Love Means No Boundaries - Andrew Grey

been back, she had been her usual smothering self. Only Joey’s visit had gotten her to back off, at least somewhat. He knew she could be a lioness when it came to him.
Would Eli and Geoff want him? Joey said they did, and his mind floated back to Eli’s goodbye. “You’re always welcome here.” It was said with such heart.
     
What would he do there? Money wasn’t an issue. He had a trust fund that he could live off of the rest of his life. But could he pull his weight on the farm? That was the problem—well, one of the problems—that he just couldn’t get past. He knew he couldn’t 176
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contribute in a meaningful way. He didn’t at home either, but at least he was family.
Did he love Joey? Yes, without a doubt. Did he love him enough to take the chance? Did Joey love him enough to saddle himself with a blind partner? Questions, questions, and more questions kept running through his head over and over.
     
In the wee hours of the morning after plenty of sleepless thought, he came to his decision. Good or bad, he knew what he had to do for his own happiness—and more importantly—Joey’s.
     
He almost got out of bed and went to Joey’s room, but couldn’t. Not yet.
     
In the morning, sounds inside and outside the house woke him from a restless sleep. It was still early, but he got up anyway and felt his way to the door and across the hall. He didn’t knock, just opened the door and walked in, hearing Joey’s soft snores coming from the bed. Walking toward the sound, he touched Joey’s skin, feeling the heat against his palm. The breathy snores didn’t stop, but Joey clutched his hand, pulling it to him the way a child clutches a stuffed toy.
     
Robbie smiled as he was pulled closer and onto the bed. Then he heard Joey’s laughter, and he knew he’d been had. Arms and legs wrapped around him, and he quickly found himself in Joey’s bed, the two of them giggling softly.
     
His soft laughter quickly turned to a quiet moan as he felt Joey’s legs seeking out his own. Hot skin slid along his, and he felt Joey’s fabric-encased excitement against his hip. His mind clouded as desire began to take over.
    “Joey,” he said through his passion-induced haze. “Please, I need to talk to you.”
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The hands stilled and the bed shook slightly as Joey’s weight shifted. “Is something wrong?” Voice wary.
“No. Yes. I need to talk to you.” He didn’t want to do this here, but he had to before this went too far.
The bed shifted again and some of Joey’s warmth slipped away as his touch lessened. A deep sigh filled the room. “I know what you’re going to say—you’re not coming back with me.” The whisper of heartbreak.
    “I can’t.” Robbie felt his heart tearing as he said those two small words. Arie was right. It hurt worse than the last time, much worse. Tears stung his eyes, and he found himself unable to say more. Joey’s weight shifted toward him, and he had to get away.
Sliding off the bed, he made his way to the door, closing it behind him as he made his way across the hall, shutting his door and locking it. He managed to make it to the bed before completely falling apart.
    He heard Joey’s footsteps outside the door, heard Joey knocking and calling to him. He couldn’t face him, not like this. What he was doing was the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life, but he had to do it for Joey’s sake.
    Eventually he heard Joey step away from the door, and he managed to get himself together. A key turned in the lock, and he was about to tell Joey to go when he heard Adelle’s voice. The door opened, and he heard her step in the room. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” Then he was being held in her arms and rocked like a child.
    Finally Robbie got himself under control, and Adelle released him, saying nothing more, and then bustled around the room, handing him his clothes before squeezing his shoulder and then leaving the room. Somehow Robbie got himself cleaned up and dressed. Now that he felt more in control, he hoped he could explain things to Joey. He was about to leave the room when his door opened, and he heard a rush of footsteps.
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“What happened?” It was Arie.
“Joey asked me to go back with him, and I told him I couldn’t.” He swallowed the lump and tried to keep under control.
“What? Why would you do something so stupid?” Arie didn’t give him a chance to answer. “I saw