“Yeah. It really was,” Tyler says with a tight smile. I can’t tell for sure in the low light, but he looks a little pale. I know he struggled with PTSD for a while. I hope this storm hasn’t triggered some bad memories for him.
“Are you up for finishing your beer? Maybe we’ll be able to get our heart rates under control.” I laugh, and then it occurs to me that my plan to head home after one drink isn’t going to happen. We’re both here for the night, apparently. In a one-bedroom guest flat. With the power out and a vicious storm raging outside. Having narrowly escaped death by the skin of our teeth as a giant tree fell only a few feet from us. I grab my beer off the table and gulp down a couple of big swallows, feeling like I’m in the plot of some kind of romance—or maybe murder novel.
“Mason said there are some candles in the kitchen,” I say, using my phone’s light to navigate over to the drawer, where I grab a couple, together with a lighter and two more beers from the fridge.
After setting up the candles on the coffee table in front of us, I grab a cozy blanket from the basket beside the fireplace, tossing one corner of it to Tyler while I settle myself in the opposite corner. I’m still off-kilter from the adrenaline, and I’m betting he probably is as well.
We sit quietly for a few moments. I listen to the storm outside, concerned about other trees falling, but it sounds like the wind might be dying down, so maybe we’ll escape death after all. Tyler is quiet, but his hand shakes when he goes to take a sip from his beer.
“Tyler, are you—is everything okay?” I ask hesitantly. I don’t want to offend him, but he really doesn’t look okay.
He lets out a shaky breath, and I think he’s going to brush me off, but then he meets my eyes and shivers visibly.
“I’m, um. It. The tree was so loud. And the building shaking. It brought back some bad memories.” He looks down, like he’s embarrassed. “You’d think I’d be happy to be able to hear something loud and clear like that.” He leans forward, setting his beer on the table and resting his elbows on his knees. He pinches the bridge of his nose with his hand still shaking.
I watch him for a second, and he looks so stressed-out it’s like he might break.Fuck it.I slide closer to him on the couch, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him close to me. He stiffens at first, but a moment later, he leans in and wraps his arms around my waist, holding on for dear life.
CHAPTER 7
TYLER
How Sam figured out I needed to be held, I have no idea, but until he slid over and grabbed me, I felt like I was about to break apart at the seams. The sound and vibration of the giant tree falling triggered something. It’s not an actual flashback—I haven’t lost touch with reality. I know where I am and that I’m safe. I just feel weird. Unmoored or disoriented or something. The way Sam’s arms are wrapped around me, firm but not restrictive, must be releasing some kind of chemical or hormone because I can feel my body beginning to slow down.
I lean against his broad chest and swallow the lump in my throat, still holding on to him for dear life. He traces his fingers gently over the back of my neck, leaving his other arm wrapped around me.
His breath ghosts against the shell of my ear, and I think he’s murmuring things to me, although I can’t hear them; I can only feel soft vibrations moving through his chest as he talks and feel his warm breath on my skin. It takes a while, but slowly, my body starts to re-regulate, my breathing slowing to at least a semblance of normal and my heart rate coming back down.
We’ve somehow shifted so I’m basically sitting on Sam’s lap. And I’m suddenly very aware that underneath my hip, Sam’s dick is as hard as steel.
Oh, fuck.
I shift slightly, putting more direct but subtle pressure on him, and his breath catches. My cock starts to fill immediately, and I slide one of my hands from his back to his chest, grasping onto his shirt and nuzzling into him.
Sam’s heart is racing under my cheek, and I move my head so I can place my mouth on his neck, kissing him softly and smiling to myself as I feel his breath catch again, and the vibration of a moan moves through his chest.
Suddenly, I’m seized with a boldness that’s totally unlike me, and before I even think, I’ve shifted so I’m straddling him, my hands on his shoulders. He slides his hands down to my ass, pulling me closer to him still, and we look into each other’s eyes for just a second before I lean forward and take his mouth with mine.
Holy shit.His lips are velvety soft but firm. I trace the seam with my tongue, and he opens for me, shuddering as I feel him groan. There’s an explosion of hot lava low down in my belly, and I shift my hips against him so our rock-hard cocks are pressed together, and it’s my turn to let out a moan. I dip my tongue into his mouth, tasting and exploring him gently, moving my hands from his shoulders to the sides of his face so I can hold him exactly where I want him. We kiss for what seems like hours; somehow, neither one of us is in a hurry to do anything else. And dear god, the man knows how to kiss.
We trade dominance several times, first with me leading the way, then pulling back so Sam is the one in charge for long moments, exploring me with his tongue and his hands, before I take the lead again.
I can’t help myself, and I grind my hips against him, rolling them in delicious circles as he bucks into me, seeking the pressure and friction. “Oh, fuck, Tyler,” he says when I pull my mouth off his so I can trace the cords of his neck with my tongue.
His body is warm and strong underneath me, and all I can think about is touching his skin, so I slide my hands down to his waistband and up under his shirt. His back is smooth and velvety soft, his muscles strong and hard beneath his skin.
Both our movements become more deliberate, and it’s not long before we’re rutting against each other like a couple of animals. It feels incredible.
A thin sheen of sweat has broken out on his forehead as we strain and grind into each other, each chasing our release. Sam’s head falls back against the couch as all his muscles tense, and he lets out a cry overflowing with passion, and it pulls me closer to the edge. As I reach the peak, I bite down on his bottom lip, and I feel rather than hear him moan again, his cock jerking against mine through our jeans.
“Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, I’m coming,” I whisper harshly as I fall over the edge, squeezing my eyes tightly shut as the orgasm rips through me. I come and come and come for what feels like forever until I’m spent, and the only thing I can do is collapse against him, boneless and exhausted.
CHAPTER 8
SAM
Blinking slowly, I crack one eye open to figure out where I am. I’m boiling hot because something heavy and warm is on top of me and—ohhh. Right. Tyler. He’s draped over me, his head resting on my chest and one arm thrown across my midsection, our legs tangled together. We’re snuggled into the soft, deep couch in Mason and Jackson’s guesthouse. Last night’s events rush back to me, and suddenly, I’m very much awake.
Holy hell, I fooled around with Tyler. I’ve always thought he was hot as fuck, but he’s way younger than me, and besides that, he’s an employee. This is not a good thing. My brain is telling me to jump up and get the hell out of there as fast as possible, but I can’t bring myself to disturb him. He looks so peaceful sleeping with his head resting on my chest. Tightness spreads through my belly. It felt incredible being with him that way. I’ve dated a lot of people, men and women, and I don’t think anyone has ever made me come as hard as Tyler did last night. And it was just a make-out session with a little frotting. My breath catches as I imagine what it would feel like to be with him for real. Skin on skin, nothing between us… Fucking hell. I cannot let myself go down this road.If I’m not careful, I’ll find myself hopelessly infatuated with Tyler, as I usually do, which cannot happen. Especially if I don’t want my cousins to murder me. If I screw this up and it leads to Tyler quitting, Mason and Dylan will have my balls in a vise.Shit, shit, shit.
