Not the best time to put his job on the line, but thankfully his family’s business profits would be distributed in a week and his share should replenish what he’d used as a down payment and hold him over until he found another job if he needed to. Or until his agent in Hollywood called and told him the next blockbuster marquee had his name on it. He sighed. The dreamer in him would never die.
He preheated the oven and found a baking stone for the wedge of brie he’d bought. Nothing like food to mend a broken heart or piece together a shattered ego. While the cheese cooked, he sliced a fresh Italian baguette and sipped his wine.
He’d wanted Garrett since the minute he’d walked into the office of Fantasy Ranch and applied for a job as a make-believe cowboy. He originally planned to work at the women’s-only resort ranch between acting gigs, shuttling back and forth to L.A. The money was great and he could have the best of both worlds, the hot stage lights and the cool mountain breeze. All he had to do was spend a week befriending the women who came to the ranch, let them pretend to fall in love if that’s what they wanted. He’d met some wonderful women, many of whom he’d still be in contact with if the ranch rules allowed it.
He poured olive oil into a skillet and squeezed a clove of garlic through his garlic press to jazz up the bag of fine frozen Italian cuisine he’d brought home for dinner. The fresh garlic perfumed the air and his stomach growled. He dumped the bagged meal into the oil and garlic. His first home-cooked dinner in his new place. Maybe if he expanded his repertoire in the kitchen he could land a man like Garrett. He snorted and gave the Tuscan Chicken Portobello a stir before he pulled the brie from the oven. There were better avenues to a man’s heart than through his stomach, and he knew how to travel those streets just fine.
He slugged back a bigger swallow of wine. Who in his right mind tries to plant one on the boss?
He spread brie onto a slice of the baguette and lifted it to his lips. His teeth sank into the soft warm cheese just as a hesitant knock sounded at his door.
Clayton groaned. He wasn’t in the mood for company, especially not from any of the party boys from the ranch.
He stirred his Tuscan Whatever and poured himself another glass of wine. The knock sounded again. Clayton’s eyes drifted to the door but he dug into the last grocery bag and put a box of frozen waffles into the freezer. He had a bottle of chocolate syrup and a tube of toothpaste in his hands when the knock came again.
“Clayton. It’s Garrett. I know you’re home. I saw you through the window.”
Clayton froze. His heart pounded and his eyes flitted to the open blinds on the bay window in his breakfast nook. Shit. His hand went to his hair. The toothpaste box nicked his ear and he swore again.
Time to pay the piper. He threw the stuff on the counter and straightened his shirt. He was wearing the same thing he had worn to work at the ranch, jeans better suited for horseback riding than showing off his ass and a shirt right off the rack of the local Western Wear.
“Clayton?” Garrett’s deep voice vibrated in his ear and trickled down his spine. The man owned him and he didn’t even know it.
He steadied himself as he crossed the room. His boots pounded out a confident tempo, but his heart fluttered like a leaf. He put every bit of his acting skill into play as he pulled the door open slowly.
The scent of Garrett’s cologne, the way the soft fabric of his shirt lay across his chest, his gorgeous mouth—there wasn’t a single thing about him that didn’t make Clayton’s body sing. His balls tightened instinctively and his cock stirred.
Garrett offered him a bottle of wine. “Your new place is great.” He cleared his throat. “Mind if I…Can we talk?”
“Come in. You’re just in time for a drink.” Clayton led the way into the kitchen and pulled down a wine glass. There were words that needed to be said, but his throat was locked down tight. He poured the merlot and turned the stove down.
Clayton had worked at Fantasy Ranch for three years, letting women from all over the world pretend to fall in love with him for a week. He’d made a few friends along the way, and he’d made more money than the screens in Hollywood ever threw his way. Garrett and his brother were honest men and easy to work for. But the best part of going to work every day was standing in his kitchen.
Garrett accepted the wine, but immediately set the glass on the counter. “I’m sorry.” His green eyes searched Clayton’s. A sexy frown creased his forehead, and it took all Clayton had not to make a fool of himself again.
“I was out of line,” Clayton said, his stomach curled into a knot and the heat of embarrassment washed over him. “Hitting on my boss.” He half-laughed. “I just thought…I misread you.”
“You caught me by surprise.” Garrett placed a gentle hand on Clayton’s arm and set off a fire in his veins that wine wouldn’t extinguish.
“Why are you here?”
“You didn’t misread me. But…I can’t.” His eyes softened. “Even if I want to, I can’t.” A muscle in his strong jaw jumped and Clayton’s stomach clenched. Garrett’s mouth said one thing, the slow shift of his body another.
Clayton tensed as Garrett’s hand slid down his arm and he stepped closer.
There was no hesitation in Garrett’s kiss. His strong hands held Clayton’s hips. Their lips connected with the same earth-shattering electricity as they had the first time. The kiss deepened, and the first stroke of Garrett’s tongue opened a yawning hunger in Clayton’s belly that left him starving for more.
Heat wound like a vine through his chest. Want and need converged in a fury. He dug into Garrett’s broad back and moaned when Garrett moved closer to press the bulge in his jeans hard against Clayton’s own erection. Garrett broke the kiss, breathing heavily and staring with lust-hazed eyes. He bent close again, but this time he went for Clayton’s neck, kissing and sucking the sensitive skin, licking at the hollow base of his throat. Clayton grabbed his ass, two handfuls of the finest man meat he’d ever held.
“Fuck me. Garrett, please fuck me.” He closed his eyes. He’d never been so desperate. God, he knew better. But he’d rather die of humiliation tomorrow than let Garrett walk away from him tonight. He reached between them, stroking the rough fabric of Garrett’s jeans. “I want your big cock. Please give it to me.”
Garrett nipped at his shoulder. “I shouldn’t be here, but I’ve got to have you.” He pumped his hips, filling Clayton’s hand with what had to be the most magnificent dick on the planet.
Clayton fumbled with Garrett’s belt and gasped for breath as Garrett kissed his way back to his mouth. Their tongues clashed. Their bodies shook with restraint until finally Clayton held the hot, velvety smooth skin of Garrett’s cock in his hand.
Garrett drew in a sharp breath and softened his kiss. The passionate, heated stroke of his tongue was so tender, Clayton’s heart stuttered and he felt his whole world shake. Lust had never felt so much like love. This man had moves that should be outlawed, they could ruin a man.
He matched his strokes along Garrett’s cock with the slow, mind-numbing kiss, while Garrett undressed him. Garrett’s hands moved with urgency. His kiss deepened, and standing there naked in his kitchen, Clayton was two steps from heaven. Clayton’s cock stood against his belly and his ass pressed into the cold granite countertop at his back. Their cocks touched and jumped, begging for more. Garrett, his jeans shoved down to his thighs and dark underwear stretched low, gave Clayton’s naked body a slow, sweeping gaze.
“You’re beautiful.” His voice was so low, Clayton’s whole body tensed to absorb it.
How many times had he wanted to hear those words, to see this glorious man wanting him? He took Garrett’s face in his hand and kissed him again, this time with as much passion as tenderness. Clayton poured everything into that kiss. With every answering slide of Garrett’s tongue, his bones melted a little more. His toes curled. Heat flared between them. There was no going back from this. Come what may. There was no going back.
Garrett’s cock stre
tched in his hand, hard as steel. Clayton pressed himself closer. Garrett reached down to grab the back of his thighs and lifted him. Using the counter for support, Clayton wrapped his legs around Garrett’s hips and guided his big cock. They both groaned as Garrett slid inside him slowly.
Sweat glistened on Garrett’s handsome brow. His dark hair hung in a perfect cut at his temple and his big dick sent tap dancers across every nerve Clayton had. He sank deep, meeting Clayton’s mouth with a kiss before he started to fuck him in a rhythm that shattered what was left of the ground beneath Clayton’s feet. His balls drew tight. The rush of blood echoed in his ears. Garrett wrapped his hand around Clayton’s dick and in two strokes his whole world shot off like fireworks in a midnight sky. He dug his hands into the countertop, panting as Garrett’s hand pulled every last drop of cum from him.
Chapter 5
Clayton woke but didn’t open his eyes. The weight of Garrett’s arm pressed into his side. A hard cock teased his thigh and a warm chest brushed his back. He didn’t want to change a single thing about this moment.
Behind him, Garrett stirred and his lips came down on Clayton’s shoulder. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“If I’m dreaming, don’t wake me up,” Clayton murmured.
“Don’t open your eyes. Keep dreaming.” Garrett’s voice held a seductive note that sent a shiver down Clayton’s spine.
Garrett kissed his neck and moved slowly down his back, touching every vertebra with lips and tongue. By the time he got to the base of his spine, Clayton was trembling and begging for more. This had to be what it felt like to wake up in heaven. He could practically hear the angels singing. He reached back, spearing his fingers through Garrett’s hair, just needing to touch him, to hold some part of him.
Garrett rolled him over slowly and kissed his chest, teasing one flat nipple, then the other. Clayton squirmed, shifting so he could feel Garrett’s smooth cock against his. He reached between them, palming Garrett’s balls as the soft steel of their shafts met with a friction that was sure to set the sheets afire.
Garrett’s breath turned to pants as his kisses became more urgent, his tongue hungry against Clayton’s neck. “I can’t get enough of you.”
Clayton slid his hand up Garrett’s cock in a slow stroke before guiding it to his ass. “Fuck me, baby.”
The thick head of Garrett’s dick slid against his hole and had him aching for more.
Garrett bit down gently on his shoulder and eased himself inside. “You feel so good.” Garrett’s words were a whisper and his body trembled with restraint. His skin had the rosy glow of passion and his big muscles strained against his growing need to move. Clayton had never seen a man more beautiful than the one poised above him, driving him mad with his inhuman self-control.
He flattened his hands against Garrett’s smooth back and looked him in the eye. “If you don’t fuck me, I’m going to die. I swear it.”
Garrett buried himself deep and both men moved like they were driven by demons. The sex was explosive, tongues and teeth. Hot, slick bodies frantically trying to get closer. And words that went from sensual to raw truth.
“Your ass is so tight on my cock. I’m going to come so hard.” Garrett groaned once before his body shook and his hips slammed against the back of Clayton’s thighs. His hot release filled Clayton and his movements slowed. Clayton couldn’t take his eyes off the man moving above him. Obviously rocked by the orgasm, Garrett’s arms shook, threatening to collapse, but he didn’t stop fucking.
The fire of climax hit Clayton in a chain of contractions and mind-erasing bliss. He shouted and reached for Garrett, only to let go again and pound the mattress with his fists. Men had made him come before, but not like Garrett. No one had ever rattled him so thoroughly. Mind, body and soul, there wasn’t a single part of him Garrett hadn’t touched.
Chapter 6
The soft Sunday morning sunlight poured into Clayton’s bedroom and glinted off the snow on the mountain peaks that were framed in the picture window. Garrett knew he shouldn’t be here, but he’d never wanted to be anywhere more. He hadn’t been able to tear himself away the night before, and he didn’t want to leave this morning. The ranch wouldn’t fall down without him for a few hours. Gavin could handle anything that came up, and for once in his life doing the right thing didn’t seem nearly as important as being with the man next to him.
“What’s your schedule today?” Garrett stroked Clayton’s stomach with his knuckles and inhaled the scent of sex on his skin. He was everything a man could want, with his tousled hair and a soft smile of satisfaction pulling at his lips. Garrett let his gaze slide over his lover’s body. The pale trail of hair that sprouted below his belly button and disappeared beneath the sheets tempted him like a drug.
“I’ve got to meet with the prop designers at noon.”
Garrett pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “How’s the play coming?” He spent enough time at the theater to know Clayton was coaching a troupe of teenage actors for a production of Romeo and Juliet.
“Some of the kids are really talented. It’s a good group.” He picked his head up and twisted toward the clock on the bedside table. A groan rose in his throat. “I can’t believe I have to leave you for Shakespeare. But if I don’t get in the shower now, I’ll be late.”
Garrett coaxed his lips into another kiss before rolling over so Clayton could get up. Watching him move with liquid grace renewed the hunger in Garrett’s throat. At the side of the bed, Clayton turned back and Garrett reached for him. “Just a little more,” he said.
Before Clayton could protest, he bent, licking the tip of his smooth cock, rolling the taste on his tongue. He sucked him hard, holding his tight ass in one hand and the tense muscle of his thigh in the other. Clayton gripped his hair and fucked his mouth, pumping his big, perfect dick in long, slow strokes that let Garrett savor every one.
“God, I’m going to miss you,” Clayton said.
Garrett stopped, mouth full of dick, and looked up at him. It was too early to name their kids, but he’d thought they were in this for longer than one night and a lazy Sunday morning.
Clayton pushed his fingers through Garrett’s hair and guided his head back down. “Baby, don’t stop. I have to fly to L.A. this week. But you keep this up and I’ll have to take you with me.”
Garrett pulled him back down to the bed and crawled over him. After a scare like that, Shakespeare could wait. The whole world could wait. Clayton wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 7
Back at the ranch, Garrett stared across the desk at his brother. “You really don’t think I need to be worried about this?”
Gavin handed the latest note back to him. Another X had been added to the tic-tac-toe board. The line beneath it said, “Another kiss because I can’t get enough of you.”
“I think you need to figure out who’s sending them and put the poor man out of his misery.”
Garrett slid the letter back into the envelope it had come in and filed it away with the others. At least if some psycho was stalking him, the prosecution would have something to use in court.
“You don’t have a clue who it could be?” Gavin asked. A smirk curled his lips. He was enjoying this entirely too much.
“I don’t and it’s getting uncomfortable. Once is cute. Twice might be a bit of a tease. The third time it starts to get creepy. I think it’s time to call the police.”
“The police?” Gavin laughed and keyed on his computer. “Your ass is so tight, if you sit down the wrong way you’re going to pinch your balls off.”
Garrett let the jab slide. After the night and morning he’d spent in Clayton’s arms, he didn’t have a tight muscle in his body. Just the memory heated him to the bone. He glanced at the clock. There were too many hours between now and this evening when he could see Clayton again.
“So where did you sneak off to last night?” Gavin’s slow grin eased across his face and he pushed his shorter, but still untamable, hair back into place.<
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“The theater.” The lie slipped out too easily, and Garrett’s stomach sank. Gavin would understand. Rebecca had been a guest at the ranch and that hadn’t stopped him from falling head over heels and sweeping her off her feet. But still, Garrett wasn’t ready to admit he was having a relationship with one of the employees.
“Have you talked to John lately?”
He shook his head. He hadn’t even thought about John lately. Clayton took up every spare thought he had. “You sound more interested in him than I am.” John had gone out of his way to help arrange a romantic gesture for Rebecca when Gavin was on the verge of losing her. Funny how he could do more for Gavin’s lover than he’d ever done for his own. But of course, that whole thing had been Gavin’s idea. John just helped him pull it off.
“You really think it’s over with the two of you?” Gavin leaned back in his chair and tossed a tennis ball at the rustic log wall. His thinking ball. He was easy to read. If there was something going on in his head that needed to be worked out, that ball would hit the wall until he had the answer he was looking for.
“It’s over.” Garrett stood up. “I need to go talk to Grier about his guest. Her daughter called this morning. Said she’s got a heart condition that she didn’t divulge on her guest application.”
“You’re not going to put her on bed rest are you?” A frown creased Gavin’s forehead. “Come on. Let the woman have some fun. That’s why she’s here. If she wanted to worry about her medical problems, she’d have stayed home.”
“I’m just going to make sure Grier keeps his cell phone on him, and doesn’t let her do anything that would jeopardize her safety.”
“You’re loosening up in your old age. Either that or you’re getting laid.” Gavin’s chuckle filled the room and the tennis ball landed in the palm of his hand.
Back at the Ranch Page 2