“Well, you took care of that very nicely.” Brandon grinned up at Tash, but when Tash didn’t smile back, the smile faded. Several moments passed before Brandon answered. “I couldn’t come out as gay when I was younger. Maybe if I’d had Luke and Ash with me, it would have been different, but that wasn’t to be.” He fiddled with the edge of the comforter, then continued. “The bullying and homophobia in my religious rural community made it impossible for me to have a relationship. When I ran away, I was too scared to allow anyone to get close to me. By the time I came to New York, I’d been homeless long enough that sex was the furthest thing from my mind when I needed shelter and food. After Gabriel took me to the shelter and set me up with social services, I concentrated solely on going to college and becoming a teacher.”
Incredible. Tash was stunned to hear how single-minded and dedicated Brandon was and saddened to hear how cold and lonely his life had been. Considering Tash had never needed to hide his sexuality, it hurt his heart listening to Brandon admit how he’d lived in the closet his whole life, fearful of people discovering who he was, never safe enough to love someone.
“So you’ve never had a boyfriend?”
Brandon shrugged. “There was a guy while I was in school, and we fooled around a little.” His cheeks stained red as he slanted a look up at Tash, then looked down at the bed.
An unexpected stab of jealousy tore through Tash at the thought of another man touching Brandon. “But nothing serious?”
“No.” Brandon slid down in the bed so only his head showed above the covers. “Nothing serious. Zach and I had fun, but when he moved to Florida, it was no big deal for either one of us to say good-bye.” After that statement, he curled away from Tash and hugged the pillow to his chest.
“Hey.” Tash slipped under the covers and curved himself around Brandon, kissing him on his naked shoulder. The soft skin jumped under Tash’s tongue, tasting sweet and a bit salty. “Leaving you would be a really big deal for me.” He stroked the hard planes of Brandon’s chest and tweaked his nipples.
“Tash.” Brandon sighed into the pillow as he wriggled his ass into Tash’s groin.
“Shh. Let me take care of you.” His questing hand stroked down Brandon’s flat abdomen and brushed against the top of a healthy erection.
God bless the young. They can get it up so easily.
He smoothed the pad of his thumb over the crown of Brandon’s cock, smearing the liquid seeping out. At his touch, more fluid leaked from the tip, and he used it to lubricate the slide of his hand up and down Brandon’s shaft.
“Yes,” Brandon hissed out through clenched teeth. “Oh God, don’t stop.”
He couldn’t have stopped even if he wanted to. Why would he, with Brandon naked in his arms, his breathy cries and wet, thrusting erection creating an atmosphere of such intense carnal pleasure Tash’s heart almost stopped from the sheer beauty of the moment.
With only a few more strokes, Brandon came undone, shuddering against him. “Tash,” he sobbed. “Oh God.” His cock jerked, and a small amount of liquid seeped out. “Tash.”
Tash held on to Brandon, his lips buried in the thick silk of Brandon’s hair. “It’s okay; it’s going to be okay.” He kept murmuring nonsense words into the man’s hair, kissing his temple, holding him close, until Brandon’s breathing evened out and Tash could tell he’d fallen asleep.
When was the last time he’d held someone close as he slept, his heartbeat in tempo with his own? Unused to such intimacy anymore, Tash cuddled Brandon closer, adjusting the curves of his body to fit with Brandon’s, learning the sounds of the man in his arms.
Contentment, like a sleeping cat in a patch of sunshine, trickled through him, sweet like honey, his ordinary cold existence unraveling at the seams. Before tonight, before bringing Brandon into his bed, cold sheets and solitude were Tash’s constant bed companions. It was meant to be; he’d never looked for sympathy. He’d seen it for what it was—a punishment for his failure to recognize Danny’s deception and save him from himself. When trust was lost, hope followed it blindly out the window. For years he’d lost trust in himself and had given up hope.
But now, with a warm and sleeping Brandon nestled in his arms, his hairy muscled thigh flung over Tash’s, perhaps it was time for him to reconsider his isolation. Tash stroked Brandon’s cheek, noting the spiky, damp lashes, remembering the tears he’d shed as he came. Somewhere buried deep within this man was a story of broken dreams and pain. It was up to Tash to help Brandon overcome whatever he was hiding and break free, so he could move forward with his life.
“I won’t fail you,” he whispered, kissing Brandon’s cheek. “This time I’ll do it right.”
Chapter Eleven
It was the time right before parent-teacher conferences, and Brandon was swamped with reports, meetings, and schedule changes. None of it could dim his mood that Monday as he walked into the teacher’s lounge to catch a quick cup of coffee before his next class.
“Randy, hey, come here.” Gage waved him over.
With a start, Brandon realized he needed to talk to Gage. Tash had offered to speak to him, but Brandon wanted to tell his friend himself. In a way, he owed the remarkable upheaval in his life all to Gage.
He checked his watch, noting with an inward smile only five more hours until he would meet Tash. They were starting today, after Tash’s session with the young man Johnny. Brandon was going to talk to him, assess him, and speak to school officials about placing Johnny in a remedial program until he could catch up with his schoolwork.
After pouring his cup of coffee, he joined Gage on the worn vinyl sofa. The entire room was decorated in a color scheme they’d jokingly named fifty shades of institutional gray. Brandon normally found it depressing as hell, but after a weekend spent with Tash, nothing could dampen his good mood. He was on top of the world; he’d found his brothers, he loved his job, and he had a man to love.
“Gage. How was your weekend?”
“Good. Watched some baseball, went out on a date. And you?”
Nothing short of amazing.“I had a crazy weekend. Some personal issues I thought would never happen came out of nowhere.” As he explained his story and how Dr. Drew Klein’s boyfriend was really his brother, as was Dr. Jordan Peterson’s, Brandon couldn’t help but laugh.
“Gage, man, your eyes look like they’re going to fall out of your head.”
“Can you blame me?”
