Chapter Fourteen
Torin
The stagecoach ride had been silent between them, broken only by the rhythmic clatter of hooves on the dirt road, a steady beat against the ghostly stillness. When they reached the drop-off point, they walked the rest of the way, the crisp night air thick with unspoken words. Torin’s boots scuffed against the gravel path, each step heavier than the last.
By the time they were home, they went straight to the bedroom when the tension had built to a breaking point. The door had barely closed before Torin turned on Garett.
“You knew,” he said, his voice low and accusatory. “Didn’t you?” Torin shed his clothes. The cool evening air blew inside the room from the open window, raising goose bumps on his skin as he stood naked.
Garett sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. I knew,” Garett said, as he removed his clothes at the same time.
Torin’s stomach twisted. A slow, creeping heat built in his chest before it exploded outward. “And you didn’t think to tell me?” His voice rose, echoing off the walls. “You let me walk in there, blind?”
Garett’s expression hardened. “It wouldn’t have changed anything, Torin.”
Torin let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Wouldn’t have changed anything? You don’t think I deserved to know what I was walking into?”
Garett exhaled sharply. “Dante made you call Liam. That’s what this is really about, isn’t it?”
Torin stepped forward, his hands balling into fists at his sides. “Sure thing. That’s exactly what this is about for you. What kind of protector are you? How can I ever trust you to have my back?”
Garett’s eyes darkened. “You fucked up. We both got called on your fuck up. You deserved to suffer a little.”
“Oh, so this is about you punishing me like you do with those subs. I’m not your sub.”
“I know you’re not my sub or your ass would be bright red.”
“Don’t worry about that. I don’t want you.”
“Go to bed!”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Torin ignored Garett and remained standing out of defiance.
“Because I wanted to see you suffer. That’s why.”
“Bullshit,” Torin spat. “You could’ve reached out to Dante at any point. But no, you let Dante pull the strings. You stood there and let him make me do it—like I was some damn kid who needed to be punished.”
Garett’s jaw tensed. “You blocked his number, Torin. You shut him out. That was your choice.”
Torin’s pulse pounded in his ears. “And you just went along with Dante? You didn’t think maybe I had a reason for blocking him?”
Garett shook his head, voice clipped. “You don’t get to act like the victim here. You left your brother in the dark for days, and now you’re pissed because you had to face it? That’s on you.”
Torin took another step closer, their faces inches apart now. “And you’re telling me you never could’ve stepped in?”
Garett’s eyes flashed. “Don’t get on Dante’s wrong side because you will regret it.”
The words hit harder than Torin expected. He opened his mouth, but no words came. His breathing was ragged, his hands shaking with leftover anger, but the fire inside him had nowhere to go.
Garett stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head. “I’m done with this conversation.”
Torin let out a humorless laugh and turned away. “Yeah? Well, I’m done with you. I’m going to see if I can work at the club dancing.”
“Dancing at Cowpokes? I don’t think so.”
“Watch me.” Torin, his face tight with unshed tears, turned from Garett and walked toward the heavy oak door.
Garett moved silently behind Torin, his hands clamping down on his shoulders before pinning him roughly against the door. His erection rested on Torin’s ass.
“You need a good fucking, boy.”
“Fuck me then.” Torin hadn’t expected Garett to make a move on him while he was angry. Their conversation must have turned him on.
Garett lifted Torin over his shoulder, carried him to bed, then placed him on top of the comforter. He opened the drawer beside his bed and pulled out a condom and a bottle of lube. He poured some into his hand, then slipped one finger into Torin, who moaned instantly. Garett stretched him for a few minutes.
Garett aimed his cockhead at Torin’s hole, inching his erection deeper, more urgently, burning him. The stretch felt like it was almost tearing at him. Torin said nothing, just panted. Garett slipped his hand under Torin and grabbed his nipples, twisting them until Torin jerked from the pain. Garett pounded through the soft muscles inside Torin’s entrance, smacking his balls against the top of Torin’s thighs, which ignited a desperate need in him all over again. He scraped Torin’s sensitive spot, which made him shudder. Torin was rocking in time with him, trying to accept his cock more deeply. He reached around for Torin’s leaking erection again, stroking it with his spit. He hammered his hole faster and harder until Torin’s head hit the wall, a sharp pain shooting through him.
Torin groaned, arching his back, feeling his hard cock deeper inside his ass.
“Like that?”
“Don’t stop.”
“Not stopping.”
“You’re going to make me come.” Torin gasped at the words.
“I like your dick hard and your hole open for me.”
“Oh, yeah.”
“And I want to mark your ass mine.”
Torin nodded, liking the idea of belonging to Garett.
“But I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Later, we’ll talk.”
His cock moved in and out with powerful thrusts. With a grunt, Torin raised his butt even higher, determined to experience Garett’s cock deeper. A low growl rumbled behind him, making the hair on his neck stand on end. Torin was exhausted when the Garett groaned and flooded his condom, setting off his own orgasm, both of them grunting and moaning. Torin’s cum had been fucked out of him. The enormous dick pounding his butt slowly withdrew, leaving behind an empty ass. Garett rolled off Torin to remove his condom and threw it in the trashcan. He took Torin in his arms.
Torin had never expected tenderness from Garett. His world tilted on its axis as gentle hands traced his skin with an almost reverent care. Each touch ignited something new inside him—not just desire, but a profound sense of connection that made his chest ache. “Is this okay?” Garett whispered against his neck, the words warm against his skin.
Torin could barely find his voice. “Yes,” he managed, surprising himself with how rough he sounded.
Garett traced slow, lazy circles on Torin’s shoulder, his fingers seeming to memorize the shape of him. Torin wanted him to feel this—to know that this wasn’t just a fleeting moment, not for Garett. He pressed a kiss to Torin’s forehead, lingering there as he whispered, “You know you don’t have to be strong with me, don’t you?”
Torin shifted slightly, tilting his face upward. There was something unreadable in his expression, something hesitant. “I know,” he murmured, though his voice was quiet, uncertain.
Garett brushed his knuckles along Torin’s cheek, coaxing him to look at him fully. “I mean it,” he said, his voice steady. “You don’t have to carry everything alone. I’m here, and I see you. Every part of you.”
Torin let out a slow breath, the tension in his shoulders easing just a little. “Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that,” he admitted. “That someone would want to stay.”
Garett cupped Torin’s face, his thumb stroking over his cheekbone. “Then let me prove it,” he murmured. “Every day. In every way I can.”
Torin stared at him for a long moment before softening in his gaze. “I’m sorry I came at you about Dante and my brother,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Garett tucked Torin closer, letting their bodies fit together perfectly. “Sleep,” he whispered, threading his fingers through Torin’s hair. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Torin sighed against him, and for the first time in a long while, he let himself believe it.