Something Like Rain (Something Like... Book 8) (15 page)

“Hold on,” Kelly said. “Is this what I think it is?”

What else could it be? William nodded.

“Okay.” Kelly bit his lip and looked around. “Uh, just give me a second.”

William crawled farther into the bed. He wasn’t leaving the room until they saw this through. Kelly fetched a lighter and walked around, lighting candles. Then he shut off the computer monitor, the remaining light warm. Still he stood there, as if seeking further improvements.

“Kelly. Please.”

His boyfriend looked over, assessing him. “Shoes,” he said.

“Oh.” William noticed they were on the comforter, a shriveled wet leaf stuck to the side of one. “Sorry.”

“Let me.” Kelly patiently loosened the laces enough to pull off the shoes, then did the same for himself. William hoped he would remove the rest of his clothes too, but Kelly climbed into bed on his knees, still fully dressed. William rose up to meet him, determined to correct this oversight. He reached for the hem of Kelly’s flannel shirt and lifted it up and over his head instead of messing with the buttons. Kelly helped by yanking his arms out of the long sleeves. Then he returned the favor, pulling off the swim-team sweatshirt William wore. They stopped to look each other over, a familiar sensation nudging William, except this time the man in the mirror didn’t look like him. Dark skin, a slim body, tapered waist, and trained muscles that were different in shape and size from his own. He was eager to see where else they contrasted.

He began with touch, placing a palm over one of Kelly’s pecs, which felt tighter than his, and let his hand slide down to one of the boney hips. Kelly started exploring too, touching William’s nipples. This tickled and made him laugh. Then both hands massaged William’s chest, which brought more pleasure than he had ever expected. Now he understood why Lily had been so eager for him to touch her breasts. She vanished from his thoughts when Kelly moved closer, pressing their torsos together. William kissed a neck still chilly from being outside. Then he grabbed Kelly’s ass, yanking him closer, their cocks rubbing together through their jeans.

“Lie on your back,” Kelly said.

Not a chance. William flexed in effort and flung Kelly over so he was on the mattress instead. Then he looked down at a bulge larger than the one he had stolen many glances at while swimming. He reached for the belt, Kelly not resisting. After impatiently struggling with the leather strap and the button of the jeans, he yanked the rest down unceremoniously. This definitely wasn’t like looking in the mirror. Kelly’s cock was long, not nearly as thick as his own, and of course brown. His pubes were tight curls against his skin, his balls like two dark walnuts, completing a perfect package. He loved it. Kelly should never be allowed to wear clothes again. He’d forbid it!

“You can do more than just look at it,” Kelly suggested, seeming amused.

“Naw, I’m done. This is as far as I want to go.” He laughed at Kelly’s reaction, then made up for his cruel joke. “Want to see mine?”

Kelly nodded. “Show me what you’ve got, white boy.”

William grinned, unbuttoning his jeans and tugging on the zipper, taking his time. He did likewise when sliding the denim downward bit by bit. Kelly was transfixed by his underwear, or more accurately, what William was intentionally flexing inside of them. He put his thumbs in the waistband, lowering the cotton slowly. Then he was free, his cock bobbing in the air and getting bigger now that it had room to swell.

Kelly stared, then looked up at him. “Bring that thing here.”

William walked on his knees, moving toward the top of the bed and bracing his hands against the wall. Kelly’s tongue reached out to meet him. There were many things William had managed to do in front of the mirror, but this wasn’t one of them. He scooted closer, Kelly opening his mouth to accommodate him. Wet, warm, and welcoming. The sensation was too good. He thrust a few times, but didn’t need to because Kelly’s head was moving back and forth. Soon all William could do was brace himself against the wall as pleasure filled him in the way air could fill balloon, causing it to pop.

“Uh,” he said, pulling away.

“Close already?” Kelly asked.

He felt his cheeks flush, which probably matched the rest of him. “That’s usually not a problem.”

“I’ll take it as a compliment,” Kelly said, licking his lips. “Get back here.”

“No. I want this to last.”

William flopped onto his side, kicking off his jeans the rest of the way. Then he scooted down so he was on eye level with Kelly’s dick, cheek resting on his stomach. He stroked it with the tip of one finger. Kelly made sounds of appreciation, especially when he took it and started pumping. Then William scooted further down, determined not to mess up. He had researched tips and advice on the Internet, which had been informative. And hot. He knew Kelly had a lot of experience and William wanted to impress him, so he went through just about every trick he could remember. And it worked!

“If you keep that up,” Kelly said in a husky voice, “I’m going to come in your mouth.”

William redoubled his efforts, and a few minutes later, felt hot salty liquid splash against the inside of his cheek. That was kind of weird. An acquired taste maybe, because revulsion competed with a desire for more. William had barely been touching himself, but remained close. He was back on his knees, thrusting in Kelly’s mouth, groaning and on the verge of a heart attack. Then came release, the sensation ten times more pleasurable than anything he had done on his own. What he hadn’t expected—and never experienced with the man in the mirror—was the rush of affection that followed. He looked down at Kelly, who must have felt the same, because he stretched out his arms. William tumbled into them gratefully, rolling to one side and pulling Kelly close. Words weren’t needed. Not at first, the emotions between them almost tactile, but like everything, they began to fade.

He released Kelly, who rolled over onto his back, candlelight dancing over his naked body.

“We won’t fall apart,” William whispered. He intended it as an oath, but he also needed to hear it in return. “Promise me.”

“We won’t,” Kelly said. “I know we won’t.”

William felt a pang of sorrow. “You sound so certain.”

“Because I love you.” Kelly’s eyes locked onto his. “I love you and I’ll never stop. That’s all it takes.”

William studied Kelly’s face before he nodded. Then he settled down, rolling his boyfriend onto his side to snuggle near. The world was brimming with evidence that told him he shouldn’t dare to hope, or expect this to last forever, but what he had felt tonight made him wonder if they could beat the odds. He nestled his nose against Kelly’s ear, finally uttering his heart’s response.

“I love you too.”

* * * * *

A tree decorated with ornaments, twinkling lights, and soft angelic music, all flanked by three angry men. William and his brothers sat in the living room, the smell of lunch still in the air, and forced themselves to appear jovial. Spencer reclined on the couch, stuffed into an intentionally ugly Christmas sweater. Errol sat on the floor, dressed more appropriately for Halloween, his clothing various shades of black. William wore what he always did, a polo shirt and jeans, as he stood next to his mother. She was digging around under the tree, searching for more presents.

“Here we go,” she said, handing William what was unmistakably a book. “And here’s one for Errol.” The box was tall and narrow. Hopefully she hadn’t bought him a bong. The last thing he needed was encouragement.

William delivered the present to him, then turned to Spencer. “Looks like you were on the naughty list this year.”

His oldest brother shrugged, brow creased with anger. William understood. The ill feelings weren’t directed at him but their father, who Spencer resembled most. Dark hair, brown eyes, and the impressive build of a Marine. His chiseled jaw stopped clenching when their mother turned around, and he feigned a happier disposition. “Being around my family is present enough,” he said.

“Oh stop!” Kate beamed at him. “I didn’t forget you. Here.” She handed him a medium-sized box, then appeared amused. “Well, open them! I never needed to tell you when you were children!”

As they ripped open their presents, William struggled to concentrate. His book had something to do with lifeguards, which normally would have piqued his interest, but all he could think about was his father. Conflict raged within him. He missed the man, especially on a holiday like today when he would be more involved than usual, but William also resented him for putting them through this. And for what? Sex with a younger woman?

“What do you think?” his mother asked, placing a hand on his arm.

“It’s great, Mom. I love it.” His brothers murmured similar responses. Then Kate started digging under the tree again. “I’m certain there’s more where that came from.”

While she was distracted, they exchanged glances. None of them were happy. But what could they do? A sniffing noise pulled his attention away. William glanced over and saw his mother wiping away a tear. “Hey!” he said, stooping to put an arm around her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, shoving away a present. The half-open gift tag revealed a familiar name: Lewis. “I’m just being silly.”

“You’re not,” William said, helping her stand. “You don’t have to put on a brave face. We’re here for you.”

He embraced his mother, then felt a larger pair of arms wrapping around them both. “He’s right,” Spencer said with a squeeze. “We’ll be strong for you.”

“We’ll protect you,” Errol said, joining the group hug, “and keep all the bad vibes away. We love you, Mom.”

“We love you,” William echoed. Then Spencer did the same. This made their mother really start crying, but he hoped it was because she was happy or relieved. He hated the idea of her being sad, especially today.

“Hold up, you guys,” Errol said. “I’ve got just the thing!”

He rushed to the kitchen where he turned up the Christmas music. When he returned with eggnog, he handed a glass mug to each of them. William took a sip and grimaced. It was definitely spiked with something. His mother seemed to like it, chugging half and laughing at the milk mustache this left. Or “nog stash,” as Errol called it.

Afterwards the holiday spirit felt a little closer. They tore through the remaining presents, ignoring those intended for the man who wasn’t there. Kate looked happier, her cheeks rosy with warmth. Or rum. She sat on the couch with them, talking about her favorite holiday memories from their childhoods, being careful to never mention their father. Then she started yawning.

“I woke up early out of habit. You boys never could wait. This year I was the only one up!”

“You didn’t go for a morning swim, Willy?” Spencer asked, elbowing him playfully. “Just wait until the Coast Guard hears about this. Aren’t you trying to convince them that you’re a fish?”

“Even I take the holidays off,” he said, “although we could drive north until we find a frozen lake. You’ll use that big hard head of yours to crack the ice, and we’ll all go for a dip!”

“He’s probably not kidding,” Errol said.

“I think I’ll take a nap instead,” their mother replied. She yawned again, patted the legs of her two nearest sons, and stood. They watched her leave the living room, silent until the bedroom door shut.

“This sucks,” Errol said. “What an asshole.”

William didn’t need to ask who he was referring to. “What do you think he’s doing right now?”

“Dad?” Errol shook his head. “I don’t even want to know.”

“He’s with his girlfriend,” Spencer grumbled, standing up and stretching. Then he noticed their stares. “What?”

“How do you know?” Errol said.

“He called me a couple days ago,” Spencer said. “I asked him what his plans were.”

William felt hurt. His father hadn’t tried making contact with him, but then he always had been closest to Spencer. One look at Errol showed that he hadn’t heard from him either.

“He’s living with her now,” Spencer continued, starting to pace. “In a one-bedroom apartment.”

“Do you know the address?” William asked.

“Yeah.”

“Then let’s go over there.”

Spencer turned to face him. “Why?”

William thought of Kelly, who was never afraid to speak his mind. “To tell him to stay away. From Mom and from us.”

“I don’t know,” Errol said. “Maybe she’s hoping they’ll patch things up.”

“No.” William shook his head. “I asked her. Sort of. I was trying to cheer her up the other day, and I said that maybe Dad would come around. If this
is
a mid-life crisis, he’ll come out of it again and stop being such a jerk. She looked at me like I was crazy and said she never wanted to see him again. So let’s make sure he stays away.”

“We’ve been drinking,” Spencer said. “We can’t drive.”

“I only had a sip,” William said. “Sorry, Errol, but yuck.”

“More for me,” his brother replied easily. “Are you sure about this?”

“Yes,” William answered.

“Maybe we should.” Spencer glowered at the unopened presents. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

William acted on inspiration and gathered up the gifts. His mother didn’t have to see them again. They filed outside to his car, the sky gray, a chill in the air that the setting sun hadn’t chased away. The day was dark by the time they reached an apartment complex next to railroad tracks. William had hoped the building would be in disrepair, but it appeared respectable enough.