Ryder's Boys

by Cody Ryder

  Bruce’s gaze electrified Joe. He’d wanted nothing more than to pull him in close and taste his lips again, but he resisted. Go slow, he thought. You don’t want to push him away.

  “I love your house,” Joe said as they got into the car. “It looks like a home with history.”

  “It is,” Bruce agreed. “It was my parent’s house. I grew up there.”

  “And your parents?” Joe pulled the car out from the curb and started down the street. He had a spot in mind that he wanted to take him to, a special place that he hadn’t been to in years.

  “My parents passed away,” Bruce said. “So the house is just mine, now. It can be a little sad sometimes, surrounded by old memories. But I do like it. It makes me feel close to them, and it reminds every day of the hard work they did to provide such a beautiful home for me.”

  Joe glanced over at Bruce. He expected to see sadness in his expression, but instead he saw strength. His blue eyes sparkled with resolution—that same fighting spirit Joe had seen in the ring. It was that look, that energy, that drew Joe in the most. God, that look. Just that look alone was enough to get his heart racing. He could drown in that look and be happy forever.

  Bruce’s thoughts had gone back to the café with the mention of his parents, and though his expression didn’t betray it he was feeling melancholic about it. It was what they’d built that he was trying so hard to keep alive, after all. Their memory, their legacy. It’d been the most important thing in his life—almost an obsession—and now, after meeting Joe, he’d finally come to understand what his mother had told him. But it still tore at him, even with his newfound realizations, even understanding his mother’s wishes…there was still something that anchored him down, that kept him from full acceptance. It just wasn’t so easy to let go of an idea that had come, in his mind, to represent his mother and father.

  Bruce was fighting to identify that last remaining tether that was fastened somewhere in his mind. It would be the only way he could move forward…

  Joe pulled onto the freeway, driving west towards the coast. They’d been sitting in silence, and Joe finally gathered the courage to speak about what was on both of their minds. “About last night,” he said quietly. “Have you…given it any thought?”

  “Of course I have,” Bruce said. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about. How could I not be thinking about it?”

  “You’re right,” Joe said with a sheepish smile. “Dumb question.”

  “The truth is that I’ve never felt this way about anyone before,” Bruce said. The usual toughness in his voice had retreated, leaving a quiet vulnerability behind. Joe could hear it clearly, he could sense what a fragile state Bruce was in, and he wondered what could’ve been causing such a conflict within him.

  “So I don’t know…I don’t know how to deal with my feelings right now,” Bruce continued. “How I feel about you.”

  The silence descended over them again, neither one of them feeling the need to break it. They were both sitting in their thoughts. Joe exited the freeway towards the beaches. The sun was nearing the horizon, and the sky had taken on the dim bluish light of early dusk. House lights and streetlamps were starting to come on, marking the transition to night. It was Joe’s favorite time of the day. He took the left onto the neighborhood side street that wound up into the hills overlooking the La Jolla beaches, past multi-million dollar mansions that he’d once considered moving into, but over extra extravagance had never been his style.

  Joe again was the one to break the silence. “Can I ask you one question?”

  “Of course,” Bruce said. “Please.”

  “Are you still in the closet?”

  Bruce had expected Joe would ask this question. It made sense, given how he’d acted. “No,” he said. “I’m out. It’s just that I’ve never had a chance to really explore love. I’ve never allowed myself the chance.”

  “Because you were focused on your business?”

  “That’s right.”

  Joe nodded. “We talked about this. I never could’ve thought I’d feel this way about anyone either.” He thought about this for a moment before speaking up again. “My mind has always been focused on legacy. Ever since college. No, even before that. My father was a drug addict. He was never in my life. My mother could barely afford food. We lived in a cockroach-infested apartment. So, the motivation was always there—I swore I would amount to something more than my dad. I’d become rich and never have to worry about going hungry. I’d leave my mark. I’d leave behind a legacy. That’s what I’ve been working on my entire life. But now I ask myself…what kind of legacy is a company? Is that really all I want to leave behind?”

  “You talked about your friend’s daughter and wishing you could have a family,” Bruce said.

  “Yeah. I’d never felt that before. So, I explored it. Looked deeper.” He swung a right and pulled the car up a steep and winding hill. “We’re here,” he said.

  They were on a residential street, and Joe pulled his car up to the curb and parked. They both got out, and Bruce found himself blown away by the scene that lay before him. The street was on the side of a mountain, with a perfect view of the ocean stretching out in the distance. Directly beneath them, now blanketed in the velvety pastel colors of full dusk, twinkled the lights of La Jolla. Joe leaned up against the hood of his car, and Bruce came next to him.

  “This view is amazing,” Bruce breathed.

  “Fantastic, isn’t it? I used to come here all the time back in high school. It was one of the only places I could go that would clear my mind. I’d ride my bike up here and stand here until the sun went down, watching the light on the sea out there. Sometimes I’d stay for hours past sundown.”

  The two of them stood silently for some time, their hands resting closely together on the hood of the car. The call of a mourning dove drifted from top a nearby telephone pole.

  This time, it was Bruce’s turn to break the silence. “What did you end up discovering? When you dug deeper.”

  Joe’s eyes seemed to sparkle in the waning sunlight. “I thought that a business was the perfect legacy. It meant wealth. It meant something lasting, something impactful. Something that could live on past me. But I realized that something was missing from that equation. My mom worked hard to provide for me. She showed me that even when the world is stacked against you, you don’t go down without a fight. She truly made me.

  “In the end, when the money is gone and the company’s traded hands…what do you really have left? True legacy is about family. It’s about passing on what you’ve learned, to make the world a better place. It’s about love. That’s what lasts forever.”

  A shiver ran through Bruce’s body. True legacy is about family. The final knot around his heart loosened. It was waiting to be pulled free now.

  Joe was surprised to feel Bruce’s warm touch on the back of his hand. He turned over his palm and took Bruce’s hand into his, squeezing it gently. He looked over, and Joe’s dark eyes met Bruce’s ocean blue gaze. They leaned closer, and the last rays of sunlight were shut between them as their silhouettes became one, highlighted by that radiant glow.

  There was no hesitation in this kiss, no resistance, no questioning. They both gave themselves to it, feeling a bond and desire that neither had ever experienced before. It was both powerful and painful, and it took their breath away.

  Bruce felt his heart open in a way it hadn’t done since both his parents were still alive, ready and pining to love and be loved. It rocked him, this sudden bombardment of emotion that had been slowly simmering behind the locked doors of his heart and his mind, and it was so powerful that he was almost having trouble getting a handle on himself. The way he felt towards Joe was like nothing he’d felt before. How could he feel this way for someone he hardly knew? Someone he’d just met? The attraction had been there from the moment he set eyes on Joe, but still…what he felt now was much more than that. It was a yearning—a deep and aching yearning to be closer to Joe, to know him,
to have him and to make him his. I don’t even know his last name. Maybe that was what threw fuel on the fire. The mystery. The thrill of their unspoken agreements. Who was he?

  Fireworks burst across the open sky of their minds as they kissed, and Bruce’s hand pushed its way around Joe’s waist and pulled him in close so that he could feel the heat of his body and the press of Joe’s muscles through his shirt against his own chest.

  The landscape before them was a glittering carpet of lights, the very last of the day’s sunlight twinkling on the Pacific coast—a sight of spectacular beauty that was eclipsed by the passion they both felt for each other in that moment. They were both lost in one another, with one aching desire burning between both of them. When they broke from their kiss, they quickly and wordlessly climbed back into the car.

  “My place?” Joe asked breathlessly.

  Bruce’s heart was pounding. “Right here,” he said, almost desperately. He hardly had a handle on himself at that moment, only that he knew he wanted—no—needed to know Joe at that very moment. He was afraid that if he waited just an instant more, this spectacular feeling would pass over him and disappear forever. He’d do anything to trap it, to hold it and never let it get away.

  Joe saw the intensity in Bruce’s eyes, that fighting spirit that had captured him from the beginning. He didn’t need to ask twice. He fumbled with the laces of his shoes and kicked them off. Bruce did the same, and the two of them dove from the front seats into the back, laughing as they crawled over each other trying to get there first.

  Bruce crawled on top of Joe and pinned his back against the passenger-side door. He may have had a lack of experience, but that wasn’t holding him back. Not one bit. Their lips drew together again, and Bruce’s head spun as he took in a deep, intoxicating breath of Joe’s fragrance. He was in heaven. He kissed Joe’s cheek and nibbled his ear, rubbing his nose into his dark hair. He buried his face into his neck, tracing his lips on the warm flesh and basking in the warmth of his scent. Joe let out a low moan, and Bruce felt his fingers slip under his t-shirt and begin their slow exploration up his bare abs beneath. Goosebumps pricked up on his skin, and blood raced down between his legs.

  Joe was trying to go slowly, to let Bruce set the pace, but keeping in control was becoming exceedingly difficult as he felt the warmth of Bruce’s tongue against the low crease of where his neck met his collarbone. Bruce’s lips then traced his collarbone and his fingers nimbly began to unbutton his shirt from the top. Joe let his fingers roam beneath Bruce’s shirt, tracing the waves of his abs and moving up towards the curve of his pecs. He closed his eyes and let his fingers form a picture of Bruce in his mind as they moved along. He’s perfect, Joe thought with a rush of lustful excitement.

  Bruce kissed his way down Joe’s chest, popping open each button of his shirt. He could taste the perspiration gathering on his skin, and felt the building heat of his body radiating against his face. He pulled open Joe’s shirt, and took a moment to admire his bare chest for the first time.

  “Hey,” Joe protested. “That’s not fair.” He grinned and gripped Bruce’s t-shirt at the bottom and then tugged it up over his arms, tossing it aside.

  Bruce gasped and returned the grin, a spark flashing in his eyes. He grabbed the two sides of Joe’s shirt and tugged, popping the remaining buttons at the bottom and sending them flying around the back of the car. He ran his hands over Joe’s fully bared chest, taking in every sensuous curve of muscle, and then brought his lips down to his lick and nibble on his stiffened nipples.

  At first, Bruce’s eagerness took Joe by surprise. He didn’t expect such explosive desire from him, but slowly realized that this was Bruce unrepressed by whatever was holding him back before. His passion now matched the energy Joe had felt with him in the boxing ring—the true Bruce.

  Both of them were erect, their hardness aching for release, and eager fingers were slowly making their way down to do just that. Joe felt Bruce tug at his belt, and when he looked down, he saw that he’d already managed to pull it open. The gold buckle flashed in the dim orange glow of the streetlight above the car, and he felt the button of his pants pop open and his fly slowly tug down.

  Bruce looked into Joe’s eyes, his fingers resting on the waistband of his underwear. His heart hammered. He slowly pulled down.

  Condensation was beginning to fog the windows of the car. Bruce held Joe’s warm, thick cock in his hand, and he looked at it with an expression of awe—not just because it was so big, but because it was the first cock he’d seen that belonged to someone else. He slowly moved his fist up the shaft, smiling when a glistening bead of pre-come formed at the tip. His eyes flicked up to meet Joe’s for a moment before returning to his member. He breathed in deeply, and everything seemed to turn hazy for a moment as Joe’s heavy and delicious musk filled his senses. Joe’s scent already intoxicated him, but this…this was a new level, and it made his own cock throb even harder.

  “I want you to look me in the eyes,” Joe said, and Bruce did. The fire that burned behind those blue eyes captured Joe, and he let out a sigh of pleasure as he felt Bruce’s hot breath draw around his member. Joe ran his hands through Bruce’s hair, gripping him lightly as he bobbed his head up and down, taking him in fully. Bruce’s tongue glided along his shaft, and circled his head with every retreat.

  His flavor was as delicious as his scent, and Bruce savored every taste. He was drunk on him, intoxicated by the intensity of what he felt for him. I’m not letting this get away, he thought. I’ve made up my mind. Nothing can stop these feelings; nothing will change these feelings.

  He ran his tongue from the tip of Joe’s head down his shaft to his balls, and then slowly teased and caressed them with gentle licks. With one hand, he continued to stroke him as he brought Joe’s ball sack into his mouth and lightly sucked. He reveled in the way that Joe’s cock throbbed and pulsed in his hand; the way it responded to him.

  Joe watched with a kind of stunned amazement as Bruce pleasured him, in half disbelief that this was even happening. An overwhelming urge to lay his eyes on Bruce’s special area suddenly overcame him. He wanted to indulge in him. He pushed Bruce back from him and moved forward, grabbing him by the shoulders and kissing him. He tasted himself for a brief moment as their tongues intertwined and probed. Joe then grabbed Bruce around his waist, spun him around onto all fours, and hunched over his back. Bruce gasped in surprise, and Joe buried his face into his neck from behind, kissing and lightly biting at his neck. With his arms still wrapped around Bruce’s waist, he quickly undid his pants and tugged them and his underwear down to his knees.

  Bruce knelt naked on his hands and knees in the backseat, his face almost pressed flat against the back window, which was entirely fogged up. Bruce shivered as Joe kissed down his spine, and his palms caressed upwards from his thighs to his ass cheeks. His lips continued lower until they reached his behind, and he let out a sharp moan of surprise when he felt Joe give him a little nip with his teeth. He looked over his shoulder and grinned at him.

  “Kiss my ass, don’t bite it,” he said.

  “I’ll do what I want with your ass,” Joe replied, returning his own mischievous grin. He then used his thumbs to spread Bruce’s ass cheeks apart, and thrust his face in between them. Bruce cried out again, his body shaking as Joe’s tongue traced a line from base of his cock, around his ball sack, across his taint, and up then finally to his sensitive and wanting hole.

  “Oh, shit,” Bruce moaned, unprepared for the sudden explosion of pleasure. He’d never felt anything like it before.

  “You like that?” Joe murmured into him. He knew he did; he could feel how Bruce shuddered and shivered with every tease of his tongue. Joe reached around and grasped Bruce by his cock as he pleasured him with his mouth, and Bruce could only cry out in response. He flung his arm out against the door and window to try to steady his quivering body, putting a streak down its fogged surface. When headlights poured through the car, Bruce tensed up.

 
“Someone is driving by,” he managed. “Joe, they’re gonna see us…”

  He didn’t stop, and any concern was quickly pushed from Bruce’s mind by way of Joe’s talented tongue. If the occupants of that passing car had been paying attention to the fogged-up windows of the Tesla parked on the side of the road, they might’ve caught a glimpse of bare flesh pressed against glass, or an expression of ecstasy in blue eyes as the thrill of the moment became too much.

  Bruce’s mouth dropped open in a silent gasp as the orgasm crashed through his body like a tidal wave. He’d done his best to hold it back, but it burst forward anyway, and a strained groan escaped his lips as his cock swelled and loosed his come across the leather seats. Joe had felt it happening and had increased his pace, and he savored the feeling of Bruce’s cock throbbing in his grip as his asshole spasmed with the climax.

  “Oh, my God,” Bruce panted, his face pressed against the door. “Oh, my God…” His strength slowly returned to his body, and he fell back into Joe’s arms. “I came all over your car,” he said apologetically.