Chapter 16
Cash
This was not where I thought I’d end up.
Sagebrush was the last place in the world I wanted to go back to.
Ending up in a pastor’s bed also wasn’t exactly what I had in mind while I was trying to sell my inheritance.
And now I wasn’t just fucking this little twink of a preacher, I was cuddling with him, in the early dawn, before the sun rose over the horizon.
Things had gotten very out of hand. And yet, I couldn’t deny how good I felt.
That scared the shit out of me.
What about all my plans? Wasn’t I going to run away and go start a new life somewhere else? Sagebrush was full of nothing but bad memories and regrets. Could a small town pastor really erase all of that for me? Did I even want him to?
That and a million other questions were racing through my mind as I lay there in the dark, unable to untangle myself from Mike even if I wanted to, which I didn’t.
All I wanted was to stay there, his warmth pressed against my chest, and count myself lucky for every passing second I got to spend in his presence.
I hadn’t realized I’d become such a sap in just a matter of a couple of weeks. But who could blame me? Mike was the first decent thing I’d run into in years. I wasn’t going to admit that to anyone, but I knew deep down that it was true.
I hadn’t felt this way about anyone since... well, since that boy in the barn all those years ago. The one who’d cost me everything. Mike was nothing like him though. He was stable, secure, confident in who he was. Not scared and desperate like we’d been back then.
The light was just starting to creep through the window. I should have been getting up and making calls to find another buyer for this godforsaken ranch. Instead, I was watching the gentle rise and fall of Mike’s chest as he slept, his face peaceful in the soft dawn light.
I traced a finger along his shoulder, feeling the smooth skin there.
He stirred slightly but didn’t wake. God, he was beautiful.
Not just his body, though that was fucking perfect, but something else.
Something in the way he looked at me like I wasn’t broken.
Like I was worth something. Like he actually wanted to know me.
My cock stirred against his ass, hardening as I breathed in the scent of his hair. I hadn’t meant for all of this to happen, but now that it had, I couldn’t imagine not touching him. Not tasting him. Not being inside him.
I pressed my lips to the back of his neck, just a whisper of a kiss. He shifted in his sleep, pressing back against me. That slight movement was all it took to make my morning wood turn into a full-blown ache.
“Mmm,” he hummed, still half-asleep. “Morning.”
“Morning,” I whispered against his skin, my hand sliding down over his stomach. “Sleep well?”
He nodded, eyes still closed, a smile playing at his lips. “Better than I have in weeks.”
My fingers dipped lower, finding him already hard beneath the sheet. I wrapped my hand around him, giving a slow, gentle stroke that made him gasp.
“Cash,” he breathed, arching into my touch. “What are you doing?”
“What does it feel like I’m doing?” I murmured, nipping at his earlobe. “Giving you a proper good morning.”
He turned in my arms, facing me now, his eyes finally open and searching mine. Whatever he saw there must have satisfied him, because he leaned in and kissed me, soft and sweet at first, then deeper as my hand continued to work between us.
This was different from our previous encounters. No anger driving me forward, no desperation to forget my problems. Just the simple need to be close to him, to feel his skin against mine, to make him feel good.
“I want you,” I whispered against his lips.
“I’m right here,” he answered, his hand reaching between us to grasp my cock. “You already have me.”
We stroked each other slowly, our foreheads pressed together, breathing the same air. His leg hooked over mine, pulling us closer. I could feel the warmth radiating from him, the slight tremor in his thighs as I thumbed the head of his cock, spreading the pre-cum gathered there.
“Can I fuck you again?” I asked, my voice rough but gentle. “Please.”
Mike nodded, reaching for the drawer of his nightstand.
He pulled out a bottle of lube and pressed it into my hand.
I slicked my fingers, then reached between his legs, finding his entrance.
He was still somewhat loose from the night before, but I took my time, working one finger in, then two, working them gently as he moaned beneath me.
“Cash,” he panted, his hips moving against my hand. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”
I withdrew my fingers and positioned myself between his legs. Unlike our previous encounters, I wanted to see his face this time. Wanted to watch his expressions as I fucked him. Wanted to know how beautiful he was with my cock throbbing inside him.
I pushed in slowly, savoring the tight heat of his tight hole, the way his eyes fluttered closed and his mouth fell open in a silent gasp. When I was fully seated, I paused, giving us both time to adjust.
“Open your eyes,” I said softly. “Look at me.”
He did, his gaze locking with mine. The connection between us was electric, something I’d never felt before with anyone else. It scared the hell out of me, but I couldn’t look away.
I began to move, slow, deep thrusts that had him gasping each time I drove to the hilt. His hands clutched at my back, pulling me closer. I braced myself on my forearms, our bodies flush against each other as I rolled my hips.
“God, you feel amazing,” he breathed, his legs wrapping around my waist. “You’re so thick…”
I kissed him deeply, swallowing his moans as I picked up the pace slightly. This wasn’t the frantic fucking from before. This was something else entirely. Something that felt dangerously close to making love.
The thought should have sent me running. Instead, it made me want to go deeper, to get closer, to make this moment last as long as possible.
I shifted my angle, searching for that spot inside him that would drive him wild. When I found it, his back arched off the bed, a strangled cry escaping his lips.
“Right there?” I asked, already knowing the answer from the way he clenched around me.
“Yes,” he gasped. “Right fucking there. Don’t stop.”
I kept a steady rhythm, hitting that spot with each thrust. His cock was trapped between our bodies, leaking and hard. I reached between us to stroke him in time with my movements.
“Cash,” he moaned, his fingers digging into my shoulders. “I’m close.”
“Me too,” I admitted, feeling the pressure building at the base of my spine. “Cum for me, Mike. Let me feel it.”
His eyes locked with mine as he came, his body tensing and then shuddering as he spilled over my hand and onto his stomach. The sight of him cumming for me, combined with the rhythmic clenching around my cock, pushed me over the edge too.
I buried myself deep inside him as I came, marking him once more. He moaned, his head thrown back against the pillow as I filled him to the brim.
“Fuck…” he groaned, biting his lower lip. “I love the way that feels…”
I wanted to stay inside him forever, feeling that connection that went beyond the physical. This wasn’t just sex anymore. It was something I couldn’t name, something I wasn’t ready to name. But I couldn’t deny how right it felt now.
I lowered myself to kiss him again, our bodies still joined, my cock softening but still buried inside him. His lips were swollen from our kisses, his cheeks flushed pink. I’d never seen anything more beautiful.
“That was...” I started, then faltered, not having the words.
“Different,” he finished for me, his fingers tracing patterns on my back.
I nodded, carefully pulling out of him and rolling to my side. He winced slightly, and I felt a pang of concern.
“You okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” I asked, surprising myself with how much I cared about the answer.
Mike smiled, turning to face me. “No. Just sensitive. In a good way.”
His cum was drying on his stomach, and I reached over to grab his discarded t-shirt from the floor, gently wiping him clean. Another tender gesture that didn’t feel like me at all. And yet, it did.
“Thanks,” he murmured, watching me with curious eyes.
I tossed the shirt aside and settled back next to him, our faces close on the shared pillow. The sun was higher now, casting golden light across the bed. I could see every detail of his face. There was a slight stubble on his jaw, a tiny scar above his eyebrow, and flecks of gold in his irises.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked quietly.
“How I’m supposed to hate this place,” I admitted. “How I’m supposed to be doing everythin’ I can to get the hell out of here.”
His expression faltered slightly. “And instead?”
I reached out, tracing my thumb along his lower lip. “Instead, I’m lying here wonderin’ what it would be like to wake up next to you tomorrow. And the day after.”
The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I’d never been this honest with anyone, not even myself. It terrified me, but I couldn’t take it back now.
Mike’s eyes widened slightly, hope and wariness battling in his gaze. “Cash...”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it,” I said quickly, needing him to understand. “I still don’t want to stay in this town and I still want to sell the ranch. None of that has changed.”
“So what’s stopping you?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Shitty buyers,” I said first. Then I stared at him for a long moment. “And somethin’ else I don’t want to say.”
His hand found mine between us, our fingers intertwining. “Say it anyway.”
I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “You. You’re stoppin’ me.”
The smile that broke across his face was like watching the sun rise. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine. It was almost too intimate.
“I’m still goin’ to leave,” I added after only a second or two, unable to stand the sudden closeness of it all. “I have to. I can’t stand it here.”