“We need to talk about what happened,” Jesse continued, his voice lower now that we were working side by side.
“No, we don’t,” I insisted, my knuckles whitening as I gripped the bucket. “I already told you. It never happened.”
Jesse let out a frustrated sigh. “You can’t just erase it, Cole. We had sex. In a tent. During a blizzard. That happened.”
I winced at his bluntness, glancing around to make sure none of the hands were within earshot. “Keep your voice down, for Christ’s sake.”
“There’s no one here but us,” he pointed out. “And I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen just because you’re freaking out about it.”
“I’m not freaking out,” I shot back. “I just… I just don’t fucking want to talk about it.Ever.”
“Goddamn you’re impossible,” Jesse sighed. He stared at me for a long moment, something shifting in his eyes. Instead of backing down like I expected, he stepped closer. “But I told you, I’m not giving up. Not that easily.”
“Sounds like a waste of time and effort for you,” I replied, trying to play it cool and aloof. “I got what I wanted. Now I’m movin’ on.”
There was a flash of hurt in his eyes that made my heart stutter. But then it was gone, replaced with a cocky confidence that I wasn’t used to seeing in my stepbrother.
“You think so, huh?” he whispered, moving so close I could feel the heat radiating off of him. “You could’ve fucked any guyin this entire state, but you waited all these years forme.” His fingers trailed down the lapel of my jacket, making me shiver. “I spent fifteen years out in the world, Cole. And I’ve fucked dozens of men. Believe me, there are things I could do to you that would drive you absolutelyinsane.”
“I… I told you… I don’t?—”
“Don’t want to know? Please. You’redyingto find out what I could do to you.”
His hand trailed down my body, fingers dancing over the growing bulge in my jeans. I gasped in delight. Jesse’s eyes flashed and he took his chance, his fingers wrapping around my throbbing cock through my jeans. He leaned in close, his lips brushing my ear.
“You want to know what it feels like to have meinsideyou.”
My entire body went rigid at his words. The bucket nearly slipped from my grasp as heat rushed through me, pooling low in my gut. His fingers still pressed against my hardening cock, and I couldn’t stop the involuntary thrust of my hips against his hand.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I growled, but my voice betrayed me, coming out husky and strained.
“Don’t I?” Jesse’s eyes gleamed in the fading light, his confidence unnerving me. “Your body’s not lying, Cole. Even if your mouth is.”
I grabbed his wrist, meaning to push him away, but found myself just holding him there instead, trapped between wanting to flee and wanting to pull him closer.
“We can’t do this again,” I whispered, though my grip on his wrist loosened. “Not here. Not anywhere.”
“Why not?” Jesse stepped even closer, his chest nearly touching mine. “Nobody’s watching. Nobody cares.”
“I care,” I hissed, finally finding the strength to push his hand away. “This isn’t right.”
Jesse didn’t back down. “It felt pretty damn right in that tent.”
The memory flashed through my mind—his body beneath mine, the sounds he made, the way he pushed back against me, taking me deeper. I swallowed hard, trying to force the images away. But they wouldn’t budge.
“That was a mistake,” I insisted, though the words sounded hollow even to my own ears. “A one-time thing that won’t happen again.”
Jesse studied my face for a long moment, then stepped back with a sigh. “Fine. Have it your way.” He picked up his bucket and continued toward the next trough. “But just so you know, I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen. And I’m not going to stop wanting you just because you say I should. I’ve only begun to fight.”
I watched him walk ahead of me, the confident swagger in his step making my mouth go dry. When the hell had Jesse gotten so bold? The kid who’d run away fifteen years ago wouldn’t have dared to challenge me like this. Wouldn’t have touched me like that. Wouldn’t have made my heart race with just a few whispered words.
“You coming?” he called over his shoulder, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
I cursed under my breath and followed, keeping a safe distance between us as we finished the chores in tense silence. By the time we headed back to the house, darkness had fallen completely, stars piercing the clear night sky. The temperature had dropped further, our breath clouding in the frigid air.
Evelyn was waiting for us in the kitchen, the smell of beef stew filling the house. Her eyes lit up when we entered together, clearly pleased to see us working as a team.
“There you are! I was beginning to worry,” she said, ladling stew into bowls. “How was the drive?”
