Page 2 of Forgotten Prejudice

Whenever we talked about sex and stuff, I’d pretend to like girls, and I was getting sick of it. I was getting sick of going on double dates, trying to fool around with girls to make sure I was really gay and that it wasn’t just in my head, but mostly, I was sick of watching my best friend falling in love with someone who wasn’t me.

“You look lost,” a smooth voice said, and I looked up from the ground in search of who it belonged to.

A guy taller than me, who at first glance looked like Prince fucking Charming, with his raven-black hair and silver eyes, was leaning back against a garden column with his hands tucked in his trousers pockets.

“Oh, sorry,” I mumbled, rubbing the back of my head while gazing around. Apparently, without noticing, I’d ended up in some sort of a rose garden. “Didn’t look where I was walking.”

“That only proves my point.” The stranger smiled and pushed away from the column. “Soren Dane,” he said after offering me his hand to shake.

Even though it was a bit too formal, I didn’t think twice before taking his hand. Despite his soft skin, he had a firm, strong grip. A hot flush ran through my body as thoughts about his strength reached my brain and dick. I also noticed how cold his hand was, not that it mattered.

“A-Ashton Sage. But you can call me Ash,” I blurted awkwardly, not meeting his hunter eyes.

“That’s a cute name. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around,” he said after releasing my hand.

My eyes shot to him, and I regretted it immediately because his good looks only increased my awkwardness. Not only did he look like a model, with a chiseled jaw and sharp eyes, but he also looked mature. A man. Not a kid like myself.

Swallowing hard, I cleared my throat. “I’m a junior.” In high school. “Economics.” Yeah, right.

“Economics? That’s nice.” He smiled, showing off his perfect white teeth. “I’m about to finish my third year of law school.”

Shit. That means he’s around twenty-four? Twenty-five?

“That’s awesome.” My voice came out too high, and I sounded like a complete moron. He probably thinks I’m an idiot.

Soren chuckled while pressing his knuckle to his full lips and shaking his head. “You’re cute.”

Did he just say I’m cute? Yeah, he did.

Not knowing how to react because a man had never told me I was cute before, I focused on the garden around us. “That’s a nice house, don’t you think?”

Soren looked around himself, an unimpressed expression on his face.

He shrugged. “I’ve seen better.”

So he’s loaded, too. Well, given the Rolex he had around his wrist, I’d already figured that out.

“So, Ashton, what were you thinking about so hard that you ended up in a garden of roses?”

A hint of his rich cologne reached me, reminding me of winter. I had no idea why, but I often connected people with seasons. Kai’s, for example, was summer. Whenever I closed my eyes next to him, it brought me back to sleeping in the shade after surfing on some lazy August afternoon.

Remembering I had yet to answer Soren’s question, I pulled myself back together. “Well, nothing important. Just some thoughts.”

“All thoughts are important,” he said, and I began to learn that Soren Dane always had an answer up his sleeve.

As you’d expect of a law student.

Once again, I dared to glance at him only to find his brilliant eyes locked on me. He looked… interested.

“Do you want to grab a drink?” I asked, surprising myself.

Unfazed by my directness, he nodded. “Sure. Let’s get back inside.” He moved to go and, without any warning, placed his hand behind my back.

I stilled at his slight touch as thoughts of him touching me more flooded my imagination. Would he be rough? Gentle? As much as I longed for it, I’d never been held by another guy and was left with nothing but porn-based fantasies.

It took us about fifteen minutes to reach the alcohol table, and only because Soren was stopped every minute by someone else. It looked like he was popular. Too popular.

“So, what do you want to drink?” he asked while checking the labels on some bottles.