Leaving Home

by Chase, T. A.

  Chaz heard a door shut somewhere in the house. Peter must have come in.

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  “I will. Tell me when you’re going to be back in the States, and I’ll take some time off to come and meet your guy. I’ve met someone as well. I think you’ll like him, Matty. He’s a

  great guy.”

  “Maybe good things are coming our way. It’s about damn time, don’t you think?”

  Someone spoke in the background just as a knock sounded on Chaz’s door.

  “I’ve got to go, Chaz. Thanks for listening, and I promise not to call you again until next month. By then I should have an idea when I’ll be back in the country.”

  “Take care, Matty. I can’t wait to meet your man.” He ended the call, then let the phone

  drop to the floor as he called out, “Come in, Peter.”

  After opening the door, Peter stuck his head around the edge. “I thought you’d be out

  in the living room when I got in.”

  “I meant to be, but Matthew called.” Chaz tried to relax into the cushions of the chair,

  but every atom in his body refused.

  “Is there anything wrong? Isn’t Matthew the brother in the military?” Peter strolled

  across the room to kneel next to Chaz.

  “Nothing’s wrong. He just wanted to tell me something he didn’t think could wait until

  he got back to the States.” Chaz reached out, then ran his hand through Peter’s hair. “Sorry I couldn’t help with the horses. I’ll try to be better next time.”

  “Did you take anything for the pain?”

  Chaz liked the fact that Peter had asked, even though he realised Peter wouldn’t be

  happy to hear if he had taken some pills.

  “Nah. Do you have a heating pad around here?” He shifted slightly. “Maybe some heat

  on it will help get the kinks out.”

  Peter surged to his feet. “I know we do. Sometimes Les has really bad headaches and

  his back muscles lock up. Heat helps him. You should go take a hot bath as well. Soaking

  might work some magic.”

  “Sounds like a good idea.” Chaz braced his hands on the arms of the chair before trying

  to get up. It didn’t work. “I’m going to need some help standing, Peter.”

  Peter didn’t say a word, just simply took Chaz’s hands in his and hauled him up. They

  stood inches apart, and Chaz saw a flash of heat in Peter’s eyes. Grinning, Chaz winked.

  “Let me loosen up my back, honey, and we can have some fun later on.”

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  “Do you want to share my bed tonight, or should we stay here?” Peter licked his lips,

  drawing Chaz’s attention to Peter’s plump bottom one.

  Chaz closed the gap between them to kiss Peter. He rested his hands on Peter’s slender

  hips, flexing his fingers as Peter took control of their embrace. Chaz hummed with happiness when Peter wrapped his arms around Chaz’s neck before angling his head enough for Chaz

  to deepen the kiss.

  He sucked on Peter’s tongue, loving how the man tasted. It was a flavour unlike any

  other Chaz had sampled before, and he knew he could become addicted to it if he let himself.

  Maybe needing someone with the same fierce craving he had for the pills wasn’t so bad. It had to be healthier than drugging himself every day.

  After he took a step towards his bed, Chaz’s back seized up and he grunted. Peter eased

  away from him, then gestured in the direction of the bathroom.

  “I’m going to get the water started for your soak. After that, I’ll go find the heating pad and bring you some aspirin. I know it’s not as strong as your pills, but it will help a little.”

  “You do that. You’ll probably be back here before I get my clothes off.” Chaz waggled

  his eyebrows. “You can help me get undressed.”

  Peter blushed, and Chaz chuckled softly.

  “I love that you can still blush. It’s a rare thing these days.”

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  Chapter Eight

  Peter was glad Chaz liked him blushing, because he had the feeling he was going to be

  doing a lot of it when he was around the man. He dashed into the bathroom to start filling the tub. As he left, he saw Chaz slowly making his way over to the bathroom door. The way Chaz was moving, he might be right that Peter would be back before he even got naked.

  Margie had got home while they’d been out riding, so Peter went to her small suite of

  rooms. He knocked on her door, waiting patiently for her to answer.

  “Yes, Peter. What can I do for you?” she asked, after opening the door.

  “Do you remember where Les put the heating pad? Chaz needs it for his back.”

  She gave him a narrow-eyed stare. “He didn’t take any medicine for that?”

  He shook his head. “No, and I can’t begin to tell you how happy that makes me. I hate

  that he’s in pain, but I don’t think dulling the problem with drugs helps.”

  “Of course it doesn’t help. All it does is mask the real issue. How does he know he

  hasn’t injured himself even worse because he can’t feel anything?” Margie frowned. “I think he put it in the hall closet closest to their room.”

  “Thank you. I’m going to grab that, and give him some aspirin.” He started to turn

  around, but her hand on his arm stopped him. He looked at her.

  “Don’t get your hopes up that he’s off the drugs for good. It doesn’t work that easily.

  Lord knows, I wish it did.”

  Peter hugged her, then kissed her cheek. “I know, Margie, and I’m going to try to keep

  remembering that, so when he does start using again, I won’t be disappointed.”

  “You have the right to ask him to stop, especially if he wants to start a serious

  relationship with you,” she reminded him.

  He turned to walk off, saying over his shoulder, “I don’t know if what we’re doing is

  serious or not, Margie. It might just be a little fun.”

  She didn’t reply, simply shut the door as he raced away. He gathered all the stuff he

  wanted before heading back to Chaz’s room. After dropping the heating pad by the bed, he

  took the aspirin and the glass of water he’d brought into the bathroom.

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  Chaz was sitting on the toilet, looking for all the world like he’d been frozen in that

  spot. The only things moving were his hands as he opened his fingers, then clenched them

  tight.

  “Are you all right? Do I need to call the doctor or something?” Peter set the glass on the counter before crouching next to Chaz.

  “I’m fine. Just went a little further than I should have. Let me have those meds, then

  you can help me into the water. At least I managed to get myself naked, huh?”

  As much as Peter wanted to baby Chaz, and do everything for him, Peter knew Chaz

  wouldn’t welcome being taken care of. He wasn’t an invalid or a cripple. He was simply

  trying to heal up from an injury. Actually, it was several injuries that, individually, would have levelled a lesser man.

  “Sure. Here you go.” He handed everything over, then, after Chaz was done, he

  returned the glass to the counter. “Let’s get you in the tub.”

  It didn’t take that long, even with Peter being as careful as he could. Chaz settled into the steaming water with a sigh, and Peter rolled a towel to tuck behind Chaz’s head.

  “Are you going to join me?” Chaz peered up at Peter with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

&nbs
p; Peter shook his head. “No. You need to rest, and I need to get ready for bed. I’ll be back here in a few minutes.”

  “Hey, don’t I get to decide where we sleep tonight? I think I remember you asking me

  whether I wanted to share a bed with you.”

  Peter ducked his head, swearing silently as his face heated yet again. He couldn’t

  believe he’d been bold enough to ask Chaz that. If the man wanted Peter to stay, he would’ve said something. Chaz didn’t need to see Peter as a needy person who had to spend every

  moment of every day with him.

  “Yes, it is up to you. I’m sorry I presumed.” He backed away from the tub.

  Chaz grabbed his hand, pulling him to a stop. “Oh, you didn’t presume anything. I

  want you in my bed for as long as you’re willing to be there, Peter. Believe me when I say you’re the only man I’ve ever said that to.”

  Was it the pain or exhaustion making Chaz say that? Peter had the feeling if Chaz felt

  good he would’ve never said anything like that. Chaz didn’t seem like the type of guy who settled down or got involved in a serious way with anyone. Very much a player, as Max

  would say.

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  Yet didn’t it mean something that Chaz had chosen not to take more pills tonight after

  riding had tweaked his back so badly? Could it mean that Peter really was someone more

  than just a vacation fling, or a one-night stand?

  He snorted silently. Yeah, right. It was all Peter’s wishful thinking making him believe

  there was something more between him and Chaz. The only thing there was mutual liking

  and almost overwhelming lust. When the two weeks were up, and Chaz had to get down to

  Tulsa, Peter had no doubt the man would walk away without a second thought.

  “Well, thank you, I guess.” Peter freed his hand and gave Chaz a smile. “I’m going to

  get changed, then I’ll be right back.”

  “I’ll be here, soaking. Hey, do you think you could bring me a beer when you come

  back?”

  Peter nodded. “I could probably do that, and it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as if you

  mixed the alcohol with your pills.”

  Chaz grimaced. “Probably true, but it helped dull the pain.”

  Was the pain so bad that Chaz couldn’t deal with it unless he was drugged to the gills?

  Peter wondered if he’d been to the doctors, and what they had said about his injuries. It didn’t seem right that the only thing Chaz could do was medicate the aches and pains.

  He went to his room, and changed into sleep shorts and a T-shirt. After making a stop

  in the kitchen to grab two bottles of beer, he returned to find Chaz half asleep in the tub. He tapped him on the shoulder with the bottle.

  “Here you go, man.”

  Chaz didn’t even open his eyes, simply held up his hand for Peter to put the beer in it.

  “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome,” Peter said as he sat on the floor next to the tub. He took a sip of his beer, then leaned his head against the edge. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure. I’ve got nothing to hide.”

  “Is that so? I think everyone has something to hide. You wouldn’t be human if you

  didn’t.” Peter reached over to lay his hand on Chaz’s shoulder. “How bad is your back?

  Could you have surgery or something to fix it?”

  “The only thing they can do is fuse the vertebrae and, once that happens, I can’t work

  anymore because I wouldn’t be able to bend or move fast enough to keep the guys safe.”

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  Chaz shrugged, moving the flesh under Peter’s fingers. “I don’t know what else I’d do if I couldn’t be a bullfighter. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be since I went to my first rodeo.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you could find something else. Possibly just work as a cowhand

  somewhere, or something that wouldn’t be so hard on your back.”

  Maybe he could talk to Les about finding Chaz a job that didn’t involve too much

  lifting. Yet it wasn’t his place to try to save Chaz, not after having only met him yesterday. Of course, he’d dragged Chaz out of an alley, so saving him might be what Peter was supposed to do.

  “How did I injure my back? Which time?”

  Peter lifted his head to shoot a glance at Chaz. “How did you know I was going to ask

  that? You’ve hurt yourself more than once? I can’t believe you haven’t retired before this.”

  “It’s not that great a leap that you’d want to know about it. No big deal. You get hurt

  when you’re a bullfighter. There’s no way to retire from rodeo without getting injured at some point. If you do, then you haven’t been doing your job right. The other guys and I are there to ensure the riders don’t suffer the bull’s wrath.”

  “I’ve never really understood why anyone would ride in any of the roughstock events

  or be a bullfighter. Tony’s tried to explain to me why he did it, and the adrenaline rush he felt when he rode doesn’t make sense to me.”

  Chaz drained his beer, then handed the empty bottle to Peter. “I get what you’re saying.

  It’s hard to understand when you haven’t done it. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re not

  crazy, and a bullfighter has to have an extra dose of insanity.”

  “When was your first injury?” Peter set the bottle on the counter with his. He moved

  around so he could face Chaz.

  After rolling his head over, Chaz eyed him. “Are you sure you want to go through the

  list of my wounds? I think the water will grow cold before I’m done.”

  “Fine. Just hit the highlights then. I don’t want to be in here all night.” He winked at

  Chaz. “At least not while you’re not feeling good, though hanging out in the shower with

  you would be fun.”

  “We’ll try that when my back is better,” Chaz promised before setting his head back on

  the towel and closing his eyes. “My first major injury was four broken ribs and a punctured lung when a bull kicked me. I was protecting an unconscious cowboy with my body. I was

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  supposed to take six months off to heal, but I went back to work after a month. Couldn’t

  stand sitting around.”

  Peter frowned. “How the hell did you get away with that? I’m pretty sure no doctor

  would’ve allowed you to work with a punctured lung.”

  “You’d be surprised what you can get away with when you avoid the doc like the

  plague. Also, as long as I could do my job, no one was going to complain.” Chaz laughed

  softly. “It’s the way with all my injuries. I came back before the doctors’ recommendations. I can’t stay away from the events, plus I can’t afford to take the time off. The only time I don’t work is during the summer break we take.”

  Peter was pretty sure the reason Chaz wasn’t working over the break was because the

  drugs and the aches took up too much of his time.

  “Okay. What was your most recent injury?” Peter had the feeling that was the one

  bothering Chaz the most, though the overall pain was probably accumulative, building up

  until it knocked him flat.

  Chaz muttered something low enough under his breath that Peter didn’t hear it.

  “What was that?”

  “It was a stupid wreck. I was in Las Vegas last year for the finals, and I got distracted.

  The rider got off fine, and the bull was heading for the gate to go back to the pens. I went over to congratulate the guy when the bull came charging back out. He nailed me right
in the lower back, tossed me up in the air, and, when I landed, I swear I heard something crack in my spine.”

  “Holy shit! That sounds terrible.” Peter stroked Chaz’s knee, which was above the

  water. He traced the scars there, testaments to other surgeries.

  Earlier he’d been so caught up in desire and need, he hadn’t paid a lot of attention to

  Chaz’s body, aside from the fact that it was chiselled and Chaz obviously worked out. Now as they sat in the bathroom, Peter studied Chaz. Scars decorated the man’s skin, and Peter realised just how much damage his lover had taken over the years.

  There were surgery scars on his back, chest, stomach and legs. It looked like almost

  everywhere a person could get injured, Chaz had been. Just seeing them made Peter want to wrap Chaz up in cotton wool, and not let him out of the house ever again.

  “It was terrible. Thank God it was the last night because I wasn’t going to be able to do another round. I jumped to my feet, waved to the crowd, and got back to work. Finished out

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  the round, then collapsed in the changing room. Sam carted my ass to the hospital where

  they told me I’d fractured two of my lower vertebrae.”

  Annoyance and a little bit of fear coloured Chaz’s words.

  “Were you afraid you weren’t going to walk, or they were going to tell you to retire

  right then and there?”

  Chaz nodded. “Of course. Any time one of us hurts ourselves, we worry about being

  forced to retire. The worse thing in the world is a neck or back injury, because I can return to work, yet there’s always the thought in my mind that just the right hit or fall could paralyse me for the rest of my life.”

  “I guess I can understand that,” Peter said, but he didn’t understand why Chaz would

  continue to do something so dangerous. He shook his head. Of course, he never would

  because he wasn’t crazy.

  “No, you don’t, and that’s cool. Not everyone is meant to work or ride in the rodeo. It

  takes a special personality to do it. You probably think we’re all nuts.” Chaz sat up, then braced his hands on the edge of the tub to push himself to his feet.