Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Dex
I glanced around the immediate area, knowing that Cal and the guys would be wrapping up their day soon. If I was lucky, I’d be able to sneak Meyer into the house, and we could have the rest of the evening to enjoy ourselves uninterrupted. Waiting wasn’t remotely possible. Now that I knew the truth, knew that Meyer really had wanted me all these years—I refused to postpone a pornographic interlude between us until later.
“Come on,” I said. “I think the coast is clear.”
Meyer snorted and frowned. “Are you ashamed to be seen with me?”
Already I was killing the mood. My romance game went beyond rusty. It was apocalyptic.
“No, not at all. That’s not what I meant.” I dragged my palm across the top of my head. I’d been too sweaty and overheated to put my hat back on after retrieving it from the coffee shop. “If I make eye contact with Cal, he’ll be over here asking questions and making sure I’m okay.”
Meyer arched his eyebrows. “He’d know already?”
“Are you kidding?” I smirked. “A minimum of fifty people probably called him within five minutes after the call went out on the scanner. The emergency scanner is more popular in Charming than any podcast could ever hope to be.”
“Damn.” Meyer shook his head. “I’ve forgotten how insular small-town life is. Back in Chicago, nobody paid attention to what anyone else was doing or if they were in trouble unless it was someone they knew. Although…” He scratched behind his ear. “I suppose I fell into the same habit. If I’m being honest, the chaos of the city wasn’t working for me anymore.”
My heart flip-flopped. Did he mean that cozy living was what he wanted from now on? I didn’t dare get my hopes up, and I still didn’t know if he was long-term material. But that would at least give us options.
I cleared my throat. “Hopefully, Charming works out for you.”
He offered me a lopsided smile. “I think there’s an excellent chance it will.”
I smiled back then exited the truck with as much grace as I could before I said something goofy. I was still reeling from the day’s events and doubted my thoughts were very clear.
Meyer trailed behind me as I made my way to the front door. We’d almost ducked into the house undetected when excited voices met my ears. I turned around, my shoulders dropping. Yup. Cal and the guys were rushing down from the pasture area, the dirt from the long driveway kicking up behind them as they approached.
Meyer and I exchanged glances. “Called it,” I whispered.
“Dex, Meyer…” Cal said excitedly as he drew near. He paused, still huffing and puffing as he pushed his words out. “I called Rosie when I didn’t hear whether they’d found you yet. But then Diego,” he jerked his head in the direction of one of the younger hands, “He was monitoring the scanner and heard all units were cleared and no one was being transported.
Diego nodded. “As soon as I heard that everything was Code 4, we knew you guys were okay. But still, that must’ve been intense.”
The other two hands, Glen and Emilio nodded, murmuring their agreement.
Cal squeezed my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay? It looks like you got a nasty bump on the head there.”
I pretended not to notice Meyer’s grumbling when Cal touched me. “The medics checked me out. I’m fine. Besides,” I smiled at Meyer. “I had a firefighter looking out for me the whole time.”
Meyer’s features softened, and I knew I’d said the right thing.
Cal regarded Meyer. “I’m grateful you were there. How did this happen? We heard something about the Bird kids getting lost in the mine?” He shook his head. “They should’ve closed off that death trap a long time ago.”
I wasn’t sure who ‘they’ were, but I imagined the topic would be brought up at the next council meeting. Not that I disagreed with the mine being closed off. However, like many things, it was likely due to ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Since no one had ever been hurt in all the years after it was abandoned, no one had considered what a danger it truly was. Undoubtedly, prolonged decay had contributed to what could’ve been a horrible disaster.
“It’s already been determined that it’ll be boarded off,” said Meyer. “It’s such a relief that Wildie was unharmed.”
Cal pressed his lips together. “You’re so right. I imagine his mom won’t be letting him out of her sight for the next twenty years.”
We laughed, but I was getting tired of the conversation. I needed to have a certain muscled hunk all to myself immediately.
I pointed to the bag of food I held. “Actually, we need to get this stuff inside, and I’m fixing to wash this cave off me. I’m like a walking dust devil.”
Cal gave me a wink, which briefly threw me off my game. Could he tell that Meyer and I were about to…? Nah.
“Well then,” Cal said. “We should get back to work.” He coughed into his fist. “Come on, men. There’s plenty more to be done before the day’s over.”
Meyer and I said our goodbyes, then hurried to get inside before we got waylaid again. Maybe Cal knew better than to interrupt us, but I didn’t trust that half the town might show up to ensure we were okay.
I set down the food on the kitchen table then turned to ask Meyer if he wanted to shower first. I almost crashed into him, my chest bumping against his solid frame. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me the way I hoped he would from now on.
Oh my, yes. This was what I wanted.
Meyer laughed breathlessly while running his palms up and down my body. “Phew, I thought they’d never leave.”
He cupped my ass with both hands and yanked me flush to him.
I groaned. “They were here for less than five minutes.”
“Exactly,” he said, staring down at me with hooded eyes. “It was like an eternity.”
I quirked a smile. “I never realized how popular I was until I was almost buried alive in a cave.”
“You might be well-liked by all, but only I get to have you,” Meyer whispered into my ear before slamming my back against the wall.
I gasped not only from surprise but from Meyer’s sheer strength. My body yearned for him, ached to have his hands on my naked skin, his dick in my mouth. He twined our fingers together then lifted my arms over my head, grinding his groin into mine, pinning me to the wall with his weight.
I was hard as nails. “Fuck, Meyer.”
“Exactly what I was going to say.” He let out a throaty chuckle as he lowered his head.
Meyer pressed our mouths together, teasing my lips apart, demanding entrance with his tongue. With each tilt of his head, he retreated before plunging in deeper, staking his claim with the heated kiss. His stubble scraped across my chin, my upper lip. I went boneless in his arms, allowing him to take me how he wanted.
He ended the kiss with one last swipe of his tongue, our breathing ragged as he rubbed his cheek against mine.
“What do you say we share that shower?” I whispered.
“Mmm…” Meyer scraped his teeth along my throat, driving me mad. “I think that’s a fantastic idea.” He continued licking and nibbling. “How’s your head?”
“Hard as fuck. I’m so horny for you.”
He pulled back, his brow wrinkling. “Your head injury is turning you on? I’m so confused.”
So was I until I realized that my lust-addled brain thought he meant my cockhead. Derp.
“Sorry. I thought you were referring to the tip of my dick.”
Meyer snorted. “I think we’d better get in that shower now. You’re clearly having an erotic emergency.”
I arched my eyebrows. “Oh? Is that on the official list of calls?”
He grinned as he lowered my arms. “Yes. It’s a Code 69.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?”
Meyer winked as he tugged at my shirt sleeve. It was only then that I realized the seam at my shoulder was ripped. As he pulled me toward the living room, I noted that my favorite T-shirt was not only filthy but torn in several places.
Meyer paused once we hit the threshold of the kitchen. “Umm…” He chuckled. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Come on, big boy.” I grabbed his wrist as I moved past him. His firehouse shirt was as dirty as my tee but had otherwise escaped the cave unscathed. “Follow me.”
“With pleasure.”
Meyer’s sly smile sent a shiver skittering up my spine. As we made our way down the hall to the primary bedroom, my heart thudded, the anticipation of being skin-to-skin with Meyer at any minute almost too good to be true.
The large, wood-paneled room had once belonged to my parents and had remained much the same as when they were alive. I’d refused to enter it for a year after they were gone, but Kayla had insisted I should move in. She said it didn’t make sense to leave it unoccupied. Sis had a point, so other than changing the bedding and switching from the frilly drapes to slatted wood blinds, I’d left the rest as is.
As soon as we crossed the threshold, I let out a sigh, a sense of peace washing over me. Instead of awkward, the moment felt right. I turned to Meyer, my grin so wide I hoped he didn’t think me a lunatic.
“Help me out.”
Meyer held my gaze as he unbuckled his belt. I nodded, unbuttoning his shirt as he continued removing his khakis. We took off our remaining clothes and shoes—hesitant at first—but by the time we were down to our briefs, we were operating at top speed.
My jaw went slack once Meyer was completely nude. I’d already been able to tell how well he was built, with a hairless muscled chest, tight abs, and impressive biceps. But his hard, rosy-crowned cock was what demanded my attention. I wasn’t a size queen, but I was up for learning a new skill. Pre-cum leaked from Meyer’s slit, and I licked my lips again. I had a feeling I’d be doing that a lot from now on.
Meyer leaned in and slowly traced a finger down my chest to my navel, eliciting a soft moan from me. “You're so beautiful,” he said, the sound of his voice low and throaty.
“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve never met anyone as handsome as you. And I’ve never wanted anyone as much.”
Meyer’s brow creased, his eyes glimmering as he gathered me in his arms. My skin seemed to catch fire with the first press of Meyer’s body against mine, his hard length like a brand against my thigh. He used his strong hands to knead the muscles of my back, his palms roaming my frame before landing on my ass.
He gave my earlobe a quick nip before whispering, “Then let’s not waste any more time.”
I clasped his hand in mine, and we walked the short distance to the en suite bathroom. Not many changes had been made in there over the years, either. There hadn’t been any fancy upgrades with a walk-in shower, jet tub or modern cabinets. Just a good, old-school tub-shower combo with a tiled double sink done in royal blue and cream.
When we crossed the threshold, I was back to being nervous. Not because I was unsure of myself or his feelings for me. It was important to me that he felt comfortable in my house. It struck me that although I’d been in his childhood home many times since I was fifteen—had shared many nights there with his mom—he’d never once set foot in mine. The closest he’d gotten was when he and his jock buddies would come to the ranch and rent horses from my dad for a trail ride.
I leaned over the tub to get the shower ready. “How hot do you like it?”
I was met with his appraising stare when I glanced over my shoulder, his eyes fixed lower to where my ass was.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “As hot as you can take.” Meyer arched his eyebrows. “Oh wait, did you mean the water?” He grinned. “Maybe not too hot. We don’t want to get overheated right when things start getting good.”
I chuckled. “No, we definitely can’t have that.”
Once the water had heated up and we both approved of the temperature, Meyer stepped into the tub, holding out his hand to help me. I don’t know if it was in his nature from birth or if being a first responder and coming from a firefighter family was the reason. But everything about him made me feel protected and safe, cared for.
He pulled me into his arms beneath the spray of the warm, soothing water. His handling of me was gentler this time, but he was still as hard as I was. I reached up and ran my fingers through Meyer’s hair, and he leaned in for a kiss. I eagerly accepted it, our tongues dancing together as we fought for control of the exchange.
We reveled in each other’s bodies, trading kisses as we soaped each other up, teasing touches that took me to the brink. Meyer grasped both of our cocks in his fist, and I clutched his shoulders, my knees weakening slightly.
“With me, Dex.” He growled. “I want you in my mouth, but I need to take the edge off first.”
I nodded shakily, wrapping my fingers around his hand. We started slowly, long, leisurely pulls over our soap-slickened shafts, the ache in my balls building too quickly. If I was being truthful, my first orgasm with Meyer had been over a decade in the making. When I blew, it was going to be atomic.
Meyer picked up the pace of jacking us off, and I did my best to keep up. The friction was exquisite, his hand moving in almost perfect sync with mine. I groaned as he twisted his wrist on the upstroke, sparks of electricity skittering through my body. Our lips met in a messy, desperate kiss as we chased our release together.
“Damn, Dex,” Meyer panted against my mouth. “You feel amazing.”
I could only whimper in response, my senses on overload. Heat coiled low in my belly as Meyer’s movements became more frantic. I knew he was close, too.
“Come for me,” he urged, his voice rumbling in his chest.
That was all it took to push me over the precipice. I cried out as my orgasm washed over me in powerful waves. Meyer followed a few seconds later with a deep groan, spilling his cum over our fingers and mixing with mine before being washed away by the spray.
We clung to each other as we came down from our high, our breathing heavy. I bared my throat to him, and Meyer pressed soft kisses along my jaw and neck as our heart rates slowed. I didn’t want this moment to end, but my fingertips were already getting pruney.
“That was incredible,” he murmured as he dipped a finger into my crease.
I hummed in agreement, nuzzling in the crook of his neck. “You're incredible,” I protested.
“I’m not done with you yet, Dexter Chase. I need more.”
I squeezed the globes of his ass. “I appreciate your confidence in me, but a little recovery time would be good.” I shivered slightly. “And my old water heater is telling us it’s time to get out of the shower.”
Meyer rubbed his nose against my neck. “That’s okay. The rug will be easier on my knees than this tile.”
I choke-coughed. “I’m not kidding about the recovery. It’s been a day.” At his fallen expression, I took his mouth in another heated kiss. I broke away but remained close. “Plus, I think we can do a little better than a rug for your poor knees.”
He brushed our noses together. “Are you inviting me to your bed?”
I waggled my eyebrows. “Follow me to the bedroom and find out.”
We both laughed, stealing another kiss before I shut off the water. After getting out of the tub and drying each other off, I tugged on Meyer’s hand, anxious to live up to the promise of bringing him to my bed.
I lay back on my pillow, the room warm enough that I didn’t need to get under the covers. Meyer still hadn’t climbed into bed but was standing at the edge, gazing down at me.
“What?” I drew my eyebrows together as a wave of modesty washed over me. I felt exposed beneath his intense gaze. “Is something wrong?”
Clearly, I still needed to get past my worry about him running away from me. I knew I was being ridiculous. This wasn’t high school anymore.
Meyer smiled. “Nothing could be more right.” His expression fell, and my stomach clenched. “I’m sorry.”
Now I was the one who was confused. “What for?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I shouldn’t have given you such a hard time when I first got here.”
I snorted. “I wasn’t exactly Mr. Friendly Pants myself.” I patted the spot next to me. “Come on. Don’t turn down my invitation.”
Meyer gave a little nod then joined me. Once he’d lain down, he pulled me closer, and I rolled on my side, scooting up a little so I could lock eyes with him.
“Just so you know,” I began, “I’ve been scared that I might say or do the wrong thing to chase you away. If I hadn’t already been sitting when you confessed everything to me in the cave, I would’ve fallen over.” I reached up to brush some damp strands of hair from his forehead. “It might take me a bit to absorb that it’s how you’ve always felt about me.” I chuckled. “That you don’t despise me.”
Meyer pressed a quick kiss to my lips. “Couldn’t happen.”
He placed his hand on my hip, resting it there but tracing lazy circles on the bone with his thumb. My cock jumped, and the corners of his mouth lifted.
“I think you’ve recovered enough.”
I drew in a breath to respond, but Meyer stole my words the moment his warm lips met my skin. He trailed tiny kisses from my throat to my belly, each touch like a spark bringing me to life. Every kiss brought my nerves more alive, my need sharper.
Meyer's lips traced lower, his breath hot against my abdomen. I tangled my fingers in his hair, my chest rising and falling rapidly as desperation coursed through me. My cock was fully hard again, and I supposed Meyer must be magic.
“Meyer,” I breathed, my voice husky.
He glanced up at me, his eyes dark. “Looks like you’re ready to cowboy up after all.” Meyer's lips hovered just above my aching cock, and I was on the brink of demanding he suck me right this second.
I let out a long moan. “You’re such a tease.”
“Only when I want to be.” With a wicked grin, Meyer lowered his head and took me into his mouth. I gasped at the sensation, my hips bucking involuntarily. His tongue swirled around the tip before he took me deeper, and I thought I might combust from the pleasure.
I tightened my fingers in his hair as he worked me with his mouth, alternating between long, slow strokes and quick, teasing licks. Each movement sent waves of ecstasy through my body, building the pressure low in my belly.
“Meyer,” I gasped, “I'm close...”
He hummed around my cock, the vibration sending a jolt of pleasure through me. I arched my back, fighting to hold on just a little longer, to savor every exquisite moment. Meyer grasped my hips, holding me steady as he increased his pace. His tongue danced along my shaft, pushing me closer to the edge.
With a strangled cry, I came undone, waves of intense pleasure washing over me as I spilled my cum down his throat. I fell limp, panting, while Meyer gently pulled off my cock. After burying his nose in the valley between my thigh and groin, inhaling deeply, he crawled back up my body and captured my mouth with his lips. I could taste myself on his tongue, and it sent a residual shiver through me.
“Holy cow. That was...” I trailed off, trying to form words after such a brain-destroying orgasm.
Meyer chuckled, nuzzling my neck. “Speechless? I'll take that as a compliment.”
I rested my head on Meyer’s chest, his thudding heart beating beneath my ear. He cradled me close, and if ever I were to describe a perfect moment in my life, this would have to be it.
We lay in silence, and a sudden wave of exhaustion enveloped me. While the hot shower had helped with my sore muscles, the events of the day were beginning to catch up with me. My body had been through both amazing and grueling activities.
Meyer traced a lazy pattern on my shoulder with his fingertips, and the realization that I’d finally gotten my wish, that I was lying naked with Meyer Jones hit me in a rush. How I wished I could savor the moment for a bit longer, but my eyelids grew heavier. But before I drifted off into a welcome sleep, I wanted to take one more look at the man I hadn’t realized I’d been waiting for all these years.
“Hey.” I lifted up my head and gazed down at Meyer, giving him a soft kiss before speaking. “Are you in a rush to get going? Or do you want to grab a nap with me first?” I grinned. “Of course, the local media might want to interview my hero.”
Meyer chuckled. “Your hero?” He gave me a squeeze. “I like the sound of that. But you’re right. Media giants are always trying to find an excuse to interview me.”
I barked out a laugh. “Giants? I see how it is. Are you certain it’s you they want to interview? I’m pretty sure it’s me.”
We laughed, Meyer trying to find my tickle spot while I pretended I didn’t want him to. But the best part? He wasn’t running away from me.