by Lynn Lorenz
“What’s so funny?” Brian asked. This time, Rush let Brian’s hand rest on top of his and allowed himself to enjoy the weight of it, despite taking a quick peek to see who was watching. Hard habit to break.
“I was just thinking that this looks the same as the lunch crowd at the diner in my town. Only the men there aren’t gay. Then I thought, maybe they are.” He made his voice sound suspicious.
Brian laughed. “Talk about your Twilight Zone.”
Rush took a sip of his beer and nearly choked at the reference.
“So you said you had two dogs, Bandit and Beau, but you never told me what kind.”
“They’re black Labs. Brothers.”
“How old are they?”
“About five.”
“Do you hunt with them, or are they ranch dogs?”
“Those damn dogs won’t hunt.” Rush winked and Brian laughed at the joke. “No, just two big old lap dogs. They keep me company.”
“Company, huh? Are you alone? What about your parents?”
“Well, both of them passed.” Rush didn’t want to talk about them, not on a date. And he sure as hell didn’t want to talk about Robbie.
Over the candle on their table, its flickering light illuminating their faces, the two men gazed at each other.
“Want you, darlin’,” Rush said. He wove his fingers between Brian’s.
“Want you, too, but dinner and conversation first. Then I have something special planned.” Brian grinned as he sipped his wine.
The waiter arrived with their meal, but Brian didn’t let go. And the waiter didn’t say a thing or stare at them funny. Shit. If he could live his life here, with Brian, it would be a dream come true.
But he’d never leave the ranch, so there was no sense in dreaming.
Chapter Twelve
Having dinner with Brian had been more enjoyable than Rush had imagined. Brian had been charming, sexy and funny. Rush hadn’t expected funny, but he’d laughed more during the meal than he had in months. Maybe years. He couldn’t help it—the enthusiastic attitude Brian carried inside about life, love and the world around him had been contagious. Whatever Brian had, Rush wanted it.
Each time he’d been with Brian, he could almost see it. A future with a man. A life spent loving and being loved by this remarkable man. When Rush had told a few stories about the ranch, Brian had hung on his every word, as if he’d needed Rush’s voice like he needed his next breath.
He’d really listened to Rush, and that was something no one had ever done. Still, their talk hadn’t been serious. Rush hadn’t told Brian about coming out to his father, or how his brother, Robbie, died, or about his special abilities. Would he ever be that close to someone to share everything that he held locked up inside?
If he’d thought he was scared before, the prospect of telling Brian all his secrets really terrified him. What if Brian rejected him? Decided he was some sort of freak of nature? He had to push those notions out of his mind and concentrate on the moment, the here and now, that he shared with Brian.
When the check came, Rush had reached for it, expecting the usual argument about who was going to pay, but Brian let him take the check without as much as a blink. They were playing by Brian’s rules, and that meant this was a date, with him paying the bill.
Not to mention those killer looks Brian had given him all through dinner. The ones that had said, “Oh, yeah, I’m going to eat you up, swallow you down, and make you scream. Again.” Have mercy, he wanted Brian to make him scream.
He’d spent the entire dinner with a hard-on straining against his jeans, hidden under the table. Now, as they drove back to Brian’s, he could barely control himself.
Fingers entwined, Brian held Rush’s hand.
Rush never thought just holding a man’s hand would be such a turn-on, but it was the way Brian did it. His fingers would tighten then relax, giving Rush’s fingers a gentle massage as Brian’s thumb rubbed lazily over his skin, sending shivers up and down Rush’s spine. And every now and then, Brian would bring Rush’s hand to his lips and kiss it, or give his knuckles a playful nip.
He wanted to nip Brian. All over. Small, sharp love bites. Big red love bites that would leave Brian begging to be fucked. Just the thought of having Brian’s body all to himself was enough to make him fight shooting his load.
They pulled into Brian’s drive and parked. Brian switched off the engine and put his hand on the door to open it.
“Wait.” If Rush didn’t kiss Brian right now, he’d explode. He reached for Brian, hooked his hand around Brian’s neck and tugged him close. Their faces inches apart, Rush sighed.
Brian closed the distance, and their lips met in a tender touch. Rush felt the soft lick of Brian’s tongue against his bottom lip. He moaned and parted his lips, letting Brian in. That slick, soft, hot tongue explored inside, felt along the edge of his teeth, and when Brian licked the roof of Rush’s mouth, Rush couldn’t hold back the groan.
With Brian’s answering moan, Rush almost lost it. The man’s throaty sound reverberated in Rush’s chest as he swallowed it down, and it shot straight to his balls.
“Need you so bad, darlin’.” Rush ran his hand over the hard lump in Brian’s jeans.
“Not yet and not here, cowboy.” Brian opened the door and slid out. “Come on.” A wicked grin and a wink had Rush fumbling for the door and falling out of the cab. With a grunt, he shut the door and followed Brian as he walked down the drive toward the backyard.
“Wait.” Rush halted. “I need my smokes.” He trotted over to his truck, hit the remote and opened the door. Leaning in, he rifled through the glove compartment, found his pack and lighter, and shoved them into the pocket of his shirt. Then he returned to Brian’s side.
“Where are we going?” Rush didn’t know why he whispered, but the situation seemed to call for it. It felt as if they were kids, sneaking down the driveway, about to do something naughty and afraid they’d get caught. Excitement rippled through him.
Holding open the gate in the tall wooden fence, Brian let Rush in, then closed it behind them. A short alley led to the back yard. The moon was a half-circle, and Rush automatically switched to night vision. As he looked around, Brian stepped onto a brick patio surrounded by a low wall made of stones. He leaned over, and lights in the landscape came on, illuminating the trees that bordered the small patio, but the rest of the yard was in deep shadow.
Rush didn’t need the lights—he could see everything clearly—but the effect was beautiful. Small floodlights cast beams upward into the crepe myrtles, their long trunks naked until they almost reached the top of the fence, then an explosion of green growth that blocked the view of the surrounding neighbors. Lush hostas and ferns occupied the space beneath them. Camellia bushes filled the corners of the yard. When they bloomed, it would smell wonderful.
“Incredible.” Rush couldn’t think of a better word. “It’s like an oasis.”
“Thanks.” Brian grinned at him, a touch of pink tipping his ears.
God, it was so hot to know Brian blushed from his praise.
“Did you do this yourself?” Rush stepped off the patio and onto a perfect square of green lawn. “It’s amazing.”
“Yeah. Glad you like it. It’s a work in progress. I laid the patio two years ago and last year did the beds.” Brian’s quick smile was just a flash of white teeth and a snap of chocolate brown eyes. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.” He turned and went up the steps to the back door, unlocked it, and slipped inside, leaving Rush alone.
He sat on the wall and looked at the sky. A few stars shone, far less than he would see at the ranch but, in the city, they were lucky they saw any stars at all. A few minutes later, Brian returned carrying a basket and a blanket under his arm.
“What have you got?” Rush stood.
“Just some things we might need. Here, help me spread the blanket.” Brian handed it to him, then put down the basket. Rush glanced into it. There were two bottles of beer sitting in a
container of ice, a box of condoms and the lube.
Have mercy.
They spread the blanket and sat next to each other. Brian pulled off his boots and placed them at the edge of the blanket, stuffing the socks inside. Rush followed his lead and placed his scuffed work boots next to Brian’s brown Ropers. One of his fell over on its side. Brian’s boots were smaller than his size 14s, but still at least a 12.
“They look good together,” Brian said. “Like us.”
“You think we look good together?” Rush crawled over to where Brian sat, pulled him back against his chest, and stretched out his legs, bracketing Brian’s. “I think we feel good together.” He ran his hands down Brian’s arms, tracing Brian’s fingers with the tips of his own.
“That, too.” Brian leaned back. His soft hmmm told Rush that he enjoyed being touched.
Rush nuzzled Brian’s neck then licked his ear. “I want to feel all of you. Every inch.”
“With your tongue, I hope.”
“My tongue, my hands, my cock,” Rush whispered into his ear. With a sharp nip, he took Brian’s earlobe in his mouth. “Damn, darlin’, you taste so good.” With his tongue, he traced the curls of Brian’s ear, swirling tighter and tighter until he reached the hole. “I want to do this to your ass.”
“With your tongue, I hope,” Brian repeated and gave a soft chuckle. “I like your tongue, in case you didn’t notice. It’s a very talented tongue.”
Rush laid soft kisses down Brian’s neck as he unbuttoned Brian’s shirt. He slipped the shirt down, feeling the hard muscles in Brian’s arms as he went. The shirt landed next to the boots.
Brian’s broad, bare back rubbed along his chest, and his nipples became sharp points of need. He slid his hands back up to grasp Brian by his upper arms and lowered his head to taste Brian’s shoulder.
“Damn, your skin is so soft, so delicious. I love the way you smell.”
Brian let out a loud sigh and snuggled against him. “I can feel your nipples through your shirt, cowboy. They’re like small, hard bullets. Something getting you hot?”
“You, darlin’.” He wanted Brian in the moonlight, on this blanket. “Do you bring all your men here?”
Brian stiffened and he pulled away. “No, Rush, I don’t. No one has ever been here.” He twisted around to glare into Rush’s eyes. “I haven’t brought anyone home in a very long time.” Rush could see the hurt in them.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything. It’s just such a beautiful place, I figured… Aw hell, I don’t know what I figured.” Rush grimaced. He’d fucked it up. He’d ruined their moment in the moonlight. Brian had probably been planning it all evening. Shit.
Brian’s hand cupped his chin. “It’s okay. I’ve never had anyone here before, but I’ve fantasized about it enough.” A sly smile lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Fantasy, huh? Tell me.” He loved it when Brian talked dirty. It made him crazy hard.
“It’s just like this. We’re under the stars, the night inky, but in my fantasy the flowers are blooming and we can smell them.” Brian gazed into Rush’s eyes.
“Who’s sharing this blanket with you?”
“Different men.” Brian shrugged.
“Do you know them?”
“Sometimes. Lately, it’s just been you.” He gave Rush a soft kiss, his lips brushing, lingering then retreating.
“And before? Was it that friend of yours, Mitchell?” When Brian had told more than one story about his best friend Mitchell at dinner, Rush had felt of stab of jealousy. It was stupid, but he couldn’t help it.
“Mitchell and I are best friends, nothing more,” Brian assured him. “We decided a long time ago that sex would just ruin our friendship.”
Maybe Brian could just be friends, but no way could Rush be friends with a man he found sexy enough to have fantasies about.
“But you think about him, don’t you?” Rush whispered.
Brian swallowed, his eyes locked with Rush’s. Rush could hear Brian’s breathing deepen, his voice go all raspy with arousal. “Well, yeah. I’m a gay man. I think about having sex with strangers, why not my best friend?”
“But it’s just fantasy?”
“Yep. Fantasy.”
“What happens?” Rush licked Brian’s neck right below his ear.
Silence. Brian moistened his lips. “At first, we’re just lying here, talking, laughing. Then, Mitchell rolls over to me and begins to touch me.”
“Like this?” Rush ran his fingers over Brian’s chest in a caress, just skimming Brian’s heated skin.
“Softer.”
Rush lightened his pressure.
“Yeah, like that. Almost just a brushing glance. Teasing me. He doesn’t say a word, just leans over and kisses my chest. And all the time, he’s looking into my eyes. Then he licks my nipples and makes his slow way south.”
“Does that get you hard?”
“Yeah, makes me stiff and wanting it.”
“What do you want?” Rush’s warm breath tickled Brian’s ear. Fuck, his cock was going to burst through his zipper.
“His mouth on my dick.” Brian gasped. “I want him to suck me, lick my balls, make me come.” Rush’s dick jerked as Brian rubbed his hand across the front of his own jeans.
“But he’s your best friend.”
“Yeah. Sex fucks up friendships.” Brian let out a loud sigh and let his hand drop.
“Can you be friends with your sex partner?”
“That’s the ideal. Your lover is your best friend.”
“But not for you and Mitchell?” If there was something going on between them, or if Brian held some unrequited love for Mitchell, Rush wanted to know so he could figure out a way to end it. He wanted Brian all to himself.
“No. It’s not right for us. I value his friendship too much to take a chance on destroying it.” Brian shook his head. “Besides, he’s in love with Sammi, his life partner.” Relief washed over Rush.
“Is it right for us?” Rush pushed Brian to the ground and leaned over, pressing against him.
“Want to be my best friend?” Brian grinned and looked up into his eyes.
“I want to be your best friend, your lover, your everything.” Rush sighed. “I just don’t know how, darlin’.”
“This is a good start, cowboy.” Brian tugged him down into a hard kiss.
What was his cowboy telling him? And why had Brian revealed his deepest, darkest fantasy about Mitchell? Sure, it was hot as hell and his cock had certainly responded to it, but admitting it might have been too much.
His brain had short-circuited and left him a quivering mound of want. All he knew was that he wanted Rush right now and that their lips were a perfect fit. He moaned as he arched up into Rush’s body. The weight of the big cowboy felt so right. Heavy, but not smothering. The smell of him shot to Brian’s balls. Leather, jeans and some musky aftershave that was familiar, but he couldn’t place. Hell, was it English Leather? Did they still make that stuff?
The night sky, the stars, the moon, the outlines of the trees against the darkness above them all blended together to make Brian feel as if he were a little drunk, a little out of control, and a little wild.
“I need you to fuck me, cowboy.” Brian squeezed Rush’s ass and pulled him closer.
Rush groaned and buried his questing tongue in Brian’s mouth. “Fuck, yeah.”
“Take your jeans off.” Brian pushed Rush away. Rush rolled to the side as they stripped.
Naked, they melded together.
Hard shafts pressed to ripped bellies.
Brian knew no one could see them, but at this moment, he couldn’t care less if they did. The small chance they could be caught excited him. He’d never fucked outdoors and it’d been a fantasy of his since he’d begun putting his backyard oasis together.
Rush roved his hands over his torso, pressed his lips down on Brian’s mouth, begging him to let his tongue inside. The feel of Rush’s hard length, soft as velvet, against his belly, drove B
rian wild.
He spread his legs, and Rush came up on his knees between them, nothing more than a dark shadow. Sitting back, he stared down at Brian as he stroked Brian’s thigh.
“You’re so fucking beautiful, darlin’.”
Brian laughed. “It’s so dark—how can you see anything? All I see is your silhouette against the sky.”
Rush jerked his head up and he sucked in air. “I don’t have to see. I remember.” He ran his hand down Brian’s thigh to his knee, then back up, circling his fingers around the edges of Brian’s neatly trimmed pubes. “Did you do this for me?” He swirled a finger in the nest, and the short hairs curled around it.
“Yeah. Like it?” Brian reached down, grasped his shaft and gave it a stroke. Rush’s eyes widened, and for a split second, Brian could have sworn they looked almost catlike as the pale light from the crescent moon hit them. Then Rush blinked, and the illusion was gone. Just like that time in the truck. Weird.
“Love it. I fucked a guy who’d waxed it all off once. Made eating him a delight.”
Brian grimaced. “Rush, I don’t want to hear about your fuck buddies or your one-night stands.” He tensed beneath Rush.
Rush had screwed up again. Shit. Why couldn’t he just think for once before he opened his big mouth and put both feet in? He sucked at all this sweet talk. He hadn’t needed it to pick up guys in bars, just a “let’s go” worked most of the time. Eventually, Brian would stop forgiving him then where would he be?
“Want me to tell you how much you turn me on?” Rush deepened his voice.
“Yeah, that’s I want to hear. Every graphic detail.” Brian nodded.
“I love watching you touch yourself.” Rush held his own dick in his hand, and together, they pumped a long and lazy rhythm.
Brian, stretched out on the blanket, and Rush, kneeling between Brian’s legs, watched their hands and cocks do a two-step, separate yet keeping time. Rush’s panting and Brian’s soft moans filled air.
“Fuck, I need to taste you.” Rush groaned and leaned down. Brian held his cock steady as Rush descended, mouth open, and devoured it.