A faint scratching noise roused Bryant from his deep sleep. Sure, he’d been deprived after his marathon drive home from college and a restless night following the bonfire, but that didn’t account for how hard he’d crashed after making love with Vaughn.

From the light already sneaking in around the edges of the room-darkening shades Vaughn must use since he usually worked nights, Bryant figured his dad and the rest of the ranch had already been up and working for hours. Damn.

He pushed up onto his elbows, reluctant to leave the oasis Vaughn had made for them and return to the real world. He squinted at Vaughn, who lounged stretched out alongside him, something white and rectangular balanced on one knee. Bryant blinked and scrubbed his eyes with the back of his knuckles. “What are you doing?”

“Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” Vaughn paused whatever he was up to, a pencil clutched in his hand. The tip hovered over an old-fashioned notebook. The paper kind, not the electronic sort everyone else Bryant knew used these days.

“Are you drawing? Can I see?” Curiosity piqued, he levered himself higher and craned his neck.

Vaughn tipped his pad away from Bryant. “It’s nothing important. Just doodling.”

“I let you fuck me stupid. The least you could do is trust me enough to show me your art. You’re really great at it, you know. I’ve seen all the tattoos you’ve given Austin and Sterling. They love them. Makes me sort of wish I had something I wanted permanently on my skin.”

“Really?” Vaughn raised his brows. “Okay then. What do you think about this?”

He showed Bryant what he’d been sketching.

It was him. Lying naked in Vaughn’s bed. Except in the drawing, he was covered with ink. Most notably, a full chest piece.

The details were hazy, but there was a compass, the silhouette of a cowboy that even pre-coffee screamed Jake, and water. The entire thing was surrounded by a background of splashes that made it look as if someone had dropped it into a puddle or maybe the pond where Vaughn had stumbled across him skinny dipping that summer so long ago. There was a particularly smudgy spot at the center where it looked like Vaughn had erased something from his work in progress.

Bryant grinned. Seeing himself through Vaughn’s eyes boosted his ego. He looked more like the cowboy he’d been raised to be instead of the repressed nerd he’d thought of himself as for too long. “Well, damn. I look pretty fucking hot tatted up.”

“Uh huh.” Vaughn nodded, his eyes turning hungry again.

“What’s that?” Bryant asked as he pointed to the indistinct section of the sketch.

Vaughn shook his head. “Nothing, yet.”

“What could it be?” It was fascinating to behold the potential Vaughn saw in him come to life. To imagine that he might become that self-assured, sinfully sexy man, who indulged in a wild affair and gave as good as he got if they spent too many more nights like this one together.

“I guess that’s up to you.” Vaughn refused to meet his stare. “It’s just a dumb sketch.”

Funny, it felt more like a vision to Bryant. A glimpse of a very promising future where he became the man he’d always wanted to be. A real Compton. “Could I have it?”

Vaughn hesitated, as if he wanted to keep it. Then he smiled. “Sure. I’ll even sign it for you.”

He scribbled his signature at the bottom along with 1/2.

“What’s the 1/2 for?” Bryant wondered.

“One of two. I’m going to draw myself a copy.” He grinned. “I want to remember this night forever. I hope you don’t mind me keeping a souvenir. I promise I don’t do this with every guy I sleep with. I don’t hoard pictures of my conquests. It’s just you. This…meant something to me.”

Bryant knew it was sappy, but he squirmed a little inside anyway. To know that he could have this—a man who was a powerhouse alpha in bed and still romantic. That he could learn to stand just as strong. It was everything he’d ever dreamed of. Wished for.

He reached up and tugged Vaughn’s shoulders toward him some. Not enough so that they ended up tangled together on the sheets, though he wished he had time for that. Just a bit, so that he could kiss Vaughn, and remind them both of how they’d spent so much of last night.

“I take it that means it’s okay?” Vaughn made sure not to violate Bryant, which only made him second-guess the building urge he had to get up and get dressed.

“Of course. Hopefully you can do it from memory, though. I’ve got to go home. I need to talk to my dad about sponsoring my thesis project for school.” Tension began to seep back into his muscles, knotting them.

Vaughn rubbed his back, easing it again. “Hey, you know he’ll do it. Sam and your uncles would do anything for you. I think that’s why Jake never told them about what happened. He was afraid they’d get themselves in trouble by going after that prick and tearing him apart.”

“Probably true.” Bryant sighed. “But I want my dad to agree because it’s a sound investment for the ranch, not because he’s my dad. I’ve taken enough. I need to give something back. But it’s a lot of money. What if it doesn’t work like I think—”

“Hey.” Vaughn shook him a little then. “You’ve got this. You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re better than you think you are. Especially at blowjobs, though you’re welcome to practice on me anytime if you’re still not sure about that.”

Bryant snorted a laugh. “Thanks.”

Vaughn kissed him quickly, stopping before either of them could get sidetracked. “I guess I better clean up the shop, send appointment reminders, put in the supply order, and get ready for reopening this afternoon. My schedule is packed since I cancelled appointments yesterday and so many people want Jake memorials.”

“They do? That’s amazing.” Bryant considered whether or not he should do something similar. Listening to Austin’s ideas for his own design the night before had sparked something in Bryant. Not to mention Vaughn’s drawings. He’d have to think about it. “Well, I better let you get to it then.”

Had he taken too much of Vaughn’s time? And when he left, was Vaughn expecting him to come back…tonight or ever?

As if he could sense Bryant’s hesitation, Vaughn asked softly, “When can I see you again?”

“I’m not sure. I’m going to be ridiculously busy trying to get this thing built and functional in time to finish my thesis by the deadline.”

“When is that, exactly?” Vaughn wondered.

“A month from yesterday. The theoretical part of my paper took a lot longer than anticipated to complete and get approved.” Bryant winced as he sat up and flung his legs over the edge of the bed. There really wasn’t any time to waste.

Vaughn whistled. “That’s not very long. Do you need an assistant? I don’t have to work until the evening. I could help out with the grunt work. Come out there early, before the days get too hot. I could probably put in five or six hours each morning for as long as you need me.”

Bryant wasn’t about to turn down either a hand or the chance to spend more time with Vaughn. “That would be great. You know, if my dad agrees.”

“Go on, then.” Vaughn slapped Bryant’s ass and turned him toward the door. “You’re not going to feel better until you hash it out with him.”

“I’m not going to feel better until I provide substantial hydrological resources for Compass Ranch and earn my doctoral degree.”

“Overachiever.” Vaughn grinned. “I can’t wait to call you Dr. Compton. That will be something.”

It set him on fire that Vaughn was so proud of him and his achievements. So certain that Bryant had it in him to see this through. It did a lot to bolster his confidence as he got dressed, kissed Vaughn goodbye, then climbed into his truck, and headed home.

When he took one final glance in his rearview mirror and saw Vaughn standing out on his balcony, watching him go, he had to blink away the moisture in his eyes.

He looked skyward and whispered, “Thanks, Jake. You were right. As always.”