Page 70 of Tamed (The Courtside King Duology 1)

Nope. Just trying to work a few things out.

Just needed to do it subtly.

“When’d you figure out that you liked him… like that?”

Tad blinked, looking lowkey surprised. “Oh… Uh…” He scratched his cheek. “I’m not really sure… I mean… I think a part of me kinda knew right from the start.”

“Seriously?” Breck eyed him. “Even though you thought you were straight?”

“I said a part of me,” Tad laughed. “But in the beginning, that part of me was mostly just really confused. We met under some pretty crazy circumstances, which made it kinda hard to tell.”

“Crazy how?”

Tad fought back a smile. “Let’s just say I wasn’t exactly thinking straight at the time.”

Breck frowned, not sure what he meant, but decided not to ask. Tad clearly didn’t want to go into the details. Nodding, he set the bottle down and slid his hands into his pockets. “Alright, so eventually you figured it out… but what ultimately made you decide to cross that line? I mean, suspecting you’ve got it bad for another guy and actually acting on that are two entirely different things.”

Tad flushed, then mumbled, “Define crossing that line.”

Breck quirked a brow.

“Never mind.” Tad stifled a laugh. “I know what you mean. The heart stuff.” Inhaling deeply, he raked a hand through his hair. “In the beginning, I tried to ignore it. To deny the way I felt. After a while, though, I realized that… I didn’t want to deny it anymore. I was sick of fighting how I felt. It was exhausting.” He met Breck’s gaze and shrugged. “And so the decision became a no fucking brainer. Take the leap or let him go.” He chuckled humorlessly. “And I wasn’t letting him go. I wasn’t losing him.”

Breck contemplated that for a minute, then frowned. “That’s a pretty big leap. You must’ve been positive, but… how’d you know?”

Tad canted his head. “How’d I know what?”

“That… this thing with him is real?”

Not just a connection built on infatuation.

Because to put one’s self on the line like that? They’d better fucking know for sure.

And even then, for someone like Breck, that might not be enough.

Tad’s gaze drifted. Then his smile returned. “Because he affects so much more than my dick. Just being around him makes me happy. Like stupid happy.” He laughed and rubbed his forehead. “Crowding his personal space is like… my favorite fucking pastime.”

Breck thought on that, too. Tad’s expression looked so sincere. “Why’d you wait so long to tell us?”

Tad shrugged, smile ebbing. “Tough subject, I guess. I only admitted it to myself just recently. After that, it was just a matter of how to tell you guys. And when. So I decided on Saturday, after your birthday. And here we are.”

Breck pulled himself from the memory and dipped his head under the shower’s spray. If he was honest, he could totally understand why Tad dragged his feet. Could even relate. On some level, he felt himself in a similar predicament.

Letting the water sluice down his body, rinsing the thick suds off his skin, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine a different existence. Where his career, his future, wasn’t so reliant on the acceptance of others. Strangers who would judge him without ever knowing him. Shackling him, keeping him from even considering a different way of life.

Not that I’d want a life with Kai, he told himself. That man could be a grade-A, arrogant ass.

Although, in fairness, he probably thought the same of Breck.

His lips curved before he could stop them. He and Kai were a lot alike. A truth he suspected he’d known for quite a while, what with the way they always volleyed for the other’s respect. A competition of sorts, between two competitive men—who, to add fuel to the fire, were extremely attracted to one another.

Attracted. But was there more? Something between them other than lust?

Breck didn’t know but couldn’t help wondering. Because in truth, Kai did feel different. Different from Socrates. Different from girls. Their allure was a skin-deep distraction. None of them ever ruled his thoughts. Aside from sex, they never held his attention.

Not that he wouldn’t want to hit that shit with Kai, because he would. But there was something else there. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Whatever it was, though, he’d definitely felt it last Friday night. When Kai had draped an arm over Scott, his lips just inches from his ear. Breck had wanted to rip Kai away and demand his undivided attention.

He stilled and opened his eyes.

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