As he lay there soaking, his thoughts drifted to his new boss. Why in the hell did he have to be so gorgeous? And single. And adorable. All he wanted to do was get away and start over. Now he was almost in a more precarious position than before. But here, at least, no one was threatening to kill him. Yet. And he could get over this attraction. He just needed to remind himself of how important this was. But all he could think about was the picture in his brain of how Jake had looked when he first saw him. All strong legs and hard abs, riding that fucking horse.
Without thinking, Ryan’s hand had drifted down to his cock and started stroking it. He had been half hard since he got there, and with only a few strokes, he was beyond stopping. He needed to come so bad, he was aching. His hand sliding up and down in the water made a delicious friction on his cock, and he bit his lip hard to keep from moaning too loudly.
He brought his other hand up to rub over his chest, stopping to tease his nipples before sliding it down to rub his balls. God. In his head Jake was sliding off the horse before coming over and grabbing him, kissing him wildly before dropping to his knees in front of Ryan. His breath was coming faster, and he was having a harder time keeping quiet.
The hand on his cock was moving faster while the other one slid further back, one finger rubbing around his puckered hole before sliding in, creating another kind of erotic pressure. Ryan was so close, and he couldn’t help the small moans escaping his throat. Dream Jake undid Ryan’s jeans and pulled them down, reaching to slide Ryan’s cock out of his boxers before plunging his mouth down until his nose was buried in the soft curly hair framing Ryan’s throbbing hard-on. In his mind, Jake hummed his approval of the hands that came down to stroke his face, and that thought, along with the finger in his ass sending sparks up his spine, was enough to push him over the edge.
His back arched, shoving his cock into his fist, and he couldn’t stop the low, quiet moan of Jake’s name that slid out from between his bite-swollen lips. He lay there panting, coming down, and gave a smile at how relaxed his muscles felt now. Guess there was more than one way to work out aches and pains. How was he going to deal with Jake tomorrow? He was so screwed.
Jake came into the house, put away the dishes that had dried in the drainer, and got coffee ready for morning. All the while, he was trying to talk himself out of the attraction he was feeling for his new ranch hand. He had known for a while that he was gay, but he had never done anything about it because he was so busy living the life his father had laid out for him. Marry a girl, any girl, didn’t matter. Join the army, have a couple of kids, and there you go. His father’s perfect fantasy. Unfortunately for Winston Evans, it wasn’t Jake’s.
Mikayla was a nice girl, beautiful, funny, and no more in love with Jake than he was with her. All she cared about was having an army husband, having babies, and lunching with the ladies every week. Living in the middle of nowhere on a ranch, looking after horses and fixing up an old farm house, was not on her agenda.
So, by mutual decision, she had moved out ten months ago, and he had received and signed the divorce papers a month ago. Since then, he had been working like a man possessed. Fixing up the barn and taking care of the horses were his first priority now. He had not even been thinking about a sex life because, to be honest, up till now, it was nothing to write home about. Sex was pleasant enough, just kind of a letdown. Definitely not the mind-blowing experience he had been led to believe by his friends.
The arrival of Ryan was changing all that. Suddenly, his sex life seemed very important, and he had to get a grip on things, so to speak. He smiled at the unintentional pun running through his mind. Just because Ryan was gay didn’t mean he was interested, and Jake was sort of like a dog chasing a car, anyhow, not knowing what to do with him if he caught him.
He wasn’t living in the dark ages. He had a computer, and surfing the net had brought up sites like Tube8, and the physical side was sort of self-explanatory, anyway. He just wasn’t sure how to get started, and were there any rules? Sex with guys had to be different, right? Not that he had a lot of experience with sex, period, being able to count the number of girls on one hand, but Jake was pretty sure that if anyone could screw it up, it would be him, and that would not be very good for the boss/employee relationship.
Jake stood in the middle of the kitchen for a second, running his fingers nervously through his hair. He looked at the door leading to the hallway where Ryan’s bedroom was and headed for it, intending to check and see if Ryan needed anything before heading up.
He walked down the hall, noticing the bedroom door was open, so he went to the bathroom door and raised his hand to knock. Before he could do anything, he heard Ryan’s voice, out of breath, moaning what sounded suspiciously like Jake’s name.
Holy shit! Ryan was in there right now, naked, wet, and if Jake was any judge of breathy moans, he was jerking off, thinking about Jake. Fuck, Jake was rock hard in two seconds flat.
Guess that answers any lingering questions about the gay thing, he thought. He had never heard anything so hot in his life. Until the next moan came, louder, more out of breath. Jake turned and walked, as quietly as he could, down the hall and through the door before he did something stupid, like breaking down the door and demanding Ryan fuck him right there in the bathroom. Or fucking Ryan in the shower, or both.
He hurried up to his room as fast as the raging hard-on in his jeans would let him. He walked into his bedroom quickly before closing the door and making sure it was locked. He pulled his shirt off and rubbed himself through his jeans before undoing them and kicking them off. He stood there for a moment, stroking his aching cock, looking for some relief. He finally gave in, went over to his bed, and threw himself across it before licking his palm and reaching back down to slick his cock from tip to base.
He quickly found a rhythm, sliding his thumb across the slit at the top on every stroke. He pictured himself on his knees, Ryan’s cock in his mouth, using his hands to grab that beautiful ass, pulling him deeper in while Ryan’s hand gripped his hair in an almost painful hold. Jake had never sucked a cock in his life, but he had a feeling he would be good at it, mostly because he was really desperate to do it.
He imagined looking up and seeing Ryan looking down at him, those brown eyes almost black with lust. Dream Ryan was nodding, and Jake let go of Ryan’s hip with one hand, sliding it down to take his own cock into his hand, stroking like he was now, while he kept up the suction on Ryan’s delicious cock. He could hear quiet moaning, only vaguely aware that it was coming from himself. He bit his lip in an effort to quiet his moans, and when Dream Ryan’s body tightened before shooting hot come down Jake’s throat, Jake gave one last stroke to his own cock and exploded all over his hand and stomach.
He lay there for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath, before finally getting up and walking naked to the attached bathroom and turning on the shower. He threw himself under the hot water, washing away the evidence of his solo activities, wondering what act of fate had pushed Ryan Andrews into his path at a time when he was just trying to get his life straightened out.
He washed himself off and realized that he was starting to get hard again, just thinking about Ryan. He reached over, turned off the hot water, and stood under the cold spray, trying to get control over his body. It wasn’t working very well. He got out of the shower, dried himself off, and slid his shivering body into bed, naked. How in the hell was he gonna face Ryan in the morning? He was so screwed!
Chapter 5
The next morning Ryan’s alarm went off at five, and he rolled out of bed and quickly got dressed. When he opened the bedroom door, he could smell the tantalizing aroma of fresh coffee, so he made a quick stop in the bathroom before heading to the kitchen.
When he opened the door, his mouth started to water, and it had nothing to do with the food he saw being prepared. Standing at the stove was Jake, shirtless, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants that sat low on his hips. His hair was messy and curled, and Ryan had
no problems imagining how Jake would look waking up beside him first thing in the morning.
He took a deep breath before continuing into the room. “Morning, Jake.” Jake started at Ryan’s voice before turning around with a smile on his face.
“Mornin’, Ryan, how’d you sleep?” Apparently when Jake was not quite awake, that drawl was more pronounced, and it crawled up Ryan’s spine. He turned quickly toward the coffeepot, grabbing a cup that was sitting there, and filled it up, hand shaking, trying not to let Jake notice.
“Good, comfy bed you got in there.” Ryan was blushing. How could he do this if everything he said sounded like an invitation to his own ears? He took a quick gulp of coffee, hissing at the burn in his mouth.
Jake hid a smile. “Careful, Ryan, it’s hot!”
He turned back to the stove and finished taking up the last of the bacon before turning back to Ryan, who was leaning against the counter by the sink. “How many eggs?”
Ryan held up a couple of fingers before offering to help. “What can I do?” He tried desperately not to stare at Jake’s lean body.
“Nothing, I got it.” He popped a couple of pieces of bread into the toaster on the counter before expertly adding the eggs to the pan. By the time they were done, so was the toast. Jake had it all dished up and on the table with the practiced ease of someone who had been doing it for a long time.
“Where did you learn to cook?” Ryan took his first bite and quickly figured out that there were going to be other benefits to working here besides looking at Jake’s smoking-hot body.
“It came from a sense of self-preservation. If I didn’t, it was mess-hall chow, and that’s just sad. My gran taught me when I was younger, and it’s paid off. Mikayla was a nice girl, but she liked meeting for lunch, not cooking it. So, it was cook or starve.” Jake shrugged like it was no big deal, but Ryan could see that he was a little proud of himself.
“Well, it’s awesome. I haven’t eaten this good since I left home!” He took a breath and plunged in. “Mikayla? Was she your wife?” What the hell was wrong with him? He didn’t ask personal questions. He needed to shut up!
“Yeah, she was. We were married two years.” Jake snorted. What the hell was wrong with him? Ryan didn’t want to hear all the gory details of his pathetic marriage.
“Can I ask what happened?” Shut up, Ryan Andrews, the poor guy doesn’t want to talk about this with a stranger, and why is the thought of Jake’s wife twisting in my gut anyhow?
Jake took a long time to answer, and Ryan wished he could take it back. “We just should have never been married. She was a nice girl, but we wanted different things out of life. She wanted a soldier, someone to brag about but who was never home to interfere with her carefully planned life. When I mustered out, she tried, but living out here, no one around, no shopping or lunching, nothing but work, horses, and me… it wasn’t what she signed up for.”
Ryan was stunned. Work, horses, and Jake. Hmm, sounded about perfect to him, and he had to bite his tongue hard to keep from saying it out loud.
Jake was stunned too. Where in the hell had that come from? Nothing like making yourself look like a loser. He had started to get up from the table, grabbing his plate, when Ryan reached over, surprising himself as well as Jake, and put his hand on Jake’s arm.
“I’m sorry.” Ryan wasn’t sure what he was sorry for, but he wanted to take that defeated look off Jake’s face. Jake looked at him and smiled. “Really? I’m not.” He reached over and squeezed Ryan’s hand before getting up and starting the dishes.
“Then why do you look so sad when you talk about it?” Ryan was confused, and he was sure that’s why words he should not have been saying kept forcing their way out of his mouth.
“It’s because of my dad. When I told him I was leaving the army, he was disgusted, but when I told him I was getting divorced, he basically disowned me. Said I was a piss-poor excuse for a son and a soldier. He hasn’t talked to me since.” Jake was facing the sink, looking out the window. His hands were gripping the counter in an effort to anchor himself to something. He took a shuddering breath that he hoped Ryan didn’t notice and started filling the sink, getting ready to wash the dishes. He was pretty sure that being a whiner was not the way to win a guy over.
Wait, he was trying to win a guy over? When did that happen? Shit!
Ryan couldn’t see Jake’s face, but he was pretty sure there were tears in his eyes, and Ryan was gripping the edge of the table to try and keep himself from standing up and wrapping his arms around the amazing man in front of him. He couldn’t imagine his father disowning him for any reason, and they had been through some pretty shitty stuff already. He sat there, listening to the comforting sounds of Jake doing an everyday chore, before getting up and automatically clearing the table. “Well, I obviously don’t know you very well, but I am pretty sure your dad is wrong. Staying in a relationship that makes you unhappy isn’t good for anyone.”
Jake nodded without looking at him. “I know, and so did she, but it’s just not… easy to deal with, you know?” Jake shook his head at himself. God, could he sound any more pathetic?
Ryan couldn’t help himself and walked over, putting his hand on Jake’s arm again, looking down at his own feet, missing how Jake’s eyes closed, and how his breath hitched at the contact. He looked up finally, to find Jake looking at him.
“Look, family stuff is always hard, but I am sure of one thing. Your dad? Someday he’s going to be sorry that he lost you. And by then, you will have found someone amazing, someone who is right for you, and when your dad comes looking for you, it will be on your terms, and he is gonna be more sorry when he sees what he lost.”
Jake was trying very hard not to be so aware of Ryan’s hand on his arm. Being so close, he could feel the heat of Ryan’s body, and his emotions were in overdrive from Ryan’s comforting words. He needed to put some distance between them before he did something stupid, and he was suddenly aware of his shirtless condition.
“Thanks, Ryan.” Jake’s voice was deeper than before. He put the last dish in the drainer and moved to wipe the counters and table before hanging the cloth up in a hurry. “I’m gonna go and get ready. It’s almost six, and they’ll be waiting for me.”
Now Ryan was confused again. “Who will be waiting?”
Jake smiled, really smiled, for the first time. “The horses, of course!”
Ryan grinned. Now this was familiar territory. “Okay, well, I’m ready. So I’m going to grab one more coffee and wait for you on the porch.” He needed to put some distance between him and Jake for a bit, to get a grip on his emotions. He grabbed his cup, filled it, and headed out, leaving Jake standing there for a second before he turned and headed up the stairs to get ready to face the day. And Ryan!
Chapter 6
Ryan sat on the porch, once again contemplating everything that Jake had said that morning. It was a lot to take in over such a short time. Ryan knew all about family issues. He was an Andrews, after all. When your family is that big and varied, there was bound to be an incident or two. But they always got through it together. He knew that, no matter what, each and every Andrews would be there, helping, looking after him, even if he wanted to be left alone.
What kind of father abandons his son because his son wants his own life, wants to be happy? All parents wanted their kids to be happy, didn’t they? And the hurt and sorrow in Jake’s face made Ryan want to take it all away. This was going to be bad, because he was going to do something stupid, and there would be a fight, and the thought of Jake hating him did something horrible to Ryan’s heart. Maybe he should just leave now, before it got too hard or too awful. Problem was, he didn’t want to go. He liked it here, and he had only been here less than twenty-four hours.
He was lost in arguing with himself when Jake came out the door, and he looked up into those deep blue eyes. He was staying, and he knew it, until he was forced to leave. Whatever happened, he was in it for the full ride. He stood up, forced himself to s
mile, and headed down the steps.
“I take it we’re going to the barn?”
Jake nodded. “We’ll get them fed and watered and then out in the pasture. There are a couple of mares who are pregnant, and so I keep them in, along with some of the younger ones. We have wolves here, and the occasional cougar coming down from the hills. I have one horse that needs some special care.” He looked at Ryan to see if he was paying attention. “She was beaten and left to die in a field, not too far from here. I found her when I was out riding, just standing there, refusing to give in and die. So I brought her home and nursed her back to health, but she has some injuries that need attention daily. Some ointment and stuff.”
They walked into the barn together, and Jake led the way to a stall where a small black mare stood. She had a white blaze on her forehead and a white spot on her hindquarters, and Ryan couldn’t understand how anyone could have mistreated such a sweet little horse.
He reached out on instinct, wanting to touch her, and she shied away, afraid. Jake was beside him and reached over the door, and she smelled him and pushed her nose under his hand. He stroked her with obvious affection before opening the door and attaching a lead to her halter. He led her out of the stall and out the door, tying the lead to the rail of the corral. “Come here, Ryan.”
Ryan walked over to Jake and the horse. “This is Bella.” He grabbed Ryan’s hand and extended it to Bella with his, knowing that his scent would make her feel better about Ryan’s.
“Come on, baby, say hello to Ryan.” Jake was crooning to her now, and she was letting Ryan rub her ears and pat her neck. Out in the sun, he could see the scars on her back and shoulders, and some large scabs on one front leg. He was so angry, but he started talking to her, nonsense, really, getting her used to the sound of his voice while running his hands all over her, getting bolder with his touches before kneeling down beside her to check out the sores on her legs.
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