Page 80 of Bull Riders Don't Swoon

Griff laughs into my neck before pressing a kiss there. “That was…unexpected. I don’t know what happened. I just…god, I just wanted to…” He swallows, and his silence drags on. “I needed to make sure all this is real.”

“Nothing is more real than the cum cooling in my hand.”

Griff barks a laugh and separates us carefully. He shuffles into the bathroom, and we clean up the best we can with warm water and squares of toilet paper.

A splash of pink still sits on his cheeks, a leftover mark of his desire for me, as he pats his hands dry on his jeans.

“I didn’t plan on us having sex here right now. I would have planned better if I knew you’d go all feral on me.”

That pink tinge turns a little brighter and I pump an internal fist. I fucking love Griff like this. Like him anyway, really, but demure and blushing is one of my favourites.

“I’ve never told you this, but you’re the first guy I’ve been with who calls what we do sex. I don’t think you understand what that means to me.”

“Why wouldn’t it be sex? We both came. We helped each other to get there. That’s sex to me. Every time is sex.”

Griff puffs a long breath and leans on the counter. “Jamie, when we were in university, I went there thinking I’d get to discover what it was like to be a gay man. I had plans. Filthy ones.” His lips tilt in a small smile. “The first guy I ever hooked up with, the very first one, laughed at me when I asked him to stop because I didn’t like what he was doing. He stopped, but not before he made me feel like I was a freak. I wasn’t worthy because sex meant only one thing tohim. If I didn’t want a dick in my ass or to bury myself in someone else balls deep, how could I call myself gay, right?”

Griff hangs his head, and the absolute heartbreak comes off him in waves. “I never told you that happened. Or that it happened a few more times before I gave up trying to meet people.”

He lifts his head, a sad smile on his still flushed face.

“I wish you had said something. I’d have been there for you.” Something clicks in my brain, and I step closer to him. “That night we were both fooling around with that cute blonde guy…you left. Was it because of this?”

Griff quickly nods once.

“Mostly. I didn’t want to be in a situation like that and have you find out. It wasn’t something I wanted to share. Plus, I already knew I loved you. Seeing you intimate with someone else up close…I couldn’t handle it. I thought I could, but I lied.”

“I’m sorry. If I had known…” Fuck, if I’d have known, I don’t know how different things would have been, but I would never have suggested a three way.

Griff wraps his arms around my waist and kisses me.

“Now you know. It’s the past, and we’ve both grown. I just wanted to tell you how you make me feel so seen. It’s such a tiny thing, but it means the world to me.”

He kisses me again, and minutes pass with us lazily kissing each other and sharing whispers of promises. The storm of my emotions from earlier calms, and it’s the most settled I’ve felt in years.

When my stomach growls, the tender moment ends. Griff laughs and pats my stomach.

“Let’s get you fed.”

We don’t even finish the house tour. Griff leads me outside and suggests we grab a pizza to bring to his place so we can watch TV and eat in our underpants.

And honestly, that sounds perfect.

twenty-five

Griff

Kissing Ridge rodeo is always my favourite rodeo of the season.

The energy is somewhere between immense pride and chaotic celebration, and I love it. Everyone welcomes you like an old friend, and there’s nothing like it. Especially if you’re a hometown hero.

I feel like Kissing Ridge is my hometown, even though I wasn’t born and raised here. Just a transplant since Jamieson lived here, and I followed him home after we met. Living with my dad once school finished wasn’t an option.

But all that has changed. Kissing Ridge has become my home more than Fox Grove ever was. I’m part of this community and not just the rodeo. Until Jackson’s parents offered to help my dad around today, I didn’t know how much I was truly part of this town.

“Hey Griff, you ready to go?”

Jamieson pulls his shirt over his head as he enters the living room. “I’m gonna eat something first.” He thumbs over his shoulder to the kitchen, and I chuckle.

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