Ethan (Alluring Indulgence #5)(23)
Author: Nicole Edwards

Sure, Ethan was now being manipulative, but he deserved the full story. Part of him wanted to rip Beau a new one for keeping something like that from him, but if he honestly thought about it, it wasn’t any of Beau’s business. Still wasn’t Beau’s business.

“It was one date. A long time ago. The guy wouldn’t leave me alone, so I met him at a restaurant, but I was very clear up front that I wouldn’t sleep with him.”

Narrowing his eyes at Blake, because honestly, he didn’t believe a single word that came out of his mouth, he waited for him to continue.

Blake looked down at the ground, then back up at Ethan. “I only slept with him once.”

Ethan’s throat closed, he couldn’t swallow.

It didn’t matter that what he and Blake had before wasn’t serious. Never had been. However, during their time together, Ethan thought it went without saying that they wouldn’t be with anyone else. Cheating was one thing Ethan didn’t tolerate.

Yanking his ball cap off of his head, Ethan shoved his hands through his hair, he turned his back on Blake, making sure not to look at Beau. How the hell had this happened? And why did Beau have to be witness to this? Why the hell did Beau have to be anywhere around him?

He felt like an idiot. He’d kept Blake around because he was convenient, but that wasn’t something Ethan would’ve ever shared with Blake. He wasn’t that guy. He didn’t get off on hurting people.

Before he could relay how he felt about the whole thing, Blake pushed past him, moving at a fast clip toward Beau.

“You son of a bitch! Why couldn’t you just stay the fuck out of our business?”

Beau cocked an eyebrow, never moving a muscle and Ethan’s gaze was locked on him. He was even attracted to the guy’s patience, his self-assurance. That cocky way he stood there like nothing or no one could hurt him.

When Blake apparently got too close for comfort, Beau put one hand out, right up against Blake’s chest. God, the difference in their sizes was significant. Beau must’ve been at least six-foot-six, considering he was a tad taller than Ethan at six-foot-five. And Blake was just shy of six-feet.

“Why couldn’t you just keep your mouth shut? What I do is none of your fucking business!”

Blake sounded just like what he was. A pissed off ex-lover.

Taking a deep breath, because hell, what else could he really do, Ethan made his way over to Beau and Blake. After inserting himself between them, he faced Blake, trying to ignore the feel of Beau so close behind him. He was big enough to block the frigid winds and Ethan hated himself for noticing that.

At the moment, he hated himself for a lot of things.

Chapter Seven

Beau wanted to laugh.

He also wanted to punch something.

Or better yet. Someone.

Blake Henley was a jackass. A jackass who just put his foot in his mouth. And somehow he was still trying to make it Beau’s fault. And when the little man came running at him, he had to fight to keep a straight face.

“You need to go,” Ethan told Blake loudly. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Would they really?

Beau had come to loathe Blake, including his cheating ways. Ethan deserved so much better than a little fuck-up like Blake.

For reasons unknown, Beau’s thoughts lurched back into the past to that kiss he shared with Ethan on the Walker’s front porch on Christmas Day. Yes, he’d kissed Ethan. Lord, Ethan had kissed him back and to this day, Beau still felt as though he’d been shaken and not stirred.

Wait.

Was that considered cheating? Should he feel guilty for kissing Ethan when, at the time, he was technically still seeing Blake? For a brief moment, he almost allowed guilt to sink in, but then he remembered seeing Blake and that loser at the restaurant and he couldn’t bring himself to feel bad about it.

“When?” Blake asked, a hint of anticipation in his voice, his eyes darting back and forth between him and Ethan.

“Don’t know. Just go home, Blake.”

Beau kept his mouth shut, knowing that anything he added to this conversation would just make it worse. And he definitely didn’t need another downturn in his day. As it was, he’d already lost his job and would now have to rent a storage unit just so he could house his tools until he got another one.

Maybe Zane would let him keep them at his house.

Beau watched as Ethan directed Blake to his truck. He made sure to meet Blake’s scowl every time he turned back. As far as he was concerned, Blake’s idiocy was a blessing. For months, Beau had hated himself for not telling Ethan about seeing Blake at the restaurant with someone else, but it wasn’t his place. No matter how many times he’d played the scenario over in his head, he knew what it would’ve looked like. And despite how much he wanted Ethan, how crazy he was making himself with that need, Beau wouldn’t stoop to that level.