Troy cast about in his mind, then came up with one of his favorite spots in the park, though he wasn’t sure whether Jared would appreciate it. But what did he have to lose?
“I might have just the place.”
Jared smiled at him, shifting a little closer until their shoulders were brushing as they walked. “Sounds mysterious.”
“Not really, so don’t get too excited. It’s just somewhere I like to go sometimes.”
“Now I definitely want to see it.” The warm, open way Jared was looking at him, he could tell it wasn’t just some line to get him alone. Jared genuinely did want to go with him to see his favorite place to chill.
“Come on, then.” He tugged Jared over to his SUV, the only downside to his plan that he had to let Jared’s hand go when they got into the vehicle.
Didn’t matter, he supposed. If everything went his way, hopefully they’d be doing a lot more than just holding hands in the very near future. After he’d backed out of the parking space and got on the road toward the Sam Houston National Forest, he glanced over to see Jared watching him with banked heat in his gaze and an intimate tilt to his lips. Abruptly, his brain supplied him with the very vivid image of those lips wrapped around his cock.
He pressed his foot down a little harder on the gas pedal and subtly shifted in his seat from the tight discomfort in his pants. The very near future couldn’t come fast enough.
CHAPTER SIX
JARED WASN’T surprised when Troy drove through the gates of the park, because of course one of his favorite places to go would be somewhere outdoors.
Like most people who grew up in Everness, Jared wasn’t a stranger to the park—he’d done his share of swimming, hiking, and hanging out with buddies, especially during his high school years, since there was little else to do in town besides go to the lake. He was only familiar with the most popular local hangouts, however. And he’d never really considered himself a true outdoor type. Sure, he’d walked some of the easier and shorter trails around the lake, but he’d never been on the longer, more challenging hikes that went deeper into the forest.
He’d bet his last dollar Troy had done all those trailheads and more. The guy probably didn’t even bother hiking by the trails. He could imagine Troy was the kind of person who’d enjoy getting a little lost in the wilderness.
When he’d turned in the bar and seen Troy sitting there, he’d nearly tripped over his own feet—and he didn’t have the excuse of alcohol like Tate did.
The park ranger had been casually sitting on a stool, beer in hand and looking good enough to lick. In fact, he looked like he’d just stepped out of the fantasy Jared had been having of him out of uniform. He had on slightly frayed, worn midblue denim jeans that molded themselves indecently to his muscular thighs, a short-sleeve charcoal gray button-down shirt stretched across his pecs and straining at his biceps as he lifted his arm to take a swallow from his beer, his dirty-blond hair looking like he’d styled it by shoving his fingers through it a few times after a shower. It’d been all he could do to keep his cool and not drool all over the man. No doubt Del and Tate were going to grill him at the earliest opportunity.
After driving past the closed rangers’ office Troy took a restricted-access track that wound its way toward the lake. When they arrived at a fork splitting into two narrow dirt tracks, Troy pulled his SUV off to the side and parked it.
“We’re on foot from here.” The guy tossed him a smile that was all infectious enthusiasm and sparkling brown eyes before climbing out of the vehicle.
“Should have known,” he mumbled to himself, glancing down at his dark red Vans. Not that they were uncomfortable to walk distances in, but they definitely weren’t hiking boots.
He followed Troy out of the car and hurried to catch up with the guy as he beckoned him down a trail disappearing into the trees. Oh yeah, he would follow that ass anywhere.
The track was narrow enough that Jared had to walk along behind him, but it was certainly no hardship. It gave him time to appreciate Troy’s slim waist and broad shoulders, the way his biceps bunched as he held up branches for Jared to duck under, the timbre of his voice as Troy told him a few interesting tidbits about the park.
The anticipation of where the evening was leading tasted sweet on the back of his tongue. He was becoming more and more impatient to touch him, kiss him, press himself against all those muscles he was eye-fucking, but he was also enjoying the buildup. And the simple pleasure of seeing Troy in his element was creating some kind of heat in his chest he didn’t think he’d ever experienced before. Like just seeing Troy’s obvious enjoyment of this place was making him happy.
The trees and underbrush finally thinned as they reached the edge of the lake. Troy led him to a short wooden dock stretching out a few yards over the water. The water itself was recessed into a kind of small inlet, the cove separated from the larger lake. In the distance, the sun was setting over the water in vibrant splashes of color. Birds and insects chirped loudly in the otherwise serene silence.
“Wow,” he said as they reached the end of the dock. It was marginally cooler standing above the water, the gentle lap of it against the wood a constant, soothing rhythm.
“I know. I love it here.” Troy toed out of his boots and yanked off his socks, then rolled up the legs of his jeans. He lowered himself onto the edge of the dock, letting his feet dangle in the water.
Jared looked down into the murky depths.
“Sure there ain’t no gators down there waiting to chomp off your toes?” He’d never thought twice about swimming in the waters of the popular beaches, but he’d heard the occasional rumor of alligators in the more deserted stretches of lakeshore.
“I can count on one hand the number of gators I’ve seen since I started working here, so I think your toes are safe.”
He removed his own footwear and joined Troy at the edge of the planks, the water closing in cool relief over his feet when he dunked them.
“Water moccasins, on the other hand—”
He yanked his feet out with a very unmanly squeak, leaving Troy laughing. The guy clamped a hand on his arm to stop him before he could sprint off the dock altogether.
“I’m sorry, I’m just kidding,” Troy said when he got ahold of himself again. “It’s safe. I promise.”
“Goddammit.” He forced a calming breath on himself. “I fucking hate snakes.”
Troy sobered, looking more contrite. “Sorry. I’ll remember that for next time.”
Though the words were sincere, there was a teasing light in Troy’s eyes that told him possibly his fear of snakes was going to make an appearance at a later date when he needed ammo.
“So,” Troy said conversationally as they turned their attention to the setting sun. “Both your brothers are gay?”
Hell, talk about a conversation starter. Troy didn’t mess around.
“Del doesn’t like labels, and I know he’s dated other genders in the past. I guess if you had to stick an identifier on him, you could say he’s pansexual. As for Tate, I had my suspicions, but he’d never confirmed it until a few days ago.”
“What was that Tate was saying about your parents?”
He caught his lower lip between his teeth, hating it whenever he was reminded of that horrible day when his parents had taken the news of him coming out a lot worse than he’d anticipated.
“Never mind, you don’t have to explain, Jared.” Troy’s hand found his and linked their fingers once more, obviously taking his silence as a reluctance to talk about it. His name rolling off Troy’s tongue, however, did something funny to his insides, reminded him of how easy it’d been to talk to Troy three days ago when they’d met, like doing so was the most natural thing in the world.
“My father basically disowned me. I was seventeen, and one night I had a few drinks at a party senior year. Ended up making out with this guy from my economics class. I decided I better tell my parents before they heard it from someone else—you know what the gossip vin
e is like in this town.”
He paused, kicking his feet back and forth in the water as Troy sent him an encouraging nod.
“My parents weren’t uptight or anything—pretty chill about what time I stayed out and hanging with my friends. I knew they’d probably be surprised and a little disappointed. I didn’t expect them to get angry. Like I’d purposefully decided to be gay and made this terrible life choice.”
“A lot of people in the older generations still think it is some kind of decision or trend. Or like a bad upbringing or something.” Troy shifted over a little until their thighs were lightly touching.
“Yeah, so my mom starts telling me it’s just teenage hormones and I’m confused. My dad said he hadn’t raised me to be a pussy. He told me to leave and not come back until I had my shit figured out and knew where I was supposed to stick my dick. I left, went and stayed with a friend, and basically haven’t been back since. I mean, I’ve been to their house to see Del and Tate but haven’t talked directly to my parents in nearly a decade.”
“Oh man,” Troy muttered. “That sucks. I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
He shrugged, trying to push down the ghost of hurt that still came out to haunt him occasionally. “I’ve got Del and Tate, so it’s not all bad. But you can understand why neither of them is willing to be as open with my parents.”
“So they let you be the black sheep for them?” Troy arched both brows at him. “That really doesn’t seem fair.”
“No, it’s not like that.” Even thinking about Del or Tate being cast out by his parents made his stomach churn. “I wouldn’t let them. Del was pissed as hell when I left, and that same week was going to tell our parents he wasn’t straight either. Kind of a big fuck-you. But I told him not to. We had a huge fight over it. I mean, I can’t help the beliefs my parents had hammered into them growing up. And even though they hurt me, that night I could also see they were heartbroken. Like I’d destroyed their dreams or something. I couldn’t imagine how they’d feel if they knew all three of us— They’d blame themselves. I know it’s stupid, but they’d think they’d done something wrong bringing us up.”
“Except that’s bullshit and we all know it,” Troy insisted heatedly, his hand closing into a fist where it rested on his thigh. “They’re your parents. They should love you enough to try to understand. For all three of you.”
He sighed, feeling tension loosen in his chest at Troy’s unquestioning defense of his honor. For the first time he didn’t feel quite as bad about the situation with his parents. Maybe it was simply the passage of time. Or maybe it had something to do with the man sitting next to him.
“We all know life isn’t that simple,” he replied quietly.
“You’re way more understanding and forgiving than I’d ever be,” Troy grumbled.
“Life is too short to get bogged down by other people’s damage. Even if those people are my parents.” He shrugged off the melancholy, not wanting to dwell on gloomy topics when he was sitting on the edge of this lake with a beautiful sunset laid out in front of him on a balmy Texas evening with an undeniably hot guy pressed up against his side. Truly, he couldn’t think of anything more perfect, except for if they had a couple of cold beers between them.
“So,” he said, adopting the same conversational tone Troy had used earlier to ask about his brothers. He was about to pay back some of the bluntness in a big way. “You ever fucked another man before?”
Troy made a kind of choking noise before letting out a quick laugh—one that definitely had a nervous edge to it.
“Holy shit, talk about getting straight to the point.” Troy kept his gaze trained on the distant sun setting across the water.
“Just returning the favor,” he replied lightly, hoping he hadn’t made the wrong call and was about to scare Troy off.
“And if I say no, I haven’t ever fucked a man before, is that going to be a problem for you?” Troy snatched a glance at him but didn’t seem able to hold his gaze before his eyes skipped away again.
A few days ago when he’d met Troy, he would have said hell to the yes it was a problem. He wasn’t looking to be someone’s experiment or dirty little secret. But something about Troy had taken that sentiment, chewed it up, and spat it out in reverse. The idea he might get to be Troy’s first—to be the first man to ever take Troy’s cock and show him just how tight and hot that kind of penetration could be, or the one and only to slam himself into that virgin ass—made his entire body feel like it was attached to a live wire.
One and only? he repeated to himself. Where the hell had that notion come from? The idea of getting into any kind of relationship brought an automatic surge of apprehension, but immediately on its heels was a pulsing need for exactly that. Because sitting here with Troy like this, things so easy between them, he realized how lonely he’d been. Tate’s words about his self-imposed sex-exile returned, seeming truer than ever.
“Definitely not a problem,” he finally answered, his voice coming out a touch huskier.
This time when Troy looked at him, he didn’t immediately glance away again. Their gazes met and clung. Troy visibly swallowed.
“What if I said I’d never done anything with a man before? Not even kissed?”
Oh fuck.
His dick stood right up and probably would have leaped out of his pants if it hadn’t been firmly jammed behind the zipper of his jeans. He’d gotten the uncertain vibe from Troy that’d told him the guy was attracted to him but curious and confused about the fact. Except Troy had also seemed very okay with it, so he’d just assumed that even if he hadn’t ever had sex with another man, he’d at least enjoyed a mutual jerking-off, or blowjobs, or at the very least, kissing.
“You— You’re saying— You mean—”
Smooth, moron.
At his idiotic stammering, Troy dropped his gaze to his lap, shoving a hand through his hair.
“Shit, I shouldn’t have said anything. I just get this stupid urge to be completely open and honest with you for some reason.”
Troy started to shift away, but Jared reached out and settled a hand on the back of his neck. Troy’s breath caught, and he went completely still.
“The feeling is mutual, believe me,” he murmured, tracing the fingers of his other hand along Troy’s jaw until he reached his chin and gently urged him to look up again.
Troy’s brown eyes were wide and heated, anticipation and excitement easy to see in the depths. The setting sun highlighted the freckles on his nose and caught golden strands in his dark blond hair. The guy was fucking gorgeous, but it wasn’t untouchable cover-model gorgeous; it was honest, down-to-earth gorgeous that made him all too touchable.
Whether Troy had ever kissed another man became a moot point in face of the lust he could see burning in the man’s gaze. He was obviously comfortable enough with his sexuality that knowing he was attracted to a man wasn’t causing him any issues. Maybe he wasn’t the first guy Troy had been attracted to, and he’d just never had the opportunity to act before now for whatever reason. The idea of Troy being attracted to any other guy awoke something primal and possessive within him.
He tightened his grip on the back of Troy’s neck, drawing him closer. He didn’t know what the hell this was between them—an experiment or a fling or something more—but whatever happened after this, he was going to make sure if Troy ever did find himself with another guy, they wouldn’t measure up to the way Jared was about to own him.
CHAPTER SEVEN
TROY’S HEART felt like it was going to pound out of his chest as something sparked in Jared’s dark green eyes, something wild and hungry, something that called to him on a level he’d never felt. No one had ever looked at him like that before, like they were about to claim him in every way possible and make sure he enjoyed every second of it.
Jared’s grip on the back of his neck tightened, leaving a shudder cascading down his spine as Jared drew him forward. Tingling anticipation streamed through his entire body, like
he was a teenager and experiencing his first kiss all over again.
Maybe it was a close enough analogy. He was about to kiss a man for the first time, and it suddenly felt like he’d been waiting his whole life for this moment.
At the last second his eyes slipped closed, his entire being focused down to the hint of warm breath he felt brushing his lower lip before Jared’s mouth closed over his.
Oh God.
It was like being struck by lightning. The electric jolt that went through his body was sudden and powerful, leaving a bright, consuming fire in its path that he felt everywhere. Kissing Jared was nothing like his experience with any of the women he’d kissed in the past. His lips were pliable but firm, movements sure, bold, and decisive. He tasted malted traces of the beer they’d been drinking at Monroe’s, and his next short inhale held the earthy scent of whatever bodywash or soap Jared used, with undeniable masculine undertones of clean, lightly sweating skin. The subtle roughness of Jared’s whiskers—instead of being an odd sensation—went straight to his cock.
He moaned, not even caring he was getting so turned on by a single kiss and would probably appear exactly as inexperienced as he was to Jared.
Jared, however, dragged him closer, teasing his lower lip before deepening the kiss. When Jared’s tongue slid into his mouth, his heart leaped so hard he got an after-shot of dizzy. Troy reached up, finding Jared’s upper arms and wrapping his hands around Jared’s biceps to anchor himself, testing the muscle beneath his fingertips, tingles shooting up his arms at the sensation of warm skin beneath his palms.
Everything about Jared was solid, hard, and commanding. No way to miss the fact he was making out with another guy.
And he was loving the hell out of every second.
The sudden blaring of a car horn in the otherwise quiet evening air made them pull apart. Troy panted, taking a second to drag himself out of the lust haze and finally realizing the horn was bleating in sharp bursts over and over. The alarm on his SUV. Goddammit.
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