Ripped (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Read Free Page A

else, but he had. You’re a smart man, Roman, so I know you had ideas about what would take place between us last night. Bet you didn’t know I felt your hands shaking as you undressed me. I was even happy to pet like teenagers for a few hours, but I couldn’t forget you telling me of your willingness to try whatever I wanted before I even laid a hand on you. Maybe I should lay another hand on you, a rougher one! You seemed to enjoy the products I bought and my tenderness a bit too much!”
    “Can I please say something?” Roman cut in.
    “Yeah, I’m finished!” Kyle said as he started to retrieve his discarded clothing from the floor.
    “You’re right. This lifestyle is new for me, but you’re not going anywhere until you tell me what is really going on.”
    “Lifestyle? It not about a lifestyle! It’s about love, our love ! Well, at least what I thought was mutual love! Besides, I thought you knew what was going on!” Kyle said as he flung the white linen pants and shirt in Roman’s face.
    “Okay. We got married last night…”
    Kyle interrupted again. “If you call it that! Arkansas refuses to accept our marriage. I wanted to travel to a state that did, but you said that a piece of paper didn’t matter, so I had to be satisfied with just a commitment ceremony! I wanted more, much more! It’s always about you, your feelings, your health, and the rotting corpse that you still hang on to!”
    “Go screw yourself! I wasn’t aware that tops behaved like jealous schoolgirls! The campy act doesn’t suit you,” Roman said, regretting the words as soon as he spoke them.
    “This is me, Roman! Maybe I don’t let it rage so much at the gym or in public, but I am sure you will come to find the south is not the most loving place for the homosexual male. This is who I am with the man I love! Regardless of my athletic body, I’ve always had what I like to refer to as the phenomenal gay vibe. Sorry, Roman, that you look so straight! I think I know the truth, though. Roman enjoys being my versatile gay baby!”
    “I noticed your gay vibe .”
    “Is that all you have to say?” Kyle countered.
    “I don’t know what to say, because you still haven’t really told me why you are acting this way! Well, except you think I don’t express my feelings for you. I love you! There, are you happy?” he asked, trying to hide the hurt that Kyle’s words were inflicting.
    “Not if I have to ask, and not when I found your appointment book today filled with scheduled visits to the cemetery next to the area blocked out for us! We agreed that the next two weeks would be ours. No work, no therapy, and no cemetery. Just us alone. I’ve craved that for a very long time. I even respected your wishes a year ago when I wanted us to move in together, and you wanted to wait. I considered it a mutual agreement when you preferred to wait until we were committed to make love when I asked you to marry me six months ago.”
    Roman approached Kyle so close that his face was a breath away, resisting an urge to slap him.
    “She was my wife for ten years! For the last seven months of her life, she carried my child, who, by the way, is buried with her! I never told you that, did I! Or told you how I was pinned, unable to move between the steering wheel and the door. How we were trapped for an hour before a passing car saw our lights in a ditch. I can still hear her screams every night, as she gave birth to our son, while she slowly died. Adam never cried. I walked away with a few scratches and bruises. So if you ever call my wife a rotting corpse again, our relationship is finished!”
    “I’m sorry,” Kyle murmured as his face softened, “I didn’t know. However, this is our marriage now . I don’t want to compete with a memory for your heart!”
    “On second thought, perhaps I will take some more medication tonight,” Roman replied, surprised at the icy tone in his voice, “and you will probably need these in the other bedroom!”