Chapter Fourteen
Mitch
I had no idea what happened to change Gabe’s mood in the time I’d taken the dogs for a walk, but I refused to question his motives too hard. I still didn’t trust him completely, but going forward, I’d see how things went before I made any further judgments.
“More wine?” Leo asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Please.” He poured me another glass, my fourth, including the remainder of Gabe’s, and the heat from the fire and the few lamps on around the room were making me extremely mellow. Satiated from the amazing food we’d had for dinner, I reclined comfortably in my favorite wingback chair right next to the fire.
“So how come you left Boston?” Gabe asked Leo. They were both lounging on the couch looking completely relaxed, causing a warm feeling to bloom in my chest at how well they fit in my home.
Gabe had discarded his sweater, button-down shirt, and jeans and now wore one of my old white T-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. As with Leo, the idea he was dressed in items of my clothing with my scent all over them released something primal deep in my psyche.
The neck of the oversized T-shirt sat low, giving me a good view of the top of his chest, the play of smooth muscles fascinating me every time he moved, and his olive skin provided a mouth-watering contrast to the starker white material.
“I didn’t really have a choice.”
“How come?”
Leo hesitated, causing my focus to reluctantly shift from my perusal of Gabe to him. For some reason, he appeared to be tempering his words with us, deciding carefully what he should or shouldn’t say, and his reticence caused me to study him even more closely. I had a vague idea of why he might be so cagey. I’d had the misfortune to speak to his father a few times over the years—there was no way to avoid him when he had his fingers in almost every pie in town. He was a complete and utter bastard who, I suspected, ruled his family with a vicious temper and an iron rod…or possibly fist.
“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,” I added, keeping my gaze on Leo, instinctively sensing the questions I’d see in Gabe’s eyes if I turned to him.
Leo’s smile was weak and half-hearted. “It’s pathetic really. I had to come home and set up a practice here because I had nowhere else to go.”
We waited silently for him to continue.
“I was fired.” He looked down into his wine, clearly embarrassed by his admission.
“Why?’ Gabe asked softly.
His harsh laughter sounded so bitter and out of character. “I’d been picked as part of a team to help defend one of our partners in a rape case. Criminal law is my specialty, though, naively on my part, I hope the people I defend are innocent…” he trailed off.
“And the guy wasn’t?” I asked.
Leo shook his head. “I found some evidence he tried to bury, a video.” He took a gulp of air, likely reliving the scene in his head. “The things he subjected that poor woman to.” His eyes closed as if trying to erase whatever horrors he’d seen. “I know I should have done my job, but I point-blank refused to defend someone so callous and despicable. When I told my bosses, they fired me.”
“What?” I uttered, disbelieving any reputable company would be so reprehensible when one of their own employees stuck to his principles.
“And made sure no other law firm would hire me.” Another laugh, darker this time. “I couldn’t get a job anywhere. Boston, New York, Chicago, LA, anywhere. And because of lawyer/client privileges, and a watertight NDA, exposing the partner wasn’t an option either.”
“Jesus, Leo.” Gabe rested his hand on Leo’s leg, sending an unwelcome dart of jealousy through me I wasn’t prepared for.
“So, unless I wanted to give up practicing law completely, I had to come back, tail between my legs, and ask for my stepfather’s help.” He took a large gulp of wine. “He got me set up with a few clients and an office in town.” He grimaced. “Apparently, having a lawyer in his pocket, who he can manipulate and use to put pressure on people for his own ends, is very profitable for his business.”
“You’re joking?” Gabe’s astonishment matched my own at Leo’s comment.
Leo cackled manically. “I wish I was, but…”
How could his own stepfather use him so callously after he’d stood up for his principles and refused to defend someone clearly guilty of his crime? I instantly dismissed that line of thought when I remembered exactly who his father was.
“He’s using me to help him gain lucrative contracts.”
Dread washed over me, pricking my skin. “What contracts, exactly?” I asked him.
“What?” Leo suddenly seemed nervous, his cheeks turning red, when he realized he’d given too much away.
“I asked what contracts. You’re here, representing me, so is Malcom Taylor expecting something from this?”
He swallowed, refusing to look me in the eye. “He wants you to sell,” he admitted.
“And if I don’t?”
“He’ll add my inability to close this sale to the long list of my failings and take great delight in informing me I’m still a huge disappointment to him.” He took another glug of wine, then opened his mouth but quickly clamped it shut again, leaving me wondering what else he may have been about to say, and why he’d decided to remain silent.
“So what? You aren’t here to act for me or negotiate in my best interests? You’re only here to pressure me into selling?”
He sighed and closed his eyes. “Initially, yes.”
“What the—”
“But not anymore,” he stated adamantly. “Not after today.”
I stopped abruptly. He meant after I told him about my wife. Whatever I’d intended to say got stuck in my throat, refusing to be voiced. I’d revealed things about Katie I’d never told anyone else, and if I hadn’t called him out on it, he would have purposely used those admissions against me, to prey on my weakness and manipulate me into taking Gabe’s offer. It felt like the rug had been pulled right out from under my feet, knowing he would have employed such underhand tactics when he should have been on my side.
“Please don’t look at me like that,” he said. “I’m sorry.” He slammed his glass down on the table as he shot up, his hands balled into tight fists of rage, his entire body trembling. “I’m sorry. So fucking sorry,” he cried. “To you, to Gabe, to every-fucking-one.” He scrubbed his hands through his hair, grabbing onto the strands and pulling hard. “I’m just so frustrated all the damn time at being used and manipulated and backed into a corner. Of being so fucking sick to my stomach with nerves and fear. On edge all the fucking time in case I piss Malcolm off and he, he…” He whipped his hands down, slicing them rapidly through the air. “Enough,” he roared. “I’ve had enough. I-I can’t, I just can’t…” His shoulders slumped, his body hunching forward and folding in on itself as his anger deflated, and he quickly ran out of steam.
He was rapidly losing his composure, and it wouldn’t take much for him to have a complete meltdown. Despite how deeply he’d upset me, I pushed my own hurt and annoyance aside, stood, and went to him, enfolded him in my arms, and tried to offer him the comfort he so badly needed. He fought against me, trying to remain strong, but after a few moments he gave in and relaxed, his body shifting into my embrace, seeking solace.
It felt good to hold him, to feel the heat from his body, the sensation of warmth against me. What shocked me the most was how much I wanted him there. Emotions I’d ruthlessly held in check for years came rushing to the surface, along with the guilt at having them. The betrayal to Katie, of me wanting someone else’s touch, needing someone else’s touch.
Strong arms slid around my waist as Leo buried his face into my shoulder and any notions of guilt vanished, as a protective streak unlike anything I’d ever felt before swept over me. I squeezed him tighter, conscious of the fact that right then, I’d have fought anyone who tried to take him from me, ripped them to shreds if they so much as touched a hair on his head.
Another pair of hands wrapped around us as Gabe stepped up behind Leo and leaned into him, holding him between us, cocooned in our safety. Leo released a sob from deep in his chest, the sound of a wounded animal finally getting the shelter and help they so desperately needed to feel safe and secure.
I looked over Leo’s head at Gabe, whose unwavering gaze stared right back at me. In that moment the three of us were utterly connected, and those few precious seconds were the most profound I’d ever had. So right, so perfect, but I struggled to grasp the connotations of why, or what it meant.
We held Leo for the longest time as he worked through the frustration at his life. The fire had almost burned out when he eventually took in a deep fortifying breath, and we finally let him go. “God, could I be any more embarrassing,” he grumbled, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater.
“Very unlikely,” Gabe snarked, making him laugh, the sound brighter, no longer heavy and dark.
“Appreciate the honesty,” Leo quipped.
“You’re welcome, buddy.”
“Here.” I offered Leo the clean handkerchief I kept in my jeans pocket, a hangover from my childhood—the need to carry one having been drummed into me by my mother. He stared at the folded square a bit dubiously.
“It’s clean,” I protested.
“Sorry,” he apologized.
“Hey, hey,” Gabe chided. “I think we’ve all apologized more than enough times the last couple of days, don’t you? So, no more, okay?” His gaze raised to mine, including me in his statement as well as Leo.
“Okay,” we agreed in unison.
Gabe released a long, loud sigh. “I’m not sure about you two, but after our group love-in, I sure as hell need something stronger than wine.”
Leo snorted. It wasn’t pretty.
“I don’t have any whiskey, as I can’t stand the stuff, but I think I have some brandy in the hutch.”
“Perfect.”
I hurried off to the kitchen, rummaging around in the cupboards to find us three glasses. Gabe stepped up beside me, the smell of my aftershave giving him away. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why I liked my scent on him so much?
He hooked his thumb over his shoulder as Leo headed on past us toward the bathroom. “He’s gonna go wash his face. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror above the fireplace, and I thought he might start crying all over again.”
I smiled. “He looks fine.”
“We know he does, but him, not so much.”
My smile faltered. “His stepfather really did a number on him, didn’t he?”
“Looks that way, yeah.”
“I wish there was a way for us to help him somehow.”
Gabe grinned at me. “Already in hand.”
I cocked my head to the side and waited. His grin widened, lighting up his face and making his jade-green eyes twinkle merrily.
Fuck, he was sexy. Leo, too, and they’d somehow managed to unlock a part of myself I thought I’d never rediscover after being with my wife for so long. I’d met Katie in my senior year at high school, the cute girl with the wavy auburn hair and pretty smile. As soon as I laid eyes on her, I never looked at anybody else again. We dated for a while, eventually got engaged, and were married a year later. Except for our last couple of years together, we’d both been blissfully happy.
As soon as I hit puberty, I knew I was different. Where my male friends were only ever interested in girls: face, tits, and ass, I was as interested and got horny too, but the guys on the football or other sports teams also fascinated me. Their muscles, their ass, the bulge in the front of their pants turned me on just as much. After Katie had come along and we got together, I never acted on my feelings for men, but it didn’t mean they weren’t there.
Looking at Gabe now, my heart raced, and the blood rushed through my veins. But the same as before, I wouldn’t act on these feelings. I belonged to Katie, and regardless of how many years she’d been gone, I’d never want to let her down.
“What are you planning?” I asked him.
His eyes twinkled some more. “Well, if you didn’t already know, I have a bit of influence with the owners of the company I work for.”
I smiled at him. “You do, huh?”
He nodded. “I do. I’m going to offer him a job at the firm, and make sure he gets the hell away from his total asshat of a stepfather.”
“Really?” My perception of Gabe shifted once again. “I get you’re part owner, but you can actually do that, get him a job with the click of your fingers?”
He winked and my heart skipped a beat. “I can.”
“Wow.”
“Yep.” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his…well… my sweats, and rocked to and fro on his heels a couple of times. “I’m amazing, aren’t I?” He nudged my shoulder with his. “You can tell me, you know. No need to be shy.”
My heart skipped another beat at the contact. “You’re amazing,” I deadpanned.
He laughed. “Yes, yes I am.”
“What’s so funny?” Leo asked as he reentered the kitchen, his face a lot less puffy.
“How amazing he is,” I replied, which had Leo’s eyebrows shooting into his hairline.
“He’s not lying,” Gabe added.
Leo shook his head. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“Just you wait,” Gabe continued. “You’ll be thinking exactly the same thing, soon enough.”
Leo appraised him, the corner of his mouth lifting. “While you look like you’re playing dress up, probably not.”
“We’ll see, Mr. Taylor. We’ll see.”
Retrieving the bottle of brandy from the hutch, I poured us each a finger into small crystal tumblers and handed them out. Raising my glass, I made a toast. “To Gabe and how amazing he is.” We all clinked, and each took a sip of our drinks. The rich amber liquid burned a path all the way down my throat, and I almost choked, spluttering, and coughing as I swallowed. “Not used to it,” I explained, hoarsely. Leo clapped me in the center of my back a few times, which didn’t help in the least. I never understood why people do that, as I only coughed and choked all the more.
Relaxing once again in the living area a half hour later, and after a few more swallows, I’d gotten pretty inebriated. The brandy had done its job of making me lightheaded and more than a bit woozy. The feeling was odd, as I hadn’t gotten drunk in such a long time. Not since after Katie’s funeral when I needed a way to hide from the pain. Drinking so much, I almost ran my truck off the road when driving home from town one night. The shock of nearly dying the exact same way as my wife scared the hell out of me. Ever since, I’d made certain I was always in absolute control and limited my drinking to a couple of beers a few nights a week, max, and never, ever, if I had to drive or use machinery. So now, warm and fuzzy and lounging in my armchair, another few logs thrown on the fire, I amused myself once more by watching Gabe and Leo sitting close together on the couch, Leo chuckling at something Gabe had told him, while I enjoyed the interaction between them.
Gabe leaned forward to pick up his glass, allowing the baggy T-shirt to droop forward again. From my vantage point, the way the material gaped open, in addition to seeing all of his tightly muscled chest, I also caught sight of one of his dark nipples, the view instantly transporting me to him having his shower and solo jerk-off session in my bathroom.
Leo and I had just arrived from our trail ride, brushed and settled the horses, refreshed their stalls, and sorted their feed and water before hurrying into the warmth. Despite the coldness outside, my exertions had left me sweaty and grimy after wearing so many layers of clothing, so I’d left Leo in the living room and headed off to my bedroom to change.
The sound of the water coming from my en suite had caught me off guard, and it hadn’t crossed my mind to think Gabe was in there, as he and Leo used the second smaller bathroom tacked on to the mudroom behind the kitchen. Pushing open the door, I’d frozen at the sight of Gabe on the other side of the glass shower screen. Steam obscured some of my view but did nothing to hide his naked body or what he was doing.
My eyes had immediately dropped to his hand working his impressive cock. With my heart pounding double time, I watched him slide up the fully engorged length, make a couple of twists at the top and slide down again. When I noticed his other hand moving in and out behind him, I nearly swallowed my tongue at him wantonly pleasuring himself. His head tilted back, eyes closed, the water raining all over his sleek body, he looked magnificent, and my long-dormant cock thickened in my boxers as I watched him get himself off. I had to force myself to stand exactly where I was when my whole being wanted nothing more than to step into the shower beside him and take over, so my hand stroked his thick dick, and my fingers penetrated him deep in the ass.
My exclaimed, “What the hell,” had definitely alerted him to my presence, as his head snapped forward, eyes opening and locking on to me like a laser. For a second, he was shocked to see me, but then he brought out his sexy, arrogant smile, his gaze heating as we studied each other, his hand pumping rapidly until he released a long deep moan and shot his load all over the shower screen.
I’d watched, fascinated, as his cum coated the glass with thick, white strands. There were reams and reams of the stuff spurting from his cock, as he pumped himself hard, his body shuddering through his climax.
For a brief second, I wanted to drop to my knees and lap up whatever cum he had left. I wanted to taste him so bad it hurt, and I unconsciously licked my lips in preparation for his hot, salty release. I didn’t follow through though, as my desire had been rapidly overtaken by remorse at even thinking about performing such an act when I had no right. Instead, I’d done what I normally did when I let Katie down, I got angry and shut myself off, acting like these carnal feelings meant nothing at all.
“Mitch?”
“Huh?” I shook my head to get rid of the daydream and focused on Gabe, who once more reclined beside Leo.
“I said, we should get to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow to start work.”
It took my brain awhile to catch up, as for a moment there, I thought he’d been referring to his and Leo’s own work.
“Working with me?”
He gave a lopsided smile. “Yes, working with you.” He carefully stood, swaying as he did so. “You need to sleep. I need to sleep, and he—” I glanced at Leo, already out for the count. “—definitely needs to sleep.”
“I guess you’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
I chuckled as I dragged my ass out of the chair. Yep, way too lightheaded.
Damn, how many brandies did I have?
My feet were heavy lumps of clay as I started toward my bedroom on the far side of the cabin. I must have caught the edge of the rug, as I suddenly pitched forward and would have landed in a heap on the floor if Gabe hadn’t been there to steady me. The total opposite of before, his two hands gripped my biceps solidly this time around, his arms stronger than I expected, as he hauled me upright. His help wasn’t enough to stop my swaying movement, however, and the next thing I knew, the air whooshed from my lungs as our chests collided, my hands landing on his waist to try to keep my balance.
We stood locked in this position as sensations bombarded my brain. How hot his hands were on my biceps, his fingers curled around my arms, pressing into the muscle. My hands on either side of his hips, resting there for a moment before unconsciously shifting around to the top of his ass. Unthinking, I moved them down until I cupped hard, round muscle.
“Fuuuck,” Gabe breathed, and I flicked my eyes up to his, their color a deep, dark green, the edges ringed with pale jade.
He pushed his hips forward as if I’d squeezed his ass tighter, like I wanted, his stiffening cock pressing against my own, both of us getting harder by the second. His tongue came out to moisten his lips and I avidly tracked it, the wetness making them appear fuller, softer looking.
I moved imperceptibly closer, Gabe likely expecting me to close the gap and take his mouth, and I wanted to—with every fiber in my being, I wanted to, so fucking much—but remained unable to take the final, irrevocable step. Instead, I closed my eyes and reluctantly eased away, my hands again on his waist to gently push him from me, hating the wounded look in his eyes when he realized I’d bailed on following through for a second time.
“I can’t,” I whispered desperately, hoping he’d understand. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
Moving aside, I lurched around him, down the small hallway and into my bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind me, my heart hammering in my chest as the hurt in Gabe’s eyes continued to fill my vision. As if I’d betrayed him somehow, but I couldn’t comprehend why. If anything, I’d expected to see anger or annoyance filling them at being rejected again, not pain. I felt like a complete shit, but I had my own hurt to deal with.
I’d not thought about Katie for a second as I’d clung to Gabe. She usually filled my mind day and night, but not this time. Instead, all I’d seen was the handsome man in front of me and how much he longed to kiss me, how much I longed to kiss him.
Need trembled through me, and I pressed my palm against the crotch of my jeans. I remained as hard as stone, my cock still throbbing, still wanting.
I shook my head, trying to clear the images of kissing Gabe but they refused to leave. Stumbling my way into the bathroom, I shrugged off my clothes and then turning the temperature dial to cold, stepped under the freezing water. I stayed there, enduring the biting spray until my body went numb and my skin turned blue. It didn’t make any difference because all I pictured was Gabe with me in the shower like I’d envisaged earlier. My hand working his dick, my fingers in his ass, and the look of ecstasy on his face as he came all over the tiles beneath my feet.