Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71212 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 356(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 237(@300wpm)
“It’s okay, Gabe, it’s okay.” Tristan reached for my hand, grabbing it and squeezing it. “It made me closer with my mom. I had been so obsessed with my dad that I had missed out on a lot of time with my mom, so I felt like I got some of that back. It also made me closer with my little brother, Malik. He never got along with our dad, so when he had come out, he didn’t even bother telling him.”
I rubbed my thumb against Tristan’s hand, the soft skin leaving sparks against mine. “Where’s your mom and brother now?”
“Both in Tampa. They moved years ago, but I decided to stay here. Atlanta’s always going to be my home base, no matter where life decides to take me.”
“Same,” I said, giving his hand a squeeze. “Tampa sounds nice, though.”
“Oh, it’s great. My brother works at the aquarium, and he’s gotten us day passes to hang out with the dolphins. So I spend a day there and then read a book by the beach before getting some good Cuban food and having a few drinks at a nearby bar. It’s really fun down there.”
I nodded and settled back down into bed. Underneath the comforter, our feet briefly touched, Tristan’s toes against mine. I didn’t move, and neither did Tristan, not for a couple of moments, at least. And then Tristan shifted, moving his foot away from mine and snapping through the spell cast whenever our bodies connected.
He yawned and gave a stretch. I could pick up on the cue before he spoke.
“Alright, it’s been a long day. I think I’m gonna try and get some sleep,” he said.
“Good night, Trist.”
“Night, Gabe.”
The silence returned. The heat inside my core roared back to life. My cock throbbed. It pushed up at the sheets. I stretched out my legs under the comforter, feeling a tingle spread from my balls out through my body like an invisible signal.
Everything inside me shouted to roll over, to touch him, to throw the covers off the bed and watch as I made his body writhe under mine. It was a physical force, nudging me, tugging me, nearly yanking me toward him. But I resisted it.
We had decided to keep things relaxed between us, and I had to respect that. Especially since I was the one who’d suggested it in the first place.
Shit… did I fuck up?
Somehow, even with that thought clanging in my head and a constant pulse between my legs, I was still able to fall asleep.
If only I had known what was ahead. I would have done anything I possibly could to stay awake and live in that moment until the sun came up.
13
TRISTAN HALL
It had taken every single goddamn ounce of self-respect and self-restraint I had in me to not roll over and start humping Gabriel’s leg like a horny dog. The way my body reacted when it was next to his was almost scary. Like I’d been primed to start throbbing the moment we lay down next to each other. The fact that Gabriel slept in a pair of plaid boxers and nothing else certainly didn’t help my, eh, situation.
I went to sleep with an erection and woke up with one, having to take care of it in the bathroom. Before I could even start jerking off, I noticed the large bathroom window was open. It was summer, so the warm breeze was actually nice, but I didn’t want any neighbors peeking over and getting a free show. Or anyone else, for that matter.
I shut the window and locked it, the frosted glass obstructing the view. I finished showering and brushing my teeth and followed the sweet scent of maple pancakes and freshly brewed coffee into Gabriel’s kitchen, where he stood with his (very muscular) back toward me, his head holding his phone against his shoulder as he flipped one of the pancakes.
“Morning,” I said, sitting down at the small round table next to a bright window. There was already an untouched mug of coffee at the table, still steaming, a bottle of cream and a small spoon right next to it.
“Morning, Trist. How’d you sleep?”
“Great. You’ve got a good mattress,” I said, as if his Casper mattress was the real reason why I slept like a baby and not the fact that I had a brick wall of a man sleeping next to me.
He chuckled before going back to his phone call. “Yes, today is perfect. Thank you, Amoura. I know this is difficult, but it’s important. I’ll see you soon.”
He hung up the call and set his phone down on the counter before turning his attention back to the grill. He scooped up the fluffy pancakes and placed them on clean white plates, adding a square of butter to each stack before drizzling them in syrup.