His Old Kentucky Home by Brynn Paulin Page B

felt as if his soul was pouring from him into his man, connecting them further than ever before.
    Moments later, he dropped beside Sully and pulled him tight into his embrace. Gently, they kissed, running their hands over each other, lingering and adoring, as they both recovered.
    “I’m so proud of you,” Cord said.
    His eyes closed, Sully grinned, though it was weak with his fatigue. “It was hard.”
    “I could feel it.”
    “Difficult,” Sully clarified, his body shaking as he chuckled silently.
    “That too.” Cord hugged his man tighter, and Sully burrowed his face into Cord’s shoulder. His breathing relaxed as he drifted toward slumber.
    “Stay with me,” he murmured, surprising Cord who’d thought he was asleep.
    “This is the room your brother gave me.”
    Sully sighed then opened his eyes. “That’s not what I mean.” He rolled onto is back and Cord propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at him.
    He shook his head, confused. “What…?”
    “The last few months… Sex is great, but the rest of the time, it’s almost like you’re not really there. No, that doesn’t say it well… I mean…you’re emotionally distant. Closed off. Having a conversation has been almost impossible.”
    “I didn’t realize—”
    “I should have said something before, but…” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Being here makes it easier somehow.”
    Right. Being on his home turf gave him confidence and Cord was the outsider. That power shift sat uneasily with him. He’d always thought of them as equals, even if he dominated during sex, but maybe, they weren’t as much as he’d thought.
    Sully smacked Cord’s shoulder. Hard. “Don’t,” he exclaimed. “You’re doing it again. Escaping into your head.”
    “I’m sorry. I’ve been…” He’d been what? Thinking of a new future? He didn’t even know how to broach that subject yet. That was half his problem. “Considering things,” he finally finished then cringed. Even to him, that sounded awful.
    Sully’s eyes clouded as he stared at Cord, and Cord felt like the biggest ass to walk the planet, especially when he couldn’t drag free the words to make things right. Sully shook his head then turned onto his side, facing away from Cord. “I have to be up early tomorrow to work with a horse. I’d better get to sleep.”
    “Okay,” Cord murmured, kicking himself ten ways to Friday. God, he was such a coward. Silently, he got up and went into the en suite bath to clean up. When he returned to the bedroom, he found Sully asleep—or at least pretending to be.

 
    Chapter Five
     
     
     
    Old habits were hard to break, and though he was dying inside, more sure than ever that Cord was done with him, Sully smiled at him the next morning as if the conversation following sex had never happened. He had a troubled horse to deal with; he didn’t have the fortitude to deal with a troubled partner as well.
    “You’ll have to come out and meet Kally Kin,” he said as he passed Cord the serving plate of bacon. “She’s a little moody, but I bet you can make friends with her.”
    “Moody?” Brian scoffed then looked over at Cord. “Try cantankerous and ill-tempered. Watch your fingers. She’s a biter.”
    “She’s coming around,” Sully argued. “Besides, she’s never bit me. If she likes me, she’ll probably get on with Cord.”
    Brian raised his brows and looked down at his eggs, clearly thinking his brother was twelve kinds of crazy.
    “It’s good to have both my boys home,” Gran gushed. She clasped her hands together on the table behind her plate, surveying the dining room’s occupants. “And Sully’s young man too. I’m so glad he’s found someone, and such a handsome boy, to boot.”
    Sully glanced over at Cord to see the man’s cheeks darken with embarrassment.
    “Tell me,” she said, and her eyes narrowed slightly, her congenial look fading. Terror sliced through Sully. He knew that look.
    “Gran,” he tried to