Without Reservations

Chay’s agitation. It had an underlying scent of fear.
    His heart went out to his mate. Chay had told him earlier that Joe had come to the hospital to check on him. While he was there he’d told Chay he knew about them and was happy for them. Keaton vaguely remembered seeing Joe.
    He had known Lena would be the problem. Deep down, he suspected that Chay did too. He patted Chay’s leg in support.
    “Chayton Montgomery Winston. You answer me right now. Explain yourself.”
    Chay grabbed his hand and squeezed. He slid out from behind Keaton and looked down at him. “You all right?”
    He nodded. He wondered what bothered Lena more—his sex or his skin tone.
    Chay turned back to his mother. “Mom. We are not going to stand here and have a screaming match. If you want to sit down and talk that’s fine, but I’m not going to have you yelling.”
    Lena flinched.
    Keaton felt bad for her. She didn’t know what to do. She was definitely mad, but she was hurt too. After a long, tense moment, Lena crossed her arms over her chest. “Does your father know about this?”
    “Yes, Mom. He knows that Keaton is my mate.”
    Oh shit. Keaton suppressed the urge to groan. Now Joe was going to get bitched at too. He liked Joe. He hated being the cause of not only Chay’s grief, but Joe’s too. Heck, he may not care too much for Lena, but he didn’t like hurting her either. She obviously loved her son. She was just…intolerant.
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    J.L. Langley
    “What?” Lena jabbed a finger in Keaton’s direction. “ He is not your mate. That’s an abomination. You are doing this to hurt me.”
    Chay sighed. It sounded sad, depleted. “Mom, why would I want to hurt you?”
    “You’ve always liked your father better.” Tears streaked down her cheeks and her voice cracked.
    “Ah, Mom, that’s not true. How could you say that?” Chay walked to her, holding his arms out.
    She stepped away. “Don’t touch me! You don’t touch me until you can act right. This is wrong, Chay, wrong. You need to kick him out—”
    Chay shook his head, still talking calmly. His voice was almost a whisper. “No, Mom. It’s not happening. You are going to have to get used to him. He isn’t going anywhere. He’s my mate and I love him.”
    Lena glared at Keaton. “I hope you’re happy.” She looked back at Chay and spoke as quietly as Chay. “I can’t do this. I can’t watch you throw your life away like this.” Without another word, she turned around and walked out.
    Chay stood there for the longest time, staring at the closed door.
    It nearly broke Keaton’s heart. He set Pita on the floor and slowly got to his feet. He was still a little dizzy, but his mate needed him. He hugged Chay from behind, resting his cheek against Chay’s back.
    Chay turned in his arms and hugged him too. “What are you doing, Bit? You shouldn’t be up moving around.” He blinked away tears and hustled Keaton toward the couch.
    Keaton wasn’t going to let it go. He knew how bad it hurt. He caught the strong, tanned jaw in his hand and pulled Chay down to kiss him.
    “I’m sorry, Chay.”

    Leaning into Bit’s hand, Chay closed his eyes and let the tears streak down his face.
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    Without Reservations
    Bit’s lips brushed his gently, then his chin, his jaw and his cheek.
    Touching him the whole time, Bit rubbed his arms and chest, letting him know he was loved. Keaton wiped Chay’s tears away and stood. Grabbing Chay’s hand and tugging lightly, Keaton led Chay to their bedroom.
    Keaton wobbled a little as he got into bed.
    Catching him with both hands, Chay steadied Keaton. He wasn’t about to let his Bit fall and get hurt again. Pushing Keaton down to sit on the edge of the bed, Chay got on his knees in front of him. He buried his face in Keaton’s belly and hugged him tight.
    Squeezing back, Keaton brushed his fingers through Chay’s hair. He dropped kisses on the top of Chay’s head but didn’t let go. He held Chay for the longest time, before leaning back. “Stand up, Chay.”
    Chay didn’t question him. He stood and allowed Keaton to undress him. He needed this closeness, he needed Bit. He’d think about his mother’s abandonment later. The sight of Keaton as he worked on Chay’s clothing had Chay’s full attention. Blood filled his cock. His heart soared just looking at this man. Keaton had a bad day himself, and here he was trying to make Chay feel better. It worked too. Nothing