Every Shade by Nora Phoenix

10

The sex had been phenomenal, but something had changed afterward. Langley couldn’t put his finger on it, but Xander had been different. More subdued, a little aloof. They’d talked over a late dinner, and Langley had run all the numbers by him. He knew his proposal was sound. Hell, he’d even discussed it with his father, who had been impressed. “That’s a highly creative solution,” he’d said. “I’m not sure I would’ve even come up with that. Great work. I’ll happily extend the loan under favorable conditions.”

Xander, of course, was still not on board. Stubborn asshole. Monday morning—which was about as dead in the gas station as it could get, Langley knew—he drove over again. As soon as Xander saw him, the wall came down, the mask over his face that guarded his real emotions. Why?

“Have you given the proposal any more thought?”

Xander shook his head. “I can’t do it. It’s too risky. Too much money. I’ll end up like my father, with a debt I’ll never get rid of.”

“If you don’t do this, you’ll go bankrupt. You have maybe six months left at this rate, and that’s it.” Maybe confronting him with the cold, harsh truth would help.

Xander looked away. “Then maybe that’s what needs to happen. I can’t accept your help.”

His help? Wait, was Xander mixing two things? “Why not? Because the proposal is too risky or because being with me is too risky?”

“I thought you said the two weren’t connected.”

“They’re not, but I think you mixed them up anyway. This loan has nothing to do with you and me. You know that.”

“You’re seventeen years younger, Langley. I don’t see a future for us.”

A future? What the… Oh. Oh, wow. He’d expected Xander to need more time to get to that point, but apparently, he was already there. “So you’re finally admitting that what we have is more than just attraction.”

“I don’t know what it is, but it can’t last. Not with the age gap between us.”

“Coach, I’ve been in love with you since I was eighteen years old. I’ve waited five goddamn years for you, and if you seriously think I’m gonna let you reject me just because of my age, you’re dead wrong.”

Xander cleared his throat, subtly gesturing, and Langley turned around. A guy had walked in, and judging by the way he was leaning against the wall, he’d been listening in for a while. “Rude much?” Langley snapped.

The guy walked toward them, and holy shit, that guy was built. Tall, with a chest twice as big as Langley’s and legs the size of tree trunks. He had tattoos peeping from under his hoodie and several visible piercings. Not the kind of guy he wanted to get into a fight with, not even with Xander on his side. Hopefully. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

The man gestured. “Is o-o-okay. I w-w-was being r-rude.”

Wow, he had a severe stutter. Langley felt even worse for being so snappy with him.

“Can I help you?” Xander asked, his voice a hell of a lot more friendly than Langley’s had been.

“I o-o-verheard some of your c-c-c-onv-versation. It’s n-none of my b-business, b-b-but I just w-wanna s-s-say that you sh-should stop being so st-st-stubborn. I’m ab-bout to drive c-c-cross-country to b-b-be with my b-boyfriend. He m-moved to C-c-california and I need to b-be w-with him. I s-sold everything to f-f-follow him. If s-s-someone l-loves you and you l-love that p-p-person as w-well, you n-need to hold on t-t-to h-him and not b-be a stubborn assh-h-hole.”

Langley’s mouth had dropped open, and a quick look at Xander showed him equally flabbergasted. First of all, that guy was about the last man Langley would’ve expected that speech from. Second, that dude was gay? Damn, he hadn’t seen that coming. And third, he was totally fucking right… Now if only Xander would see that.

“He’s seventeen years younger than me,” Xander said, much to Langley’s surprise.

The guy shrugged. “M-my b-b-boyfriend is f-fifteen years younger…and h-he’s d-d-dominant.”

Dominant? Did the guy mean what Langley thought he meant? “So you’re…?”

“S-s-submissive. Y-yes. H-he’s in ch-charge, and I l-l-love it. He’s am-m-mazing.”

How about that? Xander looked from the guy to Langley, then back. Then he put his hand on the guy’s shoulder. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

The man nodded, smiling broadly. “G-good. I n-n-need to l-leave. He d-doesn’t know I’m com-m-ming, and I c-can’t wait to surp-prise him.”

Before they could say another word, he’d walked out, got into a truck, and drove off. “Did he just….? Xander asked.

“Walk in here just to say that? Yeah.”

“Have you seen him before?”

“Nope, never. No idea. He had a good point, though.” Langley’s eyes softened. “Please, Coach, let me help you. Swallow that damn pride and accept my father’s loan…and then get the fuck over yourself and accept me.”

“You’re in love with me?”

“From the day I met you. I waited for you to be ready for this, Coach, but I’m done waiting.”

Xander stared at him, but then his expression changed. He took a step forward, put his arms around Langley, and clung to him, putting his head on Langley’s shoulders. “I’m so tired.”

Oh god, his poor heart. Any fuller and it would explode. “I know. But I’m here now, okay? You’re no longer on your own.”

“This is not your problem.”

“What if I want to make it mine? Make you mine?”

Xander looked up, his eyes suspiciously moist. “You’d better mean it because I don’t think I could handle—”

“I love you, Xander. Always have, always will.”

A deep sigh. “Okay.”

It sounded like a surrender. “Yeah?”

“Mmm.”

“You’re not gonna tell me you love me back?”

Xander snorted. “As if you didn’t know already, you cocky little shit.” Then he grew serious. “Yeah, I do love you. I guess I have for a while now.”

“See? I told you you’d be mine.”

Xander was smiling when Langley pressed their mouths together and slipped his tongue into his boyfriend’s mouth. Hmm, maybe they should close the gas station on Monday mornings…and use that time for something else. Something much more…pleasant.

He nibbled on Xander’s bottom lip. “Do you want to do some more one-on-one coaching?”

The man’s eyes showed nothing but love now. “I do.”

I do? Hmm, that was the next step…maybe in a year or so. Because now that he finally had him, no way would Langley ever let Alexander Wingard go.