Page 36 of A Little More Forgiveness

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.

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