Chapter 13

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CHARLIE

CHARLIE HAD never felt so conflicted in his life.

On one hand, he was furious. Ward was kissing my Sky! It was one thing to know that other men touched his Sky, but another thing entirely to actually see it happen. Charlie had gone from liking Ward to hating the man in that moment.

What if Ward tried to take his Sky away from him? Charlie couldn't let that happen. He'd nearly lost Skylar once. He wouldn't survive losing him again.

On the other hand, he was so utterly aroused that he thought he might ejaculate at any moment.

Seeing Ward and Skylar kissing had gotten his blood boiling. Not just out of anger, but with desire as well. Something about the two of them together looked a little too right . But it couldn't be right. Skylar was his , damn it! It couldn't be right to see his Sky kissing another man when Skylar was only supposed to kiss Charlie himself.

And to make matters worse? Charlie wanted to kiss Ward, too. Maybe even more than kiss. Charlie's penis had been hard almost the whole time he'd sat in Ward's lap. And now it was hard again, with Ward on top of him.

But Ward's penis was hard, too. Charlie felt it.

That, more than anything, was what had stopped his fit dead in its tracks. Ward pinned him down very well, better even than his own father. Dad was the biggest man in his family, so it usually fell to him to hold Charlie down when he needed it. Skylar wasn't quite strong enough. Nor were Charlie's brothers. At least, not anymore now that Charlie was fully grown. It had been a different story when Charlie was still a kid and his older brothers stood bigger and taller than him. Now that they were all grown up, they were built about the same. Dakota had bigger shoulders and stronger arms from all his swimming, and Quinn stood slightly taller, but they were all more or less equally matched.

None of them came close to Ward. Charlie felt so good and safe and contained, being held down by the man, it was almost overwhelming.

But adding in the man's obvious arousal? The feeling of Ward's erection against his backside had completely short-circuited Charlie's brain.

A frustrated groan escaped him. Why did that feeling excite him so much? It wasn't supposed to be like that. Charlie was only supposed to be attracted to his Sky, yet there he lay, heart pounding, wishing Ward would touch him more. Lots more. Naked more. It didn't make any sense!

“ Hhnn ,” Charlie whined.

“Hey,” Skylar murmured. “Charlie? You okay? You ready to get up?”

No . No, he most definitely was not ready to get up. He couldn't let his Sky see the state of his penis, straining the confines of his jeans. How would he explain it?

Then again, his Sky had some explaining to do himself.

“Take your time,” Skylar said.

Charlie squeezed his eyes shut, then nearly heaved a sigh of relief when Ward shifted back a little more, putting just enough space between their bodies that Charlie could no longer feel the man's erection. It was just what he needed. Without that tempting and distracting sensation, all he really felt was the cold, hard floor beneath him. It stabbed into his knees and elbows and hips, wherever the skin was thinnest over the bones. Within moments, Charlie's penis was soft again.

He whined and struggled beneath Ward, needing to get up and away from the hard floor.

“He's ready,” Skylar said.

Ward slowly let go. He released Charlie's wrists, dragging his hands down Charlie's forearms. Charlie trembled, feeling that simple touch all over, threatening to get him aroused again. Then Ward planted his hands on the floor and pushed himself up, lifting away from Charlie's body. Charlie heard the man get to his feet, then gave himself a moment, shivering at the sudden chill now that Ward's body wasn't blanketed over his.

Finally, Charlie pushed himself up onto his hands and knees before standing. He backed slightly away from both Skylar and Ward. Besides still being mad at both of them, he was also far too tempted. He wanted to haul his Sky up to their room so he could have Skylar be all his. But he also wanted to go to Ward for comfort. And then some.

Damn it! Why did this have to be so confusing?

“I should probably get going,” Ward announced.

Charlie scowled, rocking on his feet. He wanted Ward to hurry up and leave so he could have his Sky to himself. But a part of him also wanted Ward to stay. “ Hhnn ,” he whined, tempted to beat on his head and throw another fit. This was all too much.

“Easy,” Skylar murmured. “I know. Loud feelings, huh?” He stepped closer to Charlie but didn't touch him. “How about we go upstairs and read for a bit, yeah? That sound okay?”

Charlie considered it. Quiet time did sound good. But he also still itched with arousal despite his penis not being hard at the moment. He was going to have to take care of that before anything else. Once they were upstairs—even though it wasn't the right time of day—he could ask for sex. Not there in front of Ward. So Charlie nodded in agreement.

“Okay,” Skylar murmured, giving him a gentle smile, then turned to Ward. “It was good seeing you again,” he said, his voice full of something that Charlie didn't like.

“You, too,” Ward replied, sounding the same way Skylar did.

Charlie's scowl deepened.

Ward shifted his stance, cleared his throat, then said, “Yeah. Um. Have a good night.”

“You, too,” Skylar replied.

After a tiny pause, Ward said, “Bye, Charlie.”

Charlie's chest felt tight. He was tempted to tell Ward not to go, but how else would he get his Sky alone? Charlie made himself give a little wave, then turned away and tromped up the stairs.

He heard the front door open and shut, then came the sound of Skylar's soft footsteps. Charlie led the way down the hall and unlocked the door to their room. He waited for Skylar to go in before following him inside and locking the door behind them, shutting out the rest of the world.

Skylar turned to face him and signed, You okay?

Charlie couldn't help smiling a little as he rocked on his feet. He liked Skylar's voice, but he also appreciated the silence after all the loud emotions he'd experienced downstairs. Still, he had to think about his answer. Charlie let his gaze roam about the room without really seeing anything while he considered how he felt. He was still angry and jealous. But he also still felt that itch of arousal, which was confusing and distracting. He'd need to take care of that first before he could really focus on anything else.

He held up his right hand in a loose fist with his pinkie finger extended. It wasn't the actual sign for sex . Charlie had made it up just for himself and his Sky. That way, nobody else would understand it and make him feel embarrassed.

Skylar chuckled softly. “Okay.” He sat down on the floor and started taking off his shoes.

Charlie waited, watching Skylar cross the room and get undressed. He rocked faster and couldn't help letting out a few quiet squeaks. Skylar was neat and methodical as he stripped off his socks, shirt, jeans, and underwear, setting everything aside in a tidy pile. Once Skylar was naked, Charlie's rocking turned into little bounces of excitement. He loved Skylar's body.

Before his hormones and chest surgery, Skylar had always been uncomfortable in his own skin. As much as Charlie had difficulty reading people, that had been painfully obvious. He'd hated watching Skylar struggle. Now, though, his Sky stood tall and confident. Unashamed. Charlie took in everything from Skylar's long, bony toes to the hint of stubble on his jaw. His Sky had definitely been meant to be a boy, and he was beautiful.

Except for the faint bruise on his cheek.

Charlie whimpered.

Skylar had put a knee up on the bed, but then he stopped and looked at Charlie with obvious concern on his face. “Charlie? What's wrong?”

Charlie rocked for a moment before he pointed.

“What? Oh.” Skylar reached up and carefully touched his cheek, then shook his head. “It's okay.”

Charlie rocked faster.

“Charlie.” Skylar moved closer but didn't touch him. “It was an accident. I know you didn't mean it.”

My Sky hurt , Charlie signed. My fault . He covered his face with both hands.

“Charlie,” Skylar said. He grabbed Charlie's hands and pulled them away. “I'm fine.” He pulled Charlie's hands around him to press them down on his buttocks. Then Skylar slowly lifted his own arms and draped them over Charlie's shoulders as he moved in, brushing their noses together.

Charlie sucked in a breath and grabbed Skylar with both hands. The firm muscles and soft skin felt good, and Charlie couldn't resist pulling Skylar hard up against himself.

When Skylar brushed a gentle kiss over his lips, Charlie forgot everything except the lingering need to claim him.

Charlie opened his mouth and took control of the kiss, moaning when their tongues connected. He loved kissing his Sky. Their first kiss had been clumsy and awkward, but Charlie knew what he was doing now. They'd had years of practice. Sometimes, when sex was too overstimulating, they would just lie in bed and kiss for an hour, the time simply flying by as they lost themselves in one another.

But right now? After that whole confusing, frustrating moment with Ward? Charlie needed more.

“ Hhng .” Charlie rocked his hips impatiently against Skylar's body.

Skylar breathed a laugh. “Okay.” He gently pulled away, then slowly walked backwards. “Get undressed.”

Charlie made quick work of his own clothing as Skylar climbed up onto the bed. Skylar stretched out on his back and spread his legs, idly rubbing between them, making Charlie even more desperate to get naked. He needed to be on top of his Sky. Inside him. He needed Skylar to be all his.

Once his clothes were in a neat pile, Charlie scrambled up onto the bed and stretched out on top of Skylar, kissing him again. He rocked his hips, his aching penis rubbing between Skylar's legs. Skylar's natural lubrication made the motion easy. Charlie moaned, needing more.

He grabbed his penis and felt around for Skylar's entrance.

“Charlie,” Skylar said, dragging out his name in a warning tone. “Condom.”

“ Hhnn .” Charlie jabbed at Skylar's body.

“Charlie, you know better.”

Charlie sat back on his heels and scowled. He didn't like condoms. They were uncomfortable. And they felt like something that kept him apart from his Sky. After the drama downstairs, Charlie didn't want anything between them.

Skylar sat up. “Charlie, it's for your protection, too.” He paused. “Even though I get tested regularly, until I can quit my job…”

Charlie scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. W-A-R-D? he signed, finger-spelling the man's name.

Skylar got a weird look on his face. “Yeah. He's a client. As of last night.”

Charlie clenched his jaw as a confusing swell of emotions ran through him.

Ward had sex with his Sky just last night?

Charlie couldn't help picturing it: his Sky naked, like he was now, but with Ward on top of him instead. The idea was so arousing that it only made Charlie even more angry and confused.

“But condoms also prevent other things, remember?” Skylar added. “I can't get pregnant, Charlie. I can't. I would rather die.”

Charlie sucked in a breath, all his anger gone as panic took over. He threw himself on top of Skylar and frantically shook his head as an endless stream of whines and whimpers escaped him.

“Hey, I'm sorry,” Skylar murmured, wrapping his arms around him. “It's okay. I'm sorry. Poor choice of words.”

No die! Charlie signed. No die! No die! He hid his face against Skylar's neck. He'd thought Skylar was dead once, and the news had nearly destroyed him.

“I'm right here, Charlie. It's okay. I'm right here.”

Charlie squirmed, feeling on the verge of overwhelm. But the need to be inside his Sky dominated everything else. It wasn't even about getting physical relief anymore. Now, he simply needed to feel his Sky. To feel how alive they both were.

He dove for the nightstand where he'd put a box of condoms, ripping one out and rolling it on in a hurry. Skylar had to help him, but once it was on, Charlie pushed Skylar back down and thrust into his body.

Oh . Charlie stopped there, buried to the root inside his Sky. He let out a sigh of relief. Beneath him, Skylar waited patiently while Charlie caught his breath and let the overwhelming sensations fade a bit before he started to move.

“That's it,” Skylar murmured. “Fuck me, Charlie.” He paused with a teasing smile. “But remember, you have to stay quiet. There are strangers in the house.”

Charlie bit back a whimper, then hid his face against Skylar again, muffling the sounds that wanted to come out. He hated doing that, but as Charlie drove into Skylar over and over, he realized it turned out to be for the best.

Because the more he thrust into his Sky, the more Charlie thought about Ward.

And he wasn't sure he could keep that off his face.