Before It's Too Late (Troubled Hearts Book 3)

by Savannah Brooks

  “So, does this mean I have a boyfriend now?” Zach asked.

  Cael huffed a laugh, but the joyous grin that slowly split his face told Zach everything he needed to know and warmed his heart. “I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”

  “What a coincidence? Neither have I.”

  Zach laughed and leaned in to kiss him. Cael’s lips connected with his, and Zach swore to fucking God, it was like some sort of magic. Cael cupped his hand around Zach’s neck, laughing and smiling against his lips. Just knowing how happy Cael was right now sent a warmth cascading through him, and Zach made a silent promise to himself to always ensure, from now on, Cael knew how much Zach truly loved and needed him.

  Chapter 12

  Boyfriend.

  Zach was his boyfriend.

  Cael couldn’t contain the smile bursting from his lips as Zach kissed him. The reality of this moment overwhelmed him.

  Minutes ago, Cael had feared the worst. He’d imagined coming back downstairs and Zach telling him he regretted their intimate moment in the kitchen and that it couldn’t happen again. He’d imagined Zach looking at him and asking if they could just stay friends because being with a man instead of a woman didn’t feel right. He’d made himself sick in mere seconds worrying over all those things while he’d cleaned up and changed, so he’d made the decision to talk it out right away. As nervous as he’d been, Cael had needed to know where they stood before he invested too much hope in what had already taken place between them.

  Thank God he had. By Zach’s response, he’d been worried too. Zach had thought Cael could never give him what Zach had always wanted while Cael had thought Zach could never be for him what Cael had always wanted. They’d both made assumptions and they had both been scared to know the truth because they’d each been so afraid of losing each other.

  Amazing what a little conversation could do for a relationship. Cael would tell Zach everything from now on if it meant Zach would be wrapped in his arms every night, or he in Zach’s.

  Zach sat back a little, pulling his lips from Cael’s and grinning as he rubbed the skin around his mouth.

  “What?” Cael smirked, still unable to repress his own stupid smile.

  “Nothing. Just not used to getting my face chafed from kissing, but it feels good. I like it.”

  The glow of happiness never left Zach’s face, leaving Cael in awe once again. Zach took Cael’s face between his hands and pulled him in for another kiss.

  “I fucking like it a lot,” Zach mumbled against Cael’s lips.

  They took turns playing Pitfall, something they’d done a million times over, only this time, they sat a little closer than usual. Cael kissed Zach between turns, and Zach smiled brightly when he did, reciprocating the same happiness Cael felt. By the time dinner arrived, things felt sort of normal between them again, even if they couldn’t seem to keep their hands and lips off each other.

  Zach switched off the game and looked for something to watch on TV while Cael grabbed a couple paper plates, napkins, and two more beers. Zach settled for a Walking Dead rerun and flipped open the pizza box just as Cael sat back down beside him.

  Cael sank his teeth into his second slice of melty cheese, juicy sweet pineapple, and barbeque chicken when Zach’s phone chirped. Without setting his piece down, Zach spun the phone on the table and swiped across the screen with a grease-free finger, then chuckled as he shook his head.

  “Who is it?” Cael asked as Zach typed back.

  “Chloe.”

  “What does she want?”

  Zach looked over his shoulder at Cael. “She says Taylor’s fine and wants to know if I’m staying here tonight or not.” Zach tore off another quick bite of Hawaiian barbecue pizza.

  “What’d you tell her?”

  Zach picked up his beer and washed down his last bite of pizza, then gave Cael a wry grin. “That I’d see her tomorrow morning.”

  Cael’s phone buzzed, vibrating on the coffee table. He grinned as the screen lit up with a text from Chloe.

  “Give you one guess who that is.” Cael laughed as he read her message.

  “What’d she say?”

  “Is he drunk or did you finally kiss him?”

  “Fuck, she knew, didn’t she?”

  “Chloe figured me out a long time ago, but earlier, when you were on your way over, she was especially insistent that I tell you today.”

  Zach smiled at him thoughtfully. “Something tells me she figured me out too, along with my sister and my mom.”

  The smile fell from Zach’s face as he stared past Cael for a few seconds.

  “I’d heard it so many times that I needed to open my eyes. I used to brush it off. It wasn’t until my mom said it to me on the day of Abbey’s accident, telling me to do it before it was too late, that I started trying to figure out what the fuck everyone was seeing that I wasn’t.”

  “That would explain all those weird looks you’ve been giving me the last few weeks.”

  Zach nodded as Cael crammed a bite of pizza crust in his mouth.

  “I realized, of everyone in my life, you were the one I’d be lost without.” Zach rubbed his fingers across his chin and snorted quietly. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks now.”

  “What would you have done if you didn’t like it?”

  Zach shrugged, twisting his lips and raising his brows so his forehead wrinkled. “Never crossed my mind.” He took a bite from the pizza slice in his hand then pressed his lips into a small, tight smile as he looked at Cael and began chewing.

  Before Cael could think, he leaned in to kiss Zach, nipping lightly and tasting the little bit of pizza sauce on his lips before pulling away with what he knew was a stupid, happy grin on his face. But then Cael saw the same look plastered across Zach’s face, and his heart beat a little faster.

  After Cael had polished off a few slices of pizza, he grabbed his beer and sank back into the cushions with his other arm across the back of the couch. Zach popped in one last bite, then stacked their paper plates on top of the pizza box and pushed it over to one side of the table. As Cael took a long pull of the amber suds, Zach kicked his feet up and leaned back and against Cael’s side, resting his bottle on his thigh.

  They sat in relative silence, watching TV, but not really watching. Instead, Cael spent the time absorbing every single detail of this moment—the way Zach’s hair tickled his neck and cheek… the scent of citrus shampoo and musk and garlicky barbeque… the sound of his breathing and his heartbeat… the warmth of Zach’s body pressed to his. It was all beautiful and unbelievable, and Cael never wanted to forget it.

  After the show ended, they found themselves lazily glued to a movie they’d both seen at least a dozen times. Neither of them wanted to move. He wasn’t sure about Zach, but Cael thought he enjoyed their new found closeness as much as he did.

  As the movie credits rolled, Zach leaned forward and clicked the TV off with the remote, then settled back against Cael again. Cael pressed a lingering kiss into Zach’s hair, in no hurry to move.

  “Cael?” Zach asked.

  “Yeah, Pook?”

  Zach turned and straddled Cael’s thighs. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on Cael’s shoulders. Closing his eyes, Zach tilted his forehead to Cael’s for a long moment. Cael cupped his hands over Zach’s hips. Christ, Zach sitting on him like this was pure heaven.

  “You okay?” Cael whispered, shifting under Zach’s weight to adjust for his growing erection. As he moved, Cael felt Zach’s member swelling, pressing against his, and he stifled the groan forming in the base of his throat.

  “Yeah.” Zach breathed a laugh. “It’s just, for the first time, I’m not entirely sure what I’m doing.”

  Cael grinned. “Well, I think I can help with that,” he said, holding Zach down as he rocked his pelvis upward from below.

  “You think so, huh?”

  Cael pressed kiss to Zach’s lips as they hovered above him. “Yeah, but I have a confession to make.”


  “What’s that?”

  “This is somewhat unchartered territory for me too.”

  “How so?”

  “Simple.” Cael kissed Zach again, running his hands from Zach’s hips up his sides and beneath Zach’s shirt. Gooseflesh formed under his fingertips. “I’m in love with the guy sitting on my lap right now.”

  “Fucking crazy coincidence—because I’m in love with the guy I’m sitting on right now.”

  Zach ground down against his groin as he spoke the words. The feel of Zach’s balls and hard root rubbing against his own through the denim set off a chain reaction of want and need exploding throughout Cael’s body.

  “Zach…” Cael grabbed Zach and flipped him onto the couch so he lay on his back, then climbed over him and captured him in a hungry kiss. Zach opened his legs just enough for Cael to lay between them, unable to stop the immediate thrust of his hips.

  Zach’s hands found the back hem of Cael’s shirt, and he pulled and pushed it up Cael’s back. Cael sat up and yanked his shirt the rest of the way off as Zach wriggled out of his. Shirts discarded on the floor, Zach pulled Cael down for another kiss, licking deep into his mouth.

  Zach slid his hands between them and worked to unbutton and unzip Cael’s pants. Cael pulled his knees under him to give Zach easier access. Lips still fused and tongues wet and exploring, Zach hurried to undo their jeans. Once loosened, Zach pushed jeans and underwear down, releasing both their swollen cocks. Zach’s erection bobbed against his, touching skin-to-skin for the very first time. Fire and electricity ripped down Cael’s spine, and he let his body fall down on Zach’s again.

  Cael groaned. The heat of Zach’s flesh against his permeated his skin, begging him to press down harder, and Cael did, pinning Zach to the couch as he ground against him.

  “Fuck, Cael,” Zach mumbled into their deliciously sloppy kiss, his hands roaming the bare skin of Cael’s lower back and buttocks. Zach thrust upward repeatedly, increasing the sweaty friction between their hard dicks.

  Cael pushed his hand between them and wrapped it around their erections, eliciting a shaky whimper from Zach. As Cael stroked them both slowly, Zach stilled beneath him, panting softly into his mouth, and a fierce wave of tenderness crashed over Cael—something he’d never experienced with anyone before—and he knew exactly why. Cael’s heart stuttered as the reality of this very real, very intimate moment hit him hard.

  This wasn’t just sex. This was making love.

  Zach looked down between them, and Cael followed his gaze. Cael swiped his thumb over their leaking slits, spreading the slick moisture down their shafts. Zach’s breath hitched with each increasingly faster stroke. Sweat misted on their skin. Zach dropped his head back on the cushion and closed his eyes, exposing his slender neck. Cael couldn’t resist. Dipping his head, Cael nipped and licked and sucked a trail of hot, wet kisses along the curve of Zach’s neck, right across his Adam’s apple, fulfilling one of his many fantasies.

  Zach whimpered again. “Cael…”

  His name fell from Zach’s lips in a fiery plea. Pressure built at the base of his shaft. Cael pushed up on one hand and looked down at their slippery, leaking, swollen cocks as he rubbed faster.

  “Fuck, Cael. I’m gonna come…”

  “Do it.”

  Zach went quiet, his eyes fixated on Cael’s hand fisting them, and half a second later, he erupted, spilling over his abs and Cael’s hand, grunting and writhing and jerking beneath him.

  “God, yes,” Cael groaned as pleasure overwhelmed him. Heat surged up his shaft, and his orgasm hit with such blinding intensity that it took every ounce of strength to hold himself up. Cael grunted hard as he watched the cum shoot from their bulging tips, mixing together, until the pulsing spurts ceased. He looked up and caught the sated grin forming on Zach’s lips.

  “Fucking wow,” Zach said between labored breaths.

  Cael shook the daze from his mind, grinning back. “Um, yeah.”

  “Is it always like that for you?”

  “Um, no. It’s never been like that.”

  Zach knit his brow. “Really?”

  “Seriously, Pook. Never.”

  Zach’s smile widened, his eyes lighting up with all-out joy.

  Chapter 13

  Zach didn’t want to let go of the warmth dancing in his heart following the mind-blowing sex with Cael on his living room couch. He stared up at Cael, who grinned down at him as if he couldn’t believe any of what had just happened between them, and in a way, Zach couldn’t believe it either.

  Cael looked at the sticky remnants of their love-making. Zach reached for his shirt on the floor and handed it to Cael.

  “Here. Use this,” Zach said.

  “Thanks.” Cael took the T-shirt and wiped his hand, their softening cocks, and lastly, Zach’s skin. He wadded Zach’s shirt into a ball. “Did you bring a change?”

  “No, I didn’t anticipate staying the night or getting cum all over me, but I’ll just throw my clothes in the washer.”

  Cael arched a brow, giving Zach a wry grin. “So that means you’ll be sleeping naked in my bed.”

  “Do you not want me naked in your bed?”

  “Did I say I didn’t?” Cael leaned down and captured Zach’s lips in a short, tender kiss. “As far as I’m concerned, you need to be naked in bed with me every night from now on.”

  “Every night, huh?”

  “Yep.” Cael climbed off the couch and stood, pulling his underwear and pants up, leaving them open and hanging low on his hips.

  Zach hooked his thumbs around the waistline of his boxers and jeans and wiggled them on. He sat up and turned, setting his feet on the soft carpet. Bending, he scooped up Cael’s shirt from the floor between his feet. As Zach straightened, Cael extended his hand toward him. Zach clasped his hand, and Cael tugged Zach to his feet then kissed him again.

  Cael’s lips on his sent tingles of absolute joy rippling through Zach. No one had ever sparked such warmth and love and desire in him before the way Cael had done all evening since their first tentative kiss in the kitchen.

  After a lips-only, passionate kiss in which Cael demonstrated the depth of his love, Cael took Zach’s hand and led him down the hall to the laundry closet. They both stripped the rest of their clothes off and tossed all of it in the washing machine.

  Zach stared at the taller, muscled body in front of him as Cael measured the detergent and dumped it in the machine. It was the first time Zach had seen Cael completely naked before, and Zach sucked in a nervous breath. Cael hadn’t seen him naked before either. His shorter, average status aside, Zach didn’t have the muscle definition Cael had, and was a little soft around the middle, even if he did manage to stay fairly thin. What if Cael didn’t like what he saw?

  Cael closed the lid and started the wash cycle. Without a word and oblivious to Zach’s worries, he grabbed Zach by the hand and led him upstairs and into his bedroom. Cael paused by the doorway leading to the master bathroom and pushed Zach’s back to the cold wall.

  Zach held his breath, looking up at Cael, searching for any doubt or dislike as Cael’s assessing gaze roved over him. Cael let out a low, guttural hum and brought his eyes back up to meet Zach’s. Zach inhaled sharply. The hunger and heat burning in Cael’s eyes pushed any uncertainty out of Zach’s mind. Cael stepped in, closing the little bit of space between them, and pinned Zach to the wall with his warm, strong body.

  Cael hovered close, his lips ghosting over Zach’s, teasing him. Zach’s dick bounced, hardening again. Cael smiled, biting Zach’s lower lip.

  “I can’t believe this is real,” Cael whispered.

  “I know,” Zach replied, softly caressing Cael’s chest. His fingertips skimmed over the soft dusting of auburn hair, following its narrowing path downward. Everything about touching Cael, kissing him, being naked with him, felt nothing short of amazing and fucking perfect. “Is it weird that it’s not weird?”

  “That just means it’s gonna work.”

  “G
ood.” Zach pressed a soft kiss to Cael’s lips. “Because I really want this to work.”

  “Me too.”

  Cael sped through his nighttime routines, and Zach did the same, brushing his teeth with a spare toothbrush Cael had and using the bathroom. As Zach stood at the foot of the bed, wondering on which side Cael normally slept, the toilet flushed behind him and seconds later, Cael wrapped his arms around him from behind and planted a soft kiss just below his ear.

  “Fuck,” Zach whispered, quivering as an electrified tingle shot down his back. Cael’s mouth teased the sensitive skin along his neck, sparking the nerves beneath the surface, driving Zach insane. He tried to relax into Cael’s embrace, but instead, his muscles tensed, the thrill of what this meant preventing him from doing so.

  Cael froze. “Everything okay?”

  “Better than okay,” Zach breathed, and he felt Cael’s tension ease. “I didn’t know which side you slept on.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I plan to be wrapped around you all night.” Cael’s husky voice reverberated through every bone in Zach’s body.

  “I have never wanted so fucking much to go to bed before.”

  “That makes two of us.” Cael unfolded his arms from around Zach and clasped his hand. He led Zach to the side of the bed, turned off the light, and tugged him down onto the bed with him.

  Zach positioned himself on his side to face Cael. Cael pulled the covers over them, sliding in close, and Zach moved closer and kissed him, hard. Zach reached down, wrapped his hand around Cael’s already hard length, and groaned, his own erection swelling again.

  “Christ, Zach…” Cael rocked into Zach’s fist.

  “I want you to fuck me,” Zach whispered in the dark, his heart pounding in his chest as he stroked Cael’s rigid length. He’d never much enjoyed sex with the women he’d been with before, but everything with Cael so far had been not only phenomenal, but also right.

  Cael sucked in a sharp breath. “Are you sure? We don’t have to.”

  “I want to know if I’ll like it. I don’t want to wait.”