“And I can tell he cares about you.”
“That’s harder to believe.”
“O, he’s your brother. Jace and I don’t always get along about stuff, but I know he has my back no matter what.”
Owen shook his head. “It’s not the same, Keegan. If ever someone has not been there for me, it’s been Lucas. When Mother passed, the entire family had a difficult time. Lucas and I, we’d spent so much of our lives being taught to be strong for the people that we both felt we had let them down through our intense weakness. Lucas managed to find his way, but I couldn’t function, couldn’t handle the pain, and it was what led me to finding…other ways of coping. Of course, when I wound up in rehab, he came to visit me. And he didn’t care about what I was enduring or my suffering. He was more concerned with how I’d shamed our family. And that destroyed me. That was the day our sense of family died. The day I realized my own brother had abandoned me.”
“He hasn’t abandoned you,” I said. “He’s still here, and he’s in your life.”
“Physically, yes, but emotionally, no. He knows how important family was to Mother, same as I know it, and when she passed, we destroyed the very thing she had cherished throughout her life. The only thing worth clinging to. Some days I wonder if I even have a brother anymore…or if there’s just the Crown and doing what he must to maintain it, what he has to do to please the parliament and the public.”
“I’m sorry you guys have had such a struggle. But I don’t see that person when I look at him. And it’s not over yet. I’ve had fights with Jace before, and we’ve had issues in the family, but we’ve pushed through them.”
“He doesn’t even accept who I am.”
I knew he meant his bisexuality. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” I reminded him. “You said yourself that he thinks you’re doing this all as an act. I can’t believe that, given how he treats Sharon, he would think any differently of what we’re doing, if he didn’t think it was a deliberate attempt to undermine him.”
“As much as I try to keep reminding myself of that, it’s hard when…I’m trying to figure this stuff out without his help or support.” He took a breath. “But it’s nice to know I have yours. And others’.”
“I understand why that’s hard. If Jace or Nance hadn’t supported me, that would have torn me apart. But once he realizes we’re not what he thinks, he’ll come around.”
“I’m sure you’re right about that part,” Owen said. “Maybe I’m not even as worried about that part as much as just knowing I can never have my brother back. That things can never be what they once were.”
And boy did I understand the pain behind those words.
He shook himself from that sad thought. “Come on, I’ll finish showing you around.”
I could tell by the way he said it, at least for the time being, he wanted to set aside discussions of his brother.
It wasn’t an easy situation for either of them, and it was hard for me to relate, considering I had such a different relationship with Jace and Nance.
So we moved along, back on our tour, and to happier subjects, cherishing the time we still had left before I had to return home once again.
24
Owen
Keegan and I were never able to spend much time together, but when we did, it always seemed to be an explosion of emotion and passion, intense and furious, leaving me so satisfied yet always wanting more.
He had classes to return to, and Frederick, Bryan, and I managed to coordinate more interviews and events for me to speak at regarding my relationship and the upcoming equal-marriage vote. We had to jump on the opportunity and take advantage of the press. Throughout this work, I encountered an abundance of support from the people, confirming my suspicions of the questionable results of the poll Prime Minister Lawrence had first brought to our attention. And despite what resistance I did encounter, I held to my principle: equality wasn’t just a position, it was a responsibility.
However, tending to my responsibilities kept me from another priority—or what had become a recent priority for me—Sexy Ash Ketchum, Hot Lips, Keeg…
Keegan Kruse.
Throughout the press conferences and rallies, I couldn’t think about him without seeing him twirling around my room in his sexy panties. And even though I wanted him by my side, I knew it was for the best that he remained in his hometown, not just for his coursework, but for staying out of the PR madness.
To make up for his absence, we would video chat and text one another, but it only left me hungrier for more, especially since we hadn’t even had the chance to explore more than kisses, blowjobs, and playing with that tight hole.
And I wanted that hole so badly now, wanted to feel what it was like to have my cock deep inside him, watching those same expressions I’d seen when I was satisfying him with my fingers.
What are you up to tonight?I texted Keegan as soon as I got back to my bed.
It’s still the afternoon here, remember?
I laughed.Hey, be good to me. I’ve been blue-balling ever since you left.
I awaited his reply, maybe a little too eagerly when it came through: a picture of his bed, books scattered about, and an open box of pizza—mushrooms, pepperoni, and green peppers.
