by Jena Wade
“Is he going to work like that?” Cory asked out loud before he could stop himself.
Tre shrugged. “Not sure. Why? Is it gonna bother you?”
“No. Why would it bother me? Dude can bale hay buck naked if he wants to. Just seems stupid to me.” Ugh. Fuck. Perry naked was not the image he needed in his head.
Tre shook his head and laughed.
Before Cory could say anything, Perry called out, “About time you two got here. Tre, go ahead and take the first shift driving. Cory and I will stack. We should be able to get this field done in a couple hours, then move on to the next one.”
“There’s more than one field?” Cory clamped his mouth shut. That came out as more of whine than he anticipated. Fuck. Being a complainer wasn’t how he wanted to start the day.
Perry raised his brow. “Yeah. There’re three fields. We’re going to have a full day’s work, so we better get a move on.”
Cory pulled on his gloves and braced himself for the shit ton of work that lay ahead. He could do this. It wouldn’t be so bad.
* * * *
Six hours later, Cory wasn’t so convinced that he could do this anymore. Each bale that came through the chute was heavier than the last, but he had to keep up.
Though he’d had his turn driving, twice, and they’d taken several breaks, he still struggled to keep up with Tre and Perry.
With each move of his arms, his biceps screamed for rest, and his legs had gone way past the point of giving out. He wasn’t even sure how he was standing anymore.
He knew his discomfort was obvious to Perry. There was no use in hiding it. But he didn’t complain, and he tried his damnedest to keep up.
“Last row.”
“Huh?” Cory tripped as he dragged the bale to the back of the wagon to stack alongside the others.
“This is the last row. Then we’re done for the day.”
Sweeter words had never been spoken. Cory wanted to jump for joy, but there was no way his legs could do it.
“Thank fucking God.” Cory kicked the bale into place, and stretched his aching back.
“Getting a little tired?” Perry’s eyes twinkled with laughter, but all Cory could see was a challenge.
“Fuck off. You know I’m dying over here.” Cory looked down at his sweat-drenched shirt; even his jeans had sweat spots. Those were going to be fun to peel off later.
Putting forth barely any effort at all, Perry tossed a bale on the top of the stack. “You did good. Tre and I would’ve never gotten done today without you.”
The praise was like a shot of adrenaline straight into his veins. Cory couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across his face. “Well, it wasn’t so bad. I’ve had worse days.” He surprised himself with how true the words were. He might not feel the same tomorrow when he could barely walk, but for now, it was nice to work with Perry. To be by his side, doing something productive.
Thirty minutes later, they backed the last wagon into the barn. Most of the other bales they had stored already, but three wagons still needed to be unloaded.
Cory groaned as he stared at them. He hadn’t meant to, but he couldn’t hide it now.
“Don’t worry; we won’t be unloading them tonight. I’ll get them done tomorrow morning after chores,” Perry said.
“I can help.”
Perry winked. “Nah, you’re going to be a bit sore. You can sleep in tomorrow.”
Cory started to argue, but thought better of it. He might not be able to move tomorrow. Sleep would be his only option. Even though it was only eight o’clock at night, he was ready to turn in now. After a shower, of course.
Tre hopped down from the tractor and hustled toward the barn door. “See you later. I’ve got just enough time to shower and meet Sally for our date.”
“Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Cory said.
Tre stopped in his tracks and turned on his heel. He gave Cory an odd look. “I’m going on a date with a woman; I’ll be doing all the things you wouldn’t do.”
Perry and Cory both broke out into laughter. By the time they stopped Tre had left the barn.
“Lucky.” Cory chuckled. He could go for a hot date about now. Then again, he’d rather have a hot shower.
“You want some dinner?”
Cory’s stomach rumbled. “Nah. I think I’m just going to shower and crash.”
“C’mon. I’ve got beef and noodles in the fridge at my house just waiting to be warmed up.”
That did sound delicious. But it’d been torture watching Perry work all day, and Cory had looked forward to a long shower just to bring his cock some relief.
Perry shrugged and turned away. “All right. If you don’t want it, then I keep it all to myself. Your grandma’s the one who made it.”
Cory’s stomach rumbled again at that. “I’ll take a shower and be right over.”
Perry lifted his shirt and wiped the sweat from his brow. Suddenly Cory had another shot of adrenaline, only this time it went straight to his groin.
“Good idea. I should shower too. I’m out of beer, so bring some with you when you come over.” Perry walked away, pulling off his shirt as he sauntered out of the barn.
Cory’s feet refused to move. The only direction they wanted to go was straight toward the man stripping as he walked away. Cory shook his head, determined not to make a fool of himself again. Perry’d proved not once, but twice, that he wasn’t interested enough in Cory to break his stupid rule about fooling around with coworkers.
That was just Cory’s luck. Only man he wanted had some stupid unbreakable code of fucking honor.
Once Perry was out of sight, Cory’s feet finally did as they were told, and he jogged off toward his apartment. He’d grab a hot shower and some beer; then he could have a nice dinner with Perry. And maybe, just maybe, he’d get to sleep at a decent hour.
* * * *
Perry hustled into the little cabin he’d come to think of as home. He found the meal Anne had put together for him and stuck it in the oven to warm. With any luck, it’d be ready by the time Cory got there.
In the meantime, Perry needed to take a shower. He stripped off his jeans and threw them in the laundry basket he kept next to the door. The cabin was only one room, plus the bathroom, and there wasn’t much space for anything besides his bed, the TV, and the recliner. He’d barely been able to fit a bookshelf that held all of his novels. But it was home, and he liked living there. At the Rockin’ R he’d lived in a bunkhouse with three other guys, so having the cabin to himself was heavenly.
He did a quick scan of the room to make sure he didn’t leave anything out. He wasn’t sure why he cared, but he didn’t want Cory to think he was a slob.
Once he was in the shower, the warm water ran over his sore shoulders and down his aching back. He chuckled, knowing that Cory was doing the exact same thing. The thought of Cory in the shower had Perry’s cock taking interest.
Fuck. He didn’t have time for that. But it was tempting. Being near Cory all day, watching him work, had nearly killed Perry. He’d lost track of all the times he had to pull his gaze off Cory and get back to stacking bales. It didn’t matter what Cory did—whether it was working with one of his horses or stacking bales on a wagon—he looked damn fine doing it.
Perry quickly slathered on some soap and cleaned the sweat off his body, then climbed out of the shower. No sense in wasting any time in there. He needed some food and Cory would be there soon.
He threw on a pair of clean jeans and a T-shirt and made his way back to the kitchen area. He caught sight of Cory as he stepped onto the little porch. Cory let himself in and held up the six-pack of beer he carried. “Need one?”
“Hell yeah. Dinner’s almost ready.”
Cory handed Perry a beer then set the pack on the counter. “I’m going to sit my ass down and not fucking move. You can serve me here.” He gestured to the recliner, then lowered himself into the chair carefully, like every movement hurt.
Perry s
uppressed a laugh. “I suppose I can make your plate for you. But don’t get any ideas about it being a regular occurrence.”
Cory leaned back and closed his eyes. “Dinner, or you making my plate and serving me?”
“Making your plate. Although, if you prove to be a bad dinner guest, I might not invite you back.”
A slow, sexy smile spread across Cory’s face and Perry had to look away.
“Does that mean you’re going to stop resisting my charms and let me have my way with you, or, better yet, you have your way with me?” Cory waggled his eyebrows.
Perry opened his mouth to respond, but no words came. Damn, Cory had a way of setting him on edge. And the images he now had running through his head weren’t helping. No, it was more than that. Cory had a way of keeping him unsettled and on his toes every minute they were together, and he missed the feeling when they were apart.
The oven timer beeped, and Perry snapped out of his thoughts. He pulled the dish out and shoveled a plateful for himself and another for Cory.
He walked to the recliner and delivered Cory’s dinner.
“You never answered my question.” Cory leaned forward as he accepted the plate, his gaze on Perry the entire time.
“Just eat your food, Cory.”
“My arms hurt too much. Can you feed me?” He gave Perry a pleading look.
Perry rolled his eyes. “In the field you acted like you were feeling no pain. Keeping up with the professionals. What happened to that guy?” He tried to sound serious, but knew it didn’t come out that way. Somehow around Cory he found himself with a playful nature he never knew he had.
After swallowing the huge bite he’d just shoved in his mouth, Cory said, “I couldn’t complain while we were working. That wouldn’t look good at all. But now that I’m sitting down, I’m going to bitch and moan all I want. I have aches and pains in places I didn’t know I had. I could barely pull on my damn boots when I came over here. I almost had to throw on some flip-flops.”
Perry nearly choked on the bite of food in his mouth. “You own flip-flops?”
It was Cory’s turn to roll his eyes, but he didn’t comment.
After a few moments, Cory leaned back and closed his eyes again. His empty plate rested on his lap. “Damn, that was good.”
Perry nodded. The comfort and ease of the situation didn’t escape his notice. It was easy to be around Cory. To joke with him. Tease him. Kiss him.
What? No. Not that. He couldn’t do that.
He stood abruptly and grabbed the empty plate from Cory’s hands. He picked up the six-pack of beer and put it in the fridge, but not before selecting a bottle for himself.
He returned to the couch and sat, taking a long swig of his beer. “I really do appreciate your help today. I’ll be honest; I didn’t expect you to work the whole day.”
Cory let out a long sigh. “I figured you didn’t. I wasn’t sure if I was going to either. It’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve baled hay. I’ll never understand why you guys don’t just hire someone to do it for you.”
Perry scoffed. “You run the books and you don’t understand? That money would come straight out of our profits.”
“But we’d save a lot of time and energy having someone do it for us. You could’ve been focused on training all day instead of working in the field. Now you’ve lost a day, possibly more.”
“Nah. I just woke up an hour earlier. The horses still got their workout.”
Cory sat forward. “You fucking kidding me? You worked the horses and spent all day working in the field? How the fuck are you still standing?”
Perry shrugged. “I’m not. I’m sitting.”
“Fuck. You really make me look like a lazy ass, you know that?”
Perry couldn’t fathom where Cory got that idea. “What? You work hard. Look at all you’ve done with your horses. You’re a world champion, for Christ’s sake.”
Cory stared at a spot on the carpet. “I was. Five years ago. Now I can barely place. It’s just not the same anymore. It used to be fun.” He spoke quietly. His face had a lost look that Perry didn’t like to see.
“Fun or not, you’re damn good. I’ve seen you with Denny. And Cash. The way you work with them. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like you share a mind when you’re in the arena together running patterns. You know their moves before they do. ”
Cory tore his gaze from the floor and stared hard at Perry. His eyes grew dark with arousal and Perry knew this time if Cory made a move there was no way he was going to be able to say no. He couldn’t, and he didn’t want to.
Without realizing what he was doing, Perry stood and Cory did the same; within seconds they had their mouths fused together in a deep kiss.
Cory’s lips were hard beneath Perry’s, and he tasted faintly of beer. But mostly he tasted of sweet honey.
Perry moaned and wound his arms around Cory, pulling him close. After resisting every urge he’d had to touch the man, he finally let himself explore. He tugged at Cory’s shirt, and thought about ripping it so he could feel Cory’s soft skin against his.
Cory pushed at Perry’s chest until he took a step back. “What happened to not screwing around with coworkers?”
“What happened to being too sore to move?”
“That’s gone. I feel fine. But you better not try to push me away this time. There’s no way I’m stopping.”
Perry worked at the buttons of Cory’s shirt. “Then shut the fuck up.”
“No problem.” Cory pushed Perry’s hands away and removed his shirt, then tossed it to the floor. He undid his belt buckle and had his pants around his ankles before Perry finally snapped into action.
Perry made short work of removing his T-shirt and pants. Cory was already on the bed with the covers pulled back.
Inside the nightstand, Perry found condoms and lube. He quickly checked the expiration date. He couldn’t even remember when he bought them, let alone the last time he needed one. Luckily, the condom was still good.
“Hurry up.” Cory removed his boxers and reached for Perry.
Perry’s breath caught at the sight of Cory completely naked on his bed. He hadn’t let himself think about what would happen if he finally gave in to Cory’s advances. This was way better than any fantasy he might’ve had, anyway.
Cory lay on the bed; his long, hard cock stood at attention and practically begged for Perry’s mouth.
A thousand thoughts ran through Perry’s mind all at once. There was Cory, naked, ready for Perry to make a move, and he couldn’t decide which was the best way to start, where he wanted to explore first.
Cory grabbed Perry and tugged him closer. Their lips met again and Perry let himself melt against the man beneath him. Everything about Cory’s touch was pure perfection, and Perry nearly lost it when Cory slipped his hand into Perry’s boxers and stroked his shaft.
“Let’s speed this up, ’kay? I’m dying to feel you inside me.” Cory breathed heavily against Perry’s cheek.
Words were still lost on him, so Perry just nodded. He snapped into action and kissed his way down Cory’s chest and finally made it to his hard cock.
Perry located the lube he’d tossed on the bed and slicked up his fingers. Without waiting for the lube to warm, he pressed the tip of his finger to Cory’s hole.
“Fuck! That’s cold.” Cory wriggled beneath him.
Perry engulfed Cory’s length in his mouth and sucked, doing his best to distract Cory from the intrusion of his fingers.
It must’ve worked, because Cory let out a hard breath and bucked his hips gently, trying to get deeper into Perry’s mouth.
With two fingers already inside Cory, Perry slowly added another. Fuck. The heat enveloped Perry and shot straight to his groin. He was tempted to stroke his own cock, which ached with a need to be buried in Cory.
“You. Wanna feel you,” Cory pleaded, his voice strained like it hurt him to speak. Perry understood the feeling.
“Not yet. You’re so
fucking tight.” Perry scissored his fingers inside Cory, stretching the ring of muscle.
“No. Now. It’ll be fine. Now.”
Perry removed his fingers and located the condom. He tore it open with his teeth and rolled it down his length. Once he was ready, he settled between Cory’s legs, and pushed Cory’s knees closer to his chest.
“Thank God. Been wanting this forever.” Cory grasped Perry’s hips and tried to pull him closer. His heated gaze demanded that Perry fuck him now.
Perry reined in his control the best he could and forced himself to go slow. He lined up his cock to Cory’s hole, still wet with the lube, and pressed in slowly. With each inch he sank deeper, he bestowed kiss after kiss on Cory’s neck. Drawing in the scent and taste of the man he couldn’t resist.
Cory arched his back and moaned as Perry buried himself to the hilt. Then Cory tensed and didn’t move, his thighs clamped tight on Perry’s waist. Panic ran through Perry. He stopped and lifted his head to look into Cory’s eyes. “Are you okay?”
With a quick nod, Cory let out a rough breath. “Yes. Just. Fuck. Give me a minute.” He took deep breaths, and after a moment he relaxed, the tension slowly leaving his shoulders and the vise grip he had on Perry’s hips relented. “I’m okay. I’m okay. Move. Slowly.”
Perry cursed himself for not taking the proper time to prepare Cory. It was a rookie move, something he hadn’t done since his teens. He’d make up for it later. Cory deserved it.
Carefully he drew back and rocked his hips.
Cory writhed beneath him and Perry stopped.
“No. No. No. Don’t stop. Fucking feels great.”
Perry silenced Cory with a searing kiss as he pumped his hips.
Cory met him thrust for thrust. He clawed at Perry’s back, drawing him closer, as if he couldn’t get enough of Perry.
The feeling was mutual.
Precum leaked from Cory’s shaft, and Perry thrust harder as he stroked Cory to the same rhythm.
He was so close, and he knew Cory was too. They’d been skirting around this desire for too long and Perry couldn’t hold back. He came hard into the condom, and a moment later Cory released into Perry’s hand. Perry’s orgasm rocked through him, and for a moment he saw stars.
