Chance of the Heart (23 page)

Chance paused, the smile leaving his face as he went back to the laptop. “So what’d you think?”

“Well,” she said, clearing her throat. The moment had gotten awkward as hell. “On paper he sounds great.”

“I should call him in for an interview.” He wrote the guy’s name and number down on his scratch pad. “I’m glad the investors didn’t insist on sitting in on hiring the staff.”

“Yeah it’d suck to get saddled with someone they like more than you do.” She went back to painting the counter she’d been working on before.

After being silent a little while she cleared her throat again. They’d never been super close, mostly just a tight working relationship but he knew her well enough after all this time to know that tick meant she was uncomfortable. “So,” she said.
Oh good, she’s going to make it super uncomfortable.

“We’re friends right?”

He turned his swivel chair in her direction. She still wasn’t looking at him, just painting.

“Not really.”

That got her to turn around, shooting an ugly look his way. He laughed. “I suppose more so lately than we have been over the years.”

“Amazing what screwing a girl’s brother does for the friendship.” She was teasing but it still made Chance fidget to have it said so plainly. She scoffed at him. “Oh please. You can beg me for help with the guy but you can’t let me be a little crude?”

“I don’t even like it when your brother is crude.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “I’ll just bet.”

His face flamed. It was strange though. He wasn’t so much uncomfortable with her knowing, nor was he uncomfortable with her being so blunt about his being gay. He just thought it was weird talking to anyone about sleeping with their sibling.

“Anyway,” he said, glaring at her, though there wasn’t much heat behind it.

She set down her paint brush and looked at him with concern. “So I heard your parents… know.” Which of course meant she’d heard from her brother. He had to resist asking about Bradley. He had no right to do that if he wouldn’t talk to the man himself. Something he resolved right then to do after he got out of the restaurant.

“Yep. Guess I fell out of the closet.”

The look of sympathy was hard to bear. “I hate it happened how it did.”

He shrugged. “Me too. But it ain’t all bad.”

“Does that mean they took it okay? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Honestly he didn’t mind at all. He was out to the people who mattered and while it was still a little weird getting used to the idea, he wasn’t disowned. He was lucky. So anybody else who had a problem could fuck themselves. “They did okay. It’s a process but they are really doing way better than I ever thought.”

She smiled brightly and came over to hug him. He felt like he’d been doing a lot of hugging lately. “That’s so great Chance. So great.”

“Yeah. So I can’t be too mad.”

She frowned. “I won’t talk for him. I hate how it happened. But I’m glad it worked out.”

“Me too.” He didn’t want to talk about Bradley. Not with his sister.

“Just hope y’all can at least clear the air before he leaves next week.”

Chance flailed. “Next week?” What the fuck? He was supposed to have at least another couple weeks. And Bradley didn’t even have a job.

“Oh I’m sure he was gonna tell you. But he said he found another job he was thinking about taking.”

Bradley snapped, turning to slam his laptop shut. “Damn stubborn son of a bitch. And they say
I
didn’t talk enough. Here he is making all these decisions for everyone all the damn time.”

When he turned Heather’s way again to say her smile was amused would have been an understatement. “You’re preaching to the choir, sweetheart.”

He grumbled under his breath and went to take up a paintbrush and help Heather. She kept sneaking peeks at him, smug grin on her face. He didn’t care. He was glad she’d said something. What the hell was wrong with that man? He never let nobody catch up to him. Everything was on his time-table apparently.

Oh they were gonna have a talk tonight. That was for damn sure.

Caught up in his inner bitching Chance had missed the fact hours had passed. Heather called it quits and he realized it was well on its way to dark-thirty. They gathered their things and she gave him another hug, congratulating him again on things working out with his parents.

He wanted to go right to Bradley’s house. He was so damn mad. He wanted to kick himself for not having called the man last night, but one night wasn’t enough time to find a job and decide to move.

“Damned stubborn-ass man,” he snapped to the empty cab of his truck.

He was too messy, covered in paint, to go right over to Bradley’s cottage, so he was impatiently going to his house in the opposite direction to shower. He was practically counting the miles as he drove. It was worse than watching the clock.

When he finally made it home, he drove down the long drive and rounded the garage to park. There, parked in front of, rather than inside the garage, was Bradley’s red Jeep. He kept himself in check, all the emotions in him wanting to pour out at once. Was this it? Was Bradley here to say goodbye? Or had Bradley come back for him? Should he be angry or nervous? Both? He’d never felt this much in his entire fucking life.

He parked and walked out of the garage in time to see Bradley and his mother step out on the front porch of the main house and glance his way before… hugging?

What. The. Fuck? His heart started hammering in his chest as he watched these two people who he loved more than life itself hugging, even if it did look a bit awkward. He could barely hear above the rushing of his blood in his ears as Bradley made his way over to Chance.

There was none of his usual swagger. One hand hung at his side, the other in his pocket. He looked vulnerable and nervous but he was smiling hopefully when he approached Chance.

“I don’t have a hat in hand but… here.” He held out a single yellow daisy. “It’s a weed, I know.” Bradley shrugged and Chance melted at the sight of one of the biggest, cockiest guys he’d met; the forceful lover who’d just
taken
him; the winning cowboy with the golden good-looks who’d swooped in and changed Chance’s life standing there. Right now he was just a man, in love with another man, holding a flower and baring his soul through his eyes.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry,” Bradley said, softly. “Maybe take a minute of your time to talk.”

Chance took the flower and stepped up to Bradley, kissing him softly. “Okay then. Let’s go talk.”

Bradley followed Chance up to his apartment, surreptitiously glancing over his shoulder, wondering how awkward it must have been for Chance’s mother to have seen them kiss. He didn’t want to make anyone uncomfortable but Chance had instigated the kiss, so that must have been a good sign

Then he noticed Chance was practically vibrating out of his skin. “Hey, you okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Yeah sorry, “ Chance said. “Adrenaline crash.”

Bradley cocked his head in question. “I’ve been so mad since your sister said you were leaving before talking to me that I was gonna rush over and bitch at you. But then you were here and I couldn’t help but kiss you and I just realized we did that in front of my mama.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He switched from one foot to the other.

“Not that they’re not… Yeah, they’re doing okay with me being gay. It’s just new.”

“Yeah,” Bradley said. “I’m so fucking sorry. I apologized to your parents too. I was here at your home and acting like a drama queen. I’m so ashamed of myself. You were right. I owed you more than that and I want you to know I do trust you. I feel like the biggest son of a bitch for not— Wait.” He just caught something. “She said I was leaving?”

“Yes, next week. Damn you. You expect everything on your own time.”

Bradley ducked his head, embarrassed at the truth of it. “I’ve never been good with things that make me unsure.”

Chance laughed out loud. Bradley scowled at him, which made Chance reach out and take his hand but keep laughing. “Sorry to laugh. But holy shit, I said the same thing in my head a million times the night I met you in Abernathy. I
hate
when things are unsure. I make bad decisions.”

Bradley’s lips ticked up into a smile. “Guess we’re more alike than we knew.”

Chance shook his head, grinning. “Apparently too much alike. But damn you.” Chance dropped his hand and frowned. Bradley quailed at the loss of connection, wanted it back now.

“Just as I’d gotten sure of myself, sure of you, you decided to get unsure of
me
.” Bradley’s shoulders sagged. His chest ached at the hurt in Chance’s voice. “I start talking, being me finally, and you clam up until it boils over.”

“I know,” Bradley responded quietly. “And I wish I could take it back. But I hope for a chance to at least make it up to you.” He scrunched his nose. “Er, no pun intended.”

Chance walked into the kitchen area and reached in the cabinet. He pulled out a tall shot glass and filled it with tap water. Then he placed the pitiful weed flower Bradley had given him in the water and set it in the center of the kitchen island. That made Bradley’s gut unclench a little. Maybe…

“Bradley,” Chance said, walking back over to him. “I wasn’t ignoring you, wanting you to fucking leave. It’s been two days you impatient bastard!”

“Chance, I was just going to Abernathy. I got a job offer. Wanted to give you space but not give up on you. I hoped you weren’t giving up on me.”

Chance blinked like a surprised owl. Then his eyes slowly narrowed until he said, “That wench.”

That made Bradley guffaw. Goddamn it felt good to just be in the same room as this man. He needed him like that weed needed water. “She’s sneaky, that’s for sure.”

“I’ll say. Shit, she scared me.” Chance crowded Bradley against the wall. “But she didn’t have to. I was going to call you tonight. I just needed to deal with one thing at a time.”

Bradley swallowed. The heat coming from Chance’s body was driving him crazy. But not just in a sex way, he craved being near Chance. “I know. Your family is important to you. I just thought I’d really fucked up.”

“Only a little.” Chance kissed Bradley’s chin since his mouth was closer to level there. He looked up into Bradley’s eyes. “But not enough for me to be done with you. You gave me this bright colorful world and made me feel for the first time. You loved me when I needed it. I can
see
for the first time ever. But it did hurt when you didn’t have more faith in me.”

Bradley sighed sadly. “Can we sit?” He needed air, a moment to get his bearings so he could tell Chance the last bit.

“Okay,” Chance said. They went to the couch. So many good memories on that couch and he was so happy to know they weren’t the last. He hoped.

“You’re right. I didn’t talk all the time. I mean, I talked to you a lot more than the others and I’m so glad you opened up so much to me too. But I had a relationship with a closeted guy in the past. It didn’t put me off dating, just made me wary of you. And this is a reason, not an excuse. I just want you to understand.”

“I’m listening,” Chance said, placing a steadying hand on Bradley’s knee. Bradley felt the touch all the way to his core, wrapped his fingers around Chance’s. “It’s nothing that’s not cliché. It was college, I dated another rancher’s son. But he was closeted. His buddies found out I was gay and he was the lucky one who got to knock my ass out. He said it was better him than the others but it’s kind of hard to stay with someone who’d punch you in front of all your and his friends and call you queer.”

Chance looked horrified. “Oh God, Bradley.” He kissed Bradley soundly on the mouth then hugged him tightly. It wasn’t sexual, just holding for a minute. He pulled back with a watery smile. “I swear that’s the millionth hug in the last few days.”

Bradley put a hand to Chance’s cheek swiping a tear that was for Bradley off that pretty cheekbone. It was a heady feeling. Nobody had ever cared about him enough to cry
for
him not out of pity but because they cared for him. “And I swear I’m tired of these waterworks. Damn. Next I’ll be crying at Hallmark commercials.”

Bradley huffed a laugh. “It’s sweet.” That got an eye roll from Chance. “I should have told you that before. It’s why I was always one foot out the door.”

“Surely you never thought…”

“No, no!” Bradley shook his head vehemently. “No never. I knew you better than that. But it hurts to be someone’s secret. So after that I came out to my dad and he wanted to hide me away too. I was sick of being everyone’s secret. So I stayed away all these years and was open and loud. But you came along all perfect and made me see I had still been holding myself back in one way.”

Chance’s soft smile, the one Bradley now knew was all for him, made him want to wrap the man up and keep him forever. “You also just wanted me for me. I’ve never had that. Guess we both struggled under the weight of other people’s expectations.”

“I thought opposites were supposed to attract.”

“I guess sometimes like attracts like.” After that they were silent for a moment, just sitting with each other, holding hands.

“Are you really leaving?”

Bradley considered the question carefully before answering. “Abernathy wouldn’t be a horrible drive. We could see each other on the weekends.”

Chance gave a nod. “Yes. You’re right.” He didn’t look happy about it but he gave a reassuring kiss to Bradley’s temple. “Whatever you need to do. We’ll be okay. We seem to do okay together, you and me. We always come back for each other.”

Bradley felt his heart swell. “We do, don’t we.” He glanced at Chance. Knowing Chance wasn’t entirely pleased about him leaving but wouldn’t make him stay if going made him happy, that was real. “You know, there’s also this job offer I have here with a start-up. It’s risky. But I have enough savings. I might could pull off sticking around for a few months just to see if that works out.”

Chance sat up straight, grinning ear to ear. “Don’t fuck with me on this.”

“Would I do that?” Bradley asked, teasing. That earned him a punch to the shoulder.

“Don’t play. I’d love nothing more than having you there. This is my dream and you helped make it come true. You’d make me happy and the investors happy. It’d be a big risk, but like I said, if it’s not working I’d not hold it against you for having to back out.”

Bradley leaned in and shut Chance up with a kiss. “I can’t tell if I liked you better when you were quiet, shy Chance Becket.”

“Dick,” Chance said before he was silenced by another kiss. It didn’t take long before they were both out of their clothes, wrapped around one another on the couch.

“God, I love your body,” Chance said, running his calloused hand down Bradley’s chest, ribs, reached around to grab his ass. Bradley shivered all over, whimpering sweetly when Chance nibbled on his bottom lip. Chance opened his legs, wrapping them around Bradley’s waist and they began rubbing off on each other.

“Fuck yes. Thought I’d never get this again,” Bradley said. He hadn’t meant to admit it but hey, they were all about honesty now, right?

Chance stilled. “That was never a worry. Never will be, you hear?” Bradley nodded. They started moving against one another again. Bradley wanted to taste Chance’s cock but he didn’t want to give up the full-body skin on skin experience. So he contented himself with squeezing Chance’s firm ass as they ground their cocks against each other’s hips. He dipped a finger into Chance’s hole.

“Fuck. More.” Chance grunted between each word. Bradley put his fingers in Chance’s mouth, letting him lick until they were good and wet. Chance’s eyes were wild, full of passion and sweet love as he suckled. Bradley put the fingers in his mouth and licked where Chance had before reaching down and pushing first one, then two in, watching Chance’s eyes roll back. Then he sank them in further and started fucking Chance with both digits.

Chance pushed up on Bradley’s chest and Bradley moved so sitting. He wondered only for a second what was going on before Chance straddled his lap and reached the drawer of the side table. He came back with just the lube.

They’d been tested on a whim, but Bradley had never pushed the issue assuming it was too far for Chance. “Are you sure?” Bradley asked.

He’d only ever done it without a rubber when he was a stupid teenager. He’d been very lucky. But he knew Chance never had. This was big.

“I want you like that,” Chance said, blushing from more than just arousal.

Bradley growled and took Chance’s mouth. They kissed hard and sloppy, no art to it. He grunted into Chance’s mouth as Chance’s lubed hand started slicking him up. “Jesus,” he said against Chance’s mouth. Then Chance looked into Bradley’s eyes as he put Bradley’s cock to his hole and slowly sank down.

Bradley held eye contact as long as he could but when Chance was seated, ass to lap, he dropped his head back against the couch cushion and groaned. “Fuck, you’re so tight.” They’d been doing this long enough now but it still always surprised him how tight Chance was. He was also wholly unprepared for how hot Chance was inside.

Chance raised up into a squatting position, leaning to whisper in Bradley’s ear. “Fucking pound me.”

Bradley smirked as he gripped Chance’s hips. His first few thrusts were languid, preparing, as he licked playfully at Chance’s lips. Then he slammed in once, twice, and they were fucking hard. He didn’t give an inch. Chance’s well-formed pecs bounced, hair flopping into his eyes as he stroked his cock.