First Times

in

Old Pickups

A Gay Romance Novelette

By

Savannah Brooks

This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences. Names, characters, businesses, places, and events are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any and all resemblances to persons or places, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.

First Times in Old Pickups

Copyright © 2016 by Savannah Brooks

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the author, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

Books and Stories by Savannah

Short Stories & Novellas

• Falling for his Best Friend • Letting Him In • Never in a Million • Just One Kiss • Cross My Heart • Before You Leave Again • Finding His Forever Guy • Snowed In • Our Family Secret • Whole Again • Moving Forward • Just Maybe • Snowed In Again • Wild Fate • First Times in Old Pickups •

Troubled Hearts Series

• Stay •

• Broken •

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Epilogue

Excerpt from Stay (Troubled Hearts Book 1)

About the Author

Chapter 1

I slide the currently empty, mega-size cooler into the bed of the truck and lift the lid. The rear of the truck bounces slightly as my older brother, Sean, sets a case of beer on the tailgate beside me. I rip the cardboard box open as he drops a case of water down next to it.

Sean leans on the pack of water while I load the beer bottles into the cooler. “I can’t believe this is it, Cody,” he says. “My last weekend as a free man.”

I snort. “What I can’t believe is that you want to spend it camping with me and not in Vegas or something.” After emptying the box of beer, I wipe the sweat from my forehead, happy to be getting out of this heat for a couple of days, and start on the water. The plan is to pick up a few bags of ice to dump over everything so our first batch of drinks will be nice and cold when we arrive at the campsite in a couple hours.

Sean shrugs. “I wasn’t sure when we’d get to do this again. Believe it or not, I miss the days when we used to go camping all the time.”

“Even when half the time, we were in the backyard?” I chuckle.

“What are you talking about? Backyard campouts were some of the best.”

“That’s because Mom spoiled us.”

“Yeah, she did.”

I toss the last of the water bottles in the cooler and close the lid, latching it.

“You packed the rest of the soda, beer, and water, right?” Sean asks, reaching into his back pocket.

“Yep,” I answer as he pulls his phone out and looks at the screen. “Someone calling?”

“Jayce,” he says, tapping the screen and putting the phone to his ear.

My heart stills at the mention of his wife-to-be’s shy older brother. I’ve had a thing for Jayce Metz for almost a year now, pretty much since the moment Sean introduced me to him. Only no one knows. No one even knows that I’m gay.

“Hey, Jayce. What’s up?” Sean says.

I busy myself with double-checking that we’ve packed everything we need as Sean wanders around the front lawn, making it a little more difficult for me to eavesdrop on his conversation. I finish securing everything in the back with tie-downs, then close up the tailgate just as Sean makes his way toward me.

“Yeah,” he says, still speaking with Jayce. He looks at me. “It’s fine, man. I’m sure Cody’s fine with it, aren’t you, Cody?”

My eyebrows pinch together. “Fine with what?”

“Jayce joining us this weekend.”

Before I can speak, my heart jumps into my throat, cutting off my air. Fuck. I quickly clear my throat to buy time for my delayed response. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

Sean winks and give me a tilted half smile then turns around and continues his conversation with Jayce. “See. Told ya. No. Yes. Dude, trust me.” Sean glances back at me over his shoulder. His grin widens. “Yep. Okay. We’ll pick you up in a few. Cool. See ya.”

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Sean walks over to me, still grinning.

“So, he’s coming?” I say, ignoring the stupid, cocky grin on his face and the frantic swarm of butterflies in my stomach. I’ve spent a lot of time hanging out with Jayce over the last year, but never in a situation where we’d be sleeping near each other.

“Yep. You ready to go?”

I blink. “Yeah. Just gotta go to the bathroom, but yeah.”

Fifteen minutes later, we pull up in front of Jayce’s apartment building where he’s been living since coming home from college a few years back. Within seconds, Jayce is pounding down the concrete stairs from his second floor loft, looking perfectly fucking gorgeous in jeans, hiking boots, and a gray Deathly Hallows T-shirt that loosely skims the lean muscles of his arms and chest. He keeps his head down, his hair falling over his eyes, as he heads for the truck.

I’ve always gravitated toward twinks, and Jayce fits my vision of perfection to a tee. Shorter than the average guy and thin, with a layer of natural muscle underlying his not-so-hairy arms, he almost always dons slim-fitting jeans and a T-shirt depicting something fantasy-related. Dragons are his favorite, followed closely by Harry Potter. On top of that, he’s an artist, and a fucking talented one at that. He has this way of painting that makes everyday things seem extraordinary.

After cramming his duffel bag in the bed, Jayce pulls open the passenger door and that’s when it hits me. I’m going to be sandwiched between him and my brother for the next couple of hours because this truck doesn’t have a back seat. Fuck.

“Hey, guys,” Jayce says, his eyes apologetic and uncertain, as I move into the narrower center seat to make room. He climbs in and sits next to me, his thigh touching mine, but I try to ignore it and the heat suddenly coursing through me. “You sure you’re both okay with me tagging along? I know this trip was supposed to be Benson brothers only.”

“It’s fine, Jayce,” Sean answers. “In a week, you’re gonna officially be my brother-in-law anyway. I should have thought of that before.”

“Cody? What about you? I’m not messing anything up by coming, am I?”

“Nah. It’s cool, man. Sean’s right anyway.” I scoot over to give him a couple more inches and secure the lap belt around me, but the lack of legroom for the middle occupant almost forces me to leave my right leg stretched into the passenger foot well. Ideally, he should be in the middle. He’s shorter and a lot skinnier than I am. Still, I do my best to give him plenty of space.

I glance down at his hand, noting the varying colors of paint underlying his short fingernails—the mark of a true artist. “So, how’s your gallery collection coming along?” I ask, attempting to focus on something other than his body so close to mine.

“Should be ready in the next month.”

“Fucking awesome, man. I can’t wait to see it.”

His eyes light up, his lips curving into a modest smile. Christ, that look always does funny things to my heart.

Jayce pulls his seatbelt across his chest and secures it, his hand brushing against my hip, sending another surge of electricity sparking through my body and making my muscles tense. I sit back, trying to relax, and remind myself of one very important thing. He’s not gay.

Sean starts the engine. “We’re just gonna swing through McDonald’s for ice and breakfast.”

“Perfect. I’m starving,” Jayce answers.

I sink back into the seat, wishing I wasn’t here right now. As it is, I’m calculating trajectories and other mathematical physics equations in my head just to keep my breathing and heart rate under control and prevent my dick from getting hard. Math. Crazy, I know, but I love it, hence why I chose a career as an engineer. Solving complex formulas in my head will keep my brain focused on things that aren’t Jayce-related, and that’s a good thing, because the last thing I need right now is an obvious fucking bulge in my pants.

Sean pulls into the McDonald’s drive-thru and orders. At the pick-up window, he passes me the bag of food, then the drink holder. I hand them to Jayce one at a time just before Sean sets a bag of ice on my lap when I’m not looking.

I hiss through my teeth as the wet, icy chill seeps into my jeans. “Jesus fuck, man, that’s cold!” Stifling a laugh, I push the bag onto the floorboard between my feet just before he tosses another bag my way. I half-scowl at him as he lands the third and final bag on the seat between my legs, right on my crotch. “Fucking hell, bro?”

Sean laughs, and then I do too, completely forgetting about Jayce sitting next to me.

“Asshole. Maybe I should see how you like it?” I smirk.

“Nuh-uh. I’m driving. Rule is, you can’t mess with the driver.” With a smug grin, he pulls around and into a parking space in the adjacent lot, away from the busy breakfast traffic.

“Yeah, well, you’re safe, for now.”

Throwing the engine in park, he climbs out and takes all three bags of ice from me. “Just gonna dump these in the cooler,” Sean says. He heads for the back of the truck.

“Hey,” Jayce says, startling me a little. “You sure you’re okay with me coming along?”

I knit my brow, watching Sean in the rear view mirror so it doesn’t seem like I’m avoiding looking at him. “Yeah. Why?”

“You just seem a little upset that I’m here.” Jayce twists one of the cups filled with coffee out of the drink holder and places it in the plastic cup holder extending from the dash closest to the steering wheel. I pop the other passenger-facing cup holder out, and Jayce sets the other hot coffee labeled mocha in that one.

“Nah, it’s cool. I just wasn’t expecting you is all. It’s always been just me and Sean.”

Jayce keeps the last cup for himself, setting it between his legs since the only other cup holders in this old pickup are tucked under the seat beneath me. “Sorry. I told Sean it was a bad idea.”

Ah, crap. He sounds hurt. “Really, Jayce,” I say, turning my head to look at him. I find him staring back at me. Our eyes lock for a few seconds, and I hold my breath. He licks his lips, and it takes every ounce of will power not to look at his mouth. Casually, I settle back into my portion of the bench seat, trying to give him enough space, and reach for the mocha. “It’s all good.”

I take a sip and glance in the mirror again. Sean sure is taking his sweet time dumping the ice in the cooler.

“So, can I ask you something?” Jayce says, almost shyly.

“Sure.”

Pause.

“Are you gay?”

I cough, almost spitting out my coffee, as my heart goes from zero to sixty in about zero point six eight seconds.

“Dude, you okay?” Jayce asks, handing me a napkin.

I take it from him and continue coughing into it. “Yeah,” I sputter. “Just thought I’d try inhaling my coffee today instead of drinking it,” I squeak out. I choke and cough a little more. “Why would you ever think I might be gay?”

“Does that mean you’re not into guys?”

Every cell in my body freezes. My heart stalls. Even my lungs cease to function. Fucking hell. I want to deny it, but it’s too late for that. I panicked and hesitated when he asked, which means now he knows, because any straight guy would have vehemently denied it before he would have had a chance to finish the condemning question.

Now, I can’t even look at him. Jayce knows. The guy I’m practically in love with knows. Now, I have to spend the whole damn weekend with him. God, I’m so fucking screwed, not to mention humiliated. Twenty-four years old and I’ve never told anyone that I’m gay, until now, though I still haven’t actually said the words. Of course, this would be so much easier if Jayce was gay too.

“Cody. It’s okay if you are.” His voice is measured and soft. Caring.

Clutching my coffee in a tight grip on my thigh, I stare at the rearview mirror, unseeing, silently urging Sean to hurry so this conversation can end. I press my lips together and swallow hard past the burning strain in my throat. “I’m not—” My voice catches, and I take a deep, steadying breath. “I’m not out, Jayce.”

It’s a pleading whisper. I’m not ready for anyone to know.

I squeeze my eyes shut and bite the side of my tongue.

“I promise, I won’t tell anyone,” Jayce whispers. His breath in my ear sends warm shivers down my spine. He grabs my free hand and gives it a gentle squeeze, making my heart stop dead in its tracks.

I shoot a questioning glance at him just as I hear the tailgate close. A hopeful smile teases the corners of his mouth before he releases my hand.

Sean hops back in and reaches for his coffee. “Beer’s on ice, truck’s loaded and gassed up. Anything else you guys can think of before we head out of town?” He takes a careful sip.

I shake my head, not able to focus on what Sean is asking. My brain is still attempting to process what the hell just happened between Jayce and me.

“I’m good,” Jayce answers.

“Cool. Let’s hit it then.”

I keep my gaze focused straight ahead, tipping back my mocha for another sweet gush of caffeine. Two hours. Two hours of sitting here next to Jayce, our arms and legs occasionally brushing against one another. Two hours to wonder why the guy I’ve fantasized about for months now while jerking off just held my hand after finding out I was gay.

It’s going to be a long two fucking hours.

Chapter 2

It’s almost ten when we pull into the remote campsite about a hundred yards off the dirt road. This place is a pain to get to, having to take the partially washed-out, less-travelled road for about five miles around to the far side of the lake, and that last bit I wouldn’t even call a road, but it’s so fucking worth it.

The drive up with Jayce wasn’t nearly as tense as I’d expected. Once he’d passed out breakfast and I’d turned on the radio, I relaxed somewhat. Jayce didn’t say a word about our brief exchange. Absolutely nothing. Thank fucking God. Because I had definitely not wanted to have a conversation with my older brother about me liking dick.

Sean wanders around the area, checking out the site while I stand on a rock outcropping and soak in the view. Thick, green pines and tall grasses sparsely dotted with colorful wildflowers surround the secluded lake. A slight northerly breeze ripples the water’s surface, keeping the air a cool seventy degrees or so. Perfect for those of us escaping the hundred plus temps in the valley, and with how far away we are from the main highway, I’m pretty sure we won’t have any neighbors within at least a two-mile radius.

I hear the crunch of rock under boot behind me and glance over my shoulder just as Jayce scales the gradually sloping six feet of granite to stand next me.

“So,” he says, “this is the place Sean has always talked about.”

Shoving my hands in my front pockets, I turn to look across the lake again. “Yep.”

“Gorgeous. Peaceful. Secluded. I see now why you both like it so much.”

“Yeah. It’s perfect.”

“Hey, lovebirds!” Sean yells, and I know he’s teasing, even though deep down, I wish it were true. “Little help?”

I mentally shake off his word choice and moment of longing, giving Jayce a shrug and a small smile as I turn. He returns a subtle smile of his own, and my brain falters for half a second to wonder, and hope. Jayce’s grin widens a touch more, kicking my heart rate up another notch, when I hear Sean call out again.

“Hello?”

I blink, then glare at Sean, miffed that he stole whatever moment Jayce and I were having. “We’re comin’!” I holler, casting a cautious, sideways glance at Jayce before heading for the truck. “You know, you coulda waited a few minutes.”

“Dude, the sooner we set up, the sooner we can chill out and enjoy ourselves.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, bro.”

All joking aside, Sean’s right, and with the three of us working, even at a leisurely pace, we unload and have our camp set up within a couple hours. Having purposely positioned my canvas chair near the cooler, I plop down and flip open the lid.

“Hey, either of you want a beer while I’m in it?” I ask, grabbing one.

“Yeah, I’ll take one,” Sean replies, and I toss him the cold, wet bottle in my hand.

“Jayce?” I ask, lifting one up as he crosses between the cooler and the other chair opposite me.

“Thanks,” Jayce says, taking the long neck from my hand.

I grab one for myself and twist the top off, then take a long, refreshing pull of the Boston lager. Fuck, that’s good. Now I just need some munchies, but I stay put because right now, I don’t feel like getting my ass up to get them from the food box sitting on the truck bed.

“So, what is it you guys usually do out here?” Jayce asks.

“Mostly a whole lot of nothing,” Sean says.

Jayce looks at me as if he’s waiting for my answer to the same question and nothing more. Thank God.

I shrug, trying not to speak to him any differently than I normally would. No need to give Sean any sort of ammunition to tease me, or worse, find out the truth. “Run the RC cars a bit. Sean likes to fish some. We might go for a hike or jump in the lake, but mostly we sit around and do nothing but eat and drink.”

“And poke at the fire with sticks when we have a real one,” Sean adds, frowning at the little propane fire pit centered between us. I bought it a few years back when the drought was so bad that the national forest campfire ban started four weeks earlier than usual.

“Hey. It’s better than no fire at all.”

“Whatever.”

“Cheer up, bro. This is your last weekend as a free man. You need to enjoy it.” I puff my cheeks out, shaking my head a little. “Fuck. I can’t believe you’re actually getting married.”

Sean snorts. “I know. Crazy, huh?”

“She musta cast one helluva fucking spell on you,” I smirk, slouching further into my chair. “Because you are fucking whipped.”

“Fuck off,” Sean laughs as he launches his bottle top at me. A mischievous grin spreads across his lips, complementing the wicked gleam in his eyes, and he arches a brow. “What about you, Cody? When you gonna bring home a nice girl to meet Mom and Dad?”

I shrug and lean forward, grabbing a long stick off the ground and proceed to poke at the dirt. I’d rather bring home a nice boy—one in particular, to be specific—but the thought of coming out to my family still ties me up in knots.

“Or maybe it’s that you’d rather bring home a dude?”

My head snaps up, and I glower at Sean. “Why the fuck would you even ask that?” I bark, trying to hide the truth behind false anger. First Jayce, now Sean, but does he actually know, or is he just fucking with me? Had he heard some part of my conversation with Jayce earlier?

Sean smirks, raising both eyebrows in a silent challenge. “Deny it.”

“Fuck you.” I push to my feet and throw the stick at him. “You can be a real asshole sometimes, you know that?” I storm away, fucking pissed as hell. There was no way out of that one. I’ve never been able to flat out lie to Sean and get away with it. Avoiding the subject, I can do, but facing it head on against him, I never stood a chance.

“Aww, come on, Cody. No one cares that you’re gay,” Sean shouts at my back.

I flip him off and keep walking, making my way down by the water, out of sight but still within earshot.

“Dude, that was a dick thing to do,” Jayce says.

“What?” Sean asks. “Just trying to help him out is all.”

“You don’t out someone like that, especially in front of someone else, family or not. People hide that shit for a reason. Trust me. I know.”

The conversation falls silent, leaving me to wrestle with my own thoughts and warring emotions. I drop down on a flat rock just feet from the shoreline and hang my arms overs my knees as I stare across the water, digging my heels into the hard damp mud.

Thank fuck Jayce found out before Sean so eloquently outed me, or this would be beyond humiliating. As it is, I’m not sure what to do now. I was already trying to deal with Jayce knowing. I didn’t need to add Sean to the mix. I don’t know where this leaves us now. And what next? What happens when the weekend is over and we head home? Is Sean going to out me to the whole fucking world once we’re back? Or does the whole fucking world already know?

“Hey.” Jayce’s soft baritone voice breaks the silence.

I glance up and to my side. Concern etches his face as he gives me an apologetic smile, even though he did nothing wrong. “Hey,” I mutter, turning my gaze back to the wind-chopped waves.

“You okay?”

I take a deep breath. “I’m fine.” The words come out a little harsher than I intend, especially considering that the guy pretty much scolded my brother for what he did. “Sorry. I didn’t—” My voice catches on the dryness in my throat, and I swallow to wet it some. “I heard what you said after I walked away.”

Jayce wanders a few steps closer. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m not out to anyone in my family either, except for Skye. She figured me out years ago. Pretty sure that’s how Sean found out.”

I huff a laugh. “I had no idea. Even after this morning in the truck, I wasn’t sure. I couldn’t tell if you were just being nice or if it was something else. You hide it well.”

“So do you,” Jayce says.

“When did you figure me out?”

“Sean told me a few months ago, probably about the time my sister spilled the beans. He told me he was pretty sure you were into guys, but wasn’t a hundred percent certain.”

“Oh, God,” I groan. “That means my mom probably knows too.” I pound my fist into the damp dirt. “Dammit!”

Jumping to my feet, I skirt past Jayce and head straight for Sean. “Who else fucking knows, Sean?”

“Dude, relax.”

I clench my jaw and my fists. “Would you quit being an ass and just fucking tell me?”

From the corner of my eye, I see Jayce come up beside me, keeping a careful distance.

“Fine. As far as I know, just the three of us.” He casually sips his beer, like this is no big fucking deal, and to him, it isn’t.

“You didn’t tell Mom?”

“I’m not that big of an ass. Seriously, Cody. I say shit to get under your skin, and,” Sean tosses his head from side to side, smirking, “I might have hinted to Jayce about it because I thought it would be cool if you guys actually hooked up, but I’m not gonna rat you out to Mom. Or Dad. Or anyone else for that matter.”

Thank fuck. Wait. My eyes go wide. “Wait. You’re cool with…” I swallow hard. “With me being gay?”

“Why the fuck not? If sucking cock and getting fucked in the ass by another man is what gets you off, why should I care?”

I can’t believe my brother just uttered those words. Though I prefer my dick be the one in the other guy’s ass, but that’s a detail my brother does not need to know. Ever. “You’re fucking serious?”

Sean snorts. “Why do you think there’s only two tents?” he asks, clearly amused with himself, as he tosses back another gulp of beer.

I stare at him, my mouth hanging open a little. I feel like it’s been one shock after another so far today.

“Don’t look so surprised, and please don’t make me get all emotional and shit, but seriously, you’re my little brother. I’ll always have your back, man, no matter what.”

All my anger dissipates. Fuck, I can’t be mad at him now.

“So, are we cool?” Sean asks.

“Uh, yeah.” I clear my throat. “Yeah. We’re cool.”

“Good. Toss me another beer then.”

“Fucking lazy ass,” I sneer, and just like that, it’s almost as if the whole me being gay thing is completely forgotten.

“And since you’re up, grab me a bag of chips too.”

I grab a cold beer from the melting ice in the cooler. “You order your fiancé around like that?”

“Hell no! Skye would have my balls in a meat slicer if I pulled shit like that.”

Skye’s a career military woman with a soft, girly side who’s just as much into puppies and babies as the next woman is, but get on her bad side and that woman will rip you a new one, or cut of your nuts—whichever she happens to be in the mood for.

“She would do it, too.” Jayce chuckles, tossing an unopened bag of Lays chips to Sean on my behalf.

I can’t help the smile spreading across my face as I look at Jayce. God, I never realized how much I loved the sound of his laugh. I can’t believe, all this time, I never knew he was gay. Now, I get to spend the next two and a half days with him, and now that I’m out to both of them, I don’t have to hide who I am.

I wonder if I should make a move on him.

Chapter 3

“Hey, Cody. Can I, uh, talk to you alone for a minute?” Jayce asks, gesturing toward the truck with a subtle jerk of his chin.

“Yeah. Sure.” I follow a few steps behind him.

“Anything more than kissing better happen in that tent!” Sean yells.

I shake my head, grinning to myself, and shove my hands into my front pockets. More than kissing. My dick hardens at the thought. I want Jayce more than anything, and if he wants me back, I can’t guarantee we’ll make it to the tent if things heat up because our first time together, assuming there is one, will be lacking in one thing. Self-control. Because I’ve dreamed about my dick in his ass so many times that now, given permission, there’s nothing that will hold me back from taking him.

In the few seconds it takes to reach the passenger door of the truck, which is just out of Sean’s view, the bulge in my jeans becomes pretty fucking obvious. As Jayce turns around and leans back against the truck, his eyes flicker downward, then back up to mine, and those gorgeous, kissable lips of his curve into a hopeful smile.

Fuck me.

“You just going to stare at me, or are you going to kiss me?” Jayce asks, his voice dropping to a whisper.

My heart jumps. Permission granted.

I take a step closer to him, and he tilts his head back to look up at me. My insides coil in anticipation of something I’ve wanted for months now, and my breathing hitches. Then my confidence dips and my anxiety skyrockets, perpetuating the frantic rhythm of my heart. This isn’t just some random guy I met in a bar or my fuck buddy from college. This is Jayce. The guy my dick and my heart have been craving for so long, and now that this moment is actually here, I’m worried that I’ll be the disappointment in whatever happens after this.

“Cody,” Jayce says, his voice soft and a little hoarse.

I blink a couple times and refocus on him, and those eyes, laced with uncertainty, delving into mine.

“I’ve been crazy about you for a long time,” he adds, “But if you don’t want—”

No! I crash my mouth against his, cutting off whatever he was trying to say. Jayce laughs quietly, smiling against my lips, and then he’s kissing me back. I press my body against his, pinning him between me and the truck, and I’m instantly rewarded as his rigid length slides against mine, separated by nothing more than a few layers of cloth. Jayce moans into our kiss, and I push my tongue between his lips, my need to taste him driven by the months of pent-up desire sweeping through me. Our tongues wrestle as Jayce slips his hands to my backside and grabs my ass, pulling me closer to him. Then he grinds against me, and I nearly lose my fucking mind.

I grunt, thrusting my denim-clad erection against his, seeking any sort of relief I can find. A firestorm of want and need surges through my veins, and I imagine my dick buried inside him as he begs me to fuck him harder and faster and deeper.

My hands fly to the button of his jeans as I lick deeper into his mouth. Fueled by nothing more than lust and raw need, I rip open his pants and push them down, then quickly do the same with mine. His bare cock rubs against mine, eliciting a guttural groan from me and effectively turning off my brain. Then, Jayce wraps his hand around both of us, stroking with the same urgency burning in my own body.

“Oh, fuck,” I mumble, my mouth hovering close to his.

“Promise me we’ll do that later,” Jayce groans, sliding his tongue over my lips, sending more tingling heat straight to my other head.

“Fuck, yes.”

“Unless you’d rather do it now,” he whispers, stilling his hand around our cocks.

I grunt and whimper at the same time. I want to. I so fucking want to. But I know I won’t last more than a few seconds at this point. “Can’t. Too close.”

Jayce gives both our dicks a slow caress. “Fuck, me too.” He rubs his thumb over our leaking slits, gathering the moisture and then, with torturous, soft strokes, slicks both our shafts.

“Jayce…” His name falls out of me in a strangled plea. My cock throbs, swelling in his hand, and I’m trembling as my sac tightens, pressure coiling at the base of my shaft. In desperation, I kiss him again, surging my tongue into his warm mouth, sucking and biting his soft lips, needing the intimate connection more than I’ve needed with anyone ever before. “Fuck, Jayce, I’ve wanted you for so long.”

The words escape my lips before I can think to stop them.

“Me too,” Jayce moans. “Oh God, I can’t wait for you to fuck me.”

“You know what?” I growl, grabbing his hand and pulling it away from our dicks. “Neither can I.”

I wrap my arm around him and pull him away from the truck, keeping his body pressed to mine. Jayce buries his face against the side of my neck, nipping at my skin as I pull the truck door open. With a forceful nudge, I guide Jayce into the passenger seat. Using his elbows, he pulls himself further onto the bench, toeing off his shoes. I climb in and yank his pants and underwear all the way off.

Just as eager as I am, Jayce pulls his right leg back, resting his foot on the headrest, and revealing his pink bud to me for the first time, along with something else that makes me want to come just from looking at it. A butt plug.

“Fuck me,” I whisper, unknowingly. Apparently, he’s been hiding more than his sexuality, because I never expected this, but I fucking like it.

Jayce grins, but it’s no longer shy. It’s roguish. My introverted and caring artist apparently has a sexy-as-fuck, kinky side, which only intensifies how much I want him, and my dick bounces, the blood-engorged head dripping in anticipation.

“No. You. Fuck me. Now. Condom and lube in my pants pocket.”

With one knee on the narrow seat between his legs and the other hanging off the edge slightly, I grab his jeans from the floorboard and fumble through the pockets, searching for said objects. After rolling the condom over my painfully hard erection and slicking it with lube, I reach for his ass. My eyes widen as I remove the one-inch diameter plug, and I look at Jayce in disbelief.

He just shrugs, his still impish grin driving me utterly insane with need, and says, “What? I was hoping, and I didn’t know how big you were. I wanted to be ready.” Jayce glances down at my dick and licks his lips. “Looks like I guessed perfectly.”

“Fuck, if I’d known, I would have hit on you a long time ago.”

“You can make it up starting with this weekend.”

“Fucking hell yes,” I growl, barely recognizing my own voice.

I hook my arms under his thighs and pull him toward me, guiding my dick into his ready and waiting hole. It takes little effort to push past the outer ring of muscle and before I know it, I’m buried balls deep in his ass. My jeans still around my ankles, I pull out and push in again, groaning at the way his passage grips my shaft perfectly. The condom tones down the wondrous sensations, giving me some control in preventing an embarrassingly early orgasm as I continue to roll my hips, moving inside him. Fucking heaven.

With soft moans playing on his lips, Jayce lies back on the seat, bracing his left hand against the dashboard. I strip my shirt off, tossing it to the side, and then push his shirt up as high as it will go to reveal his chest, lightly dusted with soft curls of hair. Leaning down, I slip my arm behind his neck, gripping his shoulder while wedging my elbow into the seat, and look down at the sexy, gorgeous man beneath me that seems to want me as much as I want him.

“God, Cody, you feel so good.”

Undulating my hips, I press a kiss to his lips and whisper, “You feel fucking amazing.”

Jayce tugs my bottom lip between his teeth and groans as he reaches between our heated bodies, already dampened with sweat, and starts stroking himself. “Harder, Cody. Fuck me harder.”

Pushing up onto my elbow, I press the heel of my hand against the dash to brace myself, letting my fingers lay across his. I look between us, watching him rub his dick as I slide in and out of his tight heat. “Fuck, Jayce.”

“Please, Cody… more… I need more.”

I kneel back and grab his shoulder to keep him from sliding away from me as I pull back and slam into him, thrusting hard and fast while doing my best not to fall off the seat onto the floor. My muscles tighten as my balls draw up. My gaze is riveted to Jayce’s piercing eyes while the rest of me focuses on making myself last, making this as good for him as I possibly can. His face, contorted in pleasure as he holds my gaze, mirrors exactly how I feel right now.

Just as the tingling pressure surges up my shaft, Jayce jerks beneath me with a hushed grunt, spurting all over his hand and abs. I follow him over the edge, emptying into the latex sheath as my entire body locks while my cock pulses deep inside him. Intense, bright pleasure rolls through me in waves as Jayce writhes below me in beautiful ecstasy. I gasp as tremors rack my body. My arms threaten to collapse as I thrust in and out a few more times before falling onto my elbow.

As the oxygen returns to my brain, I look down at Jayce and can’t help the smile on my face nor the incredible warmth filling my chest. Between decreasingly labored breaths, I kiss him, licking from my lips the salty beads of sweat that had gathered on his skin.

Jayce blinks his eyes rapidly a few times as his breathing levels out. “Wow.”

“Wow good or wow bad?”

“Do you seriously have to ask? How about wow mind-blowing incredible?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Jayce beams up at me. “I am definitely looking forward to the rest of this camping trip, and then some.”

“And then some, huh?” My smile is ear-to-ear. I’m so fucking happy right now that I’m not even sure what to do next. Just having Jayce pinned beneath me, his face glowing as I hover over him, teasing his lips with an occasional kiss, is fucking wonderful.

“If you want, that is,” Jayce adds.

“Oh, I definitely want.”

Chapter 4

Dinner is simple. Hot dogs topped with canned chili, cheese, and Fritos. Our traditional, first-night meal for every camping trip as far back as I can remember. Fucking delicious too. I’m practically drooling, hardly able to wait to sink my teeth into that first bite as Sean makes his first dog. That is until Jayce utters something so shocking that I practically fall out of my chair.

“So, you eat it with the chips on the dog?”

Both Sean’s eyes and mine bug out.

“Have you seriously never put Fritos on a chili cheese dog before?” Sean asks, his body frozen in shock.

Jayce shakes his head, looking between us, his brows pinched together.

“Dude. Not gonna lie,” I say. “Fucking best thing you will ever taste on this planet that isn’t made with or of sugar.”

Sean finishes preparing the chili cheese dog on his paper plate by adding a layer of corn chips across the top, then stands and walks around the fire to hand it to Jayce. “Here, man. You get the first one tonight.” Sean returns to his chair, and we both lean forward in our seats and stare at Jayce.

“Why do I feel like I’m back in college about to eat a dorm-room dare?”

“Far from it,” I promise. “Trust me. One bite of this won’t have you running to puke in the toilet.”

Jayce takes a bite and almost immediately closes his eyes as he chews, as if he’s savoring it. “Mmm. Wow, that is good.”

I grin. “Told ya.”

The three of us cram back two fully loaded dogs and a six-pack of beer by the time the sun goes down. Happily stuffed, I kick my feet out, slouching back in my chair with one hand shoved in my sweatshirt pocket, and slowly nurse my third beer of the evening. With the flames turned down to conserve propane, I cast a glance over at Jayce and catch him stretched out and leaning back, staring up between the pines at the patch of sky above.

“Pretty cool view, ain’t it?”

“Yeah,” Jayce answers softly. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been out under the stars like this. It’s beautiful. I think I might have to paint this one.”

“If you do, don’t sell it,” I blurt out.

“Why not?”

“Because I want it.”

“Okay,” he whispers, still gazing up at the starry night sky and not looking at me, as a subtle smile teases his lips.

My heart soars with how often I hope to make him smile like that, and that’s when it really hits me. I have a chance of being with this man. Not just making out or making love with him, but making a life with him. Only to do that, I’m going to have to come out to my family, and he to his, and as much as that idea ties my stomach in knots, I know I’ll do it if it means keeping him.

Jayce isn’t the first guy with whom I’ve pictured a future. I’d had a couple secret boyfriends in the past before I met Jayce, but none of them had been worthy enough for me to chance telling my parents and Sean. Jayce, however, I already know is totally fucking worth it.

***

“The truck is not the tent,” Sean repeats for what I swear is like the hundredth time as he cleans up all the food and trash from dinner, reminding both Jayce and I again that anything beyond kissing was supposed to take place in our tent.

I snort. I still can’t believe I fucked Jayce in the pickup. It’s not like I planned it though. I don’t think Jayce did either. It just happened. Hell, I’d followed him to the truck expecting conversation and if I was lucky, maybe a little making out, but the moment Jayce told me how me he couldn’t wait for me to fuck him, I lost every bit of rational thinking I’d had left.

Poor Sean, though. It’s his truck.

“Sorry not sorry,” I laugh again, unable to help myself.

“If I’d known you two were gonna go at it like animals in heat, I would have locked the doors.”

I glance at Jayce, who’d moved his chair closer to mine, and raise both eyebrows.

Jayce actually blushes a little, which is fucking adorable, but also reminds me of his usual guarded and caring demeanor. The side of him I’ve always seen. The only side of him I’d known, until today.

“Speaking of which,” Sean adds, standing. Crossing the short distance, he pulls his keys from his pocket, then manually locks both doors of the old blue pickup that Grandpa handed down to him years ago on his sixteenth birthday. “There,” he grins triumphantly, falling back into his chair.

I snort. “Feel better now?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Sean replies, crossing his arms over his chest.

Smug bastard. “Good, because I wouldn’t want anything to ruin your last weekend as a legally single man.”

Sean reaches up to scratch what I know is an imaginary itch because he does so blatantly with his middle finger. God, I fucking love my brother.

“A toast!” I beam, holding up my beer bottle. “To lasts and firsts. Old and new.”

Sean narrows his eyes, no doubt trying to figure out where I’m going with this.

“To old camping memories never to be forgotten. To new adventures with the people we love. To last nights of freedom under the stars and first chili cheese Frito dogs. To new families and last names that will change, and first times in old pickups.”

Sean snickers with a slight shake of his head. “You’re such a dork.”

“Hey,” I say, shrugging my shoulders, tossing him a fresh cold brew. “What else are little brothers good for?”

“Beats the hell out of me,” he answers, popping the cap and raising his bottle. “But here’s to the best little bro slash best friend a guy could ask for, even if he did burn a memory into my truck I’ll never get out of my head.”

I smile, casually glancing at Jayce in time to catch him eyeing me before turning back to my brother. This is about as sentimental as we’ll ever get. Sean gets to his feet and leans toward Jayce and me, beer arm extended. We follow his lead, and the three of us clink our bottles together, then drink and sit back down.

“By the way,” Sean adds. “You can’t use that toast at the wedding.”

I grin wryly. “Try and stop me.”

Chapter 5

“I’m going to bed.” Sean yawns, pushing to his feet. “Whatever you two end up doing tonight, do me a favor and try to keep it down, okay?”

I catch his contagious yawn. “No promises, man.”

Sean gives me a tired glare before disappearing into his tent. Another yawn hits me, this time a little harder, and I look at Jayce. His eyes closed, he’s slouched in his seat with his head tilted back resting on the canvas chair back, steadily breathing and otherwise unmoving.

“Jayce?”

“Yeah?” He doesn’t flinch, but I can tell he’s tired too. It’s been a long day for all of us.

I get up and grab the lantern by my feet. Flicking it on, I do a quick sweep of the area, checking for any food or trash we may have missed. Everything appears picked up and sealed away. After turning off the propane fire, I clasp Jayce’s hand, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles. Jayce opens his eyes, giving me a small sleepy smile that makes my heart fucking flip-flop in my chest.

“Come on. Let’s go to bed.” I tug his hand a little and help him up. Our fingers linked, I lead him to what’s now been deemed our tent. I duck inside, and Jayce follows me in. He zips us in as I hang the lantern on the center hook above my head and set about unrolling the single sleeping bag over the foam pad. Thankfully, it’s one of those extra-large ones because I’ve always liked having lots of space, and Jayce is thin enough that we can both fit inside comfortably, which I’m very much looking forward to.

“We’re sharing that, right?” Jayce says quietly.

“I assumed as much.”

Jayce lets out a sigh. “Cody, before anything else happens, can we talk?”

I pause, instantly dreading the sound of those words. He’s right though. We should talk, especially after what happened earlier in the truck. I smile inwardly. Never gonna forget that.

“Yeah, sure,” I say as calmly as possible. I sit down on the cushioned sleeping bag, leaning on my hand and the right side of my ass, and gesture for Jayce to have a seat next to me.

Jayce sits, mirroring my position, and looks me in the eyes. “I just want to be clear on something.”

“Okay.”

Jayce takes a long, deep breath. “I don’t want to be friends with benefits.”

“Good.”

Jayce smiles, though still seems worried about something.

“Dude, what’s wrong?”

His eyes shift rapidly, searching mine. “If I ever told you no or that I didn’t want something, would you stop?”

I furrow my brow. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Jayce hangs his head, letting out a soft sigh. After a few seconds of controlled breathing, he lifts his head and looks at me again. “Because the last guy I was with didn’t.”

What the fuck? My muscles harden, and I clench my fists. “What do you mean, didn’t?”

Jayce takes another deep breath. “He came over to my place one night, drunk, and well, pretty much had his way with me.” He pauses, closing his eyes, and I can tell by the pain marring his handsome face that he’s reliving the memory. “I’m not a big guy, Cody, and back then, I wasn’t strong. I’m still not, not like you. I told him no, but he didn’t listen. I tried to fight him off, but I couldn’t.” Another pause. “I yelled and begged and even cried, but he wouldn’t stop…”

His voice trails off, but I don’t need hear any more. I’m seeing fucking red. I want to find this guy who did this to him and fucking pummel his face, cut off his dick, and shove it up his own ass.

“That’s fucking rape, man.” My voice is low as I growl the words.

Jayce looks away from me. “It’s embarrassing.” He huffs a sad laugh. “I’ve stayed away from guys and dating ever since, but I really like you. I don’t want to stay away from you.”

“Jayce, look at me.”

He turns, and I almost lose it with how much lingering hurt and shame I see in his eyes.

I reach out and take his hand. “First off, I will never do anything to you that you don’t want. You tell me to stop, and I will fucking stop. Second, you’re not weak or worthless and have nothing to be ashamed of. You’re fucking amazing as you are, and anyone who can’t see that doesn’t deserve to even know you.” I bring my hand up to his cheek. “And third, if I don’t kiss you again soon, I’m going to lose my fucking mind.”

With every word I say, the anguish all over Jayce fades and that hopeful smile of his from earlier comes back, and with it, my anger slips away. What happened in the past can’t be changed, but I can damn well make sure no one ever hurts him again.

I lean in close, brushing my lips softly over his. He kisses me back with tender and slow movements. There’s no tongue. No crazy urgency this time. Just the gentle caress of only our lips, melded together. Goosebumps ripple across my skin, the sweet, unhurried connection between us making my heart swell with all out joy and desire, even love. I’ve never felt this way kissing anyone else before, and I want it to last forever.

After some endless seconds, Jayce pulls away, tilting his forehead against mine. “Wow,” he whispers. “No one’s ever kissed me like that before.”

“Same here. It’s like there’s some expectation that just because we’re guys, we can’t be soft or sweet with each other.”

“I like soft and sweet. I also like fast and furious, like earlier.” Jayce reaches down and palms my growing erection through my jeans.

I groan quietly. “Lucky for you, I can do both.”

“At the same time?”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Maybe.”

I press a hard kiss against his lips, pushing his shirt up. “Clothes off, gorgeous.”

I break away just long enough to help him pull his shirt off and take off mine, and then I’m kissing him again. The chill in the air hits my skin, but it’s quickly forgotten as the heat builds between us. “Fuck, I really do love kissing you,” I mumble.

“Then don’t stop,” he mutters.

We fumble to get the rest of our clothes off without breaking our kiss, laughing against each other’s mouths when my pants get stuck around my ankle, but once that’s done with, I pull his body tight against mine and revel in the way he feels pressed against me, skin to skin. I know it sounds cheesy, but I swear, it’s as if he’s fucking made for me.

Rolling Jayce onto his back, I cover his thin, shorter frame with my larger, bulkier body, staying careful not to crush him. I’d never given much thought to our size difference before now, and for a moment, my mind goes back to what Jayce had just told me. Someone like me could over power him easily, and I hate that he’s ever experienced that. Jayce thinks he isn’t strong, but he is. The lean muscles I feel under my palm as my hand roves over his body prove otherwise, and the ability for him to open up to me about an emotionally difficult time in his past shows his strength in other ways.

Sweat beads on our skin as I rock against him, sliding my cock against his. Our mouths still fused, licking and sucking, I slip my hand between us and grab hold, stroking our rigid members together. Jayce moans, pushing his hand into my hair, and sucks my tongue deeper into his mouth. Holy fucking hell. Tingling heat shoots straight to my dick, and I whimper, squeezing moisture from both our slits and rubbing it all over our raging hard-ons as I jerk faster.

“Cody… I’m… getting close.”

“Me too.” I pull my hand away before either of us reach the point of no return.

“No,” Cody whimpers, pumping his hips upward against me. “Why’d you stop?”

“You’ll see.” I tear my lips away from his and quickly find the moist tip of his cock with my tongue. One swirl around the head and I sink my mouth down on him.

“Oh God. Cody…”

Fuck, I love the way he says my name, like he’s begging me to stop and keep going at the same time.

I slide my mouth off him and look up the length of his torso, meeting his heated gaze. I can’t help my smug smile. “Like that, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, no more of that for now. There’s something else I really want to do.”

“Okay,” he breathes.

I grab his legs and push them up and back so that his ass is pointed almost right up at me, and there it is. The perfect pink ring just waiting for me, and I know just what to do with it. I lean down and lick the underside of his shaft once, eliciting another delightful cry from Jayce. Rubbing my lips and nose against his sac, I breathe in his heady scent as I caress his bud with my fingertip. Unable to wait any longer, I spread his cheeks and sweep my tongue right over his sensitive puckered hole.

“Oh God!” Jayce gasps.

I lick over his soft flesh again, then dip my tongue inside, needing to taste him, and fuck, does he taste good.

“Cody…” Jayce’s voice strains as I swirl my tongue around his opening, then plunge in again. He squirms under me. “No one’s ever—oh God…”

I grin, satisfied with his inability to finish a sentence, but just to be sure, I lick across his tight bud, then pause.

“Oh my God, don’t stop.”

Perfect. And I didn’t even have to ask.

I wiggle my tongue around the edge of his hole, getting it nice and wet, then blow over it.

“Please, Cody.”

“Don’t touch your cock,” I order.

Jayce shakes his head furiously. “I won’t.”

“Good, ‘cause after I eat your ass and get you dripping wet and ready for me, I’m gonna fuck you and make you come.”

“Yes,” he breathes, then gasps as I push my tongue inside him again.

This time, I don’t pull out and tease him. This time, I go in deep, thrusting my tongue into his sweet entrance as far as I can go, my lips pressed to his ring. Sucking and licking, I wrap my arms around his thighs and pull his ass into my face. Jayce fists his hands in the sleeping bag and writhes frantically as I grip him tighter, keeping my face pressed firmly to his cleft, plunging my tongue into him over and over.

“Oh my God… Cody… please… Oh God…”

I lift my head, giving him a moment of relief. “Tell me you have more condoms.”

“There’s one more in my pocket,” he pants, shaking. “And lube.”

I swipe my tongue over his saliva-drenched hole, drawing another gasp from Jayce before reaching for his pants. After rolling on the condom, I slick myself up then ease my rock hard dick in, watching my entire length disappear inside him. I pull my gaze up from where our bodies join with one another to his hooded eyes. Falling down on my elbow, I kiss him, rolling my hips and thrusting gently.

“Fuck, Jayce,” I hiss. “I didn’t know it was possible for this to feel anywhere close to this fucking good. I can’t wait to do this with nothing between us.”

“Then take it off,” he mutters.

“Not happenin’, babe,” I whisper, continuing to move in and out of him. As much as I want to, I can’t do that to him. I’d been fucking around with other guys in recent months and haven’t been tested in a while.

“I trust you.”

“I trust you too. But I’m not sticking my bare dick in you until I make sure I’m clean.”

I feel Jayce’s smile against my lips, and there goes my heart again, fucking dancing in my chest. Positioning my hands on the sleeping bag, on either side of his head, I tear my mouth away from his delicious lips and push myself up. The moment I do, Jayce starts jerking himself and moans my name, giving me even more encouragement. I pick up speed, slamming into him harder and faster. Pressure builds in my balls as I keep pounding him. Blood rushing in my ears drowns out the sounds of fast slaps of sweaty skin and panting breaths and heavy grunts, and, somewhere in the back of my mind, I laugh because I know my brother can hear us.

Then Jayce grunts and jerks, spilling over his hand. The sight of him coming along with the sweet bliss sweeping over his face does me in and within seconds, waves of hot pleasure roll through me as his pulsing tunnel grips my cock. I lean down again, capturing his mouth in a bruising kiss as I empty myself into him. With a few final thrusts, I collapse onto him, forcing a soft grunt from him.

“Sorry.” I brace myself on both elbows, lifting my weight off his chest, and grin down at him.

Jayce smiles. “It’s fine. I actually kinda like it.”

I press a tender kiss to his lips and slip out of him. Using my T-shirt, I clean us both up, and we climb inside the sleeping bag. After zipping us in, I lay on my side and pull Jayce close, his back to my front, and hold him. “Is this okay?”

Jayce snuggles closer to me, twining his arm around mine. “Cody… this is perfect.”

Chapter 6

Rubbing my eyes, I stumble out of the tent as the sun peaks through the trees, its morning rays reflecting across the lake. I pull my sweatshirt on and glance back between the flaps, catching another glimpse of Jayce, curled up in the warmth of our oversized sleeping bag. I bite the inside of my lip, attempting to stop myself from grinning, but I fucking can’t, and it’s all because of him.

The sex last night was amazing. Then sleeping with him wrapped in my arms was better than I’d ever imagined. But waking up with him, his legs tangled with mine and his head tucked against my neck… the early morning kisses… the slow, sensual love-making just before dawn—fucking ecstasy.

“Wow. You’re good,” Sean says from a short distance away. I hadn’t even noticed him there.

“What?” I turn toward him and my eyes widen. Sean’s fiancé is sitting right fucking next to him, her smile about to split her face in two. I’m not too surprised though, and I don’t mind at all, especially since it’s looking like Jayce and I will be spending a lot more time together.

Sean smirks. “Wasn’t talking to you.”

“Told ya,” Skye says, beaming.

“Told him what?” I ask, joining them around the fire pit.

She cocks her head and gives me wry smile. “You’re in love.”

I roll my eyes. “So?”

Sean arches a brow. “You’re not gonna deny it?”

“No.” I lean in close to the flames and warm my hands.

“What about Mom and Dad?”

I shrug. “I’ll tell them if it means keeping Jayce.”

Skye’s grin stretches even wider.

“Wait,” Sean says, pinching his brows together. “Then what was up with yesterday?”

I narrow my gaze at him. “Yesterday, you were a fucking asshole. Yesterday, you put me in a position where I had no choice but to come out, and do you want to know what was going through my head when you did?”

Sean stares at me, looking a bit nervous. Good. Let him squirm a little.

“I was honestly worried as fuck that you’d hate me.”

Sean’s face pales a little, his forehead wrinkling. “Cody…”

“But now that I know you don’t, I’m not so worried about Mom and Dad anymore because I know you’ll have my back.”

Sean opens his mouth like he’s going to say something, but closes it again.

Skye punches him in the arm.

“Ow! What was that for?” Sean rubs his delt.

“You know exactly what it’s for.”

I snort a laugh. It’s fun watching the two of them sometimes. “So, when did you get here?” I ask Skye.

“About an hour ago. Sean texted me last night saying you and my brother had hooked up and wanted to know if I’d come up to help balance the group out.”

I laugh. “Dude, you are so whipped.”

“And you aren’t?” Sean quips.

“Eh.” I shrug. If Jayce only knew.

Skye looks at me quizzically, her eyes flickering briefly past me, but I think nothing of it. Probably a bird or squirrel or something. “So, I’m just curious, at what moment did you realize you were in love with Jayce?”

“Uh.”

“Geez,” Sean groans. “Why do girls always have to ask stuff like that?”

Skye casts a sideways glance at him, her ponytail falling over her shoulder. “What’s wrong with it?”

“Here. Watch and learn.” Sean looks at me. “Do you love him?”

The corner of my mouth lifts into a smile because I know exactly where he’s going with this. “Yeah.”

“Cool.”

“Ugh. Men.” Skye rolls her eyes. She pulls her arms out of the sleeves and into the inner warmth of her Army sweatshirt, leaving the sleeves to dangle loosely. “But I still want to know. I promise I won’t ask any more questions.”

I twist my lips, glancing at Sean.

“Might as well tell her. She’ll just keep bugging you until you do.”

“What was the question again?” I ask.

Skye shakes her head, and Sean chuckles.

“The first moment you knew you loved him,” Skye states.

That’s easy. “Well, I think I’ve known for a while, but last night is when it actually hit me.”

Skye scoots forward in her chair, resting her chin on her hands still tucked in her sweatshirt, as if she’s settling in for a good, long story. Guess I’ll give her a little one so as not to disappoint her too much.

“Jayce was talking about painting the view we had last night of the stars, and when I told him I wanted that painting, he smiled.” I pause and take a breath, stifling the stupid grin trying to form on my lips and keeping my voice even. “That’s when I knew it was real, because I knew I’d do anything to make him smile like that for the rest of his life.”

“Oh my God, Cody,” Skye whispers, pushing one hand up through the neck hole of her sweatshirt to wipe the tears from her lashes.

I clear my throat and sit back. My hands sufficiently warmed, I shove them in my sweatshirt pockets. “So, there you go.”

“Dude, that was the gayest thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Sean laughs.

“Fuck off,” I retort, but I can’t help but laugh with him.

Skye pushes an arm back into her sleeve and shoves at Sean. “It was not. It was beautiful. Wasn’t it, Jayce?”

My heart beats a little faster. Not because Jayce heard me, but because I don’t know how he feels about what he just heard.

“Actually, I think Cody would call it fucking sappy as shit,” Jayce says as he walks up behind me.

I laugh, hoping to hide my nervousness. “See. He gets me.”

As Jayce comes around into my peripheral, he sits in the chair next to me, a knowing smile teasing his lips. “So, what’s for breakfast?” he asks.

“I don’t know,” I answer, the change of subject setting me at ease. “But I’m starving.”

“Oh my God, seriously?” Skye says, and Sean busts out laughing.

“What?” Jayce and I answer simultaneously.

“How can you think of food after that?”

“Easy,” I shrug.

“We’re hungry,” Jayce explains.

Skye stares at us, wide-eyed, mouth open. “I don’t get it.”

“That’s because you’re a girl,” Sean says, patting her knee. “That’s okay though. I like you being a girl.” He grabs her hand and lifts it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Come on. Take a walk with me down by the lake while Cody and Jayce start making us breakfast.”

Sean stands and tugs Skye to her feet, giving me a subtle wink. Holding her hand, he leads her down near the water and along the narrow dirt path that follows the shore.

“So,” I smirk, my gaze transfixed on the lake. “Fucking sappy as shit, huh?”

Jayce laughs quietly.

I look at him, my lips quirking into a smile. “What?”

“Nothing,” he says, a perfectly happy, bashful grin stretching across his face. “Just that I love you too.”

***

“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” I ask, my fingers toying with the little trinket hooked around the stem of the champagne glass. With both of us in the wedding party, Skye had seated us next to each other at the head table. Since coming back from our campout last weekend, Jayce and I have been talking about when to tell our parents that we’re dating, which also entails coming out to both our families as gay. At the rehearsal dinner yesterday, Sean dared us to just casually start slow dancing together during the reception, and Jayce and I are actually considering it, especially now that most of the guests have already left. “I don’t want to push you.”

Jayce squeezes my hand under the table. “Maybe we should at least tell our parents first, just to make sure they don’t freak or anything. I don’t want to ruin Skye and Sean’s day.”

“Yeah.” I breathe a sigh of relief. Truth is, the idea had been making me rather nervous. “Me neither.”

“Well, I guess this would explain why neither of you danced with any of the bridesmaids all evening,” my mom says from behind us, and I freeze, because I know that tone. It’s her I-just-caught-you-in-the-cookie-jar tone.

My eyes flicker downward, and my pulse quickens. I’m holding Jayce’s hand on his thigh in plain sight. Not under the table where I thought it was. Fuck. I give Jayce a questioning look. He just shrugs, not letting go of my hand, and gives me a shy smile.

“Hey, Mom,” I say as I spin in my chair to face her, my palm sweating in Jayce’s grip.

“Don’t you hey Mom me, Cody James Benson.” She puts her hands on her hips. “And here I was beginning to think I’d never see you with anyone.”

Squinting up at her, my brows raised and forehead wrinkled, I give her an apologetic smile. “Sorry?”

Mom purses her lips, hiking one eyebrow. “So, does this mean I have a son-in-law in my future?”

“Um.” I steal a glance at Jayce and catch the blush coloring his cheeks, and my heart starts racing for an altogether different reason, because now, I want to fucking kiss him so all the world can see, but first things first. I look back up at my mom who now has the biggest damn grin splitting her barely wrinkled face, and it tells me everything I need to know.

“Well, I can guarantee you there’s no more daughters-in-law in your future. Hope that’s okay.”

“Cody, the only thing that matters is that you’re happy, and I hate to tell you, sweetie, but you’ve been glued to each other and glowing all night. I don’t think your secret’s much of a secret anymore.”

“Oh.” My gaze flickers to Jayce, and my gut twists when I see the worry eating away at him. “Anyone seem… bothered?”

Mom frowns a little. “There’s always a few, honey, but to hell with them. What counts is that your dad and I are happy for both of you. And Jayce’s parents, well, let’s just say they’ve been all smiles and happy tears the whole entire day.”

“Oh, well, in that case—”

“Hey, Cody!” Sean calls from across the banquet room, and the three of us turn toward him. His collar loosened, having lost the bowtie a while ago, and his sleeves rolled to his elbows, he’s hovering over Skye who’s sitting at one of the cleared off guest tables with Dad and Jayce’s parents. All of them are staring at us with big dopey grins.

“Yeah?” I holler back.

“Kiss your boyfriend already, would ya? We’re all tired of waiting.”

Epilogue

Six months later…

Jayce

“Jesus fucking Christ, babe,” Cody pants as I sit on top of him, his dick still filling my ass as it begins to soften inside me. Reaching up, he wraps his large hand around the back of my neck and pulls me down for a kiss. “You’re gonna fucking kill me.”

I smile against his lips. I’ve never enjoyed sex in all its forms as much as I do with him, but I think it’s because I’m in love with him, and it’s never been just sex between us. Even when we get crazy, or he gets a little rough, or I pull out something kinky or new to try, the love is there. It’s always been there. “Are you complaining?”

“Fuck, no.” Cody slips out of me, and I sit up. He rubs his hands up and down my arms. “But I do need to eat sometime today.”

“Sorry. I can’t help it that I’ve missed you all week.” I’d arrived back early this morning, having caught an earlier flight, after being gone most of the week for a gallery exposition. I know Cody would have come with me, but he had a lot going on with work, and though we’d talked every day and night, there is simply nothing in the world that can take the place of his physical presence.

So, when I snuck in this morning and found him in bed still sleeping, I pounced. Lots of kissing and two orgasms later, here we are.

“Don’t be sorry. I like it when you miss me.” Cody grabs me and tosses me sideways, then rolls on top of me, pinning my wrists to the bed beside my head. “You can miss me like that anytime.”

Cody’s lips find mine, and he kisses me. It’s tender and slow and so deliciously wet.

“Fuck…” The word rolls off his tongue in a low, hungry growl.

I chuckle. “Thought you needed to eat?”

Right on cue, his stomach rumbles, loudly too, and I laugh.

“I do, dammit.”

“Come on,” I say. With my hands still locked in his grip, I buck underneath him. “Let’s eat. We’ll come back to this later.”

“You’re damn right we will.” Cody plants another kiss on my lips, then climbs off me and heads into the ensuite bathroom.

I grab my underwear off the floor where’d I discarded them in a silent rush earlier and yank them on. Taking a few steps across the bedroom to where my jeans lie strewn, I snatch them up, and a second later, I hear the soft thud of a small item hitting the plush carpet.

My eyes dart to the object that had fallen from my pocket. It rolls a few feet away from me, then stops when it hits the big toe of the one person who isn’t supposed to see it yet. Petrified, I watch anxiously as Cody bends and picks up the black and white gold ring, pinching it between his thumb and first finger. He stares at it long enough for the next phase of human evolution to occur before looking at me.

My cheeks heat. “You weren’t supposed to see that yet,” I somehow manage to say, surprised my throat hadn’t locked up on me.

“Is this what I think it is?”

“I uh…” My heart races, furiously pounding in my chest. I had been so sure I was ready to do this—to actually say the words and propose to him—but his soul-searching gaze penetrating every fiber of my being renders me mute, apparently.

So what do I do instead? I nod.

“Jayce,” Cody says, his voice thick and hoarse. “Are you for real?”

“Yes,” I breathe the word and steel myself. “I was going to ask you next weekend at the lake.”

“Fuck that. I’m not waiting that long.” Cody slips the ring on his finger.

The joyous shimmer in his eyes sweeps away my anxiety and my heart skips several beats. I stay focused on what I see there, determined to get the words out. “So, you’ll marry me?”

“Ya think?” In two long strides, Cody closes the space between us. He takes my face in his hands, dips his head, and plants those magical lips of his right on mine—lips that have worshipped every inch of my body over the months we’ve been together. Knees weakening, I sigh and melt against him as my entire world narrows to this monumental moment, to Cody’s masterful lips kneading and caressing mine, and to the knowing that this man is, without a doubt, all mine.

Cody pulls back and leans his forehead against mine.

“So, that’s a yes, then?”

“Fuck yes.”

I beam up at him. “You know, you’re lucky I love you and that foul mouth of yours.”

“Just you wait.” Cody grins, waggling his eyebrows. He squeezes me tighter, putting his lips to my ear. “This foul mouth is gonna do some gloriously sinful things to you later.”

The heat of his words and warmth of his breath send an explosive tingle straight to my groin. “I’m counting on it.”

*** The End ***

Thank you for reading!

If you enjoyed First Times in Old Pickups, please read on for an excerpt from Stay, book 1 of the Troubled Hearts series, and checkout more of Savannah’s stories, all available on Amazon.

Excerpt from Stay (Troubled Hearts Book 1)

Ash stole another glance at Blake, but this time, he was looking back at him. Humor flashed in his eyes. “What?” Ash asked, unable to stop himself from grinning.

Blake’s lips twisted as he raised a brow. “Thinking of someone?”

Ash focused his attention on the road. “Just this guy I know.”

“Oh.”

Oh. There it was again. That broken, dejected tone coming through in his solitary, one-word response.

“Fuck it.” Ash hit the brakes, stopping in the middle of the road, and slammed the vehicle into park. Throwing open his door, he jumped out, not bothering to shut his door, and skirted around the front of the Jeep. With a swift jerk of his arm, Ash swung Blake’s door open and grabbed his hand.

“What are you doing?” A wild, panicked look in Blake’s amber eyes accompanied the hoarseness of his voice.

Ash yanked him out and forced him back against the side of the Jeep. “What I’ve wanted to do since I met you.”

Ash didn’t wait a second longer before crashing his lips to Blake’s. Blake’s firm body tensed as Ash kissed him. He kneaded Blake’s dry, cracked lips with slow, tender nips and tugs. He licked along Blake’s lips and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. A whimper escaped Blake and his lips parted as he sagged against the Jeep. Ash took advantage and dipped his tongue in, moaning when his tongue touched Blake’s. Blake finally returned his kiss, moving his lips against Ash’s, teasing his tongue with his.

Pressing his body closer, Ash felt Blake’s hardening length against his and ground against him. Blake’s hands came to rest lightly on Ash’s hips, as if he wasn’t sure if he should touch him. Kissing him harder, Ash lost himself in the tantalizing warmth of Blake’s mouth as Blake opened himself more to him. Then, Blake’s hands slid around to Ash’s ass and Blake grabbed him, pulling Ash hard against his powerful body.

“Fuck, Blake,” Ash moaned. His hands slid into Blake’s unruly locks as if they had a mind of their own. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

Blake’s kiss morphed from reluctant uneasiness to heated desire. Teeth nipped. Lips massaged. Tongues danced. Breaths came harder and faster. Ash kissed the man like he’d waited a lifetime to do so. The desire and desperation in Blake’s kiss intensified. Ash met Blake’s growing need as Blake held him tighter. Never had Ash had a first kiss so passionate and urgent. He didn’t want it to end.

*** End of Sample ***

Stay and Broken, books 1 and 2 of the Troubled Hearts Series are both available on Amazon.

About the Author

Savannah Brooks spends her days as a reporting analyst, which is extremely difficult when her imaginary friends are constantly pestering her to come out and play. One of these days, she plans to leave the world of numbers and spreadsheets behind in order to write full-time but for now, late evenings and weekends with the voices in her head will have to do. Even then, her attempts to play in her fictional worlds are often thwarted by her husband, son, or daughter dragging her back to reality.

Aside from reading and writing, Savannah loves video games, football, superhero movies, dragons, coffee, dark chocolate, and all things Disney. She dreams of having a castle on the water, be it ocean cliffs or a mountain lake, and traveling to historic places around the world.

Savannah currently lives in Arizona with her very supportive husband, two children, and ghost dog (the family beagle who passed away a couple years ago, but whose spirit is kept very much alive by her son and daughter).

Connect with Savannah:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savannahbrooksauthor

Twitter: @SavBrooksBooks

Website/Blog: http://savannahbrooks.blogspot.com