23. Luke
23
Luke
W e’re just lying naked in the sun, while bright yellow and orange leaves fall around us as if we don’t have a care in the world. Two nights sleeping with Evan in my arms makes me feel that all is right with the world.
“ What’s Olivia like?” he asks out of the blue.
I smile. “ She’s the best thing ever.”
“ Ah , you say that now!” he laughs.
“ Nah , man. I don’t think that will ever change. That girl has me wrapped around her finger, and I don’t even care.”
“ She’s what four? She’s still in that cute stage. All girls are cute at first.”
I reach over and smack his chest with the back of my hand. “ Whatever ! Say what you want, but Ember has your heart.”
“ Someone has to protect her. Did I tell you that Mom and Dad were trying to marry her off to the youth minister at church?”
“ The young guy?”
“ You know him?”
“ No , but Rachel has mentioned him.”
“ He isn’t that young. Definitely too old for my sister!” he says.
“ You think they’re trying to arrange it so she has to stay in Wyoming ?” I ask.
“ I know they are. First time I met the guy, all I wanted to do was punch him. It’s not even his fault. It’s my parents, but I’d still like to eliminate the possibility of them pushing her onto him.”
“ I bet your parents would love it if you punched the guy!” I laugh. “ Sounds like the kids like him. He can’t be all that bad.”
Evan throws me a warning look. “ He’s not good enough for my sister!”
I raise my hands in surrender. “ Got it! Gee , it’s not like I am saying they should date.” Evan takes a deep breath through his nose. “ Calm down. Not really sure anyone could be good enough for Ember . She’s special.”
“ Damn right, she is. I know one thing, whoever the right man for her is, our parents will hate him.”
I hum in agreement. “ Is it hard to imagine your sister dating some guy?”
Evan stretches and tucks his hands behind his head. I watch his body lengthen, and the way muscles flex with his movements. We’ve already had so much sex since we got here, but it’s impossible to refrain. We have to make the most of every moment we’re together.
“ Not so much. I mean, I don’t know if I will ever not want to hit any guy who looks twice at Ember , but it’s what she needs. Not that she needs a man, but that it’s her destiny or something…”
“ I understand. I agree. Ember is meant to be in love and find a happily ever after.”
“ Away from Wyoming !”
“ Away from your parents.”
“ Not wrong!” he agrees. “ He better take care of her and treat her like a fucking queen.”
I laugh. “ You be sure and tell him that when you meet him.”
He looks at me and arches an eyebrow. “ Maybe I will! Just wait until Olivia gets older. You’ll understand then.”
“ Oh , no way in hell is anyone going to be good enough for Olivia !” I insist.
Evan begins laughing so hard, he clutches his stomach.
“ What ?” I don’t think it was funny.
“ Poor girl. She won’t date until she’s thirty with you around,” he says.
“ Eh , I don’t want to think about it. She’s just a little girl. Let’s not talk about her dating and shit.”
Evan continues to laugh at me.
“ I’d like for her to meet you. You know, when we go back.”
He falls quiet for a few moments. “ I’m just not ready to see Rachel .”
“ I can bring Little Miss O to the loft. It blows my mind you haven’t seen her since she was a baby.”
“ She was so damn adorable when she was born.”
I smile. “ She’s even cuter now, so prepare yourself.”
“ Yeah , alright.”
A warm feeling spreads through my body. Rising , I lean over him and kiss his lips. If only I could convince him to stay with me and never leave.
His fingers weave into my hair as he nips at my lower lip, turning the tenderness into heated desire. Our tongues twist and tangle. As he rolls toward me, he pulls me closer. The stubble on his face burns against my skin. I like the rough look on him. Even his hair is messy. After the way he took me last night, Evan seems more feral than ever.
I climb over him, straddling his hips as we kiss. His hands roam my body as if he needs to touch me everywhere. It drives me wonderfully mad.
“ Last night was hot!” I mumble against his mouth.
He growls and bites my neck. “ The more I have you, the more I want you.”
I grasp his hair and arch my neck. “ Same , little brother. Same .”
His mouth latches onto my throat and sucks so hard it hurts, but fuck, it makes me hard. Shit ! He’s going to give me hickeys! “ Let me photograph you. Naked .”
His lips leave my flesh, but his tongue licks the bruised spot. “ You still want to use them for your art?” he asks.
“ Yes . So many ideas, but I need specific positions.”
He licks my Adam’s apple and sucks on it lightly. “ Fine . As long as you promise to jack off to some of them.”
I smirk. “ You’d love that wouldn’t you?”
Leaning away, he smiles at me, flashing his dimples. His fingers slide through my hair and around my jaw. “ Yes , I would.”
His eyes look so blue today. I’ve known him most of my life and somehow, he gets sexier every time I see him. I caress his face and trace his lips with my finger. He kisses it as we look into each other’s eyes.
“ How could I not when you’re so damn sexy?” I ask.
He blushes and looks away. I love it.
“ Did you bring your camera?”
“ Yep .”
“ Then I suppose you better go get it and prop me up in whatever positions you want.”
I lay my head on his shoulder, and he wraps his arms and legs around my body. “ In a minute,” I whisper.
He kisses my hair and sighs contentedly. Fuck , if it doesn’t make my heart sing. It’s one thing for Evan to give in and let us be together, but nothing compares to knowing how happy it makes him to just be with me.
EVAN
“ Get my dick good and wet, baby,” Luke urges as I suck him down my throat.
The world seems amplified in the dark, cool night. The atmosphere is busy with the screech of an owl and the hum of crickets. Water trickles in the distance. The sound is carried by the wind as it stirs in the trees and in Luke’s hair. We moved out of the tent so we would have more room to move—to fuck.
Roughly , he uses my hair like a damn gear shift, moving my mouth up and down his cock. “ Going to fuck you all night,” he mumbles through gritted teeth.
Over and over the head of his cock hits the soft spot in the back of my throat. He pays no heed to my gagging and coughing, continuing to use my mouth for his pleasure alone. That’s how I want it because I love him. I love what we have. I need him to take and let me be the one giving in return.
Suddenly , he yanks my head back, takes his cock in his hand, and smacks it against my face. We quickly rearrange our bodies so I’m on my knees, ass in the air, with Luke on his knees behind me. His hand slides over my ass possessively, kneading my flesh in his palm. The cold drip of lube on my backside is a shock, quickly eased as he rubs it into my skin and pushes it into my ass.
My eyes roll back as he plays with me, thrusting them in and out while his long fingers caress my prostate.
“ Please ,” I mumble with my forehead pressed to the soft grass. At this point my body is used to him, stretched by his size, and anticipating his invasion.
I hear a loud crack before I feel the sting his palm leaves on my ass. “ I think you can do better than that,” he grumbles.
Another smack so hard that it pushes my face through the grass. I quickly turn my face to the side as another hit lands hard. “ Please fuck me, cowboy.” I growl out the words, letting him know that he needs to stop teasing me.
His thick cock breeches me with a quick shove. Slapping my hands to the ground, I attempt to brace myself for the impending rough fuck I’m about to receive. Just the thought, the memories, are enough to have precum leaking to the ground.
We’ve been all over each other since the sun set, not even sleeping. The hour of my return to Chicago looms ever closer, but neither of us is ready to give up the freedom we’ve had in Shadow Thorne .
I’ve fucked him once already. This is the second time tonight he’s been inside my body, owning me, laying his claim on me. I clench handfuls of grass as waves of pleasure roll through my body. One of his hands is gripping my hip for dear life, while the other is stroking my dick. Our bodies are slick with sweat, and every time the breeze blows over us, I shiver.
I’ve succumbed to letting Luke take over everything, my body and my mind. I didn’t realize how full of thoughts and guilt my head was since we last saw each other. He temporarily cures what ails my mind. Fuck how I wish I could always feel this way, if that would even be possible. Right now, I’m putty in his hands. My mind soars free as I’m consumed by the pleasure he gives.
His steady rhythm slows as his strokes lengthen. I feel his hot skin press against my back. He grunts in my ear. A bead of his sweat drops onto my shoulder. Needing more, I find myself wishing I could hold him. This , somehow, isn’t enough. Reaching back, I slap his thigh and squeeze, hoping he understands. His heat leaves my skin, leaving chills in his wake.
“ Lay back, baby,” he instructs.
Relieved , I roll to my back, and when his body covers mine again, I melt into his warmth.
“ You’re so sexy,” he whispers before his lips pluck mine.
Throwing my arm around his neck, I pull up and deepen our kiss. We’re a mess. The stench of sex and sweat surrounds us. It feels primal, and I’m not sure I want to ever wash it away. We could leave society behind and live here, uncivilized and unencumbered.
Reaching between us, I grasp his cock, and wrap my legs around his rib cage, gaining the leverage I need to tip my pelvis back. Blindly , I slide his crown over me until he slips back inside. The pace has slowed considerably with the change of our position. Luke rocks against me, dragging his cock through my channel with an agonizingly slow rhythm.
Our lips part as we pant for breath. When I look up, his gaze is on me, looking so deep into my eyes, it’s haunting.
“ I love you,” he says as he lightly caresses my jaw.
“ Love you too,” I respond, but the emotion fractures my words. I swallow and close my eyes. “ I don’t want this to end.”
His lips lightly touch my eyelids one after the other. “ Me either.” His words are broken, and I swear they are laced with fear. Looking up at him, I run my thumb along his full lips. The fear is most likely my fault. I’ve run from him so many times, denied him, denied us, no wonder he’s hesitant.
“ I’m sorry, I hurt you.”
His forehead drops to rest on my chin. “ All that matters is right now.”
But I’m not sure I can believe that because the future is always looming, unsure, and unpredictable. I promise myself instead, to do everything in my power to keep what we have, for the rest of our lives.
I kiss his hair, and he wraps me in his embrace. He kisses me softly, and we stare into each other’s eyes as our foreheads rest together. His cock barely moves more than a few inches inside of me, just enough to keep the friction as we rock our bodies back and forth. Underneath the hurt, and the desperate way we fuck, we have found a way to truly make love. Luke’s love washes over me and seeps deep into my skin, staining me forever.
My dick is pressed between our stomachs and beginning to throb with need. He frees his hand from beneath me and gives my cock a good tug, causing my back to arch and a groan to roll through my chest. He does it again, over and over, pinching the tip and rolling my precum over me.
I am flesh and a myriad of pleasurable sensations. Nothing more.
“ Come with me,” he says tenderly.
I simply nod my head once and succumb to him. When my orgasm descends, so does his. In a wicked way, it feels as if his cum shoots into my body, mixes with mine only to erupt out of my own cock.
In the distance, I hear our groans and growls echoing off the mountains and quieting the owls and crickets. Our bodies jerk uncontrollably as he fills me, and I paint his chest with my seed.
His weight eases down onto me, making me feel the safest I’ve ever felt. Neither of us could move, even if we wanted to. I wonder if he likes that I can take his entire weight, unlike when we were with Rachel . I slide my hands up the backs of his arms and over the tight muscles of his broad back. His size and strength are such a turn-on for me.
“ I want to sleep,” I mumble.
He kisses my lips and my cheek. “ Then sleep, baby. Not letting you go.”
As if all I needed was his permission, my body goes lax, warm, and surrounded by the man I love most in this world, comforted with the knowledge that he loves me too.
LUKE
I’m punchdrunk with love and lust for the man standing next to his horse and scratching its ears. Tucking my hands behind my head, I watch as he talks to Shadow and rubs his nose affectionately. Snagging my camera, I snap some photos, wanting to remember him exactly like this; naked, happy, well-fucked, and in love with me. Something tells me every moment with him is a rare gift. If I could make them last forever, I would.
In this moment, the idea of selling the ranch seems like the obvious solution. I would be free, freer to be with him. On the anniversary of Dad’s death, I thought a lot about how this life was essentially what killed him. He worked hard, too hard, and the price was too high, not only for him but for the ones who loved him. I don’t want to die slaving over something I don’t genuinely love.
Evan’s hand brushes down Shadow’s back, giving me a full view of his tight round ass. I don’t care if it makes him mad, I take more photos. These are for me, and me alone, when I miss him. When I can’t stand to be away from him.
Through the viewfinder, he looks over his shoulder. His eyes widen, and then he blushes. “ Stop that.”
“ Never ,” I tell him as I zoom in on his gorgeous, dimpled smile. The pink in his cheeks grows darker. Finally , he turns around, and oh hell, chills break out on my skin from just looking at him. I sit up, zooming out and back in, getting him from every angle. My body tingles as I capture the sparkle in his dark blue eyes, the way the sunlight plays on the hair on his chest, the flexing of his abdominals, and the thin straight line of hair extending from his navel to his semi-erect cock. I smile behind the camera. He likes to be watched. It’s fine, as long as I’m the one who’s watching, and not being watched.
He takes his cock in his hand, and I struggle to take as many photos as possible as he quickly approaches and finally yanks the camera from my hand. When he turns the camera on me, I curl over my raised knees.
“ Don’t hide, baby,” he says so honestly that I turn my head and look into his eyes.
I only look into the camera for a few moments before my eyes are drawn down to his cock that is now fully erect.
“ Lay back.”
Reluctantly , I do as he asks and stretch out my legs. He moves to stand over me, continuing to snap photos.
“ Touch yourself.”
“ Evan …”
“ Turnabout is fair play.”
I hate that he’s right. He’s been so compliant about me taking his picture.
Sliding my hand down my chest, I take my time until I finally wrap my fingers around myself. Evan makes me so fucking hard. It feels as if he is zooming in on my cock as he points the camera directly down. Then his aim returns to my face.
“ We need to leave,” I say, arching my eyebrow. The shutter continues to click. I look away, feeling overexposed. “ Evan . Baby .”
He moves the camera from his face to his chest. “ I can’t.”
“ Can’t what?”
“ Go back out there.”
Sitting up, I slide my hands along his legs and kiss his thigh. “ We’ll do it together.”
His fingers dive into my hair. “ I don’t want to forget a thing.”
“ We won’t. This will always be ours.”
“ I need to give you something.”
Returning the camera to me, he goes into the tent. I pack the camera away and take it, and the blanket, we were lying on, back toward the tent. My jeans are laying over a rock next to his. It’s time to get dressed and get him home. His plane leaves this afternoon. As much as I want to take him to the airport, Evan has a rental and doesn’t need the ride. When he leaves the house, he’ll be gone.
The weather is perfect today, unseasonably warm for October and crystal clear, sunny skies. I opt for a clean T -shirt from my bag. I desperately need a shower, but that will have to wait. Instead , I swipe my deodorant under my arms. When I toss it back into my bag, Evan appears with a small box that he presses to my chest.
“ Happy Birthday .”
“ I thought our trip was my present.”
He waves his hand, dismissing me. “ Just open it, and don’t make a big deal about it.”
I chuckle and take the box. It’s an unremarkable white box. Lifting the lid reveals a silver chain with a pendant shaped like an upside-down pyramid. As I inspect it, each side has an image molded into the metal, a sun, a crown, a sword, and the head of a horse.
“ Wow !”
Suddenly , Evan takes it from me. “ It’s a locket.” With his thumb, he pushes at the loop on top of the pendant, and it slides to the side. Placing it back in my hand, three rings fall out. They look like a wedding set with two bands of diamonds and one solitaire.”
Pinching them between my thumb and forefinger I hold them up. “ Are you proposing?” I half-jokingly ask.
His head drops. “ As if I could. Probably a better chance you’d follow through, than Rachel .”
“ This was the ring you gave Rachel ?”
“ She never even wore them. It was my grandmother’s. There are three bands. Thought it could be a band for each of us, if…” His voice trails off, and he turns away from me. “ Maybe you can give it to her when you propose, and you can wear the gold one to think of me.”
“ What ?”
He shrugs, buttons his jeans, and pulls on his shirt. “ I couldn’t give that to anyone except Rachel .”
I’m stunned, dumbfounded. “ Evan …”
“ I said not to make a big deal about it,” he grumbles. “ I wore them around my neck for a long time. It’s your turn. I just got you the locket to keep them in because it made me think of you.”
“ But I’d never want to lose them.”
Exasperated , he throws his hands up nonchalantly, as if none of this has any meaning for him, but it does, so much meaning. “ Then keep the rings at home and wear the pyramid.” He steps close to me. “ Can you at least do that for me?”
I nod, wrap my hand around his neck, and kiss his lips. His guard is still up so the kiss is chaste. “ I love it. Thank you.”
“ Yep .” He steps away and begins packing up our shit.
I take a few moments to look at the pyramid, sliding it closed with the rings inside. I will consider them later after he is gone. “ Do the images have some sort of meaning?” I understand the horse, and the sword is pretty cool. But the crown and sun don’t seem to relate to me.
“ We need to leave,” he says, throwing my words back at me as he deflects my question.
Deciding not to push, I put the necklace around my neck. The cool metal drops to rest in the middle of my chest. A pyramid. That first night the three of us were together he said we were a pyramid. A conjunction of the three of us. I press it close to my heart.
“ We’re the pyramid.”
He grunts in acknowledgment as the tent proceeds to fold.
“ I love it.” Stuffing the box in my pocket, I help him with the tent and prepare to leave.
We are silent the entire ride back. My mind filters through everything we did, all the ways we made love. I toy with the locket, already feeling attached to it. I war with my emotions that tell me to take his horse by the reins and lead them both back to Shadow Thorne . I would beg Evan to build our house, and we would live there, off the grid, together forever.
As we cross the stream and head toward the barn, I knock his boot with mine. “ I want you to see Olivia . They should be home from church now.”
“ Will Rachel be there?”
“ You should see her too.”
He sighs heavily but doesn’t argue. We come to a stop next to his dad’s horse trailer and tether Shadow and Spirit . Evan lags behind as we walk to the house. My foot lands on the top step just as the door opens.
“ LUKE !” Olivia squeals as she runs toward me. Rachel smiles, holding the door open as I crouch down. Olivia lands hard in my embrace. Lifting her up, I kiss her plump rosy cheek.
“ How’s my girl?” I ask.
“ You were gone a long time!”
I laugh. “ Wasn’t that long.”
She squeezes me tight, and that’s when I see Rachel’s eyes fall upon Evan . Stepping forward, she lets the screen door slam. When I turn, Evan steps onto the bottom step. Suddenly , Rachel launches herself into his arms, wrapping her body around him. As if they’ve never been apart, he engulfs her in his embrace. His cowboy hat falls to the ground. I get one glance from him, and then he closes his eyes and buries his face into her loose hair.
“ You stink!” Olivia announces, but it doesn’t faze them.
“ I know, Little Miss . We just got back.” Evan takes several steps backward, still holding tight to Rachel . Eventually , he turns and walks toward the stream.
With Olivia in my arms, I ease down to sit on the top porch step. She’s chattering about what she had for breakfast, but my focus is on my lovers, wrapped around one another, stopping to sit underneath the Aspen tree. Any moment I expect them to part, to look at one another, or at least talk, but they are entangled like two wild vines, desperate to stay together.
Olivia slips off my lap. I turn to see where she is going. She grabs Evan’s hat and pops it on her head.
“ Who is that with mommy?”
Holding my hands out, she walks to stand between them. “ That’s your Uncle Evan .”
She swings her head to look toward where they are still wrapped around each other. “ Does she love him?”
“ We both do.”
That makes her smile.
“ You don’t remember him, but he was around a lot when you were born.”
“ Where has he been?”
“ He lives far away, in Chicago .” I scoop her up into my arms again. She holds onto the brim of Evan’s hat to keep it from falling off her head. “ Come on. You can watch tv in the loft while I shower. They are going to be here a while.”
“ Good because you smell bad.”
I laugh and tickle her ribs. “ And you’re just a stinker!”
“ Am not!” She pushes at my hands to make me stop tickling her but continues to giggle.
“ Yeah , you are, but you don’t have to take a bath to make it go away.”
She lays her head on my shoulder as best as she can, bending the brim of his hat. “ I missed you, my Luke .”
“ I missed you too.”