Page 71 of Forgiven

“I’m sorry, baby.”

“And I shouldwantto introduce you to them, but I don’t. I want to keep you far away from them. Not because I’m ashamed to be with you, because I’m not.”

“I know.”

“But I know they’ll be horrible to you and you don’t deserve that. I can’t put you through that.”

“No family visits. Got it. It’s not like I can take you home to meet my parents, either.”

Callum squeezed Dylan tightly. “I’m sorry.”

“I lost my family a long time ago.” Dylan’s voice was heavy. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” Callum cupped his hand around Dylan’s cheek. “Talk to me? You said you were scared too. Why?”

Dylan’s lips quirked into the faintest of smiles. “I’m worried you’ll see through me and realise you don’t want to be with me. Sooner or later, everyone gets rid of me.”

“It’s not going to happen.”

Dylan shook his head. “You can’t make that promise, and I’d never ask you to. It’s just my silly insecurities. Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s not silly.” Callum’s chest squeezed tight. “You’ve been abandoned a lot, haven’t you?”

Tears flooded Dylan’s eyes. “A few times. I—uh—it’s why I put on a facade. If I don’t give anyone my heart, they can’t crush it.” His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He cleared his throat. “I gave it away to foster family after foster family. I fooled myself into believing that this time would be different. This time they’d want me. This would be my forever home.” His voice broke, and so did Callum’s heart. “But it never was. I tried so fucking hard to make people proud, to please them, to be a good boy. But it never worked. They never wanted me.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, baby. You weren’t there.” He hugged Callum close. “I’d kept my heart carefully shuttered up until you came along. Now those shutters are flung wide open and my heart is yours for the taking, and that’s fucking terrifying.”

Callum was overwhelmed by the trust Dylan had put in him. Both by exposing his heart to himandby peeling back the lies that had protected him.

“I don’t ever want to hurt you,” Callum said.

“I know, baby. I don’t want to hurt you, either, but neither of us can promise we won’t. Let’s just take this scary, wonderful thing we’ve got going one day at a time, okay?”

“Okay.”

Without warning, Dylan grabbed Callum’s shoulders and rolled him onto his back, straddling him. “I’m pretty sure I promised you an orgasm, Tattoo Boy.”

Callum shivered with delightful anticipation. “Changing the subject?”

“Oh, yes.” Dylan leaned down and brushed his lips over Callum’s ear. “Have you ever been given a blow job by someone with a tongue piercing before?”

Callum trembled as he shook his head.

“Do you want one?”

“Oh, God, yes.”

Dylan sat up and grinned salaciously. “Your wish is my command.”

He got off Callum, helped him out of his boxers, and then nudged his legs apart so he could settle between them.

“Close your eyes, baby. I want you to concentrate on how it feels.”

Callum obeyed as his body trembled with anticipation. He didn’t have to wait long to feel the wet warmth of Dylan’s tongue running along the underside of his cock. The piercing added an extra sensation that instantly drove him wild. He moaned and arched his back, clutching at the sheets as Dylan’s hot mouth closed around the head of his cock, sucking as he flicked his tongue back and forth.

“That’s amazing,” Callum breathed. Even though his head was foggy with pleasure, he remembered to praise Dylan.