18. Hudson
Chapter 18
Hudson
H udson was being given a new start. That was the main thought in his head as he trotted to the mess tent, where they were shutting down for the night, and asked one of the cooks there for some bottles of water. They were happy to help him, and he hurried back to tent number eight, where Ty waited.
Waited for him . He’d heard Ty struggling in the shower and before he could caution himself against reaching out, he was knocking on the wood frame of the stall and offering up his assistance.
Ty had accepted Hudson’s offer and had been practically purring as Hudson had washed his hair.
In Hudson’s recent memory, showers were horrible and sketchy and something to be gotten over with as quickly as possible. Not this time.
Hudson had washed Ty’s hair slowly and then washed it again, curling his fingers over Ty’s damp skull, smiling as he saw Ty relax into Hudson’s touch.
What had he been afraid of, anyway? Of closeness like this? Of the intimacy the shower created? The kisses they traded beneath the warm spray?
He already knew the answer to that. He was afraid of betrayal. Of getting hurt. His only brother had screwed him over, so why wouldn’t a near-stranger do the same?
Except Ty wasn’t a stranger to him. Ty had been at his most vulnerable in front of Hudson, and didn’t seem to mind that Hudson had seen him at his worst. Hudson wasn’t that brave, but maybe with Ty, he could be.
Now, rushing back to the tent, he almost tiptoed up the wooden steps, and moved inside to see Ty sprawled on his cot like a boneless thing. The shower must have done him some good then.
Hudson bent to put the bottles of water down, thinking he’d make his way to the campfire and give Ty some peace and quiet. But just as he reached the tent flap, he heard, “Don’t leave.”
He heard Ty sitting up. And then he said, “Please?”
This was very hard to resist, and Hudson didn’t want to. So he went and sat on the cot next to Ty, placing his hand on the other side of him, leaning over him a little to take in the state of him.
“You look tired,” said Hudson.
“I’m relaxed,” said Ty. “And I’d like it if you kiss me.”
“You would?” asked Hudson, though he already knew the answer. He could see the shine in Ty’s eyes, the way he rose up on his elbows, head tipped back, waiting for a kiss.
“Are you worried?” asked Ty, when Hudson still hadn’t kissed him. “I won’t hurt you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
This was perhaps the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him. Ty was shorter than him, and lighter as well, but way more brave than Hudson.
Ty had been bucked off his horse and was sore all over. And now he was saying in no uncertain terms that he would be the one to protect Hudson from the world. All Hudson had to do was trust him.
So he would.
He bent close and kissed Ty, much as he had in the shower, sweetly and softly as their breaths mingled together. The air in the tent was warm and still as Hudson pulled Ty into his arms and kissed him again.
“You’re so gentle with me,” said Ty as he looped his arms around Hudson’s neck. “Such a gentleman. I bet you rest on your elbows.”
“I do,” said Hudson, laughing a little to think of it.
Only ten days ago, he’d been slaving away in a ditch having sweated out his ration of water hours before and thinking he might drop if that didn’t mean he’d get the crap beaten out of him for daring to slack in one hundred and four degrees of solid sunshine.
And now here he was, with his arms wrapped around the prettiest man, those shining eyes smiling up at him, telling him it was okay to feel. To want. To need.
“I’m moving this along,” said Ty with a shake of his head.
He began undoing the buttons on Hudson’s shirt, pulling the shirttails from his jeans. He only had so much room to work with, so Hudson laid Ty back on the bed and then sat on the edge to take off his work boots. His socks. Every piece of clothing he was wearing. After all, they’d just been naked in the shower. Ty had seen his scars. Ty had some of his own.
He had nothing to be ashamed of and he wanted to feel Ty’s skin on his skin. Let the warmth of another human being soak into him, erasing all the loneliness and fear. All the cruelty. All the hungry times.
Ty had gotten his boots and socks off and was now struggling with his shirt. Hudson helped him with that, and with his jeans and briefs as well.
Then, on impulse, he lifted Ty in his arms and eased him beneath the sheets, slipping in after and gathering Ty in his arms.
Now he could sigh with pleasure. Now he could take a deep breath, inhaling Ty’s clean scent. He savored the moment, the sweetness of it.
His reward for trusting Ty could be as simple as this, them holding each other, the pound of Ty’s heart against his own. The silky way their legs intertwined. That was when Ty slithered on top of him, and Hudson made an oof sound as he waited for Ty to settle, then laced his hands over Ty’s hips.
“How’s this?” Ty asked. “Am I too heavy?”
Hudson shook his head. He liked the way their hips pressed together, liked the way Ty’s belly was silky against his. How small tingles of desire turned into his cock growing hard, while the warmth of want turned into hot desire.
He flipped Ty gently on his back and kissed him, first softly and then with more force, connecting them to each other, their bodies a warm line, Ty’s arms around his neck holding him close.
He would never grow tired of the feeling of those arms, never grow tired of the way Ty smiled at him.
“You really can kiss me again, you know,” said Ty, his breath warm across Hudson’s cheek.
“I know,” said Hudson. “I was just—savoring.”
“Savor away,” said Ty, kissing him, a small peck on his mouth. A tender laugh, a flutter of dark eyelashes. “But hurry.”
“Yes,” said Hudson. He smiled as he kissed Ty again. “Yes, sir .”
The kiss turned into more kisses, each more urgent until Ty was panting in his arms, his skin as warm as silk. He reached between their bodies to take Ty’s hard cock in his hand, tightening his fingers, then loosening them. Ty sighed and arched his back, curving into Hudson.
“I don’t want to push you,” said Hudson, pausing. “Overtire you.”
“It’s been so long,” he sighed. “Anything you want, Hudson. Anything at all.”
There were so many things he wanted, and all of them rippled through him, one after the other, so he picked the first one. He kissed Ty hard one more time, then slid down his body to take Ty into his mouth.
The salty cleanness of Ty’s cock felt right on his tongue, with Ty’s fingers fisting in his hair, gently, before letting go.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
At Ty’s shaky nod, he went back to what he’d been doing, realizing his body was half on the cot, half off. That he had Ty’s knees tucked beneath his arms, that he’d trapped Ty’s body. But Ty had nodded yes, so Hudson kept on, licking the length of Ty’s cock, kissing it, curling his fingers around it, then letting go. Curling, then letting go.
All the while, Ty hummed under his breath in time with what Hudson was doing, as if he was keeping his need in check with some magical, wordless chant.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Hudson. “They’re all at the campfire. There’s no one here but you and me.”
He pulled Ty’s cock into his mouth, tongue swirling around the head, his ears catching Ty’s low sounds that grew with each hard suck and faded with each soft one.
He suckled harder, his fingers curled around the base of Ty’s cock until he felt Ty’s body twitch and tighten. Felt the pulse of Ty’s cock as he came, and softened his mouth all at once, swallowing Ty down, savoring the taste of salt, much as he’d savored the feel of Ty in his arms.
When Ty was finished, Hudson wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and scooted up to lie fully on the cot, where he could take Ty in his arms and hold him as Ty’s breath slowed, and his heartbeat slowed. He pulled the sheet up to cover them both so Ty wouldn’t get cold.
Ty sighed and nuzzled against his neck, seemingly boneless and worn out.
“Good,” Ty whispered. “That was so good. Now it’s your turn.”
“Yeah, in a minute,” said Hudson.
There would be time enough for everything they wanted to share between them. He was just happy all over, and while his body was humming with need, he could wait his turn. It’d been longer than five years, so he could wait his turn. That was okay by him. Besides, Ty had fallen asleep already and needed his rest.