Page 33 of The Keeper

Rueben lifted his head off Seth’s chest to look at him. “The entire ranch is coming, and it would look weird if I skipped it.” He traced Seth’s mouth with his fingers. “And I want to be there to support you. Is that okay?”

Seth nipped Rueben’s fingertips, then snagged his wrist before he could pull his hand back. “It’s more than okay. I don’t know what kind of criticism or questions I’m going to field tonight. Amos has looked incredibly smug after the latest polling in the paper showed us in a virtual tie.”

“Who the hell is going to vote for Boss Hogg for sheriff?” Rueben asked.

Seth barked out a startled laugh. “Holy shit. Amos does look like Boss Hogg. He just drives a massive truck instead of a long Cadillac to overcompensate for his, um…shortcomings.”

Rueben laughed with him, then cleared his throat. “Seriously, Boss Hogg didn’t work out so well for Hazzard, and Amos isn’t the right man for our county either. And I wouldn’t give a lot of credence to those polling numbers. There’s no telling what kind of method they’re using.”

Seth rolled Rueben to his back and kissed him soundly on the mouth. “You’re right. There’s a reason I didn’t hire a campaign manager to drive me nuts. I just want to have an honest conversation with my constituents and have faith they’ll make the right choice.”

“They will.”

And if they didn’t, would it really be the end of the world? Seth had been so focused on becoming sheriff that he’d never allowed himself to consider an alternative path. Not even for Oliver, whom he’d loved dearly at one point, or so he’d thought. Seth was startled to realize he’d make a completely different decision if he faced a similar dilemma with Rueben, who stared at him with a curious expression in his warm brown eyes.

“What are you thinking?” Rue asked.

Seth inhaled deep to clear his cluttered thoughts. “I don’t want to waste our precious time talking about Amos Martindale, voter polling, or the election.” He carded his fingers through silky dark hair.

Rueben leaned into his caress and practically purred. “What do you want to do?”

Seth lowered his mouth and showed him. They didn’t make love for a second time, and Rueben didn’t want to shower Seth’s scent off his skin. They kissed, touched, and talked about the most insignificant things until it was time for Rueben to get dressed and head back to the ranch. Seth put his hand on the front door before Rueben could open it. He slid a hand around Rueben’s waist and pressed his mouth to Rueben’s ear. “I’m fucking crazy about you.” He released a frustrated growl for acting like a coward. “My feelings run so much deeper than that. The truth hits me like a freight train when I least expect it. I want to call and tell you every time, but I—” Seth took a deep breath. “You deserve better than what I can offer you right now.”

Rueben whirled around and looked him square in the eyes. Not an ounce of fear or hesitation shimmered in his dark gaze, only certainty. “I’m crazy about you too. And what we deserve is to be together regardless of how long it takes.”

Seth backed him against the door just like he’d done when Reuben arrived. He poured every ounce of emotion into the kiss, hoping Rueben could feel even a fraction of the love blossoming in Seth’s heart. He pulled back after a few minutes and cupped Rueben’s face. “Drive carefully, baby.”

“I will. See you tonight, handsome.”

One last kiss and Seth reluctantly released his hold. He didn’t watch Reuben leave through the window like a lovesick fool, though he felt like it. As much as he wanted to wear Rueben’s scent for the rest of the night, he probably shouldn’t show up at the town hall meeting smelling like cum and sweat. He padded to the bathroom and took a quick shower. The water heater was ancient and untrustworthy. Seth wanted to hold on to the warm and fuzzy feelings Rueben stirred instead of blasting them away with frigid water. He’d just stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist when he heard footsteps on the front porch. Grinning, Seth walked to the living room and yanked open the front door.

“What did you for—” His words ended on an unmanly squeak when his sex-addled brain processed who stood on his front porch. “What are you doing here, Oliver?”

Green eyes widened in surprise before Oliver gave Seth’s nearly nude body a slow perusal. He’d once lived for the appreciation shimmering in his gaze. Oliver’s interest shifted from attraction to suspicion when his shrewd eyes met Seth’s once more. “I recognize that just-fucked expression and posture. Who were you expecting on your porch just now?” When Seth didn’t respond, Oliver cocked his head to the side. “You’d started to say ‘what did you forget’ before you realized it was me.” He gave Seth another once-over and waggled his brows. “You sure as hell haven’t forgotten to hit the gym. Damn, baby. You look better at thirty-eight than you did at nineteen or twenty. Want to tell me who the lucky guy is?”

Seth hated the endearment rolling off Oliver’s tongue but tamped down his rising temper. “What the fuck do you want?” His annoyance, however, was a completely different ball game.

“Are you going to step aside so I can come in?”

“No.”

Irritation crackled in Oliver’s gaze, and arrogance turned his cheeks ruddy. He didn’t like it when people told him no, and Oliver wasn’t used to hearing it from Seth. That might’ve been only the second time he’d said it to him. The first refusal occurred when Oliver asked Seth to move to Denver with him. “I see.” Oliver’s voice was as flat as a day-old cola. “Then we’ll do this out here.” Seth opened his mouth to say they wouldn’t be doing anything—inside or out—but Oliver spoke again before he could respond. “What the fuck are you thinking?” Anger replaced the flatness in the blink of an eye, and the rapid shift caught Seth off guard, not allowing him to clock the source. “You gotta be hard up. That’s the only explanation.” Oliver’s vitriol was a bucket of ice water on his after-sex mellow, and his ex wasn’t done. “Of all the asses to tap, you just had to—”

Seth stepped aside and opened the door wider when he really wanted to plow his fist into Oliver’s mouth. “Get in here, damn it.”

Though he’d given his ex plenty of space to enter, the behemoth guy brushed against him when he entered the house. Seth grabbed the towel that hung precariously around his hips and slammed the door shut. “Stay here.” He didn’t want Oliver in the special place he shared with Rueben, and he liked the idea of flashing his junk to Ollie even less. His ex had never liked the cabin when they were together and opted not to tag along whenever Seth wanted to fish. This space held no significance in their relationship, and Seth wanted to keep it that way. He quickly dressed and returned to the living room in bare feet.

“You really do look damn good, Seth. It caught me off guard when I saw you at the Feisty Bull. You were always handsome, but age looks amazing on you.”

Seth crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. “What do you want?”

“I’ll tell you why I came here after you tell me why I just passed Rueben Sanchez on the access road a few minutes ago? The kid was grinning from ear to ear like he’d found the golden ticket. Guess that makes you Wonka.”

Fuck. Seth knew that’s what he’d alluded to when he’d spewed hot garbage at him, but he needed confirmation. He refused to take the bait and ignored the insulting “kid” comment and the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory reference. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Oliver. There are about thirty cabins tucked around this lake and only one main access road.”

“I could’ve bought that excuse until you opened up the door wrapped in a towel. I figured this was where you were hiding out before the town hall meeting, but I didn’t expect to find you screwing away your nerves.” He cocked his head to the side. “It’s not a bad idea if you were doing it with someone that wouldn’t cause a judge to dismiss the entire case against Mick and Quinton Carson.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Ollie.”

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