Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 463(@200wpm)___ 370(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Even though he’d said the words to Liam seconds before, hearing them repeated back stole his breath. Sad as it was, he’d never told anyone he loved them. What was infinitely sadder was the realization no one had said it to him.
Liam stretched to reach his lips. “I love you,” he whispered again before kissing him with a soft, sweet press of his mouth. “I’ll say it so many times you’ll get sick of hearing it.” He seemed to know on instinct that Tate hadn’t heard the words throughout his life.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” he said, his throat thick with all the emotions coursing through him.
“What do we do now? Is it safe for you to go home?”
In the dim light, wrapped up in Liam, floating on a couple of spectacular orgasms, it felt as though nothing bad could touch him. But Tate wasn’t stupid enough to believe Randy would wake up tomorrow morning with a changed heart. And once Ducky heard? Well, shit, he’d be on the warpath.
“Probably not right away.”
Maybe not ever.
“Stay here,” Liam offered without hesitation.
Stay in the apartment with Liam? Fall asleep with him every night, wake to him each morning, and come home to each other after a long day of work? Share their meals and space? God, it sounded like heaven. A granted wish he’d never dared to cast into the universe.
“Luxe, are you sure?”
Liam nodded and kissed his scruffy chin, his cheek, and his lips. “Very sure. I know it’s tiny, but I think it’ll be nice. And if you need space, I can hang down in the studio.”
Snorting, Tate shook his head. “I’m not worried I’ll need space, Luxe. More worried I’ll annoy the fuck outta you.”
“Guess we’ll find out,” Liam said with a sassy grin that had Tate chuckling.
They kissed for a few minutes, sealing the deal. Tate pulled away when things started to get heated again. Three orgasms in an hour would be a record for him, but Liam needed to sleep. He had a full day of teaching dance classes ahead of him.
“Sleep, Luxe. You’ll need a lot of energy if I’m gonna be living with you for a while. I’m a horny motherfucker.”
“You better be,” Liam said, his voice heavy with exhaustion. He pressed a lingering kiss to Tate’s chest and then settled his head against it with a sigh. “I like to listen to your heartbeat when I’m falling asleep.”
Well, shit, that was fucking sweet as hell.
Within seconds, Liam’s warm body went slack, and his breathing evened out. Tate lay awake long into the night, unable to shut his mind down. Countless questions bombarded him, most of them without a simple answer.
Had Randy spread the news of Tate’s sexuality?
Would life in town become difficult for them now?
Were they safe?
What if they weren’t?
Could they move? Where would they go? What about Liam’s business? What about Tate’s job?
Would Liam stay with him if he had to leave?
Eventually, he exhausted himself going around and around without answering a single question. Though he finally slept, it was fitful and plagued by nightmares. Liam woke him once, whispering comforting words in his ear and promising nothing would harm him. He’d shimmied down Tate’s sweat-drenched body and swallowed his cock until he came in a near dream-like state. His final memory before passing out again was Liam straddling him and coating him with cum as he stroked himself to completion. After that, Tate didn’t stir until the sun came up.
The next morning was one of the brightest, clearest, and warmest of the year so far. As he climbed out of the Uber at the trailer park, Tate couldn’t help but feel the universe laughing at him. After the shitshow of the previous day, shouldn’t the sky over the trailer park be filled with ominous gray clouds instead of a perfect blue? Didn’t his trek to retrieve clothing and toiletries deserve a clap of thunder at the very least?
Or maybe he was a pessimist, and the beautiful day was nature's way of giving him a fresh start.
Either way, he needed some shit from the trailer and had waited until Randy was in the middle of a job before venturing home. His senses were on high alert as he climbed the three steps into the trailer. Every damn noise had him bracing for an attack. He’d refused to fight Randy, but that’s where it ended. If Daryl, Ducky, or any other lowlifes who lived there came for him, he’d send them back home, limping and with fewer teeth—though some of his neighbors already had a mouth full of smooth gums.
Thankfully, the trailer park was quiet at nine forty-five in the morning. He pulled the flimsy door open—of course, his mom hadn’t bothered to lock it—and strode in, only to come to a dead stop at the sight of his mother sipping coffee at the table.