Page 22 of Kylie

“Tell me again,” I demanded, sliding my hands into his hair, gripping firmly as I looked down into his eyes.

“I love you,” Gage rasped, as though the words were torn from his chest. “I love you so fuckin’ much, Travis. So much, but it hurts. I know you loved Kylie more, I know⁠—”

I staggered back, dropping my arms. “What? Why the fuck would you think that?”

His eyes scanned my face. “How can I not? You can’t even look at me. I’m the one who has to pin you down just to get a few minutes of your time. I’m the one who comes to you every fuckin’ night because I don’t want you to forget me.”

I stared, mouth agape.

“Without her, what’s left, Travis?” Gage asked, eyes pleading. “Tell me that. You’ve always said you couldn’t have one without the other. That was your reasoning, was it not? The reason you and Kylie went your separate ways in the very beginning? Because you needed both.”

I had no idea what to say. Not because there was any truth in what Gage was saying. Well, not anymore. I had said that. Yes. A long fucking time ago. Long before I'd fallen in love with both Kylie and Gage individually.

“I don’t want you to forget me, Travis,” Gage said, his tone defeated. “I don’t⁠—”

I cut him off by slamming my mouth down on his. I kissed him, taking us both down to the bed. I was rough, but I was angry, so it made sense. How could this man think so little of me? How could he believe that I would ever not want him?

“I don’t love her more,” I growled, settling over Gage.

“It’s all right if you do, Trav. I understand.”

I lifted my head, stared down at the man beneath me. “You don’t.” I shook my head to emphasize my words. “You don’t fuckin’ understand.”

Gage stared, his eyes imploring me to explain.

“For fuck’s sake, Gage. I love you equally. The kids … you … Kylie…” I was unable to hide my frustration as I tried to spell it out. “All of you make up my whole heart. All the pieces.” I shifted, sliding over him so that I covered him fully. “But you … you’re my best friend, my lover, the man I want to have my back for the rest of my life. You, Gage.”

I could feel the emotions churning between us, knew Gage was listening.

“I can’t lose you, too,” I whispered, pressing my lips to his. “I won’t survive it.”

Gage’s hand caressed the side of my face as our lips melded together. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, Trav.”

It wasn’t the hard, furious kisses we’d indulged in recently. This was slow and sweet and more than a little sad.

And exactly what I needed. This was what we both needed. A minute together to share our pain, to know someone else was there, someone would hold us up when the weight of the world became too much. We’d avoided this for weeks now, avoided opening ourselves up because the emotional turmoil was already more than we could bear.

“Love me, Gage,” I mumbled.

“Always,” he whispered.

His hands moved first, lifting my shirt, forcing me to rise. We moved together, rolling and shifting but never releasing one another. It wasn’t long before we were skin to skin, limbs tangled as our lips remained locked, tongues searching, seeking. On our sides, legs twined, neither of us made a move to pull apart, in tune with one another on a deeper level.

When Gage slid his hand between us, fisting my cock, I hissed in a breath, pressed my forehead to his as my hips automatically pumped to increase the friction. And when I did the same in return, fisting Gage’s cock, stroking, teasing, we lost ourselves.

I hadn’t been looking for this when I came into the room. I hadn’t been seeking Gage out for this type of comfort, but it happened. There, in one another’s arms, we touched and claimed, stroking one another to a climax that wasn’t just physical. It was the release we both sought, solidifying the bond we’d had all along, strengthening it.

When Gage grunted, I gripped him more firmly, stroked harder, drawing him closer and closer until it was inevitable. Only then did I nip his lower lip as we both came.

Afterward, I dragged Gage into the shower with me, where we spent another few minutes together. Nothing sexual, only love this time. Only one heartbeat to another in a moment that would give us the strength to make it through one more day.

Chapter Seven

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Gage

I awoke slowly for the first time in more than a month.