Chapter One

~ Victor~

V ictor sighed and spun the knob on the safe in his room. It was tucked away in the back corner of his closet. Most people used safes for important documents or money. Victor used his small, hotel-like one for clothes. Clothes that he could never let his family see. He stood up and closed the door, turning to his bed and picking up the forest green shirt he'd been wearing earlier. His shorts were next. It always felt weird to him to put usual clothes back on after he spent some time in the skirt and tank top he had. He shrugged his shoulders, adjusting the fabric against his skin.

Two knocks on his door made him jump. It had to be his mom or dad. Paxton was at the campus and no one else really came up to the bedrooms. He glanced once more to make sure his closet door was shut and moved to unlock his bedroom door. His parents respected their privacy but he wouldn't risk someone walking in on him. He lived with a supportive family, but he didn't want to push how far that support went. The son of a rancher getting caught wearing more feminine clothing; even Victor knew there would be confusion and judgment there. He just had another week before he moved into the apartment at university.

"Hey, we're about to eat." His mom smiled at him and he nodded. He grabbed his phone off the dresser by the door and followed her downstairs. The house was rarely ever empty, but with Paxton busy with her job and his dad working on upgrading things around the ranch, his mom seemed to be trying to get more involved in his life. It wasn't a bad thing. He loved his mom. Loved his entire family, including those added in by the foundation. But his mom was asking him nearly every day if he was ready to move out and how he planned on fixing things up. She would suggest they could go shopping. The apartment came furnished with the basics: bedframe, dresser, desk, and a couch in the living room. He knew she wasn't ready for an empty house, but he was excited to have his own place and be able to decorate.

William, the owner of the Found Family Ranch foundation, and Brett, the foundation's go-to business guy and property manager, were sitting at the table with his dad. It'd been over five years since the foundation was started. The first time he met William, he wasn't even a teenager yet. His parents were supportive and Paxton came out as bisexual soon after, but seeing his dad jump so easily into this business deal that would help a lot of people was nice. Brett and his boyfriend-then-husband, Wylon, stayed in the guest house during the building process and for a while after it was up and running. They moved out of the house and a couple months later, his uncle, Xander, moved in. Victor didn't know the whole story, but he watched him throw himself into work for months until Wright came along.

He didn't get involved in the dramas or going-on around the ranch. He was happy for his uncle and now his sister for finding their person. The wedding for Xander and Wright was intimate but fun. Wright's grandparents, a few aunts and uncles, and two cousins came down. Wright had only met them a handful of times since he came to the ranch, but they seemed to genuinely care for him. Zaya, his sister's girlfriend, on the other hand, kept her family at a distance. He knew she had money and was a yearly donor to the foundation. But most of her time she spent out with the cattle. She still joined them for dinner from time-to-time and they obviously joined for family events, cookouts, and celebrations.

"Hey, look who it is!" William shot a smile toward Victor as he sat down. "Are you ready to move to the city?"

"I am," Victor said. He sat down next to his dad. William was sitting one chair over, giving his mom the space on the other side of his dad. Brett was sitting at the other end of the table. "I've got most everything packed and ready to move next week."

"Have you met the person you're going to be sharing with?"

"Not officially," Victor said. "We've messaged here and there, but he isn't very talkative. At least over text."

"So you'll get along great," Brett said, leaning forward and hitting the back of his hand against Victor's shoulder lightly. He sat back in his seat just as Victor's mom came back with the final dish. They started passing around bowls of chicken, mashed potatoes, and veggies. As always, his mom's cooking was spot on.

"How has the new tenant been?" His mom asked once they were all settled with full plates. There was enough left that Paxton and Zaya would have some leftovers once they got home .

"He's alright," William said. "Says he's settling in nicely. He gives compliments to whoever made those brownies last week as a welcome."

"That would actually be Victor," Patrick said. "I think he made enough for us, the tenants, and the ranchers."

"I didn't realize the recipe was already doubled to begin with," Victor said. He'd been home while everyone was either working or out. His mom had gone to the farmer's market in the Fairwind town limits. He wanted something sweet and found his mom's stack of recipes in a little box in the kitchen. "They were good, though."

"Can't argue that," Brett said. "I'm pretty sure I ate at least three of them before I even made it home. Feel free to make that mistake more often."

"We can also stop by campus here and there," William said with a joking tone. "You know, if you want to take after your mom and cook."

Victor's cheeks heated while they joked about him cooking. He didn't mind cooking; enjoyed it most of the time. He definitely preferred to bake over cook, but both ended with decent food. Their conversations bounced throughout the meal. He spoke up a few times, answering questions when he was asked something, but mostly he just watched and listened. The new tenant, he found out, was actually going to be working on campus. Victor hadn't met him yet. His sister was much more outgoing than him, making it a point to at least introduce herself to each tenant. He knew that most of the people were there to lay low or start their lives over so he let them be. Of course, he wasn't rude. If they came to family events or something, he would talk to them. Victor respected their privacy just like he liked that everyone respected his. He was always worried that someone was going to find his secret. The less people he talked to or became friends with, the less people that could get close enough to possibly find out.

The conversations went from cooking and food to stories about when William and Brett were living on campus. Brett was all too happy to tell Tracy about how oblivious William was to Clark's feelings and vice versa. William scoffed and said it wasn't his fault he identified as demi, meaning he needed to have that emotional connection first. Victor knew they were business owners and were wicked smart and serious when needed, but listening to them around the table now, he had to remind himself they were both hitting their thirties.

Another turn in conversation went back to the foundation. William was talking about the new houses up North and the outreach programs they were part of. There was money talk and terms that Victor didn't understand. He was going to school to be a teacher. He tried his best in school and did fairly well. Not quite the level of his sister, but he passed all his classes and tests. He made the decision last year, when he got a teacher that fully believed in him. Their county school was small and it wasn't known for advanced classes. There were very few. But he had a teacher the beginning of his senior year that really pushed each of the students to figure out what they wanted in life. She met with each student, going over transcripts and options. Several students weren't planning to go to college or university. She never judged, always encouraged. Victor wanted to be like her.

"Food was great, Mom." He stood and grabbed his plate when dinner was over. They all grabbed something to clear the table. Victor and his dad were on horse duty, but William and Brett offered to do the dishes since his mom cooked. He offered his mom a side hug. "Thank you."

"Of course, sweetie."

His dad followed him outside. He was in his typical work clothes, a white tee with a flannel over top, jeans and a belt, and his boots. Victor was in a tee, shorts, and tennis shoes. Not exactly the best thing to be wearing to muck out stalls, but he'd done it numerous times before.

"You've been kind of quiet lately," his dad said when they were in the barn alone. Well, in the barn without any other human ears alone. "Is everything alright? I know we've been busy this summer."

"Yeah, I'm good." Victor gave his dad a smile that he hoped would pass as genuine. He really didn't mind how everyone was busy this summer. His parents gifted him with a car for graduation so he was able to come and go with friends as he pleased. The only thing his parents asked was to help a couple times a week with the horses and clean up his mess in the house. They still did dinner most nights and had their family get-togethers so it wasn't like they were all just doing their own things all the time.

"Are you ready to move out?" The horses had been out most of the day and he knew they'd have to clean up the paddock field in a couple days, but it meant the stalls wouldn't be that bad.

"Would you be offended if I said yes?" Victor's words were joking, but also held the smallest bit of truth.

"Not at all," his dad said easily. "Your sister did it; it's only fair that you should get that chance too. I don't like that you haven't met this roommate of yours yet."

"He doesn't seem like a bad guy," Victor said. He shoveled a pile of wet bedding and dumped it into the wheel barrow they were sharing between the stalls. He was already working up a sweat. "He said he'll be there on move in day, didn't care how we fixed up the apartment, and said that I could choose which room I wanted. I get the impression that he won't actually be using the apartment much."

His dad appeared at the open door of the stall. "Please do not let your mother hear you say that."

They added fresh bedding and refilled the buckets with feed and water for the evening and then moved to the other two stalls. There were five total, each taken by one of their work horses. They'd given a few horseback riding lessons through the summer and Zaya had her kids from California coming each month as well. They always loved meeting the horses. Her bull calf, Mini Moo, was too big for the kids to be around now. He was living his best life out in the fields.

"I know the place comes furnished with some stuff," his dad said a few minutes later when they were finishing the last bit of the stalls. "But you need to get some things for the place."

"I have most everything I need from my room already," Victor said. "The other things will come with time and if he does bring things with him, then I don't want to have doubles of anything."

"Makes sense, but please let your mother get you one or two things," his dad said. "She's talking my ear off about you not having everything."

"She wasn't this worried about Paxton," Victor said with only a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh no, she was. Trust me on that one." They worked together to put the tools away and walked around to the back of the barn to dump the manure. Victor was ready to be rid of the smell for a while. He'd be back on weekends, but the break during the week would be welcomed. "I'm proud of you, Victor. You've turned into a good, young man."

Victor gave his dad a tight-lipped smile and nodded. He accepted the clap on his shoulder and they dropped the short conversation. He knew his mom was worried. He would make it a point to ask her if she would go shopping with him to get a few things.

There was a car Victor didn't recognize when they finished getting the horses in and closed the barn door. It wasn't set to rain tonight so they'd most likely turn the horses back out later for the night. He felt gross, though, and wanted to take a shower. William and Brett were coming down the porch steps while someone got out of the car. The guy looked a bit older than William, black frame glasses, slim build. He was wearing a gray, long sleeve shirt and jeans. Patrick stopped to talk to them, but Victor just gave a curt nod and headed into the house for a shower.

"…and that was my son, Victor. He's going to be starting at the school this year." He could hear his dad saying more but he continued into the house. His mom was sitting in the living room watching TV when he passed her on the way upstairs.

"You better have those shoes off, Victor! I just mopped this morning."

"Yes, ma'am!" Victor stopped at the bottom of the steps and bent down to slip out of the tennis shoes. He glanced back, saying a silent thank you to whoever that he hadn't tracked anything through the house. He had a pair of boots for the barn but he hadn't felt like going through the trouble of putting them on. They were tucked away in the laundry room, his mom's rule.

The bathroom was messy, a clear sign that Paxton had been rushing that morning to get out of the house. He stripped out of his clothes and turned the water on. He washed his hands before straightening up Paxton's things. Paxton didn't wear a lot of makeup, but she did have a full skin routine so he understood what most of the products were. He even had a few of his own. It wasn't quite as extensive as his sister, but he dealt with acne in middle school and a few breakouts here and there so he kept up with it.

The water was hot by the time he pulled the curtain back and he adjusted the spray just a bit to cool him off. He realized too late he should have grabbed his phone from the kitchen to play music. He made his shower quick, feeling a lot better by the time he reached for the towel. He hadn't even stopped to get clothes so he peeked out into the hallway before rushing across the hall to his bedroom. He locked the door and unwrapped the towel, drying himself off. He paused for a moment, glancing from his closet to the dresser where his regular clothes were waiting. He didn't have anything else to do tonight so maybe putting on the lacy panties he'd bought wouldn't be a bad idea. He'd just chill in his room.

He moved to his closet and got down to his knees to reach the safe. He washed everything, but he always waited until he knew he'd be alone and could wash the items without anyone accidentally grabbing his clothes. The pair was white. It had a solid band on the top and bottom and was lace throughout. The design was a mix of petals and flowers mixed together. He pulled them up and settled them on his hips. The back covered his ass perfectly and the front had a pouch where his cock settled. They were hipster style. He adjusted himself slightly before moving to look at the full length mirror. He loved the way the white stood against his skin. The pouch inside the underwear was black, hiding most of his groin. There were a few dark hairs that poked out the top. He typically kept himself clean shaven, but he was holding out for having his own bathroom.

His genes definitely took after his dad. He was bulky naturally, a little bit of muscle added to his biceps and pecs from doing random jobs on the farm. His skin was naturally tanned too, the rest of his torso not overly muscled but nice to look at. He had several girls that he knew were interested in him, especially when they went to the local swimming hole along the creek. It was usually Kyle that threw the impromptu parties there. Victor didn't mind the attention, but he definitely tried to keep it at a minimum. He preferred to just swim, jump from the rope swing, and chill with his friends.

He ran his hand up his body, closing his eyes slightly to picture it as someone else touching him. He wasn't a virgin, but just barely. He didn't count the one time he did have sex. It was just a thing that happened and wasn't really spoken about since. Joe had asked him point blank if he was gay, but Victor wasn't even sure himself. Joe was straight, but he didn't have a judgmental bone in his body. They never spoke about it after that. His hand reached the base of his neck and he opened his eyes to stare at his reflection. His eyes were somewhere between blue and gray and his hair was the dirty blonde shade that always got lighter in the summer months. He didn't buzz his hair, but the style was shorter on the sides and slightly longer on top. It was enough that he could run his fingers through it at any spot. Victor thought about letting it grow out. He let his fingers trail up the sides of his neck. His own gentle touches created goosebumps on his arms and down his spine. He twisted his body, admiring the way the fabric hugged him at every angle.

He imagined a whole drawer of different shapes and designs. Maybe some that didn't even have the ass portion to them. He could pair them with the skirt in his closet. It was black pleather and barely covered the tops of his thighs. He glanced over at his open closet and debated. He usually only brought the clothes out once in a while. Never twice in just a matter of hours. It had to be that he was so close to having his own space and being able to discover himself.

It wasn't like he would be totally on his own on campus, though. His sister worked there and William and Brett both had the tendency to stop by the campus to either see a friend or do something for the business. He would still have to be careful.

After another couple of seconds he decided not to risk it. He'd keep the underwear on, though. He turned to his dresser and pulled out a pair of black sweats and a loose tank. It was originally a high school t-shirt, but he'd cut the sleeves off. Their mascot was the lamest, a rocket of all things. The Fairwind County Rockets. It was a navy blue shirt with a white rocket logo and the name of the school. He'd probably end up throwing it out when he unpacked at the apartment.

He made his way downstairs, smiling to himself at the feel of the fabric against his skin. They were soft and, unlike the briefs he usually wore, didn't move or get too sweaty. His phone was sitting on the counter where he'd left it, but the house was quiet. He assumed everyone was outside and opened the screen door to check.

His mom and dad were sitting on the porch swing together and the same guy from half an hour before was sitting in one of the chairs. His mom had a cup in her hand, but the guys each had a beer.

"Victor," his mom said happily when she spotted him. He'd been just about to go back up to his room. Too late now. He pushed open the door and walked out. The weather was cooling down quickly with the sun setting. "This is Tawson. He's staying up in one of the houses right now."

Victor looked at the man. He'd only caught a glimpse of him earlier, but he was quite attractive. Victor was nineteen and while he didn't know what he considered himself, he had eyes and could say when someone was easy on them. Tawson's hair was buzzed, his hairline the type that receded at his temples a bit. His glasses sat on a perfectly straight nose. Victor had inherited his dad and uncle's nose where it looked slightly crooked, like he'd broken it years ago. Tawson's beard was short, more than stubble, like he hadn't shaved in about a week.

What had Victor nearly stumbling over his own bare feet was the way this man's eyes raked over him unapologetically. The guy's face was turned away from his parents, thank god, but there was no mistaking the way his eyes lingered on Victor's exposed arms and tracked well below his shoulders.

"Nice to meet you," the guy said after a couple seconds of silence. He smiled and lifted his beer to his lips. Lips that Victor most definitely did not watch wrap around the bottle. He was singing praises for the loose sweats he chose because the lace underneath was no match to hide a boner.

"You too," Victor coughed out. He was not playing this cool. He looked at his parents and flipped his phone from one hand to another. "I was just coming down to say I'm going to turn in early. Mom, did you want to maybe go shopping tomorrow?"