Leaving Home by Chase, A. (life books to read .txt) 📗

decided he wanted to top this time. It didn’t bother Chaz at all, as long as Peter didn’t expect him to do anything.

Surprise hit him when he heard water running. Chaz rolled over on his back and

looked towards Peter’s bathroom. It sounded like Peter was running water.

“Are you thinking we should take a shower together?” he asked as Peter appeared in

the doorway.

Peter shook his head. “No. You’re going to take a hot shower, then lie down for a while.

I can wait for sex. I don’t want you hurting yourself more by trying to make me happy.”

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“Trying to? I know I can make you happy. Hell, before I leave on Wednesday, all of

your friends will know just how happy you are with me.” He winked, and Peter rolled his

eyes.

“You’re hopeless.”

He grunted as Peter grabbed his hand before gently helping him to his feet. Chaz

appreciated the fact that Peter didn’t yank or hurry him. He got into the bathroom, then into the shower. Sighing, he let his head hang while the hot water pounded his muscles.

“Do you need me to help you dry off before heading back to bed?” Peter peeked around

the shower door.

“No. If you have something else to do, I’ll be fine for now.”

Chaz didn’t want Peter hanging around because he felt sorry for him. Peter patted his

shoulder.

“All right. I’ll come back and check on you later. Of course, I’ll be waking you for

dinner because Margie won’t let you get away without eating tonight.”

“I haven’t been gone that long, but I missed her cooking the first night in Tulsa,” Chaz

said. “Tell her I wouldn’t dream of missing one of her meals.”

“I will.” Peter smiled. “Just relax for a little while. Even without getting hit the other night, driving all this way has to be hell on your back.”

Chaz nodded, but didn’t reply, and Peter left. After letting the shower rain down on

him for a while, Chaz turned it off. He grabbed a towel, then dried his skin. He wandered into the bedroom, dropping onto the bed without dressing. He would just be changing his

clothes when he woke for dinner. No need to get any more of them dirty.

When the knock sounded on the door an hour later, Chaz was already dressed and he’d

taken several pills to ease not only the pain, but his nerves as well. He’d never been so worried about meeting people before. At least, not meeting any man’s family. Not that he’d ever been serious enough with a guy to be introduced to the people important to him.

Chaz opened the door, and smiled when he saw Peter standing there. “Hey, honey, is

everyone gathered at the table to meet the boyfriend?”

Peter grinned before leaning forward to brush a kiss over Chaz’s lips. “Yes, they are all eager to meet you, and make sure you’re good enough for me.”

While cringing inside, Chaz laughed out loud. “I’ll try to be on my best behaviour. I

don’t want them trying to convince you to get rid of me.”

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“You don’t have to worry about that,” Peter whispered against Chaz’s lips.

“No more of that. Dinner’s ready, and you know how Margie feels about it getting

cold.”

Chaz looked over Peter’s shoulder to see a dark-haired man approaching them. He

looked rather familiar to Chaz, so he figured it was probably Randy.

“Shut up, Randy,” Peter said, confirming Chaz’s identification. “You and Les have not

shown up at dinner many times, so if I don’t feel like bringing Chaz to the interrogation room, I shouldn’t have to.”

Randy laughed, and Chaz saw how some guy could find Randy attractive. Yet, as far as

Chaz was concerned, Randy couldn’t hold a candle to Peter.

“It’s not just Margie who is going to complain this time, Peter. Tony and Brody came

over for dinner. Plus Tammy and Jackson are going to join us as well. It’s like old home

week. Too bad Derek and Max couldn’t have made it up.” Randy wiggled his eyebrows at

Peter. “Then you could’ve introduced your guy to the entire family.”

“And have Chaz running for the door? I don’t think so.” Peter shook his head. “But I do

know that if we don’t show up at the table, they will all come looking for us, and I don’t want them interrupting anything.”

“I’m Chaz O’Brien,” Chaz introduced himself to Randy. “And I’m guessing you’re

Randy Hersch.”

“Yes, I am. It’s good to see you again, Chaz, though we never really talked much when I

was riding.”

Randy’s grip was firm, and by the calluses on his palms Chaz knew that Randy was still

riding.

“Retirement keeping you busy, man?” Chaz let Randy’s hand go, then entwined his

fingers with Peter’s.

Randy chuckled. “God, yes. I’m busier now than I ever was while I was riding. I train

cutting horses, plus help with the roughstock breeding programme Les owns a piece of.

There are a million things for me to do around this place, and that’s with Les and Jackson helping out.”

“Sounds like you’re having a good time, though,” Chaz pointed out as he and Peter

followed Randy towards the formal dining room.

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“Yeah, I am. Never really thought my life would end up like this, but I have no

complaints about it.”

They walked into the room, and Chaz spotted Les standing at the head of the table,

talking to a tall African-American man while Margie and a petite woman chatted at the other end. All of them looked over when Chaz and Peter entered.

“Everyone, this is Chaz. I’m sure you’ve been talking amongst yourselves about him.

Chaz, this is my family. You’ve already met Les, Randy and Margie. This is Jackson, Les’

foreman, and his wife Tammy, who happens to be Randy’s sister.” Peter looked around.

“Where are Brody and Tony?”

“Here we are. We just had to grab drinks for everyone. We decided to let Margie take a

little break.”

Chaz was finishing up shaking hands with Tammy when two men strolled in, each

carrying a tray of glasses. He instantly recognised Tony Romanos, one of the PBR’s few two-time world champions. He’d worked a lot