I’ve joined some fab authors in writing a round robin story called Different Tracks. The authors are Sophie Bonaste, Brynn Stein, Grace Duncan, Suki Fleet, Elizabeth Noble, Kim Fielding, and Lane Hayes. A new chapter will be posted every Monday and Thursday. And yes… part 24 is mine!
*I’ve added the end here … enjoy!
The previous chapters are listed below.
Part 1: Jan 5th – Sophie Bonaste Part 2: Jan 8th – Brynn Stein
Part 3: Jan 12th – Grace R. Duncan Part 4: Jan 15th – Suki Fleet
Part 5: Jan 19th – Elizabeth Noble Part 6: Jan 22nd – Kim Fielding
Part 7: Jan 26th – Sophie Bonaste Part 8: Jan 29th – Charlie Cochet
Part 9: Feb 2nd – Sophie Bonaste Part 10: Feb 5th – Brynn Stein
Part 11: Feb 9th – Grace R. Duncan Part 12: Feb 12th – Suki Fleet
Part 13: Feb 16th – Elizabeth Noble Part 14: Feb 19th – Kim Fielding
Part 15: Feb 23rd – Grace R. Duncan Part 16: Feb 26th – Charlie Cochet
Part 17: March 2nd – Lane Hayes Part 18: March 5th – Brynn Stein
Part 19: March 9th – Grace R. Duncan Part 20: March 12th – Suki Fleet
Part 21: March 16th – Elizabeth Noble Part 22: March 19th – Kim Fielding
Part 23: March 23 – Charlie Cochet
Chapter 24:
Peter woke up before his alarm the way he did most weekday mornings. He savored the quiet as he slowly opened his eyes and stretched his arms over his head. His body ached in all the right places reminding him it had been a very good night indeed. Xander had was a voracious and demanding lover. A sideways glance at the man softly snoring next to him made him smile. Xander looked almost childlike in sleep. A far cry from the man who’d sucked and fucked him relentlessly and repeatedly, Peter mused wincing slightly as he rolled to his side. God, it felt good.
Coffee. Peter remembered mentioning breakfast in bed too but nothing happened before coffee. He rifled his dresser for a pair of clean briefs as quietly as possible before tiptoeing out of his room and making his way to the kitchen. It was a chilly downstairs. He chided himself for not putting on a T-shirt or pajama bottoms before noticing Xander’s jacket lying at the foot of the stairs. A flash memory of Xander wrapping it lovingly around him after he’d fucked him against the wall made him shiver. He put the jacket on and shuffled into the kitchen.
Twenty minutes later he’d put together a fine looking breakfast if he did say so himself. Eggs, toast, strawberries and most importantly… coffee. Peter balanced the tray in his left arm and opened the master bedroom door. Xander sat on the edge of the bed, blinking in confusion. He looked deliciously sleep-mussed and disheveled. Peter couldn’t wait to get his hands on him again.
“Mornin’,” Xander greeted him in a low, wooden tone.
Uh oh. There was a part of Peter that wondered how much more reassuring he’d have to do when his lover realized he’d spent the night. He’d hoped he could ply him with coffee and breakfast in bed and avoid any awkward exchanges. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like it was going to be quite that easy. Peter set the tray on the nightstand and passed Xander a mug then crawled back into bed and leaned forward to grab his own cup.
“I should probably get going.”
“Hmm. Well, I’m not giving you your jacket until after breakfast so too bad.”
Xander turned sideways and shot a look of reluctant amusement in Peter’s direction. “You’re holding my jacket hostage?”
“Yep. The deal was sex, breakfast in bed and at some point we need to fix that big fucking hole in the wall downstairs. Ring any bells? The hole will have to wait till the weekend but hey… isn’t it fun knowing we can do this again?”
Xander chuckled and shook his head before taking a sip of coffee. “No regrets?”
“I hope you’re telling, not asking. Geez! What more do I have to do to prove I want this? I want you. My bed is a wreck, there’s a hole in my wall and my ass will be sore all fucking day. I like you, asshole. I like you a lot. And I want this. I want to wake up with you in my bed, snoring like a—”
“I don’t snore,” Xander deadpanned.
“You do. It’s cute. But you’re missing the point.”
“No, I’m—not.” Xander sighed and reached for the plate of eggs and fruit. He stabbed a strawberry and held it to Peter’s mouth. “I get it. I’m just… nervous about it.”
Peter held the berry between his teeth and scooted into Xander’s space. He leaned against him, wordlessly inviting him to take the fruit. Xander held his gaze for a moment before using his teeth to break the strawberry. He forced half of it into Peter’s mouth, gliding his tongue and sucking in a passionate frenzy that left Peter breathless.
A strange careening feeling came over him. This was special. And yeah, it felt… scary too.
“I know, Xander. I’m afraid too.”
“We come from different places, Peter. Different sides of the tracks. Maybe I’m a novelty to you now but you’re gonna get tired of me and-”
“Hey! Or you might get tired of me.” Peter reached out to touch Xander’s bottom lip and impulsively leaned in to kiss him before pulling back to give him a meaningful look. “We don’t know what the future holds. It’s part of the mystery. It’s what makes life exciting one minute and scary as hell the next. What I do know is I don’t care where you’re from or what you have. I care about who you are and where you’re going. You’re a good man and I want you in my life and in my bed. But I can’t make you believe me. That part is up to you.”
Xander cocked his head thoughtfully before giving in to the rush of joy and overwhelming sense of wholeness. As though the pieces of the puzzle were right in front of him. It was up to him. He smiled at Peter, a slow grin that morphed into radiant sunshine as he took his hand.
“I believe you, Peter. Yeah, this scares me but it feels too good to walk away from. I’m ready to take a chance.”
Peter’s heart skipped a beat as he tried to take in the enormity of Xander’s small speech. The second words registered Peter launched himself at Xander, pulling him into his arms in a crushing hold before fusing his mouth over his lover’s. This was their beginning. He could feel it.