Ben alone.”
“Hmm, I still think maybe there’s something going on there. You sure are protective of him.”
Thom thought about it. Maybe if he told Ross that he and Ben were together, Ross would back off and leave Ben alone. “It’s private,” he said. That was vague – let Ross interpret it however he pleased.
“Private, you say.”
“Just leave him alone. He’s not for you.”
Ross was true to his word and had a crew out clearing and leveling the land in a couple of days. Ross arranged for all the utilities and permits. In less than a month things were well underway and Thom focused on getting the vineyard ready for the final spraying before he had to start prepping for the harvest. He walked the vineyard that morning, checking the grapes, tasting them to see how they were coming along.
He took Ben with him, showing him what to look for as the grapes matured through the growing cycle. It didn’t hurt that keeping Ben with him kept the younger man away from Ross.
“Here,” he called Ben over. “See the color here?” He held some leaves back and pointed to a cluster of grapes. Ben nodded.
“These are just barely starting to ripen.” Thom picked one of the grapes and popped it in his mouth, biting into it and letting the juice cover his tongue. “Here, you try one. Hold the juice in your mouth and tell me how it feels and tastes.”
Ben took the grape and tried to do as Thom described.
“Well?”
“Um, I’m not sure what I should be looking for. It tastes fruity? Not real sweet.”
“There should be a tartness that you feel, how do I describe it? Like a sensation in your jaw, but not so sour that you pucker up.”
“Is that what you got from your grape?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I ate a different grape, didn’t I? Maybe if I tasted the one you tasted.”
“What do you–”
Before Thom could ask Ben what he meant, Ben’s mouth was on his, Ben’s tongue dipping into his open mouth before he could react. He raised his hands to push Ben away, but Ben caught them and held them tight. Thom twisted and pulled away. He stumbled, and Ben steadied him.
“Ben, I told you, we can’t do this.”
“And I told you, you’re making this more complicated than it needs to be.”
Thom stepped back, out of Ben’s reach. “We’re out here to work, not fool around.”
“I hardly think pausing two minutes for a kiss is going to put us behind schedule.”
Thom frowned. “I don’t think you understand.”
“Oh, I understand perfectly well.” Ben stepped back. “Don’t worry, I won’t bother you again.” He spun on his heel and headed towards the house, leaving Thom watching his retreating back disappear down the hill.
“Fuck,” Thom swore. What did that mean? Was Ben leaving? He wouldn’t do that, would he? But this was what he wanted, wasn’t it? For Ben to keep the distance between them so he wouldn’t be tempted. As long as they maintained that distance, he could control himself. If Ben tried that again, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to resist.
Ben headed towards the house, feeling his shoulders tense up. He had to get away from Thom for a bit so he could think straight. He kicked at a rock in the path and missed, sending up a small cloud of dust. “Shit!” That felt good so he said it again. “Shit-shit-shit!”
“Hoo, boy! What’s eatin’ you?”
Ben looked up and realized he was closer to the house than he’d thought and Ross was there, leaning against the porch railing and watching him as he cursed his way across the yard.
“Hey, Ross.” Ben stopped and ran a hand back and forth over the top of his head. He knew it probably made his hair stand on end, but he didn’t care.
Ross made his way over to where Ben was standing with his hands on his hips, looking around the yard.
“Can’t be that bad, can it?” Ross asked, reaching out to pat Ben’s hair into place.
Ben jerked his head back. “You really don’t understand the concept of personal space, do you?”
Ross chuckled, “Don’t tell the boyfriend, okay?”
“Boyfriend?” Ben huffed. “You mean Thom?”
“Yeah,” Ross smoothed the collar of Ben’s plaid work shirt. “You two have a lover’s quarrel out there?”
Ben laughed now, but a bitter sound. “Boyfriend. Lover’s quarrel. Fat chance.”
Ross looked puzzled, “I thought the two of you were, you know, a cozy little couple out here.”
“No. Not for lack of me trying, but it’s not