Page 5 of Redemption Ridge Vol II

“Sorry,” a sheepish voice said from the other side. Damn Rueben. The dude was probably just jealous because Burke wasn’t there, and he didn’t get to suck face in the tiny space like the other couples did. Other couples.

Owen slammed on the mental brakes because he was getting ahead of himself. A few kisses, mutual hard-ons, and Tyler’s mostly innocent touches didn’t make them boyfriends. Tyler’s cheeks turned a darker shade of pink, and Owen worried he might spontaneously combust at any moment.

“You okay?” Owen asked. What he really wanted to know was if they were all right.

Tyler averted his gaze but gave Owen a jerky nod. His attention seemed focused on Owen’s dick, which made it much harder to get his body under control. He had no intention of stepping out of the booth with an obvious erection straining against his jeans, and Tyler was in no better shape. Owen could think of several ways to ease his best friend’s hard-on, but they sure as hell weren’t ready for that step. Well, at least one of them wasn’t. Owen had been primed and ready for this moment for over six years.

The photo machine beeped and spit out the last strip of pictures into the tray. Neither of them moved to retrieve the photographic proof of what they’d shared, though Tyler’s taste, his touch, and his moans were seared into Owen’s brain.

“I have a hard-on,” Tyler whispered. He lifted his head, met Owen’s gaze, and swiped his tongue over his bottom lip. “For you.” Tyler stepped closer and swallowed hard. “And you’re hard for me too.”

The wondrous expression on Tyler’s face made Owen want to smile and laugh, but he didn’t want Tyler to think he was making fun of him. That was the absolute last impression he wanted Tyler to have about their first kisses. But how honest should he be? He didn’t want to scare Tyler off after yearning for this opportunity for so damn long. Owen wanted to believe Tyler’s erection signified something deep and meaningful, but it could have resulted from friction and loneliness. Please let it be door number one. Owen tempered his naturally assertive personality and aimed for chill. He took a step forward, too, so that they were toe to toe in the cramped space.

“I am very hard for you.”

Tyler closed his eyes and swallowed hard. Owen longed to lean forward and kiss his neck, but he didn’t dare move. Tyler twisted his fingers in Owen’s shirt again and opened his eyes. “I don’t know what to do with this.” He didn’t mean literally. They’d shared a small jail cell for two years, and Owen had heard the unmistakable sounds of Tyler jerking off when he thought Owen was sleeping. Tyler had meant he didn’t know what to do with an erection for his best friend, who also happened to be a guy. Tyler wasn’t raised in a world where men chose other men. Yes, he’d been around gay and bisexual men for the past four years on the ranch, but he never pictured that future for himself.

The turmoil in Tyler’s voice made Owen’s heart fall. In a perfect world, one kiss would prove they were meant to be together. Hell, that sounded more like a fantasy than any version of the world they lived in. “We don’t have to do anything about it, Ty. We could pretend it never happened.” Well, Ty could. Owen would hold on to the moment until his dying breath.

Tyler darted a glance toward the photo tray. Owen removed the strips, folded them in half without looking at the images, and tucked the pictures in his pocket. He’d take them out later when he was alone and let his mind run as free as a wild mustang.

“We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to, Ty. Nothing has to change. You’re still my best friend.” Owen’s voice came out a little shaky, and Tyler’s eyes widened. One of them sounded terrified, and the other looked it. Their friendship was the single most important thing in both their lives. Owen would do anything to keep Tyler in his life, even if it meant an end to his impossible dream.

Tyler swallowed hard. “You want to pretend it didn’t happen?”

“I didn’t say that,” Owen replied carefully. “I said we could.” He again debated just how honest to be with Tyler because he couldn’t get a good read on his reaction. Tyler seemed upset by the idea Owen could forget about their encounter, but he didn’t sound encouraged by the notion Owen wanted to remember it. He felt damned no matter how he responded. Someone thumped into the booth again, giving him a valid excuse to postpone a further response. “Can we talk about this in private?”

Tyler searched his eyes for several seconds before nodding.

“We should probably get back out there,” Owen suggested. He received another nod, but neither made a move toward the door. “You should probably turn loose of my shirt first.”

Tyler looked down at his hands but didn’t release Owen’s shirt. “I can’t.” Those two words took Owen back to the first day they’d met. Ty had been battling withdrawal symptoms from his pain pill addiction and was frightened out of his mind. Doing the simplest tasks, like leaving the cell to get in the chow line, was too much for him. “I can’t” was a common refrain during those first weeks. It had taken a ton of patience to earn Tyler’s trust, and Owen would sooner lose a limb than break it.

Tyler leaned forward in the booth and rested his head on Owen’s shoulder. “I can’t lose you.”

“I’m not going to disappear on you, Ty. It’s me and you, remember?”

Tyler wrapped his arms around Owen’s waist as if he were holding on for dear life. “Promise?” he whispered.

“Always.”

Tyler’s sigh ghosted over Owen’s neck and made him shiver. “Can we go talk now?”

Talk, kiss, grind until they came in their pants. Owen was up for anything Tyler wanted. “Let’s go.” But neither of them stepped away from the other. “We’ll have to separate if we’re going to get through that skinny doorway.” Owen received another nod. He longed to kiss Tyler again in case it was the last time, but he stepped back and opened the door instead. He felt every curious gaze swing their way when they exited the booth. “We deserve this,” Owen said as he studied every raised brow, smirk, and wink.

“And so much worse,” Tyler replied.

They’d placed a lifetime’s worth of bets on relationship outcomes and instigated twice as many shenanigans on the ranch. The chickens had come home to roost, and payback would be hell.

“Come on,” Owen said. “Might as well give them something to talk about.”

“I need to grab something first,” Tyler said before making a beeline for the kitchen.

Owen watched his retreat longer than he should, knowing he was just fanning the flames of their audience. He tore his gaze away from Tyler and forced his feet to move, not stopping until he reached the front door. Owen grabbed his coat off the hook but didn’t stop to put it on. He was hot enough to fuel a furnace for days and should probably cool off a little before he shut himself in a small cabin with Ty. Owen needed to exercise caution and control—two things no one ever associated with him.

“Okay, I’m ready.” Tyler sounded breathless when he joined Owen by the front door with something wrapped in tinfoil.

“What’s that?”