Chapter 17
Cole
Ryan came around the corner. “Hey! Shop’s slow,” he announced. “Figured I’d swing by and see if you need a hand?”
“Yeah. We just finished lunch,” I answered as I put my plate into the sink. I actually had a sandwich in my lunch box in my truck, but I liked sitting down with Gavin and eating the sandwich he’d made for me. “I’m headed outside in a minute.”
“Working on the porch?” he asked.
“Yeah, ledger’s flashed and bolted, beam’s set. I’m hanging joists and putting the rim on, and if the snow holds off, I’ll start decking, with steps and rails tomorrow.”
He nodded. “I can spare an hour and help.”
“Cool, thanks.”
Gavin set the knife in the sink. “I’ll finish here and bring you two out some coffee, if you’d like.”
“I could go for some,” Ryan said.
“Me too.”
“How do you take it?” Gavin asked me as though he didn’t know.
“Cream and sugar if you have it,” I replied.
“Black for me,” Ryan added, already rubbing his hands to warm them.
Gavin walked to the coffee maker that, like everything else, needed to be replaced. “I’ll get some brewed.”
“Thanks.” I headed down the hall with Ryan following.
“The Tap later?” he inquired.
“I’ve got an early morning.”
“You always have an early morning,” he returned, amused.
“We’ll see.” I used to go every Tuesday, because Dad and I usually didn’t take calls until at least nine, but starting at the inn at seven in the morning was rough.
We stepped into the cold and Ryan pulled on his gloves. “What do you need me to do?”
“Put a clear mark every sixteen inches from this end all the way across.” I pointed to where. “I’ll line the hanger to your mark, you keep it level, and I’ll nail.”
We got to work, and a few minutes later, the front door opened with Gavin holding two cups of coffee. “Thanks.” I grabbed a mug from him. “We’ll be out here a while.”
He nodded and slipped back inside, the door closing fast to keep the warm air in.
We put down another board, then another, and kept going until Ryan’s phone buzzed. He checked the screen and let out a breath.
“Tow just came in. I have to go bring in a pickup that slid into the ditch.”
“No worries,” I told him. “We got further than I would’ve alone.”
He stripped off his gloves and shoved them into his jacket. “Text me if you want a hand later. If I can come back, I will.”
“I can handle it, but thanks.”
He started down the walk, glanced over his shoulder, and gave me a quick grin. “Put your name in tonight. People want to hear you sing.”
I gave him a look that said I didn’t need the reminder. He laughed and headed for his truck.
Dad pulled in a few minutes after Ryan left. He climbed out, zipped his coat, and headed my way.
“You already finished the framing?”
“Shop was slow for Ryan. He came and helped for an hour.”
“Good use of it.” He tapped the rim board and sighted the corner. “You get it square?”
“Yeah, corner to corner matches.”
“You want me cutting while you run screws?”
“Yeah, I’ll set and drive.”
We’d barely started before the front door opened and Gavin stood in the doorway.
“Afternoon, Jack.”
“Afternoon.”
“You want coffee to warm up?” Gavin asked.
Dad looked over the stack. “If I have caffeine this late, I’ll be up all night, but thank you.”
“Cole?”
“I’m good too,” I replied. “We’ll finish these boards and pack up.”
“All right. If I don’t see you later, have a good night, you two.”
“You too,” Dad and I said at the same time.
Gavin closed the door, and my father and I finished the row and pulled the spacers. I ran my palm over each head and drove the few that weren’t flush.
“That’ll do,” my dad said. “Your mom’s making lasagna for dinner. I better head home.”
“All right. I’ll head home too.”
“You’re more than welcome to come for dinner,” he offered.
I shook my head. “It’s karaoke night, so I’ll probably grab something at the diner.”
“This weekend, then? I feel like we don’t see you anymore.”
“Not my fault you left me soloing this job,” I teased.
“Yeah, well, who’s going to clean Mrs. Copeland’s dryer vent before there’s a fire or unclog Mr. Rowland’s kitchen sink when he dumps his wife’s bland chicken casserole down the drain?”
I chuckled. “Okay, you’ve got me there.”
“So, I can tell your mother we’ll see you for Sunday dinner?”
“Yes, but you know you can stop by anytime to help here,” I deadpanned.
Dad grinned. “I will once you’re ready to hang drywall.”
“Deal.”
We covered the extra stock, tarped the offcuts, and loaded the driver and the saw. I swept the last shavings so nothing would turn slick, then locked the box in the truck bed.
Dad tightened his coat. “All right.”
“Thanks for the help.”
He tipped his chin and headed for his truck. A minute later, his taillights were gone.
The front door eased open again, and Gavin looked out. “He gone?”
“Yeah.”
He stepped out onto the new boards and closed the door behind him. The air bit at our faces, but the thought of going home and then to the bar without him stung worse. I moved toward him and cupped his cheek.
“Karaoke?”
“You want me to come?” he asked, wrapping his arms around my neck. I let him, knowing no one was around and we could hear people coming before they could see us.
“Maybe.” I smirked.
“Cole Maddox. Are you saying—”
I shook my head. “I’m not saying anything but come and have a beer.”
“And after?” he challenged.
“I guess we’ll see where the night takes us.” I pulled him flush against my body, my hands staying on his hips.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re not hung up on me being a guy anymore.”
I lifted a shoulder. “I’m not sure what to think of it, to be honest, but I like what we’re doing and I can’t seem to stop kissing you.”
I brought my lips to his, tasting the coffee on his tongue. When we were out of breath, I pulled back and winked as I hopped off the partial porch that had no stairs.
“See you soon,” I said.
“I hope you shower first.”
“Or maybe I’ll wait so we can do that together.” I winked.
He didn’t say anything in response, so I got into my truck and drove home.
After parking in the driveway, I walked up my front steps and let myself into my home.
The house was chilly, so on my way to the shower in my bedroom, I cranked up the heat.
The shower knobs squeaked when I opened them to let the water warm up while I stripped off my dirty clothes and laid clean clothes on the bed.
If things happened with Gavin later, I’d take another shower with him if it led to that.
Just as I was about to step into the shower, the doorbell rang. Grabbing my towel, I tied it around my waist and headed for the front door. Peeking through the peephole, I saw Gavin standing on the other side and quickly unlocked and opened the door.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
He eyed the towel around my waist. “You promised me a shower.”
“After karaoke,” I reminded him.
“Or we could skip it and just hang here? You can sing to me if you want.”
I hesitated for only a moment because there was no point in denying what I wanted.
I stepped back and pulled him inside. Once the door closed, his hands slid into the hair at my nape. The towel slipped when he pressed against me, and his eyes followed it down as he took a slight step back.
“You’re so fucking hot,” he breathed, his hand sliding to my hip.
Heat flushed through me, and my cock thickened even more under the weight of his stare. But it was the look in his eyes, hungry and almost reverent, that pinned me in place.
His tongue darted over his lower lip as his gaze climbed back to mine. “I can’t wait to taste every inch of you.”
My pulse kicked up, his words making the room feel fifty degrees hotter.
His mouth captured mine and he walked me backward until the bedroom doorframe bumped my shoulder.
We stripped off his clothes in hurried pulls; his jeans tangled around his ankles until he stepped out of them.
The shower was filled with steam by the time we stepped inside, the water pouring hot across our skin.
Gavin’s back hit the tile as the spray rained over him.
Water spilled across his chest, tracing the cuts of lean muscle and running down his stomach.
I dragged my palms over his slick skin and wrapped my fist around the stiff length jutting up between us.
His head tipped back, eyes half-lidded, lips parting on a gasp.
“Fuck, Cole,” he muttered, hips jerking into my grip.
I reached for the shower gel, worked it into my hands until they were slick, then wrapped one around him again. His cock slid smoothly in my fist, swelling with every stroke. White suds mixed with water ran down over my knuckles, over his thighs, and I couldn’t look away.
“You’re killing me,” he gasped, bracing his palms against the wall behind him.
“Yeah?” My voice came out rough. “Feels good?”
His lips parted on a moan. “God, it feels so good. Don’t stop.”
I squeezed him in my hold, working him slower just to watch his body twitch and strain.
His abs pulled taut as his hips jerked into my hand like he couldn’t fight it.
I slid my thumb over the head, then down the thick vein along the underside, fascinated by the way he jerked when I touched him there.
“Fuck,” he panted again, his voice breaking.
I leaned in to kiss the hollow of his throat and whispered against his wet skin, “I want to know what makes you lose it.”
His eyes cracked open, dark and hazy, to meet mine. “Keep doing that and you’ll find out.”
I stroked him faster, with a twist at the top, the soap and water allowing my fist to slide easily. With his chest leaned against mine and his breath hot against my neck, he shuddered. Every noise he made lit me up inside.
“Look at you,” I rasped, my forehead against his. “Falling apart for me.”
His lips brushed mine, desperate, his body trembling under my hand. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me.”
“Yeah, I think I do,” I muttered. His cock swelled, throbbing in my grip, and I knew he was close.
“Cole—” His voice cracked on my name as his back bowed off the tile.
“That’s it,” I urged, tightening my fist. “Give it to me.”
That did it. His hips snapped forward and a grunt tore from his throat as he pulsed hard in my fist, the water sweeping his cum away as fast as it came.
His body jerked with every release, and I kept working him until he sagged against me, his chest heaving, lips parted, and body trembling from the aftershocks.
He caught my mouth in a kiss. Though he was still breathing hard, his lips were demanding against mine. “Don’t think for a second I’m done with you. Take me to your bed. I want to feel you inside me.”
“Okay,” I groaned, then turned off the shower and grabbed his hand, tugging him out.
We stumbled, water dripping onto the hardwood floor as we found our way to the bed. Instead of climbing onto the mattress, Gavin walked into the hall and returned a moment later with a condom and small bottle.
He tossed the items onto the sheets and crawled onto the bed on his hands and knees, ass lifted and glistening in the low light. He looked back over his shoulder. “I want you to take me like this.”
My dick was already aching, so much it hurt; it was heavy and leaking from holding back.
The sight of him spread out for me made it worse, and the rush of need almost made my knees buckle.
Still, I forced my shaking hands to grab the lube.
I slicked my fingers and dragged them over his rim, circling until he moaned and pushed back against me.
Slowly, I slid one inside the snug canal, the sensations making my erection jolt painfully.
I braced a hand on his hip, my jaw clenched, as I fought the urge to bury myself right then.
“You okay?”
“Better than okay,” he said, rocking back onto my finger. “More.”
I gave him a second digit, then a third, stretching him open and watching his body take it. His whimpers deepened, his head dropping between his arms, and his thighs tensed as he moved with me. My cock jerked with every sound, every squeeze, and I knew I couldn’t wait much longer.
I pulled my fingers free. “I need to be inside you.”
“Then do it,” he demanded, looking back at me through damp strands of hair. “Fuck me.”
I tore the wrapper open and rolled the condom down over my dick.
I grabbed the lube again, coating myself until I was slick, then lined up.
The first push nearly blinded me because he was so tight, the heat gripping me harder than anything I’d ever felt.
The warmth swallowed me inch by inch, clenching around me so firmly my breath caught.
My fingers dug into his hips, my knuckles straining as I forced myself to go slow.
“Christ,” I croaked, my voice shaking. “You feel unreal.”
His shoulders bunched, the muscles flexing as he braced himself on his arms. A ragged breath slipped out of him when he bent his back to take me deeper. “I need more.”
I drew out slowly, then pushed back in, savoring the clutch of him around me. The slide was scorching, tighter than anything I’d known, and each thrust made my pulse hammer faster. I set a solid rhythm, my hips slapping against him, the mattress shifting under our weight.
His forehead lowered toward the sheets, one hand fisting the fabric while the other steadied his body. His back arched beautifully, presenting himself to me, and every movement of his ass grinding back onto me nearly undid me.
“Harder,” he urged, his voice breaking. “Give me everything.”
I snapped my hips faster, driving deeper, my sweat mixing with the dampness still clinging to our skin. My chest pressed to his back, my mouth at his shoulder, and I couldn’t stop whispering into his skin. “You feel so fucking good. I didn’t know it could be like this.”
“Better than you imagined?” His words were breathless—strained, but teasing.
“Better than anything,” I admitted, thrusting more frantically.
The wet slaps of our bodies filled the room, his moans rising with every stroke. While his hand moved furiously on his dick beneath him, his body clenched around me, milking me until my tempo faltered.
“I’m close,” I gasped, standing to my full height to fuck him more roughly.
“Yes,” he gasped.
I slammed into him, my hips snapping, every thrust faster as the pressure built. My breath went ragged, and my body locked up as heat raced through me. The release ripped through me in hot bursts, my muscles seizing as I came.
He groaned, his hand sped up, and his body went rigid around me as he came too, spilling over his fist.
I stayed buried deep, every pulse of my dick wringing another wave out of me.
I collapsed over his back, my breaths shaky, and my body spent. My face rested against the curve of his neck, my cock still inside him, and all I could think was that nothing in my life had ever felt this good.