Page 24 of Spring Breakup
“Oh God,” Tyler said softly. “Let’s go.” He tried to take a step backward but bumped into Dean.
“It’s fine. He doesn’t care about us.”
At the sound of Dean’s voice, the moose moved his big-ass snout and stared directly at them. His ears went back.
“Nope. Not fine,” Tyler said. He was running up the slope, through the trees and toward the road before Dean could respond. Luckily, he grabbed Dean’s hand and dragged him along.
They reached the gravel road in seconds, and the moose was barely visible through the brush. It huffed and charged by where they’d previously been standing before returning to his meal, seemingly docile as a dairy cow.
Dean’s heartbeat was hammering in his ears. “Holy shit.” That had been exhilarating and terrifying, and Tyler had just saved his life!
“Fuck you, dude,” Tyler growled, flinging Dean’s hand away and marching back toward their cabin.
“Wait. Why are you mad at me?”
“Because!”
Dean hurried to catch up, but anger made Tyler quick. Dean had to jog, which was very difficult on the icy road
He managed to reach Tyler before the driveway to their cabin. He grabbed Tyler’s elbow and spun him around, pinning him to the sturdy, rustic road sign pointing toward Silverbrite Springs. Tyler reached up to push him away, but Dean managed to catch his hands and restrain them against his own chest.
Dean felt out of control. He was angry that Tyler was angry at him. He was relieved that Tyler was okay, that Tyler had made sure Dean would be okay too. He was tired of fighting a fight that wasn’t his to win. He was so confused by the landslide of feelings rushing through him.
He didn’t do feelings. He wasn’t used to having them. Not like this. Not in a way that overwhelmed him.
Tyler’s hands curled into the fabric of Dean’s coat and held on. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were so bright it looked like he’d been crying. But it was anger. All heat and fury and—
“Fuck you,” Tyler whispered again.
“Thank you,” Dean responded. He slipped his hands to Tyler’s wrists, and Tyler yanked him a step closer. “Thank you.”
Their noses brushed, and Tyler’s harsh breath hit Dean’s lips. He let go of one of Tyler’s wrists and touched his cold cheek. When Tyler didn’t stop him, he moved his hand to the slope of Tyler’s throat, to his shoulder.
Tyler closed his eyes, his brow furrowed. Dean knocked Tyler’s hat off as he combed his fingers through Tyler’s amazing, messy hair. It caused Tyler to tip his head back, his lips parted.
Tyler’s expression almost brought Dean to his knees. He was going to draw that face. That beautiful, fiery, fucking perfect face.
With no warning—or maybe with all the warning in the whole damn world—Tyler shoved him away.
Tyler glared at him. Dean was going to draw that face too.
“Better not,” Tyler said, his voice a poisonous echo of Dean’s the day before in the sauna.
ChapterTen
Tyler went directlyto the bedroom and firmly shut the door behind him. He was so mad.
That almost-kiss had been the most erotic, and frankly most romantic, moment of his whole dang life. And Dean’s recklessness, his gratefulness, his… everything about him infuriated Tyler.
How dare he almost kiss Tyler. Again!
That wishy-washy asshole.
Dean didn’t let people in. He had been with a guy for a full year and didn’t care that it had ended. He was feelingless!
Shit like kisses and sex and intimacy didn’t mean anything to Dean. He’d made that very clear.
A lightbulb went off in Tyler’s brain. It didn’t mean anything.
