by Avery Ford
“Just like that,” Ben whispered, unknowingly answering Chase’s thoughts. “Your mouth is so hot, Chase. “So, so good…”
His own cock leapt at the compliment, and Chase reached down to stroke himself as he kept sucking Ben. He could have probably come just from the sexy sounds Ben was making. But feeling Ben’s cock pulse in his mouth, feeling Ben’s body tense and tighten under his touch, and hearing Ben’s low, raspy voice saying all of those sexy things was like sensory overload for Chase.
It felt like any one of those things could push him over the edge at any moment.
Chase sucked faster, deeper, speeding up the pace as he stroked his own cock to the same rhythm. He could seriously stay just like that for hours if Ben would let him, without a doubt.
“Oh my God, Chase,” Ben moved his hands down to Chase’s shoulders, gently pulling at him. “I—I… oh damn that feels good, but… I want you inside me now. Please? I don’t think I can wait anymore, honestly.”
Ben’s cock slid from Chase’s mouth with a wet pop and Chase was on his feet in an instant, taking Ben’s face in his hands as he searched Ben’s eyes.
“Are you sure, babe?” Chase asked, suddenly so anxious and so fucking excited that he had to stop himself from bouncing up and down. “You want me to, uh… to fuck you? Now?”
He needed to hear it again, just to memorize the sound of the words as they fell from Ben’s lips.
“Oh, hell yes,” Ben said, nodding emphatically. “I’ve been wanting it for… forever, honestly. But tonight,” he paused and swallowed hard. “Tonight, I need it.”
Jesus fuck, just hearing Ben say that made Chase’s cock throb, and he actually had to look down to make sure he hadn’t just come all over the place. It was probably the hottest thing he’d ever heard come out of Ben’s mouth, and he definitely wouldn’t be forgetting it anytime soon.
Those couple of sentences and the memory of the look in Ben’s eyes would provide plenty of jerk-off material later.
Chase silently cursed himself when he realized he hadn’t thought to bring condoms or lube or anything. Seriously? What the fuck had he been thinking?
“I, uh,” Chase began, looking from his dick back to Ben with a sheepish grin. “I didn’t think to bring any, uh…”
“Nightstand,” Ben jerked his head in the direction of the bed. “Top drawer.” He walked over to the bed and sprawled out on his back. Chase had been too mesmerized watching that ass walk away to even think about moving until Ben arched an eyebrow and gave him an impatient look. “Chase? Condoms and lube?”
“Right,” Chase said, snapping out of his daze and practically tripping over his own feet in a rush to get to the nightstand. “I’m on it.”
He quickly found what he needed, suiting up and slathering his cock and fingers with lube. His dick was bobbing and twitching out in front of him like it had a mind of its own as he walked back to the foot of the bed where Ben was still laid out like a Greek god.
Fuck, the man was beautiful.
And now it was Ben’s turn to look sheepish. “It’s… been a while, so… maybe go slowly at first?”
Chase laughed, feeling suddenly awkward as he stepped closer. “What’s going to be the most comfortable position for you?”
“Just like this,” Ben said, hooking his hands around the backs of his knees and pulling them up closer to his chest. “I want you close to me. I want to see your face while you’re inside me.”
Chase moaned as his eyes raked over Ben’s body, from his sexy eyes down to that pretty little pucker that was completely exposed and waiting. He lined up the head of his cock with Ben’s entrance and pressed gently, hyper-aware of the way Ben’s body tensed and the way he inhaled sharply as the head began to stretch that tight ring of muscle.
“Are you okay?” Chase asked, freezing in place. “We can stop if it hurts.”
“No, I’m good,” Ben said, clearly lying. He winced and shifted his weight, forcibly moving his ass lower on Chase’s cock. “It’s a good kind of pain. The best kind. And it’ll pass in a minute. Just… keep going.”
Chase nodded, doing his best to hold back even though the way Ben’s ass gripped his cock was the most incredible thing he’d ever felt. Soon enough, he’d be able to sink his dick all the way inside that tight hole, but for now, for Ben’s sake, he had to take it slowly.
With small, shallow thrusts, Chase worked himself in, inch by inch, giving Ben plenty of time in between for his body to get used to the feeling. By the time he was finally balls deep, they were both breathless, and a fine sheen of perspiration had started beading on Ben’s forehead.
Chase leaned in, still buried to the hilt, and kissed Ben.
Ben lapped at his tongue, opening his mouth to Chase and hungrily kissing him back as Chase slowly, steadily started rocking his hips back and forth, until he found the spot he’d been looking for.
There was no mistaking it, as Ben gasped and his eyes went wide. “Oh my God, yes…” he panted, breaking away from the kiss to throw his head back and moan. “Right there, Chase… yes.”
Chase raised up and grabbed Ben’s hips, thrusting harder and deeper, loving the way that Ben would moan and his eyes would roll back every time Chase’s cock brushed against his prostate.
He was giving Ben what he needed, and watching him come undone was so fucking sexy that Chase could already feel his balls tighten as he edged closer and closer to his climax.
“You feel so good,” Chase murmured. “So fucking tight, babe. Your ass is gripping my cock like…”
His voice trailed off, and he was unable to think of anything that would even be a decent comparison for the velvety goodness that was wrapped around his cock at that moment.
Nothing else even came close.
It was like their bodies had been made to fit each other, like two sides of a coin, two halves of the same whole.
It was heaven, pure and simple.
“Chase,” Ben panted, reaching up to draw Chase back down for another quick kiss. “I’m so close… please… just keep going… just like… that…”
Each word was punctuated by a low moan and a hitch in his voice as Chase kept up the pace with one long, hard thrust after another.
Ben reached down to stroke himself, but Chase batted his hand away. “Let me take care of you, babe,” he said, wrapping his hand around Ben’s cock and stroking him in time with each thrust. “All you have to do is lay back and enjoy. Come for me, Ben. Go ahead and let go.”
And as he cried out Chase’s name one more time, that’s exactly what Ben did.
“Oh God, Chase… oh God… oh…”
He met Chase’s gaze as the first hot jets spilled out over Chase’s fist and sprayed out across Ben’s toned stomach.
“Damn, oh fuck,” Chase groaned as his own release overtook him. He gave one more long thrust, grinding his hips against the soft skin of Ben’s ass as he emptied his cock.
A contented smile spread across Ben’s lips as Chase’s hands roamed up and down the tight, tense muscles of his calves and thighs.
“That was… so good,” Ben murmured, his breathing slowly returning to normal after the intense orgasm they’d shared.
“You were amazing, babe,” Chase said, slowly sliding out of Ben before leaning in for a kiss and rolling onto the bed next to him. “You always are.”
“This week has been so nice,” Ben said, his voice so quiet that Chase almost missed it. “And I’m really gonna miss you.”
Chase felt his breath hitch in his throat. He wasn’t sure if he could handle this conversation right now. But Ben looked sleepy, and Chase hoped he could get by with just another kiss for now.
“I’m going to miss you, too,” Chase said, finally, pulling Ben even closer and not wanting to ever let go. “More than you know.”
Ben didn’t go any further with it, thank God. Chase probably would have broken down if he had.
Because he didn’t just like how the two weeks with Ben had gone. Chase loved i
t. Everything about it.
He loved Ben. But it wouldn’t be fair to say it. Not now. Not like this.
So, he closed his eyes and hoped that Ben would do the same, and maybe they could put their feelings off for at least another day.
Chapter 18
Ben
Ben jumped as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He’d been on edge for the past couple of days, ever since he’d shown the property to Carlos.
He’d been checking his phone non-stop since then, hoping that Carlos would call with the estimate. Even if it wasn’t the right number for Ben to consider selling—and he knew it probably wouldn’t be—Ben just wanted to put the idea behind him, one way or another.
He was tired of living with the far-fetched fantasy of actually moving. It either needed to become a reality or he needed to get the hell over it.
Except now Carlos actually was calling, and Ben didn’t know what to do.
It didn’t help that he was in the middle of the pasture with Eric five feet away.
“You okay, bro?” Eric asked, his brows knitting together as he watched Ben fumble to get his still-vibrating phone out of his pocket.
“Yeah, absolutely… I just, um… I need to take this call?” Ben shrugged apologetically as he started walking in the opposite direction from where Eric was standing. “I’ll be right back.”
Great.
Because that hadn’t looked suspicious at all.
And it wasn’t like Ben could lie to cover up what he was doing—or even think of a good lie fast enough in the first place, for that matter. Eric would see through it in an instant.
But whatever.
He’d have to deal with that later.
For now he was having enough trouble not hyperventilating as he swiped to answer the phone.
“Hey, Carlos,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant but also quiet enough that Eric wouldn’t overhear. “What’s up? Do you have good news for me?”
“The best kind of news,” Carlos answered. “Are you sitting down?”
Oh God.
Oh God, oh God, oh God.
Ben’s heart was already racing, but Carlos’ words had kicked it up about five notches until Ben thought it might actually burst from his chest before he even learned what the best kind of news was.
“I’m out in the pasture, actually,” Ben said, trying and failing to keep the nervous tremble out of his tone. “But go ahead and hit me with what you’ve got.”
He could hear Carlos shuffling papers on the other end of the line for what felt like an eternity, even though it was probably closer to ten seconds.
“Okay,” Carlos said, finally. “There’s good news and then there’s better news. I’ll start with the good news.”
“Perfect.” Ben was pacing back and forth already, trying not to yell into the phone for Carlos to just hurry. “Good news first.”
When Carlos told him the amount they could reasonably ask for the land and the house, Ben’s eyes felt like they were going to pop right out of his head. He suddenly wished very much that he’d taken the man up on his suggestion to sit down.
He was tempted to anyway, pasture or not.
“Are you still with me, Ben?” Carlos asked, chuckling as he could clearly hear the heavy breathing on Ben’s end of the line. “Is that a number that you can work with?”
“Um, yeah, that’s a great number,” Ben said, still unable to really wrap his mind around it. It wasn’t enough that he would be set for life or anything, especially not after splitting it with Eric—and especially not in a city like Manhattan. But it was still a lot. Enough that Ben could take his time and take his pick when it came to finding a new job.
He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feign disappointment with the first number or what the protocol was when it came to negotiating with a realtor, but he honestly didn’t care. Carlos was a friend, and Ben knew he would be trying to get the best deal possible.
Plus, holy hell, it was more money than Ben had ever even considered.
By a lot.
“Wonderful,” Carlos said. “Now, are you ready for the great news?”
Ben couldn’t even imagine what that might be. Had Carlos picked up a lottery ticket for the two of them to split or something? It was seriously going to be hard for him to top the news he’d just given Ben.
“I’m ready,” Ben answered. “I mean… I think I’m ready. I hope I’m ready.”
The chances he might actually have a heart attack seemed more real by the second as he waited.
Luckily, he didn’t have to wait for any paper shuffling this time.
“I’ve got an offer for you, Ben. Full asking price.”
Ben blinked.
Then he blinked again.
“Wait, what?” Ben shook his head as the words finally started to sink in. “You have an offer? From… a person? An offer to buy?”
“Yes! Can you believe it?” Carlos was so excited he was almost yelling, and Ben cast a quick glance to where Eric was still standing.
But Eric was busy with work, and if he did happen to be paying attention to Ben, he was doing a pretty good job of hiding it.
“No,” Ben said, truthfully. “I really can’t believe it. How did you even manage to get an offer so soon? Like… we haven’t even listed it yet, have we? I wasn’t ready to do all of that, but—oh my God, did you say the offer was for the full price? The price you quoted me a minute ago?”
Ben’s head was spinning, and he wished he had something nearby to steady himself. He thought again that he might need to actually sit down in the pasture, but that would no doubt look really strange if Eric did happen to glance over at him.
Still… it was crazy. Nothing Carlos had said so far made any sense. If Carlos hadn’t been a friend for so long, Ben would have probably thought it was some kind of outlandish joke.
But Ben knew Carlos didn’t joke about real estate or about making a deal. And he sounded almost as incredulous as Ben felt.
“Yes, you heard right,” Carlos replied. “Full asking price. It’s a businessman, a farmer who has been looking around in the area for a while. Someone in my office referred him to me when I mentioned I was working on this estimate. He’s interested, Ben. Very interested. He hasn’t seen it yet, of course, but when I spoke with him on the phone, he seemed to think it would be the perfect location for a new farm and he wanted me to put in an offer immediately, to make this a private sale.”
It was certainly news to Ben that someone had been looking to buy land around Baxter Springs, but he hadn’t exactly done a good job of being social for the past couple of years. He’d been too busy just trying to keep things afloat at the ranch to worry about what anyone else in town might be doing.
But he didn’t have any reason to doubt what Carlos was saying. And anyway, he was too overwhelmed with all of the information he’d just been given to dwell on any particular piece of it for more than a few seconds at a time.
Ben inhaled slowly and then exhaled, doing his best to center himself enough to get through the rest of the phone call. If Carlos had any more surprises up his sleeve, Ben hoped he’d save them for a different conversation. His brain couldn’t handle anything else, and his heart sure as hell couldn’t.
“Okay,” Ben said, finally. “What do we do now? What’s the next step?”
“Well, I know you said before you weren’t in any particular rush to sell, but I think you should seriously consider this offer, Ben. They don’t come along like this every day, and it could be months—or longer—before we find someone who is looking for that much acreage in this part of the state. And then they’ll probably want to negotiate the price down from what we’re asking. This really is the kind of deal you don’t just pass up.”
Everything Carlos said rang true to Ben. He knew that it was a hard sell to unload a ranch of this size, especially for the price Carlos had mentioned. Ben certainly wouldn’t have paid that much for the land, if the situation had been reversed.
But he c
ouldn’t just accept the offer now, not without thinking it over and talking to Eric about it. He cursed himself for not at least mentioning the possibility of selling to his brother sooner.
He really didn’t think it would happen like this, though. In fact, he didn’t really think it would happen at all.
“What sort of timeframe are we talking about here?” Ben asked. “I need to think and to discuss it with Eric, of course. Can you give me a few days, at least? Maybe a week?”
“I understand,” Carlos said. “I know it’s a lot to process, but unfortunately the buyer wants to make this happen as soon as possible. He’s already looking at other land in the area, but he wants your land.”
“If he wants my land so badly, he’ll surely wait a few days, right?” Ben was feeling the pressure from the conversation, and Carlos wasn’t helping now that he’d gone from happy and excited back to his normal business voice.
“No, Ben. He made it very clear to me that he’s going to make a move in the next couple of days. He said if I can’t get him an answer within twenty-four hours, he’ll buy from someone else. He apparently has construction contracts and deadlines to meet and I don’t even know what else, but he’s serious about this deal, Ben.”
The pressure he’d been feeling suddenly got about five times worse, and Ben put his free hand up to massage his temples as he tried to think rationally.
“I’ll have to call you back, Carlos. I need to talk to Eric like, immediately, but I’ll have an answer for you one way or another within twenty-four hours. I can promise that much right now.”
“Don’t hesitate to call me at home if it’s after hours,” Carlos said. “This deal is my number one priority.”
For once, Ben didn’t doubt for a moment that Carlos meant it when he said that.
Ben’s head was still spinning as he hung up the phone. What in the world was he going to say to Eric? How was he even going to bring it up?
He wished he just had a little more time. But that clearly wasn’t going to be the case.
Eric was just a few yards away.
Ready or not, the time had come.
