Magic Has a Price
We returned to Valhalla in silence.
Every time I tried to break the silence, I decided against it, wanting the magic to linger a moment longer. We reached the door, his hand resting on the knob. The town had settled in for the night, leaving us to ourselves under the orange glow of a single lightbulb hanging from the porch.
“I’ll see you around.” Was it a statement or a question?
Over his shoulder, I saw the eyebrow go up. Flatlanders were as cute as they were oblivious. Maine might provide magic, but it came with a cost. Hiking a mountain meant freezing at night. Swimming in the lake meant dealing with gross leeches. Hiking through grass came with its own tiny predators.
“Ticks.”
“What?”
“Have you ever checked for ticks?”
“No.”
I shook my head as if it were a normal part of every outing.
Covering his hand, I turned the handle. “Get ready to get personal.” I gestured toward the stairs.
He didn’t speak as we ascended. I chuckled at the absurdity.
I would have mentioned it before we ventured into the field, but somehow warning him about blood-sucking insects spoiled the outing.
We reached the back room on the second floor. He turned his key, and the door held firm. I nudged him out of the way. “You have to give it a little lift.” Pulling at the door, the handle turned. His eyes narrowed. “I’ve stayed here once or twice.”
I took a bow, gesturing for him to walk in. “Better to find them now than dealing with them in the morning,” I explained as I turned on every light in the room. “This one time—”
“Nope,” he said, hand covering my mouth. “Whatever you were about to say. Nope.” He had already glanced at his fingers and the crook of his elbow. “I think I’m safe.”
“Shirt.”
He tensed. I thought nothing of it as I grabbed the hem, lifting it high enough that he had to raise his arms. I tossed it on the floor, and he lowered his arms. I grabbed him by the biceps, keeping them in the air.
It wasn’t until I caught him staring at the floor that I realized my attention to safety made him uncomfortable.
“Quick check, and then I’ll be on my way.”
I let go of his arms and inspected him as I would a sculpture in a museum. Inside the elbows. Armpits. Behind the ear. Instead of turning him about, I moved behind him. He didn’t move as I ran a finger through the edges of his hair.
Sammy let out a sigh, his head dropping. I could have stepped away and inspected his back, but I let my fingers linger. They moved behind each ear, the tips barely touching the skin. His arms dropped along with his shoulders.
I should have stopped there.
I didn’t.
Fingers traced down his back before he shivered. The heat from his skin against my palms made me pause. What was I doing? I nearly whispered the thought aloud. Taking Sammy to my rock had been a gift. Now, feeling him draw every breath, I ruined it with assumptions.
“Pants?” His voice trembled.
I nodded before letting out a cough. “Real quick.”
His belt loosened, and each tooth of his zipper reminded me of a ticking clock. Sammy hardly moved as they hit the floor. I dared a peek at the bright red briefs and then further past to the kittens clinging to his calves.
He turned. I expected a quip, or a playful comment about what the neighbors might think.
Instead, he locked eyes. I didn’t flinch when his hand rested on my chest. I held still, my mind whirling as I replayed every glance and joke.
He hadn’t given me any reason to think he’d be anything but an unrequited, lust-filled fantasy.
His fingers inched further. They touched my neck, and a shiver ran down my spine.
I held still, not wanting to make a wrong move.
I had never found myself in this position before, at least not without liquid confidence.
Sammy didn’t close the distance as he studied my face.
I expected a pat on the cheek and a joke as he mustered an excuse that granted him plausible deniability.
The ache in my gut became action.
I leaned in, my lips pressing against Sammy’s in the same way grade school sweethearts might kiss.
Lips. Chaste. His beard tickled my nose before I pulled away.
Being the one to initiate, I gave Sammy the second gift of the night.
An out. A way to deny he had any part in this.
We’d part, and he’d claim a gay guy had made a pass at him.
Except…
His thumb continued caressing my cheek. I closed my eyes, leaning into his palm. He could call me the aggressor, that I had lured him here under pretext. He had a get-out-of-jail-free card.
Sammy didn’t want freedom.
Seconds passed before the heat of his breath washed along my skin. Tentative, hesitant, careful, his lips pressed against mine.
His hand slipped behind my neck, pulling me closer.
With lips parted, our tongues touched, then wrestled.
My muscles relaxed as I focused on his taste and the vanilla permeating his beard.
I reached for his waist, pulling him closer as we continued exchanging a desperate kiss. His excitement poked at mine.
As if he needed confirmation, he reached for the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head.
When our bellies touched, he let out a low sigh.
His eyes dropped to my chest, as if he didn’t expect the abundance of auburn hair.
Even as I stood there half-dressed, I waited for him to come to his senses.
Sammy only wanted to chase a fleeting curiosity.
His fingertips traced the hair pointing toward my navel.
I stifled a laugh as they reached the tickle zone.
Tracing the line between my belly and my shorts, he hesitated over the button and zipper.
I would take the blame for the kiss, but for this, he’d need to take the leap himself.
His eyes closed as he let out a steadying breath.
Snap. Another tick-tock of the zipper. My shorts joined his jeans on the floor.
Deniability ceased to be an option.
His hand slipped inside my waistband at the same time I held the sides of his head. I pulled him in tight, wanting another taste. As I bit down on his lower lip, his fingers wrapped around my cock. There was no question that this man excited me, that this moment excited me.
I growled while pulling at his lip. Sammy didn’t move.
No stroking, no wandering fingers. He held my cock as if it were a lifeline.
I gave him a slight push toward the bed.
Taking the hint, he sat on the edge as he kicked off his shoes.
His eyes remained fixed on my package while he kicked his jeans free.
I walked to the foot of the bed and admired Sammy as the dark blue comforter nearly swallowed him. He wiggled back until he reached the pillows. Lying on his back, he slid his hands under his head. I had the perfect view of all the hairy parts… almost. This needed remedying.
I knelt on the bed before falling forward, hands in between his legs. I wanted to watch his expression, but the bulge and growing wet spot were irresistible. As I inched forward on my elbows, it jumped in anticipation. Mine did the same, and, at this point, the wet spot was more like a puddle.
I stopped to appreciate those tree-trunk thighs. Soft. Everything about Sammy had a soft warmth. I kissed the inside of his thigh, stopping to appreciate the spot where smooth skin turned hairy. I listened to the soft gasps before moving to the other leg. With each touch, his body shivered.
I wanted to pull his cock over the waistband and play. In our lust-filled exchange, I almost forgot the reason for coming to his room. I propped myself up, tugging at his briefs. Legs in the air, I pulled them free.
“Wow,” I whispered.
Sammy chewed his top lip while his cheeks turned red.
I carefully moved between his legs. Running a hand in the creases of his groin, I couldn’t imagine a more Maine version of foreplay.
I wanted to declare him safe, but as I stared at his cock, he was anything but.
He trimmed, but not enough to hide more auburn hair.
His balls, however, Sammy kept those bare.
After the hike through the field, he smelled like the woods mixed with musk.
I could have dragged it out, continued with the tender kisses, but patience wasn’t a virtue I possessed.
I dragged my tongue along his balls. He tasted just like he smelled—a mountain man.
He squirmed, moaning as I moved from one to the other.
For a moment, I closed my eyes, savoring the sensation of his legs against my body, his balls jumping with each touch.
I was thankful for it all.
I kept going until he writhed.
Drawing my head back, it was the first time I focused on his cock.
Not thick, but long enough to be considered a challenge.
I traced a line from his balls up his shaft to the spot where it bent down.
With the right angle, I could imagine it buried inside me, making me come without touching myself.
As much as my ass loved the thought, some activities required more conversation.
I kissed the shaft until I reached the bend. Each touch made him twitch, eliciting a drawn-out sigh. The precum rolled down his cock. Without a second thought, I licked the tip, wrapping my lips around the head. Sammy’s back arched, followed by a low grunt.
Shifting in place, I worked more of him into my mouth.
Even as he pressed against the back of my mouth, I had another two inches to go.
The lack of practice triggered my gag reflex.
Instead, I moved up and down, each time I reached the head, my tongue swirled before descending again.
I added my hand, sliding up and down his shaft. The growls turned to grunts.
When his hips bucked, I held my head still, letting him fuck my mouth.
The thought of this beautiful man pleasuring himself inside me had me grinding my cock against the bed.
He put a hand on the back of my head and gently pushed me lower.
I had nearly taken it all when his grunting turned primal.
The break in rhythm meant we approached the end.
He didn’t speak as his balls drew tight.
His cock thickened, and I pulled back enough to taste the cum splash in the back of my throat.
His fingers moved to the comforter, head thrown back as he continued bucking.
I greedily swallowed every drop, not letting his cock slip from my mouth even as it softened.
As the tremors slowed, I held him between my lips. Up his body, through the fur on his stomach, he watched me. I wanted him to memorize this image, tracking the events that led to this moment. If I let go, it had the potential to turn weird; excuses might flow until we dressed and parted ways.
He patted the spot on the bed next to him.
I let his cock go, giving it one last kiss. I crawled up the bed until we shared a pillow. Sammy rolled to his side, facing me. He wasted no time reaching into my underwear and grasping my cock. His fingers tightened, and I closed my eyes, gasping as my body shuddered.
Sammy’s lips pressed against mine, his tongue exploring my mouth. As he tasted his cum, my hips rocked back and forth, fucking his fist. I held his face, not wanting him to pull away.
His fingers tightened as I picked up the pace. The thought of Sammy making me come had my balls tight against my body. The electricity started in my cock, and my moan turned into a teeth-clenched growl. He didn’t let go. My body shook, and he pressed his forehead against mine as I came.
I shot my load into my briefs, the warmth coating his hand and my balls. My breath turned ragged, not shocked by my quick trigger. Sammy gave me one final kiss, a soft touch of the lips as he rolled onto his back, pulling his hand free of my underwear. Covered in cum, he wiped it on his belly.
We lay in silence, unmoving.
As the minutes passed, I focused on the breathing. I couldn’t tell if we were entering the peaceful mode we experienced at the rock or the awkwardness of brunch. The knot built in my stomach as the worry mounted. I decided on a coward’s exit.
“I’d love to stay.” My words came out in a stutter. “I’d love to stay, but Rose is expecting me.”
I rolled off the bed and searched for my shorts and shirt. Slipping them on, I tried not to hurry like I was fleeing. I didn’t want him to think I was ashamed of what happened. After sex wasn’t the best time to start a conversation with, “It’s not you, it’s me.”
“I’ll see you around,” he said, sliding off the other side of the bed.
I waved as I exited. Shutting the door, I pressed my back against an empty wall. I waved. Seriously, I just waved to the first man I had seen naked in years. Leaning my head back, my thoughts swirled. If it were his last night in town, I would think it a perfect one-night stand.
It wasn’t. Firefly would force us together.