Page 66 of Boss and Brat

And even though Ethan was terrified, he couldn’t help the small smile tugging at his mouth. Carter had kissed him. And Carter hadn’t run.

Ethan finished the last sip of his ice cream soda, the cold sweetness doing nothing to settle the warm, nervous flutter in his chest. Carter sat beside him on the couch, staring at the floor like he was trying to figure out how to start a conversation he didn’t want to mess up.

Ethan waited.

Finally, Carter spoke.

“I kissed you because…” He paused, jaw tightening. “Because I wanted to.”

Ethan’s breath caught. He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. He was afraid that if he reacted too strongly, Carter would pull it back, call it a mistake.

Carter kept going, voice low. “I’ve been trying not to. For a long time.”

Ethan’s heart thudded so hard he felt it in his throat. “Oh.”

It was all he could manage. He was happy—God, he was—but mostly he was scared. Scared of what this meant. Scared of what could go wrong. Scared of losing the one person who’d made him feel safe in months.

Carter leaned back against the couch, rubbing a hand over his face. “I know it complicates things. I know I’m your boss. And your dad trusted me with you. I know all of that.”

Ethan swallowed. “I know too.”

Silence stretched between them, warm and heavy.

Ethan’s mind kept circling the same question, the one he’d been too afraid to ask earlier. But now—after the kiss, after Carter’s confession—it felt impossible not to ask.

“Can I… ask you something?” Ethan said.

Carter looked over, wary but open. “Yeah.”

Ethan’s fingers tightened around his empty glass. “Did you ever have a relationship with a man before?”

Carter froze again.

Not like earlier—this time it wasn’t shock. It was hesitation. Calculation. Fear. Ethan recognized it because he felt it too.

Carter exhaled slowly. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“It wasn’t…” Carter searched for the right words. “It wasn’t anything lasting. I moved around too much. Different bases, different jobs. Nothing stuck.”

Ethan nodded, trying to process that. Carter had been with men. Carter had kissed him. Carter wanted him. It was a lot.

Carter continued, voice quieter. “I didn’t have the luxury of settling anywhere. Or with anyone.”

Ethan stared at his hands. “I get that.”

Carter glanced over. “What about you?”

“Only older guys who’d top me. Nothing longer than six months.”

Carter’s brow furrowed. “Older?”

“Yeah.” Ethan shrugged. “Guys who knew what they wanted. Guys who didn’t care if I didn’t have my life together. Guys who didn’t expect me to be… anything.”

Carter’s jaw tightened at that, but he didn’t comment.

Ethan looked down at his glass. “It never lasted. I always messed it up. Or they got bored. Or I got scared.”