Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHARLEY
I turn at the sound of two UTVs driving along the track to the cottages.
“Hello, who’s this?” Alexa asks. I’m helping her unload shopping from the back of her car. She’d fetched a few things for me as well, essentials like bread for toast and of course butter to spread on it.
The first vehicle holds Kirsty and Andrés, and the second one Gabriel, Linden, and Austin.
It’s Saturday and we’ve been practicing as a team, ready for our first tournament next weekend as part of the opening.
Linden and Austin had brought their horses over this morning and we’ve spent several hours trying different positions, as well as tactics, with Austin and Kirsty playing as the opposition.
I felt it was a good session, and even Andrés seemed pleased, though I heard a few Spanish words that didn’t sound complimentary when I missed a goal shot.
“His lordship never visits, it must be your influence.” Alexa laughs as the vehicles come to a stop.
I can’t argue with that as it’s probably true, and I don’t care.
I might have been in Gabriel’s company all day, but playing is not the same as spending down time with him.
The week has been busy. I’ve barely seen him since our lunch out a few days ago and then dinner at the house.
Since then he’s been spending more time in the estate office, so we haven’t had much time together.
I hope we will this weekend, though. I really hope he wants to stay the night.
I know I agreed we’d go at whatever pace he wanted, but ever since we shared our negative test results two days ago, I can’t stop thinking about doing more than a bit of frotting with him.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I ask, walking up to where he and Linden are unloading boxes from the back of the UTV.
“Hey, baby.” He kisses me in greeting. “I brought a fire pit, some wood, and beers. I thought it’d be nice for us to have a get-together.”
“Awesome, do you need a hand?” I look over to where Austin and Linden have dropped the tailgate of the UTV and are pulling the fire pit out.
“Just with these boxes.” Gabriel nods to the last few, and I pick one up and carry it over to where they’re setting up the pit. Each of the four cottages has its own small back garden, but in front of them all is a communal space where there are already a couple of picnic tables set out.
“Tell me you brought food as well,” Alexa says, coming over to help.
“Yes, just some burgers and wings. We can set up our barbecue.” Kirsty drapes an arm over her wife’s shoulder.
“You could’ve sent me a text to let me know. I would’ve got something from the supermarket.” Alexa leans against Kirsty.
“It was all last minute, Gabriel’s idea.”
“Burgers and wings. What will Simon think of having to slum it?” I ask and Andrés snorts.
“He might cook all fancy, but for our first date he insisted on going to a burger place.”
“It was a reputable bar that served their own homemade burgers, not a fast-food place. But yes, I can slum it,” Simon says, appearing by Andrés’s side, obviously hearing the whole conversation.
He looks into a couple of the boxes of food and pulls a little face.
“I might just go and make a couple of sauces, and maybe a marinade for those wings, though.”
He disappears towards his cottage and Andrés gives us a feral grin before following.
“Right, we’ll get the barbecue going,” Kirsty says and tows Alexa with her. Linden and Austin are still sorting out the fire pit, and having decided on the right place for it are attempting to light it. I turn to Gabriel and encircle his waist with my arms.
“This is really nice. Alexa said you don’t come over and spend time with them.”
“I haven’t. Until this year it was just them, then when Andrés and Simon moved in I would have felt like the odd one out. But it’s different now.” He plants a soft kiss on my nose.
“Will you stay tonight? If you want to of course,” I ask and he smiles.
“I want to.” He kisses my nose again and then across my jaw, finally finding my mouth.
“Eh-hem. Do you have some chairs?” A voice interrupts us loudly, and laughing, we both look over to where Linden is standing looking at us with his hands on his hips.
Gabriel takes him over to the fourth cottage and unlocks it, telling him there’s some they can use in there.
I help Austin unpack the beers and arrange them on one of the picnic tables.
The light is just starting to fade by the time the food is cooked.
As the colour washes out of the sky to be replaced by a rich indigo blanket, the temperature drops, and I’m glad of the fire pit we’re all gathered around.
After we finish eating, we sit talking and drinking.
The atmosphere is jovial, each one of us telling stories.
Austin recounts some of the more eventful flights he’s had with horses, and problems with border controls, including one from when he was just setting up his business.
There was a horse with a passport that didn’t check out, and it was found the horse was a famous showjumper who’d been stolen, then disguised, and they were trying to get it out of the country.
Accused of abetting a criminal, his company was grounded for two months until he was finally cleared of any charges.
“We nearly went out of business, but luckily we were allowed to fly again and managed to rebuild our reputation. But we do a lot more checks on the horses and paperwork before we board them now,” he says, swigging his beer.
Gabriel is sitting next to me, his leg wedged up against mine and his hand resting on my thigh. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed an evening with friends like this before, and I reach out and trace the back of his hand with my fingers.
“Tell us the story of how you two met,” Linden asks Kirsty and Alexa and they both smile.
“Back when I was in university, studying for my masters, I also worked in an art gallery in the city. We had art, but also sculptures. One day I was arranging some of the smaller pieces in the window, they were animals, and I saw this gorgeous woman stop and look at a statue of a horse I’d just placed.
Then she looked straight at me before walking into the shop.
She enquired about the statue, so of course I showed it to her.
She bought it but also asked me on a date.
” Alexa smiles at Kirsty, who reaches for her hand and squeezes it.
“I didn’t even want the horse statue, that wasn’t what was in the window that caught my eye. But it did give me an excuse to go in and try my luck at asking the gorgeous shop assistant out,” Kirsty says, mirroring the affectionate smile aimed at her.
“Do you still have the horse?” I ask.
“Of course. I figured it was lucky as she said yes. It’s brought me luck ever since.” She lifts their joined hands and kisses Alexa’s knuckles.
“That’s a beautiful story,” I say, and the conversation moves on with Simon telling a kitchen incident story. I only half listen as Gabriel starts drawing circles on my inner thigh with his fingers and it’s distracting. It’s also very arousing as he works his way higher.
“Gabriel.” I whisper a warning, my cock already semihard. He grazes his fingers across my bulge and it twitches. “Gabriel,” I warn again.
“I want you,” he murmurs against my neck.
“Yes,” I breathe and he stands abruptly, taking my hand and pulling me up too.
“Thanks, guys, this was great and we should do it again sometime, but we’re off.” He tugs me towards my cottage.
“You’re not going to go through the whole pretense of ‘I’m tired and we should really get to bed?’” I ask as he shuts the door behind us and pins me against it.
“They’re all adults, they wouldn’t buy it and I’m not tired.” His mouth is on mine, grasping and needy. I cup his arse and pull him to grind against me so I can feel how hard he is. I want to feel him, to taste him. I push him off me.
“Upstairs, now,” I command and he moves, taking the stairs two at a time with me close behind. Once in my bedroom I grab him, pulling his shirt up, wanting to see him naked.
“Tell me to stop at any point,” I say and he gives a low growl, which I take to mean that’s not going to happen but at least he knows he can.
I start pulling my T-shirt over my head and he unbuttons my jeans.
I pull them down and kick them off as he does the same, and within a minute we’re both naked and standing in front of each other.
I want to take my time but I don’t think that’s possible looking at him—his broad chest, tight abs, strong thighs, and deliciously erect cock jutting out from a nest of blond hair.
I step forward and push him backwards a couple of steps towards my bed.
“Sit.” He does as I say and I kneel in front of him. I lick his cock from base to tip before sucking the head into my mouth.
“Fuuuuck,” he moans, and I work my tongue round his glands before going deeper, taking more of him.
He tangles his hands into my hair and I bob up and down, tonguing his slit one minute and burying my nose into his hair with him hitting the back of my throat the next.
My own dick aches so I reach for it, pumping it a few times to relieve some of the pressure. His fingers dig into my scalp.
“Charley, I’m gonna come if you carry on.”
I slowly withdraw and pop off the end. I glance up at him, and his eyes are dark with feral lust, like he’s barely holding it together. I want him to fuck me. I want him to lose it while he pounds into me. A part of my brain registers that this still needs to be on his terms.
“What would you like to do? I’m guessing you’ve topped before. Would you like to do that again? Would you like to fuck me, Gabby?” Okay, maybe that was a bit suggestive and leading but I can’t help it.
“Yes,” he croaks out.
“Good, because I want you to fuck me, Gabby. I want to feel your dick filling my arse.”
“God, it’s so hot when you talk like that, Charley. Tell me what to do, please.” His voice is needy and I find I like it.
“You’re gonna need to prep me so stand up,” I say and grab some lube. I climb onto the bed in front of him, handing him the tube, then I turn round and kneel in front of him. He reaches out and caresses my arse cheek and I lean into the touch.
“Coat your fingers with the lube, then open me up, one finger first and then a second,” I instruct, and hear the cap of the lube being popped. Although I was ready for it, the cold of the lube still makes me take a sharp intake of breath.
“Shit, did I hurt you?” His voice sounds concerned.
“No, it’s just cold,” I say, and then sigh as his finger breaches me.
“That feels so good, Gabby. Take it as deep as you can go,” I croon as he works me with his finger until it’s sliding easily. “Now you can add another,” I tell him, and I can feel the stretch when he does. I moan as he goes faster, and I need to feel him.
“That’s enough now, Gabby. I want you in me now,” I command, and his fingers slip out. Next I feel him nudge my entrance, and I relax as he slowly enters.
“Oh, fuck, that’s tight,” he says, and I push back a little, wanting him to hurry up.
“I can take it, I can take it all,” I encourage and he glides in.
“Holy fuck, fuck,” he gasps as he bottoms out, and I grin.
“You can start moving now,” I say, and he does, gliding in and out. Damn, it feels so good. I know I was selfish, wanting this, but it’s been so long since I’ve had really good sex and I knew he’d be great. I can show him another time how wonderful this feels.
“Faster,” I pant and he picks up speed. “Harder.” He responds.
“This is fucking incredible,” he moans, as his balls slap against me and he shoves me forward. I fist the sheets, bracing myself for his thrusts.
“That’s perfect, Gabby, keep fucking me.
That’s it, split me in two,” I almost shout, and he goes harder and goes deeper.
I can’t see him but I can imagine the lust in his eyes.
I reach for my cock, needing to touch myself, and as he lets himself go, his movements become erratic and I know he’s going to come soon.
“Come for me, honey. Fill my arse, fill me up,” I croon and he jerks, spilling inside me. As his movements slow I speed up my hand and follow his orgasm with my own, coating my hand with my release.
As he pulls out of me, I spin round and kneel up.
I cup his jaw and kiss him deeply, sealing our lovemaking with a kiss.
I want to kiss him to show my love, to erase the past bad experiences he’s had and imprint new ones.
He puts his arms around me and we tumble back onto the bed as his legs give way, but we don’t break the kiss for several minutes.
Eventually, I pull back gently and search his face for any sign of worry, but I find nothing but his bright blue eyes and a blissed expression on his face.
“I love you,” he whispers.
“I love you too,” I reply, and this time he kisses me.