With careful movements, he pulled out of me and helped me roll onto my side. I winced at the slight emptiness I felt, already missing the connection. His hands worked quickly on the knots, loosening the rope that bound my arms.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, massaging blood back into my wrists once they were free.
“Amazing,” I answered truthfully. “A little sore, but in the best possible way.”
He smiled, a genuine expression that reached his eyes and made something flutter in my chest. “You did so well,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to each of my wrists. “My perfect boy.”
Chapter 20
Connor
The day seemed to slip by in a blissful haze of sex, cuddling, and sex again. By the time the sun went down, I was so tired and used up that I could barely think. Seven years without sex gave me a lot to catch up on and Ryder… well, he’d taken every damn drop of cum I had in my body and then some. I don’t think I’d ever felt better.
We sat out at the edge of the creek together, still naked, with a blanket wrapped around us. Together we watched the sun sink below the horizon and the fireflies light up the tall grass. It was a gorgeous night made even more beautiful by the man sitting next to me.
Maybe it was the fact he wore my cock ring without question, or maybe it was because I’d been so lonely for so long, or maybe it was just the plain fact that I was happy. Whatever it was, I was grateful to be there with Ryder at my side. And the feelings I had toward him… well, they were quickly becoming about something more than sex. Then again, I supposed that had been happening for a while, I just wasn’t ready to admit it.
Ryder sat between my legs, his back against my chest. My arms were wrapped around his shoulders, holding the blanket around us both. He seemed content, sighing now and then asif everything in the world was finally right. And I couldn’t help joining him as we watched the endless sky lose its color and the stars blink into life. It really was perfect, even if it only lasted for today.
“Whatcha thinking about?” Ryder asked softly, tilting his head forward to kiss my forearms. “You’ve been quiet.”
“Nothin’,” I replied automatically. “Well, not nothing. Just about how much I don’t want today to end, I guess.”
“Yeah. Same here.” He paused before leaning back once more. “There’s really no way we can get you transferred to the Nelson Ranch?”
I shook my head. “From what Larry tells me, nobody else in the area is cleared to work with parolees. I’ll have to finish my six months with your dad.”
“I wish you didn’t…” Ryder sighed, pulling my arms tight around him. Then, in a softer voice, he said, “You know… he was nicer to parolees once. There was a moment where I thought he actually wanted to help people instead of just get cheap labor.”
“Yeah? When was that?”
“A little over three years ago,” Ryder nodded. “The summer after my sophomore year of college.”
I leaned down, resting my head on his shoulder. “What happened?”
“There was this young kid that came to us on parole,” Ryder said, his voice soft with memory. “Jeremy. Barely twenty-one, got caught with some weed and a little meth. First-time offense, but the judge made an example of him. Dad took him in as part of the program, and I don’t know... something about that kid got to him.”
I listened silently, my chin resting on Ryder’s shoulder as the fireflies danced around us.
“Jeremy was smart. Had a scholarship to Montana State before he screwed up. Dad started teaching him about ranchmanagement, even let him sit in on business meetings.” Ryder’s fingers traced patterns on my forearm. “For a while, I thought Dad had found the son he actually wanted.”
“What happened to him?” I asked, sensing the story didn’t have a happy ending.
Ryder tensed slightly in my arms. “One morning, Dad found him in the office. He’d broken into the safe, taken about ten grand in cash. My father might’ve forgiven that though.” Ryder shook his head. “But Jeremy was terrified when one of the ranch hands tried to stop him. He stabbed him in the shoulder before stealing one of the horses and riding out into the wilderness. They picked him up three days later on the side of the highway with a broken arm. The horse threw him and he had to walk for two days to find a road. He still had the cash in his pocket.”
“Shit,” I breathed.
“Yeah. Dad was... different after that. Started treating all the parolees like they were just waiting for a chance to steal from him or hurt somebody again. The program became less about rehabilitation and more about cheap labor.” He shook his head. “I tried to tell him one bad apple didn’t mean everyone was rotten, but he wouldn’t listen. Not after that.”
I tightened my arms around him, pulling him closer against my chest. “People get hurt, they build walls. It’s easier than risking getting hurt again.”
“Is that what you did?” Ryder asked, turning his head slightly to look at me. “After Cody betrayed you?”
The question caught me off guard. “Yeah,” I admitted after a moment. “I guess I did.”
“But you let me in,” he said softly. “Eventually.”
I smiled against his neck. “You’re pretty persistent when you want something.”
