One Last Kiss Goodbye (Hidden Hearts #2)

by N. J. Nielsen

  Even thinking about Kayne instantly had his cock filling out. His hand automatically slipped down to caress himself through the fabric of his pants. He closed his eyes as an image of Kayne's handsome face came to mind, looking exactly as he had at their dad's fiftieth birthday party. Jacen groaned, his hand slipping under the edge of his pants to make contact with his hot, hard, and now-aching cock. Was it really classed as cheating to jerk off to thoughts of someone else if you hadn't physically slept with your current partner in two months? Lately he just couldn't bring himself to be intimate with George, not when he truly wanted out of the relationship and into someone else's arms. Right now he was so confused about everything. How could he stay with one man while his body, heart, and soul craved another? Even if it was someone who didn't want him.

  Sweat glistened over his skin. His body reacted to the slide of his hand over his cock had lightning pinged through his core. His memories yanked him back to the night so long ago and the moment Kayne's lips touched his. His thumb pressed the wet head of his cock, Kayne's name on his lips like a chant as his orgasm went off like a flash bomb. Jacen thrust up into his hand and cried out his release. Slowly Kayne's smiling face faded from his mind and Jacen's guilt kicked in. Stripping off his T-shirt, he cleaned himself up.

  He couldn't do this anymore.

  It was time to make a change.

  He packed away the papers neatly into a folder then shut down his laptop. Jacen stood and walked out to the kitchen, grabbed a beer out of the fridge then came back to sit on the couch. He propped his feet up on the coffee table, leant his head back then he stared at the ceiling as if the nondescript piece of badly-painted flat board held all the answers.

  What the hell was he still doing here in a city he didn't even like? He'd been living in an apartment that, if he was honest, had never felt like a real home. Jacen fully understood he couldn't go on sharing his life with a man who he'd never been be able to truly love. George was a man who had never ever loved him like he was meant to be loved. Jacen had always gotten the feeling he was more like an accessory to George rather than a true partner.

  Micah was right. It was time he grew up. His brother was also right about Jacen being able to start his clothing business anywhere. The truth was, some of those papers he'd packed away were the statistics of shopping needs for all three places Micah had mentioned. The only reason he'd stayed away from Queensland for so long was because he'd exiled himself from his hometown and the people in it. Jacen sat forward and placed his untouched beer on the coffee table. He picked up the phone and rang around until he found a moving company with an opening. Now that his mind was made up, Jacen just wanted the move over and done with.

  He wanted to start fresh.

  Next on his list was real estate. He rang his one and only real friend, Margie, and told her he was finally going home. Margie was both happy for him and sad to see him go, but she helped put his apartment on the market for sale. He gave her the details of when he was leaving, where he was heading, and hoping to finally be able to settle down. Margie even rang the real estate's sister office in Queensland, and four hours later had organised a house for him to rent, with the possibility of buying, just outside of Gatton with some acreage, just like he'd always dreamed. He would definitely be buying. The apartment he currently lived in had been a smart investment, as it was so close to the city centre. He'd used every cent from the inheritance his grandmother had left him when she had passed away five years ago. Once the apartment sold, he would be able replenish the funds in his accounts that he would spend moving and setting up his business. The Iverly Lane was going to become a reality sooner or later. And he would have a healthy amount of money to buy, or at least put a decent deposit down on his own house.

  In less than five hours Jacen had everything organised. Just as he got back to his apartment from the transport depot with a load of boxes, his phone rang. From the flashing light on the phone cradle he knew he had some missed calls—twelve of them. Impressive.

  "Hello."

  "Where the hell have you been? Have you totally forgotten we're going to Kravens for drinks tonight? I've been sitting here like a fool waiting for you to turn up. It would serve you right if I went home and fucked somebody else." By the sound of the snarl in his voice, George was pissed off.

  When George finally stopped to take a breath, Jacen spoke. "George, feel free to go home and fuck whoever you like. It's never stopped you before. As for me, I'm going home. I've just organised the move. Now if you will excuse me, I have some packing to do."

  Jacen hung up the phone while George was still screaming on the other end of the line. Right then he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders as he began the task of taping up boxes. The one smart thing he had done in his relationship with George was the fact he'd never caved into George's demands of them moving in together. It made shifting so much easier—no sorting out of who owns what.

  In reality he knew he wasn't going to get away with dumping George like he had. He remembered once when they had been at dinner with some of George's friends—not his—and how George had boasted how no one ever left him. If a relationship was ending, then it was George Woodrow who was walking away and not some toy who thought he was man enough. That night should've had all of his warning bells going off. Instead, like an idiot, he'd just laughed right along with everyone else.

  * * * *

  The furious pounding on his door no more than an hour after his conversation with George should have alerted him. It only affirmed that his ex wasn't taking their breakup well. He slowly opened the door and braced himself for what was to come. George and two of his obnoxious friends were standing there. The ranting and screaming he could've handled. What he wasn't expecting was the punch to the face that knocked him on his arse before he could even say a word.

  All the profanity falling from George's mouth was lost on him with each punch and kick landing on his body. He was losing consciousness fast. He just hoped he had the strength to hold on so he could call for help before he passed out.

  With as much pain he was in, he wasn't quite sure how long he lay there before he tried to crawl to his phone and call Margie. She'd be the closest person to him who could help. The funny thing was George didn't even have the decency to shut the front door as he'd left. One moment he was staring out into hall and the next a pair of knees was right in front of his face. Jacen cried as he heard the person talking. He could tell by the feminine voice it wasn't George. Relief filled him. His ex hadn't come back to finish the job he'd started.

  As something cool and wet touched his face Jacen gave in to the need to close his eyes. He could hear the person telling him to open his eyes and to stay with her. She also told him help was on the way. Try as he might, it wasn't going to happen. Darkness came and claimed him.

  * * * *

  The smell of antiseptic was the first thing to hit Jacen's senses as he came back into awareness. The second thing to slam through him was the wall of pain. It had him crying out. Someone touched his hand and Jacen was too frightened to look to see who was there. He didn't want it to be George. Beating him up then being there to comfort him was something twisted George would enjoy.

  "Sweetie, I need you to open your eyes."

  Jacen tried to smile but the pain prevented him from doing so when he heard Margie's voice. What was she doing here? How did they even know to contact her? Slowly he opened his eyes and moved his head enough so he could see her. "How?"

  "How did you end up here?" Worry filled her face. "Someone beat the crap out of you and you ended up here. After work I decided to come around and help you do some packing. Instead I found you bleeding on the floor of your living room. What the hell happened?"

  Fear lanced through him. "George…friends."

  "He's not here. I don't know where he is." She frowned before her eyes grew huge. "Wait, are you telling me George did this? Is he the bastard who beat you up?"

  It hurt too much to nod so he s
aid, "Yes…and his friends."

  Before anymore could be said, the door to his room opened and two police officers walked in. They wanted answers as to what had happened and slowly but surely Jacen explained everything.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  For the past couple of days Micah had been in a foul mood. He was taking his anger out on whoever was handy, and seeing as they worked side by side, more often than not it was aimed Kayne's way. Having had enough, Kayne finally asked, "What has your panties in a bunch?"

  "Jacen. That's what," Micah snapped. "He was supposed to call me back three days ago and I haven't heard a word from him."

  "What?" Kayne couldn't imagine Jacen pissing Micah off like this.

  "I was seeing when he was getting here for the wedding and if he was bringing George the wanker with him. He said he'd talk to George and get back to me. He never did."

  The mere mention of Micah's younger brother had Kayne's guts twisting into an iron knot. For so long, Jacen had managed to affect him. Even more now that his relationship with his wife was almost over.

  "How is he?" He hoped his voice sounded normal.

  Micah turned and glared at him. "How the hell would I know? The twit hasn't gotten back to me yet. He won't answer my calls. I left him a shitload of messages. It's like he's dropped off the face of the earth."

  "You didn't fight with him, did you? You know the more you push, the more he'll dig his feet in." Kayne knew the two brothers were close, but he also remembered they could fight like cats and dogs when they wanted to. By the look on his friend's face, he knew this wasn't the first time he'd been asked.

  When Micah next spoke, his suspicions were confirmed. "Have you already been talking to Sammy today?"

  "No. I just know what you're like. So spill it. What did you do?"

  Micah snorted out a laugh before he answered. "I wanted Jacen to stay longer, so I may or may not have told him to send George home while he had a holiday with us."

  Somehow Kayne knew if Jacen was ignoring Micah, then there had to be more to the story. "And?"

  "And I may have also told him to move back to Queensland because he could start his business anywhere," Micah added a little sheepishly.

  "You do realise you insulted his boyfriend and his profession in the same breath, right?'

  "Well, his boyfriend's a douche." Micah snarled.

  Kayne totally agreed with the statement, but more so because he didn't think anyone except he himself would make a good partner for Jacen. Almost a decade had gone by and he still had intense feelings for the guy he could never really have. He had screwed his life up the day he'd let Teagan blackmail him. By the time he'd realised what was happening, it was too late. Jacen was gone and Teagan was pregnant. The only good thing to come out of the whole fucked up marriage was Macen.

  His face must have showed some sort of emotion because Micah startled him when he spoke again. "Are you all right? Here I am ranting about my dumbarse brother when your life is in just as much turmoil as his. I still can't believe Teagan walked out on you and Mace. Were there any signs to tell you what was happening?"

  "There were signs, but to be honest, I didn't care. I'm just pissed she's wiped Mace from her life as well. He's six. Hell, he's still trying to figure out what he did wrong to make her leave."

  As they left work for the day, they sat on the tailgate of Kayne's ute. "That's some fucked up shit. I hope you told him he didn't do anything."

  "You know I have. I'm just thankful when she told us to get out of the house that she gave us time to grab our things…and Squirt. Mace would be lost without his damn dog. We're also lucky you and Sammy took us in on such short notice."

  "That's what friends are for, plus Sammy loves having Macen around to dote on," Micah said.

  Forever thankful at the generosity of his friends, he knew it couldn't stay as it was. Eventually he and Macen would have to find their own place, even if just to let Squirt have a yard to run around once more. "We'll get our own place soon enough."

  "There's no hurry," Micah insisted.

  "Come on. Let's go home to give Sammy a break from babysitting duty. As much as Mace loves helping him plan your dad's wedding, I get the feeling Mace is more of a hindrance than a help."

  They packed up the truck before heading back to the small two-bedroom house Sammy and Micah owned. Kayne would definitely be finding a new home soon, just so he wouldn't have to share the pull-out bed in Sammy's office with his son; the kid tossed and turned all night long. In the end Kayne always seemed to end up on the floor, just to get some peace.

  Thankfully the jobsite they were working on wasn't far away from the small house. As much as he bitched about sharing a bed with Macen, he realised after the separation from Teagan just how much his son had been the main factor on how long he remained in his farce of a marriage. If he was smarter he would have taken Macen and left long before he did. The kid was beautiful both inside and out, and weirdly reminded him of Jacen. They both had the same big and open hearts.

  The night Teagan had kicked them out of the house she had been extremely angry. She had finally worked out who Macen was named after. When asked, he hadn't denied how he'd named Mace after the Ives siblings. It was the straw to break the camel's back, so to speak. The hatred in her eyes burned through him, yet he didn't waver. She had forced him into this life and away from the road he'd wanted to take.

  He loved Jacen and she knew it. She had used the power of their child to force him to marry her, and he'd complied, but he'd never once promised her she could have his heart.

  "Are you all right, man? You've gone kind of quiet," Micah asked as they pulled to a stop in the driveway.

  Kayne nodded, then thought about it for a moment before he shook his head. He knew it was time he manned up and told the truth. "I have some stuff to talk to you about, but I want it to be after Mace has gone to bed."

  * * * *

  Macen had been asleep for a good half an hour when the three adults finally sat in the lounge to talk. Kayne knew they were waiting for him to get the ball rolling, but it was hard. In the end, he just blurted it out. "I'm in love with Jacen."

  "What the fuck?" Micah shouted at the same time Sammy choked on the mouthful of coffee he had just taken. "Since when?" Micah added in a softer voice.

  "Since high school," Kayne admitted.

  Micah looked dumbfounded. "Fuck me drunk! Is Jace the person you told me about?"

  "Yes."

  Something akin to anger overtook Micah. "I thought you were talking about a girl. I fucking told my brother you were in love with another female beside Teags. You should have told me."

  "Yes, I should have. I was only a kid and fucking confused. Jacen was leaving and I didn't know how to stop him. I wanted him to stay so badly. Then your dad spoke to me, so I let him walk away. The very same night Teags also witnessed what I'd done and blackmailed me into sleeping with her. When she wound up pregnant, she told me that if I didn't marry her, she'd tell her dad I raped her." Tears of frustration filled his eyes. "I was young, scared, and stupid. I believed her."

  "That's some fucked up shit," Micah stated.

  Sammy, having recovered from his choking fit, asked, "Why did you stay married to her for so long, and when did you find out she was cheating on you?"

  Kayne stared at Sammy, realising in an instant that Micah would have shared the conversation they'd had over a year ago. "I didn't at first. Then when all the shit went down at work, everything fell into place. I stayed because of Macen. I wanted to be the best dad possible. He means everything to me."

  "Sad to say, but I can understand your reasoning. So why did she end up permanently calling it quits? It seems she had you by the balls. Why would she throw it all away?"

  Heat raced over his body and Kayne knew without a doubt he was blushing. "She finally figured out who I named Mace after."

  "Huh?" Micah asked.

  Sammy on the other hand chuckled. "Mace is named after Micah and Jacen, isn't he?"
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  "Yes." Kayne nodded.

  "Oh my God. I can't believe…" Micah's words faltered for but a moment. "What an idiot you've been. She may have been a bitch for blackmailing you, but you're the idiot who let her tether you to her for so fucking long."

  He could understand Micah's anger—he really could—and he hoped like hell his confession didn't change their friendship. "Like I said…young, scared, and very stupid."

  "Seven fucking years, Kayne. That's a hell of a long time to live a lie. Does your family know about this?" Micah demanded.

  "No… Yes… I don't know. Mum's known for a while that I didn't love Teagan. She even helped me make sure Mace was actually mine in case it all went to hell. Dad's pretty clueless about anything not having to do with the business, though he is pissed beyond measure that she screwed with what is his. Meaning, she messed with the life of his family, and his business."

  "The hard question is, what are you going to do now?" Sammy asked.

  The question was easy. The answer was hard. "Is it wrong of me to want to go to Victoria and kidnap Jacen?" He joked, trying to lighten the whole situation.

  "So you're gay now. Is this what you're telling us?" Micah asked, apparently a little dumbfounded.

  Kayne thought about it for a moment or two. "I'm not saying I've been lusting after every man I see. Sure, I've thought some guy or other was good-looking, but the truth is, I've only ever thought about getting involved with one guy—Jacen."

  "I wish I would have known. Back in high school Jace had the biggest crush on you. Part of me thinks you were the reason he wanted to move so far away. Another part of me believes it was Teags who was the deciding factor."