Page 46 of Sinful Sharing

“I had nothing to do with it; I promise,” he says quickly. “He died of a heart attack. However, no one knew the cause of death at the time. Mom was concerned there might’ve been foul play and that Noel had information in his phone that would connect us, which is why I came here. She wanted me out of the way in case the authorities found anything.”

“Was she worried they would arrest you?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No, she was worried about a scandal.”

Ah, yes. Natasha is running for office. Now I understand why she made such an expensive offer to Roman.

Taylor reaches for my hand, lacing his fingers through mine. “But you know what? Coming here might be the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“I agree. And while I’m sorry for what you went through, I think it pushed you on the journey of discovering yourself.”

“It did.” He smiles. “I’ve never felt so free.”

My smile is just as huge. It seems as if we’re taking a step in the right direction. “Look, I can’t give you any tips on how to come out to your mother, but I’ll be here whenever you’re ready.”

A hush falls over us. Taylor pulls his hand from mine. Not good. “I can’t come out,” he mutters. “The people supporting Mom won’t take that news well.”

“You don’t need to return to an environment where people will judge who you are. You can stay here.”

My entire body tenses, bracing for his response. After what feels like forever, Taylor sighs heavily. “I seriously wish I could, but I have obligations back home. I can’t just walk away from them.”

Disappointment settles quietly inside me, but I don’t plan on giving up. I have two months left. If anything, I’ll recruit Roman to help. This goes beyond my selfish need to keep him here with me. Taylor needs people around who care for his well-being. Roman and I might be an unorthodox family, but around us, he’d never have to worry about being safe.

“Besides...” Taylor circles my palm with his thumb. “I know Roman can’t wait for me to leave.”

“I’m positive you’re wrong about that.”

Which earns me an eye roll. “Yeah, right. He’s so thrilled to have me around that he’s avoiding me.”

His sarcastic response contains a hint of bitterness. “Roman is avoiding you because he’s scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“You. Specifically, of what you make him feel. You’re his stepbrother’s kid. In his mind, he has no business being attracted to you. Even worse, he shouldn’t be having sex with you. But he can’t help it. You’re under his skin, and he doesn’t know how to get you out.”

“How do you know all that?”

“Because I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

Taylor seems blown away by my response. He swallows. “I still can’t stay.”

“Can’t or won’t?”

He ponders it for a moment. “Can’t.”

My stomach sinks a little more.

His expression brightens, and he nudges my shoulder. “But you could always come visit me.”

I manage a smile. “Oh?”

“Yeah.” He smiles back.

With an innocent tilt of my head, I ask, “Will we be sharing the same bed?”

He shrugs. “As long as we’re discreet, I guess.”

It’s disheartening. I can’t help feeling Taylor won’t come out unless someone forces him to. “Don’t make the same mistake I did,” I beseech him. “Don’t keep living a lie.”