Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

shudder of anticipation and dread swept through him. What if they got caught by Danny's little brother again and someone actually believed him this time? Nathan had already been warned by his momma. She said if he mentioned that he liked boys and not girls one more time he'd be sent away. But Nathan didn't want to be sent away, and he didn't want to like girls. He liked Danny and the way Danny made him feel.
    "Where's the bedroom?" Danny asked, his breath unsteady as he unfastened Nathan's pants.
    Nathan scrunched his nose. Danny had stolen a kiss once when they'd sat listening to the gramophone in the living room while his momma baked in the kitchen, but that was as far as they'd dared to go inside the house.
    "We'll get in trouble," Nathan whispered.
    Danny let out a husky laugh. "We're not fourteen anymore, Nate. Your momma ain't around no more. Remember?"
    "Wait, what?" This wasn't right. Jesus, what the hell was he doing?
    In an attempt to put some distance between him and Danny, Nathan took a quick step back, unaware of how close he'd been to the couch. He fell back onto the cushions and Danny wasted no time in straddling him and bringing their lips together again. Everything became a whirlwind of sensation and color, none of which made any sense and all of it incredibly unsettling.
    "You don't know how many nights I spent thinking about you fucking me," Danny murmured against Nathan's lips.
    "Danny, wait." He made to grab Danny's wrist when his old lover's free hand slipped into his underwear. "Oh, God, Danny—"
    "It's okay, Nate. Just remember how good it felt. Do you remember?"
    "What the fuck is this?"
    Nathan froze, his heart slamming in his chest at the sight of Harlan standing in the doorway across the room, a host of emotions playing on his face, everything from disbelief to anger. In the end, anger won out.
    "Harley." Nathan buttoned up his pants and Danny thankfully had the good sense to get off him, not that it did him any good. For a guy Harlan's size, he moved damned quick. He had a fistful of Danny's shirt and was dragging him across the room before Nathan had even gotten to his feet. "Harley, wait!" Nathan took off after them. He didn't know how the hell he was going to fix this; he just knew he had to.
    "Get the fuck out," Harlan growled and all but tossed Danny down the front steps and onto the pavement, where he hit the concrete path hard, accompanied by a string of curses.
    Nathan ran out the door and down the steps to help Danny to his feet. "Jesus, Harley. Was that really necessary?" When he received no reply, he looked up and his heart all but stopped. The expression on Harlan's face was one Nathan had never witnessed from his lover before, and the gravity of the situation struck him like a jolt of electricity. He ran to catch Harlan before he could disappear into the house. The moment he touched Harlan's arm, his back was slammed into the wall.
    "You too."
    "What?" A lump formed in his throat at the anger and pain in Harlan's eyes. "Harley, please, let me explain." One minute his lover's hand was around his neck, the next minute the barrel of a revolver had joined it.
    "Get out of my sight, or I swear the next thing you'll be kissing is the bullet that comes out of my gun."
    Nathan had never seen Harlan like this. There was no telling what he would do if Nathan pushed him enough. When he spoke, he did his best to sound calm. "It wasn't what it looked like."
    "Really?" Harlan spat out. "So he didn't have his tongue down your throat and his hand on your dick. Is that what you're telling me?"
    "Please, let's talk about this."
    With an icy glare, Harlan released him and went inside, the door slamming so hard it rattled the windows. Digging into his pockets, Nathan cursed under his breath. His keys were inside the house. That didn't stop him from pounding on the door. "Harley, open the door!"
    A hand landed on his shoulder and Nathan flinched. "Come on, Nate. There's no point trying to talk to him when he's in a lather like that. He'll just end up plugging you."
    "I have to talk to him. I have to get him to understand that it's not what he thinks." He let his head fall against the door, trying to plan his next move. Maybe he should just sit out here until Harlan calmed down. Danny was right about one thing. Trying to talk to Harlan now would only make matters worse for the both of them.
    "Why don't we go for a drink and talk about this."
    Nathan turned his head and peered at Danny. "You're