Authors: Penny Brandon
"I don't understand. This used to be a quiet pub."
Kyle smiled. "Things change," he noted and wondered just how much.
The bartender nudged Kyle's elbow as he put the two bottles on the old, scarred wooden counter. Kyle paid and then tipped his bottle to Jared before taking a long swallow of the cool brew. As the waitress drifted by, Kyle asked her how they could order a meal. She pointed to the bartender.
"Tell Jacob what you want and then find a table. I'll bring it to you."
Both he and Jared had already scouted the room, and there was only one place openly available. A group of teenagers were holding court in the far corner, and in their midst was an empty, semi-circular booth.
"Want to risk it?" Kyle asked.
Jared shrugged, his broad shoulders shifting the button-down shirt he wore over a plain white T-shirt. His jeans were well-worn and contoured his muscular body as if they were longtime associates. Kyle was still wearing the cutoff jeans and a borrowed T-shirt. Maybe tomorrow they'd get to do some shopping as Jared had suggested.
Offering to secure the table, Jared left while Kyle aimed to gain the attention of Jacob once again. He ordered two T-bone steaks with the lot, and then shuffled over to where Jared waited. Halfway across the room, Kyle spotted the two girls who had been at the bar making a beeline for the same booth Jared occupied. They beat him to it, and just as he reached the table, he heard Jared agree to let them share.
Amazed, Kyle watched as one of the girls sidled up to Jared and started batting her eyelashes, literally. Holding back a bark of laughter, he sat down on the other side of Jared. With the four of them ringing the small table, the booth was now crowded, and Kyle had no choice but to press himself close to his lover. Even then half of his ass was hanging off the edge of the seat. He was tempted to ask Jared to move over a bit more, but the young woman was wedged nearly as close, and he doubted if Jared wanted to get any closer.
Jared led the introductions. "Kyle, this is Tammy and Rachael. Girls, this is my...Kyle." The slip had been unconscious. Kyle realized Jared had been thinking the word
lover
and had only recovered just in time. He hoped the girls wouldn't pick up on it, but his fears were realized when Tammy giggled.
"Your Kyle?" Tammy said, nudging Rachael, who moved a little away from Jared.
Kyle tensed and felt Jared's matching discomfort. Shit, they weren't ready for this; then Jared glanced at him, and something sparked deep within his eyes. He smiled.
"It's okay," he whispered. "You
are
my Kyle."
Warmed more by the look in Jared's eyes than his statement, Kyle started to relax. They were just two men out to have a meal. He'd done it plenty of times and had never felt uncomfortable or out of place, and in retrospect there was no reason for him to feel it here. It also seemed Jared was putting aside his anxiety of being outed, and Kyle was fully aware that Jared was doing it for him. Kyle smiled. Effectively this was a date, their first if you discounted the truck stop where they'd met.
Shifting his weight a little to allow him to stretch out his leg brought Kyle closer to Jared. Jared, whether intentionally or not, placed a hand on his thigh. Shocked, Kyle froze, unwilling to do anything that might attract attention but hoping Jared would realize what he'd done and remove his hand before Kyle's body reacted instinctively.
No such luck. Jared continued to chat with the girls while Kyle was feeling the effects of warm fingers pressing into his leg. Heat flared in two places--at the place where Jared's hand touched him, and a little farther to the left where his cock stirred, seeking, wanting, demanding the same contact. Kyle had to fight not to moan in pleasure.
When the meals arrived, Jared removed his hand and Kyle sighed in relief, but it was short-lived when a round of drinks appeared at the same time and the young men who had been gathered around the booth started in on the alcohol. That in itself wasn't the problem; it was the sudden rise in the level of testosterone when they spotted the two girls sitting alongside Kyle and Jared. Up until then, Kyle noted, they'd been happily talking football, but as they noticed the pretty young women, their interest changed and the air became charged with an unhealthy concentration of sexual awareness.
One of the young men leaned in close, his attention on Tammy. By the look of things, Tammy was quite happy to return his interest, with Rachael gazing at the man's friend. Within minutes the atmosphere around them became electric as both girls started flirting shamelessly. It would have been entertaining if Jared hadn't chosen that moment to put his hand on Kyle's thigh again and move it in slow, lazy circles, each sweep of the firm fingers bringing them closer and closer to Kyle's now straining cock.
Kyle thought he moaned, he wasn't sure, but the look in Jared's eyes said maybe he had.
Jared leaned in so close his hot breath washed over Kyle's neck. "I want to fuck your brains out," he growled.
Kyle jerked back, shocked Jared would say something like that in a crowded pub. He stared into Jared's deeply aroused eyes. "Jared, we need to go. Let's say our good-byes to the girls."
"I don't think they'll notice," Jared countered with a bemused smile.
Biting back a groan of both frustration and need, Kyle slid out of the tight confines of the booth with Jared closely following on his heels, and as they did so, the vacated space was quickly filled with the two teenagers who had been heavily engaging the girls' interest.
No one seemed to notice them leaving, and for that Kyle was grateful. Jared's erection was covered by his shirt, but Kyle's was plain to see for anyone who cared to look. Luckily no one was, except the man who walked by his side.
The spring evening air was cooler, but in these climes was still warm enough not to need anything more than what they were wearing. Kyle didn't say anything as they made their way to Jared's truck, but as soon as they climbed in and the door closed behind him, he turned to Jared.
"What was all that about?"
The color-flecked eyes that stared back at him were defiant. "I have no fucking idea."
Kyle raised an eyebrow, but it was probably lost in the darkened cab. "You came on to me like some randy teenager. It was bad enough having two of them on one side of me. I didn't need you on the other." Kyle tried to keep the amusement out of his voice.
"Yeah, well, around you I feel like one." Jared's lips twitched, and Kyle could see he was trying not to laugh.
"If anything comes out of this, I'm not taking the blame," Kyle said as Jared started the engine and put the truck in gear.
"Okay, but maybe we shouldn't go out in public for a while."
"You're the one who suggested it."
"Didn't think I was going to want to slam you up against a wall and stuff your ass with my cock."
"You didn't?"
Jared laughed outright, and Kyle grinned. "Think anyone noticed?"
"Too late now."
"You don't sound too fazed."
The lingering look Jared gave him held everything Kyle wanted to see and more. "I'm not. You mean more to me than some reputation, Kyle."
Kyle believed him; it was impossible not to with the assurance that shone out of Jared's beautiful eyes. Fuck, if Jared could do this, then there was absolutely no way he couldn't as well. Calm certainty entered him, giving him the confidence he'd lost and the will to do something with it.
"Let's go home."
Chapter Ten
Jared felt unreasonably relaxed. His actions in the pub showed he wasn't able to control himself around Kyle, but for some reason he no longer cared. For too long he'd listened to caution, had tried to do the right thing, had tried to show others he was just a regular guy. Most of the time it didn't bother him; he'd had no reason to be or do otherwise. That had changed.
With Kyle he didn't want to hide who he was, who they were. He'd told Kyle they didn't have to, and though he hadn't been sure if he could do it, he'd proved tonight that he didn't have any choice. The way he felt about Kyle surpassed anything he'd thought possible, and it had been difficult not to show it. He just hoped Kyle felt the same way about him and could overcome his prejudices against the town. In the meantime, Jared had an idea how he could help Kyle along, or at least give him something else to think about. He flicked the indicator on as they came to a side road.
"Aren't we supposed to go straight ahead?"
"We're taking a detour." After a few more turns that brought them through a zigzag pattern, he pulled to a stop and jumped out to open a gate that led into a field. After closing the gate behind him, he climbed back into the truck.
"Where are we going?"
"That rise over there." He indicated the small hill studded with Australian gum lit up against the black velvet sky by the full moon rising behind them.
Kyle gave him a searching look as Jared put the car in gear. "Are we going to do what I think we're going to do?"
Jared didn't hide his grin. There was no point. "Do you want to?"
Kyle's lecherous smirk was his answer.
When they stopped again, they were parked just below the tree line that marked the top of the hill. Jared opened his door and waited for Kyle to join him.
"Where are we?"
"On the border of my land and the acreage I want to buy. You can just about see the river that runs through it. Look." He pointed to a dark ribbon that threaded for miles along the valley floor. Occasional diamonds reflected off the surface when the moon crept from behind the clouded and star-studded sky.
"I'll be able to break it up into pastures and get some more cows to breed with the bulls I hope to pull from Felix's calves."
Kyle stood still beside him, the overcast sky shadowing his expression. Jared would have liked Kyle's opinion, but he wasn't going to press him for it. Just because his grandfather had bred cows didn't mean Kyle was interested in them. Disappointed but loathe to say anything, Jared suddenly realized how selfish he'd been bringing Kyle up here. Everything around Kyle reminded him of what he'd lost, what he'd had to leave behind. Jared knew he wasn't being fair to Kyle, but he wanted Kyle here, and if he wanted to keep him here, he had to make sure Kyle was happy, but how the hell was he supposed to do that?
"You gonna kiss me or just stand there brooding?" The light tease in Kyle's voice had Jared hauling Kyle into his arms and taking his mouth. Kyle opened up to him as Jared carded his fingers through Kyle's silky soft hair. They both groaned, the need he'd already started in them at the pub quickly flaring back to life. He maneuvered Kyle up against the open door of the truck, the interior light and the full moon giving him enough illumination to do what he wanted.
He couldn't wait to have Kyle, and patience and finesse were not his style. He pulled on Kyle's jeans, tugged them down his legs, knelt, and quickly set to work on Kyle's fully erect cock.
"Oh shit!" Kyle's cry made Jared smile: wait until Kyle found out what he was doing this for. He sucked hard, and Kyle groaned, but that was the whole idea, to make Kyle come quickly. He nibbled on the sensitive skin beneath the head and then laved his tongue across it several times before once again taking the full length in his mouth. The reflexive thrust of Kyle's hips was exactly what Jared wanted. He sucked again, gripping the base of the thick cock and beginning to pump it in time with the bobbing of his head.
Kyle grabbed Jared's hair, fisting his fingers in it, groaning louder. The sweet taste of Kyle and the feel of him filling his mouth made Jared groan just as much. He loved giving Kyle pleasure, loved knowing his actions were making Kyle lose it. Just like he was losing it now. He carefully gauged the timing, and when he knew Kyle was going to come, he brought his mouth to the very top of Kyle's cock and flicked the tip with his tongue.
Kyle's thick cry warned him, and when a stream of warm cum flooded his mouth, he captured it, closing off the back of his throat so he wouldn't swallow. He took as much as he could before pulling away, Kyle's body still heaving with the aftermath of his climax.
Without a word, he cupped his hand under his mouth and spit out the glob of cum along with his spit. Kyle stared at him, shocked.
"What's that for?"
"I need lube. This is it," Jared said, grinning. At Kyle's low moan of horror, Jared couldn't help laughing, and ignoring the look on Kyle's face, Jared turned him around.
Jared wasted no time using the still-warm cum to lubricate the crease of Kyle's cheeks, slicking it around the tightly puckered hole and knowing Kyle wasn't really averse to using it when he moaned. Spreading Kyle's legs farther apart, Jared slipped his thumb past the ring of muscle protecting Kyle's ass and moved it in slow circles.
"What's that?" Kyle groaned.
"My thumb. Why?"
"Different."
"Bad or good?"
"Oh, definitely good. Real good. Fucking good," Kyle said, angling his hips back and allowing Jared to push in a little deeper.
Encouraged, Jared used it to stretch Kyle farther, and when he had the chance, he slid in his other thumb, rotating them so Kyle was good and ready if the fervent groans he was making were anything to go by. Unable to wait any longer, Jared slipped his right hand free and grabbed his cock. Precum coated the tip, and he used it to further help increase the ease of pushing through the opening he'd made to Kyle's hot and eager tunnel. Kyle groaned as Jared pressed in, taking it slowly because at this angle, he was going to go deep.
"You okay, cupcake?" he asked, watching the play of muscles on Kyle's back as he shuddered in pleasure.
"What did you just call me?"
"Cupcake."
"What the fuck for?"
"'Cause you're so sweet."
"Jared, you are not calling me cupcake." Kyle sounded so horrified that Jared laughed.
"Yes I am," he said, sliding his arms around Kyle's waist and hugging him. Pressing in deeper, he leaned over Kyle's body and kissed him on the shoulder until, with a final effort, the flat of his stomach curled around the curve of Kyle's lower back. Planted deep, he took Kyle's growing erection in both of his hands. He stroked it until the velvet-soft skin was stretched taut over a rod of steel.
"You gonna go fast or slow?" Kyle moaned in response.
"You choose," Jared offered, because he wanted Kyle to know in this he would never be selfish.
"How about you do both. Pull out slow, slam in hard and fast."
"I like how you're thinking." He gave Kyle a couple of seconds, then changed his grip to Kyle's hips. "I'm gonna move now. Ready?" he asked. In answer, Kyle clenched the muscles that sheathed him, causing a streak of mind-numbing pleasure to rip up his cock and into his balls, drawing them up in preparation to unload. Jared hissed in a breath and instinctively thrust his hips in hard.
"Oh fuck, do that again!"
Jared did and then pulled out slowly before slamming in hard and fast like Kyle wanted.
"Again! Harder!" His lover's urgent cries incited Jared to do exactly that, and each time he pounded home, Kyle's cries got wilder and more demanding until Jared wasn't sure he was keeping to any set rhythm; he was just reacting to the most delicious sensations he didn't think could get any better. Then his cock pulsed, and he knew he was going to come.
"Close," he grunted, moving just that little bit faster while working on Kyle's cock with the same needy intent.
"Yesss, like that! Oh, I'm gonna explode!"
Without warning, Jared's cock was held in a viselike grip, and his legs nearly gave way under the onslaught of ecstasy that engulfed him. "Shit, Kyle!"
"Can't help it! Now, Jared, fuck now!" Kyle's hips ground back into him, and then suddenly Kyle's whole body jerked hard. Hot cum soaked Jared's fingers while the tight muscles holding him deep in Kyle's ass convulsively rippled over and around his cock.
Jared didn't stand a chance. With a harsh cry of his own, he came in a brutal and powerful orgasm that pulled him apart before slamming him back together. Jared closed his eyes as dizziness overcame him, and let his body slump over Kyle's before he gained enough awareness to pull out and collapse on the cold, wet grass at his feet.
Kyle was at his side in seconds, their harsh gasps mingling as they lay together, both unmindful of their seminaked state and of the cool breeze that whispered over their heated skin.
"Are we getting better at this or what?" Kyle asked as he spread his body over Jared's.
Jared looked at him and then burst out laughing. "If we keep getting better, I'm not going to be able to take it."
"Yeah, you will, 'cause it'll be me who's giving it to you." Kyle sniggered and then planted a kiss on Jared's mouth.
Jared pulled him in tighter, marveling at how good it felt having Kyle in his arms, knowing he wanted it to be like this forever but wondering if there was a chance Kyle would ever feel the same way. Kyle had said he wanted to be with him, but he'd given no hint if he meant that long term or even if he understood what Jared had tried to tell him earlier.
"Kyle?"
"Mmm?"
"Ready to go? I'm getting cold."
"I'm all right," Kyle mumbled into Jared's chest.
"That's because you're lying on top of me," Jared complained as the wet ground started to make him shiver.
Kyle looked up, grinning. "Maybe you should have waited until we got home."
God, Jared loved that grin. "And miss seeing the look on your face with the impromptu lube?"
Kyle groaned and shook his head. "From now on we carry a bottle in the truck. Or we can keep those little packets in our wallets or something, because Jared, that was gross."
"No, it was beautiful," Jared replied, pulling Kyle back into him. "
You
are beautiful."
Kyle's blue eyes flashed under the light of the moon. "You really mean that, don't you?"
Did Kyle really not understand by now? "To me you are beautiful, smart, funny, sexy. You're everything, Kyle, and all I want to do is make you happy."
"You do make me happy." Kyle's simple statement meant more to Jared than he thought possible.
He recaptured Kyle's mouth and kissed him with everything he had. Kyle kissed him back, lips and tongues meeting in a hard and passionate union. Jared tightened his grip on Kyle, seriously never wanting to let him go and close to begging him to stay. When Jared pulled back, Kyle made a sound of protest at the back of his throat.
Maybe he could fuck him into staying.
"Ready to go home now?" Jared asked him.
"We going to make love again?"
"If you want," Jared agreed in satisfaction.
"Oh yeah. I want."
As Kyle reached down to grab his not-so-soft cock, Jared groaned. "Home, now, or we'll be using cum as lube again."
Kyle grinned, waiting as Jared scrambled to his feet and helped him up. "Tomorrow I'm buying half a dozen bottles."
"Only half a dozen? The way we're going, you may as well buy out the shop."
Pausing in the middle of doing up his zip, Kyle's blue gaze landed on Jared's. "The way we're going, I'm gonna have to buy out the whole town."
Jared laughed and hoped the promise he could hear in Kyle's voice was also in his heart. "Maybe we can get some shipped in." He finished putting his clothes back in order and climbed into the driver's seat as Kyle settled in beside him. Conscious of Kyle's ankle, Jared took it slowly down the hill.
"Can you hurry up a little?"
Glancing at him, Jared frowned. "Why?"
Kyle palmed the thickening bulge in his jeans. "Because I'm thinking of having my cock in your mouth."
"We don't have to hurry for that."
"At the same time I have your cock in mine," Kyle added.
"Why didn't you say so?" Jared stomped on the accelerator, and Kyle sat back and grinned.
"Now that's more like it."
Kyle stretched and then groaned when he felt the empty space beside him. He'd forgotten Jared had to be up early and wasn't going to be back till midafternoon. He ran his hand along the cool sheet. Waking up without Jared sucked--in fact he hated it--and if he never wanted it to happen again, he was going to have to do something about it. And that meant confessing to Jared he loved him.
Last night, up on the hill, Kyle had been close to telling him but had held off only because he had something else to tell him first. He wanted to tell Jared about the land, wanted to offer it to him, but more, he wanted Jared to accept it with Kyle as part of the deal. Living in this town was never going to be easy, but Jared loved it here; he loved the land and had worked hard to make some of it his, and if Kyle wanted to be with him, then he had to work hard at it too.