When we finally broke apart, both breathing harder, I rested my forehead against his. “I may not be able to say the words yet,” I murmured, “but I can show you. If you’ll let me.”
His eyes darkened with understanding, and I watched his throat work as he swallowed. “Here?”
“Here.” I glanced around at the empty hillside, the ranch buildings distant enough that no one could see us even if they were looking. “No one comes up here. It’s just us.”
“Nick...” His voice was rough with want, but I could hear the hesitation too. “Are you?—”
“I’m sure,” I interrupted, already reaching for the buttons of his shirt. “And I need this. Need you. Need to show you what I can’t say yet.”
He caught my hands, stilling them, and for a horrible moment I thought he was going to refuse. But then he leaned in and kissed me again, harder this time, and I felt his resolve crumble.
“Okay,” he breathed against my mouth. “Okay, yeah. Show me.”
I made quick work of his shirt, pushing it off his shoulders and running my hands over the warm skin I’d memorized over the past weeks. The bandage around his ribs was gone now, leaving only faint bruising that was more yellow than purple. I traced the marks gently, reminded of how close I’d come to losing him before I’d even really had him.
“I’m okay,” he said softly, reading my expression. “I promise.”
I nodded, then urged him back onto the grass, following him down. The ground was cool beneath us, the grass soft, and overhead the stars wheeled in their ancient patterns. I kissed him again, taking my time now, tasting him thoroughly.
My hands found the button of his jeans, and I paused, giving him one last chance to change his mind. But he just lifted his hips, helping me work the denim down his legs along with his boxers. In the moonlight, his cock was already hard, and I felt my own body respond with a rush of heat.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” I breathed, running my hand up his thigh.
“So are you.” His hands were working at my clothes now, and I helped him strip me down until we were both naked under the stars, warm skin against skin.
I’d stashed lube in my pocket, which probably said something about my intentions for this walk, but I didn’t letmyself think too hard about that. Instead, I focused on Dante’s face as I slicked my fingers, watching the anticipation and trust written there.
“Turn over,” I murmured, and he did, presenting himself to me in a way that made my cock throb with need.
I took my time preparing him, working him open with careful fingers while he gasped and pushed back against my hand. Out here in the open air, with nothing but starlight and moonlight to see by, everything felt more intense somehow. More real.
“Please,” he finally gasped, his hands fisting in the grass. “Nick, please, I need?—”
I knew what he needed. I slicked myself up and positioned myself behind him, the head of my cock pressing against his entrance. He pushed back immediately, taking me in one smooth motion that punched the air from both our lungs.
“God,” I groaned, giving him a moment to adjust. “You feel so fucking good.”
“Move,” he demanded, and I did, setting a rhythm that was slower and more deliberate than usual. This wasn’t about desperation or urgency. This was about showing him what I couldn’t put into words yet.
I pulled him up so his back rested against my chest and pressed kisses to his shoulder, his neck, anywhere I could reach. One hand wrapped around his cock, stroking him in time with my slow thrusts. His moans echoed across the empty hillside, mixing with the night sounds of crickets and wind through grass.
My hips ground against him, driving my cock deep. I felt him pulse and clench around me, my hand clasped around his neck as I held him close. Before long I was lost in the sounds of his pleasure, wanting nothing more than to pull more moans of ecstasy from his lips. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been out there, and I didn’t care. All I wanted was to make him fall apart in my grasp.
“Nick,” he gasped at last, his whole body trembling. “I’m close, I’m?—”
“Let go,” I told him, my own control fraying. “I’ve got you.”
He came with a broken cry that I swallowed with a kiss, his body clenching around me in a way that dragged me over the edge with him. I buried myself as deep as I could go and let go, pleasure washing through me in waves that left me shaking.
We collapsed together onto the grass, both breathing hard, my softening cock still inside him. I pressed my face against his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him mixed with grass and earth and sex.
“Not bad, cowboy,” he said, his voice breathy and blissed out. “I don’t think anyone’s ever fucked me like that before.”
“No?”
He shook his head but didn’t reply further. We lay there for a long moment, letting our breathing return to normal, neither of us wanting to move. Eventually, though, the cool night air started to make itself known, and I reluctantly pulled out, both of us wincing at the loss.
We dressed in comfortable silence, taking our time. When we were both presentable again, I pulled him close, wrapping my arms around him.
