The Innocence Series: Complete Bundle

by Riley Knight

  It was even true. As warm as it was, the mud that had coated their bodies for the second time that day was drying, flaking off into little puffs of brownish dust. And it was really starting to itch quite badly, though even that couldn’t distract him from how badly he wanted this man.

  “Mmph. Fine.” Sam pulled away, and Gunner couldn’t help but look him over, enjoying the way his boxers strained over his erection once more, like they could barely hold him in. It was nice to know that Sam wanted Gunner, too. Though didn’t that seem somehow inevitable? Even when Gunner had been trying to hold himself back, hadn’t part of him known that this was, at least, a possibility?

  This time, it was Sam’s turn to lock his arm around Gunner’s waist and pull him down the hallway, the most beautiful expression of determination on his face. Gunner chuckled softly to himself, and Sam gave him a sharp look but didn’t say anything.

  Once they were naked in the bathroom, which was as large and old as the rest of the house but had, at least, been renovated so that it had a functioning shower, Sam bent over to turn on the taps and Gunner got a view that was to die for. Those tight, round, firm little ass cheeks were on display for him, the globes of them full and pale, and Gunner found himself whistling softly.

  “For a pain in the ass, you’re pretty hot,” he admitted, when Sam rose up to look at him more directly, one eyebrow raised in inquiry. Gunner chuckled again, stepping into the shower, moaning softly as the water washed over him. It was perfect, just warm enough to get rid of the mud, though not too hot for the burning heat of the day. Refreshing, brisk, the water sluiced over him, and he beckoned Sam in.

  “I was gonna say the same thing about you, darlin’,” Sam purred, and there it was again. That sweet, seductive drawl, the one that Sam seemed to fight so much but which was there whenever he got aroused enough to forget to hide it.

  Darlin’. No one had ever called Gunner that before, and it did strange things to his insides, to his heart, which threatened to swell with emotion, if he let it. Sam didn’t mean anything by it, Gunner was sure, and if he did, that was probably even worse.

  That didn’t mean that he didn’t like hearing it.

  There seemed to be only one choice, and Gunner took it. He pulled Sam closer so that he couldn’t see his smile or the warmth in his eyes. He kissed him so that Sam couldn’t say any more of those sweet words which made Gunner feel far too much.

  Kissing was simple. Kissing, Gunner understood. He could kiss someone and still walk away from them. He’d always made a point of not getting entangled with people who would take kissing as more than just a fun thing to do. Same with sex. It wasn’t a declaration of love or anything.

  So he let himself get lost in Sam’s mouth and tried to tell himself that Sam would be okay with it when Gunner left. Sam being in the closet would make that easier, Gunner figured. He didn’t have to worry, just touch, feel, all of the things he was good at.

  Then something happened which he didn’t expect, which he couldn’t have expected, not in a hundred years. His little straight boy, his closeted Sammy, reached down and, all on his own, gripped Gunner’s cock. His hand was awkward, and he obviously had no real idea what he was doing, but he had done it of his own volition.

  Just that thought was enough to have Gunner’s dick jumping, twitching, his heart pulsing in the back of his throat until he was tasting copper. He could barely breathe because Sam was touching him. Sam was stroking him, his hand inexpert, but that really just made it that much hotter to Gunner.

  There was no way he was going to let himself be outdone, though. Groaning softly, Gunner let his hand slip over Sam’s smooth, slick body, tracing over the angular planes of his chest and stomach, the subtle curve of his waist and hips.

  There was no way he was going to be able to make himself tease, though. Not when Sam was jerking him off, his hand slipping down to the base of Gunner’s dick, squeezing with just the right amount of pressure. He was a fast learner, this man, and Gunner fought back, his own hand more skilled, more knowledgeable.

  Sam gave the most beautiful little groan, his muscles flexing under his skin as they tensed up. His eyes half closed and his hips tilted forward, giving Gunner more access to his body.

  They didn’t kiss, though maybe it would have been safer if they had. Instead, they just looked at each other, and the contact of their eyes was somehow more intimate than kissing. Gunner saw everything in those jade green eyes. He saw dawning pleasure, and arousal, and something that looked an awful lot like affection …

  And what did Sam see in Gunner’s eyes? What secrets was that keen mind of his able to ferret out? Gunner growled and tried his best to distract Sam, to stroke him with so much skill, base to tip, tip to base, slick and hot and wet, that Sam couldn’t think about anything other than that pleasure.

  “Sammy,” Gunner gasped, and for once, he wasn’t actually trying to be a brat about it. It was a term of affection, an acknowledgment of the pleasure that Sam was sending coursing through his body, spreading heat like lava, only faster. Far faster.

  “Gunner,” Sam whispered back, and Gunner wasn’t at all prepared for how it would feel to hear Sam say his name like that. At that moment, it was easy to think that not only did Sam care about him for more than just sex, but also that it would somehow magically be okay, that it could work out, though of course, it couldn’t.

  Just for a moment, though, as the pressure built in his balls, as his cock twitched and leaked precum, and as he watched Sam’s reaction to all of it, it felt like Gunner could pretend.

  Just for this second, he and Sam had something like hope for the future. Just while the orgasm was building to the point of no return, and as it washed over him, sending him hurtling up into hope and, for once, not afraid of the inevitable crash down to reality.

  Nothing had changed, only it felt like everything had. Sam gave a hoarse little cry and his cum shot, hot and thick, over Gunner’s hand, while Gunner felt the explosion of his own release bursting out of him, covering Sam’s hand. And the whole time, they didn’t kiss. The whole time, their eyes kept that strangely intimate, intense contact.

  Only when it was over, only when they were both panting, the water washing away the evidence of their sins, did they kiss. Gunner pressed the more slender, taller man against the wall and kissed him like his life depended on it.

  The thing was, it sort of felt like it did, and that was the most terrifying thing that had ever happened to him. Which was saying something. So, trying not to shake, Gunner reached for the soap and started to wash himself.

  Better to focus on that, or anything, than on the horrible, wonderful, irresistible mistake that he had just made.

  NINE

  The easiest thing to do, as far as Sam could tell, would be for him just to try to forget that anything had ever happened. It wasn’t like he hadn’t sometimes had some weird feelings for other guys, and it had always been relatively simple for him just to push them away, forget about them, distract himself and move on with his life.

  Besides, it wasn’t like he didn’t have things to occupy him. He’d gotten a letter in the mail, telling him that yes, he was, in fact, still welcome at Harvard. He would just need to send an email to let them know when he wanted to register again, but he was going to have to come up with the tuition if he wanted in. There was no scholarship, not for him, not after what had happened.

  He had almost enough. Sort of. He was about eight grand short of what he would need for the year, and as for what would happen after that, well, he’d just have to hope to earn his scholarship back in that time. He was ready to work hard, ready to make this work if only he could pull it together.

  But there wasn’t enough time to get the money. His job paid well, better than Mike really should pay him, given how much he actually did around the place, but not that well.

  Frowning, Sam looked down as a dull clunk filled the work area, echoing off of the concrete. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize, at
first, that it had been him. He’d dropped the wrench he was holding instead of putting it down on the counter, and he could hear Gunner snickering softly to himself in response.

  “Earth to, Sammy,” Gunner called out, grinning like the Grade A brat that he was. Not that Sam didn’t deserve it, he had been a bit of a space cadet there, but that didn’t stop him from glaring at Gunner.

  Only thing was, even a few days ago, the glare would have been a real, true, sincere, and deeply pissed off one. Now, Sam just couldn’t get the fire behind it anymore. Not since the day they’d spent together, where Gunner had saved Sam’s dog.

  And the time in the shower. That was what really haunted him, made it impossible for Sam to stop thinking about him. He turned to look at Gunner, only that was a mistake, because once he looked he found that he couldn’t look away.

  Nothing had changed, he tried to tell himself. Except that he couldn’t really deny that he wanted Gunner, that he wanted more from him than what they had already done.

  “What?” Sam grumped, but he couldn’t even help but find it a little bit endearing, the way that Gunner kept on calling him that. It should bug him, and maybe it even did, a little, but mostly, he just liked the look in Gunner’s large, expressive, beautiful eyes when he said it.

  Gunner grinned at him, head tilted slightly to the side as he looked Sam over from head to toe. Sam probably shouldn’t like the look of approval he saw nearly as much as he did, but from Gunner, it was somehow good. Welcomed.

  Arousing. Why did everything about this man have to be so damn hot, anyway? It wasn’t even fair.

  “Were you checking me out again?” Gunner murmured, sidling over to Sam, his eyes almost predatory as they fixed on him. “Don’t deny it. I know you look at my ass when you think I’m not paying attention.”

  Sam almost choked, not at all used to being the focus of attention for anyone like this. There had been girls interested, and even men, but none of them had come on quite as strong as Gunner did. None of them had ever been so blatant in their interest.

  And he couldn’t even say that he hated it. Being pursued like this, he couldn’t have any doubt at all that Gunner wanted him. When the other man got up close to him, like he was doing, when he let his beautiful body brush lightly against Sam, there was no question.

  “Gunner,” Sam whispered, his fingers itching with the desire to reach out and touch the other man. But he had to resist, even if he was starting to think that it was nearly impossible for him to manage that particular feat. “Gunner, Mike could walk in any time.”

  And that was something that Sam really didn’t want to deal with. It was confusing enough for him that he wanted Gunner, and he wasn’t ready to have everyone else know about it. He wasn’t sure he would ever be ready for something like that.

  Just then, the door opened, and Sam panicked. He put his hands on Gunner’s shoulders and tried not to notice how strong and broad they were, how the muscles flexed under his fingertips. Instead, he pushed, hard enough to put some distance between them. This was, what, the third time he’d had to push Gunner away like this? And somehow, he had the idea that it wouldn’t be the last.

  Just in time. Mike walked in, and Sam occupied himself with something on the counter. It didn’t even matter what. Just anything to avoid the older man’s eyes, which Sam suddenly thought seemed to see far too much. Would he notice the beginnings of arousal which threatened to stretch Sam’s jeans tight?

  He really, really needed to start wearing coveralls.

  “Your part is out of stock,” Mike said, and luckily, he didn’t even look over at Sam, who was sure that his guilt was etched in his face, in his whole body, for anyone to see. He was speaking to Gunner, and Sam snuck a look at his, well, whatever Gunner was to him, and he saw the expression of dismay on his face.

  Man, Gunner just couldn’t wait to get out of here, could he? Which was, of course, a good thing, he thought. This whole strange chapter of his life could ride away on Gunner’s bike right along with the baffling, arousing man.

  “Shit,” Gunner commented, and his hands were tight and tense on the hood of the car, Sam could see that even from where he was. Sam’s eyes narrowed as he gazed at Gunner.

  It was more than just a desire to get out of here, wasn’t it? For what was shamefully the first time, Sam found himself wondering what this man’s story was, what had brought him to the point where he felt the urge to run all the time. Because that’s what it was, wasn’t it? Running.

  There was actual fear in Gunner’s eyes. Sam hadn’t noticed it before, and he had the idea that Gunner did his best to hide it, but it was there.

  “Yeah,” Mike said, and Sam had to hand it to him, the man seemed to be genuinely worried about the situation. He had a good heart, even if he did seem to do his best to try to hide it as much as possible. People with good hearts, Sam had noticed, tended to get taken advantage of. “It’ll be a couple of weeks until I can get it. I’m sorry.”

  Gunner nodded, turning around to lift the hood of the engine that he was working on. But he didn’t start working on it, and his shoulders, the set of his arms and neck, spoke of a tension that Sam was pretty sure Gunner was trying not to show.

  “It’s worse. I was looking at the bike, and there’s more work that needs to be done,” Gunner said, his voice low and tight and came out haltingly, like he was speaking through gritted teeth. “I’ll level with you, man, I don’t have the money to deal with any of the stuff that needs to be dealt with.”

  “I know.” Mike did what Sam wished that he could do, even if the urge was an odd one. He went over to Gunner and put his hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly, showing empathy but not in an over the top way that would embarrass anyone. “That’s why I’ve got a proposal for you.”

  Sam raised his head, a wild animal scenting danger. A proposal? He didn’t like the sound of that. He could still lose his job. He’d been working hard, but the fact was, he just didn’t get machinery. The cars, the trucks, they didn’t speak to him the same way that they seemed to speak to Mike. And to Gunner, damn him.

  “Yeah. I hire you, and you teach the kid how to work,” Mike said, and Sam felt a sick sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he realized that Mike was talking about him. He’d been working so hard, and yet, he was still just the kid. Would he ever be anything else to his boss?

  It wasn’t fair. Mike was so damn nice to Gunner, giving him chances that he would never give Sam. The two men spoke the same language, and it wasn’t one that Sam spoke himself. Not more than haltingly, anyway. He knew Latin far better than he knew machinery.

  Gunner paused, looking thoughtful, and Sam could practically see the calculations going on in his head. Both of the other men turned to look at Sam, who suddenly wished he was a little less tall so that he could more easily slip from view.

  He was used to knowing what he was talking about. Ask him about Oscar Wilde, or Mark Twain, or the theory of relativity, and he could give informed opinions. Ask him about cars, and he was an infant. He hated that.

  “Okay. I’ll try to teach him some stuff,” Gunner said, and Mike smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder again. Sam wasn’t sure he cared for feeling like he was being babysat, and he glowered at both of them, but what could he even say?

  As much as he hated to admit it, on this subject, they both knew more than him. Despite this having been his job for a couple of years now, Gunner was still better at it, and that stuck uncomfortably like burrs under his clothes, but it was just the truth.

  “Good. I’ll pay you, and pay for your parts,” Mike spoke briskly, but Sam saw the relief on his face. This was a good deal for them both, Gunner and Mike. Not such a great deal for Sam, who was pretty sure he was being edged out of his job. How long until Mike decided that he would rather just have Gunner? “You do the work on your bike, and we’ll call it even.”

  It was a generous offer, and Gunner would have to be an idiot not to take it. Sam shook his head, closing his
eyes briefly as he looked away. He’d been working his hardest, he really had, but he just couldn’t compare.

  Just let this job last the summer. That’s all he needed, and then he would be off to school again. If he could just stay on a little longer, a few more months, then Gunner could have the job as far as he was concerned. He would hand it over to him with gleeful relief.

  Behind him, Gunner and Mike were shaking hands—Sam was pretty sure. Sealing the deal. Just like that, he and Gunner were both officially employed here, and Sam wanted to rub at his temples. Would have, if he wasn’t keenly aware of the oil which smudged and marred his fingers and hands.

  It was weird, though. Even through his own worry and misery, he couldn’t help but be at least a little glad that Gunner was still going to be around. That Gunner had what he needed, a job. Maybe he’d even put down roots here. Maybe …

  And that was where Sam needed to stop his train of thoughts, as abruptly as he could, actually doing his best to make it skip the rails and stop cold. Only it didn’t seem to want to do anything of the sort.

  Maybe Gunner would stay. When his bike was done, perhaps he would just be content with his job, find a place in town or rent something from Ben and Isaac. Stranger things had happened, right? And when Sam was home from school on breaks, and Gunner was around, anything could happen.

  What a mess. Sam barely knew what was going on in his own head, whether to be upset or hopeful, happy or dismayed. It was a mixture of all of those things in there, and he stared down at the scarred counter, at his own dirty hands, and had no idea what to make of any of it.

  * * *

  Mike left, and it was a relief to Sam. He didn’t want to see the judgment that he was sure was in the other man’s eyes. He was being replaced, that was becoming more and more clear, and Sam wasn’t even sure that he could really blame the other man for it. Either of them.