“I-I’m sorry. I’m looking for Vance. I, uh—” Although Jimmy hated to perpetuate a lie, he blurted out, “I was going to ask him about another riding lesson. I-I forgot to—”
“Wait a minute.” Mark lifted his hand as he peered at him with a narrow-eyed gaze. “You’re Jimmy. You’re the one Dad sent the roses to.”
Jimmy snapped his mouth shut. Then his shock took over. “Y-You know about that?”
Mark nodded, although his expression remained tough to make out. “Yeah. Dad told me.”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Mark leaned against the doorframe. The young man stared hard at Jimmy. While he didn’t have the height or breadth of his father, the way he narrowed his hazel eyes as if he were assessing something made him nearly a spitting image of Vance.
An ache of loneliness stabbed through Jimmy so hard it hurt. He missed his lover. Jimmy didn’t understand how he could feel so strongly for someone after just a couple of weeks, but he couldn’t deny it, either—at least, not to himself.
“Is Vance home?” Jimmy asked, forcing himself to find his tongue. “I’d like to talk to him, please.”
Mark lifted his chin in a challenging manner. “Yeah, he’s on the farm... somewhere. Are you here to break his heart?”
“N-No,” Jimmy quickly denied. While he had no idea what had gone on between Vance and Mark for the young man to behave in such a protective manner, Jimmy wanted to put on a good face for his lover’s son. “Actually, I came to do a little apologizing of my own.”
“Yeah?” Mark didn’t sound belligerent. Just interested. “For what?”
Jimmy shifted from one foot to the other, his discomfort filling him. “Uh... I’d really like to discuss that with Vance, Mark.”
Mark grinned. “My dad mentioned me?”
After a single nod, Jimmy murmured, “He talked about you quite a bit.”
The young man sobered just as quickly. “Probably not all of it was flattering.” His brows furrowed a bit. “I—”
“Mark?” Vance’s voice bellowed from deeper in the house. “Who’s at the door?”
A mischievous expression creased Mark’s face. Turning his head, he yelled back, “It’s your boyfriend!”
Jimmy gaped, shock filling him. This was the son that Vance said was a rude bigot? How could that be? Jimmy didn’t get the time to wonder for long.
The sound of Vance’s swift-moving, heavy footsteps thudded through the house. He appeared, obviously having come out of from what Jimmy knew was the hallway to the bedrooms. Spotting him, Vance skidded to a stop. His lips were parted in obvious surprise, and he seemed almost... frozen.
It made Jimmy damn nervous.
“U-Um, hi.” Jimmy offered a tentative smile. “I, uh”—he swallowed hard while sliding a glance toward Mark, then returned his focus to Vance and his still-shocked expression—”I came to offer my own apologies. Can I get a few minutes of your time?”
Vance finally seemed to snap out of whatever trance he’d been in. Striding forward, slowly at first, then faster, he brushed past Mark and stepped onto the porch. He rested his hands on Jimmy’s shoulders, then breathed out a sigh as he slid his right hand along Jimmy’s shoulder and up his neck until he cradled his jaw.
“You’re here,” Vance whispered before dipping his head and pressing a soft kiss to Jimmy’s lips. When he lifted his head again, his warm smile caused his eyes to gleam. “I’ve missed you.”
Then Vance slid the fingers of his right hand into Jimmy’s hair. He wrapped his casted arm around his waist and tugged him close. With their bodies flush together, Vance sighed deeply as he rested his temple against Jimmy’s own.
“I missed you, too,” Jimmy whispered, turning his head just enough to brush a kiss along Vance’s ear. Clutching tight to Vance, Jimmy barely managed to suppress his pleased tremble. “So, um... I guess we both have a couple of things to share. Huh?”
“What do you mean?” Vance suddenly tensed in his arms, and he tried to straighten, but Jimmy wouldn’t let him go far. Still, it was enough for him to see Vance’s pained, hurt expression as he asked, “Are you leaving for some other guy?”
Gasping, Jimmy quickly shook his head. “No! Why would you ask that?”
Vance gently massaged Jimmy’s scalp as he muttered, “Brand saw you with some guy in a diner yesterday. Said you were having lunch together.” His cheeks pinked as he added, “He, uh, he overheard Lars making accusations that you were dating someone new and, well...”
“Ah, um, okay.” Jimmy sighed, then admitted, “That was Taggart. I did meet him at the bar, but that wasn’t a date. He asked me, but... I ended up turning him down because—” Jimmy rubbed up and down Vance’s back. “Taggart seemed like a good guy, and he offered to listen and give impartial advice. He was the one who convinced me to text you. Said no one deserved to be kept waiting.”
“Huh.” Vance’s lips curved into a wry smile. “I guess that means I need to thank him then.”
“He is a nice guy.” Jimmy couldn’t help waggling his brows. “Is Brand looking for a boyfriend?”
Vance chuckled deeply, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. “He likes sex as well as the next guy, but I’ve never heard of him accepting more than a blowjob from a guy.” His brows furrowed. “I’ve only ever seen him date women, and even then, not very often.”
Jimmy nodded. “Gotcha. No setting up openly gay men with someone who hasn’t determined what he is.” Watching Vance nod, Jimmy glanced behind the man, finding them alone. “So, um. If you don’t mind my asking, what’s up with Mark? I thought, well...” He didn’t want to insult Vance’s son.
“Have you met Detective Carl Lewis?” Vance asked before beckoning toward the half-closed door. “Let’s head inside. I’ll send Mark out to check on the piglets for a bit while we talk.”
Jimmy nodded. “Sure. Thanks.”
They headed inside, and while Vance tracked down his son and asked him for privacy for a while, Jimmy hung up his coat and slid his feet out of his shoes. He moved to the living room and shoved his hands into his pockets as he watched Mark reappear and grab his jacket.
Once the young man had pulled it on, Mark turned to him. He shifted from foot to foot uneasily for a few seconds before glancing his father’s way, then looking back at Jimmy. “So, uh... don’t hurt my dad.” Mark’s cheeks took on a dark rosy glow. Heading out the door, he muttered, “He’s been hurt enough.”
Then the door latched softly behind him.
Jimmy’s brows shot up, and he turned to peer at Vance.
“Carl’s daughter Lorna is in her first year of courses for animal husbandry. She comes here to do volunteer work,” Vance told him. “Well, she’s been living with two fathers, essentially, for... six or seven years.” Crossing to Jimmy, Vance once again threaded his fingers into his hair, as if he couldn’t resist touching Jimmy. “Detective Carl Lewis is partnered with the firefighter Vincent Androse.”
Nodding absently, Jimmy pushed into Vance’s hold. “I’ve seen them at the club a few times.” He motioned absently toward the main house. “Friends of your boss and his partner, too, right?”
Vance nodded. “Yeah.” Releasing Jimmy’s hair, he grabbed Jimmy’s hand instead. “Come on. Can I hold you?”
More than on board with that, Jimmy nodded. “I love it when you hold me,” he admitted. “And I really missed talking to you each afternoon.” Recalling their many conversations, he asked, “How are the piglets doing? Didn’t you say you were worried about losing the runt?”
Vance hummed in acknowledgment. “Between Lorna and Mark, the little guy has had plenty of extra attention and is doing just fine,” he told him. Reaching the bedroom, Vance closed the door behind them, then turned Jimmy to face him. “Speaking of Lorna,” Vance stated softly as he reached for the hem of Jimmy’s shirt and began tugging it up. “She’s the reason Mark took so well to the fact that I’m in a relationship with a man.” After pulling Jimmy’s shirt of
f and tossing it onto the floor, he traced the forefingers of his right hand down Jimmy’s jaw. “With you, Jimmy.”
The hairs on Jimmy’s neck stood on end, and suddenly, he felt as if he couldn’t get enough air into his lungs. His stomach trembled as he watched Vance unbutton his jeans, then unzip them. He used his good hand to pull Jimmy’s underwear forward and down while using his casted hand to push both his jeans and underwear down.
Kneeling, Vance removed them. Then he stood and guided Jimmy to the bed. He pulled the comforter and sheet down, then urged him onto the mattress. Vance groaned, his hazel eyes dark with lust as he stared down at him, then he seemed to shake himself out of... whatever.
Jimmy watched Vance strip with incredible speed, made all the more impressive by the fact that he only had partial use of his left hand. When his lover slipped in beside him, Jimmy welcomed him with open arms. He wrapped his arms around him, turning on his side so he cuddled up against him.
Vance did the same, sighing deeply.
“I fucking missed you, Jimmy,” Vance rumbled, pecking a kiss to Jimmy’s lips. His expression, which had run the gamut of intense to uncertain to jubilant, now turned hungry. “Did we have our first fight?”
Even as Jimmy opened his mouth to disagree, he felt Vance slot their bodies together. When his lover’s already hard prick slid against his own dick, his blood heated. His cock, which had remained at half-mast due to nerves, swiftly filled.
Vance chuckled roughly. “Oh, but we did.” His eyes, the green flecks dominating, held a feral desire that bordered on manic. With the way it lit his features, it betrayed Vance’s need even better than the erection rubbing against Jimmy’s own filling shaft. “We both did something stupid. We both apologized.”
“We did, huh?” Jimmy mumbled, agreeing. The throb in his dick was becoming insistent. “S-So, mmm, what were our mistakes?” He was having a hard time concentrating.
When Vance grinned broadly and winked, Jimmy nearly groaned at the sudden playfulness in his lover. “Well, I said something fucking stupid and denied you, which I promise to never do again, no matter what the consequences.”
“You should not be smiling so big when you say something like that to me,” Jimmy commented. Unfortunately, the scolding was ruined when Vance palmed his ass and pulled him close, causing their erections to slide against each other deliciously, and Jimmy let out a soft whimpering moan.
How could four days not seeing this man, touching him, be four days too long?
“We’re making up now,” Vance reminded Jimmy. “That doesn’t mean it has to be serious and angry.” He did pause for a moment in his ministrations, his grin slipping to a warm smile. “It just means we recognize the problems, talk about them, and move on.” His expression turned predatory as he finished, “With much make-up sex.”
Then Vance started rocking his hips again.
“O-Okay.” Jimmy finished on a moan. With his arms wrapped around Vance’s waist and his left leg wrapped over the top of the man’s thigh, flushing their bodies even more fully, the pleasure of being pressed together from chest to toes began to cloud his mind.
A hard twist to his pierced nipple brought him back.
Hissing, Jimmy snapped his eyelids open. He wasn’t even certain when he’d closed them. As much as he enjoyed the zing of pain in his nipples, that was a bit much, and he scowled his displeasure.
“Can’t get off, yet, my love,” Vance crooned roughly, his husky tone betraying his own need. “Your turn to admit your mistake and say your correction.”
For an instant, Jimmy’s mind went blank.
What?
When Vance gripped Jimmy’s hip in a firm hold, staying their movements, Jimmy finally pulled a few thoughts into his head. Meeting Vance’s gaze, he whispered, “I shouldn’t have given you the silent treatment. I knew you needed time, and punished you for your panicked response anyway.” Swallowing hard, Jimmy searched his mind for what else he needed to say. “Um, I promise not to do that again. I promise to be open to communication, so we can work out our problems... together.”
“Yessss,” Vance hissed. “I like that. I agree to working toward that.” His hold on Jimmy’s hip loosened, then his hand slid back to Jimmy’s butt cheek. “Need you.”
“Got me,” Jimmy instantly replied.
Vance captured Jimmy’s mouth. He didn’t ask, he demanded, thrusting his tongue deep. Tilting his head, Vance pushed into him aggressively, forcing Jimmy’s head to tip back on his neck.
Sensing Vance’s desperation, Jimmy gave in to the other man’s need. He teased his own tongue against his lover’s, hoping to heighten the man’s pleasure as Vance conquered his mouth. Jimmy’s own senses sang in exultation upon the knowledge that his sexy cowboy needed him so much that he would lose himself to the bliss they created between themselves.
Jimmy gave himself over to Vance, allowing his senses to be consumed by everything that was this man. The feel of his callouses catching on his ass sent a tingle up his spine. How his thick erection pushed against his own made his testicles ache. His lover’s demanding mouth slid against his lips, creating needy friction. Even the feel of Vance’s chest hair skimming over his nipples and catching in his piercings caused them to tighten, sending trickles of pleasure to his abdominals, and his stomach muscles shuddered.
The sensations were glorious, and every single one of them caused his nerve endings to flare to life in the most blissful way.
Jimmy soon felt his balls tighten. His gut clenched, and his skin goose bumped. A second later, his erection pulsed, spurting his seed into the tight space between them.
Moaning roughly, Jimmy shuddered and trembled. He jerked and twitched. His senses reeling, he floated on the heady rush of release.
Vance fed Jimmy a groan of his own, and Jimmy hummed with satisfaction. Feeling more wetness coat the skin of their torsos, Jimmy smiled against Vance’s lips. When Vance broke the kiss and turned his head, Jimmy heard his lover’s harsh gasping breaths, even as he panted with his own need for oxygen.
“God,” Vance mumbled.
“No, just Jimmy.”
Vance smacked Jimmy’s ass lightly, and Jimmy laughed. Even the slight sting was worth it for the smile his quip earned from his man.
My man. I like that. I like that a lot.
“Make-up sex rocks,” Jimmy mumbled.
“And we’re not done, yet,” Vance claimed even as he rolled from the bed. “I’ll get a cloth.”
Jimmy nodded, then relaxed on the bed and admired the view. The globes of Vance’s ass were a thing of beauty, and while Jimmy wasn’t much of a top—hell, he loved the feel of a dick in his ass—he knew the squeeze of Vance’s chute would feel absolutely amazing. His prick even gave a twitch just at the thought.
When Vance returned and began cleaning him up, he obviously noticed. A wicked gleam filled his eyes, and he hummed. Ever-so-gently he slid the warm, damp cloth over his groin, then massaged him, tearing a groan from Jimmy’s throat.
“God, too much,” Jimmy muttered, grabbing Vance’s wrist. “Come lie down.”
Vance tossed the damp, soiled cloth toward his closet. He slid into bed, then eased his left arm under Jimmy’s head, effectively putting his cast out of the way. “Well.” Nuzzling his neck, Vance murmured, “Since you need a minute.” He rubbed his right palm over Jimmy’s chest, then down his torso. His fingertips traced over his every contour, creating spine-tingling sensations that were quickly getting Jimmy’s cock interested. “Whatever do you want to do?”
Groaning, Jimmy grabbed Vance’s hand. He brought it up and kissed his lover’s palm as he held the man’s gaze. “What if Mark comes back?” If Mark was playing with the piglets, Jimmy had no clue how long he would be gone.
Chuckling softly, Vance told him, “Don’t worry. I texted Brand before joining you in the living room.” He rubbed his cheek against Jimmy’s collarbone. “He’ll keep Mark busy for a couple of hours, then text me a fe
w minutes before he sends him back to us.”
“Devious,” Jimmy mumbled, pleased that they would have plenty of time.
“A little bit,” Vance admitted. Shifting his head so he could hold Jimmy’s gaze, he added, “And while I know it’s far too soon, I hope that ability means I’ll convince you to move in with me sooner rather than later.”
Jimmy sucked in a breath, gaping at the man. “It’s been two weeks.”
Vance scoffed, lifting one shoulder in a half-shrug. “I’ve been alone a long time, Jimmy. With you”—his expression softened—”well, I found something with you.” He smiled again. “Like I said. I know you’ll think it’s too soon, but please know that I miss you every time you have to go home.”
“I miss you, too.” Jimmy didn’t want Vance to think it was all one-sided. He returned Vance’s smile as he whispered, “I think I’m falling in love with you.” While he saw Vance’s features morph into masculine beauty when he grinned back at him, Jimmy had to push on. “Except, what will your ex-wife say about all this?”
“Who gives a shit?”
Barking a laugh upon hearing Vance’s sardonic response, Jimmy grinned. “Um, shouldn’t that be a concern?”
Vance shook his head as he slung his leg over Jimmy’s legs. “Naw.” He held Jimmy’s gaze and smiled. “One of the things I never got to tell you the other night is... I put in a call to a child custody lawyer. Patrick. He’s a friend of the group,” Vance continued to explain. “He’s assured me that it doesn’t matter who I become involved with, she can’t take my son away from me.”
Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at his lover, the man who was quickly coming to mean everything to him. “I’ve met Patrick a few times at the bar,” he admitted. “The rumor is he’s pretty good.”
“So I hear.”
“I’m glad you have someone in your corner.”
“Our corner,” Vance corrected. Shifting the hold Jimmy had on his hand, Vance caught his fingers, then lifted them to his lips. He pressed a kiss to Jimmy’s knuckles. “Because whatever else happens, we’re in this together. We’re tied together, my bartender.” His tone husky, Vance gave Jimmy a scorching look as he rumbled, “Because I’m definitely falling for you, too.”
Hogtying the Bartender Page 14