More Than A Manny: Gay Romance

by Trina Solet

  Brent shook his head without breaking eye contact.

  "No," he insisted. "I wanted someone I could never forget. Someone who would obliterate till death do us part. A love that can't die."

  "Wow," was all Nate could say.

  "Stupid, I know," Brent admitted as he looked down.

  Nate moved closer and slipped his arm around Brent’s back.

  "Love is stupid, but if you go for it, you might as well go for broke."

  "Really?" Raising his head, Brent was surprised that Nate agreed with him. But Nate agreed only with part of it.

  "I just told you, you have to grab for all of it. But throw the death stuff right out the window. Don't make love all gloomy and shit. I don't think Greta was a good role model," Nate said as he held him close.

  "Maybe you want to teach me some stuff," Brent said and skimmed his hand up Nate's thigh.

  "I'm hands on. I lead by example." Nate in turn ran his hands over Brent's chest. The contours were familiar now but no less wonderful. The more he got to know Brent's body, the more he wanted to touch it again and again.

  Nate had meant to ask Brent about those rumors, but he put it off. His hands were on Brent, digging under his clothes, searching for bare skin. Nate's lips brushed over Brent's as his hands found their way under his belt and slipped down. Brent unbuckled and unzipped so Nate could grope him freely. For a while, Nate enjoyed the feel of him growing bigger and harder in his hand. Desire shot through him in powerful waves.

  "Look what you're doing to me," Brent accused breathlessly.

  "Don't worry. I'll take care of you," Nate promised.

  "That's what I like to hear."

  "Eventually," Nate added.

  "Damn! Why are you doing this to me?" Brent said and dropped back on the bed. He gasped as Nate's touch made him want more.

  "Driving you crazy is fun," Nate said. He stopped fondling him so he could pull off his shirt.

  "I know something else that's fun," Brent said.

  As Nate kissed his chest and licked his nipples, Brent's head was thrown back, his mouth parted. His perfectly muscled chest expanded with heavy breathing. Nate kissed his throat.

  "It's even more fun if you build up to it slowly," Nate whispered between kisses, and Brent moaned.

  "I hate you."

  Nate kissed his mouth, feeling Brent's erection pushing against him insistently. Nate kissed his chin then his chest moving down slowly. Since he had promised to tease Brent, he didn't want to disappoint him. After pulling off Brent's jeans, he moved his face to his cock. He licked and kissed then sucked his cock never putting enough pressure to make him come.

  "I'm going to lose it," Brent panted.

  "No, you aren't. Be good."

  "Damn," he groaned as Nate used all of his self control to keep Brent on the brink of coming.

  Brent felt like every inch of him had been kissed, licked and nibbled before he was finally allowed to come. Working his cock slowly, Nate brought him to a new height of arousal. His mouth was a gentle, silky, hot instrument of torture. The final release of pleasure was so agonizing, so good, Brent was afraid he would scream. But Nate knew what he had done to him. He clamped a hand over Brent's mouth. After coming, Brent felt both exhausted and energized. He was still buzzing with an overload of arousal. Nate's hands moved over his body. The way he was digging in, gripping hard, told him how much Nate needed him. Brent flipped them over so he was on top. Still trying to catch his breath, Brent kissed Nate hard anyway, wanting to show him how much he wanted him. Nate grabbed his head and held him down for a long, deep kiss. Brent wanted to dive into him and never come up for air, but Nate's hips were grinding into him, his cock rock hard, aching for Brent. Brent pulled his mouth away from Nate's with regret. Moving down, he let his teeth lightly graze Nate's nipples. In response Nate arched his back. Brent felt that his touch was guided by Nate's body. It told him where to put his mouth, where to lick, when to bite. It told his hands where to stroke, where to linger, where to press. Brent could feel his own cock hardening. Nate noticed too. He pushed Brent off and shifted down so they were head to toe. His mouth was on Brent again. His fingers teased Brent's asshole. Lapping at his balls gently, Brent held off his desire for Nate's cock. He licked it lovingly and didn't suck as hard as he wanted to, as hard as Nate was sucking him. He built up to it until there was only one rhythm, one motion, one pleasure coursing through both of them and they came together. Brent turned over so they were both upside down and kissed Nate, who smiled at him blissfully.

  Their kiss was lazy as they started to get sleepy. They didn't want to let go of each other and break contact. It seemed to Brent that they fell asleep without breaking off the kiss. The kiss continued in his dreams and never ended until next morning when he woke up happy with Nate next to him.

  Upside down in his bed, Brent was entwined with Nate. Gazing at Nate's sleeping face, he basked in the happiness of that moment. He felt transformed. Though he had longed for the feeling of an endless, all consuming love, Brent didn't know if he could feel that way about anyone until he met Nate. He had never even come close. It had made him wonder if something was missing in him. Maybe he wasn't capable of that kind of love. But now Nate was stirring up that feeling in him. It must have been hiding deep in his heart all this time, waiting for Nate. Love was so new to him, and it was knocking him around so much, Brent was disoriented. All he knew was that he wanted Nate, and he wanted to be close to him. He still worried that he was around too much and that Nate would get sick of him. But Nate made him feel less confined when he stayed home. When he was with him, Brent didn't have that feeling of suffocation and failure. If he wanted to be honest, these days, Brent's main reason for going out was to give Nate some space. He wasn't trying to run from his deepening feelings for Nate, but he did try to act like he was the same old Brent. No one was fooled. His friends questioned him. He told them little, but they could read the answers on his face. He was in love, and they pretended to be horrified. Even casual acquaintances noticed that something was different about him. Sometimes it seemed to Brent, that everyone could see. His love for Nate was just too powerful to hide. He felt like he was a new Brent, more complete as a man and as a father, stronger and less afraid. Brent promised himself that if he got Nate, he would hold on and never let go.

  Chapter 19

  Earlier that week, when Nate had been speaking to his mom, Brent told him to invite her for the weekend.

  "Pam's mom stayed here when she was visiting," he told Nate.

  Now Nate was on his way to pick her up in the Maserati. Seeing the car, she jokingly asked him if he stole it then she refused to get in it.

  "I'll get whiplash."

  Knowing her, Nate took her bag and put it in the back.

  "All my life I've been asking myself why I got stuck with such a weird Mom," Nate said. When he tried to get back behind the wheel, she didn't let him.

  "Move over. I'm driving." She wasn't kidding either. With a few wrong turns, she drove them back to Brent's.

  Brent came out to meet them as they pulled up in front of the house. Seeing her come out from the driver's side, Brent grinned at her.

  "My kind of woman," he said as he went up to greet her.

  Nate's mom stared at him in open admiration.

  "This is the one you've been hiding from me," she scolded Nate. To Brent, she said, "I've only seen parts of you."

  "Mom, do you hear yourself?" Nate said since it sounded kind of suggestive, to him anyway.

  "What? It's your doing," she said.

  "Hi, Mrs. ..." Brent started to say, sounding almost shy, but Nate's mother interrupted him.

  "Just call me Sarah," she told him as she took his arm.

  "Don't get a crush on him, Mom," Nate warned her as he carried her bag. Then he said to Brent, "She had a crush on one of my exes because he was a pastry chef. They still see each other."

  "I buy pastries where he works for the girls at the office. And don't tell him everythin
g about me," she objected.

  "Mom, what's there to tell?"

  "Hush, I am a fascinating and mysterious woman."

  For his part, Brent couldn't stop smiling at her. Maybe he should be warned not to get a crush on her.

  When they walked in, Georgie didn't wait for introductions, she just ran right up to her.

  "It's Georgie!" Nate's mom said as she hugged her. "Have you been a good girl for my Nate?" she asked.

  "Yes," Georgie said without hesitation.

  "You need to do some soul searching before you answer," Nate told her to remind her of some of her behavior, but she was either oblivious, or she had some other definition of being good.

  Hanging back, Ricky waited to be introduced and looked at Nate's mom almost in awe. It broke Nate's heart and made him feel very grateful to have her.

  Once they sat down in one of the sitting rooms, Georgie climbed into her lap without an invitation, and she wasn't gentle about it.

  "Oof," Nate's mom said.

  "Hey, Georgie, you break her, you bought her," Nate told her. He noticed that Brent and Ricky had disappeared.

  When he asked Georgie about them, she said, "They're cooking dinner. I'm supposed to stay here and keep Nate's mommy company so she doesn't get bored with just you."

  Nate stared at her for several reasons. Mainly he wondered what she meant by cooking. Instead of going to see for himself, he waited patiently to be called to dinner.

  For dinner, they used the small dining room, which seated twelve. Quin and John joined them, and Nate's mom gushed over how good-looking they were. Brent brought in serving dishes with food. Ricky brought in serving utensils. Georgie was jealous, so Brent had her bring extra napkins, which she would need. Dinner was supposed to be something Brent ordered in, but it obviously wasn't. It had the imperfect look of homemade food.

  "You can cook!" Nate said once all the evidence was in front of him.

  "Everything looks wonderful," his mother said while Nate glared at Brent.

  "Why have we been eating frozen pizzas?" Nate asked.

  "Pizza!" Georgie yelled.

  Brent pointed at her as the reason.

  "I only cook on special occasions," Brent said when Nate continued to glare.

  "From now on, every day is special," Nate told him and attacked the food. There was apple and bacon stuffed pork and a sautéed dish with green vegetables and star fruit. Nate's mom went crazy over the parmesan puffs. There was also a salad with olives, grapes and fresh mozzarella. Brent was in more trouble with every delicious bite Nate took. He even spared a dirty look for Quin and John since they must have known about his hidden talent. For dessert, there was a pear and cheese tart that the kids thought was weird. Nate's mom loved it, but she adamantly refused a second piece then immediately demanded one.

  Brent sat at the head of the table loaded down with the food he made. It was a good feeling, and he would get a lot more of it now that Nate knew he could cook. He had a hunch that cooking for Nate wouldn't be a chore. And unlike the kids, he seemed to appreciate his creativity. Ricky beamed with shy pride when Brent gave him credit for his help. He blushed when Nate's mom called him a little chef.

  "Me too!" Georgie yelled.

  "What are you taking credit for?" Quin asked her. "First learn how to eat, G."

  But even Nate's mom couldn't get her to eat with a fork. Seeing Georgie's terrible table manners, she looked at Nate.

  "I'm working on it," he told her and she sighed.

  Georgie's lack of dining skills earned Brent another dirty look from Nate. Brent kind of liked it. When his eyes flashed fiercely like that, Nate was attractive in a whole new way. But he had to put those kinds of thoughts aside in present company. He saw that kids were playing with their food instead of eating it. While Quin awed Nate's mom with his plans for the future and Nate teased her, John was shy and polite.

  Though she was nothing like his own mother, Nate's mom stirred something in Brent's heart. A small, bright eyed woman, she had a way of looking at people that reminded him of Nate. Her stare was more inquisitive but just as direct and open. From the way she looked at him, Brent could swear that she knew about him and Nate. She was lively, sweet and argumentative at the same time. In her company, Brent felt more nostalgic and grief-stricken than he had in a long time.

  So far his mom's visit was a success. Nate was glad that she liked everyone, especially that she liked Brent. That night, Nate was sitting on his bed, waiting for him to show up in his room.

  "I'm going to chain you to the stove," Nate threatened as soon as he walked in.

  "I want you to chain me to the bed," Brent said and tried to kiss him.

  Nate evaded him.

  "I promise I'll cook. Now gimme." Brent leaned over him while Nate leaned back until he was flat on the bed. Straddling him, Brent looked down.

  "You waiting for something?" Nate asked since he was expecting more action than being stared at, even if the look was hot enough to burn right through him.

  "I like what I see."

  "You can look and touch," Nate told him, getting impatient. He had his hands on Brent already. Running his hands up his thighs and then around, he pulled Brent down on top of him. With Brent above him, Nate gave him a few quick kisses that only teased before they moved down his throat. He felt Brent's quick, strong pulse against his lips. His heartbeat grew stronger as he licked. He stopped there until Brent groaned. They stripped off their clothes, throwing them aside carelessly. Nate moved his hands over Brent's powerful chest, lingering at each nipple, almost sharp against his tongue. He could feel Brent's body heating up under his touch. The lower he kissed and licked, the rougher Brent groped him. Unable to take any more, Brent pulled him up so he could kiss his mouth.

  "I need you," he said and rolled over to get on top. He pushed Nate down flat.

  Nate felt Brent's mouth on his nipples briefly then down the trail of hair leading to his cock. Long licks covered the length of it. Brent kissed and licked the head thoroughly before he let the rest slide between his lips. He was a beautiful sight especially when he looked up at Nate with those soft brown eyes. There was nothing better in the world than coming while looking into Brent's eyes.

  Now it was Nate's turn to enjoy him. He groped Brent's legs just to feel the hard muscles under his hands. Resting his head against his inner thigh, he licked Brent's balls. His arms reached up Brent's body to his chest. The nipples were hard against his fingertips as he worked them gently. His tongue massaged the underside of Brent's cock as Nate took him in slowly. Playful and loving at first, Nate's mouth turned relentless. As Nate sucked fiercely, Brent let out a growling moan. He came while gripping Nate's arms like he needed to hang on, anchor himself. Satisfied, Brent pressed himself against Nate's side. Kissing and stroking, they lay there with their arms around each other. When their eyes met, Brent asked, "Do I have to go?"

  Nate smiled sleepily and held him tighter. He just couldn't let him go.

  Chapter 20

  Around noon on Saturday, Nate watched his mother poking around in Brent's kitchen. As he stared at her, Nate thought about how Brent had told him that he never got to tell his parents he was gay. It took him too long to get up the courage, and then it was too late. Brent was sure they would have supported him, but he never got to experience what that felt like. Nate knew the feeling. When Nate told his mother he was gay, she took his face in her hands and gazed at him with a smile on her face. Then she hugged him.

  "So you're OK with it?" Nate had asked though he was pretty sure of the answer since she was still hugging him.

  "Of course I am. You're my baby. You're my little gay baby."

  Nate's mother was checking out the huge oven. When she noticed him watching her, she said, "You could fit a whole person in there."

  "Anyone in particular?" Nate asked her.

  She made a face like he was the one being weird.

  "I'm going to use this crazy kitchen and make these kids something good to eat,"
his mother vowed.

  "Like the pigs in a blanket you gave me for my school lunch?" Nate remembered them fondly but didn't let on.

  "They were delicious. You gobbled them up." That was true. His friends were always offering to trade him for them.

  "Fine, you're a master chef," Nate told her.

  "I know what's good, and I know what kids like to eat."

  "You're going to make bread pizzas, aren't you?" Nate guessed. She claimed she invented them.

  "Guilty as charged," she said unapologetically then went through and opened every cupboard in search of what she needed. "Nate, every single child in the whole world loves bread pizza." Then she exclaimed over the French bread she found, "Even better!"

  Nate left her to it. God, it brought back memories. She made terrible, wonderful food that he would crave for the rest of his life.

  In this nostalgic mood, Nate went to join Brent in the sunroom. It wasn't living up to its name right now. All the sun was gathered right outside its open doors. That's where the kids were playing with Ricky's toys. From what Nate could tell, a war was on. For now Ricky and Georgie were on the same side, and birds that came to drink from a small birdbath were the enemy.

  "I take no responsibility for the crazy things my mom is doing in your kitchen. You invited her. This is on you," Nate said as he sat next to Brent.

  "It's nice to have her here." Brent was looking at the kids as he spoke.

  "I kind of like her too. But wait till you see what she's going to feed you," Nate told him. His mother liked to put down cheese, then sauce, then more cheese. She wanted to make sure the bread didn't get soggy and that the sauce spilled all over. It was not going to be pretty. There would be a big mess to clean up, and Brent had given Lisi and Mona a paid day off.

  "Whatever she makes, I'm going to like it," Brent predicted.

  "You'll have to. I don't allow anyone to dis my mom's cooking. Except me."

  Turning to smile at him, Brent looked a little sad and envious.