Page 4 of Redemption Ridge Vol II

The last one slammed into Tyler like a freight train, but Owen grabbed his hand and tugged him into the booth before he could freak out again. There was a narrow, short bench opposite a mirror that allowed the occupants to see the faces they made for the camera. Owen stared at the bench while Tyler studied his best friend. He’d always known Owen was good-looking, but it felt as if he were seeing him in a new light. Maybe it was the bright bulbs in the booth, or maybe Hope had cast some kind of spell under the full moon. Tyler leaned forward and discreetly breathed in Owen’s scent. Bayberry, spiced cranberry, and evergreens. He always associated the fragrances with Christmas and was suddenly struck with the impulse to unwrap his best friend like a gift.

“Oh wow,” Owen said.

Tyler jerked back like his friend had caught him sniffing or had read his mind. “What?” His brusque tone wasn’t sketchy at all.

Owen quirked a brow but didn’t comment on his weird behavior. “This is going to be a tight fit.”

Tyler swallowed hard as Owen’s innocent remark conjured not-so-innocent thoughts. As he stared at Owen’s reflection, he imagined his hand gliding over his best friend’s bare chest again. Tyler pictured brushing his thumb over Owen’s nipple and making him gasp. What would his sighs taste like? What sound would Owen make if Tyler licked his nipple? Sucked it between his lips? Raked it with his teeth? Did men even like that?

“It will be worth a little discomfort, though,” Owen said.

Tyler jerked out of the fantasy, and his elbow connected with the side of the booth hard enough to make it rattle.

“You better settle down before people get the wrong idea about what we’re up to in here,” Owen cautioned with a wry smile. “Damn, that bench is tiny. I’m about to give you a lap dance. You okay with that?” Owen waggled his brow. “Or do you want to give me one?”

Tyler growled his frustration and plopped onto the bench. He tugged Owen down between his spread thighs and reached for the start button. The sooner they got this over with, the quicker he’d stop thinking about Owen’s pert ass pressed against his groin.

“Hold up,” Owen said, knocking his hand away. “You’re way too tense. Your body is hard as a rock.” And about to get harder. “Look at that somber expression on your face.”

“I don’t know where to put my hands,” Tyler blurted.

“Anywhere you want to, baby,” Owen teased.

Tyler was used to his flirty remarks. Owen had used them as a test when they were cellmates to make sure he wasn’t a homophobe. When they failed to get a response, Owen brought them out to lighten a tense mood. This time, the remarks ruffled Tyler’s nerves instead of soothing them and triggered a reaction in his groin. Tyler settled his hands on Owen’s thighs and felt the muscles tremble beneath denim and flesh. Their eyes met in the mirror. Owen’s midnight-blue eyes shimmered with a mysterious emotion Tyler couldn’t name, though he recognized it was only for him. Was this what romantic love looked like? Had Owen’s six years of flirting meant something deeper?

“Ready?” Owen asked.

“Yeah.” Tyler’s voice sounded like he’d dragged it over a gravel driveway.

“Then smile!” Owen leaned forward, pressing his ass harder against Tyler’s crotch, and pushed the button.

A digital clock counted down from three, and Tyler forced a smile on his lips. He posed and fooled around when the camera started clicking, but his mind was back in his fantasy of Owen, who turned this way and that way, rubbing himself against Tyler’s hardening dick. He knew the instant Owen felt it because his entire body tensed. Their gazes met in the mirror and held. Owen’s mouth fell open in surprise, but thankfully not horror, as he searched Tyler’s face for answers. For a heartbeat, Tyler thought Owen was going to bolt from the booth. But instead, he angled his body, turned his head, and kissed Tyler.

Oh my god. Oh my god. He was kissing Tyler. Owen hadn’t planned it. He’d just turned around to see if the desire and curiosity he saw in Tyler’s reflection was real and to confirm he hadn’t imagined the erection pressed against his ass. Tyler’s mouth was right there, his lips parting in surprise, and the expression in his coffee-colored eyes was even more potent up close. Owen had fantasized about this moment for six fucking years. From the first time he locked eyes with Tyler, he wanted to kiss him. There were days when he thought about nothing else. Maybe that was why Owen kept his eyes open for those first few seconds after pressing his mouth to Tyler’s. Yes, he could have wanted to make sure his best friend wasn’t revolted, but that wasn’t it.

Owen didn’t want to miss a single second of their first, and maybe only, kiss. Tyler’s eyes widened in surprise for a few seconds before his long lashes fluttered and his eyelids lowered to half-mast. Firm lips trembled against Owen’s and parted to release the softest sigh he’d ever heard. The sound went straight to Owen’s balls and squeezed them like a vise. Tyler fisted Owen’s shirt at his waist, closed his eyes, and released a needy whimper, prompting Owen to stop thinking and start reacting. He shut his eyes, too, and lightly cupped Tyler’s neck. Owen angled his head and swept his tongue over Tyler’s bottom lip, making his intentions known and giving him the option to pull back or open wider. Tyler groaned hungrily as he parted his lips more, and Owen swept in. The first rub of their tongues sent a hard shudder through Owen. Tyler bunched his shirt until it pulled free from his waistband, and his warm fingers pressed against Owen’s flesh.

At least a tiny part of his brain set off alarm signals that maybe things were going too far, too fast. They needed to talk before things went further, and both the conversation and whatever followed needed to happen in a more private location. But then Tyler’s curious fingers bumped along his spine, and Owen’s ability to reason tumbled like a house of cards. Whatever Tyler wanted, he would have. Whenever, however, and how often he wanted it.

Owen cupped the back of Tyler’s neck, and though his hold was light, the embrace was possessive. It said “you are mine.” He deepened the kiss, pressing deeper into Ty’s mouth and seizing complete control, while Tyler’s fingers dipped beneath his denim waistband.

If Ty could explore, so could he. But a repetitive beeping sounded in the booth before Owen could make his move. The guys sprang apart and looked toward the mechanism under the mirror just as it spit out a strip of photos with a whir. The paper fell face down into the tray below, but neither man moved to retrieve it.

“Those are going to be some pics,” Owen said breathlessly. Knowing the camera had captured their first kiss made him ridiculously happy.

Tyler leaned forward until his finger hovered over the Start button. He held Owen’s gaze and said, “Wanna go again?”

“Hell yeah.”

This time, Owen turned and straddled Tyler’s lap the best he could in the cramped space. He knocked his elbow against the thin booth wall with a hard thunk. Outside their cocoon, the music got considerably louder. Either someone’s favorite jam came on, or they were trying to cover the noises escaping the booth. Owen didn’t give a shit; he was just grateful because it meant no one heard his slutty groan when his erection rubbed against Tyler’s.

“Ohhh.” Tyler looked and sounded like a blushing virgin. A delicious flush spread across his cheekbones as he continued to stare at Owen with wide, dark eyes.

Owen worried he’d pushed too far, too fast, until Tyler claimed his mouth in another toe-curling kiss. This time, Ty slid one curious hand under the front of Owen’s shirt and the other beneath the back. His fingers danced across Owen’s skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. He longed to stretch out naked so Tyler could explore his body however and wherever he wanted to. He’d dreamed of this moment for so long, and now that it was here, he—

Bam!

Something or someone slammed into the side of the photo booth, and Tyler and Owen jerked apart and lurched to their feet. The little structure rattled and shook but didn’t tip over. Owen’s heart tried to beat its way out of his chest, and Tyler looked equally rattled.