“Oh my God,” she squealed, her blue eyes as bright as her smile. “Thank you so much.”
They followed her into the house, where everyone was congregated in the living room. Jessie was already telling her parents about Landon’s offer. “Isn’t it great? I’d be working with real cancer researchers.”
“No can do,” Kurt said and then pointed a finger at his daughter. “You have to help me on the ranch this summer. And you were gonna work at the DQ to earn some spending money.”
“The internship comes with a small stipend,” Landon offered.
Kurt pinned him with a glare, and Landon wished he’d kept his mouth shut. But who’d have thought offering a kid an internship would piss off anyone, especially the kid’s parents?
“But Dad, this is a great opportunity,” Jessie said in a reasonable voice. “I’ll be leaving for Tech in August anyway. What’s a couple more months?”
“I’m not letting you run off to some big city where you don’t know anybody. It’s not safe.”
Ah, so that was it. He wasn’t worried about the money. He was worried about his daughter’s safety. “She could call me anytime.”
“Yeah, Dad. I’d know Landon.”
Kurt faced Landon dead-on, widening his stance and crossing his arms over his chest. “Nothing personal, Burke, but I just met you. You could be some kind of perv.”
“Whoa,” Ty said sharply. “Just because you’re having trouble letting your daughter go is no reason to attack Landon.”
Kurt ignored him, turning back to Jessie. “And who’s gonna help me this summer? Your mom?”
She crossed her arms and rolled her shoulders in. “Sure. Why not?”
Landon wanted to say more, to assure her that she could still work with him in the lab for a week or two, but he didn’t think Kurt would go for that either. Maybe if Ty were with them?
No, better to drop it.
But when everyone headed toward the dining room, Denise drew him to the side and whispered, “Thank you. I’ll talk to Kurt. Maybe when he calms down he’ll realize what a great experience this would be for Jessie. Don’t give up on it just yet.”
Landon smiled weakly. He’d never in his life felt so beaten down.
Chapter Fifteen
Easter dinner was uncomfortable. Ty knew it wasn’t his imagination. Hell, the whole damn visit had been uncomfortable. But who’d have thought Landon’s generous offer would actually make it worse? Jessie was right. It was a great opportunity for her. Why was Kurt holding on so tightly? It didn’t make sense.
Using the excuse that he wanted to show Landon more of the ranch, Ty extricated himself and Landon from the family gathering. What he really wanted was to give Landon a chance to relax. The man was stiff as a fence post. As they took off in Ty’s truck, he could feel the tension leaking out of Landon’s pores. He drove to the large tank where he’d caught catfish and shot dove since he was a boy.
They sat on the tailgate and enjoyed the silence. An occasional bird call, insects clicking. The bright white sun leached color from the sky. Despite yesterday’s rain, the water in the tank was low, maybe a third of its volume courtesy of the drought. It seemed stagnant, dead. The ground was parched. It even smelled dry, dusty.
Finally Ty said, “Thanks for doing this. I know how hard it is for you.”
“You’d do the same for me.” He chuckled. “Hell, you
have
done the same for me.”
“Yeah, but your family’s a little easier to take.”
“How so?”
“I’ve got more in common with them.”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for offering to help Jessie. You surprised me with that.”
“I feel sorry for her.” He grimaced. “She’s almost as out of place here as I am.”
Ty shook his head. “I don’t understand why Kurt won’t let her go.”
“Houston’s big.”
Ty didn’t know what to say to that. Yeah, Houston was big. So what? Compared to Stonemont, Lubbock was big. And Jess would be going to college there in August.
“Do you think if you came to Houston for the week, he’d let her hang out in the lab with me?”
“Maybe. I could say something to him.”
“That’s okay. I’ve caused enough trouble.”
Ty’s heart twisted a little. He wanted to beat the shit out of his brother for insinuating that Landon was a pervert, for taking Landon’s offer and making it into something dirty. Asshole. What the hell was his problem?
Ty needed to take Landon’s mind off it. Hell, he needed to take his own mind off it. “Ever fucked in a truck bed?”
Landon snorted. “No. And I’m not about to start now. That’s all we need. Your family catching us in the act.”
Ty swung his legs into the bed and stood up. Unbuckling his belt, he asked, “Sure I can’t tempt you?”
“I’m serious, Ty. We’re out here in front of God and everybody.”
“You don’t believe in God.”
“Yeah, well, I believe in everybody, and no way I’m giving them a show.”
Ty eased down on his knees behind him and sat back on his heels, cradling Landon’s hips in the V of his groin. He wrapped his arms around Landon’s waist. The man had stiffened up again—his body, not his cock. If he didn’t relax he would break. Keeping his voice low and soothing, Ty said, “We’re almost done here.”
“Not really.”
“What do you mean? It’s just a few more hours.”
“Huh-uh. We’ll have to come back. Again and again. Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t mind, except I don’t think it matters how well they know me. Even if they accept our friendship, they’ll never accept anything more.”
Ty had nothing. The simple truth was Landon was right. Why had Ty believed meeting his family would end differently? It was certainly a turnaround. Ty the pessimist had become Ty the optimist. Landon the eternal, unstoppable optimist, was the pessimist. Or maybe not. Landon had gone into the weekend upbeat. Nervous, but upbeat. After only twenty-four hours that rosy outlook had been squashed like a bug on his truck’s windshield. And maybe Ty’s own optimism hadn’t really been optimism at all—more like desperation.
“We shouldn’t be sitting like this. If someone saw us...”
Ty ignored Landon’s protests and slid his hands up Landon’s chest. He craved the feel of Landon’s flesh beneath his hands, Landon’s muscles flexing against his palms. He started at the top button and released it.
“Ty,” Landon growled in warning.
Ty continued until the waist of Landon’s jeans stopped him. He tugged, pulling the shirttail out and then finished off the last buttons. He parted the heavy cotton fabric and spread his hands on bared, rippling muscles. He peered over Landon’s shoulder at the golden skin against his own sun-darkened hands. He wanted more. Landon needed more.
He found the button of Landon’s jeans, but before he could free it, Landon grabbed his hands and spoke more forcefully. “I said not here.”
“I’ve let you get away with topping me,” Ty said, determined. “But that’s not my natural inclination, so you’re gonna have to bottom sometimes.”
“I can’t.” He swallowed hard, his neck muscles working against Ty’s cheek. “I need control.”
“Nonnegotiable.” Ty brushed Landon’s hair to the side and bared his teeth against the back of his neck. His skin was hot and damp, salty.
Landon gasped and twitched, then silence.
Ty eased off his neck. “Now do something useful with those hands.”
Landon slid his hands to his thighs.
“Huh-uh. You’ve pissed me off, so you can damn well make it up to me. Unbutton your fly.”
Landon didn’t move, but the pulse in his neck was in a race with his breathing. Finally he eased his hands to the top button on his jeans. Were his fingers shaking? Yep, he was fumbling with that first button.
Ty didn’t offer to help. He hadn’t planned on reversing their roles this weekend. He’d figured to give Landon more time. But he also hadn’t anticipated how stressful dealing with his family would be. They both needed it. Landon needed to relax, release that tension, or at least some of it. And Ty needed to be the one to help him through it. After all, it was his family causing the stress.
Landon finally freed the button and had an easier time with the next ones. Through the soft cotton of Landon’s boxers, Ty wrapped his fingers around Landon’s semierect cock. Nice to know he was interested, despite his protests.
Landon fidgeted but didn’t move away. “How did you get out?” he whispered.
Ty sighed. “My family’s not a cult.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.” He paused, and Ty could almost see the synapses firing in his brain while he tried to find the words to explain. Finally the questions tumbled over one another. “Why didn’t you stay and ranch like your brother? How did you get to be so liberal? Why UT instead of some Christian college?”
Was Landon trying to distract him? Not working. Ty rubbed his thumb around the crown of Landon’s cock, incredibly turned on by its smooth tautness. “I didn’t like ranching.”
Landon’s next question escaped on a moan of pleasure. “What didn’t you like?”
Ty snorted. “The cold, the heat, the wet, the dry, castrating, calving, dehorning, branding, fixing fence, cutting hay, the all-nighters followed by the all-dayers.” He buried his nose in Landon’s hair and breathed deeply of musky male and sunshine.
“So why UT?”
Ty wanted Landon’s bare cock in his palm, and he wanted to see it. He rested his chin on Landon’s shoulder for the view. Then little by little, he pushed down the waistband of his boxers, slowly revealing Landon’s flesh. Long and hard, now fully aroused, it was begging for attention. He licked his dry lips before answering, “I knew I was different. Figured I’d fit in better there.”
Landon’s head dropped back against Ty’s shoulder. “Fuck. We shouldn’t do this here.”
Ty chuckled. Landon’s cock seared his palm as he wrapped his hand around it. “I like the way you’re fighting me on this.”
“Smart ass,” Landon gasped.
“Too bad we don’t have any lube. You could teach my smart ass a lesson.” The thought had Ty’s own dick straining against Landon’s back. He rocked his hips in time to the stroke of his hand along Landon’s hot length. Landon was already thrusting into his hand, his desire clearly overruling the necessity for control and his fear of someone catching them. Ty wasn’t worried about it. With these wide-open spaces, they’d know someone was coming long before the intruders got close enough to figure out what they were up to.
“Your family will be able to smell the sex on us when we get back.”
“Maybe, but does it matter? You said it. They’ll never accept this.” He paused, considering the significance of his next words. When he spoke again his voice was rough with emotion. “But here’s the deal. If I have to choose, you’re it.”
Landon turned his head on Ty’s shoulder and nuzzled his jaw. “Ty—” He didn’t finish, leaving Ty hanging.
Landon’s thrusts became jerky and quick. So close. Ty watched, fascinated as the thick head rose and sank, pumping up and down, pushing through the circle of his hand and withdrawing again. Suddenly, Landon froze and his milky seed shot up like a fountain and coated Ty’s hand in warmth.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Landon gasped before collapsing back against Ty’s chest.
Ty kissed his neck and nipped at his ear, loving the taste of his skin, flavored with the sweat of sex. He wiped his hand on an old rag littering the back of the truck and then hugged Landon’s solid weight closer.
When Landon’s breathing and heartbeat slowed, his dead weight lifted and he buttoned his fly. “Okay. Your turn.”
“Nah. I’m good.”
“What’s that poking at my back?”
“I’m fine. You can return the favor when we get home tonight.” They were driving to Ty’s Austin apartment this evening. Then Landon would head back to Houston tomorrow morning.
“Come on. Let me—”
“Huh-uh. We’ve been gone too long already. Time to head back.” But he tightened his arms, not ready to let go.
“Not like it would take very long.”
“Now who’s the smart ass?”
Landon sighed. “Maybe if I cut my hair.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
Landon disengaged himself from Ty’s hold and slid off the end of the tailgate. His boots crunched in the dried vegetation when he faced Ty. He rested his hands lightly on his hips. His long fingers made Ty think of Landon returning the favor tonight. His muscular chest made Ty reconsider waiting. But Landon’s words put a halt to that. “If I cut my hair, your parents might like me better.”
Ty rebuckled his belt before he changed his mind and had Landon on his knees. “I don’t give a fuck what you do with your hair, but don’t cut it to please my parents or even me. You are not your hair.” That last bit sounded lame—like something on a greeting card. Yeah, it was true, unless you were Samson. But still...
“That’s just it. It’s not who I am, so I don’t mind hacking it off if it would help.” His expression was so earnest that Ty’s heart flipped upside down.
He scooted off the tailgate and planted his boots on the hard-packed ground, facing Landon. “You said it yourself. Even if my parents accept you, they won’t accept the two of us. Time for me to face facts.”
“I don’t want you to lose your family because of me.”
He looked so sad and so earnest that Ty wrapped his hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down until their lips met in a light kiss. Then he rested his forehead against Landon’s. “I won’t lose them because of you. I’ll lose them because of the way they are.”
“Yeah, but—”
“I’m not living without you because of their hang-ups. End of discussion.” He paused, ready to say the words Landon had yet to hear. “I love you.”
Landon blinked, and then his smile erased all the worry, all the sorrow. “I love you, too.”
It was the first time Landon had said the words since
that weekend.
They lifted Ty’s spirits, filled his soul, made him feel anything was possible. He kissed him again, deeper this time, not caring who saw them. Landon’s lips were firm and silky, a contrast to the afternoon shadow that scraped Ty’s cheeks. That it felt so right, so perfect after the shitty weekend they’d had, amazed him.
He lifted his head and said, “Let’s get out of here.”
When they arrived back at the house, Kurt, Denise and Jessie were gone. After about thirty minutes of more awkward conversation, Landon excused himself to pack. Ty wasn’t thrilled about being alone with his parents, afraid of the questions, but he figured he’d give it five or ten minutes, then do his own packing.