want. One night to redeem myself and prove you and I should’ve been together all this time. We’re meant to be.”

Will sagged in his seat, but continued to stare at Carsten. “Fuck me.”

Chapter Three

Will swore his heart dropped to his toes. He hadn’t meant to say “fuck me.” Hell, he hadn’t planned on agreeing to Carsten’s suggestion they get together. Carsten hated him, had treated him like shit for years. Now he wanted to have a relationship? Even if only for one night? It had to be a trick.Had to.

Men like Carsten weren’t attracted to men like him. It wasn’t done. That happy ending didn’t come true.

“You have a concert tonight. You can’t let those fans down,” Will said. There. He’d given Carsten a reason why the one-night thing wouldn’t work. It had to be enough.

“Except there’s plenty of evening after the concert. What do you think I do when I leave the stage? Stay there all night?” Carsten continued to stand over him. “I don’t have a guy in every town, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“I wasn’t at all.” He hadn’t even considered it.

“I didn’t plan this concert just to play at this college. I did it to see you.” Carsten leaned into him again and pressed another kiss to Will’s lips. “I knew you’d be the one doing the art. I requested you personally. Marissa begged me to pick someone else because she said you weren’t thrilled about my request, but I insisted. I can be very persuasive.”

“So can she.” To the point of driving him to the brink. “She’s protective, too. She doesn’t like to see me upset. She saw what happened when Stan and I split and I’m guessing she doesn’t want to see it again, so she’s extra protective.”

“I know, but her persistence didn’t pay off. Mine did because I’m here with you.” Carsten bobbed his eyebrows, then his smile fell. “Stan?”

He didn’t want to hash this out right now, but he doubted Carsten would let the topic drop. “Stan was my boyfriend. We lived together for a while and he decided he wanted more from life than I could give him. He moved out about a year ago.”

“What more could he want?” Carsten stood, then grabbed the chair in front of Will’s desk. “You’re a catch. A professor, you’ve got your own place, your own car … what’s there not to like?”

“I have a cat, for one. He hated cats. Monet is a sweet cat and gets along with everyone.”

“Except Stan.”

“Yeah.”

Carsten nodded. “The cat has a sixth sense about people.”

“I guess so.” He relaxed a bit. “Stan kept trying to convince me to rehome Monet. I refused and that led to us splitting.”

“Had to be more than that.” Carsten reclined a bit in the chair and propped his left ankle on his right knee. He folded his hands on his flat stomach. If Will didn’t know better, Carsten looked right at home—like he’d been in the office a thousand times.

“I got promoted to the chair of the graphic arts department, but he thought I should be the dean. I don’t want to be the dean. I want to work with students.” Will raked his fingers through his hair. “There’s something to be said about collaborating with other artists. I like that so much more than being behind a desk.”

“Makes sense,” Carsten said. “I looked up your one man show, too. You’re good. Your graphic works are fantastic. That’s what made me want to work with you.”

He had to believe Carsten, even if the whole situation seemed far-fetched. “Why didn’t you just tell me you were hurting back in school? Why treat me like shit?”

Carsten sighed and re-laced his fingers together. “I was ashamed and I just wanted you to notice me.”

“How could I not?” Will hated the way he felt. The more Carsten talked, the more he softened toward him. It wasn’t fair. Part of him even considered taking Carsten up on his proposal. It might be fun to be with someone for the night. Might be hot.

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