STORY EXCERPT

Climbing out of bed, Jessup headed for the shower. He washed up quickly and got dressed, combing his hair before heading out.

Once downstairs, he grabbed a cup of coffee from the sideboard where Aunt Meg always kept it freshly brewed and headed out to the porch. Every morning since Jessup was old enough to drink the brown gargle, he and his brothers had been meeting on the front porch to discuss the day and anything else before work started.

Pushing the screen door open with his shoulder, Jessup handed Elliot the tally sheet and then gazed off into the wide open panoramic range of Grizzly Ridge. It was still dark out, the sun yet to break over the horizon, but the fresh morning air was welcome, filling his lungs as he took a sip of his coffee.

“Forecast is calling for rain,” Aunt Meg said as she stepped out onto the porch. Jessup dropped a kiss on her cheek.

“Morning, beautiful.”

Aunt Meg waved him away, but he could see the smile in her honey-gold eyes. She was fifty-four years young with a head of midnight-black hair that was streaked with small amounts of grey. As usual, she had it in a messy bun on top of her head.

“Those fences need mending,” Elliot said as he set his coffee aside and glanced over the sheet Jessup had just handed him.

“I’ll take care of the fence,” Jessup volunteered.

“Don’t forget you have those new hired hands to settle with,” Elliot reminded him, looking up from the paperwork he had been gazing at. “Take one of them with you and Sam.”

Taking a sip of the aromatic coffee, Jessup nodded.

“Well, come eat breakfast before you fellas take off.” Aunt Meg walked back into the house, the screen door closing behind her. No one argued with her. She was the sweetest woman on the planet, unless riled. Jessup ran for cover whenever she got that pinched look on her face, like she was holding back fire and brimstone, waiting to unleash it with her fury.

After breakfast, Jessup walked back outside to see trucks pulling in, the usual hands showing up. But he spotted an unfamiliar truck and a small car.

Who drove a damn car around here? The repair bills alone from the rough roads would cost a fortune. Jessup watched one guy get out of his truck. He was easy on the eyes, tall, and had a wide jaw that was lined with dark-brown stubble. But Jessup could make out a distinctive cleft.

The next guy got out of his car and Jessup wondered what Elliot had been thinking hiring this guy—or was this the one Carson hired? He had blond hair to his shoulder, big blue eyes, and looked so damn feminine that when Jessup shook his hand, he was careful of his calluses. The man looked dainty.

“Jessup Wylde, but everyone calls me Jess.”

“Courtney Landing.” The blond-haired man gave Jessup a wicked smile. “But everyone calls me Courtney.”

A sense of humor, good. He turned to the other guy and shook his hand.

“Buck McBride,” the man replied in return. He had a strong grip. Too strong. Jessup didn’t like that the guy was giving him a power handshake. It only meant the man was trying to prove something.

Just fucking great.

He didn’t need men like that around here, but would give Buck a chance. A lot of fellas had come and gone from this ranch, most trying to prove they were real men. Jessup never understood the reasoning behind that, but always gave the new hands a fair shot. All in all, he and his brothers were good men, trying to help those less fortunate. Not that they were rich, but they didn’t struggle like some of the other ranches in the area. Plus, they believed in paying a fair wage for hard work.

“I’ll take him,” Elliot said as he moved down the steps, heading their way. He wasn’t sure who his brother was talking about until he saw Elliot’s eyes land on Courtney.

What the hell was up with that?

“Hi,” Courtney said shyly to Elliot as the two walked off. Well, that left him with Buck. He was about to tell the guy that they had fences to mend when a truck pulled into the driveway.

Being late was never a good thing. Jessup didn’t like tardiness. The black truck with a decal of stallions running across an open field on the back window came to a stop, the bright taillights dying.

“Go see Carson,” Jessup said to Buck. “He’s working with the guests on the ranch today, giving them a tour on horseback. That’ll give ya insight into the lay of the ranch.”

Buck nodded and headed away as Jessup turned back toward the black truck. The door opened and out stepped a man who had Jessup moistening his dry lips as his cock gave a fast jerk.

The guy was damn near as tall as Carson and just as wide. He gave Jessup an easy smile as he walked over to him. “Hello.”

Jessup remembered he had a brain and reached out to shake the man’s hand. “Jessup Wylde, but everyone calls me Jess.”

The man’s silver eyes were intense as he stared at Jessup in the early morning light. “Benjamin Cross, but everyone calls me Ben,” he said in return as he shook Jessup’s hand. As soon as their skin touched, an electrical current shot up Jessup’s arm and raced through his body.

Elliot’s rule was a fleeting thought as he gazed openly at Ben. His rugged looks called to something inside Jessup as he felt like he was falling into the man’s silver eyes.

He was in serious trouble.

ADULT EXCERPT

Ben reached up and grabbed Jess’s hand, pulling him back down to his lap.

“What do you want?” Jess asked, playing coy because they both knew that Jess loved to hear Ben tell him what he wanted.

“Your lips, handsome.”

As he kissed Jess, Ben ran his hands down the man’s back, cupping his ass. He gave a light squeeze before pulling his lips away, pressing them against Jess’s ear. “I want to fuck you, Jessup Wylde.”

Jess’s breathing became labored as his fingers gripped Ben’s shoulders. “Okay,” he said between hard pants.

Ben stood, capturing Jess’s lips once more as Jess wrapped his legs around Ben’s waist. He carried the man into his bedroom where he laid Jess down on his bed.

He stood there for a moment, feeling a bit awkward before Jess shoved his pants down his legs, exposing his hard cock. “You have to stretch me, cowboy. Do you have any lube?”

Embarrassed that Jess knew he jacked off—although every man under the sun engaged in masturbation—Ben reached for the drawer and pulled the bottle free.

Ben was about to ask what next when Jess grabbed the lube from his hand, poured some on his fingers, and then rolled to his hands and knees.

For the next ten minutes, Ben couldn’t move, breathe, or barely think as he watched something so forbidden, so erotic that he was lost in what the man was doing. Jess’s wet fingers slid in and out of his own ass, moaning as he showed Ben exactly how things were done between men.

As he stood there, Ben allowed himself to appreciate Jess’s male beauty, letting his desire for the man build. He was mesmerized by Jess. The cowboy was so handsomely rugged, so charming, and made Ben feel peace in a place that had never felt peace before.

Without being told, Ben grabbed a condom from the drawer before undressing, never letting his eyes stray from what Jess was doing. He wanted this, needed it. After rolling the condom down his erection, Ben moved in behind Jess, pulling the man’s fingers free as he placed soft kisses down his lover’s back. “Ready?”

God, his voice sounded hoarse, strained as he watched Jess’s fingers curl into the blanket below him. “Yes, but go slow. It’s been too damn long.”

With a shaky hand, Ben curled his fingers around his cock and guided the head to the glistening hole. It looked so small that he was terrified he would hurt the man. He was a hell of a lot bigger than Jess, and not just in cock size. In that moment, his lover looked so small, so fragile, and Ben knew he was allowing the voices of his past to enter his mind.

He pushed those thoughts away as he slowly inched into the tightest, hottest space he’d ever imagined could exist. Ben had to take a deep breath and still his body. The feeling was incredible, but he remembered Jess’s request. “Are you okay?”

He traced his hands over his lover’s spine and down his sides, trying to ease any pain Jess might be feeling. He wanted this experience to be pleasurable for both of them.

“Ben,” Jess said with a hard breath. Ben almost pulled out, afraid Jess was in pain, but his lover’s hand reached behind him, grabbing Ben’s hip. “Don’t you dare move.”

Ben did the only thing he could think to help Jess. He reached under the man’s body and circled his fingers around the Jess's erection. Ben began to slowly stroke his lover, watching Jess’s face intently. Jess’s lips parted as his panting picked up, but Ben knew this was from pleasure and not pain.

“Does it feel good?” Ben asked, tightening his grip on the man’s cock. “Do you like when I play with you?”

Ben groaned when Jess began to move slowly back, inching Ben’s cock deeper into the man’s ass. He didn’t move a muscle, letting Jess set the pace.

“God, yes.” Jess spread his legs wider, taking Ben in deeper. His entire body started to shake, his heart jackhammering against his ribs as Jess bottomed out.

“Move, Ben…please.”

Releasing Jess’s shaft, Ben slid his hands over the man’s shoulders. He was a nervous wreck and fearing that he wouldn’t be good enough for Jess. His lover was experienced with being with other men, Ben wasn’t. There was a small tremor inside of him that felt like he was going to be graded for this, like Jess was going to pull a scorecard out and judge him for his performance.

Easing his cock back, Ben thrust forward, hoping he wasn’t hurting the man, but Jess shouted and Ben knew that sound was nothing but raw desire.

Ben clasped Jess’s wrists together and had them pinned above his lover’s head before Jess could gasp in a breath. “How hard do you want it?”

It was like years of pent-up frustration were unleashed and Ben couldn’t seem to get enough of Jess. He couldn’t seem to decide what he wanted to do or what he wanted to touch.

Jess bucked and pushed Ben away. He was confused until Jess turned over. “Come here.”

Ben lowered himself as his cock slid back into Jess’s body. He braced his arms on either side of his lover’s head. Ben liked this position better. It made things a lot more intimate and he was able to stare into Jessup’s gorgeous eyes.

“It seems you’re getting a little too excited,” Jess teased. “Your hands are everywhere!”

Ben chuckled. “Is that a bad thing?” He groaned when Jessup wrapped his legs around his waist and he could feel the hair on the man’s legs rubbing over his sides. It only drove home the fact that he was finally with a man, actually with him.