The lights were low, and Troy turned down the bed as Win watched his every move. Months ago, he never thought he’d have Troy in his life, much less his bed. The pessimistic part of himself still waited for it to all fall apart. This was like the dreams he’d had over the years, yet he hoped it didn’t end with him waking up reaching out to find the spot beside him cold and empty. He’d done that too many times, lost within visions that came when his mental walls weren’t up, and it showed him those moments where he was happiest. The reality was it had come true and yet he was terrified.

The slender man was unusually quiet the whole evening, and he wondered if he’d done something wrong—if he didn’t handle the situation with Bella correctly. “Did I do something wrong?”

Troy turned to him with a smile. “You sound like your daughter. To answer your question, no you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why are you so damn quiet?” Win hesitantly asked.

“What did you agree to earlier?”

“You’re answering a question with a question. I hate that shit.”

Troy knew that annoyed him, yet he made a habit of it.

“Yeah, yeah, just tell me.”

“What I already agreed to, we’re together.”

“What happens if we’re not together anymore?”

Win’s heart fell into the pit of his stomach. “Are you saying we’re—”

“Stop!” Troy barked out the order and closed the distance between them.

Slender arms twined around his waist, and his dick decided to have a mind of its own. Serious conversation time, but the taking it slow option had run its course.

“You’re worse than I am about jumping to conclusions. You can’t take her away from me now, even if we’re—” Troy’s eyes darkened.

“Quit planning the breakup. I’ve waited too long to get you right where you are.” He tightened his arms around the smaller man and leaned down to conform his lips to Troy’s, and he groaned at the immediate heat. He nudged Troy’s mouth open with the tip of his tongue and traced the blunt edges of his teeth. As he stroked one hand upward to wrap around Troy’s nape, he dragged the other down to the tempting curves of a rounded ass. He pulled the man closer, yet it wasn’t enough.

“You have? Just how long have you waited?”

“Longer than I want to admit to.”

“Dirty old man.” Troy chuckled.

He tipped his head to the side as Troy nuzzled the side of his throat. “You know you love this dirty old man.”

“Maybe.”

He gripped Troy’s ass tighter in his large hands and pulled the smaller man to him. Pleasure zinged through every inch of his body at the flat stomach that pushed against his achingly hard cock. Sleeping with Troy in his arms most nights had become a torture he both despised and savored. He stroked his hands upward to push Troy’s soft t-shirt out of the way to the even softer skin beneath. They’d touched, kissed and sensuously rubbed their bodies together countless times over the past month, but silently agreed they’d take it no further.

He didn’t separate their mouths and kissed Troy softly between each word. “Only maybe? You can do better than that, baby.”

“Make me.”

The challenge from the sexy man was all he needed. Win may be insecure about his semi-new relationship, but the Alpha part of himself pushed it aside. He jerked Troy’s shirt off and threw it to the floor, then slipped his hands beneath the pajama bottoms at Troy’s hips and shoved them down along with his boxer briefs. Win reached for the button of his jeans and hesitated as he took in every inch of Troy. His small, leanly muscled frame, his flat pecs and stomach, and the pretty little treasure trail that led to a long, slender dick in a nest of trimmed curls.

Oh fuck, his mouth watered to taste.

“Going to stand there staring all night or let me see?” Troy asked him as he backed up towards the bed.

He stalked his boyfriend’s every move and reached over his head to grab his shirt to remove it quickly. His jeans disappeared almost as quickly but cursed his heavy boots. He bent over to jerk the laces of his work boots loose. As he straightened, he kicked everything aside and let Troy look. He could practically feel the heat of Troy’s gaze, but also, he noticed the nervousness as Troy nibbled at his bottom lip—a clear tell that always gave Troy away.

“Wow, um, that’s, yeah.” Troy nearly squeaked as he talked.

He wrapped his hand around his thick uncut cock and stroked it as he listened to Troy whimper. Troy’s pretty dick glistened with pre-cum and jumped.

“What’s wrong, baby?”

He reached the head, squeeze his fingers just under the crown and pulled his foreskin back. When he pressed his thumb against his slit, Troy whimpered louder. The ache in his balls intensified, and he released his cock before he reached the point of no return. He stepped forward and for every step he took, Troy countered.

“No-nothing.”

Reaching out, he snatched Troy’s hips, and their naked bodies met for the first time.

“I was such a fucking idiot,” he groaned.

The warm, soft skin was perfect against his bigger, hairier body. He thrust his hips forward, and Troy’s arms twined around his neck, short nails pricked his back.

“Wha-What?”

Win flexed his arms and lifted Troy off his feet, then tossed him back onto the bed. He loomed over Troy. The way Troy was splayed across their bed made him harder. And it was theirs—had been from the first night Troy stayed over. Nervousness and desire warred with his need to take care of Troy. With the women he’d been with everything seemed so much easier, and he understood the difference, and it wasn’t about Troy being a man—this was because the slender man on his bed mattered more than a one-off. Wow, how much of an asshole did that make me?

“You’re thinking too hard, Win. If you’ve changed your—”

“I could’ve had you naked years ago.”

“All you had to do was give me a signal, and I would’ve been all over you.”

“Is that all it would’ve taken?” he asked as he leaned over, placed his hands on the bed and started crawling towards Troy until he lay between Troy’s legs.

“Yes.”

He closed his eyes as Troy carded his fingers through his hair. He still waited for the time when he'd fuck up somehow, but for now, Troy was his. He had Troy right where he wanted him.

“I always thought you were so beautiful,” he whispered the words against Troy's mouth.

As Troy brushed their lips together, he savored the warm caress of breath. Compared the coldness of fantasy with the overwhelming heat of reality. The fine, brown hairs on Troy's thighs teased his hips as he slowly rubbed their notched cocks together. Short nails dug into the clenched muscles of his back.

He kissed Troy, slow and easy and when the thrust of his hips increased, he pushed his tongue between Troy's lush lips. He loved the contrast of rough, stubble-covered skin and the soft curves. Their grunts blended as they rutted together. Troy's heels pushed into the backs of his thighs. The blunt edges of Troy's teeth caught his bottom lip and Troy's body tensed before wet heat spread between their bellies. He gripped Troy's hair tight as he rode his man faster until their sweat and Troy's release caused their bodies to slip easier together.

His toes curled in the sheet as he kissed his man harder. Felt his muscles spasm as his balls drew up and he let out a long, low growl as his seed joined Troy's. And he couldn't stop, didn't want to stop, and they rubbed together until it was too much. He rolled them to their sides and kept Troy's leg draped over his thigh.

He brushed Troy's damp hair back from his forehead and brushed his mouth across his man's small smile. Troy cuddled up to his chest. He didn't want the moment to end. He'd waited so long for Troy, and no matter how much he had imagined having Troy, it hadn't prepared him for that.

They lay there in silence, touched each other and shared kisses.

“You doing okay?” Troy softly asked.

The question made him grin. “More than okay. I just wished I'd pulled my head out of my ass sooner.”

“No, I think this is just right. No what-ifs. I wouldn't change a thing.”

Troy was right, and he knew that he wasn't ready before.

“I'm going to go get a rag to clean you up. Just rest and I'll be right back.”

Troy did as he ordered and he rolled from the bed, then grabbed a pair of shorts from his dresser. He padded barefoot from the room and stopped at Bella's door. Peeking inside, he found her curled up in a tiny ball in the center of her bed. His daughter didn't sleep like a normal person. Bella was in constant movement. He debated tucking her back in but decided against it.

As soon as Bella's eyes opened, she'd be ready to go, and he and Troy needed sleep. He continued to the bathroom. Once there, he took a piss and then quickly cleaned himself up. He caught his reflection in the mirror. Those deep creases between his brows weren't as noticeable as they'd been. The angry man he saw himself as wasn't reflected at him. For the first time in his life, he was happy, and that had everything to do with Troy and Bella.

He had the family he'd always secretly longed for, and even as happiness bloomed in his chest there was still that edge of trepidation. The fear that it was all a dream or Troy would come to his senses—that they'd take Bella away. Nothing scared him more than losing what he had—his family. He could survive anything but that.

He shook off the thoughts with a violent shake of his head and dampened a rag. He made a detour to the kitchen to grab a few bottles of water and then returned to his bedroom. Troy made these cute snuffling sounds in his sleep. He set the bottles on the nightstand, and as gently as he could, he cleaned his man up. Before curling up with Troy, he threw the rag in the laundry basket.

He held Troy close as he let all the bullshit leave his mind. Focused on the present and left the rest to worry about later. He'd spent the evening loving on his man, and he'd wake up with Troy in his arms. He'd worry about tomorrow when it came.