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  He swallowed and then lifted his body to swing one leg over Brett’s lap. “I didn’t think that game was ever gonna end,” he muttered, looking straight into Brett’s flashing eyes and feeling the man’s cock jerk beneath his body. He leaned in, feeling Brett’s sharp breaths caress his lips. “You trying to kill me, Miller?”

  Brett’s lips parted wordlessly and, unable to help himself, Cade swooped down and claimed his mouth. Heat burst inside him as he worked his mouth over Brett’s, running the tip of his tongue along the firm lips before thrusting it inside. Like before, Brett remained still, keeping his arms at his sides and letting Cade explore his mouth. His cock pushed into Cade’s groin with every sweep of Cade’s tongue and Cade rubbed up against him, feeling the delicious friction burn between them.

  He could kiss this guy forever, he realized as he tangled his hands in Brett’s thick hair and deepened the kiss. From the abrasive texture of his tongue, to the velvety cavern of his mouth and his taste of pure sin. He sucked lightly on the tip of Brett’s tongue and then pulled back to nip at the man’s luscious bottom lip. A low moan fell from Brett’s mouth as he shifted beneath Cade’s body and curled his hands around Cade’s hips, pulling him closer.

  “Easy,” Cade warned as the throbbing in his cock intensified dangerously. “You want this to last, right?”

  Brett didn’t answer, just dipped his head and caught Cade’s lips with his. Blood surged straight to Cade’s cock as he felt the need in Brett’s body increase tenfold. The man tangled his tongue with Cade’s and the velvety surfaces rubbed together as Brett’s fingers dug into Cade’s hips.

  Groaning into the back of Brett’s throat, Cade reached between their bodies and got to work on Brett’s zipper. The rasp of metal on metal reached his ears and hot, burning cock leaped into his hands. He wrapped his fingers around Brett’s staff and began to pump his hand up and down. Brett’s mouth hardened on his and a growl rumbled up out of his chest. He ripped his lips from Cade and gasped for air, his eyes darting to where Cade’s hands stroked his dick.

  “I wanted this,” he said on a heavy rush of breath. His gaze came back to Cade’s and their faces were so close Cade could distinguish every eyelash circling Brett’s eyes. “All through the game,” he continued, his lips almost brushing Cade’s, “I wanted this.”

  “Well you should have fucking said so,” Cade growled, swiping his thumb over the head of Brett’s cock. “We could have done this hours ago.”

  Brett nodded, his face tight with oncoming climax. “Stop,” he rasped, his hips jerking upward. “I’m going to come.”

  Wanting to make this last as long as possible, Cade eased his grip and moved down onto the sofa. The plum head of Brett’s dick bobbed between the guy’s legs as he drew in deep breaths to calm himself.

  “Take your clothes off,” Cade ordered after a few moments, getting to work on the buttons of his own shirt. He watched Brett tug the black T-shirt over his head and lift his hips to shuck off his pants. Feeling a bolt of desire surge through his veins, Cade drank in the lines of Brett’s body—the strong arms, the smooth, muscled torso, the long hair-dusted thighs that cradled his magnificent cock. He unzipped his own pants and felt his balls react to Brett’s low moan of approval. Looking from his engorged dick to Brett’s lust-filled gaze, Cade gritted his teeth and rose on his knees.

  “Lie back,” he ordered, staring down at Brett. “And open your legs.”

  The man hesitated briefly and then arranged his body so his head rested on the sofa’s armrest and his legs spread on either side of Cade’s body.

  Cade caught Brett’s calves and pushed, forcing Brett to draw up his knees. Sitting back for a second, Cade admired the new angle. His eyes roamed from the tip of Brett’s erection down to his sac and along the ridged extension of his penis to the small bud of his ass. Cade leaned down and sucked each ball into his mouth, rolling them over his tongue. Moving down, he licked his way along the sensitive ridged flesh before circling Brett’s hole with the tip of his tongue. Brett lifted his hips and his choked moan made Cade’s cock lurch.

  Raising his head, he dug into his front pocket where he’d shoved some lube on the way out the door.

  “No Vaseline this time?” Brett croaked out, humor glinting in his eyes as Cade warmed the lube between his hands.

  Grinning, Cade shook his head and reached between Brett’s legs to smooth the substance over his ass. Then he squeezed out another blob from the tube and coated his dick with the stuff.

  “Pull your legs up higher,” he told Brett and felt his mouth dry when he saw how ready the guy was.

  He positioned his cock against Brett’s lubed-up hole and pushed forward, feeling the ring of muscles give way a lot quicker than they had the first time. He entered him slowly, one hand gripping the side of the sofa, the other resting on Brett’s knee.

  He’s smooth as silk, Cade realized as his cock slid deeper inside Brett’s ass, and tight as hell. He shifted his gaze upward to Brett’s face and felt his cock leap inside the man’s passage. With his jaw clenched and his brows drawn together in concentration, torture and pleasure were written plain across Brett’s face.

  “You okay?” Cade whispered, withdrawing slowly from Brett’s body and then propelling forward again.

  “Yeah,” Brett said hoarsely, squeezing his eyes shut as Cade sank even deeper. “That feels—you feel good.”

  Cade let loose a pained chuckle as Brett’s passage tensed around him and sucked him in further. “So do you,” he ground out, his thighs starting to tremble. He’d never been so close to coming so fast. “Touch yourself,” he ordered, watching a drop of pearly liquid appear on the head of Brett's cock and aching to lick it off. As he continued to rock his hips against Brett’s ass, he watched the man’s large hand grasp his cock and start to pump up and down.

  “That’s it,” he urged, upping the pace of his thrusts and groaning when Brett’s ass clenched around him again. “Does that feel good?”

  Brett’s bloodshot eyes came to his and, as come spurted out of his cock, the creamy liquid shimmering on Brett’s plum-red skin, it was all the answer Cade needed. He shouted at the ceiling as Brett’s ass squeezed his cock, milking it until he exploded, spilling inside Brett’s body. His body shook and jerked until his balls were empty. Then he fell forward between Brett’s knees and buried his face in the man’s sweat-covered chest. As he fought for breath, Brett’s chest started to vibrate with husky laughter. Raising his head, Cade looked at his lover in surprise.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Brett shook his head, eyes half-closed. “Can’t believe I’m fucking guys now.”

  Unsure how to respond to that, Cade blinked. Then he started to laugh too.

  Chapter Eleven

  “This is getting a hell of a lot easier,” Brett admitted later on, lounging against the sofa as Cade buttoned his shirt.

  “What’s getting easier?” Cade asked, humor glinting in his blue eyes. “Having a cock shoved up your ass or watching me get dressed?”

  A wry grin spread across Brett’s lips as he propped his hands behind his head. “Both.”

  Cade’s laugh warmed his insides. “Good,” the man said, standing over him. “We’re making progress.” The humor faded from his face as his gaze swept over Brett’s body, naked except for a pair of boxers. “You are so damn sexy,” he muttered almost to himself.

  Sharp bolts of lust tripped down Brett’s spine. He didn’t know if he’d ever get used to being with a guy, to hearing a man’s baritone tell him he was sexy, but he sure did like the rush it gave him. As a matter of fact, the whole situation was giving him a rush. Sitting here, watching Cade gather himself, Brett felt like a goddamn kid who’d just lost his virginity. Excitement coursed through his veins, his palms sweated, nerves fluttered in his stomach, he wanted to do it all over again. In a way, he guessed he had just lost his virginity. Being with a guy was a completely different experience to being with a girl.

  “How long were you
waiting for this?” he asked, drawing Cade’s attention to his mouth.

  The man frowned and took a seat on the coffee table. “You really want to know the answer to that?”

  Brett shrugged. “It can’t hurt now.”

  “No, I guess not.” Cade made a face and then said, “Since we were teenagers.”

  A bark of laughter rose in Brett’s throat. “You’re shitting me.”

  He shook his head. “Wish I was.”

  “But you had girlfriends all the time,” Brett said, remembering the long line of chicks who used to follow Cade around the stables until Jimmy told them to get lost.

  “Sure I did. I still do.” Cade seemed to zone out, lost in thought. “I didn’t try guys until I’d left my old man behind.”

  Brett nodded, remembering how heavy handed Ken Armstrong had been with his son. A flashback of the day he’d walked into the barn and caught Ken lashing his belt across Cade’s bare back entered his mind and he winced. Cade had only been about twelve or thirteen at the time, but even though the leather had sliced into his skin not a sound had escaped his lips. When he’d straightened and faced Brett there hadn’t been a single tear on his face. After that day, nobody on Steeplecrest Ranch had been able to ignore Ken’s problem. He’d entered rehab a week later and returned home a different man. From the pained expression on Cade’s face, Brett supposed he hadn’t ever gotten over it and, feeling a surge of anger toward Cade’s dad shoot through him, he could understand why.

  “I’m sorry,” he said when the anger faded enough for him to speak. “I’m sorry it happened.”

  Surprise flashed in Cade’s eyes and a small smile quirked the corner of his mouth. “Forget it, it’s in the past.”

  Brett let the subject rest. One day they’d talk about it properly. He didn’t know whether it was the fact they’d grown up together or that they’d lost their folks at the same time, but he had a feeling sharing things with Cade would be a whole lot easier than sharing with anyone else.

  In front of him, Cade rose to his feet and moved toward the door. “I’m going to take off,” he said, setting his hat on his head. “Early start and all.”

  Brett nodded, sitting forward on the sofa. A large part of him ached for Cade to stay, to spend the night with him and make it last. The offer formed in his throat and the words were ready to trip off his tongue but he held them back. Much as he wanted Cade here with him, trepidation still lined his stomach. He needed time to get his head around this and he appreciated Cade not pushing him into anything.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cade called from the hall and the sound of the front door opening nearly made Brett jump up and run after him. But half a second later the door slammed shut and he sat back on the sofa. There was always tomorrow.

  That night he dreamt of Cade—the hard contours of his body, the pleasure he wielded with his cock. When Brett awoke his dick was throbbing heavily between his legs. Beneath his morning shower, he soothed the ache with his hand.

  Sultry Texas air greeted him when he stepped outside later that morning, and for the first time in a while he appreciated the beauty of the ranch. The land spread out before him, rolling hills, tree-studded ridges, grassland plains. The potent smells of dried grass and manure wrapped around him and he breathed it all in.

  “Now I don’t believe what I’m seeing,” a male voice drawled from the yard. “Is that a smile on Brett Miller’s face? It can’t be, not at this time of the morning.”

  Grinning, Brett glanced to his left to where Cade stood in the middle of the yard, an ironic smile lifting his lips.

  “Nah,” Brett said, walking along the veranda. He braced his hands on the railing and let himself feel the desire that curled in his chest. The Cade from his dreams was no match for the reality of that crooked grin and lean, ropey muscle. “I’m not smilin’. It’s just a twitch.”

  Cade’s grin widened. “Figures.” He strolled forward and reached his hands up to grasp the veranda railing, his palms resting on either side of Brett’s. “You gonna stand up there all day like the king of the goddamn castle, or are you going to do some work?”

  Brett laughed and booted his way down the steps. “Don’t get your panties in a twist, Armstrong. I’m right here.”

  “Then let’s go.” Cade brought his hand down on Brett’s shoulder, steering him toward the stables. The warmth of his palm heated Brett’s skin through the thin material of his T-shirt and the sudden feeling of being out of control hit him.

  Relax, he told himself, reining in the rush of panic. Though right now he wanted nothing more than to pull Cade into one of the empty stalls and rub up against him, he knew he could control himself. If they were working together, he’d have to.

  Surprisingly enough, working with Cade wasn’t the torturous experience he’d expected it to be. It could have been that they were completely caught up in driving a herd of over a hundred cattle to a fresh pasture or the fact that Jimmy’s presence was bound to dampen any kind of sexual intentions. Regardless, they spent the day focused on the work at hand and had a few laughs in between. The relaxed, friendly atmosphere put Brett’s mind at ease. Getting into whatever the hell he was getting into with Cade wouldn’t be the ranch’s downfall. They both cared about it too much.

  Cade came over for dinner again that night, and then every other night that week. It always started out the same way—Brett cooked and they ate before going into the living room to watch TV. They never got around to actually watching the TV. Instead, Cade went down on Brett or filled his ass with his cock. He always took control, showing Brett how good they could be together. After a few hours of playing around on the sofa, Cade would bid farewell for the night. Brett felt himself easing into the new setup quickly and spent the sundrenched days looking forward to the evenings. He still wasn’t sure what the hell had happened to him over the past few weeks. But he wouldn’t worry about it. Not yet.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Here you go, honey, have some more sweet potatoes.”

  Three weeks after Dixie’s death and three weeks since his first time with Cade, Brett was sitting at the Dawes’ dining table surrounded by food. He’d received many invitations to dinner from Tommy’s mom since the funeral and he’d turned down every one of them. He knew Mrs. Dawes would fuss over him like he was her own child, feeding him and spoiling him until he passed out on her sofa. And much as he appreciated the woman’s kind heart, he hadn’t been able to summon the courage to face her warmth which reminded him so much of his own mother. At least not until tonight.

  It was Cade’s doing, he realized as he dug into the plate of ham before him. Since he’d given in to where his feelings for the guy were leading, he’d been a lot more relaxed. Part energetic sex, part figuring out what had been bothering him about the man. It made sense now why he’d been so hostile towards Cade when he’d first returned to town. Hiding from his feelings. What kind of pussy was scared of his own damn self?

  “Catch the game Friday night?” Tommy asked from across the table.

  With his mouth full, Brett pulled a face. “Wish I hadn’t,” he said when he’d swallowed.

  “I’m with you on that.” Tommy nudged his father. “The old man here nearly had a coronary.”

  Mr. Dawes snorted and then wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Can you believe this kid?” he asked, looking at Brett while he jerked his thumb toward Tommy. “Thinks he’s a smart-ass.”

  Brett grinned, watching father and son throw jibes at one another. His relationship with his dad had been like that, always riling each other up from dawn to dusk. It was something he’d really missed these past couple of months.

  Mrs. Dawes seemed to pick up on his feelings and rose to her feet, giving the back of Tommy’s head a light smack. “Enough of that, you two. We’ve got company, remember?” She shook her head as she pottered out to the kitchen. “Tell Brett about what happened last week at the shop.”

  “We’re trying to keep that quiet, Mom,” Tommy called back to he
r, making Brett chuckle. Great as she was, Mrs. Dawes liked to gossip.

  “Oh, Brett can keep his mouth shut,” she argued as she brought a peach cobbler to the table. “Can’t you, sweetie?”

  Brett glanced at Tommy and grinned. “Won’t say a word.”

  Tommy rolled his eyes. “It was nothing really. Some kid tried to break into the shop.”

  Brett frowned. “No kidding. Did he get anything?”

  “Nah. Mitch was leaving Barney’s at the time. Saw him trying to break the window.”

  “It was Joan Harbor’s boy,” Mrs. Dawes cut in, her tone hushed as if there were people listening in. “Knew there was trouble in that house.”

  “That’s enough, Carrie,” Mr. Dawes said, putting an end to the conversation. “The boy’s been punished, let’s leave it at that.”

  While Mrs. Dawes liked to throw stones on occasion, her husband was endlessly fair. A good trait to have in a town sheriff.

  Brett dug into his cobbler and had inhaled it within a minute. Before he’d put his fork down, Mrs. Dawes served him another portion and he focused on that, cherishing each bite of homemade pie.

  “So how’s Cade coming along?” Mr. Dawes asked, nearly causing Brett to choke with the sudden question.

  He looked up from his dessert and swallowed. “Uh, he’s doing okay.” He coughed to clear his throat. “We’re both busy on the ranch.”

  “I’ll bet you are.” The older man nodded thoughtfully to himself. “Always found Cade to be a good kid, even as a boy.”

  Brett shrugged, feeling heat crawl across his skin. “He does his bit.” What would he do if the Dawes found out about his relationship with Cade? They’d never look at him the same way again.

  A sudden cloud of claustrophobia smothered him and he jumped to his feet. “You know I really should get going.”

  Mrs. Dawes looked up at him in surprise. “Oh, all right,” she said, getting to her feet. “It was so good to see you.”