A Second Chance at Love Read online

  “Well, Daniel, can I go now? This is bordering on unlawful imprisonment.”

  “Ask me nicely,” Daniel took another step forward, definitely crowding Mischa, his hands still crammed in his pockets.

  “Oh fuck off, Dan. Let me out!”

  Daniel laughed and pushed Mischa back. He bounced off of the side of the king-sized poster bed and nearly lost his balance. Daniel laughed harder and took two more menacing steps closer. It was pretty clear that if Mischa had any hope of getting through the bedroom door he was going to have to fight his way out. Daniel was either too drunk or too caught up in whatever passed for a trip down memory lane to the chronically concussed.

  “This isn't funny,” Mischa yelled.

  Daniel wrapped his warm, wet palm around Mischa’s neck and pulled him close to his face.

  “Yes it is,” he said softly.

  Seeing his opening, Mischa balled up his fist and launched it into Daniel’s jaw. Both boys looked startled at the impact and the pain that immediately followed.

  “Jesus, your head is made of granite!” Mischa yelled, shaking his hand out as his two middle knuckles throbbed with pain. He was pretty sure they weren’t broken but he could definitely use some ice.

  “You’ve got a little bit of power in your punches,” Daniel observed, wiping at his jawline.

  “Let me out.”

  “Say it again,” Daniel breathed.

  “Let me go,” Mischa whined.

  “Ask me nicely.”

  Mischa closed his eyes against the way Daniel’s voice crept over his skin and set his nerves on fire.

  “Please…” he breathed.

  “I can’t.”

  Mischa opened his eyes just in time to see Daniel’s face descend upon his. The moment their lips met, Mischa felt the whole world begin to melt away. The six years of torment and anger seemed like a trifle compared to the feel of Dan’s lips on his. He’d imagined this moment, fantasized about it actually. What young gay boy hadn’t dreamed of “turning” the hot straight guy. But those were only stupid fantasies of a mind that was clearly soaked in teenage hormones and self-loathing, right? Things like this never happened in real life.

  Mischa opened his eyes one more time, just to be sure that he was truly kissing Daniel Mann, the smoldering sex god. He watched Daniel’s face as they kissed. The muscles in his face relaxed as he swept into Mischa’s mouth, leaving little hints of expensive beers and potato chips in his mouth in exchange for Mischa’s soft submission. Mischa felt himself melting and tried once more to extricate himself from the situation.

  He pushed hard, forcing Daniel back.

  “I’m out of here,” Mischa growled and stomped by the startled Daniel.

  He had his hand on the doorknob when Daniel caught him by the arm and spun him around.

  “Not a chance,” Daniel said.

  The two boys began to grapple with each other, pulling on each other’s clothes and rolling around on the ground as they fought for supremacy. Mischa managed to break free several times but never made it more than a step away from Daniel. Daniel was taller and heavier and pretty soon the difference between an athletic body and a non-athlete became obvious. Mischa found himself panting and exhausted, trapped beneath Daniel, whose face was radiant and smiling.

  The asshole was actually having fun! Mischa was shocked to find that he was also enjoying himself.

  “You’re so annoying,” Mischa groaned.

  “Come on, you really don’t want to leave that bad,” he said.

  “What makes you think that?” Mischa rolled his eyes, refusing to admit the truth.

  Daniel rocked his hips gently, calling attention to the growing lump at the joint of his thighs.

  “You like it.”

  “I’m eighteen, idiot. I get a stiffy when the wind blows.”

  “The wind ain’t blowing now,” Daniel chuckled.

  “No, you just decided to rub up against me like a dog in heat.” Mischa couldn’t tell if he was angry about being pinned down or angry at his body for betraying him.

  “Yeah, and you like it. You like me.”

  “You’re hot, not nice. What I like is your ass, not your personality.”

  Daniel shrugged.

  “That’s a good place to start.”

  “Let me go, you’ve had your fun.”

  “Not yet. “

  Once again, Dan dipped his head, kissing Mischa softly. This time Mischa had no defenses. He welcomed Dan into his mouth and returned fire. The two boys swapped spit, their tongues dueling, tempting and teasing each other. Mischa wound his hands through Dan’s dark, wavy hair. The cool strands slipped through his fingers and tickled his face as he continued kissing Dan.

  There was no way to know how many times Dan had kissed other people, but he was obviously well practiced. He let Mischa set the pace at first, following his lead until he was sure about how Mischa wanted to be kissed. Then he charged ahead like a raging bull, making wet sucking sounds as he devoured Mischa’s lips. It was perfect, just the way Mischa had always hoped it would be. Only this time he wasn’t going to allow himself to wake up. He was going to enjoy this right until the end.

  “Perfect,” Daniel whispered against Mischa’s swollen lips.

  Mischa could feel his temperature rising and turned his head away to hide the redness of his face. The one thing he hated about his Russian heritage was how white his skin remained, even after long hours under the sun. It made moments like this even more embarrassing because there was no denying it when he started to blush. Daniel wasted no time in taking advantage of his vulnerable neck, burying his nose into the soft crevice and sniffing and licking the pale skin.

  Mischa whimpered softly but didn’t put up any resistance. He wanted this and he wasn’t going to pretend otherwise. He’d done himself proud by putting up a good fight. He could give in just this once. What was the likelihood of this moment ever happening again?

  Dan felt his compliance and went mad, shoving his hands up under Mischa’s shirt and marveling at the smooth skin.

  “Are you sure you’re a guy?” He grunted and gave Mischa a hungry smile. “Your skin is too smooth. I didn’t expect it to feel like this.”

  Dan’s fingertips brushed over Mischa’s sensitive nipples and sent him into ecstasy. He trembled like a leaf and bit his bottom lip, trying not to cry out as Dan’s fingers explored his body and coaxed him along.

  “Say my name,” Daniel whispered, his breath tickling Mischa’s ear.

  Not wanting to give in too easily, he clamped down on his tongue and shook his head. Daniel slid his hand between their bodies and unfastened Mischa’s belt.

  “Say it.”

  Mischa bit the inside of his cheek and shook his head again. Dan punished him by caressing his fully erect cock. Mischa bit down harder and closed his eyes. He’d made out with a few guys before but he’d never felt anything like this before. Dan’s warm, damp palms on his stiff member were both a treasure and a nightmare. He was utterly lost as the conflicting sensations warred with each other.

  “Call my name,” Dan said, more forcefully this time. He pinched the head of Mischa’s cock and watched as Mischa’s back arched and a loud moan escaped him.

  “Daniel….oh shit, please don’t stop. Fuck! Daniel!”

  Mischa writhed on the ground, clinging to Daniel’s broad shoulders and wanting to run away at the same time. Dan quieted his loud outburst with another deep, intense kiss. This time it was Mischa’s turn to push Dan to ecstasy. He pulled Dan’s shirt up over his head and threw it behind his back. He made short work of Dan’s shorts and then pushed the sex god off of him, rolling him onto his back.

  Mischa gave Dan a triumphant smile as he straddled his hips.

  “Perfect,” Dan said again, pressing his palm to Mischa’s cheek and caressing the naturally pink lips with the pad of his thumb.

  Mischa slid down between Dan’s legs and swallowed his manhood whole. It filled his mouth and pressed against the back of
his throat. Dan hissed loudly and gripped Mischa’s hair tightly. The pain brought tears to Mischa’s eyes but he didn’t complain. It didn’t bother him, in fact, it was a welcomed reminder that this was in fact happening.

  Mischa sucked his cock enthusiastically, making up for what he lacked in experience with determination. Dan moaned and cried out, sometimes shoving Mischa’s face into his crotch and other times whimpering to be set free. Mischa played with him endlessly, delighting in his moments of might as much as his weakness. He was also a quick study, learning what pleased Daniel and which techniques kept him hard but out of danger.

  Mischa slowly edged Dan toward an orgasm and held him there for what must have seemed like hours, even if it was only a few minutes. Dan quickly turned the tables, stripping Mischa naked and having his way with his body. Dan left a road map of bites and scratches all over Mischa’s milky white skin. The deeper the red, the more it seemed to please them both. The hours passed, and the party downstairs died down. A few people passed by the only locked door in the house to shout their goodbyes. Neither of them paid them any mind. They were both too busy indulging themselves.

  They tried all of the things they'd ever dreamed of. They kissed until their lips became chapped and their saliva ran dry. They both came so many times that they were sure that there was no fluid left in their bodies. They were wrapped in a haze of years of unrequited affection and sweat. Neither of them bothered to think about what would come after this moment, or what they would be faced with beyond the safety of that one locked door.

  Finally, just before the sun came up, they collapsed, exhausted, Mischa’s head resting heavily on Dan’s chest. And that was just how the morning found them.

  Chapter Three

  “What the fuck happened here!”

  The sound of his father’s voice shot through Daniel like a bolt of lightning. He squinted against the harsh light streaming in through the window. The pounding in his head was intense, but he knew he didn’t have time to give that any attention. He had two minutes at best before his irate father would burst into the room and demand answers.

  Mischa was still sleeping soundly beside him, his face pressed into Dan’s shoulder. There were love bites and handprints clearly visible all over his body, the only imperfection to his otherwise porcelain skin. Even the acne that had plagued the cute blond in middle school seemed to have healed without leaving any scars. His long lashes rested neatly on his cheeks, and for a moment Dan wanted to pull him into another hot embrace and see those ice blue eyes erupt into boiling pools of passion once again. Consequences be damned.

  But he was too much of a coward to do that. He always had been, always would be. Whatever happened the night before would have to live in his memory. It could never happen again. Not for him. Instead, he gritted his teeth and did what he knew he had to do.

  “Wake up, faggot!” Dan shoved Mischa’s sleeping body off the edge of the bed. He hit the floor with a solid thud.

  “What the hell, man?”

  “My parents are back. Get dressed,” Dan threw Mischa’s clothes at him.

  “Oh fuck, what time is it?”

  “I don’t know, morning!”

  Mischa hopped around the room, trying to reassemble himself.

  “I am so dead. My mom is going to kill me. Where is Faedra, I was supposed to be her ride. I am such a bad friend?”

  “Are all queers as girly as you?” Dan casually pulled his shorts on and dropped his shirt over his head.

  “What?”

  “I mean, ‘oh my mommy, and my best friend will be mad at me,’” Dan pranced around in a circle, mocking Mischa in a high-pitched voice. “Just be a man about your shit. You stayed out late, so fucking what? Is your mommy going to make sure you are in by curfew when you go off to college?”

  “Dan, where the hell are you! Get down here NOW, young man!”

  Both boys looked ominously at the door.

  “You better go, he sounds mad.”

  “He’s always mad, but unlike you, I’m not scared of him being mad at me.”

  Mischa took Daniel’s hand in his and patted it.

  “I can go down with you if you want...and maybe help explain things. Parents usually try to hold it together in front of outsiders.”

  Mischa’s sympathetic look was galling. The last thing he wanted was to have Mischa taking pity on him. It was okay when it came from girls; sympathy pussy was just as good as any, but not from Mischa. For Mischa, he wanted to be strong. Daniel snatched his hand away and sneered at the blond.

  “I’ve got it covered. In the meantime, you need to get the hell out of here. You can climb down the trellis from the balcony. It’s not really that far, even if you fall you probably won’t break anything.”

  Mischa walked over to the double doors that opened out to a small balcony overlooking the backyard. It wasn’t very high, but it might as well have been a thousand feet. Just the thought of climbing over the iron gate and shimmying down made his stomach do flips. He looked back at Daniel and tried to smile.

  “You sound like you’ve done this before.”

  Daniel shrugged.

  “You aren’t the first person to overstay their welcome.”

  Mischa frowned.

  “Hurry up before we both get caught.”

  Mischa walked back into the bedroom and stood in front of Daniel.

  “About last night,” Daniel began. Mischa didn’t let him finish, rolling up onto his toes and kissing him as an explanation. Daniel shoved him away and balled up his fist, launching it at Mischa’s startled face. His head snapped back hard and he stumbled away, his hand covering what would surely end up being a black eye.

  “Let’s get one thing straight, faggot. I’m not queer. Do you think what happened last night means we’re going to fall in love? If I hadn’t been drinking you wouldn’t have had a chance. You’re nothing but a warm mouth to me. Now leave!”

  The doorknob began to rattle.

  “Dan, Dan I know you’re in there. Come out here this instant! My house is a wreck! I told you NO PARTIES. We are supposed to start showing the house on Monday! You are in so much trouble!”

  His mother’s angry screeches were nothing compared to the look on Mischa’s face. The crystal blue eyes, that had only a minute ago been warm and liquid, were as flat and hard as ice. Surprise and hurt were replaced with calm acceptance. Daniel knew that he accomplished his goal. Mischa believed him, and it hurt him to his core. He watched as Mischa stood up straight and turned on his heel without saying another word. In one determined movement, he hopped over the edge of the balcony and jumped down to the ground. The last time Daniel saw Mischa he was running across the lawn as fast as he could.

  ***

  “It was my fault,” Mischa said to his reflection. His hands were still shaking as he splashed water on his face. He still wasn’t sure why he felt like crying. It was one night, and it wasn’t like he didn’t know what type of guy Daniel Mann was. He’d made a dumb decision and was paying the price for it.

  His cell phone rang from his back pocket and he stared at the name of the screen as if it was a snake poised to strike.

  Faedra.

  There was no point in dragging this out. He deserved every drop of disdain she would have to give him. They had a rule. They never separated when they went out. Everybody goes home, or nobody goes home. He’d done a really shitty thing by abandoning her so he could play doctor with the hot asshole.

  “Faedra, I—”

  “Oh my god, I can’t believe you and Daniel Mann did the nasty! In his MOM’S room!”

  Mischa was confused. Was she happy for him or?

  “Wait, what? Who told you?”

  “Nobody told me. I was looking for you and there was only one room in the house that was occupied. By the way, you two were really loud. If it wasn’t for the fact that everybody was drunk and the music was loud, you two would have been front page news,” she said. It was a little late to feel ashamed so he tried to f
ocus on what was most important.

  “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have just left you twisting in the wind like that. How did you get home?”

  “I didn’t. I took Frenchy to Crystal’s stepdaddy’s barn and we did the nasty.”

  Mischa’s stomach turned.

  “Can you please stop calling it ‘the nasty’. It makes you sound like a third grader.”

  “Okay, we engaged in consensual sexual congress. Me and him and Crystal and that guy, Peter or Patrick or whatever his name is.”

  “Philip.”

  “Yeah, him.”

  “You had a four-way?”

  “Eww, no I just mean Crystal and Philip were doing their thing and me and Sebastian did ours.”

  “What did your mom have to say about it?”

  “Nothing, I told her that I was staying the night at Crystal’s and I did you a solid and told your mom that you were crashed out at my house and would be back in the morning.”

  Mischa breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t have any idea how he was going to explain his absence to his parents. They were pretty cool about him going out, but that was because he always made it back at a decent hour. He’d never been bold enough to try staying out all night. But since it was his senior year, they’d been a lot more chill.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “No problem...so how did this happen? I need details!”

  “I promise to fill in all of the blanks later. Let's just say I made a huge mistake and I will never do it again. And for the record, he’s a much bigger asshole than I gave him credit for,” he said.

  Mischa hung up the phone and took a hard look at his face. His eye was already turning interesting shades of blue and purple. There was no way his mom wouldn’t notice. Luckily he’d taken graduation photo last week. Still, he wasn’t excited about walking across the stage at graduation with his face looking like that.

  He still didn’t know what to think about last night. The man he’d gone to bed with was nothing like the one he woke up to. The one who begged him to call his name couldn’t be the same one who basically threw him out in the morning. Mischa splashed his face with cold water again and patted it dry. His hands had finally stopped shaking, but the desire to cry was stronger than ever.