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“What the fuck?” Tristan sat up this time, the bedsheets rustling. “Holy shit, I didn’t know, Gabe.”
“I blame myself. I should have never gotten behind the wheel that upset, but thankfully, all I got was a scar you can barely see. The scars on my heart are probably worse if I’m being honest.”
“Damn, still… I’m sorry. I get what you mean about heart scars, though. I’ve got a few that run deep. And you can never really fix that part of you. You just have to try and find another part of your heart you can use, you can give out to people.”
I looked over, seeing Tristan’s shape cloaked in the shadow of midnight. The longer I looked, the more details I could make out. The rise and fall of his sexy lips, the strong bridge of his nose, the long and curving lashes that blinked open and closed. “Who broke your heart?”
He took another deep breath. I could see his chest rise and fall, his hands resting just above his heart.
“I’ve never had my heart broken. Not in a romantic sense. My heartbreak comes more from family… my dad. We were really close. Like really fucking close when I was growing up. He was my hero—I wanted to be a lawyer just like he was. Wanted to fix up cars and take my family on vacations and do everything that man did.
“Then I came out to him. It was my junior year of high school. He kicked me out that same day, and he hasn’t spoken to me since. I went to my mom’s house that night and told her everything. She gave me the longest hug and told me that she loved me no matter what, and I lived with her for the rest of my high school years.”
I sat up on the bed, my eyes having adjusted, and now I was able to see Tristan clearly. There was pain reflected in those eyes, clear even in the shadows of my bedroom. “Fuck, Trist. You didn’t deserve that reaction, especially not from your own father. It makes my blood fucking boil. How can you turn on your own blood like that? And a child? How in the fuckin’ world—”
“It’s okay, Gabe, it’s okay.” Tristan reached for my hand, grabbing it and squeezing it. “It made me closer with my mom. I had been so obsessed with my dad that I had missed out on a lot of time with my mom, so I felt like I got some of that back. It also made me closer with my little brother, Malik. He never got along with our dad, so when he had come out, he didn’t even bother telling him.”
I rubbed my thumb against Tristan’s hand, the soft skin leaving sparks against mine. “Where’s your mom and brother now?”
“Both in Tampa. They moved years ago, but I decided to stay here. Atlanta’s always going to be my home base, no matter where life decides to take me.”
“Same,” I said, giving his hand a squeeze. “Tampa sounds nice, though.”
“Oh, it’s great. My brother works at the aquarium, and he’s gotten us day passes to hang out with the dolphins. So I spend a day there and then read a book by the beach before getting some good Cuban food and having a few drinks at a nearby bar. It’s really fun down there.”
I nodded and settled back down into bed. Underneath the comforter, our feet briefly touched, Tristan’s toes against mine. I didn’t move, and neither did Tristan, not for a couple of moments, at least. And then Tristan shifted, moving his foot away from mine and snapping through the spell cast whenever our bodies connected.
He yawned and gave a stretch. I could pick up on the cue before he spoke.
“Alright, it’s been a long day. I think I’m gonna try and get some sleep,” he said.
“Good night, Trist.”
“Night, Gabe.”
The silence returned. The heat inside my core roared back to life. My cock throbbed. It pushed up at the sheets. I stretched out my legs under the comforter, feeling a tingle spread from my balls out through my body like an invisible signal.
Everything inside me shouted to roll over, to touch him, to throw the covers off the bed and watch as I made his body writhe under mine. It was a physical force, nudging me, tugging me, nearly yanking me toward him. But I resisted it.
We had decided to keep things relaxed between us, and I had to respect that. Especially since I was the one who’d suggested it in the first place.
Shit… did I fuck up?
Somehow, even with that thought clanging in my head and a constant pulse between my legs, I was still able to fall asleep.
If only I had known what was ahead. I would have done anything I possibly could to stay awake and live in that moment until the sun came up.
13
TRISTAN HALL
It had takenevery single goddamn ounce of self-respect and self-restraint I had in me to not roll over and start humping Gabriel’s leg like a horny dog. The way my body reacted when it was next to his was almost scary. Like I’d been primed to start throbbing the moment we lay down next to each other. The fact that Gabriel slept in a pair of plaid boxers and nothing else certainly didn’t help my, eh, situation.
I went to sleep with an erection and woke up with one, having to take care of it in the bathroom. Before I could even start jerking off, I noticed the large bathroom window was open. It was summer, so the warm breeze was actually nice, but I didn’t want any neighbors peeking over and getting a free show. Or anyone else, for that matter.
I shut the window and locked it, the frosted glass obstructing the view. I finished showering and brushing my teeth and followed the sweet scent of maple pancakes and freshly brewed coffee into Gabriel’s kitchen, where he stood with his (very muscular) back toward me, his head holding his phone against his shoulder as he flipped one of the pancakes.
“Morning,” I said, sitting down at the small round table next to a bright window. There was already an untouched mug of coffee at the table, still steaming, a bottle of cream and a small spoon right next to it.
