Rough in Wranglers, page 8
If he didn’t need to, well, he’d just have to see, wouldn’t he?
He thought they were still a “them,” but he reckoned lots of stuff could change when guys only got together a couple times a year and most of that time included friends and mommas and all.
A kiss landed on his scruffy cheek. “You want some hot chocolate or some coffee to warm up? Shit, I didn’t even know if you’d gotten my last couple of letters.”
“Well, I just got the last.” The bank had got the ranch, and he’d been doing catch as catch can.
“Oh. Shit, baby.” He got another hug, warm and smelling like woodsmoke, and then Chance was tugging him to the little kitchen.
“This is right pretty. How’s things going for you?” Lord, Lord. The place was fine as all get-out.
“Okay. I’m working the stock show, so I’m getting lots of action shots.” Chance gave him a rueful grin. “Of course, I’m also getting lots of kids eating cotton candy.”
“Well, you got to take the good with the bad, I reckon.” He helped Chance heat up milk, no more able to sit still in this kitchen than he had his own. When he’d had his own.
“You do. Sounds like you’ve had a run of the bad, huh?” Once they were sitting and sipping, Chance stared right into him, laser-sharp. “What’s up, Kit?”
“Oh, nothing much. Things go up and down, you know?” He looked at his hands, eyes following the little lines, the veins, the scars. Daddy hands. He had his daddy’s hands.
“You’re a sucktastic liar, baby.” Chance grabbed his hands, squeezed. “Tell me.”
“I lost the herd to BVD. All of ’em. Then the bank came—took the house, the land, everything but my truck over taxes. I’ve been hoofing it for a little over a year now. Just doing where I can. Sally kept my mail at the post office. Gave it to me.”
“Christ. You should have told me.” Those long fingers curled around his, squeezing.
“Didn’t want to bother you, Chance. I know how busy you are. I thought, this time when you offered, I could come.” Get a friendly smile. A touch. Something to hold on to for the next bit.
“Well, sure.” One dark blond eyebrow went up, Chance grinning wryly. “I never expected you to show.”
“I know. I reckon one night won’t cramp you too bad, though, huh? Just a night for an old ragtag cowboy?” Not that he was begging, ’cause he wasn’t.
Damn it.
Chance stared at him for a moment, eyebrows snapping into a frown. “I got more than that. I wouldn’t ask you to come, I didn’t mean it. I want you to stay.”
Kit reached out, touched Chance between the brows. “You and your damn want lines. Don’t you frown at me, boy.”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t call me boy.” The lines disappeared, though, didn’t they? That smile, the real one, that was what he wanted.
Kit grinned right back, relaxing a little. “So, tell me everything wonderful that’s happened to your happy ass, Chance. Tell me what all you seen.”
“Oh man. In the last year?” Chance stroked Kit’s hand with one thumb. “I did that new observation deck at the Grand Canyon.”
“Yeah? Did you like it?” New observation deck? He couldn’t begin to think what was new about it. Of course, he’d never been there, so it wouldn’t have mattered, really.
“Scared the bejesus out of me. It’s clear. You see right down through.”
“Good Lord.” He blinked, shook his head. “I’m surprised you held on to your Nikon.”
Shit, he was surprised Chance had held on to his lunch.
“Yeah. You know me and the heights. I made the guide tie a rope around me.” Chance cackled, grinning and shaking his head.
“Oh, dude. I’d’ve paid to see that.” He got to laughing, head thrown back as he hooted.
“I bet. You always were one for torture, you rotten thing.” Chance sobered a little. “I’m glad to see you, man.”
“It’s good to see you, honey.” He spent a second, admiring. Blond, tan, eyes the bluest he’d ever seen—his Chance was damn fine.
“You hungry, baby? Sleepy? I bet you been on the road a long time.”
“I’m okay. It’s nice, to sit a second.” Look. Breathe.
“Cool. I ain’t trying to rush. I’m just… well, I don’t want you to think I’m a bad host or something.” Chance seemed content to sit, holding on to his hand, staring right back at him.
“Because it’s so important to me, you being a host. Shit.” All these years, Chance ought to know better.
“Yeah, yeah. I haven’t seen you in so long, baby. I want things to be good. Right.” All of a sudden, Chance was leaning over to him, kissing him gently. Kit sorta blinked, then grinned, kissing his Chance right back, learning the heat and softness of them pretty lips straightaway. One big hand slid up behind his head, holding him still so Chance could taste him, tongue pushing right in. Lord, some things never changed. Chance could still kiss like crazy.
Kit’s hands reached out, all on their own accord, sliding around Chance’s waist, touching that rangy, lean muscle. Chance mirrored the motion with his free hand, pulling at him, fingers sliding along the back of his waistband. Warm. Chance’s hands were so warm.
He made this noise. He couldn’t help it. That touch wasn’t like any other. Ever.
Pulling back a little, Chance smiled at him. “Now you believe I’m happy to see you?”
“Mmm. Maybe you ought to try to convince me again.”
“Okay.” Laughing softly, Chance leaned in and kissed him again. Then again. Kit couldn’t stop grinning, couldn’t help himself from crawling closer, hands on Chance’s thighs. “Oh, hey, baby. I like that.” Pulling him out of his chair, over those strong thighs, Chance licked at his neck, his jaw, loving on him.
“Damn, you feel good.” He jonesed on the stretch as he straddled Chance’s lap, humming a bit as those lips sent him into shivers.
“So do you. I swear, Kit. You’re something else.” Chance stroked his thighs, his hips, hands restless and slidey.
“An old cowboy.” He spread a little bit farther, his cock full and throbbing behind his zipper.
“Uh-huh. Fuck, I’m glad you came.” Pulling back, Chance stared right into his eyes, licking his lips. “You finally came.”
“I did. I wanted to see something that wasn’t cow lots. I needed to see you.”
“Then here I am. You can see all of me you want.” That smile was worth all those miles he’d driven. Every one.
“I want.” He got his hands around Chance’s head, tilting that fine son of a bitch back so he could kiss harder. Damn, he’d been dreaming about this for days. Humming, Chance held him, worked him up higher on those heavy thighs, and started rocking, rubbing them together. Damn. Just damn.
“Tell me this chair’ll hold.” He could feel those fine muscles in Chance’s belly rolling.
“It ought.” Long fingers pulled at his shirt, tugging it up and reminding him how darned cold the air was. His nipples went rock-hard, just like that, and he’d swear it was the air, not Chance’s fingers tugging on the dark curls around them.
“Pretty.” Not that Chance seemed to care. He seemed to like Kit’s skin, seemed to like circling Kit’s nipples over and over.
“Damn. Damn, honey….” He swallowed hard, hips trying to jerk a little more. Chance was all into looking, watching hands on bodies, watching them move together.
“Goddamn. Want the rest.” Chance reached down, tugging at his zipper, cussing when his legs were spread too far to get any slack.
“You got a bed? A sofa? We got a table here.” He wasn’t incredibly picky, as a rule.
“Come to bed with me, Kit. I don’t want to do this here, not when I haven’t seen you in an age….” Pushing Kit up to stand, Chance followed, kissing him again before tugging him through the little front room.
The bedroom had one of those views that made a man all weak in the knees, eyes trying to eat up the trees and the snow and the mountains and the sky. “Oh. Oh, damn. I know why you picked this place.”
“Yeah. I thought…. Hell, I guess I figured if you didn’t come, I could send you pictures.” Busy hands worked while Chance talked, stripping him down.
“Uh-huh. Better than pictures.” He tugged Chance’s shirt off.
“Much. Much better.” They struggled with cloth, getting down to skin, and both of them shivered before they came together on the bed and clung.
“Hey.” Kit chuckled, hands sliding down to get himself a double handful and squeeze.
“Hey. You feel damned fine.” Pushing into Kit’s hands, Chance started exploring, finding every new scar, every place he’d changed. It was a hard decision—to move faster, take what he wanted, or to go slow, make it go on and on. “We got time, baby. We do. We can do this all night long.”
Wait. Did that mean Chance wanted to speed up or slow down?
“Time….” He leaned in, tongue sliding over Chance’s nipple.
“Yeah. We can do it fast and dirty now, take our time later.”
Oh. That was better. Now he had a goal. “You are the man with the plan.” He bit down, hands sliding down Chance’s legs.
“I always try.” Laughing, pushing against him, Chance held on, slipping and sliding against him.
“I want to….” He loved the way Chance tasted, loved the way that cock felt, pushing into his lips, spreading them. He headed south, lips open, tongue dragging against Chance’s belly. Hard muscle bunched and released when Chance arched up for him. Those pretty hands stroked his hair, his cheeks.
“Yeah. So good.” He kissed his way down, licking and tugging Chance’s short hairs. He could smell Chance, hot and musky, so damned fine it was almost too much. When his lips wrapped around Chance’s cock, it was like it was three years ago, the last time they’d got together. Hot. Fine. Male.
“Oh. Oh fuck, baby. That… I missed you so damned much.” Chance took his mouth, pushing up between his lips. It was easy to relax, to let Chance in and in, all the way to the root. His fingers worked the soft, tender skin of those inner thighs. “Please. Kit. God, I’m a selfish bastard.” Chance never had been selfish, though. Kit knew he’d get as good as he gave. “Yeah. Oh, yeah.” Chance kind of curled up over him, pushing inside his mouth, so hot that the cold air didn’t matter anymore.
Kit got his hands cupped up under Chance’s ass, tugging that fine fucking cock as deep as he could. The tip of that thick prick rubbed against his tongue, slid against his throat.
“Christ!” Finally, Chance came for him, hot and wet and salty. Just as good as he ever was. Maybe better. He took it all, then eased off, letting Chance let him know when it moved from good to too much.
“God, babe.” Staring down at him with dazed blue eyes, Chance panted, thumbs stroking his cheeks. “I needed that.”
He nodded, dropping a kiss on Chance’s palm. “Hear you.”
“What do you need, Kit?” Those eyes stared into his, serious as a heart attack.
“You.” There it was, bald-faced as fuck and truer than it ought to be, damn it.
“Whatever you want.” Luckily, it didn’t seem to scare Chance off one bit. He scooted up, cock snuggled right into the curve of Chance’s hip. Oh. Oh, fine. Right there. “Mmm. Hard for me. Yum.” Chance never did make no bones about liking his cock.
“Cain’t see how a man could have you so close and not be hard enough to burst.”
“A man could say the same about you.” Smiling, Chance kissed his throat, working on getting to his cock.
His hips kept sawing away, eyes rolling back in his head. This was real. Tomorrow it might be a memory, but today it was so real.
“I got you, baby. I got you so good. Want to see you.” Sucking on his neck, Chance moaned for him, pulling on him.
“Got me.” He arched, fucking that fine hand, weird little sounds bubbling right out of him.
“I do.” Rocking with him, Chance gave him what he needed, gave him exactly what he’d come for.
It didn’t take much more than that before he was shooting, crying out and letting himself go all over Chance’s touch.
“Oh, Kit.” Chance kissed him, long and hard and deep, loving on him until he was a little puddle.
“Mm-hmm.” He kept on holding tight, stayed right there.
“Wanna go get cleaned up and have a nap? I don’t have to work again until Thursday.”
Oh, that sounded like heaven. Hot water, warm quilts. Chance.
“Hell yeah.”
Hell yeah. He was so there.
CHANCE WOKE up feeling better than he had in a month of Sundays. Goddamn, that had been one hell of a dream. To have Kit like that, all warm and willing, even though Chance was the one who’d left it all behind….
Stretching a little, Chance rolled toward the edge of the bed, meaning to stoke the fire out in the stove. He would’ve made it too, if he hadn’t thumped into something hot and way more solid than a dream.
Kit hummed, hand sliding around his waist, tugging him in closer.
God damn.
That was. Yeah. Hello, nurse. Chance chuckled, kissing Kit’s forehead, brushing that thick fall of black hair. The worried lines were smoothed out now, the frown relaxed. “Mmm. Hey, there.”
Dark eyes met his, shining like buttons.
“Hey, you.” Kit had come. He’d asked, like he always did, but this time, Kit had come. Kit’s hands started moving, started sliding over his back. That smile got bigger.
“Mmm. Damn. You know, I was afraid it was all a dream when I woke up. So glad it wasn’t.” He leaned over and took a kiss.
“No. No, I finally got my head out of my ass and did what I wanted, ’stead of what was safe.”
“There you go, baby. Oh, yeah.” Shit, when had he ever done what was safe? It was good to see Kit jump on the bandwagon, though.
He started getting long, soft kisses, their tongues tangling together. Snuggling up a little closer, Chance reached around and grabbed a handful of ass, letting Kit really feel it.
“Damn, honey.” Kit’s moan tickled his throat.
“Mmm-hmm. Damn.” Chance hummed happily, glad to be awake. Alive. With Kit. Happy morning.
“Yeah. Taste good.” Kit rolled them, tugging him right on top of that solid body.
“Well, that’s a fine good morning, huh?” His cock settled right against Kit’s, rubbing along.
“You know it. Better than Momma’s biscuits.” Kit caught his lips in another kiss, this one a little bit harder, a little bit sharper edged.
“Love. Oh, baby. I swear, you make me harder than Chinese algebra.” Chance moved, hips rolling, slow and easy.
“Good.” Kit nuzzled into his shoulder, keeping it easy.
He nuzzled at Kit’s cheek with his, tilting that sweet face up to his so he could take a kiss. Pushing deep, Chance let himself take a nice, leisurely taste. Kit tasted damn fine, even with the whole morning breath thing. His momma’d say that was love. Hell, it had been for a long time. Love, that was. Too bad his itchy feet had made it hard to stay with Kit for any length of time.
“You’re thinkin’, honey. It ain’t healthy.” Kit smiled for him, that sadness right there, right under the skin, waiting.
“Hmm? No, prob’ly not.” He grinned back, pushing it all away. “We’re not thinking all day.”
“Nope. No thinking. Just this. All damn day.” One of Kit’s legs wrapped around his, kinda hugging him.
“Well, we might stop to eat.” Huffing a little laugh, he pressed down against Kit, grunting when the head of his cock bumped against Kit’s again.
“Uh. Uh-huh. Maybe. Do that again.”
“This?” He did it again and again, rubbing away. Goddamn, it felt good. So good.
He got himself a gasp and a grunt in answer, the look on Kit’s face like nothing else.
“Love how that feels. Love how you look when I do it.” He was babbling now, but this was so much better than his dreams, so much better than a phone call or a postcard.
Kit didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, the man was jonesing on him; he could tell.
Chance took another kiss, needing the connection, needing to keep everything spinning in his head from spilling out of his mouth. Reaching up, he touched Kit’s cheek, feeling the rough whiskers, pushing them back and forth.
Kit’s chuckle made him grin, and they’d both’ve started laughing if Kit’s hand hadn’t shoved between them, those rough old fingers wrapping around his cock, their cocks. Moaning, Chance moved a little faster. His skin felt tight, hot, and he’d forgotten everything but the way Kit moved under him, the way that callused hand held him.
“Soon. I cain’t wait.” No. No, he didn’t figure, not with Kit breathing like that atop him.
“No. I know, honey. Me too.” He reached a hand down too, pulling at Kit’s hand, at their hard flesh. He heard Kit’s cry, felt that body jerk under him, then wham. Heat poured all over his fingers. Chance lost it too, his breath coming hard, his hips rocking and rolling. Goddamn.
They stopped, staring at each other, and he knew he had to look as dazed as Kit did. Then that familiar face broke into a wide, wicked grin.
“What?” Chance knew, though. Wasn’t he grinning like a fool right back?
“Nothin’.” Uh-huh. Right.
“Tell me, or I’ll tickle.” He dug his hand into Kit’s ribs, going ahead and making good on his threat.
“Bastard.” Kit started hooting, twisting underneath him. “Just… just fucking happy. Shoulda done this before. Come to see you.”
“Yeah. Yeah. You know how I was about coming back.” It wasn’t Kit. It so wasn’t. Going back home meant all that other shit.
“Yeah. I know. I found out.” Yeah. Yeah, he bet Kit had, after fifteen years outside Lubbock, wandering, wishing.
“I’m sorry.” Chance said it quietly, and he meant it. He’d apologized a thousand ways over the years, but never like this, face-to-face, with Kit right there to look him in the eye and know it was true.
