by Aaron Riley
I rolled my eyes. “What's the new guy's name?”
Lily couldn't wait to scream out his name. “Walter. He's an engineer or architect. One of those. Doesn't matter. The main thing is he has a brother that he's just as hot. And he's gay...”
I already knew where she was heading and I wanted nothing to do with it. “No way, Lily. I'm not going on a double date with you.”
“Come on, David. You've been cooped up in that apartment for too long. You need to get out and see the world.”
She wasn't wrong. I couldn't remember the last time I actually left the apartment other than to get food. “Yeah but remember how the last double date went?”
Lily huffed. “You're never going to let me live that one down are you?”
I giggled. “Nope.”
Lily had tricked me into going on a double date with her. Tricked me as in taking me to a bar to “have a couple drinks” and then ambushing me with a guy.
“Just because the guy turned out to be woman didn't mean the date was bad.”
I bent over the kitchen counter and rested on my elbows. “Taylor really was an attractive guy.”
“Well I can promise you this next guy will be one-hundred percent male.”
“No thanks, Lily. You go out and have fun.”
“You're going to have to get over him eventually, David.”
Don't say his name. Don't say his name.
Lily continued. “It's been years since he's been gone. It's time to move on. Find someone who makes you happy. I just want the best for you, David.”
“I know. I know. I'm really just not in the mood to date anybody right now. This art show is the only thing on my mind right now. And I barely have any time to finish this painting.”
“I'm kind of glad we're not roommates anymore. I could never get any sleep when you worked for twenty-four hours straight.”
“Oh really? You could never get any sleep? How about the guys you would sneak into your bed every night? Try sleeping through all that moaning.” We sounded like an old married couple arguing.
Lily laughed. “Sorry, I guess I went a little crazy in college.”
“God bless noise-canceling headphones.”
A knock at the door interrupted our conversation. “Hold on a sec, Lily. There's somebody at the door. Probably my father coming over to teach me how to network or something for the art show.”
I unlocked the front door and opened it to a memory from my past. My jaw dropped and the phone dropped to the floor. I could still hear Lily on the other line trying to talk.
Muscles, tattoos, and that cocky smile.
Harley was back.
Harley
There he was standing in the doorway, his short blonde hair combed to the side He wore a dark blue apron covered in dry paint protecting his clothes. Exactly how I remembered him.
My David.
We stared at each other for an eternity. I wanted to take him in my arms, force my lips against his. But that wouldn't be appropriate. So much time had passed. How could I ever explain to him how much I missed him?
“Harley?” David choked out. “What are you doing here?” He shook his head. “I mean how did you get out?”
“Can you invite me in and we can talk?”
David nodded and bent down to pick up the fallen phone. I followed him inside and was amazed at how nice his place looked. Dark hardwood floors, long white drapes covered the windows, and an amazing view of the town from the twelfth floor. His father had treated him very well since I'd been gone.
David led me to the kitchen that looked straight out of a home magazine. I felt so out of place. My jail cell was literal hell compared to this.
“When did you get out?” he asked, setting his palms down on the white quartz island.
David was nervous. But why? I expected him to jump into my arms with tears in his eyes when he opened that door. What happened since I was gone?
“Just yesterday. Nobody was there to pick me up so I had to bum a ride to town.”
“...It's been a long time, Harley.”
I walked around the kitchen island until I was only inches away from David. All those ancient feelings came back. They were always there. But they were dormant. “Four years. Four long years.”
David put his hand on my chest to stop my advances. It'd been so long since I held him. I dreamed of doing it every day in that prison. My heart pounded against his hand. Something harder pounded in my pants.
“How did you get out? You were sentenced to thirty years.”
Why did he have to ask so many questions? One kiss from me and he'd forget about everything. I jerked off every day in prison to the image of David. Now it was time to make that fantasy come true.
I backed away to give him space. David was obviously shocked at my return. Not exactly the warm reception I was expecting.
“They let me out because of overcrowding.” The reason sounded idiotic in my head but that's what they told me.
“Wait a second.” David sat down at the bar stool next to the island and I joined him on the opposite side. There was an canyon of white quartz between us. “You were put in prison for attempted murder. They couldn't let you out because of overcrowding.”
Why was he making this so hard? I was back. That's all that should matter. “I was put in prison for a crime I didn't commit. The county knew they fucked up and instead of publicly acknowledging it, they gave a bullshit reason.”
David put his head in his hands. “Sorry this is all so much to take in. I didn't think I'd ever see you again.”
“Why didn't you visit me?” The question slipped out of my mouth. I wrote to him almost everyday in jail but never got a response.
David looked away. “I couldn't, Harley. It would've been too hard.”
“Then why didn't you at least respond to my letters?”
“Letters?” David raised his head with wide eyes. “What letters? I didn't receive anything.” He looked around the kitchen like the letters would just be sitting around.
“I didn't know you moved into this expensive apartment. I sent the letters to your father's house.”
“I never knew...”
“It was your damn father,” I said so loud that the windows could have shattered.
David put his hands up in defense. “Please, don't bring him into this. Whatever he did, he was thinking of the best for me.”
“And that brings us back to that classic argument we could never get over when we were together. Can't you see your father for who he really is?”
David stood up and walked to the window overlooking the town, Saint Marks. “I don't want to argue about him anymore.”
I came up behind him and slipped my arms around his waist. David felt so warm against me. Prison would have been so much easier if I could've seen his face just once. “I want things to go back to the way they were,” I whispered in his ear.
“I don't think they can,” he replied.
His words were like a shiv in my back but they wouldn't stop me. Nothing would. The whiff of his cologne brought me back to old times. Sitting by the fire, naked, bodies slick with sweat from making love. Talking about the meaning of life until dawn. Those were the memories that stuck with me through all those dark days.
I turned David toward me so he could see my eyes—see how much he affected me. “The only thing that got me through prison was you. I don't know how else to say it, David. You're mine and you always will be.”
“Please Harley. We can't do this.” David tried to escape out of my arms but I wouldn't let him.
There was only one way to make him remember.
I forced my lips on him. Adrenaline surged through my veins. My grip on David tightened. The sweet taste of his tongue was something that I'd forgotten. It had been too long since I'd been with a man. My cock throbbed in my pants. If I didn't take him right now, I'd explode. David struggled for just a moment before surrendering in my arms.
He was mine again.
Chapter Two
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David
My head was a tornado of emotions. I never thought I'd see Harley again. Even after four years I still wasn't over him. He was the reason why I skipped out on so many nights out with Lily. I could never find a man that could match him.
Harley sat across from me in the kitchen and I couldn't find a way to tell him. But he had to know—had to know that we were over. Every time my mouth opened, I couldn't make out the words. He was so happy to see me and I didn't want to break his heart.
I looked out the window at Saint Marks. The sun was setting and the lampposts along main street were lighting up. There had to be an answer to my problem. Couldn't somebody tell me what to do? If my father was here he'd know.
But when Harley put his hands around me, all those old feelings came rushing back. Then I knew what to do. Harley was my first love. He was the only man I'd ever been with. Only man I ever wanted to be with.
Harley kissed me hard on the lips. My initial reaction was to push him away. But his grasp on me was strong—always was. I melted in his grip and accepted his kiss. Nothing could stop it now.
Harley grabbed my arm. “Where's the bedroom?” His voice was low and guttural. He led me down the hallway and to the last door on the right. Harley gently laid me down on the king-sized bed with a white comforter.
Somewhere in the back of my head, my subconscious was screaming at me to run away. We were supposed to be broken up. But the love of my life was back...
Harley lifted his tight white shirt over his head and exposed that ripped body. He was more chiseled since the last time I saw him, more definition in his chest and abs. More tattoos too. A lot more tattoos. His skin was completely covered in ink.
I couldn't help but attack his blue jeans. I fumbled around with his belt and snaked it out of the loops. Harley unzipped and dropped his pants to the ground. His length was pinned beneath his gray boxer briefs, just waiting to be unleashed. The desire ran deep down in my core. Harley pushed me back down on the bed before I could rip off those boxers.
“I've thought about this moment for four years,” Harley said softly, running his finger down my neck. I suddenly felt self-conscious about my outfit. I was wearing a paint-stained apron that couldn't be any less attractive. But for some reason, to Harley, it was.
“It's not a dream anymore. This is real.” I undid the tie around my back and threw my apron across the room.
Harley wouldn't let me touch the rest of my clothes. His rough hands did the rest, tearing my little blue t-shirt over my head, pulling my jeans, both legs off at the same time. I lay on the bed wearing white panties boxers. Again, not the sexiest but you wouldn't be able to tell by the hunger in Harley's eyes. My flesh was his to devour.
Harley nibbled at the crook of my neck and worked his way down. It tickled at first, goosebumps forming on my arms. I had forgotten how passionate he could be.
“Did you miss me?” Harley asked, pressing my finger into his mouth.
He chewed on me softly until I cried out, “Yes, I missed you.”
Harley slipped both hands into the waistband of my white boxers. His arms flexed, pulling the fabric until it tore apart. He swept the shreds of my underwear to the side.
Harley pulled down his boxers until his hard cock bounced out. My breathing quickened and a spike of ecstasy flowed through me. I never wanted him more than I did in that moment. Our entire past between us floated away. All that mattered was this moment.
“Take me now, Harley. I need you.”
Harley gave me a devious smile. “Patience, baby.”
Patience wasn't my best virtue but when Harley slapped my ass, I instantly shut up. I closed my eyes and focused on the pleasure. Harley gripped my shaft and rubbed my pre-come off the tip with his thumb, bringing me so close to the edge.
This was what I had been missing for four years. I'd barely gotten by from touching myself in the shower. But nothing could compare to Harley's touch.
I opened my eyes to discover Harley sucking on the fingers he used to touch me. “You always tasted like Heaven, David.”
The pressure was building. If Harley didn't release it, I'd have to do it myself. “Harley, please...”
I didn't have to say another word. Harley knew it was time. He bent me over and plunged into me. My tight ass stretched until his entire cock filled me up. I detonated around him quivering and shaking, Harley thrusting in and out of me.
The room spun around and eventually my vision came back to me. That orgasm was like a punch to the face. Was this what sex with Harley was like? It had been so long ago that I almost forgot.
My first time was a very different experience. Harley and I held off for a month but we couldn't wait any longer. We did it in the back of my old cramped VW Beetle. I loved him so much. Harley was gentle, not wanting to break me. That was real love making.
Not like this time. Harley wanted to fuck me hard and I needed him to.
“You're so tight, David.” Harley gripped onto my hips and used them as leverage to fuck me even deeper. He raked his fingernails down my back.
“Don't stop!” I ordered him.
Every thrust into me sent my body into overdrive. I wanted to stay here on this bed forever with Harley.
“Come for me one more time, baby. Come with me.”
Harley's words finished me off. My skin shattered into a million pieces as I came around his thickness. I couldn't stop shaking from the extreme orgasm. Everything became one when I felt Harley flood me with his seed. Our screams and moans awakened the entire apartment building.
Harley stayed inside me until his penis became flaccid. I never wanted him to leave. The feeling of being with him was like no other. “I missed that so much,” Harley said.
“Me too,” I replied. Harley collapsed next to me and held me in his arms. I never felt so safe before. Everything was how it should be. But that voice in the back of my head was still yelling at me. I'd have to confront the problem eventually.
But all I wanted to do right now was fall asleep in Harley's arms and never worry about anything ever again.
Harley
The sex was how I always dreamed it would be—my cock sinking into David over and over again. David moaning my name as he came around me. My engorged manliness unloading inside him. Life never tasted so sweet.
David ran his fingertips along my skin. The sensation was so calming. His fingers found the scars on my sides and he hesitated. “When did you get these?”
“First few days of prison.”
It was a hellish time of my life. The Reavers MC didn't have very many allies and that meant no help. I knew prison was going to be hard. And the first day I realized how hard.
The 809 MC had a lot of members in prison. I knew payback was inevitable. I always thought it would happen in the shower. At least that's how the movies always portrayed it. But it happened in the weight room. I was trying to keep a low profile and just work on my bench presses.
That's when three black guys from the 809 held me down and slid two shanks up my sides. The amount of blood that poured out of me was unimaginable. I should have died on that bench but the doctor was able to keep me alive.
After that, the 809s left me alone. I'd suffered enough in their eyes. If I had the power of the Reavers behind me, I'd have taken out every last one of those motherfuckers. But not knowing how long I'd be in prison, I knew the more enemies I made, the sooner my life would end.
“How did it happen?” he asked. The details were too gruesome for David. He didn't have to hear it all.
“Retaliation.”
His lips pressed against my scars and made everything all right. It was almost worth getting stabbed just so I could feel his mouth against my skin again.
“You have a lot more tattoos since the last time I saw you. What does the hand of playing cards mean?” David pointed to the ink on my chest.
“One of the prizes of winning a poker game. Money doesn't mean much in prison. ”
David nodded
like he knew what I meant. But he'd never grasp the darkness of prison. And I had to keep that away from him.
Everything was how it should be with David naked and back in my arms. His chest was pressed against my side and I could feel his heartbeat. It was strong and confident. But David was different somehow. He wasn't being his true self. I'd known him for a long time and could tell when David was hiding something from me.
“What are you not telling me, David?”
David raised his head from my chest and glanced at me. His blue eyes sparkled. “What do you mean?”
“Don't play fucking games with me. What's on your mind?”
He ran his fingers through my hair. “Can't we just enjoy the moment, Harley?”
My eyes bore holes into his soul, forcing David to give up his secrets.
David sighed. “You always were a mood killer.” He got out of bed and collected his clothes from the ground. His boxers were destroyed so he went to a drawer and pulled out a fresh pair. David was pissed at me and I didn't know why.
I lay in bed and watched him get dressed. His body was so fucking fantastic. The curves of his biceps. I couldn't help but be mesmerized.
“We were broken up, Harley,” David stated, biting his lip to hold back tears.
I sat up, my hands clenching into fists. “What the fuck are you talking about, David?”
“That's the reason I never visited you in prison. It's the reason I never went to your trial. Once you were arrested, my father explained that I was never going to see you again. That I needed to move on and forget.”
“It was your fucking father again!” My voice was raised and I couldn't help it.
“No, Harley. It wasn't his fault. It was yours. You were the one who got arrested and went to prison. If it's anyones fault, it's yours.”
His words dug a knife deep into my back. “You believe I did it. You believe I tried to kill that member of the 809.”
David looked at the floor and didn't say a word. He twisted the knife around causing blinding pain. The only man I'd ever loved betrayed me.