Tartan Candy
Page 23
“So close,” he panted out.
“Me too.”
Raven reached down and stroked his cock in time with Caleb’s thrusts. A groan ripped from his chest and he spurted all over his hand and the back of his couch. Seconds later, Caleb thrust deep and stiffened behind him.
After dealing with the condom, Caleb came back with some damp paper towels for cleanup.
“Guess it’s a good thing I’ve got a leather couch,” Raven said.
Caleb laughed, wiped him down, and guided them both to the couch. He wrapped an arm around Raven, and he curled into Caleb’s warmth. “I love you, Raven.”
“I love you too.”
“I know we’ve only been together for a short time, but I think there’s something about me you need to know.” Caleb stroked his shoulder gently. Cuddling, buck naked or otherwise, had only been part of Raven’s life since Caleb had entered it, and he treasured the contact as much as he treasured everything else bright and shiny Caleb had brought into his life.
Probably he should have tensed up at the ominous words, but whatever it was, he was pretty sure he could handle it. After all, Caleb had done surprisingly well with Raven’s skeleton leaping out of the closet for a sneak attack. Being understanding in return was the least he could do. They loved each other. How bad could it be? Oh. Wait.
“It’s your parents. They hate me, don’t they?”
Caleb laughed. “No. They’ll love you.”
“What about… what I did? The porn?” He was hesitant to bring it up, but everyone had to know already.
“No judgment. I promise. Well… maybe from Tía Rosa and Tía Carmelita. They can be a little judgmental. But my parents won’t ever make you feel bad about it.”
Raven sat up straight. Somehow, in all of the drama, he’d forgotten Caleb had, however unwillingly, come out to his family.
“Shit. How did that go? After I left, I mean.” He truly didn’t think Caleb would have been disowned, but one never knew.
“It went surprisingly well, despite the circumstances.”
With a sigh of relief, he sank back into Caleb’s embrace. Later, when he wasn’t so worn out from crying and a super intense orgasm, he’d get the details.
“So what’s the big secret, then?”
“One day, I’m going to want us to move in together. Maybe buy a little house with a yard.”
Raven laughed. “One day, I’m going to want the same thing.” But for now, things were just about perfect.
Epilogue
THE DOORBELL made Raven look up from the cardboard box he was unpacking. He wiped a hand across his brow. Despite the fully functioning air conditioner—Caleb would stand for no less—Raven had been working hard enough to cover himself in a light sheen of sweat.
He made his way through the maze of boxes and opened the door.
“Caleb? Why are you ringing the bell? Did you forget your key?”
“Nope. Just wanted to give you your anniversary present.”
Raven frowned and waved at the boxes behind him. “But isn’t this our anniversary present? For both of us?” Just yesterday, they’d closed on the small house with some big trees on a sizeable lot, in the same neighborhood as most of Caleb’s family. It had all happened fairly fast. They’d started looking at real estate listings just six weeks ago, six weeks before their one-year anniversary. The sale of Raven’s condo was set to close in a couple of weeks.
“No. We decided it was time. We were ready to buy a house together. Sure, it all happened around our anniversary, but it’s not your present.”
Fuck. “I didn’t get you a present.” He’d been so caught up in packing and moving, it hadn’t even occurred to him. But this must have been the errand that had sent Caleb out earlier.
Caleb smiled. “That’s okay. We can share this one.” He offered Raven an oddly shaped cardboard box.
Weird. Why could they share a present, when buying a house together didn’t count? This definitely wasn’t another box of roses.
He took the box.
“Careful,” Caleb warned. “Maybe you should set it down before you open it.”
Raven did as he was bid. He carefully opened the top of the box, which came to a point, almost like the roof of a house, and peered inside.
A small fluffy ball of black sat within, and Raven blinked. It wasn’t until the tiny kitten looked up at him and meowed that he fully realized what he was looking at.
“A cat?” They’d both talked about wanting one, but the notion had gone on the back burner as his schedule heated up, between school and Tartan Candy gigs. But school was done now, and there were two of them to take care of this little kitten.
“Yep. All black hair, so it matches you.”
Raven gently lifted it out and stared into giant, mesmerizing green eyes. “Boy or girl?”
“Girl.”
“She’s beautiful, Caleb. Thank you.”
Caleb kissed him without disturbing the tiny warm animal in his hands.
“We may or may not decide to have kids, but I know we both wanted a cat.”
Maybe one day, kids might enter the picture, but for now, Raven was enjoying being part of a committed, loving couple, living a life like anyone else, and figuring out how to be part of a loud, boisterous family.
Like he’d thought almost every day since Caleb came out to his family, things were just about perfect. Raven wouldn’t change a thing.
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KC BURN has been writing for as long as she can remember and is a sucker for happy endings (of all kinds). After moving from Toronto to Florida for her husband to take a dream job, she discovered a love of gay romance and fulfilled a dream of her own—getting published. After a few years of editing web content by day, and neglecting her supportive, understanding hubby and needy cat at night to write stories about men loving men, she was uprooted yet again and now resides in California. Writing is always fun and rewarding, but writing about her guys is the most fun she’s had in a long time, and she hopes you’ll enjoy them as much as she does.
Website: kcburn.com
Twitter: @authorkcburn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/kcburn
By KC Burn
Grand Adventures (Dreamspinner Anthology)
Pen Name – Doctor Chicken
Rainbow Blues
Tartan Candy
TORONTO TALES
Cop Out
Cover Up
Cast Off
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Tartan Candy
© 2016 KC Burn.
Cover Art
© 2016 L.C. Chase.
http://www.lcchase.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63477-052-1
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63477-053-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015918967
Published February 2016
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Blurb
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter ONE
Chapter TWO
Chapter THREE
Chapter FOUR
Chapter FIVE
Chapter SIX
Chapter SEVEN
Chapter EIGHT
Chapter NINE
Chapter TEN
Chapter ELEVEN
Chapter TWELVE
Chapter THIRTEEN
Chapter FOURTEEN
Chapter FIFTEEN
Chapter SIXTEEN
Chapter SEVENTEEN
Chapter EIGHTEEN
Epilogue
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