by A. T Brennan
We stayed like this for a long time, even after I'd started breathing normally again. I didn't want the connection to end, and Rhys didn't seem to be in any hurry to end it either. I couldn't be sure how much time passed, but it was enough that I could feel his cock getting hard again.
Rhys tried to shift away from me, but I grabbed the hard globes of his ass and held him in place.
It was crazy, but I wanted him. Rhys had shown me time and time again that he was different. He cared about me, and he would never hurt me. I'd spent so much of my life living around my disabilities, Rhys was the first person to ever see me for me, and not what made me different.
“I want you,” I whispered in his ear.
Rhys pulled back and looked down at me. “Okay.”
Well, that was easy. I expected him to at least ask me if I was sure I wanted to have sex so soon after our first blow jobs together. Either way, I was glad he was as much on board with it as I was.
“Supplies?”
“Beside table.”
Rhys crawled off me and pulled a new box of condoms and a new bottle of lube out of the drawer. Damn it. I should have opened them so he wouldn't know I'd bought them with him in mind.
He didn't even pause as he opened both, but I was a little shocked when he handed me the condom.
“I... what?” I stammered.
“You can top me. I like both.”
“Are you sure?”
I'd meant that he could fuck me, but the thought of getting to top Rhys made my semi-interested cock stand at full attention.
“I'm sure.” He grinned and leaned forward to give me a kiss. “I would love it if you'd fuck me, Caleb.”
I didn't know what to say but took the condom from him.
“Do you want more foreplay? I can blow you again,” he offered.
“If you do that, this will never happen.” I held up the condom, and he laughed. “What about you?”
“Just a little prep. I'm so ready for you.”
“Okay, how do you want it? Do you want to ride me so you're in control?”
“I want you to fuck me how you want.” Rhys put his hand against my cheek. “I'll love it no matter what. I want you to do what will give you the most pleasure.”
I bit my lip and paused. I'd never topped before, other than with Lizzie, so I wasn't sure what I wanted.
Rhys took the condom from me and ripped the package open. I could tell he was giving me a moment to think, and I appreciated it. He rolled the condom over my cock and slathered it with a good amount of lube.
“Can you flip over?” I asked tentatively when he was done. While I wanted to be able to look at him, I didn't think I could handle that extra pressure right now.
“On my knees or stomach?”
“Knees.”
“Want me to prep myself?”
“No, I'd like to do that.”
Rhys gave me another kiss and handed me the lube. He flipped over on all fours as I moved so I was kneeling behind him. His body was perfect. The muscles in his back rippled as he placed his hands under him, and his ass was round and hard. I knew a lot of guys liked soft, full asses, but I preferred hard and tight, and Rhys's was exactly what I saw in my fantasies.
Not letting myself overthink things, I bent down and quickly licked his hole. Rhys cried out and dropped his head, lifting his hips higher, once again giving me control.
As much as I wanted to rim him and give him even a fraction of the pleasure he'd given me, I needed to be inside him. I squirted a dollop of lube on my fingers and rubbed them together to warm it up. When it was ready, I pressed my finger against Rhys's hole and slowly pushed in.
His body was ready and hungry for me, and with minimal effort, I was able to get my entire finger inside him. Since I didn't have a big dick, I didn't have to worry about stretching him too much, and after I'd worked a second finger inside him, I concentrated on using them to prep him.
Rhys looked over his shoulder at me and nodded, telling me he was ready. I was grateful he'd used his body and not his voice because I never would have been able to hear it with him facing away from me.
I pulled my fingers free and gripped the base of my cock. I felt so inadequate, especially considering Rhys's dick was most definitely above average. What could I possibly do to make him feel good? I didn't know what I was doing. I'd probably come in less than a minute. Hell, I'd be lucky to make it past the first couple seconds.
I was scared of not being able to please him, and my erection began to wane.
“Fuck,” I muttered as I gave it a few violent strokes. Of course this would happen.
The more I pulled on it, the more I mentally berated myself, and that caused my dick to go limp.
“Damn it. I'm always such a fucking loser.”
I wasn't aware that I'd said the words out loud until Rhys was kneeling in front of me, pulling my hand off my flaccid cock as he hugged me.
I couldn't stop the sob that erupted from my chest or the tears that began to fall. I wanted to fuck Rhys so badly, but my body wouldn't cooperate. Now he must see me as not only disabled but defective as well.
Rhys stroked my back as I cried and shifted us so he was sitting cross-legged on the bed with me on his lap, my legs around his waist.
“Look at me. I need you to see what I'm saying.” Rhys held my cheeks and moved us so we were face-to-face.
He gently used his thumbs to wipe my tears, and I nodded. He deserved to have my full attention while he told me what a disappointment I was.
“Whatever you're thinking, stop. What happened is normal. It's happened to me before, and it's not a big deal. Don't be embarrassed or ashamed or think for one second I'm judging you because I'm not.”
“How can you be so kind?”
“I'm not being kind; I'm being honest. I'm guessing you got inside your head, and that's what caused it. Am I right?”
I didn't want to answer, but I nodded. He was right. I'd done it to myself.
“It's like I said earlier. Abuse takes years to heal and has an impact on every part of your life. When you're ready to try again, I'm ready, okay? If we never have sex, that's fine with me-”
“I'm not okay with that.” I cut in, and Rhys smiled, leaning forward to give me a quick kiss.
“You're so cute. But what I said still stands. We'll try again when you're ready, and if it takes one or ten more tries, I need you to believe that I'm not judging or angry.”
“I believe you. I don't think you'd ever lie to me.”
“I wouldn't,” he said seriously.
“I'm sorry I'm such a boner killer... literally.”
“Remember we talked about you apologizing for things that aren't your fault. I seem to recall a rather mind-bending orgasm I had in your mouth. Do you remember something similar?” he asked with a teasing smile, effectively steering the conversation away from me and my dysfunction.
“I do recall that and having one of my own that almost made me black out it was so good.”
Rhys pulled me forward for a long, drawn-out kiss. It was almost as though the calm energy radiating from his body soothed me, and all traces of embarrassment or shame disappeared. If Rhys said he was okay with what happened, I was going to believe him.
“So with all the bullshit that went down today, I didn't get a chance to pick up the ingredients to make dinner.” Rhys grinned as he pulled away from the kiss. “So how does pizza and some cuddling sound?”
“Absolutely perfect.” I gave him a quick kiss and smiled.
“Can you reach my phone so I can order?”
“We're still naked...”
“Oh, I wasn't clear. My mistake. Pizza and naked cuddling.”
I laughed and let go of him long enough to grab his phone off the bedside table.
“What about when the pizza gets here?” I asked as he pulled up an ordering app.
“Then we'll put pants on and go eat it out there. But as soon as we're away from hot, melty cheese, it's naked time agai
n.”
“If you insist.” I giggled.
“I insist.”
Chapter Thirteen
Rhys
“TALK TO ME, HUN.”
“What?” I jumped as Layla plopped down on the stool in front of me.
“You've been out of it since you walked in.” She reached over and gripped my hand. “I've never seen you this distracted before. Are you okay?”
I squeezed her hand and sighed. I'd been in a fog my entire shift. Thankfully it was Sunday night, and we weren't busy. Blaze had pretty much been holding down the fort while I blundered my way through simple orders and messed up change.
I could see Blaze hovering a respectful distance away so he wouldn't eavesdrop, but I nodded him over. He deserved to hear why he was having to cover for my sorry ass tonight.
“Some shit happened over the weekend, and it's messing with me. It's why I'm so useless tonight.”
“What happened?” Blaze asked, leaning against the bar top, mirroring my stance.
I gave them a quick summary of the last three years of my life, ever since Sam was diagnosed. They let me talk, only letting out noises of sympathy or outrage at the appropriate times.
When I finally finished telling them about the restraining order, they were staring at me with their mouths open in shock.
“Oh, Rhys...” Layla trailed off. It wasn't often she was at a loss for words.
“There's nothing I can do. They controlled every aspect of my life, and now they're going to do the same to Violet.”
“Um, Rhys. You remember I got married, right?”
“Yeah... I threw you a bachelor party.” I looked at Blaze, completely lost as to where he was going with this.
“And you remember that my husband is a gay man and a lawyer, who now does family law, right?”
“Yeah, but-”
“Good. I was worried you hit your head with one of those ridiculously heavy weights you lift to become half man, half stone beast.”
I stared as Blaze pulled out his phone and typed in a message. A few moments later, there was a shrill ping sound, and Blaze looked up from his phone and right at me. “Galen will be here in twenty minutes. You guys are going to sit over there,” he pointed to the back corner, “while Layla and I cover the bar.”
I glanced at Layla, who grinned and gave me a casual shrug. “Don't look at me. I'm still shaking my head that you didn't call Galen yourself.”
“But-”
“Nope.” Blaze cut me off as he filled a glass with ice water. “Take this, go sit, and Galen will join you when he gets here.”
“If you say so, boss.”
“I say so.” Blaze winked and handed me the water.
Layla pushed my arm down, indicating she wanted me to put my glass of water on the bar top. As soon as it was out of my hand, she was pulling me toward her in a tight hug.
Layla wasn't much older than me. I knew she was in her thirties, but I had no idea what her exact age was. It didn't matter, though. Her hugs were always maternal and felt better than any I'd ever gotten from my own mother. She took care of us, and I gratefully squeezed her back as I drew as much out of the hug as I could.
“Thanks,” I whispered against her hair. “Thanks for always being here for us.”
“You're my boys. I wouldn't have it any other way.”
When we pulled apart, Blaze gave me an encouraging smile. “We've got your back, always. You're family, and we do everything we can for family.”
“Yes, we do.” I almost choked up as I nodded. Their support and concern was almost overwhelming and reminded me just how lucky I was to have found them.
I took my water to the back corner and sat at the table. As I sipped the cold liquid, I pulled my phone out and stared at the home screen. I'd spent the night at Caleb's on Friday, and he'd let me take a picture of us as we cuddled in his bed so I could use it as my wallpaper. He'd even asked me to take one for him so he could do the same. It was comforting to be able to look back at that moment and see how happy and relaxed we were.
Caleb meant a lot to me. More than anyone ever had. I'd never been in love before but knew for certain that I was falling in love with him. He was such a kind and caring soul, and while it was true his ex had done a number on him, he was still incredibly strong and resilient. He might have a few issues to work through, but I didn't see him as a project. I saw him as someone I wanted to grow with. Helping him see just how wonderful and amazing he was, and leaving his traumas in the past would help both of us. I needed him as my rock, and he needed me to lift him up.
I was still staring at my phone, even though the screen had long since gone black, when Galen arrived. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and looked like he'd just rolled out of bed.
“Do you want a drink?” I asked after we'd shook hands in greeting.
“Blaze said he'll bring me something. So, let's get down to business. Tell me about your niece and what's going on.”
I spilled the whole story again, going into as much detail about the legal side as I could. Galen asked a lot of questions, most of which I could answer, and typed notes into his phone as I talked.
“Well, based on what you've told me, you've got a case.”
“What?” I stared at him incredulously. “The last lawyer I talked to said that it was open and shut for my parents.”
“They were wrong.” Galen put down his phone and sipped the scotch Blaze had brought him. “I'll have to look at the case files and the rulings, but I really think we have a case here. The first decision to reverse the guardianship was based on your sexuality, right?”
“Yeah. And because I'm single, apparently.”
“No other issues? No convictions, charges, investigations?”
“None.”
“Being a single, gay man isn't a reason to keep a blood relative from you against the wishes of her parent. You said she's sixteen. Does she want to live with you?”
“She does; always has.”
“That also gets taken into account in cases like this. At sixteen, she's old enough to know what she wants, and the judge will listen to her. Now, your parents could use money against you. The courts are supposed to rule in the best interest of the child, and money plays a factor in that.”
“I don't have my parents’ kind of money, but I'm not struggling.” I'd never told anyone at the bar this, not even Tristan. “I'm a trust fund kid, and I made good money at my dad's investing firm before I left. I don't work because I have to; I work because I want to.”
“Then I need you to give me a dollar.”
“Okay.” I pulled my wallet out and found a dollar to give him. “Can I ask why?”
“You just retained my services.” Galen grinned as he pocketed the dollar. “I'm taking your case.”
“I can pay your rates-”
“I don't charge family.” He shook his head. “I only took your dollar to invoke attorney client privilege and to make it official. Can you come to my office tomorrow? Bring all your paperwork. Anything that shows what you did for Violet while she was in your custody and everything pertaining to your last lawyer and the ruling. I'll look into the RO and getting that dropped and get copies of the court transcripts and documents. We'll fight this, Rhys. I promise to do everything I can to bring your niece home to you.”
“Thank you.” My voice cracked as a wave of emotion washed over me.
“No, thank you, Rhys. You've been there for Blaze, and for me, and that means the world to us. I meant what I said. You're family.”
I couldn't answer, but Galen seemed to understand my nod and take it as my way of saying he was family to me too.
“Can you come by around eleven?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I'll see you then.” Galen put out his hand, and I shook it gratefully. “Now, I'm going to go kiss my husband and head home. I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow.”
I watched, a little dumbfounded, as Galen walked over and gave Bla
ze a kiss and Layla a hug. The family I'd been born into had abandoned me because of my sexuality, but the family I'd found embraced me for all of me. It was a humbling realization.
CALEB ANSWERED MY VIDEO call with a wave. We'd only talked like this once before, but it was easier than texting, and I really needed to talk to him.
Is everything okay? I thought you were working? He signed after he'd propped his phone on his pillow.
I tried to ignore just how amazing he looked with his rumpled hair and bare chest. He must have just climbed into bed.
I was, but Layla sent me home early. I wasn't very useful tonight.
Distracted? He made a sympathetic face, and I nodded.
But there's good news.
What is it?
Galen, Blaze's husband, is a lawyer, and he's going to help with Violet's case.
That's great! Caleb beamed. If he gets the restraining order dropped, then you'll be able to see her.
It's more than that. He's going to help me get the guardianship reversed. If he's successful, she'll get to live with me again.
Oh my god, babe. I'm so happy for you!
It's not done yet, but he said he thinks we have a good chance.
That's great. Really amazing.
I wish I could hug you right now. All I could think about on the way home was being able to hold you and tell you. I haven't been this hopeful in so long, and I wanted to share that with you.
Then get your sexy butt over here. Caleb grinned in a coy and seductive way that I was sure he wasn't even aware of.
Really? You mean it?
Yeah. I've missed you. I want you to stay here tonight, if you can.
I can. I signed quickly. I want to.
Then get over here, and I'll keep the bed warm. He winked, and I shook my head.
You have no idea what you're doing to me.
What do you mean? Caleb's grin told me he knew exactly what I was talking about.
I picked up my phone and angled it at my crotch. I'd stripped off my jeans and put on a pair of loose sweats so my erection was very obvious as it tented the thin material.
Caleb bit his lip, but this time, I knew he was biting back a smile as he nodded.