Cherry Pop (Mercury Rising Book 3) (14 page)

It
was
pretty damn good, and Ben closed his eyes and rested the back of his head against the door, just letting the physical sensations roll over him.

Ben lost track of time as they kissed and rubbed against one another. Everything they did, every touch of hands, bodies, and mouths, set off chain reactions in Ben until he felt like a live wire quivering under Tripp’s desperate, heated caresses. Tripp’s inexperience and delight in what they were doing was obvious and added a whole new layer of eroticism to the encounter.

When their skin grew slick with sweat and Tripp’s arms began to shake, Ben said, “Put me down.”

Tripp lowered him slowly and they stood there for a few seconds, breathing heavily, foreheads pressed together.

“I want more,” Ben said, “but I’m not ready to sleep with you.”

“Me neither,” Tripp said. “I’m not ashamed to say I’m a little nervous about that part.”

Ben huffed out a breathless laugh. “Me too,” he admitted.

“But I do sure want to see you,” Tripp whispered. He leaned down and softly kissed Ben’s lips. “I want to lay on you, skin to skin everywhere, and touch you.”

Ben’s knees went weak. “That sounds good.”

This time Tripp laughed. “You are the king of understatement.”

Ben gave up on words and just took Tripp’s hand and led him over to the sofa. He wanted to stay away from the bedroom, where he had everything they’d need for actual sex. He may not be having it, but like a good Boy Scout, he was always prepared.

When they reached the sofa, Tripp stopped him from sitting down. He reached over and undid the top button of Ben’s shorts and then he stood there, his hand on the zipper, waiting. Ben nodded, swallowing nervously. This would be a big test for Tripp, actually seeing and handling another guy’s dick. Doing it was a lot different than thinking or talking about it.

His thoughts scattered as Tripp leaned down and kissed his shoulder, biting it gently as he slowly slid the zipper down, his knuckles brushing against Ben’s erection. Tripp didn’t falter. He slid his hands down the back of the shorts, cupped Ben’s ass again briefly, and then slid the shorts over his hips and let them fall to Ben’s ankles. Ben kicked them away.

Tripp was looking down at Ben’s crotch, covered by a tight pair of boxer briefs. He ran one finger inside the waistband, and Ben shivered. “These too,” Tripp whispered.

“Yes.” He let Tripp take them off. If Tripp wanted this, then he’d have to lead the way.

It was a little harder to get the tight boxers off than it was the loose shorts. Tripp had to lean down and push them to Ben’s knees before they fell down. Ben bit back a whimper at the sight of Tripp bending over his dick. That wasn’t going to happen tonight.
Too soon.
As intimate as that was, maybe never. He tugged on Tripp’s arm, trying to get him back up.

Tripp was looking at Ben’s dick, and when he straightened he didn’t take his gaze away. Instead he reached out and ran the backs of his fingers over Ben’s stomach and then lightly over the bush of pubic hair that surrounded his dick. It was a feather-light touch that was devastatingly erotic, and Ben had to bite his lip again.

“Damn, that’s sexy,” Tripp whispered. When Tripp’s fingers lightly skimmed the length of him, Ben grabbed his wrist.

“I’ll come.” He was panting. “Give me a minute.” When his head stopped spinning, he demanded, “You now.” He reached out and flipped open the button on Tripp’s shorts.

Tripp took over, impatiently yanking down his zipper and shoving his shorts off with his boxers. There was no hesitation or shyness about getting naked for Tripp. And when he stood up properly and Ben got a look at him, he wasn’t surprised at Tripp’s lack of modesty. He was gorgeous everywhere. His cock was long and thick, with a head that was dark with arousal. The sight made Ben’s mouth water. He’d never had a dick like that before. For the first time he was grateful that Roland had dumped him. He might never have seen Tripp in all his naked glory otherwise.

Tripp grabbed Ben’s hand and wrapped it around his dick, sighing with relief as his head fell back. “Fuck yeah,” Tripp said. “Touch me.”

Ben used both hands then, working Tripp, one hand over the other, teasing the sensitive tip. Tripp whimpered and grabbed hold of Ben’s shoulders. “You’re going to make me come,” he said harshly. “It’s too good.”

“I want you to come,” Ben said with satisfaction. “I want you to come all over me.”

He stepped closer and pressed their dicks together, then licked the palms of his hands and began working them together. He loved watching Tripp as he did things for the first time with a guy. He’d never had that, never gotten to experience the joy of discovery. Roland had been jaded by the time they met, and sex with him had been enjoyable, but slick and practiced, and Ben had always felt like the subject of sex rather than a participant. With Tripp he was immersed in it, body and mind.
Fun
had taken on a whole new meaning.

“Fuck yeah,” Tripp said in a breathless burst of pleasure, and Ben felt Tripp’s dick grow rock hard under his hands. He reached between Tripp’s legs and pressed a finger hard against his perineum, and Tripp shouted as his dick pulsed beneath Ben’s hand, and then he was coming.

The hot splash of Tripp’s come was almost enough to push Ben over the edge, but he closed his eyes and held it together as he milked every drop out of Tripp. When Tripp was done, Ben wasted no time in taking Tripp’s hand and wrapping it around his wet, sticky dick. Again, there was no hesitation on Tripp’s part.

“Me now,” Ben said, incapable of any more words. “Just a little.” He was so close.

Tripp gripped his dick hard and pumped, his fist bumping into Ben’s glans and then over it, and in seconds Ben was coming all over Tripp’s hand. Tripp wrapped his other arm around Ben and pulled him close and kissed him as Ben gasped. Tripp ate his moan as Ben shuddered with the pulse of his climax.

They stood there pressed together, Ben shivering, as they recovered. It had all happened so fast and it was suddenly awkward to be standing there with Tripp naked and sticky.

“That was the hottest sex I’ve never had,” Tripp said at last. “I mean, I know we didn’t do it, but still. Hot.”

Ben laughed weakly. “In my book, that was still sex. But yeah, I know what you mean. Me too.” And the sad thing was, it was the truth.

“Well, nobody got inside anybody else. And we never got to lay on each other.” Tripp sounded slightly disappointed. “I couldn’t seem to wait that long.”

“Do you have to leave right away?” Ben asked, despite the warning bells going off in his head.

“Not unless you’re kicking me out,” Tripp said, kissing the side of his neck as if he couldn’t help himself from tasting Ben again. “Why? What do you have in mind?”

“Cleaning up and starting over,” Ben said, throwing caution to the wind. After all, fun, right?

Slowly he sank to his knees in front of Tripp and leaned forward, licking a path through the salty, sticky residue on Tripp’s dick. He kept eye contact with Tripp while he did it. Tripp’s eyes burned into his and he gave Ben a wicked half smile, his face flushed.

“You really are something,” Tripp whispered, sliding his hand into the hair on the side of Ben’s head. He gently cupped his head, neither holding him where he was nor trying to direct him. It was as if he just wanted to touch Ben to make sure he was real. “I had no idea taking it slow was going to be so much fun.”

Ben grabbed that word,
fun
, and held tight to it. Tripp got it. That’s what they were doing, having fun. For however long it lasted. Ben could handle that.

T
ripp and Ben
were lying on Ben’s sofa wearing nothing but their boxers, Tripp’s front to Ben’s back, their bent legs entwined. Tripp had his hand down the front of Ben’s shorts, slowly jacking him off. Over the last three weeks, ever since their Myrtle Beach date, Tripp had gotten to know Ben’s dick pretty well. He loved the size and shape of it, how sensitive it was, soft skin hiding a core of stubborn steel, just like Ben himself. He hadn’t gotten to do anything but touch it, though.

Tripp ground his hard-on into Ben’s ass, loving the way that felt too. Ben’s ass was different than any girl’s ass Tripp had felt. It was harder, muscled and full.

The only thing ruining the perfection of the night was Ben’s insistence that they keep this thing between them a secret in Mercury. Ben ignored the fact that his neighbors saw Tripp’s truck there almost every night. They’d been seeing each other under the radar for almost a month. But Ben still refused to make it official or be seen in Mercury together. The longer they saw each other, the more determined Ben became to keep it a secret. They hadn’t ridden for more than a week because someone drove by them and waved one morning. And God knows they hadn’t slept together. Tripp was beyond frustrated.

“So,” Tripp whispered in Ben’s ear, kissing that soft spot right behind it. “Don’t you think it’s time we came out of hiding? I mean, we’ve been seeing each other for awhile.”

Ben choked off a moan and shoved Tripp’s hand away, scrambling to untangle their legs. He crawled over the back of the sofa to get away and went straight to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Tripp could still see his hard dick poking out the front of his boxers. He sighed, already seeing the way this talk was going to go, like all the others before it. He sat silently, waiting for Ben’s arguments and excuses to begin.

“No, I don’t,” Ben said in a raspy voice. “We’re still figuring out where this is going. I don’t need all your friends and family chipping in their opinions.”

“Oh yeah, Mama and Daddy say hey,” Tripp added. “Mama keeps asking when you’re coming to dinner again.” He rose from the sofa.

“I’m uncomfortable with them knowing about us,” Ben said, crossing his arms. His shoulders were hunched and he looked about as closed off as you could get without being behind an actual closed door.

“I’m not going to lie to my parents,” Tripp said for the hundredth time. “Sorry. They aren’t talking. They promised.”

Ben sighed. “It’s not that,” he said. “It’s just, you know, I know them. And now they think we’re, you know. And that’s uncomfortable.”

“Having sex?” Tripp asked. He laughed. “We aren’t having sex. So I don’t know what you’re worried about.”

“What we’ve been doing is sex even without actual penetration,” Ben said in irritation. “I keep telling myself I’m going to stop before we go too far, and I never do. I’m like an addict.”

“So fooling around with me is like being a drug addict?” Tripp asked, finally, after weeks of frustration, getting a little pissed. “If I’m so damn bad, why are you still seeing me?”

“Hell if I know,” Ben said, sounding bewildered. “We still don’t make sense. I’m still going back to L.A. I don’t know why I let you keep coming around.”

“Let me keep coming around?” Tripp repeated. “Like I’m some stray dog you fed once and it won’t go away, even when you kick it? Is that what I am to you?” He felt like somebody stomped on his chest. “I thought we were working on something here. I have
feelings
for you.”

“Oh God,” Ben said in horror. “Don’t do that. This is supposed to be for fun. For. Fun. Not forever.” He waved both hands in the air in front of him, as if warding off the curse Tripp had put him under. “I don’t want feelings. Feelings are a bad idea.”

“Not in my world,” Tripp said. He reached for his shorts on the floor. “In my world, you see someone steady, you get physical on a pretty regular basis, that’s a relationship. You’re working toward something, toward feelings. I’ve been pretty honest about where I’m coming from.” He jammed one leg in and then the other.

“So have I,” Ben said flatly. “I told you, I’m not ready for anything more than casual right now.”

“Right now? Or ever?” Tripp said. He grabbed his shirt off the floor and pulled it on. “You can’t cut off your feelings like they’re an arm or a leg, Ben, or turn them off like your damn computer. They’re stuck in here.” He tapped his chest with his fist. “Boy, you are making me crazy with your ups and downs.” Turning away, he put his hands on his hips and took a couple of deep breaths and then faced Ben again. “I know you feel something for me. I see it in your eyes, in the way you react when I touch you, the way you touch me. There’s nothing casual about the way you fucking light up when I’m around, just like I do over you. You can’t control that.”

“You’re gorgeous,” Ben said, turning to fill his glass at the kitchen sink. “I light up when you touch me because it’s a huge turn on to have a guy like you explore his homosexuality for the first time with me.”

“Ben,” Tripp said, laying it on the line, “I don’t want you to just be my first. I want you to be my last.”

Ben forcefully shut off the tap. “I’m sorry, Tripp,” he said. “But I can’t be that. I can’t handle that.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Tripp asked, defeated. If Ben would just talk to him and tell him what was holding him back, he could fix it. But he couldn’t push Ben faster than he was willing to go. “Fine. Fun. We’ll have fun.” He grabbed his keys off the counter, done beating his head against the wall for one day. “But not tonight. I’m tired. Ride tomorrow morning?”

Ben shook his head, not looking at Tripp.

“Just because Mr. Hisdale saw us on Murray Chapel last week doesn’t mean he suspects anything,” Tripp said impatiently. “We used to ride together before we were seeing each other, too.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Ben said, crossing his arms again. Tripp knew what those crossed arms meant.

“And Mama says
I’m
stubborn,” he muttered. “I got to go.” He headed for the front door, and Ben trailed after him, staying back.

“Maybe we need to cool it for a little while,” Ben said from behind him. “I don’t want to hurt you, Tripp.”

Tripp had to forcefully cut off his instant denial. He took a deep breath and turned to face Ben, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry. It won’t get that far. Mama didn’t raise no fool. We’ll get up again this week, huh? See ya.” He opened the door and forced his feet to move, to climb into the truck and pull away. He could see Ben in his rearview mirror, standing in the door, watching him go.

* * *

T
ripp sat at Wren’s
, staring out the window. His breakfast was mostly uneaten. Luke sat across from him, talking about the upcoming open somewhere up north. Tripp had stopped listening ages ago. He’d texted Ben not long ago just to say good morning and hadn’t gotten a response yet. His worry and frustration were boiling over this morning after their conversation the night before. He sighed and turned to fiddle with his empty coffee cup.

“All right,” Luke said in disgust. “What’s wrong? It’s the damn gay thing, isn’t it?” He glared at Tripp and sat back in his seat with a huff. “You know I hate talking about that. You never used to want to talk about feelings and shit.”

“Then we won’t talk about it,” Tripp said impatiently. “Whatever.”

“Why don’t you call Carver? You can be gay together.” Luke looked pleased with that solution.

“You know we’re not interchangeable, right?” Tripp snapped. “One gay guy is not as good as another.”

“Now you’re
identifying
as gay?” Luke said, his eyes bugging in his face. “You ought not to do that in case you change your mind.” He looked around the diner and leaned forward. “What if some girl heard that and then later you wanted to hook up with her?”

Tripp put his head in his hands. “I
am
gay, Luke,” he said. “I don’t want to hook up with a girl. It’s so much better with Ben that what I did before was a joke.”

“Man, you’ve gone crazy,” Luke said. “I can’t see how…” He leaned forward again and whispered, “…dick could be better than pussy.”

“Hey, guess what? That probably means you’re not gay,” Tripp said sarcastically, raising his head. “Congratulations.”

“Okay, okay,” Luke said. “You don’t have to get all mad about it.” He heaved a sigh. “Go ahead. I’ll listen if you’ve got to talk about it. Just leave out the sex stuff.”

“There is no sex stuff,” Tripp said sadly. “Not really. Just, you know, fooling around stuff.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” Luke exclaimed. “That means you ain’t gay yet.”

Tripp moaned and slumped in the seat. “Will you get over that? It’s not some initiation that magically makes you gay. It’s the wanting to do it, not the doing it.”

“Have you ever had…” Luke paused and glanced around. “…butt sex?”

“What?” Tripp said, shocked. “I just told you we haven’t done it.”

“I mean, with a girl,” Luke said impatiently. “You know you can do that with girls, right?”

“I don’t want to do it with girls. Just Ben,” Tripp said just as impatiently.

“Then why aren’t you doing it?” Luke asked. “Jeezus, boy, just put us all out of our misery. You’ve been as ornery as a bear for weeks. I’ve never seen anyone who needs it as bad as you do. And it took a lot for me to go there.” He shuddered.

“Thanks,” Tripp said, rolling his eyes. “You think I’m not trying? Ben won’t.”

“What, is he a virgin or something?”

“Who’s a virgin?” Kari leaned over to fill Tripp’s coffee mug, staring avidly between the two of them. Clearly she’d overheard Luke’s comment. Tripp hoped she hadn’t heard the rest.

“No one,” he said quickly.

“Ain’t that the truth,” she said, shaking her head. “Nobody waits anymore. It’s a crying shame.”

“I ain’t crying over it,” Luke said, winking at her. She blushed.

“I’m still seeing John Junior,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the kitchen pass-through, where her boyfriend was glaring at Luke.

“Well, I gotta keep trying, darlin’,” Luke said, grinning at her. Tripp knew he meant it. Kari was just his type, even though she was a few years older than him. He liked them thick and sassy and blonde.

“Oh, you,” she said, flipping her curly ponytail over her shoulder. “You’re just a hound dog. I heard about you and your new little girlfriend.”

“I’m just trying to heal my broken heart,” he said. “You done broke it. I’m a broken man.” Kari just laughed as she walked away.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Luke pointed at him and his eyes narrowed. “I just saved your biscuit. Why won’t he sleep with you? Ain’t you good enough for him?” Luke sounded pretty pissed.

“Back up,” Tripp said. “You don’t want me to be gay, but you’re pissed he won’t sleep with me?”

“One thing ain’t got nothing to do with the other,” Luke said. “Is that it? You aren’t good enough? Well, fuck him then. We got plenty of good gays around here you can choose from.”

Tripp busted out laughing. Luke sitting there in his John Deere camo trucker hat and Number Three T-shirt, looking like he stepped out of
Duck Dynasty
with a beard that got bigger every time Tripp saw him, carrying on about finding him a good local gay, was the funniest damn thing Tripp had ever seen.

“What’s so damn funny?” Luke asked, looking uncomfortable, as if he’d just realized what he said.

“Hello.” Tripp glanced over and was surprised to see Brian Curland standing beside their table. Evan stood next to him and he looked worried, chewing on his lip before he noticed Tripp watching and gave him a sickly smile. “May we join you?” Brian asked. He didn’t wait for an answer, just sat right down.

“Sure,” Luke said sarcastically. “Don’t let us stop you.”

“Thank you,” Brian said pleasantly.

“Brian,” Evan said in a warning voice, sitting across from him and leaning over the table so as not to be heard. There were people calling out hellos to the newcomers from around the restaurant and Evan absently waved to them.

“What’s on your mind?” Tripp asked casually. He gave Ben’s boss a big, false smile and took a sip of his coffee.

“I was wondering what was going on with you and Ben.” Tripp had to give him credit—he cut right to the chase.

“Nothing,” he said, as per Ben’s request.

“Why not?” Brian asked, losing his smile. “What’s wrong with Ben?”

“What does that mean?” Tripp asked in confusion, setting his coffee down. “Did he say something? Is he all right?”

“And you care, why?” Brian asked, turning in his chair to face Tripp, his arm on the table. “If you’re not seeing him and all.”

“You got one damn big nose to be butting into people’s business,” Luke snapped. “You don’t own us. We don’t have to tell you shit.”

“Oh, great,” Evan said. “And it goes downhill quickly.” He turned to Luke. “Let’s all calm down. He didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Why won’t you go out with him now?” Brian asked point blank. “I thought you were chasing him all over town, and suddenly you change your mind.”

“I didn’t change my mind,” Tripp said. He snapped his mouth shut, but it was too late.