Page 64 of Boss and Brat

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Carter forced himself to start. “About the gay clubs…”

Ethan met Carter’s eyes, nervous but curious.

Carter rubbed his palms on his jeans. “Yeah. I went to them. Did the same things you did when you were in Chico.”

Ethan frowned slightly. “What does that mean?”

Carter huffed a soft laugh, more tired than amused. “It means I danced. And I hooked up.”

Ethan’s breath caught, just barely. Carter saw it.

He looked out at the lake, letting the memories settle. “When I came back to the ranch in Texas, things had to change. Or I had to leave. My brothers bullied me growing up. My parents were disgusted that I didn’t like sports, especially killing things. Hunting season was big back there. So, I left. Started over.”

Ethan listened like every word mattered.

“I thought joining the Marines would fix everything,” Carter said. “Make me… like others. Or at least make the noise in my head shut up.” He shook his head. “It didn’t. Eventually, I realized I had to live the life I chose. Not the one they wanted.”

When he looked back at Ethan, the kid’s face was a mix of confusion and something softer—something that made Carter’s chest tighten.

“You don’t understand,” Carter said. “Not yet. But you’ve been dancing around something since the day we met.”

Ethan swallowed. “Like what?”

“Ask me,” Carter said. “Ask the thing you’re scared to say.”

Ethan hesitated, eyes searching Carter’s face. Then, he asked. “Are you gay?”

Carter nodded once. “Yeah. But I’m not out.”

Ethan’s breath hitched again. He looked down at his hands, then back up. His voice was barely above a whisper. “Do you… have any feelings for me?”

Carter’s pulse kicked hard, the way it used to when a drill instructor barked his name out of nowhere—sharp, disorienting, like his body moved a half-second faster than his thoughts. He could’ve lied. Should’ve lied. But Ethan deserved the truth.

“Yes,” Carter said. “I do. But we have to be careful. I don’t have a plan. I just… care about you. And I want you to be mine.”

Ethan’s eyes softened in a way that made Carter’s heart thump painfully.

“I want you all to myself.”

Before he could talk himself out of it, Carter leaned forward, closing the space between them. Ethan didn’t pull back. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t look confused. He just waited.

So Carter kissed him—slow, careful, like he was afraid Ethan might break if he pushed too hard. And for the first time in a long time, something in Carter felt right.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ethan was still shaking a little when Carter pulled away from the kiss.

Not because he didn’t want it. Because he wanted it too much. His lips tingled, his chest felt too tight, and his brain was trying to catch up with what had just happened. Carter had kissed him. Carter. The man he’d been trying not to fall for. The man he thought he had no chance with.

He was happy—God, he was—but underneath the happiness was a sharp, cold fear.

What now? What does this mean? What if Carter regrets it? What if I ruin everything?

They walked back to the cabin in silence, the kind that wasn’t awkward but wasn’t easy either. Ethan kept replaying the kiss in his head, trying to memorize every second of it, terrified it might be the only one.

Inside the cabin, both removed their boots, then Carter hung his jacket on the hook like nothing monumental had just happened. Ethan hovered near the door, unsure what to do with his hands, his breath, his entire existence