Roped In

by A. M. Arthur

  They’d both carried on, so it didn’t take much time to get a taxi to their hotel. Avery had picked one in the center of downtown, so they could walk to a lot of different shops and restaurants. Once they checked in, Colt’s rumbling belly demanded lunch. They found a simple deli and settled in for piled-high sandwiches and homemade potato chips at a window table so they could also people watch.

  Folks were definitely out and about on this Sunday afternoon, and every once in a while, Colt was positive he saw one of his siblings on the sidewalk. Except the chances of that actually happening were nearly impossible, given how big the city was. Still, he couldn’t help look at the faces of every blond person who passed by.

  While Avery hit the deli’s restroom, Colt checked his email on his phone. Nothing yet on the inquiry he’d sent early last week, but it was also the weekend. He probably wouldn’t hear anything until tomorrow at the earliest. Should just forget about it and concentrate on seeing his family again.

  After lunch, he and Avery strolled the city blocks, ducking into shops and being tourists. It felt odd to call himself that after once living so close, but Colt wasn’t that guy anymore. He had truly become someone completely new, and he was okay with that. Sure, his own twang got a little thicker the more he heard folks speaking, but it would fade again once he went home.

  They had dinner at a roadhouse, and Colt indulged in a nice medium-rare steak, while Avery chose a leaner chicken dish. Colt loved the atmosphere of the place, right down to the complimentary unshelled peanuts on each table. He also indulged in two rum and colas during the meal.

  After hours exploring, they finally returned to their hotel room, where Colt couldn’t decide what to do. As much as he wanted to maul his boyfriend, he was also starting to freak out a little bit, because today was almost over.

  “Am I going to have to blister your backside to get you to calm down?” Avery asked after watching Colt pace for a few silent minutes.

  “Maybe.” Colt stopped next to their room’s window, which had a pretty view of the downtown lights. “Maybe I should have called ahead, so I won’t be a huge shock to everyone.”

  “You can still call them. Or message them. It’s only too late when you show up on their doorstep.”

  Colt palmed his phone and stared at its shiny surface, uncertain what the best move would be. Surprise could work in his favor, or get a door slammed in his face. But hadn’t surprise always been his plan? Catch them off guard and hope for the best?

  “Hey.” Avery crossed the room to clasp his shoulders. “This is your Dom asking his sub, do you need a scene? I wasn’t sure how you’d react to seeing your family, so I did pack a few things.”

  “Yes.” Colt didn’t have to consider his answer. Speaking that single word loosened some of his anxiety. Sir would take care of him tonight, give Colt the strength to face his family tomorrow. “Please, Sir.”

  Avery stepped around him to shut the curtains, and then said, “Position.”

  Colt stripped out of his shoes and clothes, folding everything carefully like he’d been taught. Then he walked to the space between the king bed and small seating area, and he knelt, knees slightly apart, left hand clasping right wrist behind his back. He focused on the wallpaper in front of him, not moving as Avery shifted first behind him, and then by the bed.

  A zipper snicked as Avery opened his suitcase. Fabric rustled. Colt’s anticipation amped up, curious what Avery had dared bring through the airport X-ray machines, and eager for his Sir to take care of him. To drive the monkeys out of his head for a little while and give him peace.

  More fabric shifted, but not the consistent sounds of someone undressing. Probably Avery rolling up his sleeves and getting comfortable. That was fine. Colt had agreed to a scene, not sex. His dick wasn’t into it, anyway. No, he needed a different release right now.

  Avery moved again, and in Colt’s peripheral vision, two pillows dropped to the ground by the bed, one on top of the other. “Kneel on these, facing the bed.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Colt did as asked.

  “Clasp both hands behind your neck and press your chest against the bed. Eyes closed and don’t move.”

  His belly quivered with the quiet strength of those orders. “Yes, Sir.” The cool coverlet felt good against Colt’s bare chest, and the position of his hands let him rest his elbows on the bed, too. It would be easy to stay in position this way, no matter what Sir did.

  The soft tails of a flogger tickled over his cheeks, and Colt clenched out of habit. “You have so many thoughts in your head right now, pet,” Sir said. “We need to drive those thoughts out so you can relax.”

  “Please, Sir.”

  “Shhh. I’ve got you.”

  Yes. Always.

  Sir tickled the ends of the flogger across his back, hips, and shoulders, lowering it more and more, until he was dragging it like a paintbrush, creating swirls and figure eights on his skin. Slowly waking up nerve endings and making Colt fully aware of nothing except where his Sir touched him. The sterile smells of the hotel room disappeared behind the scents of sweat, musk, and leather.

  The first strike against Colt’s shoulder was barely a tap, the ends hitting him and then dragging down to his butt. The second was the same, as Sir began slowly and worked his way up to harder strikes, and Colt slowly faded under his Sir’s spell. Stings dropped all over his shoulders and back, only a few occasionally touching his cheeks. Those stings increased as his skin sensitized and Sir put more force into it, leaving stripes of soothing pain across Colt’s back.

  Colt seized on that pain and rode it out, letting it carry him to another place where the strikes fueled his relief. Through a haze of pleasure and satisfaction, Colt seemed to rise up and watch his own body twitch against the blows, absorb all the pretty red marks Sir left behind. Sir knew exactly how to mark his pet without ever leaving a scar behind.

  It went on forever, and too soon Sir was counting down the final blows, each one harder than the last, and Colt soared. He was hard and aching, but his dick was irrelevant to the quiet, soothing place where he existed for a while longer. He floated there, vaguely aware of Sir helping him to sprawl fully on the bed. Barely felt the lotion rubbed into scorching hot skin. Love and care had given him these quiet moments, and he soaked in the affection of his Sir.

  Time passed before Colt became fully aware of his prone position on the bed, one side of the bedspread folded over to cover him. Avery was sitting on the other half of the bed watching him with adoration in his dark eyes, and a shy smile on his face. That his Sir got shy after such a perfect scene only endeared him to Colt more, because Sir could do no wrong in his book.

  “How do you feel?” Avery asked.

  “Exhausted, but good.” Colt flexed his back, the skin sore but not unbearably so. “I feel really good, thank you.”

  “I’m glad.” Avery leaned down to kiss his cheek. “You slept soundly for about an hour.”

  “I’m so happy you brought your flogger, that was perfect.”

  “Good.” He reached to the other side of Colt and produced the hand-tooled flogger Colt had given him for Christmas. “Bringing this along felt right.” He trailed the ends over Colt’s neck. “I love you, pet.”

  “Love you back, Sir. No matter what happens tomorrow, I have no regrets.”

  “Good.”

  Colt was wide awake now, so they shifted into comfortable positions and watched a movie on pay-per-view, until Avery started nodding off. They got ready for bed, brushing their teeth side by side, nudging each other for control of the sink. Cute, adorable, couple-y things Colt enjoyed sharing with his partner. Avery popped his contacts out and slipped on his nighttime glasses, making him look even more like the professor he was. Colt loved those glasses.

  He also loved climbing into bed with Avery, turning off the light, and then snuggling in close. Spooning Avery from behind, tucki
ng his bigger body around Avery’s smaller form. More perfect moments to keep close to his heart for those times when they were apart. He fell asleep happy and relaxed, with his Sir in his arms.

  * * *

  Avery woke to an empty bed, which worried him because it was barely after seven in the morning. Then he heard movement in the bathroom and relaxed. Popped his glasses on so he could focus better on the room. While he’d have loved to wake up with Colt, he understood why the other man was already awake and preparing for his day.

  A big damn day that had Avery a bit nervous on his partner’s behalf. Last night’s scene had done as much for Colt’s nerves as it had for Avery’s own self-doubts about being able to properly comfort Colt if today went badly. But he’d proven to both of them he knew what his sub needed, and he’d very gladly given it to him.

  Colt emerged from the bathroom in jeans and a sleeveless undershirt and bare feet—the very picture of adorable comfort. Avery wanted to take a picture of him dressed that way for his phone’s home screen, and then Colt ruined it by putting on a blue button-down.

  “Hey, I was ogling you,” Avery said.

  He paused mid-button, turned around, and bent over. Wiggled his hips. “Ogle that.”

  “Gladly.” Colt had a fine ass, nicely encased in tight denim. “Are you sore this morning?”

  “Nope. Back was a little tight, but a hot shower helped. It’s probably a good thing you mostly avoided my ass.”

  “I did plan that on purpose, so you weren’t uncomfortable sitting today. Lord knows what your family would think if you had to explain why you were fidgeting.”

  Colt snorted as he straightened. “No shit. We’d be run off the ranch for sure.”

  “You still nervous?”

  “A little. But I gave myself a pep talk in the shower, and all I can do is show up. The rest is up to them.”

  Avery climbed out of bed so he could hug Colt tight. “I think that’s an incredibly mature position to take. Show up with love in your heart. Let them accept or deny you, but you’re doing your part by making the gesture of peace and reconciliation.”

  “Thanks.” Colt rested his chin on Avery’s shoulder, then reached up to stroke his tangled hair. “I’m so glad you’re with me for this. I don’t think I’d be here if we hadn’t been together.”

  “You’re stronger than you think, Colt. Maybe it would have taken longer, without the anniversary party as a nudge, but you’d have been here eventually. Taking this step. Because that’s how big of a heart you have.”

  Colt sighed and relaxed into his hug. They clung to each other for a few minutes, until Avery’s bladder insisted they part. He did his business, then climbed into the shower to wash off his morning funk. Naturally, he’d forgotten clothes, so he wrapped a towel around his waist and went to investigate his suitcase. Colt was watching a morning news show, and gave Avery’s body an appreciative once-over.

  Avery winked at him, then dropped the towel to dress. The teasing wasn’t nice, but sometimes he couldn’t resist. Once he was ready to go, they headed down to the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast. Colt stuck to a very simple poached eggs and toast, and Avery didn’t comment on the Bloody Mary he also ordered. Avery stuck with a garden omelet and coffee.

  After breakfast, Avery called in for the rental car he’d reserved to be delivered to the hotel, and within thirty minutes, Colt had them on the road out of Amarillo and into the brown, dusty hills of Texas. They mostly listened to the radio, not talking much unless Colt pointed out a landmark along the way. Avery simply remained present for Colt, positive today was going to be an emotional day for his partner.

  * * *

  Colt couldn’t separate the jangled mess of emotions in his head, so he tried to ignore every single one of them. His stomach was a ball of nerves, and he wished he’d ordered six shots instead of the Bloody Mary. Sixteen years ago, he’d driven this same road into Amarillo, with the express intent of leaving his old life behind. Now, he was driving it again with the purpose of trying to reclaim his family.

  Too soon, signs for the miles to his hometown sprang up along the road like beacons of doom. Thirty miles. Twenty miles. Ten miles. A tremor shot down Colt’s spine as he slowed down near town limits. Weston was a hole-in-the-wall town with a single main street, one grocery store, three bars, and five churches. American and Confederate flags decorated porches and pickup trucks.

  Avery’s head never stopped turning as he took in the place. “Did you go to school here?”

  “Nope, no school. We rode a bus twenty minutes north to another town.”

  “Wow. You described Weston, but I never imagined how remote it really is. Like it exists in its own bubble.”

  “It kinda does. Big white bubble of righteous indignation disguised as patriotism.” Colt allowed a bit of bitterness to seep into his words. He’d spent so many years disagreeing with his hometown’s overt racism, sexism, and homophobia that he started wondering why the hell he’d come back in the first place.

  To see if I still have any family here.

  He clung to that thought as he turned left onto a gravel road that would eventually lead to his family’s land and ranch. His stomach tried to knot up and disappear the closer they got. In the distance, roaming herds of cattle dotted the land, and the occasional man on a horse could be seen tending to them. The Woods family had worked this land since the mid-eighteen hundreds, and Colt had turned his back on taking over.

  What if his father could never forgive that decision?

  I’m about to find out.

  The big, wooden gate announcing Woods Cattle Ranch came into view. Colt’s heart pounded harder. He kind of wished Avery had rented a pickup, so Colt wouldn’t feel so small and city-boy-like in this two-door red sedan.

  Unlike Clean Slate, which came into view after a break in the trees and bend in the road, Woods Ranch appeared on the horizon like a beacon, growing larger and larger as they drove closer. The main barns and corrals, the garage and feed sheds, and the family home all took shape and definition. Cars and trucks parked near the garage, dogs chasing each other in the yard, people milling around near the corrals.

  Colt swallowed back rising bile. It was make or break time.

  He drove in a small circle to park near the garage, and then killed the engine.

  “I’m with you, love,” Avery said. “Always.”

  “Thank you.”

  With a trembling hand, Colt reached for the car handle. Pulled. Somehow levered his body up and out of the car without falling over and embarrassing himself. The familiar odors of dung, dirt, and leather made his eyes sting with nostalgic tears. He gazed around at the familiar setting with his heart in his throat, unable to speak or move. Avery came around to his side of the car and stood beside him, a silent sentinel in Colt’s internal war.

  “Can I help you folks?” a man with an unfamiliar voice asked.

  Colt turned to face a guy his age, with suntanned skin and a friendly smile. “Yes, um, are Wayne and Rose around today?” It felt odd to call his parents by their given names, but he couldn’t ask a total stranger to find his mom and dad.

  “Sure are. Can I ask who’s come calling?”

  “Holy fuck.” A new masculine voice joined in. Only not completely new, just different. Older and less of a teenager.

  Colt turned and stared right into Brand’s gaping face. His oldest little brother, Brand had been sixteen when Colt left, and just coming into his adolescent growth spurts and voice changes. Now he was nearly a carbon copy of Colt himself, with shaggier, sun-kissed blond hair and their mom’s brown eyes.

  “Hey, Brand,” Colt said.

  Brand stared, his eyes getting crazy wide. “Colton? It’s you, right?”

  “Yeah, buddy, it’s me.”

  “Jesus, you’re alive.” Brand launched himself at Colt, and Colt found himself smothered in a
big hug, Brand’s arms stronger than he thought possible. Brand practically lifted him off the ground. Just as quickly, Brand let him go and stepped away, annoyance twisting his face. “What the fuck, dude? Where have you been?”

  “It’s a long story. Fuck, you’ve grown up.”

  “Yeah, that happens.” His brother’s joy had turned to suspicion. “You’ve been gone half my life. Why are you back now?”

  “Because my family’s here. Half of my family, anyway, and I wanted to see if there was still a chance to be family again.”

  Brand looked to Colt’s left, where he felt Avery’s presence. “Who’s your friend?”

  “This is my partner, Avery Hendrix. Avery, my brother Brand Woods.”

  Avery took a step forward and offered his hand. “It’s a pleasure, Mr. Woods.”

  Brand eyeballed Avery’s hand. “Partner? Like a business partner?”

  “Like a boyfriend partner,” Colt replied, tensing all over.

  “Boyfriend.” Brand frowned. “Since when are you a fag?”

  Colt groaned. “Since forever. I take it Father never told you about finding me in the hayloft with Davie Edwards?”

  “No.” Brand’s eyes flitted from Avery to Colt, and he shifted his weight. “Father knew you were a fag?”

  “Can you please stop using that word? Just gay. Or queer, even. Please.”

  “Sure, sorry. Um.” He stuck his hand out to Avery. “Hi.”

  Avery shook, his expression one of infinite patience for bumbling idiots. “Hello, Brand. It’s nice to finally meet some of Colt’s blood relatives.”

  “Right. So did anyone know you were coming?”

  “No,” Colt replied. “Figured you couldn’t close the gate on me if you didn’t know to expect me.”

  Brand didn’t look like he was sure if he should laugh or not. At least he wasn’t demanding Colt and Avery get back in their car and get off the property, so it gave Colt hope that he’d be able to see his siblings, at the very least.