A couple days later, Bryant was sitting at the table in Sterling’s cottage with Vaughn. They’d stayed out here the past few nights in case, as was forecasted, it finally fucking rained.

Of course it hadn’t.

So he paced the kitchen some more.

Vaughn reached out and grabbed his wrist, tugging him into his lap. He banded his arms around Bryant, refusing to allow him to stand up again. “I love you, Bryant. But if you don’t sit your ass down, I’m going to have to bum some rope off your uncles and tie you up.”

“I’m trying my absolute hardest.” Bryant swore his insides were being eaten through from all the acid churning in his gut.

He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat. Hell, he couldn’t even fuck.

“Look at the sky. It’s coming. I can feel it in my ankle.” Vaughn grimaced as he rotated it.

“The one you broke in eighth grade?” Bryant had nearly forgotten the summer Vaughn had been hobbling around on crutches or the time he’d accepted a ride across the farm on Bryant’s horse.

“It was worth it for that horseback ride you gave me over to my dad’s place.” Vaughn smiled as he hugged Bryant like he had back then.

“Once a perv, always a perv,” Bryant teased.

“There’s my boyfriend.” Vaughn laughed. “I missed you. Stay here with me for a while. I think today’s the day.”

“Well, you should know.” Bryant turned and kissed Vaughn gently. “After all, you broke my drought.”

“I guess I did, didn’t I?” Vaughn leaned in, about to make the sweltering kitchen even hotter when a bolt of blue-white light illuminated the sky an instant before the loudest clap of thunder Bryant had ever heard rattled the windows of his sister’s house. There was no mistaking it this time. Thunder!

He looked over at Vaughn and grinned. Instead of shutting the blinds and standing back from the window like any sane weatherman would recommend for their safety, Bryant grabbed his boyfriend’s hand and tugged.

“Where are you taking me?” Vaughn chuckled as he shook his head.

“Outside!” Bryant didn’t waste any time. He bolted for the front door and flung it open. Wind whipped through the grass outside, birds dove for cover in the crispy leaves of the trees, and they ran out into the yard.

“You’re going to get us killed, you lunatic!” Vaughn cringed when another series of flashes pinged around them.

Bryant didn’t care. He stared up at the sky and the clouds rolling past overhead, hoping. For rain. For the rest of his prayers to be answered. “Come on. Jake, please, help us out.”

As if in answer, a big fat drop of rain fell and splattered right in his eye.

Bryant whooped and swiped it away as he turned to Vaughn. “It’s raining!”

“Yes, yes, it is.” He held his arms out, palms up, and collected the moisture that began to splash down in more and more spots around them. “You think Jake heard you?” Vaughn whispered.

“I’m not sure, but if so… I hope he looks away now.” Bryant started to strip. He wasn’t wasting this chance to celebrate with the love of his life. Thankfully the cottage blocked the view between where they were standing and Sterling and Viho’s house.

“What the hell are you doing?” Vaughn stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

Bryant met his gaze and held it as he removed the rest of his clothes. For the first time in his life, he felt confident enough to seduce the man he wanted more than anything. Even more than the rain. “Remember that shower sex you wanted? How’s rain sex sound instead?”

“A rain check. Nice. I’m in.” Vaughn kicked off his boots and practically ripped his shirt in half as he yanked it from his jeans. Periodic bursts of light outlined his six-pack, which was growing wetter by the second.

The patter and plop of moisture turned into a constant barrage. Then they were soaked.

So much water fell from the sky that Bryant couldn’t even hear himself as he called out to Vaughn. It didn’t matter. The other guy responded as if he knew what Bryant needed. Maybe even needed it himself.

They came together in the wide-open yard behind the cottage. Damn anyone else who might happen by. A stream of warm water poured from Bryant’s hair and down his face. His chest slapped against Vaughn’s when they collided with enough momentum to make him wonder if the thunder was coming from within him.

The effect Vaughn had on him was powerful enough to be its own force of nature.

For a moment or two they stood there, peering into each other’s eyes. Crystalline drops beaded on Vaughn’s onyx lashes, making them glisten.

Then he closed the gap between them, crushing his mouth to Bryant’s.

Their groans smashed together like the warm and cold fronts above them, mingling and turning into the perfect storm of passion. Bryant sank to his knees at Vaughn’s feet, craving the taste of him. He filled his mouth with heat and cock, sucking just the way his partner preferred.

The clench of Vaughn’s hands on Bryant’s shoulders guaranteed he was having the effect he intended. But it wasn’t long before they both needed more. He pulled off and began to lie back.

“No, you’re not going to lay in the dirt while I fuck you.” Vaughn kept him from settling into the muddy area forming around them.

He turned and splayed himself on the ground instead, then held his arms out to Bryant, whose heart ka-thumped a little at the tender side his gruff boyfriend sometimes unwittingly showed.

Bryant followed Vaughn’s urging and crouched over his torso. Vaughn locked his hands onto Bryant’s quads, then guided him upward until his cock dangled near Vaughn’s mouth.

His boyfriend lunged upward, taking the shaft between his lips and sucking. He didn’t screw around, instead applying just the right amount of suction to border on discomfort while pumping up Bryant’s cock as rapidly as possible.

Meanwhile, he reached beneath Bryant. The hum that radiated along Bryant’s shaft made him fairly certain the other guy had taken his own cock in hand and started to jerk himself off. Thank God, because he wanted Vaughn inside him, as deep as he could go, while they enjoyed the storm raging around—and within—them.

“I need you to fuck me, Vaughn. Now. Please.” Begging didn’t bother him in the least. Vaughn wouldn’t lord his needs over him.

“Wait, Bryant. Lube.” Vaughn grunted as he tried to prevent Bryant from descending, putting his ass in prime range for fucking. “Damn it. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Vaughn’s head sank onto the dampening ground.

“It’s a good thing I was wearing this then, huh?” Bryant grinned as he took Vaughn’s hand and brought it to his ass. He gasped when his boyfriend nudged the base of the generously lubed plug he’d had in all day in the hopes that Vaughn would take him for a hard ride later, either because it’d finally be raining and they were celebrating like they were now, or because he needed to be soothed after more disappointment.

It looked like all his wishes were coming true today.

“You’re a fucking genius, has anyone ever told you that?” Vaughn grinned as he teased the toy from Bryant’s body and chucked it into a flowerbed nearby.

They had, but it had never meant as much to Bryant as it did right then. Knowing he made his boyfriend happy was damn near as enjoyable as the pressure of Vaughn’s cock nudging his ass, seeking entry.

Bryant watched rain splash onto Vaughn’s abs, saw them clenching beneath the sheen of the fresh, clean water pouring over them. He shook his head to clear some of the moisture from his eyes so that he could see the expression on Vaughn’s face when they were joined once again.

Even though it had only been half a day since they’d been linked like this, their connection had the power to electrify him. He sank onto Vaughn’s cock, bit by bit, working himself down as his boyfriend thrust upward.

Together, they made themselves fit each other. If there was a tiny bit of residual pain, Bryant didn’t mind. He knew that they’d get past it and give each other far more pleasure than that initial pinprick of discomfort.

He sighed when Vaughn’s thighs cradled his lower back and his balls rested against Vaughn’s belly.

“Don’t get too comfortable there, Doc.” Vaughn laughed as he reached down to run a finger along the entire length of Bryant’s cock. “You’ve got some riding to do.”

One of Vaughn’s palms connected with the side of Bryant’s ass, then gripped it, using the hold to help him get started. His other hand concentrated on massaging Bryant’s cock and balls, which were presented for him to easily play with. Their position also let Vaughn openly admire the artwork Bryant wore with honor.

It was nearly complete now, after more sessions than he could count. Someday soon he’d show his cousins and his father and uncles. He finally felt like a fully fledged Compton, wearing symbols of their ranch, their ancestors, his profession, and—of course—Vaughn’s name.

The calluses on Vaughn’s hands, at the base of his fingers, only added to the rough edge of his steady grip. He pumped Bryant in time to the rhythm Bryant set as he began to fuck himself on Vaughn’s cock. Bryant put his hands behind him and braced them on Vaughn’s knees, using the leverage to help him pick up speed.

His hips rose and fell, working Vaughn’s cock in and out of himself. Watching the heavy-lidded stare Vaughn gave him as they fucked had his own dick jerking in his boyfriend’s grip.

“Fuck yes, Bryant,” Vaughn cheered into the storm. “Ride me. Show me how much you love this. Come all over me and I’ll fill you up.”

How could Bryant resist a dirty-talking not-cowboy like that?

He stared straight into Vaughn’s eyes as he surrendered to the moment. He embraced the rapture streaking through him as bright as the lightning striking around them, adding drops of his own fluid to the rain spattering all over Vaughn’s torso. Vaughn angled his chin down and lapped a pearly line from his own pectoral muscle, sampling the proof of Bryant’s pleasure.

And then his cock bulged inside Bryant’s ass a moment before he began to buck.

True to his word, Vaughn deposited jet after jet inside Bryant, his fists pounding the ground, sending water spraying in every direction. Though the wind shrieked and the storm seethed, all Bryant heard was that guttural gasp of ecstasy that he’d inspired.

Then he collapsed beside Vaughn.

They lay there, staring up at the sky, being washed clean of all their fear, doubts, and worry. Until, after a while, the summer rain brought chills to even the toasty places where they connected.

“You’re dying to go check the system, aren’t you?” Vaughn asked.

“Yeah. Do you mind?” Bryant bit his lip.

Vaughn climbed to his feet, then held his hand out for Bryant. “Not at all. How can I help?”

Bryant ran for the cottage. “Just stay with me while I do my thing and don’t let me freak out if things aren’t as they should be.”

“That’s not a problem, but we should probably rinse off and get dressed first.”

“Good thinking.”

Vaughn was never more than a step behind as they splashed through puddles, inspected connections, and monitored the water levels while the retention ponds began to fill. Everything worked perfectly.

Hours later, Bryant felt solid enough to return to the cottage. Once there, Vaughn grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped it around them both, bundling them together.

They stood, dripping and shivering, in the entryway, hugging each other and slow dancing in place until the chill began to fade from his fingers and toes. It would be impossible not to be warm in Vaughn’s arms.

“Rainy days are my new favorite,” Vaughn purred.

“Mine too.” Bryant squeezed him tight enough he might be smothering the other guy. Still, he refused to let go. “Though with you, any day is amazing.”

“But especially the wet ones.”

Bryant laughed and nodded. “Especially those.”

“Even though you’re a stubborn-ass Compton, I love you, Bryant. I think I have from the first moment I saw you. I don’t ever want to lose you again.” Vaughn took Bryant’s palm. He smoothed it over his heart and the tattoo he wore so proudly there. “I’ll do my best to make sure you’re never hurt again, especially because of me.”

“I’ve told you a million times. That wasn’t your fault. None of this was your—”

“And it sure as fuck wasn’t yours either.” Vaughn shook his head. “But it screwed us both up anyway. No more. That’s done and so is the running. If there’s trouble, we’ll deal with it together and come out stronger for it.”

“Deal.” Bryant choked when Vaughn loosened the blanket just enough to drop to one knee.

“I never imagined doing this buck-ass naked, but what the fuck? You see all of me, loved all of me when no one else thought I was worth it.”

“You do the same for me,” Bryant whispered, his voice somewhere down around his ankles.

“So…will you be my partner for life? Marry me?” Vaughn asked.

Bryant swallowed hard so that he could roar. “Hell yes!”

He put his hands beneath Vaughn’s arms and lifted him up, like they’d always do for each other. “But…”

“No. No buts allowed. It’s a yes or no question.” Vaughn bit his lip as if he had any reason at all to worry.

“I’m just wondering… I know you asked me, but I’d love it if you would become a Compton.” It was a dumb detail. His mind specialized in facts, though, and now that he’d thought of it, he couldn’t imagine it any other way.

“You think your family would want me having their name?” Vaughn asked.

Considering how serious he was when he said it, Bryant knew without a doubt he would insist the other guy take it. Convince him he was as worthy of it as any of the rest of them. “Of course they would be proud to give it to you. Snake was an honorary Compton. It feels right that you should make it official.”

“I would love that.” Vaughn hugged him tight. “Nearly as much as I love you.”

Of course, that led to more kissing, and more fucking—this time the long and slow variety in the comfort of their bed. The entire time, it rained. And rained. And rained. Until Compass Ranch’s water retention system overflowed, filled to the brim like Bryant’s heart and soul.