Take My Body (Curse Bound 2)

Caspian’s big, tattooed chest grew as he inhaled. “I think it’s best if he waits for us outside. We could go somewhere private and discuss this.”

At this point, Noah’s eyes were the size of saucers, and if Gunner didn’t do something fast, he might end up with a psychiatrist knocking at his door.

He turned to Caspian and shook his head. “No, no, no, I said I’ll handle this.”

Noah took a strangled breath and kneaded his face, as if he were trying to rub off his freckles. “Is this how you paid off Snowman this week? I came to ask because I was worried. I mean… I’m not judging, but you don’t have to do this. I’ll take on some extra shifts—”

Oh Jesus.

Caspian frowned and raised his hands, finally settling into his role. “Look, I know it might be a shock, and I didn’t want you finding out this way, but I’ve been living with this secret for some time—”

“No! You have not! Shut up!” Gunner yelled and pushed at the massive chest, which barely budged at the pressure. He looked back at Noah, because it wasn’t as though Caspian would slap him back. “We’re gonna talk, and you’ll understand. And he will stop talking shit.” He gave Caspian a warning glare, because coming out in Gunner’s body wasn’t his decision to make!

“Hey, don’t shove me,” Caspian growled, and his hand went straight for Gunner’s throat. The collar of fingers didn’t hurt, but its presence still shocked Gunner into a stupor. Hadn’t they flirted a minute ago? Hadn’t they just fucked? Hadn’t Gunner given Caspian pleasure?

In sex that same hold had driven him frantic, and his body responded to the memory by flushing him with heat.

Noah stepped closer and put his hand on Caspian’s arm. “Hey, Gunner… It’s okay, whatever’s going on, we can talk it over.”

No. It was not okay.

Caspian leaned in to meet Gunner’s eyes. “Did you hear that? He says it’s fine. Calm down, let’s dress, and we can figure this thing out together.”

There was something calming about the steady way he spoke, but everything Gunner was, everything that made him, rebelled against the idea of his little brother knowing about his secret cravings.

Gunner stepped away as soon as Caspian let go. “No. I need to tell him stuff, and you’re not part of that. Stop confusing him!”

Noah raised his hands. “What the hell is going on?”

Caspian’s mouth pressed together, and he took a deep breath. “He already saw us. Don’t you see he’s fine with it?”

Gunner shook his head. He’d gotten caught up in a fantasy that had no place anywhere near his real life. “No! It might be fine to be a faggot in your world, but this is out of control. I need to talk to my brother, and you don’t belong in that conversation! Don’t know what you thought this was, but you’re wrong.”

Caspian frowned, taken aback, and his mouth twitched into a bitter smile. “I thought you wanted to be my bitch.”

An involuntary whimper escaped Gunner’s mouth, but before he could have spoken, Noah stepped in between them with a twist to his full lips.

“I don’t know what’s up, but don’t speak to him like that. I met him today, and I think he’s having some kind of mental breakdown.” Noah glanced back at Gunner. “Do you have any family I could call for you?” he asked softly.

This couldn’t be happening.

“You know what? Fuck you,” Caspian said, his patience finally snapping. He glared at Noah. “Sure, take him with you. He’ll explain and lie, or whatever.”

Shame seeped into every pore of Gunner’s body, but Caspian’s anger was preferable to getting his real life wrecked. His shoulders slumped as Caspian stormed out, a bulldozer of a man with clenched fists.

“I’ll see you later!” Noah yelled after him, but then looked back at Gunner with questions in his brown eyes. “What’s your name?”

Gunner gave a deep sigh, and once he heard the locker room door slamming hard, they walked out of the showers so he could get dressed. “It’s complicated.”

“Your name is complicated? Shoot, I’ll do my best not to mispronounce—”

“It’s Gunner, okay?”

Noah frowned. “Okay, that’s confusing.”

“Tell me about it,” Gunner grumbled, but Noah didn’t say anything more and just waited for him to get dressed.

Now that Caspian was gone, Gunner was feeling as if someone had taken away his anchor. They’d spent the whole afternoon together, discovering each other’s bodies, they’d had lunch, and then gone through the boxing together, fucked again… He shouldn’t have snapped like that, but he’d panicked. He didn’t know how to navigate being gay, not to mention the insane body swap situation.

The wait was painful, and Gunner hoped to gather his thoughts while it lasted, but by the time he and Noah left the locker rooms and headed toward Gunner’s fancy vintage car, he hadn’t come up with any revolutionary ideas on how to deal with this mess.