Page 26 of Throw Down

Derek cut the engine, and the noises of the mountain became louder.Noises that were hard to notice at first: the wind in the pines that sounded like the distant roar of the ocean, and the sporadic chirp of early-season crickets.Their music never failed to settle his nerves.He pitied Briar for having grown up without them.

He opened the door and offered a hand to help Briar out of the truck.

Briar hesitated a moment, then said with a tight laugh, “What a gentleman.”

“You're so short, you'd probably fall flat on your face climbing down even if your balance wasn't shot.”

Briar didn't reply, and he didn't protest when Derek kept a hand under his elbow and guided him up the porch.He wobbled on the first step but shrugged off Derek's help as soon as he got onto an even surface.Then he just stood there, blinking in the sudden light of the cabin, as Derek flipped the switch and tossed his keys on a nearby coffee table.

A stone fireplace dominated one wall, with a modest kitchen adjacent to it.The living area was simple, accented by a rugged leather sofa and a coffee table stacked with books.A crate stuffed with muddy boots sat by the door, and a canvas jacket hung from a peg on the wall.There weren't many knick-knacks, but he liked it that way.After growing up in a house busting at the seams with people, pets, and baubles, he cherished having so much unfilled space.A comfortable home—but solitary.

With gentle firmness, Derek hoisted Briar onto the granite island that separated the kitchen from the living area.His flesh was warm and solid beneath the thin fabric of his ridiculous shirt, and Derek's fingers lingered a moment longer than he intended.

Briar met Derek's gaze uncertainly.His eyes were confused and glassy, like the prettiest marbles Derek had ever seen.

“Stay still,” he ordered, fetching a first aid kit from under the sink and wetting the corner of a clean dish towel.

His fingers felt huge and clumsy as he clasped Briar’s chin and tipped his face toward the light, but he tried to be gentle when he dabbed at the crusted laceration beneath Briar’s left eye.

Briar flinched, but he didn't make a sound.He bit down hard on his lower lip instead, and Derek's gaze dropped to his mouth.

“Don’t,” he said harshly, brushing his thumb over the tender flesh of Briar’s lower lip.

Briar’s mouth was shockingly soft beneath the thick callus of histhumb.It wasn't at all what Derek had imagined a man's mouth would feellike.Tempting. Derek couldn't resist testing the pliancy with just a hint ofpressure.He pressed down on the cushion of his lower lip, watching, fascinated, as the succulent flesh sprang back intoshape.

He’d banished every longing he'd ever had for men years ago—the day West had come out to their parents. One look at his mother's tear-streaked face, and Derek had understood that there was only room for one gay kid in their family. It didn't matter that the porn West had been caught with that day had belonged to Derek.

But someone like Briar was so tempting. He was exactly what Derek used to dream about.Soft, exotic, vulnerable...but with a core of masculinity that bewitched him. He was small and gentle, but not feminine. Derek wasn't worried about breaking him. And he would taste amazing.

Their faces were inches apart, so close that he could smell the bitter hops on Briar’s breath. His lips trembled beneath Derek's thumb.The air felt thick. Cloying. Like something was about to break.

Briar’s eyes widened in panic just a fraction of a second before Derek leaned in to kiss him.But it was too late to stop.

He caught the puff of a gasp in his mouth and sealed it with his lips, cautious at first, then growing firmer when Briar didn't protest.He clasped the back of Briar's neck and held him in place, waiting until the resistance in Briar’s body faded to pull him close. He kept his eyes closed. He didn't want to see who he was kissing.He just wanted to feel again, to steal the little sips of breath from Briar's lips and breathe them deep.Hold them there. It had been a brutally long time since he’d touched anyone, and never someone so lush, so giving.

Desire pounded through his body so fiercely that he felt like he was about to crack open.No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't tamp down on it.Couldn't control it—or himself.All he could do was slip his tongue inside Briar's mouth to finally taste him.

Someone moaned. Maybe him.

God, it was him.

Horror crashed over him like a bucket of ice.He snapped back to reality with a sickening lurch, tearing himself away from Briar’s pliant body through sheer force.But he didn’t get far. Briar’s fingers were still buried in the fabric of his shirt, clinging for dear life.Those pretty gray eyes, usually so playful, were foggy with confusion.He sat on the counter, shivering even though Derek knew his tight little body was blasting heat like a furnace.His lips were swollen and glossy, and he licked them nervously.

The motion caught Derek's interest.Did Briar still taste him? Still want to?He should kiss him again, just to be sure.

He moved away before he could give in to temptation.

Briar watched him, wide-eyed and silent, fingers playing absently with his lips.Derek wished he would stop.

“I…fuck,” Derek cursed. His voice was raw.He dragged his hands through his hair, but they came away damp with panic-sweat.The room was cool, but he was blazing hot.The tension was suffocating.

“Derek? Are you...” Briar began to look nervous.He slid off the island, wincing a little, and carefully edged around the counter to place it between them.

Derek's hands itched to haul him back into his arms.He clenched them into fists at his sides instead.

Briar tracked the movement warily.

“Are you okay?” Briar asked tentatively.

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