Love Means_. Freedom - Andrew Grey

her mother. Stone could feel that she wasn't exactly completely comfortable, but as long as mom was nearby, she seemed to be fine. She pointed and whispered, "What's her name?" Stone whispered it back to her, and she laughed as her mother approached. "Mama, guess what. That horse's name is Tinkerbelle." Eli joined the group walking in from the barn leading Mercury.
    "I think maybe you should keep riding Mercury for a while, he'll miss you." That seemed to make her ponder a minute, and then she let her mother lead her toward the pony.

    Stone felt a slap on his leg. "You've had me riding Tinkerbelle!" Preston's eyes were smiling, belying the mock anger in his voice. "Yup, I was wondering when you'd figure it out." Stone looked into the ring, and Eli motioned that he could go. So after waving to Sherry, he followed Preston through the barn, grabbing his coat before walking outside and to the back door.
    The house was completely quiet. Everyone was out, and even Adelle was conspicuously absent. Without thinking, he led them into the living room and flopped onto the sofa. "Would you help me out of this thing?" They got Preston settled on one end of the sofa, and Stone settled himself on the other. His stomach was doing flips as he wondered where to start, then he figured he might as well get this over with so that Preston would leave and he could figure out what to do next.
    "About six months ago, I met Jacob. He was new in school, and I fell for him hard."
"What happened?" Preston's voice was so soft.
    "The usual, I guess. He graduated with me and went away to college. I found out he was just playing around, and that I was convenient, I guess." Stone sighed, figuring this had happened to lots of guys. "I was really stupid and decided I needed to be honest, so I told my dad I was gay."
    "I know exactly how you felt, and you weren't stupid, just honest and tired of hiding."
Preston's eyes showed that the sentiment was genuine, and Stone relaxed enough to continue.
    Stone's jaw tightened, and he mentally fortified himself. "I didn't know he'd been drinking, but I shouldn't have been surprised. He got it in his mind that he could beat my gayness out of me. He whipped off his belt and began beating me with it. Thankfully, as drunk as he was, he ran out of steam and just started yelling and screaming that if I was still here, he'd give me more of the same." Stone knew his voice was soft, but he couldn't talk any louder or he felt like he'd be broadcasting his shame.
    He heard Preston mutter under his breath something that sounded like, "The bastard."
"I took what I could and left while he was still passed out. I wasn't sure where to go, so I called Uncle Pete. He's a man I've known all my life and someone I thought was a friend."
    "Oh no." Preston muttered softly, his hand going to his mouth, and Stone nodded slowly.
"Your dad will calm down once he sobers up." Peter stood in his kitchen, yawning. "I'll get some blankets for the couch."
    "Thanks for letting me stay." Stone felt miserable, and his back ached terribly. He hadn't known where to go, and Uncle Pete was like a second father to him.

    "No problem, kid." The use of his old nickname was reassuring. "Turn off the lights when you go to bed." Pete walked away, and Stone thought he'd found a safe place, at least for a while.

    Arranging the blankets, he climbed into the warm cocoon and prayed his "uncle" was right and that his dad would understand. After staring at the ceiling, he eventually dropped off.
    Stone woke abruptly to a weight on his legs. Then the blankets slid off and he shivered in the cold room. "Come on, Stone, be good to your Uncle Pete." Instantly awake, he was too startled to fight at first, but when he felt hands slide up his thighs and his underwear slide down his legs, he began to struggle.
    "Come on, Stone." His voice was almost seductive. "You're gonna like this." Weight pressed him against the sofa, flipping him onto his stomach, face smashed against the cushion, held by one hand while the other pawed at him. He gasped and tried to scream as he struggled against the bigger man's superior weight. "This is what you want! I'm only giving you what you want," his uncle began repeating, before lips wet his ear and the paw slid beneath his cheeks.
    "Don't do this, please," Stone begged, but he wasn't sure if he'd actually tried to vocalize the words or if he'd just uttered them in his mind. But the effect was the same, a plea ignored as something hard