Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Dylan shook his head and thought, screw it . He might as well make his intentions toward Erin known. “I don’t like the fact that when kissing a woman, I discover she had sex with someone else not even an hour prior.”
Ford’s spine snapped straight, and his shoulders pulled back slightly. “She told you that?”
“She didn’t need to.”
A realization filled Ford’s face. Was he trying not to grin? “What I’m hearing is, you’re angry because when you kissed her, she was full of my cum.”
Dylan’s chest tightened. “Wouldn’t that piss you off?”
With lips pursed, Ford shook his head. “No. Once again, Erin is free to have sex with whomever she wants.”
“And are you?”
“That’s how it works. For some reason, you seem bothered by that concept. You don’t like the thought of a woman you’re pursuing being with another man.” Ford’s dark eyebrows pinned together. “Tell me… Are you jealous of her? Or of me?”
Dylan’s eyebrows did the same. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Are you jealous I fucked her? Or are you jealous she fucked me?”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“Sure it does. I’m trying to figure out how you’re looking at the situation and why it’s bothering you.”
He stated the obvious. “We used to date.”
“When you were kids,” Ford reminded him needlessly. “That was a long time ago and she moved on after you left. As I’m sure you did. Now that you’re back, you want to rekindle what you had as kids and you think I’m standing in the way. She couldn’t have been the only lover in your life.”
“She was not.” He had plenty of relationships in the years since leaving Fisher Falls. Actually, too many to count. Not all of them had been with women, either.
College had been eye-opening and changed his life. He also uncovered things about himself long buried deep because of growing up in Fisher Falls. He still kept most of it to himself but wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to hang on to his secrets. Especially now that he owned an all-adult resort. One where someone’s sexuality or personal preferences wouldn’t be judged and where guests were encouraged to be uninhibited.
He was well aware it wouldn’t be long before his true self was exposed.
Ford stared at him for far too long. When his expression changed, Dylan locked down his own. The man was too damn intuitive.
“All these months working with you on this property and I had no damn clue,” Ford murmured.
It was safest to play dumb. “Clue about what?”
“About who you really are.”
His pulse began to race. Could the man see right through him? “You still don’t.” Dylan assured him.
“You wear your mask well, boss.”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not the one who hired you.”
“Are you pissed that your brother did?”
“No.” He had no doubt Ford would be a great employee with his experience, knowledge and work ethic. The only problem he’d have with him was due to Erin.
“Are you sure? I only accepted the offer this morning and,”—Ford snapped his fingers—“here you are.”
Dylan took a step closer. “I’m not here because he hired you.”
“You’re here to confront me about Erin, then. Clearly, you want her for yourself, and you think I’m a threat to that.” Ford tilted his head to the side and studied Dylan. “Or maybe you’re worried that I’m more of a threat to those secrets you’re clinging to.”
“I have no secrets,” Dylan insisted.
“Sure. None of us do,” Ford scoffed, shaking his head. “Well, I’ve got work to do. I don’t want to get fired my first official day on the job.”
Dylan ground his teeth at Ford’s dismissal. He grabbed the other man’s arm to stop him from picking up his toolbox. “I want to know why you think I have secrets.”
Ford slowly turned back to face him, not bothering to pull free from Dylan’s firm grip. “It finally hit me why you were eye-fucking me.”
“I wasn’t?—”
Ford’s mouth pulled up on one side. “Do you think I didn’t notice? Or were you only checking me for sunburn?”
“Well, your health insurance hasn’t kicked in yet.” Dylan mentally groaned. The man was playing him. He needed to turn around and get the hell out of there before he stepped in more shit. Shit he might not be able to wipe off his boots.
“Do you want to finish your exam then, Dr. Dylan?” His hands went to his tool belt. “I can undress the rest of the way if you’d like a closer look.” He unlatched his heavy tool belt and dropped it next to his portable toolbox.
Dylan’s heart went from racing to pounding in an instant at the thought of seeing Ford totally naked. “Don’t.”
“Why? Will you be too tempted?”
Cocky fucker. “I have zero interest in you.” Sometimes lies stuck like glue in his mouth. This one was no exception.
“Bullshit.” Ford chuckled and shook his head. When he was done being amused, he sobered quickly and locked eyes with him. “Why don’t you prove you don’t?”
“How the hell am I supposed to prove that?”
“By doing this.” Ford grabbed the arm holding him and jerked it hard, causing their bodies to collide.
Before Dylan could recover his breath and put space between them, Ford locked lips with him.
Dylan planted his hands on Ford’s damp chest to push him away but as soon as his fingers met the man’s hard flesh, the opposite happened. His grip tightened and, using his body, he pinned the slightly taller man against the run-in shed’s wall.
What Dylan had been trying to avoid earlier was no longer avoidable. All the blood rushed from his brain into his cock. He couldn’t hide his hard-on since it pressed against Ford’s.
He closed his eyes and sank into Ford’s heated, damp body, while deepening the kiss. Their tongues clashed, their lips wrestled, their breathing hitched.
Damn it. He wasn’t proving Ford wrong; he was proving him right. Especially when Dylan automatically ground his hips against him.
It had been a while since he’d been intimate with a man. He knew better than to look at one twice since returning to Fisher Falls. He had no idea that Ford swung that way. Or more like swung both ways like a broken screen door. The same as Dylan did.
While it was enlightening, it was also troublesome now that he knew. Dylan had checked out the man from afar plenty of times while Ford worked around the property but never thought to act on his attraction.
He figured since Ford had “occasional” sex with Erin, he was straight.
Shit. Maybe that was why they only hooked up sporadically. He could be hooking up with men on “occasion,” too.
Did Erin know?
Dylan certainly hadn’t shared his proclivities with her, either.
If she found out, how would she react? Would she not have a problem with it, or be disgusted?
The problem with this new discovery was, Ford now knew about Dylan’s sexuality. Would he tell her? The man could easily make up a story about him, claiming Dylan hit on him and Ford rejected his advances. A story like that could end up being a cockblock when it came to rekindling his relationship with her.
Ford’s hands at Dylan’s belt had him twisting his head to free himself from the unexpected situation.
“Stop,” he demanded between his panting. Once free, he turned away to hide his reaction because he was breathing so hard, he was becoming light-headed.
Or maybe that was from losing his head.
Or from the excitement of discovering the man he had stared at for the last few months was attracted to him in the same way.
No matter what, he couldn’t kiss Ford again. Not only was he Erin’s “friend with benefits,” but now also a ranch employee. Despite his denial, Dylan was one of Ford’s bosses.
And having sex or even playing around with Ford could get messy in more than one way. Not resisting Ford could screw up their working relationship, his chance at Erin, maybe even the resort’s reputation.
Did he just cause it to be tarnished?
He worked too hard and spent too much money to have the business fail before it even got off the ground.
He ground his teeth at his own weakness.
He needed to get the hell out of there. Now. Then they both needed to forget this ever happened.
Without another word or even a glance back, Dylan strode out of the run-in shed and directly to his UTV.
Luckily, Ford didn’t try to stop him.
Because if he had, their cock-hardening kiss might’ve ended up being so much more.
What the hell just happened?
Did he really make out with his new boss?
Thankfully he hadn’t sold off his business yet. He would need to keep it after he got fired.
Because Ford just exposed Dylan’s secret.
Or at least one of them.
But Dylan shouldn’t worry about Ford exposing his sexuality since, for the most part, he kept his under wraps, too.
Fisher Falls was not the most accepting when it came to anyone not straight as an arrow. The men around here prided themselves on being “real men.” Grunt, grunt. The area was full of farmers, hunters, fishermen and even some end-of-world preppers. The farther you traveled from the center of town, the more likely you’d run into someone who despised the government, as well as anyone who didn’t act or look the same as them.
It was a risky move for the Lyons brothers to open this kind of resort here due to that fact alone. Would the ranch be gated and have security guards? Of course. But that could end up being a false sense of security for both the resort and the guests.
It was also risky for locals to identify as anything other than heterosexual.
Were people more accepting in this day and age? Some. But there were plenty of others who doubled down on their hatred of what they didn’t understand.
It was why Ford never wanted to hook up with anyone from town other than Erin. Instead, he used hookup apps to find someone in the closest city. Of course, it was a pain in the ass to drive that far, especially in winter. Unfortunately, he had no choice, since it was the safest way to handle any wants and desires Erin couldn’t fulfill.
Because of the loose structure of their relationship, she never asked if he was seeing anyone else and he didn’t volunteer that information. That meant she had no idea he was bi. He had no reason—at least before today—to share that side of him. He also wasn’t sure how she’d react if she ever found out.
One thing he always promised her: No matter who he was with—other than her—he would always wear a condom and get tested regularly. He also asked her to do the same if she was having sex with anyone other than him. Luckily, they trusted each other enough and didn’t need verification to make sure they were sticking to their word.
Ford leaned back against the run-in shed’s wall and ran a hand down his bare chest, remembering Dylan’s hands on his heated skin. His palm drew a path down his abs until it hit the waistband of his jeans.
He was tempted.
But he shouldn’t.
He was working.
Anyone could come along and catch him.
Did he care about any of that? Hell no. All he cared about right now was relieving the pressure and finishing what Dylan started by grinding his cock against Ford’s.
Screw it.
After unfastening his leather belt and jeans, he shoved them down far enough to free his erection. He gave his balls a quick squeeze before shutting his eyes and pulling a long breath in through his nostrils.
This shouldn’t take long, and he hoped to hear anyone approaching.
Circling the root of his cock, he squeezed that next, cutting off the blood flow for a few seconds. Then he began the age-old practice of horny boys and men everywhere… He began to stroke his length.
Keeping his eyes shut, he imagined Dylan on his knees in the finely ground stone with Ford’s cock in his mouth.
He also pictured those intense hazel eyes rising to meet his, his mouth stretched around Ford’s girth, his tongue collecting the tangy precum as it swirled around the crown.
Ford’s hips and fingers twitched with every pump into his boss’s imaginary mouth.
He was about to lose his load. Unfortunately, not in Dylan’s mouth or on his face or even deep within the man’s ass.
Damn shame.
Clenching his teeth, Ford stroked faster.
“Fuck,” he groaned when his cock pulsed and his cum shot out, landing on the dusty stone at his feet.
All spurred from a simple kiss.
One that might take a while to forget.
Maybe he needed to cruise his favorite app and take the hour-long trip to State College to help evict it from his memories.