Love in Xxchange: Miles to Go by Bailey Bradford (7 ebook reader txt) 📕

as soon as he could say it without trembling in fear. He knew in his heart Max wouldn’t reject him, now he just had to get the message through to his brain.

MILES TO GO

Bailey Bradford

100

Chapter Fourteen

Bo was waiting for him on the porch as had become his habit the last several days.

Seeing his lover sitting there chased the tired right out of Max’s body, and his cock was well on its way to being erect before he even made it up the stairs. Usually Bo greeted him with a heart-melting smile, but this evening Bo sat stiffly in the chair, nibbling on his lower lip. His pensive expression had Max rethinking his plans to drag the man inside and show Bo just how much he’d missed him since this morning.

“Something on your mind?” Max asked as he pulled a chair close to Bo’s and sat down.

Bo blinked several times and nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, I…” Bo swallowed noisily. He looked nervous, and worse, scared. Max didn’t like that at all. He reached for Bo’s hand and felt a bolt of panic when he realised Bo’s hand was shaking.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Max hoped Bo wasn’t giving up. He knew his lover was trying to believe Max loved him, would always love him, but Bo was battling a lifetime of neglect and feelings of unworthiness. Not an insurmountable task, but damned close maybe. Max cupped Bo’s cheek and kissed him, a languorous, thorough kiss that left them both breathless. The fear was gone from Bo’s eyes, replaced by the same burning need that had simmered in Max’s veins all day. But as much as he wanted to make love to Bo, it would have to wait. Too many people had been willing to plunder Bo’s body without giving a damn about his heart. Max wasn’t such a fool. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

Bo looked confused for a moment then he shook his head, as if to bring his mind back to order. “You know I had another nightmare last night.”

Max was well aware. Bo had woken him with whimpers that turned into pleas then

escalated into cries for help before Max had finally managed to pull his lover from whatever hellish nightmare he’d had.

“Yeah, but you fell asleep again almost immediately.” And Max hadn’t been able to ask about the dream, although it sounded like the others, which Bo had told him were vivid nightmares about the assault several weeks ago.

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Bo nodded as if he’d read Max’s thoughts. “Yeah, it’s the same one I keep having. I thought, maybe, if you’re up to it, we could…” Bo shuddered and continued. “The three of us, you, me, and Annabelle, we could maybe go to The Xxchange tonight. Replace the bad memory of a club with a good one, you know?”

Max was ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure he’d rather be shot than go out to some club like The Xxchange, but he’d do damn near anything for Bo. But he did wonder. “That the only reason you want to go? You were so worried I only wanted you because I hadn’t ever had anyone else.”

Bo blushed and glanced at his feet. “I’m trying, Max, you have to know that. But it wouldn’t hurt if you danced with a few guys, see if you felt anything—”

Max bit back a groan. “Bo, I can’t do that. I can’t just…just let some guy grope me.” The idea alone filled him with terror. Letting some stranger touch him, flirt with him, it made those walls that Bo had torn down slam right back up. Bo was the only one he ever wanted to touch him like that. Which was why, he realised, it might be a good idea after all. If Bo saw Max cringe every time a guy approached him—which probably wouldn’t happen at all. Max knew he was a worn old cowboy, nothing special to look at.

“Please, Max.” Bo’s earnest expression was definitely tipping Max towards agreeing, but Bo’s next words clinched it. “And maybe if we go to the club, even though it isn’t the same one where I was attacked, maybe going will help me with the nightmares. You know, having a good time could hopefully replace the bad memories. I’m scared to go, but I think I need to.”

Max mulled it over for less than a minute. “Yeah, okay, but here’s the rules. I don’t have to dance with anyone else. Why you’d want me to I don’t understand,”— mostly—“because I sure as hell don’t want to see you in some other guy’s arms.”

Bo looked like he wanted to argue, but he nodded with almost no hesitation.

“And I don’t want any of this jealous stuff,” Max emphasised. “If someone’s looking at you or me, ain’t either of us going to act on it, so there’s no reason for hurt feelings. We can’t help what other people do, but we can sure be responsible for what we do.”

“Okay,” Bo agreed softly. “But if you do see someone you want—”

“I won’t,” Max said, cutting Bo off briskly. “You sure you want Annabelle to come with us?” Did Bo think Max was going to run off with some other man and leave him alone at The Xxchange? Max was afraid to ask, because if Bo said yes, Max might just lose his temper and MILES TO GO

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say something he’d regret. He was doing his best, but Bo’s doubts cut him sometimes, deep enough that Max wondered how there weren’t any scars.

Bo shifted in his chair until he was twisted around fully facing Max. “I wanted her to come for a couple of reasons. First, she’s become one of my closest friends.” Max could see that. He thought the same of Annabelle as well. “Second, I just…I think I’d feel safer, the more of us there are, you know? That’s not