“No.” He let his hands slide down Reese’s smooth abdomen, dipping his fingertips in his jeans once more. “Falling’s an accident and everyone knows accidents have repercussions.”
Expecting a retort, Brantley was thrown off guard when Reese suddenly spun out of his hold, turning around, cupping both sides of his neck in those big, warm hands. Their eyes met, held.
“Jumping has repercussions, too,” Reese bit out.
Holding his ground, he stared into those golden eyes, saw the turmoil and the lust. “And you’re scared of both.” Brantley tilted his chin back, daring him to argue.
“I’m not scared.”
“Then what’s stoppin’ you from touchin’ me?” he ground out, lifting his T-shirt. “Touch me, Reese.”
They remained like that for long seconds, Reese’s hands still curled around his neck, Brantley’s legs braced to keep them from falling over, his shirt pulled up to his chest.
“Touch me,” he pleaded, his words softer, more urgent. “I’m not askin’ for more. Just touch me.”
Reese’s hands loosened, then started drifting lower. The sensations were fucking amazing and to think they were both fully dressed… And when Reese’s bare hands flattened on his stomach, Brantley hissed.
“Is that what you want?” Reese questioned, his words clipped, his hands firmly gripping his waist, fingertips digging into his back as though he was scared to move them.
“You have no fucking idea what I want from you, Reese. This is just the beginning.”
“And what happens if I can’t give you what you need?”
“Touch me,” he growled softly. “Just fuckin’ touch me, Reese.”
Reese leaned in, nipped his lower lip while his hands blazed a trail up his torso. “What if I can’t give you everything?”
“We’ll take it slow.”
“Doesn’t matter how fast or slow we go,” Reese said, pulling back enough for their eyes to meet. “Right here and now, I could tell you I’d give you whatever you want. In this moment, it would be the truth. But when the time comes…”
The delicious growl in those words had his blood pumping hot and fast in his veins. It was true, he wanted Reese to commit to seeing where this would go because … hell, Brantley wasn’t even sure why it was necessary, but it was.
“Slow,” he repeated.
“And you think that’s gonna make it easier?”
If he’d thought for one second that there wasn’t something more here, Brantley would’ve backed away, told Reese he had a damn fine point. However, they’d spent too much time together in recent weeks. What was transpiring between them … it surpassed friendship. And he wasn’t simply referring to the kissing and the touching. There was more here. He wasn’t sure how he knew that, but he did. And Reese … for some damn reason, Brantley knew Reese was the man he could give all of himself to despite his own reservations about relationships.
Sure, it was a scary thought, but one he couldn’t ignore. Didn’t want to.
Brantley took Reese’s hand, tugging it from his stomach and gripping firmly. He stepped back, leading the way to the bedroom.
“What’re you doin’?”
Glancing back at Reese, he kept his expression blank. “Trust me?”
Those golden eyes narrowed but Brantley could see the truth in them. He did trust him, and he proved it when he took another step, then another, following obediently.
Once inside the cramped room, which was little more than a bed, Brantley sat on the mattress, tugged Reese’s arm until he joined him.
“Right now, the only thing you’re gonna do is kiss me. Nothin’ more than that.”
Reese didn’t seem convinced, but Brantley knew he would learn Brantley was a man of his word. He didn’t overstep.
He leaned in, inhaling that seductive scent. “Kiss me, Reese.”
Although there was a moment of hesitation, it didn’t last long. Reese’s lips met his and there was an electric storm that ignited in the confined space. It consumed them both, intensifying when Brantley lay back on the bed, pulling Reese with him.
That was where they remained, Reese laid out beside him, their lips fused, thighs touching, hands shifting. Minutes passed as the passion churned. It never got out of hand, but Brantley knew it easily could have. They were both holding back, but it was necessary.
Sliding his hand beneath Reese’s T-shirt, he urged the cotton higher. “Take this off.”
Reese pulled back, stared at him, his eyes hard, confusion evident.
“I told you, only this. But I want to touch you.”
Reese’s Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed hard, but he finally relented, gripping the back of his shirt and pulling it over his head. Brantley took it from him, set it on the mattress at his side.
“Now mine,” he instructed.
There was a bit less hesitancy that time, as though Reese agreed with that plan.
Once they were both shirtless, Brantley slid his hand behind Reese’s head, pulled his lips back down to his. He explored Reese’s mouth with his tongue, mimicking what he would one day do to his body.
