Chase woke up smiling.

It wasn’t a feeling he was used to—especially not lately, with everything in his life in flux. But he was pretty sure he hadn’t stopped smiling since… well, since the week before, when he ran into Ben at the grocery store.

And he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to be able to stop as long as Ben was nearby.

He stretched out in his bed, wishing that Ben was a little more close by than normal at the moment. If Chase would’ve taken Ben up on his offer to spend the night out at the ranch, he could’ve been waking up in Ben’s arms right about now.

But Chase had reluctantly said no—one of the most difficult things he’d had to do in a really long time.

It wasn’t that he wanted to go back to his parents’ house, or to spend the night alone in his own bed rather than with Ben.

It was just… Chase didn’t want to push his luck too much.

He knew his own personality, and he knew Ben’s just as well. He didn’t want to run the risk of steamrolling Ben into doing what Chase wanted, even if it was probably the best idea he’d ever had.

A little space would be good, though.

Probably.

It would give both of them time to think about everything they said and did the night before, and to decide if it was something they wanted to try again.

Well, it would give Ben time to think about and decide all of those things. Chase’s mind was already made up. It had been ever since he first came up with the dating-but-not-really-dating idea.

Chase was still pretty convinced that it was the absolute best of both worlds—all the fun and none of the relationship stress—and that it was even better because it involved his best friend.

He only hoped Ben would see things the same way. Chase was almost certain he would, but… that was the problem with giving someone time and space to think. It could end up going either way.

Chase’s phone chirped with an incoming text, pulling him out of his thoughts. Out of habit, he reached for it on the nightstand where he normally kept it, and then frowned as he groped around. A cursory glance in that direction confirmed that it wasn’t there.

He smirked as he remembered how exhausted he’d been the night before. Ben had really worn him out if Chase hadn’t even remembered to take his phone out of his jeans pocket.

Stifling a yawn, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and followed the trail of discarded clothes from the night before until he found the jeans he’d been wearing, his phone still chirping happily as he fished it out of the pocket.

Chase’s yawn turned into a wide grin when he saw that it was a text from Ben.

Chuckling to himself, Chase tapped out a quick reply.

For a moment, he considered sending photographic evidence of the effect that dream was still having on his cock, but Chase thought better of it. It would only get him even more worked up, and that probably wasn’t a good idea until he found out what Ben’s thoughts were about their little sort-of-dating situation.

Chase flopped back down onto his bed, still smiling as he read the new text. So far, so good. If Ben had any regrets from the night before, he was hiding them pretty well.

And it was definitely a good sign that Ben had sent the first text, right?

Chase wasn’t sure what the actual dating etiquette was, especially for two guys, but he was going to consider this one a win.

He wanted to wait for Ben to bring up the possibility of a second date, but since luck seemed to be in Chase’s favor, he decided to just go for it. He took a deep breath and sent another message.

Even though he only had to wait a few seconds for a reply, Chase was still holding his breath the entire time. Ben’s answer was either going to make or break the rest of Chase’s time in Baxter Springs. He wasn’t normally a superstitious man, but Chase actually crossed his fingers when Ben’s reply came through.

Chase was in the middle of typing a follow-up question when another text from Ben interrupted.

Chase shook his head. Ben knew him too well. And there was no doubt Ben knew that keeping the details a secret would absolutely drive Chase crazy for the next thirty hours.

But it would also be the best kind of crazy.

Lying back against his pillow, Chase sent his reply.

Chase couldn’t help but laugh when all he got in return was a little winking, kissing-face emoji. He hadn’t expected anything else, though. And if he was being honest, the wait wasn’t going to be that bad.

If it was important to Ben, Chase would gladly wait for days.

He’d already spent years thinking about what this would be like. He could definitely make it a few more hours.

Even though Chase would have been more than happy to sit up in his room and pass the hours daydreaming and fantasizing until he saw Ben again, there was one other thing that would always bring him downstairs to socialize with his family.

His mother’s cooking was a treat that he’d been deprived of for years, and aside from the couple of times he’d eaten with Ben, Chase hadn’t missed a meal at home since he’d been back in town.

“I thought you’d be up earlier,” Patricia said, sipping her coffee at the dining room table as Chase descended the stairs. “Unless you were exaggerating all those times you said you had to be awake before dawn with the Marines.”

“Nope.” Chase yawned as if on cue as he headed straight for the kitchen. “That was all true, unfortunately. Something smells amazing in here, Mom. What did you make?”

He hadn’t realized just how hungry he was until all the smells of a full-on breakfast hit his nose. His stomach growled loudly as he took a plate from the cabinet and started poking around at the covered pots and pans on the oven.

“See for yourself,” she called from the dining room. “I ate breakfast with your father before he had to leave for work, so help yourself to everything that’s left in there.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. Chase was already loading his plate with eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy. It took all of his self-control just to make it into the dining room with his plate before taking a bite.

“You outdid yourself on this breakfast, Mom,” he said, between bites. “Thank you.”

“I hope it’s all still warm.” She shook her head slightly as she watched her son eat. “Not that it seems to matter…”

And she was right. The food was still plenty warm enough for Chase, but he would’ve still happily eaten it if everything had been completely cold. It was just that good.

He nodded, unable to say anything more with his mouth full.

“Did you have fun with Ben last night?” she asked.

Chase nodded and sputtered from nearly choking on a biscuit at the unexpected question. He was certain she was just making conversation, but she had no idea just how much fun he’d had with Ben the night before.

Once he was finished choking, he was glad she had gotten up and hurried into the kitchen to pour him a glass of milk. At least it gave him some time to figure out how to answer.

“Here, Chase,” she said, handing him the glass. “My goodness, you should slow down while you’re eating, dear. It’s not like the food is going anywhere, and there’s plenty more where that came from. Now, tell me about last night.”

“Right. Sorry,” he said, giving her a sheepish grin once he was able to speak again. “I can’t help it. Everything tastes so good, and I’m used to just having a few minutes to eat. My stomach thinks it’s gonna miss out if I don’t hurry.”

While everything he said was technically true, he knew she wouldn’t let him keep stalling forever. She would just keep asking about Ben until he gave a satisfactory answer.

“Take your time, dear,” she said, then inclined her head as she waited for him to continue.

Shit.

There really wasn’t any way to get out of this conversation, was there?

The problem was that he didn’t want to lie, but he wasn’t ready to tell her—or anyone else, for that matter—the whole truth about his agreement with Ben. As far as Chase’s parents knew, they were just two guys, hanging out like they used to back in the day.

Not dating.

Not kissing.

Definitely not doing anything with their cocks out.

And he sure as hell wasn’t going to tell his mother any of those things. He was pretty mortified just thinking about it in front of her.

“Last night was good,” he said, finally. “Fun—we had fun, uh… just watched a movie and… stuff.”

Fuck.

Was he sweating? Could she see the half-truth in his eyes? Why had he always been so bad at lying?

His brother, Jake, could stay calm as a cucumber while he told their parents all kinds of made-up shit, but Chase had never picked up that particular skill.

Now he was wishing he had made more of an effort.

“A movie and stuff?” she repeated. “What kind of stuff? I think it was pretty late when you got in, wasn’t it?”

What had started as an innocent question was turning into something else, right before his eyes. And it was all his fault. By dodging the question, Chase knew he was just making her more curious.

Still, there was no way she suspected what really went on last night.

Hopefully.

He just wasn’t ready to go there. Not now. Not with his family. And especially not if it was going to end in a few days anyway.

Why should he try to explain how he felt about Ben now, when there would be nothing more to tell once he moved to New York? That just seemed like a lot of extra headaches all the way around, and for nothing in return.

“Was it late?” he asked, trying to sound nonchalant as he quickly took another bite. The more he ate, the less he could talk, after all. “I guess time just got away from us. I tried to be quiet coming in so you and Dad didn’t wake up, though. Sorry if I was too loud.”

“That’s okay, dear,” she said, reaching over to pat his hand on the table. “Someday, you’ll have children of your own, and you’ll know the feeling of not being able to fall asleep until you know they’ve made it home safely.”

“I’ll probably get paid back for a lot of the trouble I’ve caused if I ever have kids,” he said with a rueful grin. “But you know I never want you to worry about me, especially if I’m out with Ben. We never get too crazy, I promise.”

“I know,” she said. “You boys have always been a good influence on each other. That’s why I’ve always liked having Ben around. He’s good for you, Chase.”

Chase nodded. He certainly wasn’t going to argue with her on that point. Ben was good for him, and always had been.

He just wondered if she’d feel the same way if she knew the whole truth.