by Toni Aleo
“You do.”
A grin pulled at Matty’s lips. “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you.”
Both exhaled like the pain of their past had left them, though they knew they still faced an uphill climb. Matty trailed kisses down Wells’s throat to his chest, licking his nipples as Wells’s eyes fell shut. As Matty bit Wells’s nipple, he also undid his pants, pushing them down before gripping his cock. Wells was in heaven, high up in a lust-filled cloud, but even so, he couldn’t help but warn Matty. “You better not hurt me again.”
Running his hand down Wells’s cock, Matty looked up at him, his mouth parted but his eyes full of all the promises Wells hoped were true. “I promise, I never will. It’s me and you—forever.”
Tears threatened to fall from Wells’s eyes, but before they could, Matty had his cock in his mouth. Wells’s head fell forward as he braced himself on the door, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Matty gave the best head, he swore it, and as he twisted his tongue around the head of Wells’s cock, his toes curled in his shoes and his body shook. Matty’s fingers bit into Wells’s thigh, rough and hard. Wells felt his release, right there, and he knew he was going to blow his load at any moment, but he wanted more.
And he sure as hell wasn’t ready for this to end.
Reaching down, Wells pulled Matty up to him, taking his mouth before undoing Matty’s pants and freeing him. As Wells took Matty’s cock in his hand, Matty gasped hard against his lips, moving his nose against Wells’s while he moved his hand up and down him, the skin so soft and perfect in the palm of Wells’s hand. Wells’s breath was gone, his whole body shaking like a leaf for this man as he turned Matty around, slamming him into the wall as he pressed his cock against his ass cheek, taking ahold of Matty’s cock in his hand. Biting into Matty’s shoulder, Wells started to jack Matty off, grinding his own cock into his ass cheek, needing the release but wanting Matty to get off too.
“I want you in my mouth,” Matty groaned, his head falling back into Wells’s shoulder as he continued to jack him off feverishly, Matty’s whole body going tight from his words.
“But I want—”
Before Wells could get another word out, though, Matty was turning, dropping to his knees and taking both his cock and then Wells’s cock in his hands. “I can do both,” he said with a wink.
Wells almost came at the sight.
As Matty took his cock in his mouth, Wells braced himself once more against the door, watching as Matty took him inch by inch while jacking himself simultaneously. It was beautiful. A work of art. Wells swore he was meant to be nowhere and with no one else but Matty Haverbrooke. Wells gasped when Matty took him to the back of his throat, his eyes hooded. Matty just looked at him, pure adoration in his eyes…and longing. Jesus, he was beautiful. “I love you, Matty. I love you so fucking much.”
Matty’s eyes burned for Wells. It was hot, so fucking hot as Matty continued to take him deep in and out of his mouth. Matty didn’t have to speak the words. Wells knew them just from his eyes. Cupping the back of Matty’s neck, Wells arched into him, his head falling back as his breath came out in harsh pants. “Yes. God, yes, almost there.”
When Wells felt Matty’s release on his shin, his body went taut and then he was climaxing so hard, lights went off behind his lids as he arched into his lover’s mouth. Gasping for breath, he looked up at the ceiling and shook his head as Matty kissed up his thighs, his hips, then his abs. “How did I think I could ever be without you?”
Tipping his head forward, he found Matty grinning back at him. “I don’t know. ’Cause I thought the same thing.”
With a small laugh, Wells whispered, “We were idiots.”
“Well, it was mostly me.”
Wells nodded. “It was.”
Shyly, Matty whispered, “I’m truly sorry, Wells. Really.”
Exhaling heavily, Wells nodded. “Just prove to me that you mean your words, and, baby, I’ll be right beside you. Two guys are way better than one.”
As Matty wrapped his arms around Wells’s ribs, their foreheads met. Wells could see it all over his face, Matty was terrified. “I thought long and hard if I could live without them or you. I chose to be with you.”
But that didn’t make Wells feel good. “You don’t have to choose anyone. No matter what, they’ll come around. They love you. And if not, my mom has enough love for the whole world.”
“So do you,” he answered and Wells smiled.
“I do.”
Matty nodded, wonder all over his face as he looked up at Wells. “I want to say I hate how much I need you, but I don’t. Wells, you complete me.”
Wells’s eyes fell shut as he nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”
And he couldn’t.
He was a complete fool for this man, and he didn’t care one bit.
Seven
“When are you leaving?”
Matty looked up from where he was watching his thumb rub circles on the back of Wells’s hand. As their eyes met, a sense of calm ran through his body. Wells had that power over him. Ever since leaving Wren’s impromptu wedding, Matty had felt his mind going a million miles an hour. He was coming out. His lip quirked as he answered, “I didn’t buy a round-trip ticket.”
Wells’s lips tipped a bit. “Confident I’d leave with you, huh?”
That made Matty laugh. “If only you knew how un-confident I was, you’d laugh.” He shook his head. “I basically had two panic attacks, a heart attack, and I might have shit my pants the moment I was standing up there with you.”
“No way, you looked confident and sexy as hell,” Wells said, squeezing Matty’s hand.
“Well, I did not feel it. At all.” Bringing Wells’s hand up to his lips, Matty placed a small kiss to it before saying, “But I do now.”
He could see the fire burning in Wells’s eyes and fully expected him to pull him into his arms, crashing their mouths together, but unfortunately, the elevator doors opened to the floor of Wells’s condo. With a foot in the way of the doors, Wells pulled Matty to him, nipping at his jaw. A gleam shone in his eyes as he whispered, “Even if you didn’t feel confident, you looked it. I swear, I’ve never seen you look sexier.”
A grin pulled at Matty’s lips as Wells bit his jaw, causing him to inhale sharply. “We’d better move before I take you against this wall.”
“Maybe that’s what I want,” Wells said gruffly, crashing his mouth to Matty’s as the doors kept trying to shut. As Matty moved his fingers through Wells’s hair, pressing his growing cock into his lover, Wells moaned against his lips. That was, until he heard a ruckus down the hall. Matty ignored it, but Wells seemed to be distracted. Pulling back, Wells crashed his brows together as Matty ran his hand down Wells’s chest, then cupped his cock.
“Ignore it.”
But Wells shook his head, bringing Matty’s palm up and kissing it softly. “I can’t. It’s Alex.”
Before Matty could even comment, Wells was walking past him. What the hell was that dude doing here? Going on high alert, he rushed to catch up with Wells. As they turned the corner, they saw two of Alex’s friends, still in their wedding attire, catching the things Alex was throwing out. Or at least, that’s who Matty assumed was doing the throwing since the awful screeching noise was making his skin crawl.
Matty heard Wells groan before he yelled to Alex, “That’s my shirt. I got the one with turtles, you got the whale.”
Snatching the shirt from one of the guys, Wells moved past them into the room. Both guys had the look like they wanted to fight, but Matty wasn’t even the least bit concerned as he moved past them into the room where Alex, who was also still in his tux, snatched the shirt back from Wells. “It doesn’t matter! Why would you want a shirt we got together? I was going to burn it for you!”
Wells rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to burn my shit. And even if we bought them together, it’s still a cool shirt and a nice memory.”
“Oh! But it isn’
t a memory with him, so why would you want it, you piece of shit!”
Matty went to say something, but Wells cut him a look before snatching the shirt back and throwing it on the bed. “There is no reason for name-calling, Alex. Calm down. This doesn’t have to be like this.”
Alex’s head did a roll that could give any drag queen a run for their money before he screeched, “Oh! So you’re gonna go back in time and marry me?”
“No,” Wells said calmly, shaking his head. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have let it get this far, but I did, and that’s my fault completely.”
“You lied!”
“I did,” he admitted, to which Alex’s face scrunched up even more. “I care for you and I always will. We had some great times and some not so great times, but I shouldn’t have let it get to this point. I should have called this whole thing off when you asked me to marry you, but I couldn’t.”
Alex laughed, and Matty decided he would never like this guy. Wells was a good dude and basically liked everyone. Matty was nothing like that. “Yeah, you’re pathetic,” Alex mocked.
Again, Matty went to defend Wells, but his hand came up, silencing Matty once more. “You’re right. I was a coward. I wanted so badly to forget Matty that, in the process, I hurt you. And honestly, Alex, I never wanted that. I just wanted to believe my lie so bad that I dragged you with me, and I apologize for that. Really.”
Alex looked away, tears gathering in his eyes as he shook his head. “And I’m supposed to forgive you? Is that what you want?”
No, fuck you, was Matty’s thought, but Wells was a different man.
“In time, yes. I would like your forgiveness. I want you to think of me and not hate me, but I know that won’t happen today, tomorrow, or even a month from now. But Alex, truly, I am sorry. I was so wrong for how I handled things with you. I just couldn’t get over him, and I needed something—or better yet, someone—so I latched on to you.”
Matty didn’t like that. He hated it, actually, but he had been the one to drive Wells to it. He had no horse in this race, so he pressed his lips together, looking away. This was between Alex and Wells, but he wouldn’t leave Wells’s side. He was sure Wells could handle himself, but Matty wasn’t sure he would against someone he knew he’d wronged.
It was something else Matty just adored about him.
When the tears started to fall down Alex’s face, Wells took a step forward, but Alex’s hands shot up. “Don’t you dare touch me, Wells Lemiere. Don’t you dare!”
Wells took a step back, nodding his head. “I didn’t want to hurt you like this. I feel awful, and I’m sorry for what I did. But surely, you of all people can understand. I had to follow my heart. He’s everything to me. You knew that.”
“I did, but you told me plenty of times nothing would ever come of it.”
“Because I thought it wouldn’t,” Wells explained, and then he glanced back to Matty and smiled. “But that changed.”
Yeah, it had. Everything had changed, and seeing Wells, stand there, defending Matty and their love made Matty’s heart almost come out of his chest. A grin pulled at his lips as he nodded, but Wells was brought back to Alex when he said, “So you just drop me. Like he dropped you. How do you think that makes me feel?”
“Like shit,” Wells answered, glancing back to Alex. “I’m so sorry for that.”
“Well, your apology doesn’t mean shit to me,” Alex sneered back, grabbing his bag off the bed. “And I never want to look at you again.”
“That’s understandable, and I’m sorry. Really.”
Throwing his free hand up, Alex glared. “Ugh, can you just stop? Stop being the good guy, You’re not good! A good man doesn’t do this.”
“He is a—”
But Wells stopped Matty, shaking his head as Matty tried once more. Placing his hand on Matty’s chest, Wells shot him a calm look. Turning then, Matty drank in Wells’s profile, the little dip in his nose, his dark as night hair that curled at his ears. He was beautiful. Stunning even, and ever so calm. “You’re right, a good man doesn’t do this, which is why I’ve apologized because I am man enough to know when I’ve made a mistake. And getting involved with you, on the rebound, planning a wedding, and walking out on you… That was all a mistake. But I’ll never forget our nights out, our game nights, or even our trip to Miami. I’ll always remember that, Alex, and I’ll always be appreciative of your friendship and companionship through a time in my life when I thought all was lost. But I’ve always known who I loved. Who my other half was, and that is Matty.”
Shaking his head, Alex ran his hand along his cheek, his eyes full of resentment. “The thing is, you forgot to tell me all that.”
Wells nodded. “I think I wanted to forget, though I never did.”
“And so, now, we’re over.”
“We are.”
“And you two are back on.”
“We are.”
Alex nodded before he started moving, coming toe-to-toe with Wells. Alex was shorter, his dark brown eyes in slits as he gazed up at Wells, his brown hair falling in his eyes. “Well, just like before, he’ll end up hurting you. And believe me, I won’t be waiting.”
Wells didn’t even pause. “I don’t want you to, and I’d never ask you to. Because I have my forever.”
Alex scoffed. “And I lost mine. So, thanks.”
Matty could see the comment was a surprise to Wells as his composure faltered a bit. “Alex, come on. I was never your forever.”
“Oh, you made that loud and clear,” Alex spat back before he stomped past Wells without even a glance at Matty. “Fuck off, both of you.”
When the door slammed, Wells let out a long sigh as his shoulders dropped. The room was eerily silent. Matty couldn’t even hear Alex leaving, or maybe that was because his heart was beating so damn loud. This man, this beautiful man, had never stopped loving him, and he’d thrown that away.
That chance at forever.
But Wells had always known.
Walking to him, Matty wrapped his arms around Wells’s shoulders, pulling his back to his chest. “How much shit do you think he took?”
As Matty had intended, Wells laughed a bit as he let out another sigh. “Not much, he wasn’t living here yet.”
Matty’s face scrunched up. “So you two were getting married, but he wasn’t living with you?”
Wells nodded. “Yup, I wanted to wait until after the wedding for him to move in completely.”
Matty rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you may have used the dude, but the signs were there. He just chose to ignore them.”
Leaning his head into Matty’s, Wells whispered, “I know, but it still doesn’t help with the guilt I feel right now. It didn’t hit me until we got here. I knew I was being selfish, but I couldn’t fight it, ya know? I couldn’t fight this. Us.”
Matty almost felt desperate as he said, “Don’t. Please don’t.”
“I can’t,” Wells laughed, though it wasn’t out of humor. “I love you. Too damn much. But I’m not one to hurt someone, and I feel awful for that.”
Kissing Wells’s temple, Matty closed his eyes. “I know. And fuck, Wells, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all this.”
Turning his head, Wells brushed his nose along Matty’s as he whispered, “Just don’t make me regret it, and it’s all worth it.”
Opening his eyes, Matty met Wells’s blazing green ones, and everything felt right.
Perfect, even.
And he knew he would never do anything to ever make Wells feel regret. He hated that Wells even felt a little guilty for what had happened. It wasn’t his fault in the long run, it was Matty’s, but there was no changing that. What was done was done, but the future…the future was theirs, and nothing was ever going to break them apart.
Nothing.
Not even the suffocating fear that coursed through Matty at that moment.
Because he loved this man.
And he was ready to love him with the whole world knowing.
�
�I love you, you know that?” Matty whispered, and slowly Wells’s mouth turned up.
“I do.”
“Then it’s a done deal.”
Wells grinned. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, and I promise, I’ll never do what I did before.”
Cupping Matty’s face, Wells nodded. Compassion filled his gaze before his lips turned down just slightly as he held Matty’s stare. “Are you scared?”
Matty prayed the confidence he’d exhibited earlier that day shone at that moment as he shook his head. “Not at all.”
It was a lie, and as soon as he said it, he cursed. He wouldn’t lie to Wells, or better yet, to himself. Not anymore. “No. That’s not true. I’m terrified.”
Wells nodded, but before he could speak, Matty went on, “But I remember way back when you stood in my parents’ front yard, you looked at me and told me you wouldn’t be anywhere but beside me.”
“Was that me?” Wells joked and Matty grinned.
“Only you. And I was an idiot, Wells, really, and I would do anything to change that moment.”
“You weren’t ready.”
“I wasn’t. But honestly, you being there for me is the only thing giving me the strength I need. To come out. To be yours. Completely.”
Wells pressed his forehead to Matty’s lips, sighing as if the weight of the world had just fallen off his shoulders. “That’s all I want.”
And with a certainty he hadn’t felt until that moment, Matty smiled into Wells’s hair and whispered, “Then it’s yours.”
Eight
“You didn’t bring a bag?”
Wells tried to clean a bit, hating the mess that Alex had left, but also hating that Matty had to see that. He didn’t want Matty thinking he’d just thrown the dude to the side. It wasn’t what he’d done, and he didn’t want Matty to get skittish, but to his surprise, Matty seemed unaffected, moving around the room and helping to pick up as best as he could. “Nope, I jumped on a plane and came.”
A grin pulled at Wells’s lips, yet he was curious. “How’d you know?”