Back to You (18 page)

Without even thinking about it, my fingers reached out and traced lightly along his cheekbone and down his jawline, feeling each little prickle of stubble as if it were tiny bits of sandpaper scraping against my skin. Tyler moved his head into my touch just slightly, and unable to contain my need to kiss him, I leaned in and placed a soft, sweet kiss on his lips.

“Mmmm…” he moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. “That’s the second best way to be woken up.” His lazy grin spread wide as he snuggled into my chest and licked my nipple.

“Oh, yeah?” I asked him, cocking my eyebrow in silent question as to what the best way was. He just chuckled and looked pointedly from my mouth to the prominent bulge tenting the sheets as he rolled onto his back and looked back at me, his gaze landing directly on my mouth. “Point taken,” I laughed lightly.

He kicked the sheet off his body, and it pooled around his feet, which left very little to the imagination with his thick, beautiful cock sticking up proudly through the slit in his boxers. He easily lifted his hips and slid the boxers off until they joined the sheets. That left me with no barriers to the gorgeous body lying next to me. I knew what he wanted, but I wasn’t sure it was the right time or that he’d be in the right frame of mind for that.

“Tyler.” I sighed but he reached out and took my hand, guiding it exactly where he wanted it and began using both of our hands to stroke himself.

“Please.” It didn’t take more than that one word in his breathy whisper for me to give in. I’d do anything in the world to make him happy again and I could hear the need in his voice.

“Hand or mouth?” I acquiesced with my own teasing whisper. Tyler didn’t even bother replying with words, he gripped my hair and gently but firmly pushed my head toward his groin, guiding my mouth toward his cock which already had a beautiful bead of pre-come pearled at the top.

My tongue shot out and I greedily licked it up, moaning at the distinct flavor that was all Tyler. Apparently, that wasn’t enough for him and he raised his hips again, this time rubbing the head of his cock against my lips. “Open,” he commanded and I did as I was told. Who was I to refuse such a compelling demand? My lips parted automatically and he slid my head down the length of his shaft. There was almost nothing in the world better than the sounds that escaped his mouth as my tongue explored all the skin it could touch, taking in as much of him as I could without choking.

That seemed to be better for him because he immediately thrust deep into my throat, making me take his entire length, requiring me to relax the muscles in my throat or have my air supply momentarily cut off. He would never really hurt me, that much I was sure of, but I also knew that sometimes, when he was as stressed as he was at the moment, he needed to be rough. He needed the sense of control and I was more than willing to give that to him.

I opened my mouth wider and let him take what he needed, my tongue caressing his shaft as it rapidly slipped in and out. I was so hard I couldn’t stand it, and while Tyler assaulted my mouth with his gorgeous cock, I grasped my own prick and jerked it fast. Tyler was grunting and breathing hard, really concentrating on the sensations and warmth I was offering him. “Fuck, I’m going to come,” he groaned, his grip on my hair tightening as his near violent thrusts faltered and he sank as deep into my mouth as he could, holding my head still as he shot his stream of hot, thick seed directly into my throat. My eyes watered as I swallowed then came hard into the sheets.

Tyler pulled out and I gasped, inhaling deep and hard to refresh the air in my lungs. My heart was racing and a tear escaped its confines and slid traitorously down my cheek. I wasn’t in any physical pain besides my throat being a bit sore and raw but my heart just ached for Tyler.

He clung to me tightly as we sat there on the bed, him still taking what he needed, that time in the form of physical comfort rather than an intense need to release his tension. “Alex,” he sobbed and I knew how heartbroken he was.

“I know, baby,” I whispered, my voice raspy and rough. I held him tight and let him cry, knowing it might help him to get some of it out before the funeral. I glanced at the clock and realized we had roughly two hours before he had to be at the funeral home, and we still needed to shower and change.

“How?” he cried. “How am I supposed to do this? I can’t say goodbye to her forever.”

“We’ll do it together, baby,” I promised, trying not to choke on my own tears as my emotions bubbled toward the surface. “I won’t leave your side. Let me be your strength, okay?”

He nodded against my chest and dug his fingers deeper into the muscles on my back. My hands glided up and down his back, rubbing soothingly. I remembered that sometimes he needed the constant motion as a reminder that I was there for him and not going anywhere. My fingers found their way into his hair, and I scratched lightly at his scalp and pressed a light kiss to his neck.

Several more moments passed by as his tears subsided and he tried to regain a normal breathing pattern. When he felt semi-normal again, he loosened his grip and asked me what time it was. I told him and we reluctantly got up and showered. I threw on my clothes from the night before, and we hurried downstairs to grab a quick breakfast before heading to my parents’ house so I could get ready.

Tyler looked stunning in a black suit with a black shirt and silver tie striped in purple. If we weren’t already in a pretty somber mood because of the events ahead of us, I would have dragged him back to the bedroom and had my wicked way with him. He was pretty irresistible when he looked so incredibly sexy.

Ashton was in the living room when we arrived at home. “Tyler!” he practically shouted as he rushed over to us. “It’s been too long, man.”

“I know. I’m sorry I didn’t keep in touch better,” Tyler apologized looking sheepish. Ashton and Tyler had always gotten along really well, even if he was several years younger than us.

I shot a quick look at Ashton, silently asking him not to push it and he didn’t. “I’m really sorry about your grandmother,” he told him instead.

“Thanks,” Tyler replied softly.

I pressed a quick kiss to the side of Tyler’s forehead and told him I’d be right back. I took the stairs two at a time in an effort to cut down my time away from him. When I entered the room, I saw Donny sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on a pair of socks. “I’m almost ready,” he told me as he grabbed his shoes. He was wearing a pair of black dress slacks and a black with white pinstripes polo shirt. That was his normal look, very preppy, and it worked for him.

“I just have to get dressed,” I told him as I rummaged through what I’d brought with me and realized that I’d forgotten to bring a suit. “Fuck!” I swore out loud, trying to decide what to do about it.

“What’s wrong?” Donny asked me.

“I forgot to bring my damn suit.” Then I remembered something and I hurried into my parents’ bedroom and borrowed a nice black suit from my father since we were built the same, tall and muscled. I was sure Dad wouldn’t mind. I paired it with the royal blue dress shirt I’d brought and decided to go sans tie. I pulled my dress shoes on and threw a bit of gel in my hair, flicking it around to get it to settle just right. After a final glance in the mirror, I was ready.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I announced. “Let’s go. Tyler’s waiting for us downstairs with Ashton.”

“Your brother is really something,” Donny replied, smiling.

“Oh yeah?” I asked him. “Why do you say that?”

“He came up here last night after you left and we talked for quite a while. I’m looking forward to getting to know him better after we move up here.”

“Did you tell him we were moving back up here?”

“No. I didn’t know if you had or not and I didn’t want to ruin your news.”

I sighed a little in relief. “I haven’t told anyone, and I don’t want anyone to break the news to Tyler before I get a chance to.”

We proceeded downstairs and saw that my parents gathered in the living room with Tyler and Ashton. I loved the sight of Tyler looking so comfortable being surrounded by my family again. He looked up at me and smiled as I came into view. I’d never get tired of him smiling at me.

I knew that it was the right time, surrounded by the people who were the most important to me, to make my announcement, even if we wouldn’t have much time to celebrate before we had to head to the funeral. I stepped into the living room and stood directly in front of Tyler and my brother, with only the coffee table separating us. “I’ve got something I want to say, and now seems like the perfect time since you’re all here,” I told them. “I’ve come to a decision, and I want you all to know how much I’ve missed you and how sorry I am that I left you all, especially Tyler and Ashton.” I turned to face only Tyler. “I should have stayed to fight for us, but I didn’t know what else to do, and for that I will always be sorry.” Then I turned to Ashton. “I left you at a time when a young man needs his big brother to be there for him, and whether you’ll admit it or not, I let you down, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

I cleared my throat to put a stop on the emotions threatening to escape. “The thing is, as sorry as I am that it all happened this way, one really positive thing did happen while I was gone. I met one of the most amazing people I’ve ever known, so I can’t say that I would change it.” I looked over at Donny and grinned. I knew he needed to hear that I was glad to have him in my life. And damn it, I was.

“So, to make a long rambling story short, I’ve decided that I’m leaving Texas behind and moving back to Lincoln.”

I was focused on Tyler and the huge grin that was instantly plastered on his face when I was blindsided by my brother. He tackled me to the ground and hugged me hard, tears streaming down his face. He pulled back and looked at me intensely. “Are you fucking serious?”

I nodded and pulled him back to me. I’d known that my brother missed me, I just hadn’t realized how much my leaving had affected him. “I’m so sorry, Ashton. I’m not going anywhere, ever again.”

“I’m so glad to have you back,” he whispered. It was a touching moment and then I saw the flash. My mother was taking photos.

“Mom!” I groaned. “Really?”

“Oh you know I wasn’t passing this opportunity up,” she laughed. Ashton got up and helped me off the ground. I brushed the wrinkles out of the suit, and my parents both hugged me, telling me how happy they were that I was coming back and that I could stay at the house as long as I wanted. I thanked them and walked over to Tyler, kneeling before him.

“I’m coming home,” I told him. “And I want you, all of you, forever. Whatever it takes to get you back, you just let me know, because I’ll do anything to win your trust again. I love you, Tyler.”

Tyler

I was a little stunned by the announcement Alex had just made. He was moving back to Lincoln and he still wanted me. It was all so much to take in. Wasn’t I just wondering last night how we’d be able to make it work if he was living in Texas? Now I knew that he was moving back and it made the pressure so much higher.

I wanted to tell him, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” that’s what my heart was screaming at me to do, but then again my head was telling me to stop and really think about it. I needed to separate my emotions and think logically about the whole thing. Would we really be able to make it work? Would I ever be able to fully trust him to not leave me again? I did love him and I wanted him to be with me more than anything, so that was all that really mattered, right?

“I love you, too,” I answered. “Let’s give it a try.” In the end, that’s all we could really do.

He tugged me up off the couch and kissed me deeply, slipping his tongue between my lips and caressing mine with it, and he was doing it all in front of Donny, which surprised me but I wasn’t going to let the moment pass. My lips responded to his as my heart raced. Kissing him always did that to me.

Donny cleared his throat and spoke. “I hate to interrupt such a moving moment, but I think we need to leave.” He tapped his watch to emphasize his point. I glanced down at mine and realized that we only had an hour until Grammy’s funeral started and we still had to pick up Riley.

“I’ll drive,” Donny offered.

I climbed into the backseat of Alex’s car, fully expecting Alex to ride up front with Donny, when Alex followed me into the rear. It didn’t even seem to faze Donny, and I realized that he was being incredibly mature about the situation, probably was more civilized than I would have been in his shoes. My outlook on him had changed after hearing about his history with Alex and there wasn’t anything to be worried about from what Alex had told me.

“You’ll have to give me directions to Riley’s place,” Donny told me as he pulled away from the curb. Alex took my hand in his and lightly rubbed circles on my thumb knuckle all the way there.

We pulled up in front of Riley’s duplex less than ten minutes later where he was outside waiting for us. He got into the front seat and turned to look back at me. “How are you holding up?” he asked, a look of deep concern etched onto his face.

“I’m okay right now,” I answered and Alex squeezed my hand reassuringly. “I can’t promise anything when the funeral starts though.”

Riley took over directing Donny to the funeral home and we arrived with plenty of time. “Will you sit up front with me?” I asked Alex softly. I wasn’t ready for him to leave my side as he was providing me with the emotional support and the physical strength I needed to make it through the next hour.