“Okay,” he said. “Are you ready?”
“Oh, Beckett, please,” Cole begged, pulling away from his shoulder to press a desperate kiss to his lips. “God, I want you so badly.”
“You can tell me what you want before I ask,” Beckett teased, pressing another few kisses to his lips before he slipped out his hand and opened the packet of the condom. “You know that, right?”
But he was interrupted. Cole shook his head, putting his hand over Beck's. “No condom.”
“...Are you sure?”
Cole's eyes were intense on his, full of affection and certainty.
“I'm a virgin,” Cole said. “And you're clean. Aren't you?”
“Yes,” Beckett confirmed. He had made sure of that as soon as he made his bid. Of course he had been intending to use a condom, but it had seemed responsible anyway – and now that Cole gave him permission, he felt a flood of fresh excitement in his chest. “Alright, then. No condom.”
“I trust you,” Cole told him. “And I just want… I want everything with you. Is it really stupid of me?”
“No,” Beck assured him. Maybe others would disagree, but in this moment he felt that bond of trust was so powerful between them. “Not at all.”
With that, he slicked himself up – bare skin, unencumbered by contraception. He couldn't wait for the sensation, and yet he knew it was only moments away; frantic, he pumped a little more lubricant onto his hand and rubbed it over Cole again, determined not to hurt him in any way. This had to be good. This had to be perfect.
“I want you,” Cole told him, lying on his back on the bed. As Beckett lifted his legs and put them around his hips, eyes and heart full of feelings far too strong for the short time they'd spent together, he nodded.
“I want you too.”
He guided himself into Cole with bated breath, watching carefully for any signs of pain – but all he saw, aside a little strain, was blissful pleasure. The sound Cole made was wild and heavenly, like he was already fucking straight to the core of the younger man. His eyes squeezed shut and his mouth stayed open, breath heavy.
“God, Beckett; fuck, yes...”
“Cole...”
After giving him a few moments to stretch and get used to the sensation, Beckett was finally ready to move in him – and when he did, in a slow and deep rhythm, he knew that he had never really been alive until now. He'd been fucking the wrong people; he'd been loving the wrong people. He was supposed to be here with Cole, rocking into his tight, sweet body with his hips like this – seeing the boy arch up against him and take it, bleating out raw sounds of pleasure.
He took Cole's thick, dark cock into his hand, stroking him off in time with his thrusts. He didn't want to go too hard, as this felt like more than a fast, hot fuck – but soon he felt both his and Cole's peaks approaching, and he couldn't hold on any longer. He sped up, hitting deep inside Cole at a knot of nerves that sent him wild and wailing with every hit, so loud that he was glad they had no neighbors.
They were so close, and so close to coming together – and then it happened. He watched Cole tip over the edge first, eyes squeezing tightly shut again as he cried out Beckett's name like a prayer.
“Beck.”
He couldn't last after that. Seeing Cole so empty and so full all at once, pinned up by his own pleasure, was too much. Beckett came hard, feeling the ropes of Cole's come against his hand and on his stomach, and he slowed the rhythm as they both rode it out, lost and found together on his old ranch bed.
It took a while for them to come to, but when they did, Beck found that they had come into to each other's arms. Cole was curled up against him, lashes lightly tickling his arm as they batted slowly against his skin, and those beautiful blue eyes were looking up at him like he was some kind of god.
“That was incredible,” he said, voice rough and sore. “Beckett – that was...”
“Yeah,” Beck agreed, briefly tightening his grip around him and rubbing fondly at his shoulder. “It was. And so much more than just sex.”
Cole's smile was broad and easy, and though he was too limp to move quickly, he leaned up to give Beckett a keen, messy kiss. It felt almost like the first time they'd kissed. Maybe it was just the first time they'd kissed as a couple. After all, there was no denying it now. They were undoubtedly meant to be together.
“I think I love you,” Cole told him, his hand twisting lazily through a few strands of Beckett's hair. “Is that crazy?”
“No,” Beckett told him. “Not at all. I think I love you too.”
He paused, head reeling in the silence and the warmth of the room.
“No, screw that. I know I do.”
Cole laughed quietly, giving his jaw a soft kiss. “Well, then, so do I. And maybe we should stop being so tentative about things.”
“You're right,” Beckett agreed, rubbing his shoulder again. “Nearly cost us… well. This. I'm not risking that again.”
“Me neither.”
After that, the silence just felt right. It was so cozy to curl up against each other, eventually covered up by the blanket that Beckett pulled over them, and dizzy with affection for each other – dizzy with the thought of what they almost lost. And if they spoke into that silence a short while later to make love again, then… well.
Surely nobody could blame them for that.
Chapter Thirteen
Okay. He wasn't in New York. He didn't have $25,000, at least not directly, and he had not entirely left his father behind.
On balance, though, the last few months had been… well. Completely perfect. As it turned out, ignoring the town folks' petty gossiping was much easier when you lived on a ranch a short drive from town, or when you had a big, handsome cowboy by your side. He was no longer afraid to leave the house for fear of what people might say. In fact, their judgment kind of amused him.
If even his father could start to come around to the idea of Beckett being his partner, then surely everybody else could.
The pastor had not found it easy, of course – but then, neither had Cole. Though he had begun to realize that everybody made mistakes and that his father's affair had been born out of a very difficult time in his life, it was still not easy to forgive the way he had treated his mother. They both had obstacles to work past, and in a way that made it easier. They were learning each other all over again, and re-establishing their relationship from brand new ground.
He was proud of Pastor Berry, honestly. It wasn't easy for a man with such great pride to go back on the kind of things he had once said about homosexuality – and though he still wasn't a great fan of Beckett, he endured his presence quietly and respectfully at church, and Cole had high hopes for the future.
Claire, of course, was still his shining diamond in this town, but now he had gained a new friend in Bella Walsh, too. With Ben still in the picture as Claire's boyfriend, Cole felt he was beginning to build the kind of network of friends that any community would be envious of. Everybody cared for one another, and nobody had to be afraid of the way this town talked any more.
So… no. He wasn't in New York. He didn't really want to be, any more – or Chicago, or San Francisco, or any of the other places he had been considering. Everything he needed was right here, including a distance learning course that would one day enable him to design websites and marketing materials for people online. All he needed was an internet connection and Beckett's support – which he always, always had.
Life was, frankly, idyllic. Beckett would work all day on the farm, occasionally visiting others' places to buy and sell, and come back into the house for a lunch that Cole had prepared in between his studies. In the evening, they would spend all their time together, maybe inviting over some of their friends or going out to visit.
And when night fell, and all their friends had gone home, and the glasses and the plates were tidied away?
Well – then they could be a little more private and intimate.
It was after one of these moments that th
ey were lying together here tonight, Beckett's face plastered with a grin that wouldn't leave; Cole's early ventures into giving head, it seemed, were really hitting base. Cole sat and thought about his life, cuddled up against his boyfriend's arm, and wondered where he would be today if he hadn't had the courage to stand up and sell his virginity on stage that way.
Almost certainly not here, he realized – so he was thankful for everything that had happened, including the parts that hurt. All that hurt now was the knowledge that his mother would never know how his life had turned out. She had taken great comfort in hearing the big plans he had for his life, and now all that had changed, he felt a little further away from her.
In that moment, however, he felt her presence smiling down. He was happy, he realized, and that was all any mother could ever ask for her son.
He kissed Beckett's arm, light and lazy, and watched as that happy, grinning face turned to him and softened.
“You okay?”
“I'm great,” Cole told him, fingertips trailing up and down his forearm, then over his knee, then his ribs; there was no part of Beckett's body that he didn't love to explore, even just casually like this. It still thrilled him that he had permission to do that. “I'm just… thinking about everything. Thinking about us. How amazing our life is.”
“I've been thinking about that too,” Beckett told him.
“Yeah?”
He hummed his confirmation, eyes down on Cole's trailing fingertips, and then he shuffled in the bed. “Actually, I've been thinking about auctions again.”
“I'm sorry to inform you, baby, but I can't sell you my virginity twice.”
“I'll have you know you didn't sell it to me the first time,” Beckett teased, sitting up and stretching with an easy smile on his face. “But I don't know. I kind of liked the last one. Even though I never actually spent the money, it gave me a thrill. I missed that.”
“Mm?” said Cole, not really sure where he was going.
“So I guess I found something else I wanted to bid on.”
“Did you buy another truck?” said Cole, voice heavy with playful judgment. Beckett had only recently replaced his, and Cole knew that he was a petrolhead, always looking for the next best engine to switch his out for, or a great bargain in the market. “Because honestly, I don't know where you're going to put it.”
“Not a truck,” Beckett said. “Guess again.”
“A… horse? You were talking about that a couple of weeks ago, but I think you missed the Adams auction. Right…?”
“Not a horse,” Beckett told him – but it seemed they were done with guessing. He leaned over to his bedside table. “Something smaller.”
Cole's ears got hot as he began to be able to guess, licking his lips with a strange blend of nerves and excitement. “Beckett…”
Sure enough, when his boyfriend came back to the middle of the bed, he was carrying a distinctive little black jewelry box. It was unmistakable, and Cole sat up straighter in bed to look between both him and it.
“Are you serious?” Cole said.
“I haven't even asked yet.”
Cole's heart fluttered, face flushing as it always did as Beckett slipped from the bed and got down on one knee. He was so handsome in the fading evening night, naked and well-formed as a Greek statue. “Cole,” he said.
“Beckett.”
He popped open the box. Inside, just as Cole guessed, was a ring – a tasteful, beautiful thing set with a sapphire. Beckett still surprised Cole often, but for him to be able to choose something that Cole liked so much, even when it was something so far removed from the things that Beck was naturally drawn to and understood? Well, that was overwhelming. Cole leaned closer, getting a good look at the ring, and then looked at something even more important. His eyes landed on Beckett's.
“I've done this once before. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong. I was just going down the path that everybody follows. I thought she was the one. I didn't know what it felt like until I met you. So… maybe my first marriage didn't work out, but you can trust me, Cole Berry. You are everything I want. Will you marry me?”
It felt like he should be speechless. Certainly, Beck had taken his breath away – but he wasn't speechless at all. He knew what his answer would be before Beckett had even started talking, and he gave it confidently now.
“I love you so much, Beckett. Of course I will.”
He didn't know whether his father would approve of the wedding, but that no longer mattered. He didn't know whether he'd ever leave the country for the bright lights of the city, but that was no longer something he craved. All he knew about his future was that it contained Beckett Walsh – and frankly, that was the only certainty he needed. As they kissed, hearing the sound of the last of the season's cicadas around them, Cole wondered what wonderful thing he had done to deserve a man like Beck, and a life like this.
He closed his eyes, thanked his mother for watching over him, and relaxed into the warmth and happiness of his fiancé's kiss.
The End
Taming the Wild Panther
Marcus never thought making a living in New York would be so difficult. He had known that as a struggling actor he wouldn’t exactly be living the high life, but he never thought he’d get this close to outright destitution. With no money, no friends, and no future, Marcus feels as if he’s living on nothing more than a hope and a prayer.
Until the day he answers a mysterious ad in the paper: CARETAKER WANTED. No experience necessary. Must live in.
Turns out, this is one wild job. His new eccentric billionaire boss has a pretty major secret with a scary and unpredictable nature. Will Marcus be able to handle him?
Chapter One
Marcus was used to living in pretty unusual circumstances in this apartment – but waking up to the sensation of being pelted with old popcorn was pushing things a little too far. He sat up from where he slept on the couch, swiping his hands in front of his face to prevent any further hits.
“Dude, seriously?”
The blanket he'd been sleeping under fell to his lap, where a bunch of kernels that had missed their target had pooled together. He scrubbed at his face with the heels of his hands in some vain attempt to wake up faster, head still scrambled from the sleep cycle cut short.
This was not what he'd been imagining when he'd left for New York City.
“Time to get up,” said AJ, putting the bucket of stale popcorn back down on the table and rubbing his hands together. How long had he been doing that? More's the point, how long had he been planning that? “It's past eight thirty. Paper's here.”
Hands still scrubbing at his eyes, Marcus felt the light weight of the paper landing on his legs. He knew before he looked that it would be open to the jobs page – and sure enough, there it was. What good this would do him, he didn't know; both he and AJ knew exactly what the employment market looked like right now, and it wasn't exactly a mirror reflection of Marcus. No matter how much he wanted to be able to get hired and pay the rent, it just wasn't happening for him.
Hence why he'd been kicked out of his room in this apartment, so AJ could get somebody else in who could pay. Hence why he woke up in such dehumanizing ways every morning, to have the paper thrown at him.
What a life. He dreaded calling home every time in case his mom could hear it in his voice. The very last thing he needed right now was to hear her say 'I told you so'.
“You know,” said Marcus, squinting down at the jobs columns, “if I had to go to an interview after having my sleep interrupted like this, I probably wouldn't get it anyway.”
“Go to bed earlier,” suggested AJ – which was a fairly cruel suggestion, considering that the apartment was pretty small, and Marcus could only go to bed when AJ and his new roommate did. Otherwise, the couch wasn't really available for sleeping on… unless you could sleep through Terminator 2, of course.
That being said, he couldn't be too harsh on AJ, as much of an asshole as he was turning out
to be. At least he hadn't kicked Marcus out.
Either way, there was no point in arguing with him. All he could do was show that he was looking through the job pages, and hope that AJ got off his back soon. Of course, as usual, there was nothing – nothing he had the qualifications for, anyway. Given that he could still feel AJ's eyes on him from across the room as he finished the last column, he felt compelled to show that he was still reading, and turned the page to the Situations Wanted ads.
This was a section he tended to avoid. He'd looked at it in the past, and all he saw were prostitution ads – or rather, for 'intimate companions'. While he had no problem with the concept of other people having sex for money, the thought of doing it himself had always made him distinctly uncomfortable. Admittedly, a large part of that was the fact his mother had always told him it was a risk of moving to New York. He really hated proving her right, probably more so than sex work itself.
Today, however, one of the ads wasn't quite worded like that. In fact, he wondered for a moment whether it had been printed in this section by mistake.
CARETAKER WANTED, read the ad. No experience necessary. Must live in.
Maybe he'd been making a mistake by skipping these ads for all this time. 'No experience necessary' was sometimes a bit of a misnomer; you'd call up and they'd start asking you questions about what you'd done that was relevant in the past, and you began to realize that it had just been a buzz phrase to add to their advert. Even so, what kind of experience could a 'caretaker' realistically need?
Besides, 'live in' was pretty promising. As he'd just experienced for the hundredth time with the popcorn-flavored wake-up call, AJ wasn't exactly the easiest housemate. He hadn't been even back when Marcus could still afford rent. He took up a lot of room, he had guests over uninvited, and… well. He watched shit like Terminator 2 late at night. Hanging out with him was not how Marcus had pictured his grand move to the Big Apple, even with his own room included in the deal.
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