Carol Lynne Read online

  Shutting the refrigerator, Tyler’s gaze roamed the room. “I had some help, but yeah.”

  Hearn glanced at the raised platform in the corner of the room. “Nice bed,” he commented, sitting on the cream-colored sectional. He opened the large box on the table and withdrew a slice of pizza. He could hear Tyler moving around behind him so he figured he was expected to just start eating.

  A nude Tyler bounded over the back of the sofa and handed Hearn a bottle of beer. “Glad you like it. I thought I’d serve dessert there.”

  With a big bite of pizza in his mouth, Hearn nearly choked. He’d never known this side of Tyler. The man he’d fallen in love with was usually quiet, thoughtful and rather timid. Using the beer to wash it down, Hearn finally swallowed the mouthful of food. “You trying to kill me?” he joked, taking in every inch of the smaller man’s nudity.

  Tyler took a drink from his own bottle before setting it on the table. “Nope. I’m trying to revive you.” He straddled Hearn’s lap. “Is it working?” Tyler asked, hand kneading Hearn’s erection through his jeans.

  “Oh, it’s working.” Hearn finished off his beer in one long drink before handing the empty bottle to Tyler.

  Tyler leaned backward, stretching his slim body to place the bottle on the table. Hearn took full advantage of the position by running his hands over the smooth torso in his lap.

  Instead of straightening, Tyler scooted his ass against Hearn’s cock and draped himself over the front of the sofa. Damn. Tyler was not only sexy as shit but limber as well. The new position left Tyler fully exposed to Hearn’s eyes and hands.

  “Am I dreaming?” Hearn asked, following the thin line of hair from Tyler’s belly button to his hardening cock.

  “If so, do me a favour and don’t wake up,” Tyler purred as Hearn’s hand encircled his erection.

  Hearn felt completely wicked as he used his other hand to fondle Tyler’s balls. Here he sat, fully dressed, while a smorgasbord lounged on his lap. He spent his time, feeling each ridge and dip of Tyler’s body.

  By the time the pizza was well and truly cold, the only area he hadn’t fondled was the sweet ass pressed against his stomach. Placing his hands under Tyler’s back, Hearn easily lifted the man back into a seated position. “Hang on to me,” he said, standing.

  Tyler did as he was told and wrapped his arms and legs around Hearn. “What about the pizza?” Tyler whispered, licking Hearn’s ear.

  “I’ve always been the kind of guy who preferred to indulge in dessert before dinner.” On the way to the raised Queen-sized bed, Hearn stopped by the door. “Can ya grab that bag for me?”

  Tyler reached down and scooped up the small duffle. “I hope you bought enough condoms.”

  As Hearn carried his naked lover to bed, he began to worry. It had been quite a few years since he’d topped because Mitch had rarely let him take the lead in their love making. He hoped the few odd times he’d been allowed to penetrate his ex had given him enough experience to satisfy Tyler.

  It wasn’t that he hadn’t enjoyed taking the lead. To the contrary, Hearn had always felt he was more a top than a bottom, but it hadn’t really been a choice given to him in the past. He’d loved Mitch enough to do whatever it took to feel close to the man, at least for a while.

  After walking up the three steps to the large platform, Hearn gently laid Tyler in the centre of the bed. Starting with his shirt, he quickly removed his clothes before retrieving the large box of condoms from his bag.

  Tyler used the time to ogle Hearn and push the covers down to the foot of the bed. “I can’t believe how amazingly gorgeous you are,” Tyler groaned, reaching for the bottle of lube in the bedside drawer.

  Hearn glanced down at himself. He knew his body was in good shape, playing every sport available in Cattle Valley helped with that, but he’d never thought of himself as gorgeous. If he was, wouldn’t Mitch have resisted the temptation to wander? Had he been naïve? Had all the years he’d spent with Mitch been about a stupid trust fund that he didn’t even have yet? Hell, unless his family forgave him, he may never have it.

  The thought went a long way to cooling his desires. Tyler’s hand wrapped around Hearn’s softening cock. “What’s wrong?” Tyler asked.

  Still standing beside the bed, Hearn looked into Tyler’s eyes. “Do you think Mitch ever really loved me?”

  Tyler seemed surprised by the question, but he quickly schooled his features and pulled Hearn down on the bed beside him. “I think he probably loved you as much as he was capable of, at least in the beginning. Later…” Tyler shrugged, “…who knows. I refuse to defend a guy who fucked anything that moved when he had a partner like you waiting at home. But I’d like to think he gave you a little of what you deserved.”

  “I’m not rich. I don’t know why Mitch thought I ever would be,” Hearn said, shaking his head. “My family has money, but before Mitch’s death they hadn’t spoken to me since college.” He realised something. “Mitch was constantly on my ass. Trying to get me to call and make up with them.” God, it suddenly made sense. The thought of Mitch stringing him along in order to get his hands on the Sutherland millions made him laugh.

  “Hearn?” Tyler put a concerned hand to Hearn’s face.

  “The joke was on him. My family didn’t cut me off because I was gay. They cut me off because they hated Mitch. They thought he was a leach who would bleed me dry in no time.”

  “How do you know that?” Tyler asked.

  “Because I finally took his advice and called them after he died.” He still hadn’t gone to see his folks, but he’d spoken with his mother and sister at least once a week since Mitch’s death.

  Tyler pushed him down to lie on the bed and curled his body around Hearn. “I hate to sound like a selfish prick, but can we shelve the Mitch talk for a few hours?”

  Ashamed of himself for thinking about another man, when he had the one he loved naked in his arms, Hearn nodded. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I want you to know I’m here for you. It’s good you’re working through these things, but it feels like I’ve waited a lifetime to get you in bed.”

  Extracting all thoughts of family and Mitch from his mind, Hearn gave himself over to the moment as Tyler’s hands began to wander his body. Tyler kissed his way down Hearn’s face and neck as he rolled on top of him.

  Hearn closed his eyes and moaned, as Tyler’s skilful tongue licked its way down to the crown of his cock. “I love your dick,” Tyler mumbled around said dick.

  “And it evidently loves you,” Hearn replied, feeling his erection return within seconds. Fuck, Tyler knew how to suck cock. Once again Hearn was amazed he’d never known this side of the timid florist.

  Hearn reached over and grabbed the box of condoms. “Need to fuck you,” he panted, afraid he’d come too early.

  Tyler slid his mouth from Hearn’s cock and reached for the lube. As Hearn struggled with the foil package, Tyler wasted no time in preparing his own hole. The scene playing out in front of him threatened his control once again. With only one prior lover, Hearn had never witnessed anything like the sight of Tyler stretching himself. “Goddamn!”

  He leaned over and bit the small butt cheek that was pushed up in the air, getting a nice view of the three thin fingers thrusting in and out of Tyler’s hole. The expression of ecstasy on Tyler’s face spoke volumes. “You do this often?” Hearn wondered.

  “Have to.” Tyler removed his fingers and smiled. “I haven’t had a lover since moving here.”

  Hearn knelt behind Tyler and pressed the head of his cock to the stretched opening. “I won’t last long,” he warned, before slowly pushing inside.

  “Uhhhh,” Tyler growled, as Hearn rocked in to the root.

  The outer muscles may have been nicely loosened, but Tyler’s inner muscles were squeezing Hearn’s cock like a vise. Shit, shit shit. Hearn tried to calm his breathing. Even the few times he’d been allowed to mount Mitch hadn’t prepared him for the feel of Tyler’s body.

>   With his hands on Tyler’s hips, Hearn withdrew before plunging in again. His mind wanted to take their first coupling slow, but his cock had other ideas. Before he knew it, he was ramming Tyler’s ass to the audible delight of his lover. He was pleasantly surprised when Tyler howled his approaching orgasm.

  “I’m coming!” Tyler yelled.

  The increased pressure to his cock as Tyler’s body shook with contractions sent Hearn hurtling over the edge into pure bliss. He pushed Tyler down on the bed and buried himself as deep as possible. His cock erupted, shooting its seed into the condom, as he attached his mouth to the back of Tyler’s neck.

  Hearn’s body continued to shake with aftershocks as he came down from the most intense orgasm of his life.

  “Mitch was a fucking fool,” Tyler mumbled, face pressed into the pillow.

  * * * *

  “What do you mean, you have to tell us the truth about who you are?” Ryan asked, his hold on Nate tightening.

  Nate tried to bury his face against Ryan’s chest to escape his partner’s suspicious eyes. Having none of it, Ryan pulled back and tilted Nate’s chin up. “Nate,” Ryan warned. “What’s going on?”

  Nate didn’t know what to say. Was he about to make the biggest mistake of his life? What if the men he loved couldn’t forgive him?

  “Rio! Get up here!” Ryan screamed, leading Nate out of the closet.

  Within moments, Rio came rushing through the doorway. “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking from Ryan to Nate.

  “Nate has something he needs to tell us,” Ryan informed.

  It was the concern in Rio’s eyes that pushed Nate to do the right thing. “Sit down,” he told his men.

  “Nate?” Rio asked, appearing more frightened than angry.

  Nate gestured to the bed. “Just give me a second.”

  After Rio and Ryan did as they were asked, Nate went back into the closet. He picked up the birth certificate and the envelope containing Joseph’s picture.

  When he returned to the bedroom, Ryan and Rio had their arms around each other, whispering softly. Taking a deep breath, Nate sat in the centre of the bed, waiting for his men to turn and face him.

  “Let me start by telling you both how sorry I am. I never meant to deceive either of you, and what I’m about to explain is something I’ve never spoken to anyone about. It’s a time in my life that I’m not proud of. Something I’ve spent years trying to forget, but I can’t anymore.”

  “Just tell us for Christ’s sake!” Ryan barked.

  The first thing Nate did was to hand Ryan his birth certificate. “That’s my birth name.”

  “William Nathaniel Guillome,” Ryan read. He glanced from the paper, over to Rio and finally to Nate. “I don’t understand.”

  Nate swallowed around the lump in his throat. “My father made me legally change my name after I graduated from high school. Of course that was also when he gave me a nice fat check and warned me to never darken his doorstep again.”

  “Why would a father do that?” Rio questioned.

  “To protect the family name,” Nate admitted. “He was, and still is, afraid of scandal.”

  “Guillome,” Ryan whispered. “As in Senator William Guillome?”

  “Yep,” Nate confirmed. “So you can see why not only having a gay son, but one who was as open as I was would be a problem. But that’s not the real reason he cut me out of his life. I made the mistake of falling in love with a fourth year Catholic seminary student.”

  “A priest?” Rio asked. “I didn’t even know you were Catholic.”

  “I’m not. At least not anymore. Joseph was the son of one of our parish big wigs. I first met him when he was home for Christmas break from the university. Of course being a horny sixteen-year-old at the time, I was immediately attracted to the piece of forbidden fruit. Joseph didn’t seem to return my attraction, but he did welcome my friendship. After he went back to seminary, we continued to write back and forth for the next year. During the fall of my senior year everything changed. Joseph’s letters became more intimate, telling me he often thought of me before he went to sleep at night. That year when he came home for winter break, he allowed me to kiss him for the first time. One thing led to another, and I took his virginity.”

  “Fuck,” Rio gasped.

  “Yeah,” Nate agreed. “I was seventeen and a half and thought I’d found my soul mate. But unfortunately Joseph obviously hadn’t felt the same. He had a mini-breakdown of sorts. The guilt over what he’d done seemed to eat him alive until he finally threw himself on the mercy of his family and his priest. The priest called my father, who couldn’t bring himself to look me in the eye afterward. My father told me Joseph had been sent away, and that I was to never again contact him. The afternoon of my graduation, William Guillome presented me with the check I told you about and laid out the conditions. I’ve not talked to him since. I moved to Chicago, changed my name and entered the police academy.”

  Now that the truth was finally out, Nate held his breath, waiting for a reaction from the men he loved.

  Ryan’s first question surprised him. “So what happens if the local press digs this up?”

  “Umm, I don’t know,” Nate stammered. “It would ruin not only my father’s career, but Joseph’s as well.”

  “Do you care what it does to your father’s career? He hasn’t exactly been quiet in the press about his disapproval of ‘queer folk’,” Rio quipped, pulling Nate onto his lap.

  The simple action was what Nate had been waiting for. He knew at least Rio wasn’t ready to walk away from him. Nate shrugged. “I took his money. I may do a lot of things I’m not always proud of, but going back on my word isn’t one of them.”

  “And Joseph? Did you ever find out what happened to him?” Ryan asked, placing a hand on Nate’s back.

  Nate shook his head. “I never tried. I’d already done enough harm.” Nate gazed into Ryan’s eyes. “I really did love him. Even after all these years, there’s a part of me that still does.”

  Nate reached over and took the picture out of the envelope and handed it to Ryan. “Today was the first time since I met the two of you that I’ve looked at this.”

  Ryan studied the photograph for a few moments before passing it to Rio. “Good-looking guy.”

  “Yeah, he was,” Nate agreed.

  Ryan next picked up the forgotten birth certificate. “You have to submit this with the application to run, don’t you?”

  “Yes. That’s why I’m thinking maybe it would be a better idea if I didn’t. I called Carol, but she said the guidelines were pretty straight forward.”

  Ryan nodded. He took the photo from Rio and carefully placed both pieces of paper on the bedside table. “I’ll do some research. See if I can find a loophole in the guidelines.”

  “So you forgive me?” Nate asked.

  Ryan cupped Nate’s face as Rio held him tighter. “It’s not up to us to forgive your past. Have you ever lied to us?”

  “No,” Nate shook his head. “But I didn’t tell you everything either.”

  Ryan leaned in and gave Nate a soft kiss. “We all have skeletons that we keep to ourselves.”

  “Do you?” Nate asked.

  “Of course. But none of them have anything to do with how much I love you or Rio.”

  Nate realised the big man holding him had spoken very little. Pressing his cheek against Rio’s, Nate whispered. “Do you still love me?”

  “With everything that I am,” Rio whispered back.

  Chapter Five

  After playing his part in consoling Nate, Rio passed his lover off to Ryan. “I’ll go finish getting dinner on the table,” he said, excusing himself. The truth was, he needed a few minutes to himself.

  The fact that Nate had hid his birth name wasn’t the issue for him. It was the simple truth that his lover had felt the need to do it in the first place. What kind of monster put his own political career above the life of his son?

  Adding the finishing touches to
his tuna casserole, Rio popped the dish into the oven. All he could think about was extracting revenge on the Senator. But how could he do that and not hurt Nate’s first lover in the process?

  “Shit!” he spat, realising what he needed to do. Finding Joseph wouldn’t be the hard part, it was telling Joseph why he’d come that would. He heard the thump of the bed upstairs and grinned. It sounded like Ryan was doing a damn fine job of getting Nate’s mind off his troubles.

  With Nate taken care of and the casserole in the oven, Rio powered up his laptop. The fact that Nate still professed to love the guy made Rio uneasy. “Right is right,” he mumbled to himself. The best thing he could do to help the man he loved, was to find Joseph, talk to him and let the chips fall where they may.

  By the time the oven timer sounded, Rio had all the information he needed. What would his men say if he left town for a day? Maybe he should at least tell Ryan? He shut down the laptop, sticking the piece of paper with a hastily scribbled address into his pocket.

  “Dinner’s ready!” he yelled up the stairs, before setting the table.

  He heard Nate’s famous giggle seconds before the men walked into the kitchen. “I’m starved,” Nate declared.

  After setting the casserole in the centre of the table, Rio took his seat. “I don’t doubt it with all the noise the two of you were making up there.”

  Ryan and Nate exchanged heated glances. “You should’ve joined us,” Ryan crooned.

  “What, and burn dinner like Nate did?” he joked, knowing it was a sore spot.

  “Hardy har har,” Nate replied. “I’ll take Ryan’s cock up my ass over a burned casserole any day.”

  Rio grinned. He loved the way Nate’s mood was able to bounce back so quickly. It was definitely part of the smaller man’s charm, a character trait that would definitely win him the mayoral election.

  He decided to corner Ryan the following day and discuss his intentions. Hopefully Ryan would understand Rio’s need to talk to Joseph. Even without the election, knowing there was a man out there that still held a piece of Nate’s heart was reason enough. Now the truth was out in the open, Rio felt all four of them needed closure.