“I wanna feel you suck my cock, baby.” Chad’s voice was going for silken and luscious, but it sounded oily and desperate as he tried to woo Gabriel.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and shifted the phone to the other ear, pressing it against his shoulder. “I’m just walking in the door now.”

“Come over, then. C’mon. I can pick you up,” Chad coaxed.

“Have you been drinking?” Gabriel asked.

“A cold one with the game.”

Gabriel rubbed his face and shook his head. “Then no driving for you. Okay. I’ll be there in ten.”

The advantages of a small town where you could drive end-to-end in thirty minutes, even at rush hour, rarely beat the downsides: everything else, especially his living situation.

In his cousin’s backyard cabin—he thought the title was generous for Art’s shed—there wasn’t much privacy. Certainly not enough soundproofing. Art’s house was on the other side of the property, but even so, he heard the commotion when Art had buddies over and a game was on TV.

On the other hand, Chad shared his house with three other guys, none of whom liked working and all of whom preferred to drink and shoot cans in the backyard. They didn’t give a shit who the other guys in the house preferred to fuck or date, though. So much for Texan stereotypes.

And, most importantly, they tended to be out of the house during the weekends. He had Saturday afternoons off, when his boss came to take over the farm produce stall on the outskirts of town. His boyfriend had made Saturday sex day.

Gabriel ditched his green apron and changed into a t-shirt and jeans in a few seconds flat. Chad never seemed to care what he wore anyway.

“There you are, baby.” By the time he got to Chad’s house, Chad was waiting for him, leaning on the open door. He was dressed in his usual sweatpants and ratty white tank top, which was hardly an appealing look on him.

What’s the point of this, anyway? Gabriel’s steps slowed as he approached the doorstep.

No hello kiss—not that Chad had ever been big on them. The first Saturday or two, maybe, but even those had just been warm-ups for the sex immediately following.

“Come on, you.” Chad grabbed Gabriel by the arm and hauled him inside. “Been waiting for you for ages.”

“Hi,” Gabriel answered drily, but Chad missed the sarcasm. He pinned Gabriel up against the wall by the door, grinding slowly against him. “Have I got a present for you, baby. Guess what it is.”

The hardness against Gabriel’s thigh was unmistakable. “A pen. Or you’re happy to see me.”

“Pen-is,” Chad smirked, then snickered at his own joke. “Something’s happy to see you.”

Gabriel stumbled when Chad pushed his shoulder down hard, then sank to his knees rather than resist the pressure. He snorted. “Not even in the living room?”

“Couldn’t wait that long.”

Was that booze Gabriel smelled on his breath?

“See how much I need you?” Chad pulled his waistband down, and his cock sprang free. It was flushed, hard, veiny… throbbing with need. Obediently, he leaned in and slid his mouth around the head, sucking the weight of him into his mouth.

He bobbed his head slowly to the base of Chad’s erection, then pulled his lips back up again. Chad moaned, bracing himself on the wall. The scent of him was hot, but Gabriel wasn’t turned on.

Something was sliding into place—an inescapable realization that he didn’t want to do this. There was nothing that clicked between him and Chad anymore, if there ever had been. And the only times Chad called, he was drunk and pushy, and not even in the way that made Gabriel hot.

He pulled away, wrapping a hand around Chad’s cock and stroking a couple times.

Fuck. This has to be it.

“What?” Chad demanded when Gabriel let go and didn’t get to work. “It won’t suck itself.”

“No.” Gabriel pushed Chad’s hand off his shoulder and rose to his feet again. “Sorry, man. This boyfriend thing… No.”

Chad stared at him, his eyes slightly unfocused, then crinkled his nose. “Seriously? You’re dumping me? Without even a goodbye blowjob? Come on, baby. One more time, for old time’s sakes.”

He actually cares more about getting his rocks off than being dumped. Gabriel sighed as his suspicions were confirmed. “I don’t think it counts as old times until we’ve been dating a couple months.”

“I’ll suck you, too.” Chad hadn’t even done that before. Gabriel doubted he’d follow through now. “Just gimme a hand, man. Don’t leave me hanging.”

Gabriel sympathized with the blue balls, but that was it. “Go fuck your Fleshlight if you want to use a wet hole. I’m out.”

The creative curses spilling from Chad’s mouth as he yanked his sweatpants up again barely registered in Gabriel’s ears. He shoved the ripped screen door open and left without a backward glance.

Gabriel knew in his heart this was the right choice. There might be nobody else willing to look twice at him in this podunk town, but it was better to be alone than with someone he didn’t even like.

And he wouldn’t be stuck here forever. There was Houston—so close, and yet so far, and always in his daydreams.

The big city. Where he could download Grindr at last and find all the great sex he wanted. Or, even better, the great sex and love. And friends. And a future.

“I hope you fucking wrap around a tree, asshole,” Chad yelled after him, glowering through the screen door.

Gabriel smiled back at him as he climbed into his car, not even a bit upset. It was the right call. Chad wasn’t part of that future, and he never had been. Ditching him was surprisingly easy.

This was just the first step in his new life.