Chapter 20
JULIAN
I debated with myself for ten minutes at the grocery store before finally deciding I was overthinking things.
But now that I’m standing on Ranger’s front porch with a bottle of orange juice and cheap champagne, it really does feel like too much.
He invited me over for breakfast, not some fancy mimosa brunch.
Before I can run back to my truck and ditch the bag, he opens the front door. He looks tired, bags under his eyes and a slightly pale pallor to his skin, but the smile on his lips softens him.
“Morning,” I say, awkwardly holding up the bag like a dork, wondering if I should greet him with a kiss or not. Ugh, why does casual always feel more fraught with ways to screw up?
“Morning.” He seems just as unsure as I am, but he leans in for a quick kiss, then steps aside to motion me inside. “You didn’t have to bring anything.” He looks at the bags as he leads me to the kitchen, where Benny is waiting next to the stove, keeping an eye on things like a good boy.
“Oh, it’s nothing. I stopped along the way to get stuff for mimosas.
But if it’s too much, or if you don’t like mimosas…
I’m not even sure if you drink alcohol. I know some people say it can make PTSD worse, so this was probably a really thoughtless thing for me to bring.
We could just drink the orange juice sans alcohol, although I wasn’t sure if you liked it with pulp or with—”
He gives me another kiss, this one harder and a little longer, his lips moving against mine until my nerves slowly slip away.
“A lot of alcohol can make PTSD worse, but one drink won’t hurt anything. I’d love a mimosa.”
“Great.” I let out a long breath, determined to be less awkward for the rest of the morning, and pull the two bottles out of the bag to mix us a couple of drinks. “Breakfast smells delicious.”
“It’s nothing fancy, just pancakes and eggs,” he says, sounding shy.
“Pancakes are my favorite. When I was a kid, my dad would make pancakes every Saturday morning. I would always wake up early to help him, and when he wasn’t looking, I would pour chocolate chips into the batter.
I felt so sneaky like I was getting away with something.
It wasn’t until I was a little older that it occurred to me that the chocolate chips always happened to be sitting out on the counter, and he always just happened to turn his back at the last minute to give me the perfect opportunity to dump some in. ” I smile at the memory.
“I don’t think I have any chocolate chips.” Ranger's shoulders slump.
I press a kiss to his cheek and hand him the drink I poured for him. “That’s okay. Maybe next time.” I don’t want to assume that breakfast with him will be a regular occurrence, but I don’t want him to feel bummed about not having chocolate chips either.
“Yeah, next time.” Once he’s finished cooking the food, we carry our plates to the table and sit down.
“So, um, do you want to talk about your nightmare?” I take a bite of my eggs and glance over at Benny lying on the floor next to Ranger’s chair to avoid staring at Ranger and making him feel pressured or uncomfortable.
“Not really.” He sounds tired all over again.
“That’s fine,” I assure him. “What should we talk about? I hate to say it, but I’m a bit rusty with breakfast conversation if you know what I mean.”
He chuckles. “Yeah.”
We eat in silence for a few minutes. The food is good. I’m not sure what Ranger has done with the eggs, but they’re not bland and rubbery like most scrambled eggs are.
“So…I was thinking,” he says as our plates are near empty. “Can I give you a blowjob?”
You really should warn a guy before asking a question like that. I’m right in the middle of a sip of my mimosa when the question catches me off guard. I snort and sputter, the orange juice burning my nose as it spews out.
“Can we finish breakfast first?” I ask, grabbing a napkin and wiping my nose and mouth.
“Of course.” He chews the last bite of his pancake. “That was too blunt, right? I texted my friend for advice, and he wasn’t too specific. Although he did mention I should ask while we’re kissing.”
“That would’ve made it less surprising. But I can’t say it’s usually unwelcome to be offered a blowjob, so that helped your case.”
Ranger quirks his lips in a crooked smile. “Thank fuck for that.”
I look down at my plate, suddenly not all that interested in finishing my food. “Well, I’m full.”
He chuckles. “Good. Me too.”
He takes both our plates and puts them in the sink while I stand up and hover uncertainly next to the table. “Bedroom?” I suggest, and he nods.
Luckily, as soon as the bedroom door shuts behind us, Ranger grabs me by the front of my shirt and drags me in for a kiss.
His mouth against mine breaks up some of the awkward, anticipatory tension between us.
A heated smolder starts deep in my belly and spreads through my body as he walks me backward toward the bed until my legs bump into it.
The hard steel of his erection nudges me as his tongue brushes against mine.
His body feels more solid now than it did a couple of weeks ago.
I slip my hands under his shirt, sliding them up until I find his nipple stud with my fingers.
I roll it between my thumb and forefinger, then pluck his other nipple gently in the same way.
His groan vibrates against my tongue, and he thrusts his hips against mine.
He runs his hands down and fumbles with unbuttoning my jeans. When the button pops free, he reaches into my briefs, palming my achingly hard cock. I nip at his lips, moaning as he wraps his fingers around me and strokes me slowly.
“I’m dying to taste you,” he murmurs against my lips, and I gasp, nodding and bumping our noses together.
“Much better delivery,” I praise with a smile against his mouth.
Hooking his fingers in the waist of my pants and underwear, Ranger shoves them down, letting them pool around my ankles, and then pushes me down onto the bed. I wrap a hand around the back of his neck and try to pull him along with me, but he breaks the kiss and drops to his knees.
Ranger looks so determined, kneeling between my legs, studying my cock like it’s a test he needs to pass. I run my fingers through his hair gently, trying not to groan when he licks his lips, his hot breath puffing against the sensitive head of my erection.
“Tell me if I do it wrong?”
“As long as you don’t use teeth, you can’t do it wrong,” I assure him with an encouraging smile.
He nods and leans forward, parting his lips just a little and pressing them to the head of my cock like he’s giving it a kiss. A shiver runs through me, my erection twitching against his lips as my balls tighten. A quiet gasp falls from my lips, and I tighten my grasp on his short hair.
Ranger presses another kiss, a little farther down on my cock, catching a droplet of precum on his lips. He pulls back and licks it off his mouth, his eyes flashing with lust as he looks up at me. “Mmm.” He hums, this time dragging the flat of his tongue over the head of my cock.
I whimper, more precum leaking out, which he laps up eagerly like it’s the best thing he’s tasted in his life. “Fuck,” he mutters, kissing and licking the head of my cock the same way he always does with my mouth.
I try to spread my legs, but my pants around my ankles keep me from being able to. Every wet lap of his tongue sends sparks down my length, heating every inch of me from the inside out.
When he wraps his lips around me, I’m surprised I don’t come on the spot. My cock jerks against the roof of his mouth as he slowly takes me deeper. Ranger looks up at me the entire time, his eyes fixed on mine, his lips red and stretched around my shaft.
He tries to take me deep but gags, his throat tightening around me in a way that makes me gasp again, more precum dripping onto his tongue as he sucks me in more shallow bobs this time.
His technique is a bit sloppy, his rhythm inconsistent, but he makes up for it with an abundance of enthusiasm.
He sucks me hard and fast, running his tongue along each throbbing vein as he sucks me hard and fast, and digging his fingers digging into my thighs. His grunts vibrate around my length.
“Ranger,” I gasp his name, my hips twitching involuntarily. “I’m…oh…ohhh.”
My body tenses, and my balls draw up tight.
I try to shove his head away, but he only sucks me harder, looking more determined.
When the first burst of my cum lands on his tongue, his eyes cloud with lust. He hums hungrily, lapping at the head of my cock as it pulses and fills his mouth with my hot, thick release.
He suckles me until my balls are sore and my cock is oversensitive before releasing me with a wet, sloppy squelch. I sag against the bed. The sound of his zipper echoes through the air as he undoes his own pants, yanks them down, and pulls out his hard cock.
“Fuck,” he groans, working his hand furiously over his erection, his face pressed against the inside of my thigh. He kisses and bites my skin, grunting and groaning until a hard shudder runs through his body and cum shoots out of his cock and coats his hand and thighs.
I’m still catching my breath when Ranger climbs onto the bed, his cum streaked on his thighs and clinging to his softening cock.
“I’m wiped now. Take a nap with me?” he asks, yawning.
I nod and kick my pants off the rest of the way, then scoot up the bed and lay my head on the pillow next to his.
He throws an arm around me and pulls me against his chest like I’m his favorite teddy bear.
He’s snoring in no time, and the slow, gentle rhythm of his breathing, along with the warmth of his body, drags me under as well.