15. Briar

Briar knewthe cacophony of nature sounds hadn't disappeared.The crickets still chirped, and the water still lapped gently against the shore.The pines creaked in the breeze, and a night bird occasionally let out a terrifying warble.But he couldn't hear any of it over the wild thump of his heart.

He'd been kissed by Derek on three separate occasions, so he should be used to it by now.But it got better each time. His first kiss was confused and full of longing, while the second had been so hot and violent that it nearly incinerated him on the spot.This kiss was different. It was slow, deep, and commanding.It was Derek, unconflicted, wholeheartedly dismantling Briar's defenses with nothing but the press of his lips.

Derek overtook him almost instantly, wrapping one arm around Briar and coaxing him back onto the blanket, his free hand protecting Briar's head from the hard ground.

Briar"s hands were fists in Derek"s shirt.He used the handfuls of fabric to tug him down, so anxious to feel his body on top of him that he was shaking with it—but Derek resisted.

"I'm too heavy," he murmured, trailing scorching kisses from the corner of Briar's lips, along his jaw, to the vulnerable hollow beneath his ear."I don't want to crush you."

"I'm sturdier than I look," Briar panted, wriggling to get beneath him.His legs were already open, eagerly splitting to cradle Derek between his thighs.The heat of Derek"s trapped cock was scorching, even behind a thick layer of denim.Briar went straight for the prize, cupping him through his jeans and kneading his iron length with the heel of one hand.

Derek groaned and threw back his head.Briar"s gaze zeroed in on the exposed tendons of his throat.The urge to sink his teeth deep into the gleaming cord welled up inside him.He couldn't help himself. It had been so long since he'd been touched, and Derek was easily the hottest man he'd ever seen.

It didn't matter that Derek's face was plain and rough by conventionalstandards.There was character in the broken bridge of his nose, strength in his jaw, pride in his sharp cheekbones. Sure, he"d never be called handsome, but that didn"tmatter.He was more than that; he washypnotic.

Everything about him fascinated Briar, from the way his jeans hugged his sturdy thighs to the swell of muscle outlined beneath his simple, dirt-streaked t-shirts.The thick veins in his forearms weren't from workouts in front of a gym mirror; they were from years of back-breaking labor.Every sinew and scar of his well-worked body told a story in a language Briar barely understood.It was those rugged imperfections that made him far more attractive than any glossy photoshoot model.

Derek reared up on his knees and stripped his shirt over his head.His chest was broad and solid and bore the same sun-kissed tone as the rest of him.A smattering of dark, crisp-looking curls tapered down into a thin line that disappeared beneath the waistband of his jeans.

Briar almost swallowed his tongue.

"How are you real?" he whispered, spreading his fingers out across Derek"s chest, reveling in the contrasting textures.

Derek didn't reply. He caught Briar's hand and lifted it to nip at his fingertips, sending a bolt of lust straight through Briar"s groin.Briar shuddered.

Derek tracked his shiver with eyes that burned even in the darkness.

"Get naked," he commanded, catching the hem of Briar's shirt and practically ripping it off his body.Briar let out an embarrassing squeak, shimmying free of the sleeves before they garroted him.

"You have no idea how happy I am to get out of these pants," Briar laughed, helping Derek as he peeled the sticky vegan leather down his thighs.Cool night air bathed his overheated skin, and he sighed."But should we be doing this out here?What if we get caught?"

One corner of Derek's mouth lifted in a crooked grin."Now I know you're from the city.Ain't nobody around this time of night."

"What if they want to fish?"

Derek shrugged, as if the risk was so slim it wasn't worth considering, and asked, "You want to stop?"

"No!" It came from the depth of his soul, and he didn't even care.If they stopped now, he might never recover.

Derek's smile was its own reward.He dipped his head down for a long, lingering kiss.Briar clutched his hair in both hands, returning his kiss with shameless enthusiasm, and refused to let go.Derek obliged, angling his body over Briar's and parting his lips with his tongue.

Briar moaned, happy to be devoured, pinned like a butterfly beneath Derek"s heavy body.It felt so decadent to be splayed and naked while Derek still wore his jeans.The denim scratched at Briar"s inner thighs, a deliciously bright sensation amid the melting warmth that pooled inside his limbs.He wrapped his legs around Derek"s hips and ground up against the huge erection threatening to bust through Derek"s zipper.The friction was so intense it rode the edge of discomfort, and they both groaned.

"Slow down," Derek rasped into his mouth.

Briar ignored him and dragged his blunt nails down Derek's chest.He caught the pebbled peak of one nipple, and Derek cursed, grabbing him by the wrists and pinning his arms down on the blanket one-handed.

"Slow down," he repeated.

Briar flexed, experimenting and testing his grip, but he couldn't budge him even a little bit.Derek had immobilized him with one hand and hadn"t even broken a sweat.The disparity between them was insane.As small as Briar was, getting manhandled was sometimes a fact of life, but he'd never gotten off on it—until now.It was like his mind had snapped.

"Touch me," he begged, writhing desperately."Fuck me, please, please."

Derek's expression was tortured."I don't have any condoms."

"I don't care." Briar whimpered, even though he did care.Of course, he cared. He wasn"t stupid.He"d never skipped protection—and he wouldn"t really skip it now.He just wanted to pretend. He felt safer with Derek than he"d ever felt with another human being, and he knew Derek"s hyper-developed sense of responsibility wouldn"t allow him to take advantage of Briar"s lapse of judgment.Derek was in control, and so for once, Briar didn"t have to be.He could toe right up to the line and never worry about crossing it.

He captured Derek"s mouth in another searing kiss and worked his hips, scandalized by the punishing size of the erection pressed against his balls.

"Stop," Derek groaned, ripping their mouths apart.He rested his damp forehead against Briar's and squeezed his eyes shut, struggling for control.The veins in his neck were bulging, and his chest was rising and falling in rapid, shallow breaths.

Briar ignored him. He was reveling in making Derek slowly lose the control that meant so much to him.It made him feel powerful, and all he could think was: more.The most primal part of him wanted to shatter Derek's self-restraint completely, enslave him with his body, make him so drunk on it that Derek would never, ever consider leaving him.

"Stop,"Derek repeated, rougher this time.He grabbed Briar's pelvis in both hands, stilling his movements.

A whine caught in the back of Briar's throat."Why?"

"I don't ever get the chance—" Derek rasped, struggling for breath, struggling for words."I want to be gentle with you."

The haze of desire clouding Briar's mind finally began to clear, and he blinked up at Derek, charmed.No one had ever said that to him before."You don't need to be."

"I want to be," Derek said through clenched teeth.A bead of sweat ran from his temple down the tip of his nose.It was clearly taking every bit of willpower he had to hold himself back."This—you—are going to be the only man I ever touch like this.I want to take my time…and I want to make sure you're here with me.With me. I"m a human being, Briar, not some sex toy for your gratification.Not the monster in your head."

Derek"s words were like a bucket of ice dumped right over Briar"s head.He felt cold and ashamed. He tried to pull away, shrinking beneath Derek"s scrutiny, but Derek didn"t allow it.He pinned Briar in place, patiently waiting for him to settle.

Briar swallowed hard, feeling small for all the wrong reasons.His fingers shook when he reached up to stroke the side of Derek"s cheek.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

Derek shook his head, turning his face into Briar's palm and kissing it."Don't be," he said. "I know—I know what you need.I feel it too. But let's take our time, okay?I promise, I'll take care of you."

It was at that moment Briar realized he'd never truly trusted any of his sexual partners before.Friends and boyfriends had come and gone, some fun, and some more work and less reward than his own hand.But it had always felt like an act.They'd each been taking from each other, every single time, without giving much in return.For the first time, Briar was trusting a man with his body.He wanted to give— not take.He wanted to show Derek how much better it could be with a man.

"Yeah," Briar whispered, kissing the damp, salty flesh of Derek's throat."We'll do it your way. We've got all the time in the world."

Derek rewarded him by framing his head between his hands and holding him still for a deep, slow, soul-stealing kiss.He kissed him like nothing else mattered, like it was the end goal itself.Like he had no idea half of the men Briar had dated didn't kiss at all.Like all those past men had never even existed.The kiss went on and on until the world began to spin and Briar's newly calm breathing picked up pace again.He was completely unraveled by the time Derek finally let him up for breath.

Derek took one look at his dazed expression and chuckled softly."Now, that's better."

He stroked down Briar's body with one palm, impossibly gentle despite the rough scrape of his abused hands.It felt like sandpaper against the tender skin of Briar's belly, and Briar arched into his hand, silently inviting him to move lower.When his warm, callused fingers finally wrapped around Briar's erection, they both closed their eyes and groaned.

"You feel so good," Derek whispered, stroking him from root to tip like he wanted to milk the pleasure right out of him."Better than I ever imagined."

"How long have you wanted to be with a man?" Briar whispered, struggling to remain coherent when all he wanted was to roll his eyes back and come.

"All my life."

The confession was surprisingly honest, and Briar's lashes fluttered open.Derek met and held his gaze with solemn eyes.So many questions were churning inside Briar, but the main question was a single word: why.Why did Derek feel like he had to deny himself?Why, when his own brother had come out to their family long ago?But he never got the chance to ask, because at that moment, Derek reached down and unzipped his jeans one-handed.

Briar forgot words entirely. His attention zeroed in on the open V of Derek's jeans as Derek pulled out the most beautiful cock Briar had ever seen.Both long and wide, perfectly proportioned with the rest of his huge body, and curved just slightly in a way that Briar knew would hit in exactly the right spot deep inside.

"Holy shit," he breathed, reverently brushing his fingertips over the flushed head."I'm not religious, but I think I should maybe say a Hail Mary or something."

Derek didn't laugh. "It'll fit," he promised anxiously."When we get to that…I promise I'll make sure you're ready for me."

"Oh, I'm not worried." Briar smiled sweetly up at him."I'm just really happy that I've never had much of a gag reflex."

Derek groaned and stroked his lips with his fingertips."Your mouth is beautiful."

"You can't seem to resist it," Briar acknowledged, licking his lips and accidentally catching the tip of Derek's index finger.Derek sucked in a quick, wounded-sounding breath, and they both froze.Holding his eyes, Briar opened up and sucked the digit down to the last knuckle.

"Jesus, you're going to kill me," Derek cursed.He watched, fascinated, as Briar laved the rough flesh with his tongue.Dark color stained his cheekbones, and his cock bobbed against the flat of his stomach.

Briar wrapped his legs around Derek's waist and rubbed against his imposing shaft.Derek allowed it for a moment, head hanging, breath ragged, before he snapped.His fingers bit into the meat of Briar's thighs, splitting them wide and adjusting their bodies to line his cock up with Briar's ass.The broad head nudged against his entrance, half-threat and half-promise.

Briar held his breath, heart racing.He'd never gone bare in his life.Never wanted to—but everything was different with this man.Briar wanted to be taken, to be filled and claimed in every possible way.One short thrust was all it would take—

Derek knew what he was thinking.It was there, in his burning eyes, as he tormented them with a temptation they both knew he'd never take.Briar was safe with him. The freedom of it made him dizzy.

"I trust you," he whispered, relaxing back onto the blanket and lifting his hips so Derek's cock slipped against him just so.

"You shouldn't," Derek said grimly.

He was braced on his elbows above Briar, their mouths a scant inch apart.His face was mostly in shadow.He looked massive and mysterious and aloof, so close and yet so impossibly far away—and then he began to move.

Those big, rough hands clutched him, spreading him wide and nestling his length between the cushions of Briar's ass.He rocked back and forth, slowly at first, working his dripping cock into the exposed crevice until they were gliding together with barely any friction.Every now and then, the blunt head slipped and nudged against Briar's hole, and they both moaned.

"You're so soft," Derek was murmuring, almost to himself, "so warm and puffy right here.Like you're already prepped for me."

"Yes."

"Just a little nudge…and I'd be inside you."

"Yes."

"Someday—God, someday—you'll never get me out again—"

"Fuck, yes," Briar gasped, clutching his shoulders and writhing, desperately trying to get just a little more pressure right where he needed it.

His body was soaked with sweat; they both were.Above him, Derek's skin gleamed in the moonlight.He looked rugged and untamed: a towering, muscled form chiseled from granite.His movements were deliberate and powerful, thrusting against Briar with a robust energy that made Briar tingle all over.

Desire was already surging through Briar"s belly and drawing his balls up tight.He wasn't going to last. It was all happening too quickly, and he realized with horror that he was mere seconds away from spilling all over himself like a virgin.

"Stop, stop," he warned, suddenly panicked."I'm going to come—"

"Then come." Derek grabbed him by the pelvis and lifted him, grinding down against Briar's cock as it lay trapped between their bellies.The pressure was so intense Briar's eyes rolled back in his head.

He whimpered. "No, I can't—"

"You will," Derek growled.

"Not yet—"

"Now."

A loud, keening cry ripped from Briar's throat.He clenched his teeth, muscles freezing, as his body locked up and braced for the full-body spasm that rolled through him.His vision flashed. His mind went blank with pleasure.The world went spinning away, and so did his breath, his mind, his heart.Everything obliterated in a single white-hot blast that spilled all over his stomach in sticky fluid.

Derek let out a feral snarl. He had one hand planted firmly on the ground, the other arm around Briar"s waist as he thrust once—twice—and bathed Briar's fluttering hole in spurt after spurt of molten fluid.

They remained pressed together, frozen, for what seemed like aneternity.Derek's hands still cradled Briar's hips, and Briar still clutched at his sweat-slick back until long after the combined pools of their come had chilled on hisskin.The night didn't seem so warm now, but Briar just buried his face in Derek's throat and snuggled closer, using his big body as a shield from the lakebreeze.

"Don't tell me you regret it," hemumbled, squeezing his eyes shut tight.

Derek was silent for so long that terror began to creep backin.Briar stiffened, but Derek stopped him the instant he tried to pull away.

"I'll never regret it," Derek said, rolling to his side and bringing Briar with him. He wrapped him in his arms and dropped a quick kiss to the top of Briar'shead."But someday…youwill."