The mention of marriage proposals made Kyle suck in a breath—God, he wanted that so badly. He cleared his throat. “Who knows? Maybe you can have it.”
“And maybe I can’t.”
“I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.” He almost told Forrester about what Nonna had said, but that sharp look she’d given Kyle held him back.
Was there really such a thing as an evil eye?
“Guess I’ll find out, won’t I?” The uncertainty of his tone sank Kyle’s heart.
When Forrester turned up the TV, Kyle knew he was done talking, which was fine, because he didn’t have anything else to add. Kyle slid out his processor, then glanced at Forrester before setting it in the dish.
Needing to be close, he snuggled into Forrester’s warmth. He wished he had magic words to bring comfort to Forrester. Nonna and Amanda gave Kyle hope, but could their family—Kyle, Forrester, and Jasper—and la famiglia ever become one?
THE MURMUR of the television and the soft hum of Kyle’s breathing close to his ear prevented Forrester from falling asleep. Kyle’s head rested on his arm, and he tried to pay attention to the game, but his thoughts scattered a million different directions. Kyle had fallen asleep almost immediately, exhausted after going out last night, then working twelve hours today. Forrester’s arm had gone to sleep, but rather than roll away, he hoisted his lover onto his stomach.
“Mmmm?” Kyle purred in his sleep, nuzzling his neck.
“Arm’s asleep,” he whispered, not that Kyle heard him. He caressed the strong muscular contours of his back and shifted so Kyle was between his legs. It felt so good being underneath him, pinned beneath his weight.
So safe.
Sighing, Kyle shifted and made himself comfortable on Forrester’s stomach, hips snug between his thighs, and muscled abs smothering his cock beautifully. Forrester coiled his arms about him, drawing him closer. Though Kyle covered almost all of him, he wondered if Kyle could ever get close enough. He raised his knees and clung to his sleepy boyfriend as fear swamped him.
Cancer.
“What the hell are we gonna do?” he whispered. “Ma ignored this. What if she dies, Kyle?”
Kyle shifted a little, but he stayed asleep.
As horrible as it had been to lose Dad, he wouldn’t survive losing Ma. He needed her. He wasn’t ready to lose her. He didn’t think he ever would be, but definitely not now. And just as Forrester knew he couldn’t come out when Dad had been here, he feared he could never come out if Ma wasn’t here. When his family learned the truth about him, she would be the one who had his back. Sure she might cause a bunch of drama and be annoying, but she would never, ever reject him.
Would she?
No! It was too terrible to think about.
“I have to have her blessing, Kyle,” he confessed, voice cracking. “I know I’m a grown man, but I don’t think I can be truly happy if Ma doesn’t support it. If she doesn’t support us.”
Blinking back tears, he clung to Kyle tighter, his body trembling.
“Babe, you okay?” Kyle murmured, lifting his head.
Overcome with the need to be covered, filled by Kyle, Forrester locked gazes with him. Kyle’s head tipped to the side and he squinted in the flickering light of the TV as he studied Forrester’s mouth. He could have told Kyle what he had said, what he was thinking, but instead he whispered, “Make love to me?”
He blinked several times. “Now? It’s the middle of the night.”
“Please,” he begged, rocking his pelvis up. He cupped the back of Kyle’s head and kissed him. “Please, I need you.”
Kyle woke up then. “Sure, baby. Whatever you need.”
With a soft cry, Forrester rolled their bodies onto their sides, wrapping his leg over Kyle’s. He clutched handfuls of blond hair and kissed him, lips bruising and teeth banging. What he’d intended to be innocent turned heated fast as all the emotions—grief, fear, ecstasy, and love—swamped Forrester. With Kyle, they never simply got off.
They made a connection.
And Forrester needed that tonight.
Desperately.
As they kissed, Kyle’s growing cock pressed to Forrester’s stomach. He needed Kyle inside him, filling him physically the way he’d already filled Forrester’s heart. The colorful shadows of the TV flashed over Kyle’s face. The game came back from commercial, but Forrester couldn’t care less.
As always, Kyle needed no words to understand Forrester’s body language. He slipped his hand back to Forrester’s ass and stroked his crack, making him tremble.
Forrester nodded feverishly in response to that touch.
Smiling, Kyle pushed him onto his back, slithered up to cup his face with both hands, and kissed him. A kiss that shifted the power in their bed. Such a complete disavowal of his control and desires was as frightening as it was arousing. Knowing Kyle must feel the same without his processor made Forrester tremble.
How could two men be so intertwined, so united on such a primal level?
Hazel eyes alert now, Kyle ran his hands up and down Forrester’s body, titillating Forrester’s skin. He kissed his mouth, eyes, neck, then licked his lips slowly. He wound fingers deep in Forrester’s hair, trailing them down his scalp to massage his ears and touch his jaw. Kyle buried his face in Forrester’s neck, inhaling and leaving the skin cool in his wake. Forrester never tired of the way Kyle touched, smelled, and tasted him as they made love.
Using his thumbs, Kyle opened Forrester’s mouth wide and delved his tongue deep. Their tongues whirled, and their bodies rolled with the urgency Kyle put into the kiss.
Releasing his mouth, Kyle maneuvered Forrester’s feet flat on the mattress, knees bent so he could slip between. Kissing Forrester’s knee and running his hands languidly the length of his body, Kyle stroked his stomach, curled his fingers through his chest hair. Splaying out across his body, he leaned in to flick his tongue along Forrester’s jaw. Forrester arched deeper into his muscular frame and cupped Kyle’s bottom to grind their hips together.
Panting, Kyle grabbed the lube they always left on top of the nightstand. He squirted some into his hand. Then he used his fingers to spread Forrester. When he pressed a finger inside, Forrester groaned with approval. Kyle carved his finger in and out, rolling over his prostate.
“Fuck!” he cried, his ass clenching and his back muscles spasming in pleasure.
The dog chose that moment to wake up, and he snorted his disapproval.
Forrester looked over at him and blushed. He looked at Kyle. “Jeez, he’s watching us.”
Kyle laughed and sat back, the slide of his finger on the way out making Forrester groan in longing. Rescuing the lube, Kyle reached behind him and grabbed the sheet, tossing it completely over their bodies.
“Better?”
Forrester nodded. The TV reflected lights in their intimate fort, and Forrester studied the man above him, haloed by the white sheet. In that moment, all of his troubles were gone, washed away with intimacy.
“You want the TV off?” Kyle whispered.
Forrester shook his head. He wanted the light so he could see Kyle.
Kyle let go a dominant chuckle. “That’s right,” he said, words slurring in his passion. “You like doing it while you’re watching a game.”
He smiled, forgetting he’d told Kyle that once. But any humor faded when Kyle slipped his finger back inside Forrester’s hole. He hissed, rocking his hips helplessly.
“What’s the score?” Kyle asked.
Lost in the joy of what Kyle did to him, Forrester blinked to clear his mind. He heard the low mummer of the TV but he could think of nothing but Kyle.
“Forrester, I can’t hear the score. What is it?”
He lifted his head to look at Kyle. “How should I know?” He whimpered when Kyle slid a second deviant finger inside him.
Kyle probed him deep. “Peek under the sheet, silly.”
Letting out a frustrated growl, Forrester lifted the sheet and focused on the TV, loving
a bossy Kyle. “Six to…,” he started to answer, but Kyle pressed into his prostate and his voice broke off in a pleasurable gasp. Dropping the sheet, he met Kyle’s waiting gaze and managed to spit out, “Six to eight. Indians in the lead.”
“Thanks, now I can concentrate.” He leaned down and kissed Forrester’s chest, biting on his nipple, then licking him hard.
He gasped when Kyle’s fingers retreated for more lube. Kyle sat back on his haunches to lube up his dick, the wet sounds the sexiest thing Forrester had ever heard. Scooting closer, he pushed Forrester’s knees back. He massaged more lube in his ass, his confident touch leaving Forrester panting, writhing, and pressing down on his fingers.
He needed more.
Forrester gripped behind his knees, pulling them to his chest, at the same time Kyle crawled closer and pressed his plump dick against him. Kyle read his cues better than if he’d spoken aloud. Forrester took a relaxing exhale and pushed out as Kyle inserted himself slow, as if Kyle knew his body were as fragile as his mental state.
The white sheet, backlit from the TV, framed Kyle, and their eyes locked. Unafraid of the intimacy, needing more of it, Forrester didn’t break their gaze. His eyes stung with tears but he didn’t have to hide from Kyle. This man loved him, trusted him with everything. His heart, his body, his life.
His silence.
Forrester would never take that gift for granted.
“I love you,” he mouthed, throat too tight to speak.
“Olive juice too,” Kyle murmured, shaking with the effort to remain still. “Can I move?”
“Wish you would,” Forrester whispered, never breaking Kyle’s gaze.
Kyle let out a sigh of extreme relief and pulled out, sliding back in and pressing Forrester’s balls into his body. The initial tension of having a thick cock inside him waned, and an ecstasy he never tired of welled up inside him. Breathing heavily, Forrester shifted his hips and moved with Kyle. Flashes of light and color, plus the sounds of the crowd cheering lingered on the edge of his consciousness.
Oh, he wanted more!
Forrester gripped Kyle’s hips and yanked down when Kyle thrust, demonstrating how hard he needed to be fucked. Kyle groaned and slammed his hips in answer.
Releasing a strangled cry, Forrester raised his knees, and Kyle took the hint and sped up. He pressed his hands on the back of Forrester’s thighs and drove into his body, the head of his cock drilling Forrester’s prostate again and again. Swirls of black lightning burned behind his eyes, and he rocked with Kyle, loving how his dick slapped wet on his belly from the rhythm of Kyle’s thrusts.
Someone on the TV made a good play, because the crowd cheered in the background. Forrester wanted to laugh at the timing. Overcome with a rush of excitement, he spit in his hand and took hold of himself, rubbing and pulling fast.
With a broken groan, Kyle pushed Forrester’s legs in the air to get deeper. The sheets pulled on Forrester’s toes, but he just kept stroking his shaft, pinching the tip and groaning as Kyle pumped into his ass.
Kyle gasped, his hands squeezing the flesh of Forrester’s thighs. “Oh, Forrester,” he moaned.
As if Kyle’s voice controlled his orgasm, Forrester’s penis jerked in his hand. His vision blurred and his balls exploded with pleasure while his ass convulsed around Kyle’s dick. He thought he managed to aim it so his cum would hit Kyle in the chest, but he came so hard and fast he didn’t know for sure. Running his thumb up and down his base to the tip, he groaned as he wrung out every last bit of warm cum.
Kyle laughed triumphantly, then grabbed hold of Forrester’s hips and hammered into him. He cried out from the dual sensation of coming while being fucked rough and fast. The sound of the fans thumping their feet on the bleachers beat in rhythm to the blood pounding in Forrester’s veins and the heat throbbing under his skin. Face damp with sweat and tears, he whimpered under Kyle’s assault.
Then he heard Kyle’s breathing increase. Felt his body tense. Forrester squeezed his ass down to make it good for Kyle and held his breath while he waited for Kyle to join him. Kyle’s hips did a snapping little twist when he came.
It was so fucking hot.
With a passionate groan, Kyle buried himself deep, his hips twisting ever so slightly as he rode out the pulses of his orgasm, filling Forrester with his load.
When Kyle finished, he collapsed on top of him, gasping. He caressed Forrester’s hips and rained little kisses on his neck and face. Forrester drew him tighter into his embrace, the scent of their lovemaking ripe on the air.
They didn’t move for a long while, and finally, Forrester shifted their bodies so he could touch Kyle’s cheek and get Kyle’s attention. Those big beautiful eyes studied his mouth.
“I love you so much, Kyle. I don’t know how I could deal with all this without you.”
Cock still inside him, Kyle propped up on one elbow and stroked his cheek, Kyle’s eyes roaming his face before capturing his gaze. “I’ll always be here for you. I love you.”
Smiling, Forrester studied him. “When did you know you loved me?”
“I think I loved you the first time I walked into your store and saw you behind the counter, chewing a pencil,” he told him, his words indistinct after all his exertion, but also a tad on the loud side because he couldn’t hear his own volume. “You looked up at me, and you had this look on your face like you recognized me. Or maybe I recognized you, I don’t know. But I had this corny notion that maybe we met in a past life.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.” When Kyle leaned down and kissed the tip of Forrester’s nose, his cock popped out, the loss of closeness sweet torture.
Kyle shifted them to lie on their sides, facing each other. The white light of the TV illuminated his face as he stroked Forrester’s chest and ran a hand down his side. Forrester held still as Kyle touched him, sliding his hand back and between his asscheeks. When Kyle stroked his hole and slid his finger inside, Forrester hissed.
“Sensitive?”
Forrester nodded.
Kyle retreated to gently caress the wet skin. “I love feeling my cum inside you,” he said as his fingers fluttered over Forrester’s hole.
“Me too.” He shivered under the intensity of Kyle’s touch and open gaze. “I love you.”
“When did you know you loved me?” Kyle asked, studying Forrester’s mouth.
He thought about it for a moment. “That day we had a picnic on the river. When we got back to the bookstore and you left because Tony and Missy were there. When I watched you walk away, I felt like I was dying inside.”
Kyle caressed his cheek. “Then let’s never walk away from each other, okay?”
Forrester nodded. “Deal.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
SECOND ONLY to one’s loyalty to baseball was the time-honored tradition of beer and pizza afterward. Forrester’s team had won the home game 11–9, and now they planned to tie one on good and proper at Smitty’s Pizzeria, a hole-in-the-wall Shiloh staple. They often got takeout at the office, but Kyle had never been inside, and he’d only had their salads—much to Forrester’s horror.
“Don’t worry, I’m ordering pizza,” Kyle said. “Today’s my cheat day.”
“They have the best pizza here,” Forrester told him as he held open the door. “You’re gonna love it.”
“I always say, pizza is like sex,” he chimed. “There’s no such thing as bad pizza. Only better.”
“Then this pizza is like last night,” Forrester whispered before he went inside.
Warmth brewed inside Kyle as he remembered how Forrester had woken him up, so desperate and needy. He knew Forrester was worried about his mother, but every time they made love, it seemed more intense than the last.
Forrester didn’t reach out behind him to grasp Kyle’s hand as he shouldered through the celebrating ballplayers toward the bar, but the mere fact Kyle had been invited and the privilege of sitting with Mrs. Giordano during the game told Kyle their commitment was sol
id.
Kyle leaned an elbow on the bar and took a look around. The gold-and-green plastic lampshades hanging over the burgundy vinyl booths and the pool tables gave it the vintage feel of an old pizzeria. Rather than being a specific decorating style, he assumed Smitty’s had not remodeled since the midseventies.
The bartender was as scarred and worn as the dark oak of his bar. But the smile he wore felt genuine. “You gonna have your usual, Frankie?”
“You bet, George.” He flipped a thumb at Kyle. “Bud Lite?”
He nodded his agreement, then asked, “What’s your usual?”
“An appletini.”
Kyle stared at him for a second, then busted up laughing.
“Blow me.” Forrester elbowed him lightly in the ribs.
Kyle quirked an eyebrow. If things went according to plan, that would happen later. Maybe on the drive home. Watching Forrester on the field was hotter than watching him at the cages.
“We mopped the floor with those Simmon’s Carpet bastards!” Joey pushed his giant body between them, slapping them both on the back. Kyle did his best not to wince from the force of it. “Pitcher of Miller Lite, George,” he called before looking down at Kyle. “Hey.”
“Hi, Joey.” Kyle smiled. “You guys played great. Congrats on the win.”
The game had been tied up in the seventh, and the “carpet bastards” tagged on two more in the top of the ninth. Forrester’s team had needed three runs to take the game, and Forrester hit a home run with the bases loaded. The crowd went crazy cheering. Kyle would definitely have to file the image of that grand slam into his spank bank for later. Of course, watching Forrester play shortstop had been a thing of beauty as well. No wonder his brothers had been so mad he’d missed practice.
“Thanks,” Joey said. “If we win next week, we’re going to the playoffs. You play ball?”
He suppressed the first retort that came to mind—No, I play with balls. “I played Little League, but track was more my thing.”
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