by SJD Peterson
Finally, Jimmy burst out, “Well?”
Eric looked at his best friend’s anxious, beautiful face and wanted to smile. Wanted to, but couldn’t quite pull it off, the conflicting emotions making it impossible. “I don’t know, Jimmy. I can’t tell you how I feel because I still don’t totally understand it or where we stand. What does this make us? Part of me wishes we could go back to being just friends. But another part, a bigger part that’s wrapped itself around my head and heart, says I can’t do that.”
“We’re a lot more than that now.” Jimmy’s expression softened. “I think we’ve been a lot more than just friends for a long time, only we were too afraid to tell the other.”
“Yeah.” Eric allowed himself a tiny smile. “You’re right about that, but that still doesn’t give me any ideas what we’re doing here, Jimmy. Do you want to try and be lovers or experiment at being fuck buddies, and if we do and I like it, does that mean we should be exclusive?” He shook his head. “See what I mean? I have no fucking idea what to do next. It’s all so goddamn complicated.”
“No, it’s not,” Jimmy countered fiercely, leaning in closer to make his point. “I got your back and you got mine. We care about each other and want to keep exploring whatever is going on between us. What could be simpler than that? If there is even the slightest chance that I can have you, I don’t want or need anything or anybody else in the world. Call it whatever you want, take it as slow as you want, just say yes,” Jimmy said imploringly.
Jimmy looked so nervous and sincere that Eric couldn’t help but grin at him openly. “Say yes, huh? Sounds like you just asked me to go steady or something. Do I get your class ring?”
The tension that had been flowing between them for weeks suddenly eased its grip, and they both laughed. Once it died down a bit, Jimmy leaned in until their shoulders were touching.
“I’m not joking here, Eric,” Jimmy said earnestly. “What we’ve got going on between us doesn’t need a label, and we don’t need to figure it out right now or tonight or tomorrow. Fuck, we don’t even have to figure it out next week or next month. What we’ve been through together, the way we’ve been there for each other our whole lives…. We have something special, a true friendship above everything else, and that’s got to be a hell of a lot more meaningful, powerful, than any marriage. We got true love, and if that sounds stupid or romantic, then I don’t care.” He kissed Eric on the lips, gently at first, as if he wasn’t quite sure of Eric’s receptiveness.
Eric sighed and leaned the rest of the way into the kiss, parting his lips to welcome Jimmy’s tongue, feeling like he was melting from the waist down. What was it about this man whom he’d known his whole life and so well that could move him so much? Blood throbbed in his cock, making him feel that burning need, the urge to possess Jimmy completely. To be possessed by him as well, Eric realized.
When they pulled apart, they were both panting a little, and Jimmy gave him that smile that hit Eric right in the center of his chest, one he couldn’t help but respond to by smiling back.
“What about that?” Jimmy asked and licked his lips. “I don’t know about you, but when I kiss you, touch you… it’s like I’m on fire. I want you so bad. I haven’t wanted anyone as much as I want you. Fuck, I haven’t been this horny since we were in high school.”
“There is that,” Eric admitted, turning his head to nuzzle the hand Jimmy had against Eric’s cheek. God, but it felt good to have Jimmy touching him, looking at him with such want and need and lust. He cleared his throat and reluctantly forced himself to move back some and put a little distance between them. “Take it slow, huh?”
“Kissing doesn’t count.” Jimmy chuckled. He then ran the hand he had against Eric’s cheek down Eric’s neck to his chest, splaying his fingers over Eric’s heart. “The rest we’ll figure out one day at a time.”
Eric was definitely feeling the zing of attraction, his body heating, but he wasn’t ready to act on it, not yet. Jimmy was too important to him to fuck it up by making any decisions based on a hard dick. Eric laid his hand over Jimmy’s and held his gaze.
“One day at a time,” he repeated.
Chapter Eighteen
THE CRITTERS fed, Penny still squawking about the loss of her eggs, and stalls cleaned, Eric stood with sweat dripping down his temples and a huge smile on his face. He’d expected to feel weird around Jimmy this morning, but it hadn’t happened. In fact, they’d worked side by side, laughing, teasing, and neither of them had mentioned the topic from the night before. It felt more like old times than it had in eons. The only difference was Eric could swear his lips still tingled with the memory of their shared kisses.
Perhaps the tingling had more to do with the dreams those kisses had provoked. They had been hot as fuck, two hard bodies rolling around in the hay, power against power. He’d woken hard as granite and, with the lingering images, had come harder than he could ever remember when he finally took himself in hand. Either way, he didn’t feel the slightest bit uncomfortable around Jimmy, and that was a very, very good thing.
“So, Doc, what do you want to do today?” Eric asked as he wiped his bandana over his damp brow.
“Doc?” Jimmy asked, arching one eyebrow. “You are so not going to start calling me that. Makes me think of Snow White and her seven dwarfs.” He pushed out his chest, standing as tall as his five-foot-nine height would allow. “I ask you, do I look like a dwarf?”
“Well….” Eric scrubbed his hand over his chin and ran a critical eye up and down Jimmy’s body. “You are a little guy.”
“What the fuck ever. I thought we had already established my manliness yesterday.”
“Little guys can be manly, can’t they?” Eric countered.
“Only little guys with big dicks,” Jimmy explained and grabbed his crotch crudely.
“Guess that rules you out.” Eric spun out of the way just in time to dodge the handful of straw Jimmy had thrown his way.
They’d grown up pissing next to each other and had gone buck-ass naked enough times at the sinkhole that Eric knew it wasn’t true. He might have been bigger in stature than Jimmy, but the myth about big hands, big dick; little hands, little dick was just that—a myth.
“You worked my ass off, forced me to clean shit once again, and now you’re making jokes about my manhood. I’m done being abused by you today,” Jimmy grumbled and stormed off. “I’m going to go take a shower.”
“Aww, don’t go away mad. You look ridiculous when you pout,” Eric said, following behind him.
“I’m not pouting,” Jimmy huffed.
They stopped near Jimmy’s car and Eric poked at Jimmy’s bottom lip. “Not pouting, huh?”
Jimmy slapped his hand away and rolled his eyes. He then made the mistake of opening the back door and bending over to retrieve his clean clothes and shoes. It was a temptation Eric couldn’t resist.
“Give you something to pout about,” he said under his breath and then pulled his arm back and landed a perfectly aimed swat on Jimmy’s ass.
“Motherfucker,” Jimmy yelped.
Eric turned and ran like the wind, his longer legs eating up the dirt. However, with his heavier bulk, he couldn’t outrun the smaller, faster man, and found himself flying through the air when Jimmy tackled him. Eric suddenly had a face full of alfalfa and Jimmy’s weight pressing down on his back as they landed.
Hay flew, grunts and groans filling the air, as each tried his best to get control over the other. For a little guy, Jimmy was a strong son of a bitch and he was also quick, which had Eric more than a little frustrated each time Jimmy dodged a swat or rolled out of the way before Eric could get his larger arms around him.
They stood facing each other in a wrestler’s stance, breathing harshly. “Just a little guy, huh?” Jimmy smirked. “This little guy is about to take your big ass down.”
“There you go dreaming again.” Eric gestured with the curl of his fingers. “Bring it, little man.”
Jimmy started for him.
Eric, anticipating his move, opened his arms to wrap Jimmy in a bear hug and lift him off his feet. It worked perfectly because Jimmy tripped over some twine and fell forward, arms flailing, and Eric caught him, pulled him into a hug. Only part of his plan went wrong. He hadn’t anticipated the force Jimmy was coming at him with, and rather than lifting Jimmy off his feet, Eric was propelled backward and once again found himself on the ground, this time with Jimmy’s body pressed to his groin and chest rather than his back.
Eric froze.
Jimmy looked down at him. Eyes that were shimmering with laughter suddenly darkening, and the happiness morphed into something deeper, seductive, heating Eric’s body, and his cock, which had become semihard during their rough play, swelled until he was aching.
“Fuck,” he muttered and then rolled them, smashing his mouth against Jimmy’s, demanding entrance with his tongue. Jimmy opened to him and Eric dove in. Their first kiss the night before had been hungry and forceful, Eric pouring out his pent-up frustration and need as he’d taken Jimmy’s mouth roughly. But now, he found he didn’t want to be rushed, and it was softer, still strong and demanding, but gentle at the same time. The combination was like a one-two punch to both Eric’s heart and groin. He gave in to the desire, gave himself permission to enjoy the experience and let go of his doubt and confusion for a while and just live in the here and now.
Running his fingers through Jimmy’s hair, holding his head and directing the kiss, Eric responded wholeheartedly—how could he not? He was pressed against his best friend, the man he loved most in the whole world, and for the first time—or rather, the second—given permission to show his feelings without having to worry about consequences and repercussions of his actions.
He explored Jimmy’s mouth, tasting him, taking him, owning him in a way that he had never been able to do before. He let his hands roam through silky strands, over stubbled jaw, and across warm skin. He connected with a hard chest, well-muscled arms, and a flat stomach. Jimmy’s body was firm and muscular, satisfying to the touch and caress and completely unlike the smooth, hairless skin and soft, yielding form of a woman.
“Wait. Not here,” Jimmy said breathlessly, breaking Eric’s trance, and Eric became aware that he was pinning Jimmy beneath him and holding Jimmy’s arms over his head, his compact body stretched out beneath Eric’s more muscular frame. Eric’s cock, as hard as a bar of lead, was rubbing against Jimmy’s equally hard shaft.
“Oh God,” he mumbled, mortified.
Releasing Jimmy’s wrists, he rolled away and sat up abruptly. Jesus Christ, they were in the fucking barn—out in the wide open. Anyone could have walked in and found them. Eric’s heart was hammering as he brushed the hay from his hair and clothes while scanning the area around them, hoping he found no one staring at them. Surprisingly, the idea of being caught had been his first thought and not that he’d been rutting like a fucking dog against his best friend.
“You okay?” Jimmy asked quietly as he went to his feet and held out a hand for Eric.
Eric stared at the offered hand for a moment, and he could barely keep the grin contained as he allowed Jimmy to help him to his feet. “You look like a scarecrow.” He chuckled and brushed the hay from Jimmy’s hair.
“You’re just full of compliments today, aren’t you?” Jimmy grumped, brushing the straw from his shirt and jeans. “First a dwarf and now a scarecrow. You keep it up and I’m going to get a complex. Don’t you have anything nice to say to stroke my shattered ego?”
Eric scanned the area one more time, and finding no one, he pecked Jimmy on the lips. “You’re a great kisser,” he complimented and then strolled out of the barn with a smile and a whole lot of swagger.
STANDING BENEATH the flow of hot water, Jimmy stared unblinking as he replayed the events of the past twenty-four hours over and over in his head. In a million years he’d never have thought Eric would have been as receptive to Jimmy’s attraction. The night before, he’d been still reeling from Eric’s admission, wondering if the shared kiss had been a onetime thing. Hell, when he’d woken this morning, he wasn’t totally convinced he hadn’t dreamed it all. Now he knew better. Jimmy absently rubbed his fingers over his lips; they were swollen from Eric’s ferocious kiss. Nope, he certainly hadn’t been dreaming. If his full lips weren’t proof enough, then the way his body was still thrumming and tingling certainly was.
Lathering up his hands, he ran his soapy palms over his chest, down his flat stomach, following the path Eric had while lying on top of him. Only Jimmy didn’t stop there, he took his hard cock in his fist, the soap and water slicking the way as he started a firm and steady rhythm. It didn’t take much, a few more pulls and he was teetering on the verge of orgasm. Fucking Eric and his kisses, and his hard body and those dimples and…. Fuck, how had he gotten so lucky to have a man like that in his life? Not only as a best friend but….
Jimmy’s breath caught and he threw his head back, spine arching as his orgasm rushed through him so violently he had to reach out with his free hand and support himself on the tiled wall to keep from falling as rope after rope shot from him.
With the last drop seeping from his body, Jimmy began to giggle. Not a laugh or a snort, but an honest-to-God giggle. He hadn’t felt this damn good after an orgasm since… hell, he didn’t know when the last time was. He damn sure didn’t normally start giggling like a fool after one. He shook his head at his silliness and then rinsed off before turning off the taps and stepping out of the shower.
He stood in front of the mirror, dried his hair and body and then wiped the damp towel over the fogged mirror. He laughed even harder. “That’s a shit-eating grin if I ever saw one.”
“What the hell are you doing in there? Did you fall asleep or something?” Eric asked as he beat on the door.
“Or something,” he said to his reflection and waggled his brows.
“Hurry up, Scott just pulled in,” Eric informed him and hit the door one last time.
What the hell was Scott doing here? That got his giggles under control and had him hurrying to finish drying and dress in clean clothes.
When Jimmy stepped out the back door, Eric was sitting in a rocking chair, pulling on his boots. He didn’t miss the way Eric’s eyes raked up and down Jimmy’s body, or the way that his body responded to it even though he’d just gotten off, his cock starting to fill. This new blatant appreciation of his body from Eric was assuring that Jimmy was in a perpetual state of horniness. He turned away before it got out of control again and grabbed his boots before taking the chair next to Eric.
“Good shower?” Eric’s voice was low and seductive like he knew what Jimmy had been up to.
“Umm… yeah, it was,” he responded without looking at Eric, his cheeks heating.
“Mine too,” Eric murmured.
Jimmy glanced over at Eric, and damned if the expression on Eric’s handsome face didn’t reveal that he most certainly did know what Jimmy had been up to. The smirk was telling.
He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled on his boots, willing his dick to behave. So much for relieving the pressure; he was right back to attention under the assault of Eric’s dark eyes, smiling face, and suggestive tone.
Without daring to look at Eric, Jimmy went to his feet and started down the stairs. “I thought you said Scott was here?”
“He’s in the barn. He has a present for you.”
“What?”
“Yup,” Eric responded, catching up with Jimmy.
Jimmy still refused to look at him and his damn sexy, smiling face. “What is it?”
“You’ll see,” Eric said, sounding really excited and piquing Jimmy’s interest.
He walked into the barn and groaned. Scott was standing there holding on to two ropes that were attached to the necks of two white goats. “What the fuck, dude? Where did you get those? Better question, why the hell do you have goats?”
“This is Hansel and Gretel,” Scott announced happily.
“Jesus Christ. What is it w
ith you two and giving stupid names to the livestock?”
“Aren’t they cute?” Eric asked and petted them both.
“Yeah, sure.” He wrinkled his nose when one dropped a bunch of little black shit pellets. “Just adorable. What are you going to do with them?”
“Ever hear of goat milk? Goat cheese?” Scott asked sarcastically.
“Yeah, well, glad you brought them here. The last thing we need is more animals shitting around the homestead.”
“You didn’t tell him?” Eric asked, looking up at Scott from where he was crouching and petting the goats.
Jimmy stiffened. “Tell me what?” He glanced back and forth between Scott and Eric, who were both smiling.
When neither of them said anything, only continued to grin, Jimmy crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently. He had the sneaking suspicion he wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Well?”
“Umm, well, these here are going to be hanging out with Eric’s horses, but there may be one or two more being delivered to your place,” Scott admitted.
“One or two more?”
“Or more,” Eric said under his breath, barely audible.
“Or more? What the hell is that supposed to mean,” Jimmy demanded.
“We have a herd of twenty.”
Jimmy’s eyes went wide.
Scott obviously didn’t miss Jimmy’s stunned reaction because he held up his hands in a defensive gesture and added, “Now before you freak out, you did approve the addition of livestock.”
“I thought we were talking about cows,” he said in exasperation. Goats, what the fuck were they supposed to do with twenty goats?
Eric slung his arm over Jimmy’s shoulder, laughing heartily. “You should be thanking Scott that it’s not cows. Goats produce a lot less shit.”
Oh yeah, that was a big relief. Whatever, big shit, little shit, at the end of the day it was still shit. “I think I’m suddenly thankful I have a full schedule next week.”