This has been frustrating as fuck.

Since the day we messed around, I’ve wanted to get Eric on his own to talk, but considering all the time Ty and I have spent at the beach the past two days, there haven’t been any opportunities.

I order a vodka Sprite from the bartender, and while I’m waiting for it, Eric glances around—like he’s looking to see where Ty is.

“He’s hung up on Mandy right now,” I say. “So you wanna talk?”

He searches around. “Maybe somewhere a little more private?”

After we grab our drinks, we head upstairs to a secluded corner booth, where we sit. He takes a moment, looking like he’s searching for the right words.

“I’m sorry about the other day,” he finally says.

I shrug.

As pissed as I was at the time, maybe it was for the best. We both got so caught up in what we wanted from each other, we weren’t really thinking things through. I mean, he’s my friend’s dad. I shouldn’t have been begging him to crawl up my ass.

“Don’t be sorry,” I say. “I think you might have saved us both from fucking up.”

He appears surprised by my words, like he was expecting me to be all butt-hurt about it. “Don’t get me wrong, I was pissed afterward. I mean, it went from being really hot to…well, awkward as fuck. You did make me feel like I was doing something wrong for not having messed around with guys.”

“That’s not what I meant. If it was going to be just messing around, that would have been one thing, but for your first time, it just shouldn’t have been like that. You deserve better than that.”

Deserve better?

His words throw me, and suddenly, as annoyed as I’ve been about what happened, I find he’s knocked my defenses down.

“Wow. You should have said that the other day. I was thinking you were just being a dick by throwing me out like that. Like I was some kind of piece of meat.”

“No, I didn’t mean it that way at all. I just needed you to go…because if you didn’t, I didn’t know how much longer I’d have been able to control myself…to do the right thing.”

I gulp. Something about that is…really hot.

And sweet at the same time, especially now that I understand what was really going through his head when he kicked me out of his room.

As I let this new awareness settle, I say, “Well, it was probably for the best, especially considering our situation with Ty. And really, as bothered as I was, I was in way over my head. I wasn’t ready to do that… Hell, I didn’t really even know if I was clean down there. It could have been a disaster.”

Eric laughs. “Guess we can add that to the long list of reasons why we shouldn’t have been messing around. Sorry.”

“Quit saying you’re sorry.”

“Sorry. Fuck.”

I chuckle. It’s kind of funny seeing Eric not being able to keep his cool.

“There you are, Jesse!” I hear before turning and seeing Dana approaching the booth quickly—something that seems to make Eric uneasy. I think it’s just because she’s interrupted our conversation.

“I was wondering where you ran off to,” she says. “I told you I was going to the bathroom for a minute. Some of us are going to head back to the house for a bit if you want to come with.”

“Oh, I don’t want to bother your friends,” I say, suggesting that guy she was fighting with the other night. She scoots in beside me in the booth.

“This drink is shit,” Eric says. “Think I’m going to go find a different bartender to make me another. ’Scuse me…what was your name?”

“Dana,” she says with a smile before he politely leaves.

Dana leans close and whispers, “It’s just me going back, Jesse. And I promise, if you come, that won’t be the only thing coming tonight.”

She reaches down and slides the back of her hand up the crotch of my shorts.

“I…uh…gotta get some sleep tonight. I’m kind of still feeling like shit from partying with Ty last night. But thanks for the invite.”

She pulls away, her expression stoic, like she wasn’t anticipating my response. Her eyes narrow. She’s obviously annoyed.

“Whatever,” she says before sliding out of the booth and walking away.

I glance over at a relatively empty bar across the room. Eric sits on a stool before it, taking a sip of his drink. I approach him, set my glass on the bar, and sit on the stool beside him. He turns to me and then looks around, like he’s searching for Dana.

“Your friend leave you high and dry?” Eric teases, side-eyeing me.

“Admit it. You were enjoying leaving me in that awkward situation, weren’t you?”

He pivots toward me. “A little bit. Was she thinking you were going to take her back to her condo and fuck the hell out of her?”

I can tell by the way he says it, he doesn’t believe I could. Kind of annoys me since I think he’s implying I couldn’t fuck a girl.

“I wouldn’t have a problem with it if I wanted to,” I say.

“Oh really? Bat for both teams?”

“Apparently.”

The way his lips curl into a smirk makes me want to kiss him. I want them around my shaft. I want to be back in his bed, feeling those erotic sensations he stirred when we were together.

“In that case, maybe you should go with her,” Eric says. “Probably be a lot more fun than hanging out with some guy old enough to be your dad.”

His words are almost a warning, a reminder of why I should be fighting this attraction I feel toward him.

“Maybe I enjoy spending time with a guy old enough to be my dad,” I tell him.

“Well, I think it’s a safer option not to.”

“Are you telling me I’m in danger, Eric?” I ask, amused with how serious he sounds. “What from?”

“I just… I don’t know that if you keep close to me, I’m going to be able to resist you.”

And…I’m hard again.

“You think it’d be hard to resist me?” I ask. “Why do you say that?”

He shakes his head, grabs his refreshed drink, and takes a sip before saying, “I’m not playing this game.”

“I’m pretty direct, Eric. I’m not playing a game. You’re hot, and obviously you feel the same way about me. Is that such a bad thing?”

“You seem awfully confident about your sexuality for a kid who hasn’t ever done anything with another guy.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever felt inclined to act on it. I mean, outside of jerking off to some porn. I’ve had guys I’ve been attracted to, whom I would have fucked, but they were straight as far as I knew. I never pushed it. And I was usually in relationships with girls. My ex from college and I were together for like five years. She was with me during all those experimental years.”

Eric nods. “I get that. I was with Ty’s mother pretty young. I didn’t really come into my own until later.”

“Don’t say that.”

His eyes widen. “What?”

“You said come. That’s not going to make this any easier on me.” I wink at him, and he tenses his jaw, groaning slightly.

I get that we shouldn’t do this, that we can’t, but damn, there’s something about every little movement he makes… Every little tic of his does something for me. “You’re gonna have to stop groaning too, I think.”

He wears a serious expression, and I laugh. I can’t help it.

“Jesse!” I turn, and Ty is heading toward us. “What the hell are you guys doing up here? Come on. We’re about to head across the street to another bar. Eric, you can come with us if you want.”

Eric presses his lips together, then purses them. “I think I’m gonna pass on this one. Call it a night.”

“Okay, cool. We’ll see you later, then.”

“See you tomorrow,” I tell him as I push to my feet and follow Ty.

As I reach the doorway, I glance back at Eric, noticing he’s checking out my ass. I can’t help but smirk before heading outside.

Ty turns around and approaches me, slinging his arm over my shoulder.

“Oh, dude. It’s not your job to keep my old man company.”

“What? No, he’s nice.”

“He’s nice because you’re a young, cute guy he wouldn’t mind boning.”

If only Ty knew. I want to say something to defend Eric. After all, he’s a hot guy who I’m sure gets plenty of action himself. But I bite my tongue. That’s only going to make things awkward as shit between Ty and me.

Maybe it’s better that Eric wasn’t able to do more with me the other day.