Page 259 of Boys Who Taint

“Yeah, wanting to announce to the world that you’re all together just so people will accept it and all the secrecy stops,” he says, planting his hand against the locker.

I throw my towel over my shoulder and gaze at him. “What … don’t tell me you’re also in a polycule?” I say sarcastically.

He rolls his eyes and he steals the towel, then slaps me on the ass with it. “I’m just saying, if you need any advice, come to me.”

I snatch my towel back. “Now why would I do that?”

“Family always helps each other out,” he says, walking after me into the gym area.

I sit down on the bicycle my Freckles sat on too and savor the memory of seeing her fat cheeks splayed all over the edges of the seat.

“I am wondering, though … why Aspen?”

Why won’t he give it a rest?

“Because I’ve always had her on my radar,” I reply. “End of story.”

Heath sits down on the bike right beside me. “Right … And then you just happened to catch her boyfriend too.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Are you fishing?”

“I’m just wondering where all this suddenly came from. You’re a goddamn playboy. You never settled down, and now you hook two of them at the same time and declare you’re solely going to fuck them in front of the entire school?”

“Why does it matter? I’m a happy man,” I say, focusing on my cardio.

“I’m just saying, the people are talking.”

“Then keep talking. I don’t care.”

“You might not, but our parents do,” he replies. “And when word reaches Aspen’s family, do you think they’ll be kind?”

I pause biking for a second. “Are you just saying this because I’m a Torres?”

He shrugs. “You know as well as I do what happened.”

“Our families aren’t fighting,” I reply.

“Yet.” He glares me down. “Sooner or later, this whole thing is going to blow, and either the Caruso’s or the Torres are going to demand loyalty … the only question is which side you’ll pick.”

My eye twitches.

Now I fucking get why he’s talking to me.

“You’re a lethal weapon, Apollo. And any family would be foolish not to want that for themselves.”

“I’m not going to be fucking used for a fight that isn’t mine.”

“I don’t think we’re gonna be able to choose with the way things are going. After all, Ares and Kai are brothers, and family will protect family.”

“You actually think the Carusos are gonna start something with the Torres family?”

“I don’t think so,” he says, stopping the bike. “I know so.”

My coolness disappears immediately. “Tell me.”

He raises his brows and looks around like he can’t say it out loud in front of these people. I hop off my bike and grasp him, dragging him off too.

“Hey! Let me go!”

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