"What the fuck?"

Tristan stared at his screen in disbelief.

"What happened?" Renee's voice rang out from the kitchen.

"Why do I have so many missed calls from you and Ma?" Tristan looked up just as Renee approached, a napkin in his hand.

"She said she called you multiple times, but you didn't pick up, so she called me instead. What were you doing?" Renee eyed him suspiciously.

"Talking with Nicole."

Renee raised an eyebrow, hands settling on his hips. "Just talking?"

Of course it wasn't just talking. When is it ever just talking with her? Tristan caught the curiosity on Renee's face and couldn't help but find it cute. Why does he look like that? Like he actually cares what I was doing with her?

"No," he admitted, leaning back against the couch. He didn't miss the way Renee's expression subtly fell. "We kissed... that's all."

Why do I even care? Renee wasn't sure why he felt a strange sense of relief-nothing more had happened-but the idea of them kissing still didn't sit right with him. This is so fucking stupid. I shouldn't give a damn who he kisses or what he does with his tongue or- He cut himself off. Get it together.

"Why do you even care?" Tristan asked, tilting his head, watching Renee struggle for an answer.

Because I'm losing my goddamn mind, that's why. Of course, he couldn't say the real reason. He cursed himself for even thinking it.

No, he wasn't jealous.

He was just... curious.

Liar.

"I was just curious, that's all," Renee said, flashing a forced smile.

Tristan studied him for a moment, then let his gaze wander-trailing from Renee's face down to his broad shoulders, his toned arms, his abs, his legs. Fuck, look at him. Renee was beautiful. So damn beautiful. But it wasn't just his body.

It was the way Renee was-tough on the outside but soft where it counted. A fortress of cold indifference to most, but Tristan had seen past that. He knew the warmth Renee kept hidden, the quiet kindness he rarely showed.

And I'm the only one who gets to see it.

And he loved it all.

Renee's stubbornness, his sharp tongue, even his temper-it was all part of what made him him. And when Tristan riled him up, when Renee was all flustered and pissed, God, he was so fucking cute.

But what he loved most? The sounds Renee made when he completely let go. When Tristan had him under him, breathless, moaning, breaking apart-

Stop. Just fucking stop.

Tristan clenched his jaw.

That was fucked up.

Wanting his stepbrother even more now that he was back with his ex?

Yeah. Very fucked up.

"Earth to Tristan."

He blinked, snapping back to reality. Renee was beside him now, a bowl of steaming noodles balanced on a napkin in his hand, chopsticks in the other.

When did he-?

Shit. How long was I staring at him like some creep?

"What were you thinking about?" Renee asked, placing the bowl on the coffee table to let it cool.

"What?" Tristan blinked again, dumbly.

Renee rolled his eyes. "What had you so deep in thought?"

"You." The word slipped out before he could stop it.

Idiot. Why did I just say that?

Renee's brows furrowed. "What? Why?"

Because I can't stop thinking about you. Because even when I'm with Nicole, you're in my head. Because I'm completely fucked up. Tristan hesitated, then scooted a little closer. "Can I ask you something?"

Renee gave a slight nod and lifted the chopsticks to his lips, slurping up the noodles. He looked up at Tristan through his lashes, cheeks full, lips glistening-

Those lips. Fuck, those lips.

"Why haven't you ever dated anyone?"

Renee froze, chewing slowly.

Here we go. He's going to deflect or tell me to mind my own business. He swallowed, then asked, "Why do you care?"

Tristan shrugged, reaching for the chopsticks in Renee's hand. "Just curious." He picked up some noodles, blew on them, then held them up.

What is he doing? Renee hesitated, lips pressing into a thin line before finally parting. This feels... intimate. Too intimate. Tristan fed him, watching the way his lips wrapped around the noodles, how he slurped them up-

He swallowed hard.

"You're going to end up alone if you don't open up to someone," Tristan mused.

Why does he care if I end up alone? "Why are you so concerned?" Renee grabbed Tristan's wrist, motioning toward the bowl. "Why did you stop? Keep going."

He wants me to keep feeding him. Christ.

Tristan smirked. "Gladly." He picked up another bite, feeding it to him.

"I don't want you to be alone," he continued. "I want you to have someone who loves you, someone who sees a future with you. Someone you can trust, without a doubt. Someone you can call yours."

Someone like me, the thought hit him like a freight train. What the hell is wrong with me?

Renee kept eating, his expression unreadable, but something flickered in his eyes.

What is he thinking? I wish I could read his mind sometimes.

Tristan paused, locking eyes with him. Chocolate brown meeting stormy gray-blue.

"I don't want you to miss out on love."

Love. What does he know about love? What do I know about it? Renee's heart skipped.

He tore his gaze away. "I'm only twenty-three, Tristan. I have time." His voice was lower now. A little unsteady. He hadn't even realized how close Tristan had gotten until he felt his breath ghosting over his lips.

He's so close. Too close. I can smell his cologne, feel his warmth...

His breath hitched. "I'm not alone. I have you."

Did I just say that out loud? Neither of them processed the weight of that sentence.

Tristan's gaze flickered down. Renee's lips-soft, inviting. He knew how they felt, how they tasted, how they-

I could kiss him right now. He'd let me. I know he would.

"Renee..." Tristan whispered, his voice strained.

The pull was magnetic, inescapable. He wanted to kiss him. He wanted to devour him. He wanted to bend him over the counter and-

Nicole. Remember Nicole. Remember your fucking girlfriend.

"Kiss me, Tristan."