Chapter Five #2
But he kept his eyes on Keegan over the next several hours.
They ate leftover spaghetti and meatballs in his cabin and binge-watched the newest season of The Traitors, including the postmortem episodes and the reunion.
The combination of food, friendship, and faithless traitors worked wonders for Keegan and distracted Rueben from obsessively watching the clock.
Or that’s what he thought until he unintentionally drew attention to himself during their weekly poker game at Ivan and Rory’s house.
“You got someplace you need to be?” Owen asked as he dealt the next hand.
“No.” Rueben’s answer came fast—too fast—and all eyes in the room shifted to him. “Why?”
“You’ve checked the time at least three times in the past fifteen minutes,” Ivan said.
“I counted four times in the past twelve minutes,” Rory countered.
Everyone picked up their cards to assess their hands, except for Finley. His keen green gaze locked on Rueben and didn’t budge. His scalp prickled and beaded with sweat, but Rueben kept a neutral expression on his face.
“You’ve seemed off for a few weeks,” Finley said softly. “Quieter and a little withdrawn.”
“Is this an intervention, or are we playing poker?” Rueben kept his tone light so as not to betray how cornered he felt.
Kieran settled his hand on Finley’s shoulder and leaned in close to whisper something in his boyfriend’s ear.
Fin sighed heavily and nodded. “Kings or better to open.”
The remark shifted the attention back to the game, but Rueben could tell the gears were still turning.
That was one downside of living on the ranch.
The proximity and camaraderie ensured everyone knew each other’s tells.
Another potential pitfall was the monitored activity at the gate.
Cash got an alert every time someone entered a code to open the gate or a visitor pushed the intercom button.
He would not be able to come and go without detection.
Rueben had bragged about winning over the sheriff’s heart to everyone on the ranch.
He’d tried to walk that back a little but would need to have a cover story ready if someone asked where he’d gone.
Rueben gave himself a good mental shake.
He’d gone out on dates or to the Thirsty Cowboy plenty of times.
There was no reason for anyone to assume he was carrying on a torrid affair with Seth.
Relax, idiot, before you trigger another inquisition.
Keegan nudged him softly with his elbow. “Tyler opened.”
Rue looked at his cards for the first time and fought back a smile when he saw three aces in his hand.
The rest of his cards looked like shit, so he kept his aces and threw the rest of his cards away.
Finley dealt him his replacements, and Rueben could not believe his luck when he revealed his fourth ace.
If he believed the universe sent signs, this one would flash neon.
One good way to shift the narrative was to trounce everyone at poker.
They stopped worrying about his demeanor and whined about his winning.
Rueben had never been one to fret about the poker night outcomes, but he had to admit, it felt good to rake in all the chips.
They cheered when he tapped out instead of cajoling him to stay.
Each of them was eager to change their luck and remained at Ivan and Rory’s place when he left to get ready for his night with Seth.
Rueben took great care with his grooming, wanting every part of his body to look and feel exceptional.
He didn’t expect to stay at the cabin longer than a few hours, so he didn’t pack a bag.
His hands shook with nerves, and he dropped his keys on the way to his truck.
Rueben huffed a breath of frustration as he retrieved them.
Calm the fuck down, Sanchez. The lights were still on at Ivan and Rory’s, so it seemed the poker game was still in full swing as he drove by.
Momentary doubt flittered about his psyche like a pesky gnat, but Rueben batted it away.
He refused to believe that something that felt so good could be wrong.
That conviction tripled when he saw Seth’s personal truck parked in front of the old fishing cabin.
The excitement coursing through him was stronger than his previous visit, and the knowledge that they fit so well together tempered any anxiety before it rose to the surface.
Rueben strode to the front porch with sure steps, not fretting about first-time awkwardness this time.
He didn’t have to wonder if he should tilt his head left or right when they kissed or worry that Seth would get turned off if his exuberance got a little rough.
Rueben knew to tilt right and that Seth found his eagerness endearing and a real turn-on.
His heart knocked as hard against his ribs as his shoes trod on the rough porch boards.
Seth had left the door open a few inches, so Rueben skipped knocking and let himself inside the cabin.
The interior was completely dark except for a few flickering candles placed around the living room to illuminate the naked man on the sofa, who stroked his dick as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Seth had propped one foot on the edge of the cushion to access his pucker, where he worked two glistening fingers into his ass.
The air whooshed out of Rueben’s lungs, and his messenger bag hit the floor. His mouth suddenly felt arid, but he swallowed hard and rasped out, “Fuck me, Seth.”
The answering smile was as indulgent as the self-play. “Oh, I will, baby, but I want fucked first.”
Rueben’s big, strong alpha man loved to surrender his sweet ass for a hard pounding.
Dick throbbing in anticipation, Rueben moved toward the sofa.
But first, he was going to deep-throat that thick shaft until he gagged on it.
He didn’t drop to his knees immediately, though.
Rueben stood between Seth’s splayed thighs and watched the play of powerful abdominal muscles flexing beneath taut skin.
He thought about drawing out a striptease until a pearl of precum rolled over the edge of Seth’s swollen cockhead and dripped down his shaft.
Rueben’s mouth watered to taste him, so he hastily shed his clothes and tossed them on top of Seth’s.
He’d just kneeled when he remembered the supplies he’d left in his bag. Seth had the lube handled, and a quick check on the couch revealed a long strip of condoms.
Seth watched him through heavy-lidded eyes. “Hurry, or this will be over way too soon.”
Rueben settled himself between splayed thighs and pushed Seth’s busy hands out of the way. “And whose fault is that for starting without me? You know how much I love to use my mouth to work you up to arousal.”
“It’s my favorite way to wake up in the morning.” Seth reached forward and cupped Rueben’s face, brushing his thumb over the lips that would soon be stretched around his cock.
Another bead of precum pearled at his slit, and Rueben couldn’t resist tasting him any longer.
He cupped Seth’s thighs to anchor himself, then took that gorgeous drooling cock straight down to the root, not stopping until he buried his nose in neatly trimmed pubic hair.
Seth’s rich taste exploded on Rueben’s tongue, making his mouth water.
Rueben inhaled deeply to get high on Seth’s masculine smell.
He nuzzled his nose against the short curls, swallowing around the throbbing shaft in his throat until Rueben’s eyes watered.
Seth released a savage growl and fisted Rueben’s hair. “Get your dick inside me now before I come. I promise I’ll plow your face before the night’s over.”
Rueben faced a big dilemma—about nine inches—and momentarily wrestled with how to proceed.
The last time he’d gone down on Seth, he ended up on his back with his big man straddling his face and fucking his mouth with a ferocity that rivaled a porn star.
Taut balls slapped Rueben’s chin before Seth emptied them on his face and neck.
Just the memory of it made his dick throb and leak.
But the last time he’d fucked Seth, his tight ass had milked an orgasm so strong it nearly caused Ruben to black out.
When faced with such a dilemma, how was he supposed to choose?
The need for air won out, and he eased back from the thatch of pubes to breathe through his nose.
Seth brushed his thumb over Rueben’s stretched mouth, then brushed an escaped tear off his cheek.
Stormy gray eyes pleaded with Rueben before Seth voiced his need.
“Please, baby. I want to feel your dick stretch me open. I need the connection of having you inside me. It’s what I crave the most when missing you becomes a physical ache. ”
How the hell could Rueben resist that, and why would he want to?
Rueben took his sweet time pulling back, slurping and licking the remaining eight inches of cock.
He didn’t just roll on a condom and plow Seth’s sweet ass, though.
Rueben cupped Seth’s face and kissed him, pouring all the longing and need into a kiss that stretched on for long minutes.
He wanted to convey with his body what his heart already knew.
This was real. They were real. This level of passion and nonverbal communication between lovers was the shit he stumbled across on the ranch all the time, but Rueben couldn’t publicly claim Seth like the rest of his friends had done.
Acknowledging their reality didn’t dampen his mood; it heightened the awareness and made Rueben more present in the moment.
He clocked and stored each of Seth’s reactions, from small things like goose bumps to more obvious responses, like trembling muscles and verbal cues.