STORY EXCERPT

After filling the mug with the coffee, Peyton lifted it and turned to hand it to Brag. He was surprised to find Brag closer than he’d expected. “Thanks. I’m interested in seeing things that were hers.” Looking at the other man, he studied him. “We know each other, don’t we? Your name’s familiar. Your family lived nearby and my great-aunt invited you and your brothers over to play.” He was allowed to be fuzzy on the details. It had been more than twenty years since he’d been back.

Brag grinned, and there was humor in his beautiful, coffee-colored eyes. “I wondered how long it would take you to remember me, city boy.”

City boy. How he’d hated being called that. Back then, when he was around twelve years old, he had been teased one time too many and had tackled the smallest of the four boys, which happened to be Brag. The memory was clear. He was surprised he hadn’t remembered the name, it was so unusual. Some details had faded.

What Peyton now recalled clearly and unexpectedly was how much he had enjoyed wrestling with the other boy, or how his body had awakened sexually when Brag had pinned him to the ground. He had straddled Peyton and held his wrists over his head. It was the one and only time he’d enjoyed that.

Peyton was startled by the thought. Remembering a brief incident that had taken place years ago had obviously made an impact. It was likely the first moment he realized he was gay, although that wasn’t what had come into his mind. He’d been at the age where his friends were noticing girls. He hadn’t thought they were that great but hadn’t given much thought to boys, either. What it had been was the time of his sexual awareness, when he was realizing what he liked and what he didn’t like. By the time he was in his mid-teens, he definitely knew he was gay. There was no question about it. Sharing with his parents hadn’t been a terrifying experience. They had raised him with so much love that he had been certain that they would still love him after he shared his sexuality with them. They had.

Their love had never wavered, and it was probably the one thing Peyton would miss most about them.

“Hey, where did you go?”

Blinking, Peyton forced himself back to the present. “Sorry, I was thinking about my parents. How are your brothers and parents?” he asked, moving the subject away from him.

They might have to live near each other, and they might even become friends over time, but Peyton didn’t have plans to spill his guts to a virtual stranger during their first five minutes together.

“They’re good. My parents want you to come over for supper some night, once you’ve settled in.”

Peyton nodded. “I’ll do that.” One of the things he liked about his new home, people tended to be friendly and welcoming. At least that was how he remembered it from his childhood. Brag’s parents seemed to have remained the same over the years. Brag, however, was proving to be complex. He was friendly, yet there was a part of him Peyton felt was being held back. Then there was the teasing. It was something Brag and his brothers had been good at during Peyton’s two-week summer visits with his parents. “Well, I better call and see how far out the trucks are. They shouldn’t be too long.”

“Trucks? You brought that much stuff with you?”

“There are four trucks. Two have furniture and personal things, like clothing. The third is pulling a trailer with my horses in it, and the fourth is hauling my vehicles.”

Brag’s eyebrows shot up. “You have horses?”

“Yes, I have horses. Four of them. By the way, thanks for teaching me how to ride.”

“No problem. During all the times we spoke, your father never told me that.”

Peyton resisted the urge to shrug. He couldn’t figure out how it could be of any interest to Brag. Renting a property from a person didn’t exactly give someone the right to know all of the landlord’s business, particularly about his adult son.

Unzipping a pocket on his leather jacket, Peyton took out his phone and chose the number for the driver of one of the moving trucks. He pressed it and waited. Brag picked up his coffee and headed toward the back door. “I’ll bring the mug back in a bit. And if you need help with unloading anything, let me know. My phone number is on the calendar. I’ll go see that there are four stalls ready for your horses.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

As Peyton listened to his phone ring, he watched Brag walk toward the back door. The man certainly knew how to fill out a pair of jeans. The muscles straining the soft fabric of the T-shirt weren’t bad, either.

He had no clue if Brag was gay or straight. But it didn’t matter. Peyton was looking for peace and quiet, not romance.

ADULT STORY

Brag pressed his rigid cock against Peyton’s as he stared down at him. His pupils were dilated, dark with passion and looking at Peyton as if he was the most desirable man on earth. And maybe he was. He allowed himself to feel it, shedding the layers of crap Roger had heaped on him.

Peyton stroked Brag from shoulder to below Brag’s waist, where he spread his fingers and curved them over the firm mound of the man’s ass through his jeans. He pulled as he lifted his pelvis, essentially mashing them together. Brag’s groan of pleasure was the beginning of a sweet, sweet song, one Peyton wanted to hear the rest of.

When Brag slowly lowered his head, Peyton tipped his head to the side, giving him access to his neck. The man’s firm lips pressed warm kisses to his flesh. He shivered when Brag ran the tip of his tongue over his skin, licking his way around to Peyton’s Adam’s apple. As he sucked on it, Peyton’s heart rate increased. A low groan erupted from his throat, and his cock throbbed in his jeans. Peyton knew they were close to the moment when decisions had to be made. Of course, he had the right to say no. Brag would respect that. Changing his mind wasn’t the issue. He knew what was about to happen between them and he wanted that. What he had to believe was that making love to Brag was the right thing for him to do at this time. Was he truly ready?

Peyton stroked and rubbed Brag’s ass again. His balls pulled tight to his body, about to release their load. They were at the now or never point. Or, at the very least, the now and possibly later, point. It wasn’t critical. He had to make a decision and quickly. It wouldn’t be fair to lead Brag along, letting the man believe something would happen between them tonight and then shut him down.

The tips of his fingers followed the back seam of Brag’s jeans, imagining how it would feel to explore beneath. He shivered and bit back a moan.

“If you keep that up, I’ll have to go to the bathroom to jerk off.”

A chuckle escaped Peyton, easing the tension of the passion now rising to critical level within him. “By your own admission, you’ve done that a lot. Do you believe you really want to waste the time and energy? I think we should take this to the bedroom.”

Once the decision was made, Peyton felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Giving himself permission to try to find love again was the catalyst. It was the beginning of something new and, he hoped, a wonderful future.

Brag levered his body up and away from Peyton. Cool air touched his overheated skin. He took the hand Brag held out to him, allowing Brag to pull him to his feet. Brag had a few inches on Peyton. He looked up at him and saw the desire in Brag’s warm brown eyes. There was also the hint of something more, but Peyton didn’t want to be presumptuous and give it a name just yet.

“Bedroom?” Brag prompted, a smile tugging at the corner of his firm lips. Firm, gorgeous lips. Peyton shuddered as he imagined them on his dick.

Peyton blinked. “Yeah, bedroom,” he echoed and took Brag’s hand, allowing him to lead Peyton to his bedroom. “You’re not the only one to fantasize. I’ve thought about being with you a hundred times.”

“Well, now that I’m here, I suggest we get naked.”

Peyton chuckled. “Getting naked is a good idea.”

While Brag went to sit in the chair near the door to remove his boots, Peyton’s hands went to his waist. He unbuckled his belt as he watched Brag pull off each boot. If he wasn’t in such a hurry to get to consummate their sex life, he would have taken the time to play. Next time he would help Brag take his boots off by straddling his long legs and giving Brag the perfect view of his ass.

Peyton unzipped his jeans and pushed them down, along with his underwear. His erection came free and slapped his groin. Bending over, he pushed off his jeans and socks. He didn’t fail to notice that Brag’s gaze was fixed to him. Heat washed over his skin. Desire shot through him, along with a healthy dose of lust. There was a moment when he might have felt the need to preen. Brag rising from the chair to rid himself of his clothes put an end to that thought. Peyton stared. He couldn’t help himself. Brag was a perfect specimen of manhood. As much as he wanted to top for their first time, he was tempted to give up that honor, just so he could get Brag’s long, thick cock in his ass.