A Simple Truth

by Jamie Craig

  It was going to be a very long night.

  He fought his way through the crowd, spinning out of reach when random hands tried to pull at him. He sighed with relief when he hit the bar, but his relief was short-lived. Almost as soon as he found a free barstool, a guy about his age moved in. As though he had been lying in wait.

  “You new here? Let me buy you a drink.”

  The guy seemed pleasant enough, with thinning dark hair and dark eyes. But Charlie smiled and shook his head, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “No thanks. I’m fine.”

  “Whatever, man.”

  He pushed away from the bar—probably to find somebody more receptive to his charms. God knew the pickings weren’t slim. It felt like every gay man in Denver had to be there. Every gay man, that is, except one. A part of him wanted to scan the crowd for Bryce’s familiar face, but no part of him really thought Bryce would show up that night.

  Two more men offered to pay for his refill, and two more men walked away disappointed. Charlie caught the bartender’s curious gaze more than once, but he didn’t feel like explaining why he was hanging out at the club on Queer Night if he wasn’t actually going to talk to any of the guys. He didn’t actually have an answer to that anyway. Because it didn’t make a whole lot of sense, even to him.

  The next guy who approached didn’t speak to him right away. Stepping into the space between Charlie and the stool, he leaned forward and ordered a Beck’s before glancing in Charlie’s direction. Blue eyes. A dimple. Shoulders that made it impossible to see around him. Before Charlie could look away, the guy told the bartender to fill up Charlie’s nearly empty pint glass.

  The refusal died on Charlie’s lips. Maybe it was the beer getting to his head. Or maybe he was tired of wondering what he was doing here if he wasn’t going to at least say hello to someone.

  “Thanks,” he said, and though his stomach threatened to revolt, he stuck out his hand. “I’m Charlie.”

  “Henry,” the other man returned, taking his hand with a firm grip. “Have you been here before? I ask because you look like I feel.”

  “First time.” Charlie smiled. “I really look that out of place?”

  “Just a bit uncomfortable. Which I totally get.”

  “You don’t look uncomfortable to me.” He dared scanning downward, drinking in the denim stretching across Henry’s powerful thighs. “At all.”

  “I’m good at faking it. I think I just keep coming here on the off-chance I might meet a guy closer to my own age. It seems like they’re all…” He gestured at the full dance floor. “Getting younger all the time.”

  It was hard not to grin at that. Charlie had been thinking the exact same thing.

  “I’m still not sure why I’m here tonight,” he confessed. “It’s not exactly my kind of place.”

  Henry smiled, and Charlie noticed he had perfect teeth. Really perfect teeth. Caps?

  “What is your kind of place?”

  An image flashed through his head, a smaller man than Henry pressed to his as they danced, a soft guitar playing in the background. His body responded just to the memory, and he glanced down at his beer, the sudden taste and smell of Bryce flooding his senses.

  “Home, actually.” When he realized what that sounded like, he hastily added, “Or Italian restaurants. Those work, too.”

  Henry’s smile widened. “I like Italian restaurants. Have you had anything to eat tonight?”

  He hadn’t, because he hadn’t wanted to get sick in case his nerves failed him, but he didn’t really feel like going out now. There would be small talk, and getting to know each other, and what if Henry had the same negative feelings about kids that Dean had?

  Bryce loved Christian.

  He needed to stop thinking about Bryce. He’d come out to prove a point, even if he was starting to wonder what exactly that point was.

  Swigging down the last of his beer to fortify his nerves, Charlie rose from the stool. “How about we show these kids how to dance first?” The music had shifted into something slower, something even he might be able to move to. And maybe it would erase the memory of dancing with Bryce instead.

  “I think they could stand to learn a thing or two,” Henry said, setting his nearly empty glass down. For a moment, Charlie thought Henry would take his hand and drag him out on the floor, but he stopped just short of that. He led Charlie to a small, open space before touching him. With a firm hand on Charlie’s hip, he drew him close.

  They were close to the same height, but Henry was broader, his grip stronger. He didn’t give Charlie the opportunity to lead, if this kind of music even called for that kind of partnership, and the solid press of their bodies sent conflicting signals to Charlie’s brain. On the one hand, hot guy holding him. A hot guy with muscles. And a thick cock getting harder with each passing second. Charlie had waited his whole life to be in exactly this place.

  On the other hand, the hot guy was a near stranger.

  More importantly, it wasn’t Bryce.

  Bryce, who didn’t feel the need to wrest even more control when Charlie already felt so out of his depth.

  Bryce, who loved his son and let him go out for this night without a single word of protest and offered to be his training wheels when Charlie felt like he was floundering.

  Bryce, who left a tangible hole in Charlie’s life when he wasn’t there.

  He pulled back before the song was over, but when Henry tried to stop him, Charlie shook his head. “I need to go. I’m sorry.”

  “Wait. Is there something wrong?”

  “Not with you. There’s somebody I need to see.” On a whim, Charlie pressed closer and kissed Henry’s cheek. Even that was wrong. Too smooth. “Thanks for the dance.”

  Pressing through the crowd, he escaped the dance floor with his head clearer than it had been all night. He’d been trying so hard to be gay, he’d forgotten one simple fact.

  It was never about fitting into a lifestyle. It was about finally being himself.

  Chapter 7

  Charlie Labrecque was nervous.

  Though he had a script in mind, he knew perfectly well that even the most well-rehearsed words could get twisted, or forgotten, or ignored. It was entirely possible he would open his mouth, and everything that came out would be wrong, and he would be back exactly where he started from.

  The only thing that kept his feet moving toward the front door was the knowledge that it couldn’t get any worse. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. And the last time he’d made this kind of attempt, it had gone much better than he’d ever imagined.

  His hand shook as he knocked at Bryce’s door. When he realized it was also sweating, he hastily rubbed his palm against his pants. He had started sweating while practicing in front of his mirror that afternoon. He had hoped he wouldn’t have any sweat left in his body by this point.

  There was a good chance Bryce would be out, but he opened the door a few minutes later and blinked. “Oh. Hey. Come on in.”

  The invitation took Charlie by surprise. He’d expected to have to grovel just to get inside. He didn’t turn it down, though. He was going to take every advantage he could get.

  “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

  “Nope. Just making myself some dinner.” He gestured absently toward the kitchen. “Fortunately, you knocked before I added the critical element. Milk.”

  “Milk? What are you making?”

  “Cornflakes with a side of bananas. You want some?”

  Charlie stared at him for a long moment before blinking and shaking his head. “No, actually. I, um…” He took a deep breath. “Maybe we could go grab something a little more substantial. My treat.”

  “Oh…well…I already poured out the cereal and sliced the banana. But I’ll take a rain check.”

  Disappointment slashed through him. He had hoped…but of course, Bryce wouldn’t want to go out. Charlie couldn’t say he’d be willing to even let someone in who’d been so inconsiderate.

  �
��Can I change my mind on your offer, then? I’d like to talk to you, if I could.”

  “Yeah. Talking. Sure.” Bryce sounded less than enthused about the prospect, but at least he had agreed rather than trying to push Charlie out the door. “I guess we had to get this out of the way sooner or later.”

  Charlie caught his arm before he could turn toward the kitchen. “It’s not like that. I want to apologize, not push you away even more.”

  Bryce smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “You don’t really have to let me down easy. I know I made a mistake.”

  “It wasn’t a mistake. I’m the one who messed up, not you. I got scared, and I overreacted.” He ventured a step closer, though he didn’t dare release Bryce. It was the first thing to feel right in a week. “All this time, I’ve been worrying about how I was going to fit in, but it dawned on me that I’m really over-thinking all of this. I just wanted to be happy. I wanted to stop pretending. But I never had to with you. Never. Not before, and definitely not after. Last Saturday was…the most amazing night of my life. Hands down. And maybe I only deserve to have the one after the way I treated you. But if I don’t fix this, I’ll just stay up all night, every night, wondering why I’m dating the Deans of the world. Instead of dating you.”

  “Are you sure you want to date me right now? I know I went too fast and I probably pushed you too hard. I really will understand if you want to just pull back and…I don’t know…start somewhere before ill-timed declarations.”

  “If I didn’t want us to date, why would I have shown up on our special date night?” Charlie tried to smile, but the longer it took for Bryce to make some sort of decision, the harder this got. “Saturday nights. We promised. I want to keep that promise.”

  Bryce licked his lips. “What about the other nights we discussed? You know, Friday and Sunday, for starters.”

  “You can have anything you want. All I ask for is you.”

  “Charlie…” For a moment, Bryce’s hand fluttered between them, like he didn’t know what he wanted to do with it. His name hung between them, and Charlie held his breath, knowing that this was the moment where things could go either way. He didn’t release his breath until Bryce gripped the back of his neck and brushed his lips across Charlie’s mouth.

  In that moment, Charlie knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d made the right decision.

  “Tell me what to do to make it all up to you,” he said, his words rushed. “Anything. You name it.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You don’t need to…make anything up to me. Unless you want to stay here tonight and make up for the week we’ve lost.”

  Charlie drowned in Bryce’s bright eyes, the eyes he’d dreamed about every night for the past six days “I don’t want to go,” he murmured. “Part of the reason I got so scared last weekend is because it didn’t seem possible that something so right could happen so effortlessly. That you could have been there the whole time and I just needed to say please and I’d have everything I’ve always wanted.”

  Bryce snorted. “Imagine how scared I was when I took one look at my married neighbor and fell head over heels.”

  “You hid it well.”

  “I didn’t really hide it. I just tried to treat you like you deserve. I don’t want you to think I was just your friend because I was settling for whatever I could get, you know?”

  “I don’t.” His gaze dropped to Bryce’s mouth. He wanted another kiss, but he didn’t want to press his luck. “Are you going to let me take you out now?”

  Bryce began walking, pushing Charlie backward until his shoulders touched the wall. “How about you let me keep you in?”

  Charlie swallowed. When Bryce took control like that, every nerve ending in his body dropped to its knees to beg for more. “Yes, please.” He rested a shaking hand on Bryce’s hip. “I just want to be with you. I don’t care where.”

  “Good.” He claimed Charlie’s mouth with a kiss that only hinted at his hunger. “Because I’ve missed you so much this week.”

  Sliding his hold downward, Charlie cupped Bryce’s ass and squeezed, groaning in anticipation against Bryce’s lips. “Enough that you’ll skip the cornflakes for me?”

  “I’ve already forgotten about the cornflakes.” Bryce’s hand pushed beneath Charlie’s shirt, his knuckles brushing over his ribs. His mouth wandered from Charlie’s lips, teasing his earlobe before moving to nuzzle his throat. “You smell good.”

  Charlie tilted his head to ease the way, his lashes fluttering shut as each scrape of stubble brought new goose bumps to the surface of his skin. His other hand came down to grab the other side of Bryce’s ass, and he used the hold to grind their midsections together.

  “You feel good. God, you feel good.” Blindly, he turned to claim another kiss, this one harsher, more desperate than its predecessor. Now that he had Bryce back in his arms, he couldn’t stop shaking in relief and more than a little need. He wouldn’t let go this time. He might not ever let go again.

  “I need to get these clothes off of you,” Bryce murmured, but he was distracted from that task by another long, hungry kiss. “So glad you’re here…” He clawed at Charlie’s shirt, but he refused to step back, and didn’t get far with his attempt. He moaned with frustration. “Let’s get to the bed first.”

  It sounded like the best plan ever, but executing it was more difficult than he’d imagined. Bryce wouldn’t stop kissing—not that Charlie wanted him to—and Charlie couldn’t seem to let go of his ass—not that Bryce seemed to mind that, either. They fell against one wall, then another, before finally stumbling through an open door into a darkened room.

  “Please tell me I can fuck you tonight,” Charlie panted between kisses. “I don’t care when. Just sometime.”

  “God, yes. Please.” He gripped Charlie’s cock through his pants. “I want that so much, I would have asked.”

  They didn’t bother with the light. After a few moments, Charlie’s eyes adjusted to the dim room—enough to see the desire on Bryce’s face when he lifted his head. Charlie wasn’t familiar with the room, and he wasn’t prepared for the bed when it hit the back of his legs. Bryce gently shoved him to the mattress, his hands going to Charlie’s belt.

  The other man was more of a silhouette than solid form as he opened first the buckle and then the button and zipper. Mesmerized, Charlie kicked off his shoes and lifted his hips when Bryce yanked the pants down his legs, and he feverishly pulled his shirt off over his head before Bryce needed to do it himself. His chest tightened when Bryce didn’t move, when he just stood there and gazed down at him. Even without being able to see the details, he was helpless under Bryce’s appreciation.

  Slowly, Charlie fisted his cock, watching Bryce lick his lower lip at the same tempo he pulled on his shaft. “It wasn’t just because it was my first time, was it?” It was the burning question of the week for him. “Last Saturday. It wasn’t so fantastic because I’d waited so long to experience it. It really was because it was you and me, wasn’t it?”

  Bryce didn’t answer immediately. He pushed his sweats off and lifted his shirt overhead, giving Charlie a chance to return the appreciative stare. He straddled Charlie’s hips and fell forward, catching himself on his hands with his mouth only an inch away from Charlie’s.

  “It was all you and me. I’ve been with plenty of guys, Charlie, and it’s never been like that before.”

  The heat overwhelmed him. From Bryce’s skin, the weight of his body, the intoxicating shine in his eye. Charlie skimmed his fingertips up the other man’s spine, shivering himself when the muscles rippled with each soft touch.

  “We’re going to have to test that theory with lots and lots of trials.” He licked lightly over the stubble on Bryce’s chin, whimpering at the glorious texture. “Just to be sure.”

  “I always enjoy testing theories.” He skimmed his mouth over Charlie’s brow. “And I think you’ll be quite pleased with the results.”

  Bryce caressed his chest, dragging his fin
gers down his body and over the tight muscles in his stomach. They both shuddered when his nails scraped across Charlie’s shaft, and the shudders turned into full moans when Bryce closed his fingers around the throbbing flesh.

  “God, what you do to me…”

  Charlie grasped the back of Bryce’s neck and guided him back to claim his mouth again. He sucked Bryce’s tongue into his mouth, encouraging him to explore, while he deliberately scraped his lips over and over the stubble as much as he could. It helped to contain his cries, because Bryce never eased the grip on his cock. He didn’t even stroke him. He seemed perfectly content just to squeeze at irregular intervals, as if offering Charlie a taste of how tight his ass was going to be.

  “Don’t move,” Bryce said, the words hot against Charlie’s mouth. “I need to get the condom.”

  It was difficult to relinquish his hold on the other man, but Charlie let him go long enough to lean off the side of the bed. Charlie was quite certain it took the space of an eternity for Bryce to find the box of condoms and the lube. Why did he keep it in such an inconvenient location? They’d have to be sure to keep everything in touching distances from now on.

  He caught the wrist holding the lube and took it away. Nobody was touching Bryce’s ass but him. “How long before we can dump the condoms altogether?” he asked, his voice husky with desire. “We’re going to be exclusive, right?”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m clean, but I’ll schedule myself for another test, just to be sure. As for being exclusive…that depends on if you’re done sowing those wild oats.”

  Flipping open the lube, Charlie slicked up two fingers, his eyes unwavering. “I don’t want anybody but you.” He couldn’t help his smile. “You were the one who kept pressuring me to go out looking for some fun sex with random strangers I found in bookstores.”

  “Yes, well…I was trying to help. I never claimed to be the smartest guy on the block.”

  Charlie tossed the tube aside and reached around Bryce’s hip. His fingertips skimmed down the crease, halting when he reached the tight pucker. “Smarter than me,” he said as he slowly sank both fingers into the hole. The heat made him gasp. He assumed it was the penetration that did it for Bryce. Slowly, he twisted his hand, back and forth, to stretch the muscle. “God, I love your ass. You have to let me eat you out again.”