Forsaking Truth (11 page)

“Just you.”

Could this reall
y be happening? He warned himself not to put too much trust
in it. Luke was confused and having somewhat of an identity crisis since being
injured. This could all be part of it and Tristan could wind up trampled once
he got back on his feet. “Now what?”

“W
here’re you going?”

“I just wanted to take
off for a while. Someplace quiet, to think, where the world doesn’t know I
exist.”

“Where?” Luke’s blue
eyes lit with intrigue and Tristan smiled, liking that Luke valued seclusion as
much as he did.

“Haven’t
found it yet.”

“I know the perfect
place.”

He lifted a brow.
“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Do we need
anything before we go? It’s about fifteen miles from here.”

We.
God, he wanted to be a complete
fruitcake and throw out something like,
All I need is you, baby.
But they
definitely weren’t there. They might never be. “I’m good.”

Luke grinned and
slapped his hand on the base of the window, “Then follow me, cowboy.”

His mind jolted as his
heart did a little flip. Cowboy. He’d never ridden a horse in his life. Those
big bitc
hes scared the shit out of him with their
wild eyes and skittish legs, but if that’s what Luke wanted to call him, he
definitely wasn’t going to object.
Maybe I’ll take you for a ride…

He followed Luke back
toward town. When it appeared they were heading t
o
his place, Luke suddenly turned down a beaten path that was hardly a road. His
truck slowly barreled over the pocked thoroughfare and even if they’d only
traveled a few miles it took the better part of a half an hour.

That was good. It gave
him time to t
hink and pull himself together. He
didn’t want to get too far ahead of himself. Just because they said they were
going to do this didn’t mean they had to do everything in one night.

When the road became
more obscure Tristan started to hear dueling banjoes
in his head. Where the fuck was Luke taking him? Finally, the truck in front of
him stopped and Tristan had no fucking clue where they were.

When Luke climbed out
of his vehicle, Tristan followed. “I’m having memories of
Deliverance
.”

Luke laughed. “Not
quite.” He pointed to a small cabin in the distance.
“That’s our hunting spot. This is our property. No one comes up this way unless
it’s open season. It’s private.”

Okay. Private was
good. He reached for his bag and when he turned Luke was right behind hi
m. Tristan drew in a breath, his heart picking up pace.

Luke’s feet shifted
and he stepped closer. Tristan saw the vulnerability in his eyes, the fear, the
courage. He didn’t move, wanting to see what he’d do.

When they were
standing close enough that thei
r breath mingled, he
thought his heart would explode if Luke didn’t kiss him soon. He didn’t
disappoint.

Soft lips brushed his
and Luke whispered, “I missed you.”

Tristan’s eyes fell
closed as his head tilted and Luke’s mouth sealed over his. His hands sli
d over the collar of Tristan’s shirt until his fingers
tightened in his hair. He pulled him close and their bodies pressed tight,
thigh to thigh, shoulder to shoulder.

A thousand jolts of
energy elated inside of him and his blood pumped hard, arousing him
instantly. Tristan’s arms wound around the other man’s back
and massaged all the tight muscles there. Luke was an incredible kisser. His
lips were full and soft and his tongue knew exactly what to do. Within minutes
they were both breathing hard and he cou
ld feel
Luke’s arousal pressing against the bulge in his own jeans.

Luke slowly pulled
away and licked his lips. His hooded eyes were sapphire blue and watched
Tristan under thick lashes. He was beautiful. “You gonna show me inside?”

His mouth quirked—and
there was the dimple. Luke surprised him by sliding his
hand over his and relieving him of his bag. Unprepared for such a caring
gesture, Tristan turned and grabbed his sleeping bag. He needed a second to
compose himself.

Luke frowned. “What’s
that for?”

“
It’s my sleeping bag.”

“Uh-uh. You’re in my
bed tonight.”

Okay then.
He smiled and tossed the bag back in the
truck.

Following Luke into
the cabin, he was greeted first by the musty sent of unused space. There was an
old woodstove in the center of the roo
m and a dated
kitchenette along the wall. Across from that was a futon. The floor was wood
and aged. It wasn’t much, but Tristan immediately liked it.

A small table with
only three chairs was pressed against the wall by the door. The cabinets didn’t
have d
oors and were filled with enamel-ware and metal
dishes. One shelf was stocked with canned goods.

Luke dropped the bag
on the futon. “There’s a bedroom back here. It’s not much.”

He followed him into
the back room and stopped abruptly. There wasn’t much
room
to walk. Two twin beds formed an L and a large trunk swallowed the rest of the
floor.

“It’ll be dark soon.
We should carry in some wood so we can have a fire. Temperature drops to the
forties this time of year once the sun sets.”

“I’ll keep you warm.”
He winced. Maybe he shouldn’t say stuff like that just
yet.

Luke stilled and
turned. His lips seemed set in an almost smile. “Will you?”

Afraid the littlest
show of emotional affection could scare him off, he swallowed. “I want to,” he
rasped.

And there
came the full blown smile he’d been hoping for. Christ,
he’d never survive this guy.

Luke pivoted and
slowly stepped in front of him. His eyes searched over Tristan’s face. What he
was looking for? Trust? His hand lifted and cupped the side of Tristan’s j
aw. “I’m glad you’re here.”

He had no idea. “I’m
glad too.”

His lips brushed
slowly over Luke’s in a chaste kiss and he growled. “Mmm, let’s go get the wood
so it’s done. Then you can show me how you intend on keeping me warm.”

“Okay.” He couldn’t
breathe
at that one, succinct word.

They carried in the
wood in record time. Once Luke stocked the woodstove and stuffed it with paper,
the nerves really began to rattle. For some reason this was different from
every other encounter Tristan had ever had. It meant
something. He didn’t know why he was putting so much significance in one
moment, but everything seemed important. He felt like a kid again going through
his first time. Maybe because this might be Luke’s actual first time and that
put a lot of pressure on
him. He wanted to do
everything right.

“You hungry? I ate at
the party, but I could eat again.” Was he buying them both some time?

“Sure. You wanna put
something on? The front burner’s busted so use one of the back ones.”

Tristan sorted through
the select
ion. Beans, beans, and more beans. No, no,
and no. In the back he found some canned chicken soup. That would work. He
pulled down the—

His motions stilled as
Luke’s body pressed into his from behind. Strong arms wrapped around his front
and squeezed gently
. “Do you mind?”

Tristan swallowed.
“Not at all.”

Luke’s face pressed
into his shoulder. “I like being able to touch you without worrying…sorry.
Forget I said that.”

Unfortunately, he knew
exactly what he meant. “It’s okay. I know what you mean. I like whe
n you touch me.”

“You do?”

Was he insane? “Uh,
yeah. A lot.”

Luke’s hand flattened
over his stomach and dragged up his chest. Tristan’s body hardened. The hand
moved over his shirt, bunching the fabric into little ripples and sending
chills up his spine.

“What about when I
touch you here?” The hand slid over the bulge at his crotch.

Oh, God, yes, please.
“That’s good,” he croaked.

“I’m not that hungry
anymore.”

Tristan’s hands
dropped from the cabinet onto the counter, bracing his weight as he lowered his
head. “Okay.”

Luke stepped closer
and the ridge of his cock pressed through his jeans. “Turn around, Tristan.”

Slowly, he pivoted.
The hunger in Luke’s eyes nearly knocked him to his knees. “God damn.” Tristan
breathed as he slammed his mouth over his.

Luk
e’s hands forked through his hair, pulling the tie away.
His kiss was hungry, beyond hungry, starved, and Tristan met his tongue thrust
for thrust.

His hands were
everywhere, on his shoulders, under his shirt, at his belt. Tristan backed him
against the w
all and their bodies crashed together in
a collision of need. Luke shoved him toward the futon. “On your back, cowboy.”

He shivered and
dropped to the old sofa. Luke stood, peeled off his shirt, and kicked something
on the side of the frame that had the futon sliding into a double bed.

Luke’s eyes drilled
into his as he toed off his boots and undid the top snap of his jean
s. Tristan wanted to be naked too. He stripped off his
shirt and the minute he tossed it aside, Luke’s body blanketed him, hot skin to
hot skin.

Their mouths
reconnected in a fury of passion. Nipping and licking, their tongues dueled as
they groped every b
it of exposed flesh they could get
their hands on. Without releasing Luke’s mouth, he kicked off his boots and
twisted until his socks disappeared somewhere.

Dropping back to the
cushions, Luke’s mouth worked over his chest. His tongue swirled at his nippl
e and Tristan arched into him. His eagerness stunned him.
Strong fingers tugged at his belt and once the buckle was undone, the leather
slid through the loops in a fast slither. Rising to his knees, Luke tugged at
Tristan’s jeans.

When they bunched at
his
thighs, boxers tangled in the mix, everything
stopped. He watched as Luke looked at him for the first time—
Please
don’t stop—
and
waited.

The silent, still,
moment carried on too long and fear reared its ugly head. He closed his eyes,
not wanting to see th
e moment old Luke returned and
looked away. Then the heat of Luke’s hand traced, feather light, over his shaft
and his eyes shot open.

Luke wasn’t looking
into his eyes, but rather, at him. He didn’t fist him or even try to cup him.
He simply dragged the p
ads of his fingers slowly over
Tristan’s rigid flesh as if he’d never seen a cock before.

“You’re big,” he
whispered.

“I’ve seen bigger,” he
joked and Luke seemed to get he was referring to him.

His cheeks flushed and
he returned to his slow perusal. “I’ve
never touched
someone else’s.”

“I know. We don’t need
to rush.”

Blue eyes locked with
his. “I want to. You have no idea how much. So much it scares the fucking hell
out of me. I’m just not sure I know how.”

“Just…do what you’re
comfortable with. Do what y
ou like.”

“I like your mouth on
me.”

Tristan smiled and
chuckled. “I like that too.”

“I can’t believe this
is happening.”

“Why? It happens all
the time, Luke.”

“Not with me. Not like
this.”

That hurt. “If you
want to stop, we can stop. But this time, when
you
walk away, do me a favor and don’t trample me in the process.”