Home of His Own, page 9
part #2 of Home Series
“You’ll be fine. Randy and Les will be here to help you out. I know Yancey isn’t going to be walking away from Juan, though that might change a little when he goes to college.” Brody dropped a kiss on Tony’s lips. “I’m only a phone call away as well.”
“What good are you going to be to me? You’ve never raised a kid.” He frowned. “Or have you?”
Brody shook his head. “I messed around with a girl or two when I was in high school, but even then I knew about condoms.”
“E-w-w-w, you kissed a girl?” He wrinkled his nose in mock disgust.
“It wasn’t bad. Just wasn’t what got me hot and bothered. Now, the guys on the football team with me. That was a whole other story.” His lover leered at him and then a serious expression crossed Brody’s face. “What I meant is you can call me when Juan makes you angry. Trust me, he will. Teenage boys can’t help that. You call me and yell at me. That way, you can go talk to him like a rational person instead of a raving lunatic.”
“You don’t think I’m going to screw this up and ruin his life even more, do you?”
Tony didn’t know why he was looking for reassurance, but he needed someone to tell him he’d do a good job.
“How can you screw up his life?” Brody stood up, pulled Tony to his feet and hugged him. “He gets to see that, for the most part, a gay man can live a normal life without being ashamed of who he is. At least here on Les’ ranch, he’ll be able to be himself. You’ll make him strong enough to live on his terms, not his mother’s or anyone else’s either.”
“Thanks. I needed that.” He buried his face in the spot at the base of Brody’s neck and breathed in Brody’s warm spicy scent.
“Come on. You still have to show me the rough stock.” Brody stepped away from him.
He let the blonde drag him from his bedroom. They put on dry coats and went back outside to check out the other animals. Tony wanted to try a couple of the bulls. It had been a week since he’d ridden and he was going to miss the next two events getting Juan settled in. Dusty and Burt met him in the indoor arena where the bucking chutes were.
The two retired bull riders were in charge of Les’ bucking bull program and friends of Randy’s from the rodeo circuit.
“Dusty. Burt. This is Brody MacCaffetry, Yancey’s older brother.” Tony walked over to check out the three bulls standing in the chutes. “New ones?”
“Got delivered while you were away.” The smaller of the two men shook Brody’s hand. “Dusty Spiess. Knew Tony and Randy out on the circuit while we were competing.
This is my partner, Burt Tackett.”
“Does Les advertise in gay magazines to get you all to come out here? Or are all the rumors true about cowboys,” Brody joked.
Burt laughed. “Does seem to be a lot of us concentrated here, but trust me, a majority of the hands and cowboys you’ll meet around here are straight. The guys on the ranch won’t give you any trouble. The guys you meet in town might be a different story.”
“I appreciate the warning. Living in L.A. gives a person a rather jaded sense of the world. I understand not every place is as open-minded, so I won’t kiss Tony in public.”
Brody nodded.
“Well shit. You give him any more warnings, Burt, I won’t be getting any sex from him.” Tony winked at the men.
Brody shook his head while the two older cowboys chuckled.
“You are shameless, Romanos.” Dusty cuffed his head as the man walked past.
“Let’s get your rig on Megabeef there.”
“Megabeef? He’s a bit on the short side.” He looked at the bull with skepticism.
The bull was shorter than most he’d ridden and looked skinnier.
“Yep. He’s only a four year old and doesn’t ship well. He’ll fill out, put some inches on and he’ll be a good one.” Burt nudged Brody. “Isn’t it a little like the kettle calling the pot black?”
Tony shot Burt a scowl while he climbed up on the gate and straddled the top, one foot resting on a bar at each side of the bull. Brody leaned against the far fence, watching Tony tighten the rope around the bull’s stomach.
*
“What’s he doing?” Brody nodded towards Tony.
“He’s wrapping his bull rope. To be able to stay on the bull for eight seconds, a cowboy needs to have something to hold on to.”
“Isn’t that cheating? Wouldn’t having something to hang on to make it easier to stay on?” Brody shook his head, puzzled.
“Wait until you see them buck. The cowboys need all the help they can get to stick to these animals.” Burt gestured to the rope. “If you notice, a section of the rope has a kind of a handle on it. Tony’ll fit his hand in the handle and then wrap a section of the bull rope around his hand. He tucks it under his fingers, making sure it’s as tight as possible.”
Megabeef kicked the chute when Tony lowered himself down on the bull’s back.
Brody jumped. The bull bellowed and tossed its head, flinging snot all over the gate.
Nervousness shot through Brody. Having never seen any sort of rodeo, he worried about Tony.
No matter how much the others spoke about Megabeef being small for a bull, the animal still looked huge to Brody. What kind of person thought it was fun to get on the back of a one ton animal and try to ride it for eight seconds?
“What’s the bell for?” He pointed to the cowbell hanging from the rope under the bull’s stomach.
“It adds weight to the rope. When the cowboy pulls the tail of the rope free, it allows the rigging to fall off. That way the rider can get off, but also doesn’t have to chase the bull into the bull pen to get his gear back.”
Brody nodded. “Why do this? Why ride bulls?”
Burt shrugged. “Why do people jump out of airplanes or drive fast cars? It’s a matter of adrenaline and fear. Also, when you make it to eight seconds without taking a header off the bull, you know you’ve accomplished something most people never have.”
“I still think it’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”
The ex-bull rider chuckled. “You’re right there. It is crazy, but it’s becoming one of the most popular sports in the country.”
The chute banged open and Megabeef exploded from the gate. First leap out landed them ten feet from the chute. The bull ducked to the left and spun. Tony sat tight, rocking his hips with the movement of the bull’s kicks. Bellowing, the brindle bull stopped, shot to the right with a huge jump and gave a belly roll to try and dislodge the man on his back.
“Fuck, that brindle is rank.” Burt whistled.
Tony slid to the left. His free arm flailed as the cowboy tried to find his balance again.
“Megabeef has him back off his rope and off balance. That’s never a good combination.” Burt winked at Brody.
Another quick stop, but this time the bull shot sideways to the right, leaving Tony face first in the dirt. Brody started forward to help Tony, but Burt’s arm shot across Brody’s chest, stopping him.
“Let James get the bull out of the arena.” Burt nodded over to where a young man herded the brindle animal towards the large gate.
Tony scrambled to his feet and ran over to Brody. He wore a huge grin, flung his arms around Brody’s waist and gave him a big hug.
“Wasn’t that awesome?” Tony let go and spun around to Burt. “He’ll be great when he gains weight and gets a little bigger.”
Burt agreed. “I thought so. Take a minute to catch your breath while we run the next one in.”
Brody checked out Tony’s ass framed by the black leather chaps he wore. Reaching out, he palmed one of those firm cheeks and squeezed. Tony gasped and pushed back.
Brody leaned down to whisper in Tony’s ear. “I think I’ll be fantasizing about you riding me while wearing these.”
Tony pressed tight to him, rubbing his bubble butt against Brody’s groin. They both moaned.
“Stop it, you two. There’s innocent kids around and you can’t be riding with a hard-on,” Dusty shouted from the chutes.
Brody nipped Tony’s earlobe before letting the bull rider go and turning around to smile at the older men. “I don’t think you’ve seen young or innocent in a long time, Dusty.”
The red-haired cowboy flipped him the finger and he laughed, slapping Tony’s ass.
“Get up there and show me how it’s done.”
Tony shot a smirk over his shoulder at Brody and sauntered up to the bucking chute, swinging his hips like a slut. Brody whistled low. The other men were doubled over, cackling.
Brody climbed to the platform built at one end of the indoor arena. He settled in one of the chairs and watched. Randy arrived to help get Tony ready to ride. Brody watched the two men and wondered about the dynamics between them. They were comfortable with each other, like long time friends or old lovers would be. He felt an unwelcome surge of jealousy. It was a stupid emotion, especially since he’d only slept with Tony twice and didn’t really know the man at all.
“They never were.”
He glanced around to see Les standing at the back of the platform, resting a hip against the railing. Brody wanted to pretend he didn’t know what Les was talking about, but neither of them was stupid.
“I’m that obvious, huh?”
The corner of Les’ thin mouth lifted slightly. “Just a little. No one else would notice if they weren’t looking for it.”
Brody watched the older man as Les made his way around the chairs to sit next to him. Les studied their lovers for a moment before turning to look at Brody. He was startled by the intense stare he received from Hardin. He wanted to shift or straighten his shirt. He wanted to do anything to stop the man from peering into his soul.
“We don’t get to meet Tony’s lovers.” Les looked away when Randy’s laughter drifted from the other side of the arena.
“You wouldn’t have met me if Yancey hadn’t become friends with Juan.” Brody snorted. “Strange coincidence.”
Les shrugged. “I don’t believe in coincidence. Everything happens for the right reason at the right time. Tony and Randy are good friends, probably best friends in many ways.”
“Really?”
Tony climbed up and settled down on the back of a large red bull. Randy leaned over the side of the chute, his hands under the vest Tony was wearing.
“They both lived in a world where they couldn’t be themselves. For the most part, Randy is out of the rodeo circuit, but he still is careful about who he tells or shows. Tony lives in that world and though he’s managed to find ways around the restrictions put on him, he’s very much in the closet.” Les settled back and rested his right ankle on his left knee. “They understand each other better than I could ever begin to.”
“You never hid who you were.” Brody could see that.
There was an air of confidence in the way Les walked and moved that spoke of Les’
surety of his place in the world. Brody figured thateven after his accident and getting dumped by his lover, Les never really doubted who or what he was.
“Didn’t have to. As long as I rode well, people didn’t care who I loved. It didn’t make me less of a man in their eyes.” Les nodded towards the other men. “They’re good men or I wouldn’t have them working for me. Yet there are ones who believe if you fuck men or get fucked by them, you’re less male than a straight guy.”
“I’ve never understood that philosophy.”
“Doesn’t have to make sense.” Les shook his head. “It just takes someone believing it.”
“True.” He held his breath as the red bull burst from the chute and spun to the right.
He found his body moving with each rocking motion Tony made. His lungs burned and his hands clenched on his thighs. A buzzer rang and Tony tugged on the tail of his rope, unhooking his hand from the hemp. Dusty and Burt flagged the bull, getting it to spin left so Tony could bail out to the right without getting stomped on. Brody’s breath hissed from his chest when Tony sprang from the dirt and waved at him.
“Don’t hurt him.”
Surprised, he turned to Les, who wasn’t looking at him. Les waved to Tony, a laugh bursting from the older man as Randy raced over and tackled Tony.
“I would think you’d be more worried about his chosen profession than me hurting him.” Brody stood.
“I always worry when he rides, but his body will heal. If you break his heart, I’m not sure if he would be as giving as he is now.”
“You give me more power than I have. I’m a one-night stand that he got to see again.
Besides, if he is hurt, he has you and Randy to comfort him.” He started to leave the platform, but he stopped and turned back to Les. “Tony’s a lucky man to have people who care so much for him.”
Les bowed his head, acknowledging the compliment.
Brody caught Tony as the smaller man threw himself at him. Tony’s bright smile burned through Brody’s chest and touched his heart. He realized he wanted to see Tony as happy and relaxed as he was at that moment.
“Did you see me ride that bastard?” Tony wrapped his arms around Brody’s neck and kissed him.
Brody held Tony’s compact body tight to his and kissed him back. Their mouths fused, the kiss going deeper and hotter. Tongues tangled. Teeth nibbled. A moan rose from one of their throats. Neither knew which one it came from. Brody slid his hands down, cupping Tony’s ass and rocking their hips together.
“Hey you two. Don’t make me get some snow to cool you off.”
A voice broke through the heat of desire, pulling them back to reality. Brody let go and stepped away, his cheeks hot and chest heaving slightly. He’d met a few guys who could turn him on in an instant, but none had made him forget where he was. He turned to see Randy grinning at them.
Tony shot his friend the finger, but didn’t move further away from Brody. “There have been plenty of times I thought I’d have to hose you and Les down, cowboy. Don’t make me come over there and kick your ass.”
“Like you could,” Randy dared him.
Brody shook his head as Tony took off after Randy, chasing the taller man around the arena.
“And then there are times when I think they’re brothers separated at birth.”
Les’ amused comment caused Brody to laugh. It wasn’t time to worry about their relationship. He still had time before he had to go back to L.A. His cell phone rang, interrupting his enjoyment of watching Tony and Randy wrestling in the dirt.
“MacCafferty,” he barked into the phone.
“Hey Mac.” Morgan’s voice rang in his ear. His business partner’s drawl spoke of the Deep South, unlike Les’ honey toned accent.
“Morgan. How’s things going?” He walked away for privacy.
“Good. I need to get a few figures from you on the Aaron job. She’s interested in installing one of our systems and hiring one of our guys. Her accountant wants the numbers.” A rustle of paper let Brody know his partner was at the office.
“Give me ten minutes and I’ll call you back. I’m not near my laptop.”
“Sure. As long as you get back to me sometime today.”
“I will. Bye.” He hung up.
When he returned to Les’ side, Tony and Randy were still rolling around. He nudged Les. “If we pour water on them, it would be like mud wrestling.”
“A wet t-shirt contest, huh?” Les’ dark eyes twinkled. “While I’m not opposed to seeing Randy wet, I think it’s a little too cold at the moment.”
“Damn. Guess I’ll have to wait until summer for that.” His whistle was shrill, stopping the two men cold. “Hey sweet cheeks, I need to go in for a while.”
Randy’s mouth dropped open and Tony’s face flushed red. Both of them stared at each other. Randy looked at him.
“Um-m-m…okay.”
Brody chuckled. “While I’m sure your ass is sweet, it wasn’t you I was talking to.”
He gestured to Tony. “It was the short one.”
“You better start running,” Les told him under his breath.
He winked, spun on his heel and ran from the arena. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw Les grab Tony and stop the bull rider from chasing him. Brody had a feeling he would pay for the short comment and maybe the ‘sweet cheeks’ as well.
* * * *
“Tony, stop teasing,” Brody moaned.
Tony glanced up from where he knelt between Brody’s legs and grinned. He’d been plotting his revenge all during supper and watching movies with the others. He pumped his hand up and down over Brody’s cock, making sure his grip was tight. Licking along the throbbing vein on the underside of Brody’s shaft, he savored the salty taste of Brody’s skin.
Brody’s hips surged off the edge of the bed. Tony pinned Brody down with one hand and shook his head. Pulling off Brody’s cock with a soft pop, he glared at the man.
“No moving.”
A pout pushed Brody’s bottom lip out. “You’ve been sucking me for twenty minutes now, but you won’t let me come. Are you getting back at me for the short remark earlier?”
“Oh no. I’d never be that vindictive.” He leered at his lover. “I simply love sucking your cock.” He stroked the thick shaft in his fist, twisting his palm over the crown of Brody’s prick.
“Let go of my dick before lightning strikes you.” Brody flopped back on the bed and sighed. He waved a hand at Tony. “Get on with it. I might die before you let me come.”
“Poor thing. It could be an interesting way to go.” He flicked his tongue over the spongy head in his hand.
Brody twitched and then stilled. “How would Yancey explain that to my father?
Brody died because the guy sucking his cock wouldn’t let him come.”
Tony burst out laughing. “You’re right. Doesn’t look good in the obituary.”
Taking pity on Brody, he leaned forward and swallowed Brody’s cock down to its base.
“Fuck.” Brody’s voice was low and harsh.
Tony hummed his approval, allowing Brody to move in and out of his mouth. He slid one finger in along with Brody’s cock, making it as wet as possible. He eased his finger down behind Brody’s balls to where Brody’s puckered opening hid. Pressing the tip of his finger against Brody’s hole, he let Brody slowly begin to fuck himself on it. Tony didn’t try to push farther into Brody’s ass.
