Page 6 of Redemption Ridge Vol II

“I snagged the remaining pumpkin spice whoopie pies for you.”

Tyler’s thoughtfulness never failed to move Owen. He showed how much he cared in a million little ways and made him feel like the most important person in Tyler’s world. Owen leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Tyler’s mouth. So much for caution and control. Tyler’s lips trembled and parted invitingly, and Owen wanted more than anything to deepen the kiss, but not until they talked first. Tyler scowled when Owen pulled back, and he wanted to kiss his cute pout away.

“I really, really want to be alone with you right now,” Owen told him. The front door wasn’t visible from the great room, but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t wander down the hallway. They didn’t need interruptions or input from anyone else.

Tyler thrust the whoopie pies at him and grabbed his coat. “My cabin is closer.”

Fat snowflakes pelted them as they stepped onto the porch. It was coming down much harder, and the wind had picked up. The quick trip to Ty’s cabin took twice as long as normal because of the deepening drifts, and Owen wished he’d put on his coat. They’d traveled this route so many times together, but this time, Owen didn’t resist the urge to reach for Tyler’s hand.

They ducked inside the cabin and shut themselves away from the outside world. Two cats—one bright orange and one the color of butterscotch—raised their heads from where they curled around each other on the couch. When the ranch rescued a pregnant stray, Little Mama, they couldn’t bear to part with her precious kittens. Tyler and Owen each chose one, naming them Lucy and Ethel after their favorite fictional duo. The cats followed them nearly everywhere on the ranch, but Owen wasn’t sure he wanted witnesses to what he hoped would happen next. Then again, if what he truly wished for came true, there would be a lot of sleepovers, and the girls would have to get used to it.

They hung their coats on the peg by the door, and then Tyler was on him, backing Owen against the wall. Tyler’s lips were cold, but his tongue was hot and curious. He took the foil package from Owen’s hand and flung it toward the coffee table, but it overshot and landed on the sofa. The girls bolted from the couch and darted under the bed. A protest danced on Owen’s tongue, but Tyler licked it away, along with his resolve to talk before they did anything else.

Owen fisted one hand in Tyler’s hair and gripped his pert ass with the other. He thought the frigid walk to the cabin would have cooled his lust, but his internal fires blazed hot. The earlier thoughts of caution and control returned, but Tyler’s needy groans waved a red blanket in front of Owen’s raging bull. Six years of longing and loving had led to this moment, and…he wanted it to be perfect. Sanity prevailed, and Owen eased his lips away and stared into glazed dark eyes. He brushed a thumb over Tyler’s swollen mouth and barely resisted the urge to dive back in.

“You are the most important person in my life, Ty.”

“You’re mine too,” he replied breathlessly. “You saved me.”

Owen shook his head. “We saved each other.”

Tyler’s brow furrowed, and he pursed his lips together. “Are you saying you don’t want this?”

Owen tightened his hold on Tyler’s ass so he couldn’t move away. “I’m saying I need to know what this means to you because I can’t lose you.”

The air wheezed from Tyler’s body like Owen had kneed him in the balls. He rubbed his sternum like he did whenever something stressed him out. Owen hated to be the one causing the pain, but it would hurt a lot more if they screwed up their friendship. Maybe Owen should have given Tyler a few minutes to pull himself together, but he pressed on.

“I’m in love with you, Ty.”

Brown eyes widened, lips parted on a soft gasp, and a pretty pink flush spread across Tyler’s cheeks. “For how long?”

Owen smiled and trailed a finger along Tyler’s smooth jawline. “Since the moment I looked into your eyes. I just knew you were sent to me. And for the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged.”

Tyler scrunched up his nose. “In jail?”

“No,” Owen replied. “I belonged to you.”

That made Tyler smile, and he hooked a finger through Tyler’s belt loop. “Tell me more.”

The confession seemed like a one-way street to Owen, but he wasn’t walking it alone. He took Tyler’s hand and led him to the sofa. He sat on the same cushion instead of the one beside it and didn’t pull his hand free.

“You’re everything good in my life, but I’ve always wanted more with you,” Owen said. “I’d resigned myself to never having it. I was, and still am, willing to accept whatever you’re willing to give me.”

Tyler swallowed hard but maintained eye contact. “What if I’m not capable of giving you more?”

Owen knew that was a distinct possibility. Tyler could be confusing jealousy with attraction. No one would call Owen the sharpest tool in the shed, but even he’d recognized the shift in Tyler’s personality since Keegan arrived on the ranch. And then there was his strict, traditionalist upbringing to overcome. So, there were several obstacles in their way if Tyler decided to expand on his curiosity, but first things first. “Did you enjoy kissing me?”

Tyler swallowed hard and nodded.

“Did you like touching me?”

Tyler groaned and rested his hand on Owen’s thigh. “Yes.”

Owen cupped Tyler’s face so he couldn’t dodge his gaze. “Do you want to do more of both?”

No matter the answer, Owen would find a way to be okay with it. The seconds stretched on forever as they stared into each other’s eyes. Then, Tyler pushed off the couch and swung himself around to straddle Owen’s lap. Holy shit. He slid his hands around Owen’s neck and lowered his mouth. Tyler’s kiss wasn’t a tentative probe; it was a possessive claim that exceeded Owen’s most vivid fantasies. He shoved curious fingers under Owen’s shirt and caressed his chest. Up and down they trailed, from sternum to belly button. Owen’s abdominal muscles clenched and released with each pass as he hoped Ty would go higher or lower. Owen got hard again in no time, and he longed to pull Ty closer so he could feel the power he wielded. And maybe Owen wanted to see if Tyler got hard again too. When curious fingers brushed over his hard nipple, Owen gripped Tyler’s ass with both hands and pulled him until their groins pressed tightly together.

Tyler broke their kiss and leaned his forehead against Owen’s as he struggled to catch his breath. “Does that answer your questions?”