The Art of Loving by Cassidy Ryan

Author:Cassidy Ryan [Ryan, Cassidy]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Erotic Romance Fiction
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Published: 2016-03-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

“Do you need any painkillers?” Asa asked. They were sitting out on the patio at the mews, enjoying the last rays of sunlight.

“Nah, I’m good. I feel okay today,” Theo said, scribbling something on the notepad he was holding.

Asa smiled, pleased. “How about a glass of wine, then? I have some nice Chardonnay in the fridge.”

“Sounds great,” Theo replied, returning Asa’s smile.

Asa got up and headed into the kitchen, through a set of bifold glass doors. “Need anything else?”

“Not a thing,” Theo said, throwing a smile over his shoulder. There was an air of relaxed content around him that seemed almost contagious.

Humming softly to himself, Asa took the wine from the fridge, opened it then snagged two glasses from the cupboard and carried everything back out to the patio. Calliope followed him out, obviously hoping for a treat, but when none was forthcoming, she flicked her tail and went back inside.

“So, what’s this?” Asa asked, gesturing with the bottle to the notepad Theo had been scribbling in for the last hour, then resumed his seat and poured the wine.

“I’m making a list of everything I need to get done tomorrow,” Theo answered, dropping the book and pen onto the small wooden table and reaching for his glass. “I need to let the office know I won’t be in for a while, contact the police for an incident number, then give that to the insurance company. Fun times.”

Asa ran his thumb absently up and down the stem of his glass. “Is ‘contact parents’ on that list?” He found himself holding his breath for the answer. Theo had never been very forthcoming about his family, and Asa could count on one hand the number of times he’d even heard his friend mention them.

“It’s not at the top,” Theo said, lips tightening and shoulders stiffening visibly.

Asa nodded, prepared to leave it at that. Theo surprised him, however, when he continued.

“You saw the scars, didn’t you?” His hands were resting on the edge of the table, and he was intently focused on them. “In the shower?”

Asa’s heart stuttered, and he could only nod.

“My father’s handiwork,” Theo explained. His voice was flat, emotionless. “The good Reverend Bayliss, pillar of the community, promised to flay the skin from my bones with a leather belt, and gave it a bloody good go.”

Asa’s stomach felt like it had dropped to his knees. He took a deep, restorative breath, but even then, when he spoke, his voice had a clear tremor in it. “Jesus. Did he…? Was it because you’re gay?” His own family had been so great when Asa came out sometimes Asa forgot just how difficult it was for others. Being the son of a vicar couldn’t have been easy on Theo.

A bitter-sounding laugh burst from Theo. “Fuck, no. He hated me years before that.”

“Hated?” Before he even made the decision to move, Asa was on his feet, pacing back and forth across the patio, hands clenched into fists at his sides. “He hated you?”

“Sure seemed like it to me,” Theo said, shrugging.

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