Page 62 of Ruining His Smirk

“Copy,” Nate replied.

The connection went quiet.

Great. So now we were going to just sit here suspended in this position?

Nate returned his attention to the instruments without looking at me. I peered down through the clear floor at the ocean below our feet.

Nate hadn’t said much to me since we were in bed together. I felt like I needed to say something. The last time we had been trapped in an unbearable silence together was on the deck. I hadn’t known what to say then either, but Nate had been the one to make the effort. He had found the wooden ship voyage story. He had filled the void with something that mattered to both of us.

It was my turn now. The trouble was, what did a man say to another after spending the past year calling him his enemy, the past several days wanting to kiss him, and the previous night with his dick inside that same man?

“Nice evening, Nate. Sky’s still bright, water’s still cold. By the way, I woke up this morning with my face in your hair and have not known how to look at you since. Oh, also, I stole your sweater. It smells of you and I like it too damn much. I’d meant to ask, but then I saw your sketches. And now here we are. You’re not talking. But hey, nice job sketching my ass.”

17

Garrett

There was actually one thing I needed to say. I had made a really dumb mistake during the conference. I should have introduced him properly. Instead, I had stood in front of a room full of people, forgotten every basic courtesy I had ever learned, and left him to introduce himself because I had been too busy staring at him in that pale green sweater.

Honestly, a few days ago, I might not have cared. Hell, I might even have thought it served him right. Dr. Nate Braddock, with his fancy education, his polished accent, and enough letters after his name to fill half a page, could survive one room not being formally reminded of his importance. Except I no longer believed that was what mattered to him.

The more time I spent around Nate, the more I had started questioning things I once took for granted. That was not an easy thought to swallow, but I was man enough to admit whenI might have been wrong. I had made assumptions about Nate. Some of them had already fallen apart.

At the very least, I owed him an apology for the conference. Nate continued staring outward.

“I’m sorry,” I started. “I shouldn’t have done that.” I drew in a breath. I needed to choose my words carefully. I didn’t want to make any more mistakes. “I should—”

He made a sharp, annoyed sound. The expression on his face made the rest of my apology get stuck in my throat.

For the past several days, something in Nate had been softening toward me. Even when he teased, there had been warmth underneath it. He had smiled more. Blushed more.

That softness was gone now. His mouth had tightened.

“I cannot believe you,” he said. Hurt and fury burned together in his eyes, so sudden and intense that I had no idea what I had said to cause it.

I frowned.

“I expected better from you.” His voice grew sharper with every word. “I was there. I watched you enjoy it. So talking about it like this now is frankly insulting.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I genuinely thought you were different.” He gave a short laugh with no humor in it. “I have no idea why. Apparently, I was a fool.”

“Wait—”

“It is the same thing every single time with men like you. Is it truly so difficult to show another person a little respect?”

I could only stare back, dumbstruck. Something had happened here that I did not understand. I had touched a nerve without even knowing it was there, and whatever Nate thought I was apologizing for had dragged him straight into an argument we had apparently been having long before I opened my mouth.

Nate was only becoming angrier. “And another thing.” He raised a finger and pointed it at me. “Being a large man does notentitle you to behave this way. Men like you need to grow up eventually. You are in your thirties. You are a grown-ass man, Landry.”

The last name felt like someone had struck me.

The submersible moved and began to descend. Nate jabbed at one of the controls and pushed a button. “Men like you cannot continue treating people like this just because your ego has been bruised. It is chauvinistic, it is arrogant, and it is exhausting.”

My frown deepened. Who was he talking about? Who the fuck had hurt him so badly? I wanted to get my hands on those pigs.

“I am not—”

Nate’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “If you insist on regretting it, then by all means, go ahead.” His eyes flashed. “But I am not sorry. I refuse to be treated as though I did something wrong or did not know what I was doing.”