Lucas
Ilay still, half-buried under the weight of the quilt, my body warm where Jesse’s had been pressed to mine.
His breathing was slow and steady, the rise and fall of his chest a rhythm I’d grown used to over the past thirty minutes of watching him sleep.
He’d upended my whole world, and I didn’t know how or when it had happened.
I’d come here with a clear purpose—to persuade him to sell once my six months were up—but instead, he’d held me while I faced the possibility that my grandfather might have wanted me here, and somewhere in that moment, the ground had shifted under my feet.
Could I sell from under him? Was there another way?
I brushed the hair from his face, careful not to wake him, my thumb tracing the warm line of his temple.
He leaned into the touch even in sleep, a quiet, instinctive thing that tightened something in my chest. But then, he stirred beside me, a low murmur escaping his throat as he shifted onto his side, one arm slung over his eyes.
“Morning, City. What time is it?” His voice was rough with sleep, the words barely more than a growl.
I tilted my watch, squinting at the blurry glow. “Four-thirty.”
He groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face before pushing himself up onto his elbows. The sheets pooled around his waist, exposing the lean lines of his back, the way his muscles shifted under skin still flushed from sleep. “Goddamn it. Gotta be up in an hour.”
I reached out, my fingers brushing over the warm dip of his spine before sliding down to the curve of his ass. He shivered, just slightly, but didn’t pull away. “Then we’ve got time,” I murmured. “For kissing and things.”
Jesse exhaled, a sound that might’ve been a laugh if he weren’t so half-asleep. He rolled his shoulders, then swung his legs over the side of the bed, the mattress dipping as he stood. “Teeth and piss,” he announced.
I reached over to switch on the small bedside lamp and watched the play of shadow over his body—the way his boxers clung to the swell of his ass as he shuffled toward the door, his movements slow, still half-dreaming.
The floor was cold under my feet as I followed him into the hallway and into the bathroom after I heard the toilet flush.
I didn’t need to pee, but if he was doing the teeth thing and there was any chance of more kissing, then so was I.
The tile bit into my soles, but the shock of it was nothing compared to how my body reacted to the sight of him bending over the sink, his back flexed, his arms tensing as he braced himself against the counter.
I stepped up behind him, close enough that my chest brushed his shoulder blades, and reached for my toothbrush.
“You okay?” he asked, then hugged me after wiping his mouth. “I mean, after the video and hearing all that…”
“I don’t know,” was all I could give him, because I had no idea how I was going to process any of this. “I think I’m in shock.”
Am I in shock?
His compassionate gaze met mine for a second in the mirror, and it made me feel a hundred emotions I couldn’t put a finger on.
“See you in bed.”
Back in the bedroom, the air was cooler, the sheets rumpled where we’d been.
Jesse pulled the quilt up to his waist before rolling onto his side.
I followed, wincing when I lay a little too heavy on my bad hip.
The moment I settled, he reached out, his hand finding the pain, fingers curling into the flesh there.
“What happened?”
“My back?” No details, make it light, I’d had enough trauma dumping to process without adding my shitty time on the street to the mix.
“I got into it on a corner with some other kids on the street who didn’t want me there, landed badly, is all.
It was infected, didn’t heal quite right, aches when I forget to take my muscle relaxants. ”
He kissed me there. “I’m sorry,” he said, then kissed me again.
His touch was warm, and when he traced slow circles over my hip, my breath hitched. I owed him more than that, but where would I begin?
“You’re thinking too loud,” he muttered, his voice rough.
I let out a quiet laugh, my hand finding his wrist. “Am I?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, his fingers slid upward, over the dip of my waist, the ridge of my ribs, until his palm was flat to my chest. My heartbeat thudded under his touch, steady but too fast. His thumb brushed over my nipple, and I sucked in a sharp breath, my back arching into the contact.
“Jesse—”
“Shhh.” His voice was a low growl, his breath hot on my collarbone as he leaned in. The scruff on his jaw scratched my skin, sending a shiver down my spine. His lips pressed there, open-mouthed and wet, and when he bit down—just enough to sting—I gasped, my fingers tangling in his hair.
He made a sound, something between a groan and a laugh, and then, his mouth was on mine.
Not gentle. Not hesitant. His tongue pushed past my lips, hot and demanding, and I melted into it, into him, my hands sliding down to grip his shoulders.
He was solid under my palms, all lean muscle and heat, and when I rolled him onto his back, he went willingly, his thighs falling open to make room for me.
I was glad for the lamp’s light because I needed to watch the way his chest rose and fell, the way his pupils blew wide when I rocked my hips against his, the hard ridge of his cock trapped between us. I leaned down, pressing my mouth to the scar, then lower, to the pulse point beneath his jaw.
He made a noise, low and broken, and his fingers dug in deeper. I ground down, the friction making my cock ache, and he groaned, his hips jerking up. “Fuck, Lucas—”
I sat back, straddling his thighs, and reached for the lube and condoms in the nightstand.
His eyes followed my movements, dark and hungry, his chest rising and falling faster now.
His cock was hard, leaking at the tip, and I wrapped my hand around it, stroking slow and firm.
His head fell back to the pillow, his throat working as he swallowed.
“You’re gonna kill me.”
“Not yet,” I smirked, leaning down to press a kiss to the head of his cock before sitting back on my heels.
His hips twitched as I guided him closer, his fingers sliding between us to help, slow and patient, stretching me with care while we both breathed through it, using far too much slick, but neither of us complained.
I lined us up and sank onto him slowly, breath shuddering out of me as he filled me inch by inch. “Fuck—” I gasped, bracing a hand on his chest, forcing myself to keep the pace slow while my body adjusted.
“Easy,” he murmured, voice wrecked, his hands flexing where I held them. “Easy, sweetheart.”
Heat flared low in my belly. I rolled my hips with care, just enough to make us both groan, then sat fully, the stretch turning sharp before it melted into something deep and electric.
His cock was thick inside me, exactly where I needed him, and the sound he made—rough, helpless—went straight through me.
“Move,” he said, teeth clenched. “Lucas—please.”
I did. I set a slow rhythm he helped me with, lifting and sinking down on him, slow at first, then deeper, the slide of skin on skin making my head spin.
His hands came free, holding me, avoiding holding my hips, guiding me without taking control, and every time I dropped, I felt him hit just right.
My cock leaked between us, ignored except for the occasional brush of his stomach. I leaned forward, palms flat on his chest, watching his face fall apart as I rode him.
“Look at you,” he breathed. “Fuck—look at you.”
His eyes locked onto mine, and something cracked open between us. I rocked repeatedly, pleasure coiling, relentless.
I came first, spilling over his stomach with a broken sound, my body clenching hard around him. The way I tightened sent him over the edge seconds later, his thrusts turning wild and shallow as he groaned my name, emptying himself deep inside me.
We collapsed together, me sprawled over his chest, both of us shaking, the sheets damp and tangled beneath us. Jesse’s heart hammered against my ear, his fingers tracing slow, lazy lines up my spine.
“I’m gonna be late,” he murmured after a while, wrecked and smiling.
I pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Worth it.”
He huffed a breathy laugh. “Yeah. Yeah, it was.”
“Everything’s changed,” I murmured. “I don’t know what will happen next, but I can’t imagine you not being in my life.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll find a way to fix everything.”
“Okay.”
I’m falling for you, cowboy. I couldn’t say the words out loud.
He eased me so he could see my face, and he kissed me hard. He didn’t say anything back, and there was a sudden sadness between us. We’d connected in bed, we’d connected over the emotions of everything, but the ranch…
What now?
Lucas: You there?
Dalton: What’s up, cow-whisperer
Lucas: I have feelings for Jesse
Dalton: I know
Lucas: You don’t know
Dalton: You literally just typed it. Also, I’ve known for weeks
Lucas: I want to tell him
Dalton: Then tell him
Lucas: I’m not here much longer. I’m selling the land. What kind of relationship is that?
Dalton: One where you stop thinking you need to make rules before anything’s even happened
Lucas: Be serious
Dalton: I am. You like him. I assume he likes you. So, say it.
Lucas: It’s not going anywhere when I leave
Dalton: Then don’t leave
Lucas: The charity needs the money from the sale
Dalton: Then sell some of it
Lucas: It’s not that simple
I wished it were that simple, but buyers weren’t interested in small parcels, according to Lowstat-Meyer, it was all or nothing for the buyer they had on the hook.
Dalton: It never is. Doesn’t mean you blow up your love life to keep it simple
Lucas: I’m not blowing up my love life. There is no love life
Dalton: You’re trying to avoid having one
Lucas: That’s not fair
Dalton: It’s accurate
Lucas: I need to sell. The funding—beds, staff, winter intake—it’s important
The dots bounced a lot, and I waited for whatever short essay my friend was going to send.
Dalton: I know it’s important. I’m not saying walk away from the charity.
I’m saying stop acting like there’s only one way to help it.
I think you’re smart enough to figure it out if you stop pretending the answer has to be all or nothing.
And with Jesse start with the truth. The rest you work out after
Lucas: You make it sound easy
Dalton: It’s not easy. It’s just clearer than whatever spiral you’re in
Lucas: I hate that you’re right
Dalton: You love that I’m right
I sent him a middle finger emoji
He sent one back, along with an eggplant, raindrops, a big red heart, and a cow.
Dalton: Tell the cowboy you’ve got feelings. Then call me and tell me how hot and dramatic it was
Lucas: I’m not doing that
Dalton: You absolutely are
Lucas: Goodbye, Dalton
Dalton: Love you too
Make sense of what I wanted to do next, then tell Jesse I was falling for him. Dalton made it all sound so easy.
Yeah right.