Page 21 of Pure Country

21

ROWDY

Fuck, why was it so goddamned hot in here? Did the AC go out again? I blinked my eyes open and shifted, then felt the body draped over me.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus.

Kess stayed over.

I played guitar and sang for him.

And he didn’t sneak away in the middle of the night.

“Mmph.”

Kess’s arm tightened around me.

“Morning.”

God, his voice was so sexy and gravelly.

I shivered, even as sweat ran down my neck. “Morning,” I replied, my voice cracking.

“You okay?” he asked, pulling back slightly.

“Yeah?”

He chuckled. “Suuuure. You sound perfectly comfortable and not at all like you’re freaking the fuck out.”

Jerk.

I flipped around, facing him. “I said?—”

He cut me off with a kiss, then stroked my cheekbones and stared into my eyes like he thought they were something special. The morning sun set fire to his fair hair, glinting silver at his temples.

“Hey, beautiful,” he said, his smile causing his eyes to crinkle.

Oh fuck. I was going to hyperventilate if he was going to keep going around calling me beautiful, all willy-nilly like that.

“I want to make out with you, but you have the worst morning breath,” he said. “Let’s go fix that.”

“Jerk.”

He laughed as he sat up and pivoted, then rose like a god.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. That was some morning wood. His eyes tracked mine, and he lifted a shoulder.

“Sorry. I’m trying very hard not to stab you with this thing.”

“I don’t think I’d mind if you did,” I muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

I followed him into the bathroom, but he was standing over the toilet, trying to get his dick to cooperate. I backed out, my face flaming as I rushed over to the coffeepot, starting it before the timer. At least the overnight oats smelled good.

Kess came out a few minutes later. “I stole more of your mouthwash. Also, you don’t have to be quite so shy around me.”

“I’m not shy,” I countered, lying.

“Whatever you say, Rowd.”

He’d said that he wanted to know the real me. Maybe that included even the shy parts?

I pushed his chest, admiring its strength before I stepped into the bathroom, did my business, and brushed my teeth. I walked back out into the living area, hand on my hip, ready to give him what for, but he swept me up into his arms and into a minty, sleepy kiss.

The things this man did to my heart. Among other body parts. I rubbed myself up against him, and he grinned against my pout.

“You don’t have to wait for me to tell you to grab my ass,” I said impatiently. “You’re officially allowed to grab my ass.”

He pressed his forehead against mine, his shoulders shaking from laughter.

“Don’t laugh at me.”

His hands came to my face. “This is joy, Rowdy. You make me laugh. And you make me laugh because you make me happy, not because I think you’re a joke.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” He stared into my eyes like he was plumbing their depths for hidden treasure. “Everything about you surprises me. I thought I knew you, and I don’t, and it’s amazing.”

“So, even though I lied...”

“Maybe even because you lied,” he said, then took me in another kiss, this time letting his hands meander to my ass.

Side note: Who knew that an ass grabbing could be such a turn-on? I was used to having to fight men off and had never, not even once, thought of it as sexy. But now, with Kess? Sexy as hell.

Also, I’d thought about and said the word sex more in the last twenty-four hours than in my entire life. He made me feel so good, and as he marched us back toward the bed, I realized something.

“You made me come last night,” I said as I crawled in reverse onto the bed.

“Yes, I did.”

“I wanna make you come, too.”

“It doesn’t have to be tit for tat, Rowd,” he said, a softness in his eyes that told me he was telling me the truth.

“I know. I’m just saying I want to. You made me feel good, and I think I can make you feel good too.”

“I know you can,” he said, his voice rough all over again.

“Good,” I said, not quite as confident, mostly because I couldn’t remember what came next.

“Should I take off my boxers?” he asked gently.

Nudity would be helpful here.

“Yes, please,” I said, a little too anxiously. “Should I take mine off?”

“You can. But only if you want to.”

I slid my boxers off and squeezed my eyes shut, needing a minute. A few seconds later, Kess caressed my bare shoulder with his lips. “Let me in under the covers with you.”

Oh, right.

As I stressed over whether I should have waxed my ass, Kess found me under the blankets and dragged me up against his body.

Fuck me sideways, why did his skin feel so perfect against mine?

We lay there for a while, intertwined, naked, eyes roving over each other’s bodies.

Kess smiled, running his finger over the ridges of my abs. “A real, live six-pack,” he said, touching each one.

Like most of the rest of my family, I was on the skinnier side, but I was proud of the muscles I’d built up over the last couple of years of regular work on Emery’s place and the sanctuary.

My hand then went to his chest and belly. He was broader, with nice definition through his chest and arms, a flat belly, and strong thighs.

“A Greek god,” I said, squeezing his pec.

“Scandinavian, actually.”

“I’m not calling you Thor in bed.”

Kess ran his nose along my jaw, then up to the sensitive skin behind my ear. “You sure about that?”

I shivered and smiled when he kissed me.

“You really are fucking dangerous,” I said, several minutes later, breathless.

He smiled. “I’m the safest man you’ll ever meet.”

Something about him saying that made me feel shy all over again, but I kissed him back. “I know.”

Like he had done to me the night before, I trailed kisses down his neck and to his chest. I explored a little, running my thumbs over his nipples. He let out a little gasp, and I thumbed his nipples once more.

“Feels so good,” he said through clenched teeth.

Hm .

I lowered my head, sucking one of his nipples into my mouth. His hand went to the back of my head, and I took that as a good sign. Definitely something to revisit later.

I continued down to his belly, kissing a smiley face below his belly button, my lips skimming his light brown pubic hair.

I finally let myself look at his cock. Like, really look.

It wasn’t the biggest cock I’d ever seen—because porn—but it definitely wasn’t small. The veins were nice, and he was so hard his foreskin had pulled back enough to expose the head. I reached down and stroked him gently, loving his deep groan.

“I washed up after I went to the bathroom,” he said. “Not that you have to?—”

I slid the foreskin back and bent toward him, then took his head in my mouth. I had done this before but wasn’t super confident in my skills. I had talked to Skylar about technique, and his biggest piece of advice was not to take on more than I was comfortable with.

“Stick to the head, darling. No man is going to complain about that.”

I sucked carefully, thrilled when Kess got loud.

“Fuck, that’s nice, baby. Keep doing that.”

I went up and down, careful not to go too far.

None of my previous attempts had ever felt like this. I had never been comfortable, in a bed, with someone who’d thought to wash up ahead of time. I let my hand drift down and cupped his balls.

“Fuck, Rowdy. Yes . Squeeze them.”

I did as he asked, squeezing gently at first, then with more pressure as he encouraged me.

“Jesus, baby, I’m going to come.”

My jaw was already starting to get sore, so I was a little relieved that it hadn’t taken him long to get to this point. I added my hand, jacking him in time with my mouth. His breathing deepened and his body tightened up, and I pulled away just as the first spurts started to hit. I increased the pressure and speed of my hand, and he banged his fist on the bed.

“ Fuck yes .”

All the other guys I’d done this with had been pushy, making me gag. I’d been worried that I wouldn’t like giving a blow job at all, but maybe all I needed was the right guy.

Kess reached over the side of the bed and grabbed his boxers from the floor, running the soft cotton over his belly. He then tossed them aside and pulled me into a kiss.

“Jesus, your mouth,” he said, plundering me with his tongue.

Kess left no room for lingering self-consciousness or doubt. He’d liked it. He really, really had.

Flipping me onto my back, Kess covered me with his big body, kissing me till I was drunk on it. He took things slowly, as if he wanted me to experience everything. And I did. The warmth of his body contrasting against the chill of the AC. The tangle of his hair against the heat in his eyes. The smell of his body, of his cum, of the coffee, of the cinnamon oatmeal slowly cooking in the corner. The freshly washed cotton sheets. The sound of his kisses, of his skin moving against mine.

We rolled to our sides, and he squeezed my hip before moving his hand down to grip my thigh, directing my leg over his so that we were chest to chest and as close as two men could be without having sex. He brushed his fingers across the top of my ass, lightly separating my cheeks.

“Can I play with you a little here?”

I stiffened a little but nodded against his neck.

“Are you sure?” he asked, tilting my face up so that he could look into my eyes. “You can always say no.”

“I want your hands everywhere.”

He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “You got it.”

I kissed his shoulder as he reached around and pulled my cheeks apart. He whimpered and I hoped that was a good thing, like maybe he didn’t mind a little fur back there.

He started skimming the crack of my ass, firing off nerves I didn’t even know I had. I stiffened again when he brushed past my hole, but he kept it light. Reaching down past my ass, he handled my balls, then pulled my cock back between my legs.

I was a little shy at first, especially since I was nowhere near his size, but the extra stretch and pull and pressure was... Fuck . The magic was in the details—the size of his hands, how one hand rested on my ass cheek, his thumb lightly stroking my hole. He wasn’t even trying to push inside because his focus was on playing my cock like a fucking violin. He was both gentle and firm as he stroked me, and all self-consciousness flew out the window.

“This feels so good,” I choked out into his neck, sucking and licking on it.

“Glad to hear it, sweetheart. Do you want to come like that?”

I whimpered, nodding. “ Please .”

I didn’t exactly know what I was begging for, but maybe I just didn’t want him to stop. Better, I could tell that it pleased him, knowing that he was getting me off.

That he truly cared struck me in my chest, and his hand working me over felt like he was milking me, drawing the pleasure from my body like he’d always known how. As the peak hit, a sob tore through my throat. Embarrassed, and still coming, I tried to choke it down, but I was feeling too many things at once, and I couldn’t stop it.

How humiliating.

I tried to hide my face from him, but he wouldn’t let me. After stroking me through the end of the orgasm, he cradled me in his arms like a baby.

“Shh, shh, shh,” he murmured, kissing my head as tears poured down my cheeks.

This was nightmare fuel—sobbing because a man had finally given me a decent hand job.

God, I was fucking ridiculous.

“Now, now,” he whispered softly. “I don’t know what kind of negative bullshit you’ve got going on in your head right now, but there’s nothing wrong with getting emotional after sex. It happens to lots of people, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Let your tears flow, baby.”

Of course, now that he’d given me permission, the need to cry disappeared like smoke and I let out an annoyed huff.

He chuckled. “Wait, are you mad because you stopped crying?”

I smashed my face into his chest. “Shut up.”

He laughed a little harder, his body shaking mine. “I’d hate to see you cry because you’re sad, darlin’. But, if I gave it to you so good that it brought tears to your eyes, then I am going to walk around like a rooster all day long.”

I sniffled and smacked his chest.

“Eyes up here,” he softly commanded.

I did as he asked, wiping away the last of the moisture.

“Can you tell me what the emotion was about?” He held up his hand. “It doesn’t have to be about anything. It might have just been a physical release, but?—”

I cut him off with a shake of my head. “That contributed, of course. But it was more than that.”

He touched my jaw. “Do you feel comfortable telling me why?”

I thought about my answer, and tears started to spill again. “It’s stupid.”

“I can guarantee you it’s not. And yes, while you make me so happy that I can’t help but laugh, I will never, ever make fun of your emotions.”

I sniffed, trying to gather my words.

“Last night, you gave me one of the best orgasms that anyone has ever given me. Like, including myself. And now you’ve done it again. So, like, after years of men being so selfish, of me wondering if I was crazy thinking that there could be something better out there for me, it’s like you came in and said, You’re not crazy, Rowdy. You just needed someone who fucking cared .”

My throat ached as I tried to hold back the tears, but I couldn’t, and I dashed them away as quickly as possible. Kess squeezed my hands, then used his thumb to wipe away the still-falling tears.

“You’re not crazy, Rowdy. You just needed someone who fucking cared,” he said, emotion tinging his words. “And that a couple of hand jobs represent the best orgasms you’ve ever had really makes me wanna go bang some heads.”

That sweetness, of course, brought up the biggest secret I had. I turned my head, and he tsked .

“Whatever is making you turn your head like that is a lie. Nothing that is real about you would ever turn me away from you,” he said, his tone so confident that I wanted to believe him.

“Bet I can prove you wrong,” I said, shaking my head before hiding my face against his neck.

“I bet you can’t,” he said. “I bet you can tell me whatever is making you feel this way right now, and I’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”

“Fine,” I said, “but it’s a doozy.”

“Lay it on me.”

I hesitated, felt the hard stop in my soul. But his face made me want to jump into the void, and I knew it was worth the risk to tell him.

Was I really going to do this?

Yes. Yes, I was.

“I’ve never done anal,” I confessed in a whisper. “Only oral a few times and some hand jobs.”

Kess went quiet, and I chanced a look into his eyes. Surprise, but just as quickly, understanding. Another tear fell when I realized I’d never seen this expression on any of my previous lovers.

“Do you not want to do anal?” he asked carefully.

I buried my face in my hands. “I do . But...”

“But you need to be in a relationship with somebody that you trust,” he said, finishing for me.

“ Yes ,” I said, unable to stop the hitching in my chest. “Oh God, you must think I’m so pathetic.”

“Not even close,” he said, lifting my chin with the tips of his fingers. “I think you’re fantastic. I’m surprised, but not in a bad way. Honestly, the only thing that makes me sad is that you felt like you had to put on this persona because you thought this part of you was shameful.”

“Isn’t it, though?”

“No. Fuck no ,” he said so sincerely that I had no choice but to believe him. “And I wish I could convince you how special you are. Not because you haven’t had that kind of sex yet, but because you are just an amazing, amazing guy. The more I know about you, the more I want you.”

“Same,” I said, shy about admitting how much I liked him. “I’ve wanted you so bad for so long.”

“Of course you did. I told you—I’m a Scandinavian god.”

I cracked up, smacking his chest. “You’re the worst . The absolute fucking worst.”

He smirked, looking forward with pride. “Oh no. I am the best.”

“Still not calling you Thor.”

We giggled, then sat in silence for a few minutes.

“Now,” he said, sliding his hand down my back, cupping my ass. “I am in no rush, but I want to know. Do you think anal is something you would like to do with me?”

I thunked my head against his chest. “Of course.”

His chest rumbled, and he pumped his fist. “Oh yeah. That ass is mine.”

Grinning, I rolled over onto my ass so that he couldn’t touch it.

He laughed and held up his hands. “Eventually. On your timeline.”

I turned back toward him, almost dizzy with relief when his arms automatically surrounded me. He held me for I don’t know how long, at least until the Dalls started banging their horns against the feeder by the barn. There were feeders all over the sanctuary, mind you, not to mention the lush grasses and brush that grew in abundance, but the Dalls were insistent motherfuckers.

“Sorry,” I said, reluctantly pulling away. “The needs of the sanctuary wait for no one.”

I got our bowls of oatmeal ready, and he prepared the coffee.

“Can I make you dinner tonight?” he asked, holding my hand as we ate at the tiny table.

“I would like that,” I said, and a giddy sort of happiness spread throughout my body, all the way to my fingertips.

“One more question.”

“Shoot.”

“Normally, I’d prefer to give a relationship a little time to breathe before bringing other people in. But...I have talked to Emery about my feelings for you, and he’s going to ask questions. Also, your cousin with his binoculars...”

I laughed. “You wanna tell them?”

“It’s not so much that I want to tell them. It’s how long do you think we could feasibly keep this from them?”

“Seconds, probably.”

He laughed. “Well, if you’re okay with it, I prefer to just take the bull by the horns. Tell them, let them tease us, and then I can spend the rest of my time shamelessly dreaming about that mouth of yours.”

I flushed. “You’re just saying that.”

“There’s one thing I can promise you,” he said, looking straight into my soul. “I don’t give false flattery. You are trusting me with something very important, but I want you to know that you can trust me with all things, including the truth. And you have the fucking softest lips and silkiest mouth on the planet. Like, I didn’t even get a whisper of teeth from you.”

I sent him a sharp grin. “You can thank Skylar for that.”

Kess covered his face with his hands. “I will not be thanking Skylar for that.”

“Speaking of, he knows how I feel about you, too. The second I tell him, we’re gonna be able to hear his squeals from downtown Austin.”

“I’m okay with that,” he said with complete confidence.

We finished up our breakfast, holding hands and kissing on the way out. We had just pulled away from our final kiss when we heard hooves pounding up the drive between our houses.

“That’ll be Woody,” I said, then gave Kess another kiss.

Woody and Bandit entered the clearing just as Kess started on the path between our properties, clearly coming from my cabin. Smooth as you please, he sent Woody a salute, then let himself onto his property and moseyed back to his house like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Woody rode right up to me and slid off his horse. Pointing at Kess’s retreating form, he said, “You gonna tell me what that’s all about?”

Bandit circled our ankles, barking at the rare tension between us. I reached down to rub his head, avoiding Woody’s dark expression.

“Oh, I think you can guess.”