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Tré woke to hair tickling his nose. Opening his eyes, he scooted back enough to look down at his partner, lying there spooned up against his chest. Well, not really his partner. His friend? Lover? Homie lover friend? He knew from several years of sharing a hotel room with Brandon that the other man usually tied his hair down at night. But since they’d only tugged off the rest of their clothes before falling into post orgasm slumber, his hair was loose and adorably sleep-tangled. Tré smiled and smoothed a hand over the soft cloud of curls. Brandon stirred at the touch.
“Mmmfff,” Brandon mumbled into the pillow.
“What was that?”
“Nothing. That’s my guess I gotta get up noise.”
Tré laughed softly. “I hate to get up because it’s my only off day this week, but we have some stuff that needs to get done.” Tré gave a full body stretch with his arms extended over his head, while Brandon groaned and flopped onto his back. Tré laughed again, then got up to shower. After a few minutes, the door opened and Brandon came in. Being in the bathroom with him at the same time was nothing new, so Tré ignored him and continued washing up. But to his surprise, Brandon opened the marbled glass shower door. Out of reflex, Tré held the soapy shower poof in front of his dick. “What are you doing?”
Brandon looked down then back at him, an eyebrow raised in amusement. “Really? I had that in my hand last night.” Brandon stopped, chagrin taking over his face. “Not that that means you owe me anything.” He started to close the door.
Tré stopped him with a hand on the glass. “Get in here before you get water all over the floor.”
Brandon visibly relaxed. He smiled and stepped in, closing the door behind him. The shower was huge, with three shower heads, so they were both able to be under the warm spray at the same time. Water sluiced over Brandon’s gorgeous brown body as he held a hand out for Tré’s mesh sponge.
“Can I?”
Tré handed over the sponge and stood there silently as Brandon squeezed more body wash onto it and soaped Tré up. He went slowly, and Tré watched the bubbles appear and disappear on his skin as Brandon carefully washed his arms and chest. Tré sucked in a breath when Brandon slid the sponge down his stomach.
When the sponge reached his groin, Brandon slowed even further, moving it in soft little circles. Brandon looked up at Tré, before lowering his lashes. He stepped closer, then dropped the sponge to let his fingers take over. Slick with soap, they slid over Tré’s shaft, lightly dancing down until they cupped his balls. Tré’s cock grew heavy with arousal at the intimate touch. He slowly licked his lips. “We really do need to talk.”
Brandon looked up, droplets of water clinging to his long, dark lashes. “I know. Just...” His eyes dropped down to Tré’s mouth.
Tré took the hint and leaned in to bring their lips together. They kissed in the steamy shower, a soft kiss of lips hotly pressed together and tongues slowly licking. Tré groaned as Brandon’s wet hand slid back up to grasp his cock, moving up and down the entire length. His thumb circled the head before lightly pressing against the small, sensitive opening.
Tré gasped and broke away from their kiss. He tucked his face into the wet curve of Brandon’s neck, smoothing his hands up the hot, water-slick skin of his back as Brandon continued stroking him. “Fuck, Brandon.”
Brandon licked at Tré’s neck. The rush of the water nearly drowned out his whisper. “Do you want me to stop?”
“Hell, no,” Tré was quick to answer. He shuddered, pleasure already coiling tight in his gut. Taking several steps forward, he backed Brandon against the opposite shower wall. Brandon’s grip on his cock tightened and he continued stroking. Bracing his hands on the wall above his lover’s head, Tré worked his hips, fucking into Brandon’s fist. “So good, B. Don’t stop.”
“Faster?”
His eyes tightly closed, Tré gave his answer in a husky whisper. “Yes, faster.”
Brandon instantly obeyed, pumping with increasing speed. He reached up with his other hand to squeeze Tré’s ass, fingers sliding between his cheeks. The touch was light, questioning. Tré didn’t hesitate. He pushed his hips back, letting Brandon know he’d welcome the touch. Brandon moaned and pushed his finger in with more confidence, teasing at Tré’s entrance. Tré gasped, his hips jerking forward when the pad of Brandon’s finger pressed against that hidden spot. He trailed his lips over Brandon’s cheek. “Kiss me.”
Brandon lifted his chin so their lips could meet in a kiss that was as hot and steamy as the water that cascaded over them. They kept kissing as the pleasure rose in Tré’s blood, making his cock throb. When Brandon thumbed the soft, sensitive patch of skin under his cock head, Tré cursed, his toes curling against the shower floor. His cock pulsed, sending his orgasm rushing up to splash them both. Brandon stroked him through it, encouraging him to keep moving, keep coming, in a sexy whisper that sent shivers down Tré’s spine.
When the climax finally started to ebb, Tré sagged, letting his forehead rest on the steam-warmed tile for a moment. After he’d regained a bit of his composure, he slid a hand down Brandon’s flat stomach, headed for the stiff length bobbing between them. To his surprise, Brandon stopped him before he reached his goal. Tré pulled back, looking down at him with his forehead creased in question.
Brandon smiled and shook his head, water shining in the tangled curls of his hair. “We don’t have time for that. I’m hungry.” He stepped around Tré to grab the bottle of shower gel, squirting some directly in his palm to wash up.
Tré turned back into the spray to wash the cum off his dick. When he was finished, he reached for Brandon, smoothing his hands over the golden brown of his skin, helping to rinse the soap away.
“Thank you,” Brandon said with a small smile.
Tré wanted to kiss him again, but it felt too intimate. Which was odd since they were standing together, naked in the shower after Brandon had just jerked him off. But they hadn’t talked yet, and this was all brand-spanking new, so a little weirdness was to be expected. He settled for a light caress of Brandon’s hip. “You’re welcome.”
They were both clean, so Tré turned off the shower heads. Brandon stepped out first. Tré followed and grabbed a towel for himself from the towel bar, tossing another to Brandon. He caught it, toweling off his hair while he stood dripping on the bath mat.
“Please tell me you have something here for my hair. I’ve been feeling so low I didn’t bother bringing my supplies on the road. Didn’t have the energy to deal with it.”
Tré nodded as he rubbed the towel over stomach. All he needed for his own nearly shaved hair was a boar bristle brush and moisturizer. But he knew from experience all of the supplies that Brandon needed to maintain his long, thick curls. “Yeah, but not in here. There’s some stuff you left behind in the guest bathroom.”
“Cool.” He toweled off then draped the towel back over the bar before he walked out of the bathroom and went out into the hall naked.
Tré finished drying off too. He put on deodorant, rubbed himself down with his favorite cocoa butter lotion, and grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and a plain white T-shirt from the closet. Once he was dressed, Tré headed for the kitchen. He and Brandon were going to have breakfast, then they had a couple of things to sort out.
***
In the kitchen, Brandon helped himself to a glass of orange juice while Tré made them protein shakes for breakfast. Brandon had always liked this room. The cabinetry was black and the appliances stainless steel. The far wall boasted huge multi-pane windows that looked out over the Allegheny River. Exposed ductwork ran the length of the ceiling, giving the space a cool, industrial vibe. The quietly sleek design scheme matched Tré’s personality. He always looked so at home moving around in the kitchen, and he gave Brandon free rein of it whenever he was there. Maybe that was why Brandon liked it so much. Tré had always been so easily accepting of him in his space, and it made him feel like he was at home too.
“So, you’re done with GWS. I hate it went down like that.”
Brandon grinned. “But you’re glad I’m not there anymore?”
Tré looked up from the blender, a smile dancing in his dark eyes. “Would I sound like an actual asshole if I say yes?”
“No.” Brandon shook his head and leaned against the counter. “It’s nice to know I was missed.”
“You were.” Tré poured the drink into two shaker bottles. “Anyway. We’ll have to call Chance or Alex and get you back on the FPW roster.”
Brandon’s smile dimmed a little. “I don’t know about that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I jumped ship to GWS. I doubt Alex is going to want me back just because I couldn’t hack it over there.”
Tré paused in putting the caps on the bottles to frown at Brandon. “Come on, now. You know Alex isn’t like that. We’re family. You strayed for a bit, but you left on good terms. Besides, it’s good business to re-sign you.”
Brandon shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“Do you have a non-compete clause in your Grand contract?”
“No.”
“So, if Alex is okay with it, we can get you back on the air in no time. I’ll call Chance first and feel him out.”
Brandon watched as Tré put the can of protein powder away, then pulled his phone from his shorts pocket to make the call.
“Hey, brother. I’ve got some news you might be interested in.” He paused to listen to Chance’s response. “Brandon is no longer with GWS.” Another pause. “I’ll let him tell you the story. But how do you feel about bringing him back? Do you think Alex would be open to it?” Whatever Chance said made Tré smile. “Sounds good. I’ll drag his ass to Boston with me on Thursday.” Tré suddenly turned slightly to the side, lowering his voice. “Yeah, uh... I’ll talk to you about that later.” He hung up, smiling again when he looked at Brandon. “We’re all set. Chance wants to talk to you this week.”
Brandon smiled slightly. “I like the way you’re charging ahead with this.”
Tré set the phone down on the counter and crossed the kitchen to stand in front of Brandon. “I’m doing this because I want you back on the road with FPW and back with me. Like I said last night, I should have spoken up when you first said you were thinking about leaving. If I had, none of this would have happened.” He reached up, gently cupping Brandon’s face with both hands. “We wouldn’t have been separated, and you wouldn’t have had to deal with the bullshit over at Grand. I’m sorry for the part I played in all that.”
Brandon’s heart melted when Tré leaned down and touched their foreheads together after his apology. “Tré, I...” He stopped, the words stuck in his throat. How many times had he said I love you to Tré? Dozens. But that was always in the way of friends. An I love you, man to let his partner know he had his back. But to say it with real emotion behind it—the emotion of a lover—wasn’t easy.
He decided to express his feelings with action rather than words. He tipped his face up, pressing his lips to Tré’s in a kiss that hopefully communicated his appreciation and feelings. Tré lowered one arm to slide it around Brandon’s waist, holding him close to return the kiss. After a few moments, Brandon pulled back to look at the handsome face of his friend turned lover.
“I’m so glad we’re finally together like this.”
“Me too,” Tré said with a soft smile.
Brandon gave him one more quick kiss before he dropped to his knees. Tré’s dark eyes went wide with surprise, but he didn’t protest as Brandon tugged Tré’s shorts and briefs down to free his cock. Tré was already half hard, and he grew rigid when Brandon wrapped his fingers around him. Brandon leaned forward and licked the flat of his tongue across the broad head of Tré’s cock, once, then again. His eyes drifted closed at his first delicious taste. As he started sucking, he forced his eyes open again so he could watch Tré. Both large hands tightly gripped the counter, the tendons in his forearms straining with the effort. His head was thrown back, full lips parted as he breathed curses and moaned Brandon’s name.
Brandon gave everything he had to pleasuring this man that he’d cared about for so long. He licked down the underside of the thick cock in front of him, teasing the pulsing veins there with soft brushes of his lips. When he reached the base, he kept going down so he could drag his tongue over Tré’s tightly drawn balls. Then Brandon worked his way back up, licking and kissing until the slick head was nudging at his lips. With a moan, he took Tré’s cock into his mouth, sucking the entire length again and again.
Tré gasped, a shiver running through him. “I’m coming.”
Tré tried to push him away. But Brandon held on and shook his head slightly, indicating he wanted Tré to come in his mouth. Cursing and moaning, Tré let himself go.
Brandon closed his eyes again, completely focused on the sensation of Tré’s cock pulsing between his lips, and the hot, salty taste of the release on his tongue. Once the tension drained from Tré’s body and his shaft started to soften, Brandon pulled off. He stood, then leaned over the sink and spit. Turning on the water, he rinsed both his mouth and the sink before he turned back to Tré. He watched Brandon with an amused expression.
“Did you just spit my cum in the kitchen sink?” he asked as he pulled his shorts back up.
Brandon shrugged. “I don’t swallow, and I didn’t think far enough ahead about what to do with it.”
Tré threw back his head and laughed. “I like your efficiency. I’d say I’d do the same thing when it’s my turn to give a kitchen BJ. But there’s one problem.”
Brandon frowned. “What?”
Tré pulled him close and whispered in his ear. “I swallow.”
***
Tré was ready to return the favor right then, but Brandon declined. So, Tré pulled him into the living room. “We should talk.”
“I know. Just give me a minute. Actually...” He tugged his hand away and shot out of the room without finishing his sentence.
Tré waited, wondering what was going on. When Brandon came back, he had on running shoes and held out a pair of Tré’s.
“Put these on and let’s go to the gym.”
“Now? No, Brandon. We can’t keep avoiding this conversation.”
Brandon shook his head. “I’m not. I promise. I want to talk about it, but I can’t do it while I’m sitting here in my own skin.”
Finally understanding, Tré accepted the shoes. “Okay.” Once he had them on and laced, he grabbed his cell and keys. “Let’s go.”
They went down to the fitness center on the ground level of his high-rise. Most people who lived in the building worked nine-to-five corporate-type jobs, so it wasn’t a surprise that the gym was empty at eleven a.m. on a Wednesday. The room was a good size, with space for several cardio machines, two multi-purpose weight systems, a stack of free weights, and a matted area that could fit about three people doing yoga. There was a mirrored wall in front of the treadmills, while the wall on the far side had a bamboo forest mural. The gym had been a big selling point for him when he’d been hunting for an apartment.
“Treadmills. Let’s go.” Brandon went over and got on one of the three machines, the buttons beeping as he selected his speed.
Tré stepped onto the machine next to him. They settled into a nice easy jog before Brandon said anything.
“I didn’t want to leave. But I thought I had to.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to be with you.”
Tré frowned in confusion. “You wanted to be with me so you left?”
“Aaaagh.” Brandon growled in frustration. His machine beeped as he upped the speed.
Tré tapped up his own to keep pace.
“I wanted to be with you, but I didn’t know how to tell you. I was worried...” He cleared his throat. “I was scared you’d reject me.”
“Why?”
“Why?” Brandon huffed a slightly out of breath laugh. “I’ve been trying to flirt with you for a year, but you always brushed me off.”
“I thought you were kidding. You joke around with everyone.”
“Not the way I did with you,” he quietly said.
Tré had to allow that was true. Brandon joked around with a lot of people, but his playful affection had been reserved for Tré alone. “I know that now. If you hadn’t shown up here last night, I’d planned to call you and tell you how I felt.”
“Yeah?”
Tré nodded. “Slade and Chance said some things that helped me realize I was reading the situation all wrong. It made me finally pull my head out of my ass and see what an idiot I was being. I didn’t even know you were gay.”
Brandon turned his head to gape at him in surprise before looking straight again to keep his balance. “Really?”
“I’d never seen you with a guy so I assumed.”
“You’ve never seen me with a girl either,” Brandon pointed out.
Now that Tré thought about it, he hadn’t ever seen Brandon with a woman. He’d defaulted to straight without any real cause to do so. And thanks to his own past experience, he’d purposely never brought up the topic. “How is it that, in the ring, we can communicate with nothing more than two seconds of eye contact, but outside of it, we can’t manage to have a simple conversation?”
“Talking about feelings and shit is a lot scarier than jumping off the top rope.”
Tré laughed in agreement before he slowed his machine. Beeps echoed next to him as Brandon did the same. Stepping off the treadmill, Tré looked up at Brandon. He stood there, skin glowing with a light sheen of sweat, chest pumping as he breathed a little harder after their short run.
“Like I said, I was scared you’d reject me. But at the same time, I was scared what might happen if you didn’t.”
That had Tré confused. “What do you mean?”
“Being close to people isn’t easy for me. I worried that if we did try to be together, and I couldn’t connect with you, you’d get mad and end it. In my head, there were too many scenarios that ended with you rejecting me. I didn’t know how to deal with that. But it was becoming harder and harder to be around you nearly every day without telling you how I felt.” His shoulders slumped. “It seemed like a lose-lose situation.”
“And so, you left.”
Brandon answered with a silent nod.
Tré held his hand out. When Brandon took it, he tugged him down off the machine. “Maybe you’ve had trouble establishing closeness before. But I think with us, it’ll be different.”
“Yeah?”
“Yep. We vibed immediately as partners. We’re close as a tag team. We’re close as friends. Whatever struggles you have, you’ve already conquered half of them.”
“And what if I screw it up and fail trying to be in a relationship?”
“You might screw up. Hell, I’ll probably screw up too. But that doesn’t mean you fail. That means we keep trying and figure it out.”
“We?”
“Damn right. We’re partners, aren’t we?”
A slow, happy grin spread over Brandon’s face. “Yeah, we are.”
They shared a quick kiss before Brandon playfully poked Tré in the stomach.
“Okay, I told you why I didn’t speak up. Now it’s your turn to spill your guts.”
Tré grimaced. He didn’t want to dredge up an old, bad memory, but it was only fair that Brandon know why he hadn’t owned up to his feelings before now. “You know I played basketball in high school.”
Brandon nodded.
“Well, the summer before my junior year, I went to basketball camp. I clicked with this one kid, and we started hanging out. Things gradually eased into flirting as we realized we were both gay and into each other. Camp ended, but we spent the school year calling each other. Late at night, our conversations got a little spicy. We’d get ourselves off while talking about all the stuff we only halfway knew how to do.”
“Oooh, Tré. You naughty boy. But what’s bad about that?”
“I haven’t gotten to the bad part yet. That kid moved out of state, and since we didn’t see each other the next summer, we drifted apart. But that relationship gave me the courage to be a little more out and try to find someone new.
“My senior year, there was this guy on my high school basketball team. During the pre-season, we hung out all the time, on and off the court. We watched NBA games together and planned what the basketball shoes we’d have named after us would look like. He slept at my house almost as much as he slept at his own. We were close. But I uh... I read that situation wrong. I apologized, but he left my house in the middle of the night pissed off. The next day it was all over school that I was gay.”
Brandon winced in sympathy. “I can imagine how much that sucked.”
“Yeah, it was rough. My parents wanted to yank me out of there and enroll me in private school for a fresh start. But I didn’t want to go. Basketball season was right around the corner, and a change right then would mean I’d have to start at the bottom on a new team. That would affect my college signing opportunities. So, I stayed.
“Coach called the team together and gave a speech about being accepting of each other’s differences. He told us who we’re attracted to wouldn’t change the way we played, but that bullying would affect playing time. The team got the message and left me alone after that. Eventually, once the guys realized I wasn’t eyeing their junk in the locker room, things on the team went back to normal. Still, I was glad when senior year ended. I skipped prom and didn’t make the mistake of coming on to any guys at all once I got to college.”
“Oh, man. I’m sorry, Tré. I’d never pull that kind of crap. But I understand why it made you gun-shy in approaching someone you’re close to.”
Tré shrugged. “Yeah, it stuck with me for a while.” He forcibly shook off the old memories so he could focus on the man in front of him. “All right, we came clean about why neither of us spoke up about the way we felt. Let’s move on.”
“Okay.”
“I meant what I said about us being partners. Not just in our personal life, but once you’re back with FPW, I want to team with you again. Do you want that too?”
Brandon nodded. “As long as I’m not getting in the way of your singles career.”
“You’re not. I’ve enjoyed the time on my own, and I learned a lot. But I’m happiest when I’m with you.”
Brandon smiled that slow, happy grin again before he dropped his forehead against Tré’s chest. “You’re too good for me.”
“We’re good for each other.” He squeezed Brandon in a hug before continuing. “Okay, that’s settled. Let’s get out of here and go back upstairs.” Tré tugged Brandon out of the gym and over to the elevator.
Now that he had the freedom to touch Brandon as a lover, he couldn’t stop doing so. Tré pulled him into his arms and held him close as the elevator rose to his floor. “What do you want to do now?”
“Netflix and chill sounds good.”
Tré raised an eyebrow and Brandon laughed.
“I meant OG Netflix and chill, back before the internet made it smutty. I really just want to lie down with you and relax.” He paused to comically waggle his eyebrows. “But if it turns into something else by episode five of whatever we decide to binge, I’m okay with that.”
