“Will you kiss me?” Heath rubbed his eyes and sniffed.
Caleb looked at that face. The bloodshot eyes didn’t change his beauty.
He leaned in and gently kissed him. He heard Heath sigh and opened his mouth. Their tongues met and Caleb was lost, lost in Heath Youngblood. This teenager made him feel things no one else ever had and, honestly, it scared him.
“You better get home, it’s getting late.” Caleb walked him to the door.
“Thanks, Caleb.” Heath gave him a watery smile.
“Think about what I said, Heath.”
“I will.”
Over time, Heath paid a lot of visits to Caleb, who always listened. He always tried to get Heath to be himself, but he never pushed.
When Heath began dating Lisa, Caleb felt his first sting of jealousy. He couldn’t believe it; this was not him. Jealous of a girl? He had genuine feelings for Heath, he had since the night they met. His face haunted his dreams; he could feel his lips for days after a make-out session. Every time Heath came by, Caleb had to fight himself not to throw him on the nearest flat surface and have his way with him. He knew he was falling for him. And he couldn’t stop.
*~~~*
Caleb’s living room, present time…
“What happened, Heath? It’s Lisa right?”
Heath nodded. “They moved, overnight. Her parents said I was corrupting her.”
“Assholes.”
“And Damon came out.”
“Really? Lil bro came out of the closet?”
“Yeah, he went public at school.”
“How did you feel?”
“Like a chicken shit.”
“Heath…”
“I know, Jesus! I know what you’re going to say!”
“You need to talk to Damon, Heath, trust me. He can help you. You do trust me, right?”
“I have since I was sixteen, Caleb,” Heath admitted.
In two years, Heath had become a man. He was so stunning, that every time Caleb saw him it literally took his breath away. Now he sat facing the object of his nightly fantasies and he could barely keep his hands off him.
“Well get home. I can’t always be here when you need a fix,” Caleb chuckled.
“That’s not all you are to me, Caleb. Do you know how many times I’ve pictured your face just to get a hard-on? To kiss a girl? When I jack off at night, it’s your face I see,” Heath whispered.
Caleb leaned back in astonishment. “What?”
“I don’t just come here for the fabulous blow jobs, Caleb, although kudos to you on that.”
“Heath…”
“Let me finish. From the first night we met, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Even now — I think about you every day, all day, at night. I have feelings for you.” Heath searched Caleb’s eyes. He looked so incredible. His gray eyes sparkled, his muscular biceps were trying to escape his shirt — and the abs. Oh, heaven, the abs.
Caleb stared at him. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“I don’t know what to say, Heath.”
“Tell me you care about me, even a little. Please?” Heath’s eyes were pleading.
“Shit.” Caleb grabbed him and kissed him deeply. Heath’s hands went to his waist and pulled him close. He felt so good and he had wanted Heath for so long, had missed him, longed to feel him. He was drowning now and he didn’t care. The sensation of Heath’s lips on his felt too good.
They broke from the kiss, both gasping for air. Caleb tried to compose himself.
“Can I stay here tonight?”
“Same rules apply.” Caleb smiled.
“I’m eighteen!”
“Don’t care,” Caleb laughed, enjoying having at least a little power over this teenager who was apparently his Kryptonite.
“Fine. You suck.”
“Yep, and according to you I suck very well.”
Heath hit him with a pillow.
Caleb watched as Heath called his dads and did the ‘I’m spending the night with a friend’ routine.
They both crawled into Caleb’s bed and Heath snuggled in close.
“This feels so good,” Heath sighed.
“Yeah, it does.” Caleb threaded his hands in Heath’s hair, felt his warm breath on his chest.
“You never answered me, Caleb.”
“What?” Caleb knew what he was talking about; he just didn’t know what he was going to say.
“Do you have feelings for me?”
Caleb took a deep breath, realizing there would be no going back. “Yes, Heath. I do.”
Heath lifted his head and kissed him, slowly and sensually and Caleb immediately got hard. Heath’s hand stroked his chest, and they rolled to face one another, kissing and exploring. Caleb felt Heath’s hand on his cock and he gasped.
“Just let me, okay? It’s not breaking the rule.”
Heath stroked him slowly. The feel of his hand made Caleb tremble. He knew at that moment that this young man would be with him for the rest of his life. The first night he met him he had left a mark on his heart.
He came hard and fast. He couldn’t help it. It was Heath.
“Thank you for letting me.” Heath kissed Caleb gently.
“Goodnight, Heath.” Caleb wrapped his arm around Heath, completely sated emotionally and physically.
“Night, Caleb.”
*~~~*`
Heath woke up alone but smelled food and smiled. He got out of bed and threw his pants on, not even bothering to put on a shirt. He sauntered into the kitchen where Caleb was making breakfast. Shirtless. In boxers.
Oh, shit.
“Good morning, gorgeous.” Heath beamed.
Caleb almost fell over. Heath was in tight black jeans and nothing else. Holy hell.
“Morning.”
Heath came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. He felt a kiss on his shoulder.
“I had fun last night.” Heath breathed across Caleb’s skin.
“I did, too. It felt good to have you next to me again.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. I meant what I said last night Heath.”
“I know; I did too,” he answered.
Caleb put the spatula down, turned around and hugged Heath tight. He didn’t know when he’d see him again and he wanted to remember how it felt to hold him.
“Now when you go home today, what are you going to do?” Caleb quizzed him.
“I’m going to talk to Damon.”
“That’s right. Good boy.” Caleb winked.
Heath pulled him in hard and kissed him. He ran his hands up Caleb’s back and pulled him in tighter, deepening the kiss. Caleb’s hand went to his hair. He wanted to feel it, smell it. He wanted to remember every part of Heath. He slid his hands up Heath’s chest, feeling the soft skin as his tongue ran up Heath’s neck, tasting him.
“Caleb!” Heath was instantly hard. “Mark me,” he groaned.
Caleb bit down and sucked hard. He wanted to mark Heath, wanted it to stay there for weeks.
Oh God, I’m in love with him.
Caleb snapped back and pulled away.
“What is it, Caleb?” Heath looked uncertain.
“You need to get home, Heath, talk to Damon.”
“Okay. Can I — can I still call you?”
“Whenever you want, Heath. I told you I’d always be here for you.”
He watched the young man drive off and wanted to curl up in his bed in the fetal position. It hurt. He wanted Heath so much, but he was older and Heath deserved better than someone with Caleb’s baggage. The realization that he was in love with Heath just made things worse.
“God help me.”
Chapter 10
Heath got home and went straight to Damon’s room, where he found him sacked out.
“Hey, lil bro?” He shook him gently.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Can we talk?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Outside at the pond.”
<
br /> Damon had been startled; now he was worried. Pond talks were serious. He got up and dressed and they walked to the pond in silence.
“What’s going on, Heath?”
Damon remained silent as Heath began with sophomore year, the away game, the gay bar, Caleb. He recounted everything over the last two years up to the previous night.
“You hate me, don’t you?” Heath was afraid to look at his little brother.
“I’m so sorry, Heath!” Damon cried as he grabbed Heath and hugged him hard.
“What?” Heath was confused.
“Why didn’t you come to me? I would have tried to help you. You shouldn’t have had to go through all this alone.”
Heath hugged Damon; he loved his brother so much. He had been so afraid Damon would feel as though Heath had left him twisting in the wind that it had never occurred to him Damon would feel sorry for him.
“You’re not mad?”
“What? Are you an idiot? Of course I’m not mad! I understand — you have friends and a life you love. It’s hard to come out, even when you’re as surrounded as we are by gayness.”
“But you came out.”
“Yeah. I kinda didn’t have a choice after the fight, Heath.” Damon ducked his head and smiled. “But I have to admit that it’s kind of nice to be able to be myself now without worrying.”
“Will you be with me when I talk to the dads?”
“Of course I will.”
*~~~*
As they sat at the kitchen counter — the family center for meetings and talks — Heath went over his story again. Stefan and Jordan were surprised, to say the least.
“Heath, you should have come to us.” Stefan took his hand and squeezed it.
“I know, Dad, I’m so sorry.” Heath started crying again and Stefan hugged him.
“Look, Heath, we understand, we really do. But you should have come to us; we could have helped you through this.” Jordan reached over and stroked his hair. “You understand we aren’t mad, right? We’re concerned that you have been wrestling with a huge emotional issue alone for several years. You could have developed major psychological or identity problems. Believe me, doctors see it every day.”
“I know. I guess I’m afraid of losing what I have, the friends I’ve made. Then Caleb said —”
Jordan cut him off. “Speaking of Caleb, I want to meet him.”
Heath’s mouth dropped open. “Why?”
“This man helped you, didn’t he?” Stefan pointed out.
“Yes, he did. A lot.”
“He could have taken advantage of you, Heath, and he didn’t. We want to meet him.” Jordan gave Heath his ‘this isn’t negotiable’ look.
“Okay, I’ll call him.”
The girls entered the kitchen just then and stopped as they took in the scene.
Charlie looked at their faces. “Okay, what’s going on?”
Isabelle sat down quickly.
“I, ah, have something to tell you guys,” Heath began. He felt Damon take his hand, looked at his brother and smiled. Everything was going to be okay.
Half an hour later, Charlie was still laughing.
“Charlie, will you please stop?” Heath glared at her.
“I’m sorry, but the thought of you being gay and making out with girls…” She couldn’t finish because she dissolved into giggles again.
Isabelle took his hand. “Do you feel better, buddy?”
“Yeah. I love you guys. Thanks for being so understanding.”
“So, what now? You going to come out all the way?” Charlie grinned.
“Charlie, stop. Heath will do what he thinks is best, when the time is right.” Jordan glared at his daughter. “In the meantime, we have company coming tonight don’t we, Heath?”
Heath smiled. They were going to meet Caleb. “Yes, we do.”
*~~~*
Caleb hung up the phone and dragged his hands down his face. “Oh shit.”
He was going to Heath’s house. The parents wanted to meet him. He had known Heath was going to come clean. What he hadn’t considered was that he would be telling them about him.
He checked himself in the mirror. He had managed to shave without cutting any major arteries. He wanted to look younger; twenty-three wasn’t old but it was still five years older than Heath. He checked his hair, changed his clothes again. He wanted to look respectable. He took one last look in the mirror and threw his hands up.
“Here goes nothing.”
*~~*
He took a deep breath as he pulled up to the house. For people who were loaded, the house didn’t scream money. Caleb liked that. He knocked and an older version of Heath answered the door.
“Caleb, welcome to our home.” Stefan could see why Heath had been attracted to him. He put his hand out and shook the younger man’s.
“Come on in.” Stefan opened the door wider and led Caleb into the living room.
Caleb shook Jordan’s hand and jumped right in before he even sat down. “Before you say anything, let me just assure you both that I would never hurt Heath. I always tried to get him to talk to you about what he was feeling.”
“Have a seat, Caleb. Heath told us the story from the first night at the club up until last night. We may not know every little detail, but we do know you helped him. He wasn’t completely alone in this.”
Heath entered just then and his face lit up. “Caleb, you came!”
Stefan and Jordan exchanged glances. They could tell Heath was in love with Caleb.
“Of course I did. I understand why your parents need to meet me. If I were in their shoes, I would have done the same.” He smiled at Heath, struck again by his sheer beauty.
“What I want to know is if there is some kind of relationship going on here? There’s a decent age difference, although Heath is of age now.” Stefan studied Caleb; he could see right through him. This man was in love with his son.
“Dad, don’t,” Heath pleaded uneasily.
“No, Heath, it’s all right. I’m not going to lie. I have feelings for your son. Would I like to date him? Yes. But I won’t go against your wishes.”
Heath’s mouth dropped. “You — you want to date me?”
“I haven’t been with anyone since the night we met, Heath.” Caleb couldn’t believe he’d said it aloud. Now the whole room knew how he felt.
Jordan spoke up. “Heath is of legal age, we can’t tell him who he can and can’t date. We won’t stop you. I just ask that you respect our wishes. Heath still lives under our roof and he will obey our rules. Is that clear?”
“Yes, Dr. Youngblood. I understand.”
“Okay, now that that’s out of the way,” Stefan interrupted smoothly, “tell us more about yourself, Caleb.”
They talked for hours. Heath couldn’t stop smiling. Caleb was meeting his parents and they were getting along. He wanted so badly to hold Caleb’s hand, let him know he was there for him. But he was still so nervous.
Charlie came out of her room to get a glass of water when she noticed Caleb on the couch.
“Oh my…” She blushed. “Is that?”
“Charlie, this is Caleb.” Heath smiled proudly.
“Isabelle! Come here!” Charlie yelled over her shoulder.
Isabelle rushed in and stopped in her tracks. “Wow.”
Caleb laughed. “You must be, Charlie?” He stood and shook Charlie’s hand. “Isabelle.” He shook her hand as well. They giggled.
“Okay you two, out.” Jordan rolled his eyes and shooed them away.
They heard Charlie in the hall. “Oh my God, he is HOT!”
Caleb blushed as Stefan and Jordan laughed.
Damon came through the front door. “Hey, am I late?” He turned to see Caleb and Heath on the couch.
“Holy sh—”
“Damon!”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“Room, now.” Stefan lifted an eyebrow and fixed him with his stern look.
“Yeah, I’m out.” He smiled at Heath and mouthe
d. Oh my God — he’s hot!
Heath bit his bottom lip.
“I would apologize for the family, but it’s probably only going to get worse.” Stefan smiled and changed the subject. “I have a position I’m trying to fill at Santorno, Caleb. It’s not at the top, but it’s a start. You’re in school for a business degree, right?”
“That’s correct. And I wouldn’t want to start at the top. I prefer to work my way up. I’ll put in the application, but I don’t want any help.”
“I respect that. If you get the job, would you be willing to move here? To Fort Worth?” Stefan watched his face.
Caleb looked at Heath. “Yes. I would.”
They talked for another hour and then Caleb said he should be going, so he could be well rested and up early to make it to Santorno. He shook hands with Stefan and Jordan and said his goodnights.
Stefan and Jordan watched their son walk Caleb to his car. The two were looking at each other the whole way.
“He’s in love with Heath, Stefan.” Jordan glanced at his husband.
“I see we both got the same impression. I like him, Jordan. He’s smart and funny, and he’s honorable. I think Heath is in love as well; he just hasn’t realized it yet.”
“You have that vibe too, huh?”
“Well yeah. I mean, look at the guy!” Stefan busted out laughing.
“Oh, I’m so going to ravage you tonight for that comment!”
“Yeah? Bring it, Dr. Youngblood.” Stefan squealed as Jordan grabbed him around the waist and tossed him over his shoulder.
Heath sat on the hood of Caleb’s car and watched Caleb loosen his tie.
“You were so great. Thanks so much for coming, Caleb. I know that wasn’t easy.”
“I did it for you, Heath.” Caleb smiled at him.
“So, you want to date me?” Heath tilted his head and looked at him.
“If you want to.”
Heath blushed. “Duh. Yeah, I do.”
“Okay, how ‘bout I pick you up Friday. We can go wherever you want.” Caleb smiled. “It’s Valentine’s Day.”
“Okay.” Heath hugged him. “Thank you,” he whispered, squeezing the other man hard.
“Anytime, Heath.”
Caleb opened his door and felt Heath right next to him. He turned to face him and got a kiss.
An Eye for an Eye (The Santorno Stories 2): The Santorno Stories Page 13