I didn’t expect him to show up, in all honesty. Jacob had sounded super nervous over the phone, but I couldn’t blame him. I had been fighting the contents of my stomach all night and morning, waiting for the seconds, minutes, and hours to count down until it was finally seven in the evening.

We showed up at the restaurant at the exact same time, meeting at the front door, and lingered beneath the small green awning. A bubbly excitement was caught in my chest. No, it wasn’t bubbly. It was something explosive, but I did my best to keep it in check.

Jacob was dressed casually, a stark contrast to the incredibly formal suits I had seen him in before. He had on a light blue polo and sports jacket, along with a comfortable pair of dark blue jeans. It was admittedly a little weird to see him without a tie, and without his hair slicked back with gel.

He smiled at me, worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs full of frigid evening air. How was it possible that he looked even more handsome tonight?

“Hi,” he greeted me quietly, a shy smile on his lips.

“Hi,” I responded, clearing my throat. It was stupid, how nervous I felt. I gestured towards the door. “Shall we?” Jacob nodded and followed me inside.

The hostess showed us to our seats –- a small booth in the back corner of the restaurant -– before handing us both menus and spouting off the top of her head what the evening’s specials were. I wasn’t listening, though. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Jacob, who was smiling politely at the waitress as he listened.

I studied the upward curl of his lips, the concentration in his eyes, the sharp edge of his jawline. My thoughts drifted back to the kiss we’d shared at the stables. I had taken a chance -–maybe a really stupid chance -– but was over the moon when he reciprocated.

I wanted to kiss him again, to lose myself in his scent and his taste. But I didn’t want to rush into anything, didn’t want to scare him off. I didn’t think I could forgive myself if I did. There was something here, something new and wonderfully unfamiliar. Patience just needed to be my friend tonight.

Jacob set his menu down in front of him on the table, his hands folded in his lap. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. “You okay?” I asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, fine,” he replied unconvincingly. “I guess I’m just -– well, I mean–-”

“I’m feeling a little awkward,” I admitted, offering him an out.

“Yeah. I guess I am, too.” He looked relieved to know that he wasn’t the only one feeling jittery.

We flagged down the waitress, who made her way over quickly. The restaurant wasn’t too busy, so she was able to provide us with speedy service.

“Are we ready to order, gentlemen?” she asked, her voice sweet and melodic. She pulled out a small notepad and a blue ballpoint pen from her black apron.

“I’ll have the spaghetti,” I said.

“Yeah, I’ll have the same,” added Jacob.

“Anything to drink?” asked the waitress.

Jacob stuck up his index finger in the air. “Bring us a bottle of your house red,” he said.

“Make that two bottles,” I noted.

The waitress nodded and left promptly. Jacob shot me a quizzical look.

“Two bottles?” he asked.

“Figured it would make things less awkward.”

“Alcohol and business meetings don’t really mix well,” he mumbled to himself.

“Should I tell her we changed our mind?”

“God, no,” he protested with a chuckle. “You’ll hear no complaints from me.”

“What will I hear from you?” I urged, my tone low.

Jacob looked up from an imaginary spot on the table and stared at me, his cheeks a little pink.Then he smirked. “I don’t know. What do you want to hear?”

I had an answer for that, of course, but I didn’t say it out loud. I didn’t want to come off as too brash, too bold.

What I wanted to hear was him moaning, panting my name in my ear. When we had kissed, and he had moaned into my mouth, it had left me half-hard and aching for more.

Our shared moment, hidden away from the world in the stables, had been the only thing on my mind ever since. I wanted to know what he sounded like overstimulated. I wanted to leave him begging, groaning, whining beneath me.

I cleared my throat, the first to break the tense, electric silence between us. “How long are you in town for?” I asked.

“A week or so,” he answered. “Property acquisition can take a lot of time to process.”

“But after that?”

“I’ll probably head home.” He looked away, then back at me. “It’s not a whole lot of time.”

“No,” I agreed, “not a lot of time at all.”

“Did you…” Jacob’s voice trailed off, unsure. “Did you have something in mind?” He leaned forward slightly, speaking in a hushed voice.

The way he did it, the way he looked at me and nothing else, made me feel like I was the only one in the whole world who existed –- who was worth his attention. He looked eager, supple lips parted and pupils blown wide.

I couldn’t help but smile. The sweet scent of his cologne left my mind spinning, intoxicated. “I just figured we have a lot of catching up to do,” I said.

“Right.”

“And I still have to show you the rest of the ranch. I just wanted to schedule around what works best for you.”

“Anything works,” he said a little too quickly. “Call me anytime.”

“Yeah?”

Jacob swallowed, and I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. I wanted to kiss him there, lick the skin of his neck and watch him shiver in delight. I wondered if he would let me.

He cast his gaze back down to the table’s surface.

The waitress finally returned with the wine bottles and two crystal glasses. She uncorked one of the bottles –- leaving the other untouched on the table -– and poured us each a glass. “Your food will be out shortly,” she informed us before walking away.

I picked up my glass and brought the rim to my lips, allowing the wine to wash over my tongue, the room-temperature liquid easily trickling down my throat. In truth, I wasn’t much of a fine wine person. A can of cold beer usually did the trick for me.

Jacob also took a large gulp, closing his eyes as he drained the majority of his glass. He poured himself another glass, downing it almost immediately as well. “Good?” I asked with a grin.

“Yeah. You like it?”

“It’s not bad,” I admitted, shrugging a shoulder.

Jacob stood up from the table slowly. “I’m just going to go wash my hands. I’ll be back.”

He left the table without another word and headed for the opposite side of the restaurant, following the signs that led to the bathroom. I waited, taking another sip of the wine. The taste was starting to grow on me.

Already missing Jacob’s presence, I glanced around the restaurant, taking note of the décor. It was tackily decorated, with too many mini Italian flags on the walls, painted murals of pasta, and old-timey photos of Italian landmarks hanging crooked on nails.

Then I downed the rich liquid in my glass and sighed, nodding quietly to myself, gathering up the courage I needed before getting up from the table, too. I made my way to the bathroom, pushing open the heavy wood door.

The room smelled of toilet cleaner masked by vanilla air freshener. Jacob was at the sink, leaning against the counter. He looked up at me, a little startled.

I stood frozen by the doorway, doing my best to keep my breathing steady. “Your cheeks are all red,” I noted.

“It’s the wine.”

“Sure it is.”

Before I knew it, Jacob had closed the distance between us with three long strides. He crashed his lips against mine, bruising and hot, and tugged at my shirt, pulling me into the bathroom and shoving me against the nearest wall.

This wasn’t like our first kiss. It was better. I could feel the heat of his skin, smell the alcohol on his breath, drowned in the scent of his delightful cologne. He whimpered into my mouth as his tongue explored mine, the sound going straight to my cock. It was better than I ever could have imagined.

I ran my fingers through his hair, pressing our bodies together. Though both of us wore jeans, I could feel him getting hard through the denim. Using this to my advantage, I slipped one of my hands down the length of his back and grabbed his ass, pulling him close so he would have no choice but to grind up against me.

The only time our mouths were ever separated was to breathe, but those moments were short and frantic. Our kisses were wet, messy, and bordering on desperate.

“Danny,” he breathed.

I groaned when he said my name. I wanted him to say it again, to scream it. I reached down to fumble with his belt, but he stopped me, grabbing my wrist and pinning my arm to the wall.

“Not here,” he said, voice hoarse and rough. His lips were moist and red, eyes half-hooded with want. “I’ll pay for dinner. You get your car ready.”

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“My motel,” he answered. But then he straightened his back, suddenly serious. “U-unless you don’t want to.”

I rolled my eyes at him, taking his hand and positioning his palm on my groin so he could feel my hard-on. The pressure was wonderful, but I was going to need much more than that. “I want to,” I assured him.

Jacob licked his lips. I wanted his tongue back in my mouth. “I just need to make a call,” he said. “I’ll meet you in the parking lot in two minutes.”

“Don’t keep me waiting,” I growled in his ear.

With one final bruising kiss, he ripped himself away from me and went out.

The motel room smelled like old cigarettes, dust, and musty bedsheets. But I didn’t care. All I cared about was Jacob’s sweet taste, the warmth of his skin upon mine, the throbbing ache of my cock.

My head was spinning, but in such a way that the sensation left a wonderful tingling sensation in my skull. This was a high that I wanted to ride as long as possible. When Jacob dragged his fingers through my hair, tugging hard to expose the base of my jaw, I knew that he needed release as much as I did –- maybe even more.

There were two double beds in the motel room. Jacob dragged me to the one closest to the door, his fingers tangled in my hair as he peppered my neck with heated, bruising kisses. The other bed was made up, but vacant. Jacob must have noticed my quick side glance, because he followed up with, “I sent him away.”

“How very considerate of him,” I managed between kisses.

I helped Jacob strip off his shirt, pulling it up and over his head before discarding it on the floor. At the sight of his bare torso, I stood there, a little dazed. Jacob was fucking jacked.

Any memories I’d had of him as a scrawny little kid were immediately replaced, his new, much hotter image now seared into my brain. It took only a few more moments to find his lips again.

I dragged my hands down his chest, down his abs, studying the way his lean muscles hugged his frame. My fingers explored his shape, studied the feel of his skin, before I pushed him gently on the chest until the backs of his knees hit the edge of the bed. Almost instinctively, he sat, the bedsprings creaking beneath his weight.

Jacob made quick work of my belt. I kept stroking his hair, watching in an entranced state as he slowly undid the front of my pants. My cock was bulging against the fabric, eager for attention.

Hooking his fingers into the waistband of my boxer briefs, Jacob carefully dragged my underwear down, stopping so that the waistband rested just beneath my balls. I reminded myself to breathe slowly, the cool air against my throbbing penis a bit of a surprise. Jacob held me in place, grabbing my ass with both hands as he leaned forward to tease my tip with his tongue.

There was no hesitation — Jacob handled my length with confidence. He placed his mouth on the head of my cock, swirling his tongue around the sensitive skin, but didn’t go any further than that, happy to leave me gasping for more rather than satisfy me outright.

“Jesus,” I hissed. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, concentrating as hard as I could so I wouldn’t cum immediately. The warmth of his mouth was honestly all I needed to drive me over the edge, but I fought against the feeling.

But then Jacob slid his mouth down further. He hollowed his cheeks as he began to suck me off, bobbing his head in a rhythmic pattern. My hold on his hair tightened as I screwed my eyes shut. I wasn’t going to last very long at this rate, but God this felt good.

I didn’t want Jacob to stop, but then he fucking hummed as he took the entirety of my length. I could feel the back of his throat, and the delicious heat of his mouth all the way to the base of my cock. It took all the strength and discipline I had not to climax then and there.

When I pulled away slightly, Jacob looked up at me with his dark brown eyes. It was truly a beautiful sight. “What’s wrong?” he asked, a frown ghosting across his face.

“Nothing,” I said breathlessly. “Here, lie down on the bed.”

Jacob did so without argument. He rested his head on his pillow as he fiddled with the front of his own pants. I climbed onto the mattress, assisting him by tugging his pants down and off.

His own erect penis was desperately trying to force its way out of his boxers, leaking precum through the fabric. Jacob’s lips were parted, brow a little sweaty, patches of his skin flushed with need. He watched as I slowly undressed him, slipping off his boxers from around his hips. His pants and underwear joined his shirt on the floor, forgotten.

It was an understatement to say that Jacob was impressive. His thick cock stood fully erect, a bush of wiry hairs around the base. I slowly leaned down, balancing on my hands as I kissed his hip bones, his stomach, the insides of his thighs.

I wanted to tease him, to leave him begging. Though I was eager for more of him, I wasn’t going to touch his length right away. It would be much more fun to leave him writhing, pleading, anxious for satisfaction.

“How do you want to do this?” I asked, my voice a lot hoarser than normal.

“Well, um,” he stuttered. He couldn’t look me in the eye.

Adorable.

I planted a kiss on Jacob’s bent knee. “Do you want me to fuck you?” I grazed his abs with my hands, could feel his breathing hitch. “Or do you want to fuck me?”

Jacob mumbled something under his breath, too embarrassed to raise his voice. I carefully stroked the bottom of his length with the pad of my thumb, excruciatingly slow and light.

“Jesus fucking Christ,” moaned Jacob. I couldn’t help but smirk at his response. “I want to fuck you, but–-”

“But what?”

“I just … I don’t know if my back can take it.”

I kissed the inside of his thigh. That made a lot of sense. I didn’t want to hurt him. That was the very last thing I’d want.

“Okay,” I said softly. “We’ll take it slow. How does that sound?”

Jacob only managed to nod, covering his eyes from view with his forearms resting against his forehead. That wouldn’t do at all.

“I need to hear you say it,” I said firmly.

“Yes,” he breathed shakily. “Please.”

“Good boy,” I cooed. I carefully got off the mattress and shed the remainder of my clothing. “You don’t happen to have a–-”

“In that black duffle bag,” he stated quickly, “in the side pocket.”

I opened the side pocket and pulled out a smaller black toiletries bag, which I promptly unzipped to locate a single condom and a small bottle of lube.

“Nice to see our years as Boy Scouts paid off,” I joked.

“Always be prepared,” Jacob quipped in return.

Returning to the bed, I tossed the condom over to him. He rolled it on with ease, tossing the crinkly wrapper onto the nightstand beside him. “Come here,” he said softly, reaching for me.

I took his hand, lacing my fingers between his as I straddled either side of his hips with my thighs and leaned down, kissing him affectionately and slow.

“Tell me if it starts to hurt,” I told him. “We can always do something else.”

“But I want to–-”

“Promise me.”

Jacob sighed. He reached up with his opposite hand and stroked my cheek, tender and true. “I promise,” he finally answered.

I pulled away, taking my hand back. Sitting up straight, I opened the bottle and poured a bit of the lube onto the tips of my fingers. The substance was a little cold, so I worked it with my thumb to heat it up a bit before reaching behind me.

Jacob’s eyes were hot as I diligently worked my entrance, preparing myself to take him inside me. Once I felt I was ready, I lined myself up with his length, pressing down slowly as he stretched me open. My ass burned with the stretch, but as I gently rocked my hips back and forth, the burn turned into an amazing sensation of pleasure.

A deep moan escaped from Jacob’s wet lips. “You okay like this?” I asked.

“Yes,” he managed, “fuck yes. Just–-” His hips bucked involuntarily, pushing deeper inside of me. I stroked his chest, squeezing one of his hard nipples as I hushed him back into silence.

“Let me take care of this,” I whispered. It looked like it took Jacob a considerable amount of effort to nod.

I started to ride him, slowly at first, to get a sense of how much he could handle. I raised myself up and then lowered back down, stimulating his rock-hard cock. Jacob held onto my thighs, eyes half-hooded as he focused on his breathing.

Every time I lowered myself, taking Jacob all the way to the base, the tip of his length would hit me in just the right spot. A hot, enticing feeling, deep in my gut, started to build up, growing tighter and tighter with each pass. I picked up the pace, wanting more, so much more.

“Ah, fuck,” I groaned, “you’re so good.”

“Danny,” Jacob whined –- fucking whimpered. “Danny, please. I need–-”

“What do you need, baby?” I reached down, bending over slightly as I continued to fuck myself on Jacob’s cock. I brushed loose strands of his dark hair out of his face, admiring his gorgeous fuck-me eyes and swollen bottom lip. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want–-” he choked on his words as I rode him harder, took him deeper. The warmth I felt as he slid in and out of me was indescribable. “Harder,” he finally gasped.

I obliged him, bouncing on his dick in earnest. The noises that came out of his mouth only spurred me on. He repeated my name over and over again, like a mantra or a prayer.

His voice was high and tense, like he was about to break at any moment. In a split second, Jacob’s hand reached out and began to stroke my own cock, which had largely been unattended between our bellies.

A loud, languid groan escaped my very core. I came so hard that it left bright spots in my vision. Strands of cum streaked across Jacob’s abs and chest, painting him –- claiming him -– as my own.

Although I was satisfied and spent, Jacob was still my number one priority. I drew in a deep breath as I continued to ride him hard. Even though my muscles felt weak and tired, I kept going.

I was already on the cusp of being overstimulated, too worn out and spent, but this was Jacob. Willing to do anything to hear him scream out in ecstasy, I leaned over until our chests touched, kissing him on his jaw, the lobe of his ear, the crook of his neck, his cheek, his lips.

Jacob began to snap his hips up, the skin on the top of his thighs slapping hard against my ass. “Fuck, I’m close,” he warned me, voice dangerously tight and thin.

“You’re so good, baby,” I moaned in his ear, my words hot and heavy. “You’re so good.”

“Danny, I’m–-” His words choked off again as his pace picked up. His thrusts were almost frantic, erratic. Jacob wrapped his arms around my neck, kissing me fervently, desperately.

He moaned into my mouth, the vibration of his voice traveling through me. “I’m going to–-” His entire body bucked and shivered as he climaxed hard, his hold around me tightening.

I kissed him softly on the chin as he rode out the waves of pleasure before he finally loosened up again, pulling out, leaving me feeling empty. My body desperately wanted him inside again; I wanted him to make me feel whole and complete. But this was enough; to see him satisfied was more than enough.

I carefully rolled off of him, lying beside him on the mattress. We were both breathing hard, thoroughly fucked out. It had been a really long time since I’d felt so fulfilled. So right.

“How’s your back?” I asked softly.

“Good.” He swallowed. “It’s good.” Jacob turned his head, a grin on his face. “It figures, I guess.”

“What does?”

“That you’d end up riding me like a cowboy.”

I smiled back, chuckling to myself. “Here,” I said as I slowly got up. “Let’s clean up. I’ll get out of your hair.”

Jacob actually frowned at this statement. It made me wonder if he expected me to stay the night. “Oh,” he replied quietly. “I mean … you don’t have to. If you don’t want to, that is.”

I shook my head slowly as I stood up and started towards the bathroom to find a cloth to wipe our fronts down. “I have to get back to the ranch,” I explained. It wasn’t entirely a lie. “And I figured your business partner would want to come back and sleep at some point.”

“R-right,” he mumbled. “Yeah, okay.”

But there was something about his tone that indicated he was everything but okay. There was something hesitant in his words, a tinge of disappointment. Maybe even a little guilt.

“Seriously, you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said quickly. “Yeah, I’m good.”

I returned with two motel-provided wash cloths that I had dampened slightly in the bathroom sink. To my surprise, Jacob was already asleep, tuckered out and snoring softly. He looked like an angel lying there.

The temptation was strong to curl up beside him, wrapped in his arms. I wanted to pepper his entire body with kisses, to touch every inch of his skin. Some part of me wanted Jacob to do the very same to me. I wanted to give him anything and everything, just to see him smile.

It was in that very moment that I realized that I was falling for him. I was falling for the man who was planning on taking everything from me.

And for some reason, I didn’t care. Even after all I had been through, with my family, with Michael, I didn’t care. Because for the first time in such a long time, I was willing to let myself be real. For him, for Jacob.

A small part of me thought that maybe he’d be worth it. It would be worth it to feel exposed and vulnerable with him, just for him. Maybe it would be worth it to stop living in fear of letting myself feel something real. Because nobody kissed like that, held someone like that, with the intent to hurt.

I quickly and quietly collected my things and got dressed in the dark before going out into the evening chill.