by Ardy Kelly
He offered multiple suggestions for the living room, kitchen, and Chet’s bedroom. Standing at the final room, he asked, “What do you plan to do with this?”
Chet crossed his arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “It’s the babies’ room.” He walked inside as David stared blankly. “No decorating ideas for in here?”
David lifted his sleeve to check his watch. “Wow. Look at the time. I should get back to town.” He began stuffing the empty food containers inside his bag.
Chet grabbed David’s arm. “What’s wrong?”
“This isn’t weird to you?” Chet had the gall to look bewildered by David’s outburst. “It’s not normal to build a house for a guy you haven’t met yet. Especially one with a nursery.”
“I’m not a normal guy.”
“But I am,” David replied. “At least I was until I found out I was pregnant.”
Chet let go of his arm. “Is that what’s bothering you?”
“Why would any of this bother me? A happy home. A handsome husband. Oh yeah, then there’s the baby.” He dropped cross-legged on the floor, holding his head in his hands. “It’s just…overwhelming. The last thing I thought we would be doing tonight is discussing how to furnish a baby’s room.”
Chet knelt beside him. “I get it. No more talking.” Cupping David’s head with his palms, he gave him a gentle kiss.
Sitting on the bare plywood floor in a construction zone wasn’t the best place for a first kiss. David’s panic attack hadn’t made this the best time, either. But however much the time and place lacked in romance, it didn’t diminish the magic of the moment.
After lifting him from the floor, Chet deepened their kiss.
At first hesitant, David kept his eyes open to prevent falling into the dark place Dominic had led him. The view was only one blurry eyelid and eyebrow, but it felt safer than surrendering his vision.
There was no dominance or possession in Chet’s kiss. It was slow and sensual rather than fast and hard. Instead of pushing, the sheriff simply savored the moment, allowing David to relax in his arms.
Chet’s reassuring manner had an effect. David’s eyelids fluttered close, losing himself in the moment.
When the sheriff came up for air, David dropped his head back. Chet lowered his lips, unknowingly brushing his five o’clock shadow against the omega neck gland. A sensation of pleasure pulsed through David, and he moaned.
“I think you like that,” Chet said as he brushed against it again.
“I…I don’t know why…but it feels really good.”
David felt a tongue flick across his neck, and then…he was standing alone.
In a garbled cry, Chet asked, “What are you wearing?” He ran to the sink, dropping his head under the spigot and lapping at the water.
David rubbed his fingers where his neck still tingled. “It might be the cayenne pepper. Sorry about that.”
“Any other hot spots on your body I should know about?”
“My wrists.”
Chet turned off the water and wiped his mouth on his shirt sleeve. “How about we move to the shower.”
“We?”
“I think getting you clean is a two-man job.”
“I’m not sure my heart can stand watching you get naked twice in one day.” David blushed when Chet raised an eyebrow. Gotta watch the wisecracks.
Expecting a cramped, unfinished bathroom, David gasped after passing the doorway. “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”
A garden lay before him. There were plants everywhere. Ferns hung from the white clapboard ceiling, orchids in a rainbow of colors perched on counters, and a living wall of vibrant green moss grew opposite the shower.
Past a line of lilies, a bougainvillea’s arch of brilliant purple flowers framed a passageway.
The short corridor was covered in mosaic tiles. The floor looked like a lush carpet of green grass, and the walls gave the illusion of walking through a rain forest. The detail was incredible, down to the small creatures peeking out from behind the thick growth.
David ran his fingers along the wall. “Did you do this? Is this the garden of Eden?”
Chet appeared pensive, as if waiting for a sign of approval. “I guess you could call it that.”
“You’re in the wrong line of work. You are an artist.”
Beyond the passage lay a greenhouse. A large soaking tub sat in the middle of the room, ivy winding around the outside. Palm and fichus trees grazed the glass ceiling. A fragrant lemon tree filled a corner, heavy with fruit.
The floor continued the mosaic theme, with images of a cerulean-blue pond surrounded by knolls of emerald-green lawn.
Tall bamboo grew around the perimeter, acting as a privacy screen from the neighbors. Not that there were any neighbors.
David stared, dumbfounded. “Am I in the same house?”
Chet nodded. “This is the one room I knew what I wanted. And I had a lot of time on my hands over the last two years.”
“You grew all this?”
Chet plucked the wilted leaf off a bromeliad. “I’ve always been good with plants.”
“Good? You built a tropical garden in the Sierras. This puts the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park to shame.”
“You’ve been there? I’ve always wanted to go.”
“Next time you’re in the city, I’ll take you. It will be a disappointment after this.” David circled the room. “It must get cold in the winter.”
“There’s a hot spring on the property. I tap into it to heat the house. And to wash with.” He gestured back to the shower, grabbing two towels from a repurposed wine rack.
The tiled corner was simply an open area with multiple showerheads surrounded by drains in the floor. Large as it was, the majority of the space was taken up by plants. As Chet slid several of the largest ones out of the way, David turned and began undressing.
Folding each piece of clothing as he removed it, he snuck a peek of himself in the mirror over the sink. Did my stomach always look like this or can I see the baby bump already?
Pushing the thought aside, he turned his gaze to the room.
Unlike the greenhouse portion, this area was all white tile laid in a herringbone pattern. Rather than giving the feel of a rest stop lavatory, it was the perfect background to display the lush plant life, turning the room into a human-sized terrarium.
The hissing of water rushing from a showerhead caused him to look over his shoulder. Chet was already naked, testing the temperature.
This guy waited two years for me?
As he hurriedly removed the rest of his clothes, he caught Chet scanning his body with enough intensity to make David shiver.
Chet’s voice rumbled deliciously in the tiled room. “Come on in. The water’s fine.”
David stepped past peace lilies and the largest monstera plant he ever saw. Once under the showerhead, Chet’s soapy hands quickly lathered up his neck.
Fingers gently teased the sensitive spot under his ear, and David held back a moan.
“You don’t have to bathe me,” David mumbled.
“Afraid I do. You’re under my protective custody tonight. This is strictly procedure.”
“Good to know I’m not getting special treatment.”
“I plan on giving you very special treatment.”
He pressed David’s back against the wall. As they kissed, he pushed a thigh between David’s legs, grazing his cock and pinning him in place. “Don’t move,” he said while purposely teasing the growing erection with the rocking of his thigh.
He soaped David’s lean chest before working down his arms. “You’re hairless up here. I didn’t expect a wolf with a smooth chest.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be. I like it.” Pausing at the wrists, Chet gave extra attention to the herb stains there.
He pulled him under the largest showerhead while sliding their soap-covered bodies together. “Close your eyes.”
David followed the quiet order, letting the
man massage shampoo into his hair. He moaned from the unexpected sensuality of it. Chet guided the rinse water down his back before his hands moved lower on David’s body.
“This is a pretty big dick for a skinny guy like you. Is it a wolf thing?”
“I can’t say,” David replied. “I’ve only slept with one.”
Using soap as a lubricant, Chet began stroking David’s growing erection. “I may gag a little. It’s been awhile since I’ve had one of these in my mouth.”
David grabbed hold of Chet before he could bend down. “You better not. I haven’t been tested since the weekend. I’m not sure if I got anything other than pregnant.”
“From what I know about shifters, they’re immune to most human diseases. I’d be more worried about getting fleas than anything else. But we’ll play safe tonight.”
However, the memory of last weekend had broken the mood. Sex with Dominic was strictly about sating a hunger. Devoid of sensuality, it felt wrong. Dirty. And the most frightening part was that he had been unable to stop.
Yet, for all David’s internal struggle, his cock was growing in Chet’s hand.
As if reading his mind, Chet whispered, “There’s no pressure. We won’t do anything you don’t want.” Chet continued slowly stroking as he pressed closer.
David’s legs wobbled, and he leaned against the shower wall for support. Looking up, he was drawn into Chet’s intense gaze. Regrets of the past and worries for the future drifted from his mind.
He focused purely on Chet. All of Chet. Taking the sheriff’s face in his hands, he kissed him. Slowly. Deeply.
Their bodies molded together, soapy and slick, as David whispered in Chet’s ear, “My turn.”
He lathered his hands and spread the soap across the man’s delectable chest. Reading his responses, he gave extra attention to Chet’s nipples before moving on to his crotch.
Cupping his balls in one hand, he lightly squeezed and stretched the sack while gliding his fingertips along the bottom of Chet’s cock. He watched as the veins bulged when the shaft quickly hardened. Remembering a condom ad, he laughed. Ribbed for my pleasure.
“Damn,” Chet whispered. His voice was barely audible over the stream of water from multiple showerheads. “Keep that up and I’m not going to last much longer.”
David gripped him harder. “I’m all about water conservation.”
Chet pushed David flush against the tiled wall. Reaching down, he grabbed both their cocks in his hand, pressing the sensitive undersides together.
David rocked his hips, thrusting his cock against both Chet’s shaft and fist.
Chet gripped tighter, synchronizing his humping to David’s thrusts. He didn’t need to move his hand. David’s pile-driving cock was giving him all the friction he needed.
David rode the edge of his control. He stared into Chet’s eyes, taking strength from his unwavering attention.
“I think…” David stammered. “…I’m going to cum.”
“Not without me.”
David’s senses reached overload. The warmth of the water, the pressure of Chet’s body against his, the death grip on his cock, and Chet’s mouth claiming him short-circuited the concerns about anything but this moment.
“You’ve ruined me for solo showers,” David confessed.
“That’s my hope.”
Earlier tonight, the words would have added to David’s stress. Now they felt reassuring.
“I’m close,” Chet whispered.
“Me too.” The words started a chain reaction, as the couple went over the edge together.
They held onto each other for a minute longer before David found his bearing. Backing Chet against the tile, he soaped everywhere their cum had landed.
Chet smiled, languidly. “How do you feel?”
“I don’t feel dirty,” David replied, wondering whether Chet would catch his meaning.
Chapter 7
Sunlight streaming through the curtainless window woke David. It took a second to recall how he ended up in the strange bed.
He sat up slowly, testing his morning queasiness, and found Ricky’s treatment was still working.
Throwing on his clothes, he snuck a peek out the window. Chet stood in a clearing twenty yards or so from the house.
David was disappointed the sheriff was already dressed for work. He would have enjoyed watching that.
When he moved to the kitchen, a pot of coffee, a cup, sugar, and milk waited for him. A note read, “Not sure (yet) how you like your coffee.”
Glad I still have a few surprises left.
While sipping from the cup, he studied Chet’s all-knowing vortex. It was deceptively plain at first glance. Nothing more than a clearing in the woods. But the rocks that sprouted up from the ground were arranged in concentric circles, too perfectly placed to be natural. They were nothing as large or elaborate as Stonehenge, but they appeared to have weathered several centuries at the site.
Like a statue, Chet stood in the center with his eyes closed and his body motionless. The air shimmered around him as if the earth was radiating heat, despite the cool morning.
“Optical illusion,” he decided.
David turned his back to the scene, feeling like a snoop. In the light of day, the front windows displayed fantastic views, making the interior look even drabber. “He couldn’t really have been waiting for me,” he muttered. The bathroom was so perfectly over the top it proved Chet wasn’t at a loss for ideas.
Thanks to his vortex, Chet believed they were a couple even before they met. He wondered how long it would be before the idolized version of David collided with the disappointing reality.
Convenient as it would be to trust in Chet’s mirage they were an instant family, he couldn’t trust his future to someone else’s fantasy. He wouldn’t risk ending up a single parent, tied to Lone Wolves Ranch, because a hot sheriff had a screw loose.
He needed some time to get the facts, to weigh the pros and cons, and then decide if he wanted to raise this child.
There were two obstacles: Chet’s steadfast belief in their destiny, and David’s disbelief he was even pregnant.
He needed some time alone.
“Good morning.” Chet’s voice boomed in the empty room, almost causing David to spill his coffee.
He turned. “Good morning. Any new gossip?”
Chet laughed. “Nothing about you. But I will have to go out of town tomorrow for a day or two.”
David felt an odd tug. Having just decided he needed alone time, he felt jealous the man was leaving. “Watcher business?”
Chet nodded. “Nothing dangerous.” He busied himself in the kitchen, turning off the coffeemaker and putting the milk away. “I hate to rush you, but I have to get to work. Do you want me to drop you off at the ranch or in town?”
“I’d better go to town. I don’t want to get stuck anywhere without my car.”
Kissing David on the cheek, he grabbed his coffee cup. “Let’s go.”
David worried that there might be awkward silences on the drive to town, but Chet was too talkative for any lags in conversation. The man was a morning person, unlike David.
He listened attentively until the word “we” crept into the conversation. At first thinking we was Chet and the vortex, it soon became clear he was talking about the two of them.
“We’ll have to make the backyard baby-safe. We don’t want the kids wandering off.”
It was going to be a long ride.
“I wish I wasn’t going away right now,” the sheriff said. “We need to start making decisions about the house. Do you want to shop for appliances while I’m out of town? If you don’t want an electric stove, we can get a propane tank. And we better order the kitchen cabinets as soon as possible.”
David nodded while half-listening, letting the drone of the words calm him instead of the questions frighten him.
“And you never answered me about the kitchen flooring.”
David needed to tell him that he wanted
to go slow. No, not slow. Normal speed. Is this how small-town gays are? Ready to rent a U-Haul after the first date? Second date, he reminded himself.
“David?”
He whipped his head toward Chet, forcing a smile. “What?”
“I asked if you remember where Mabel’s Café is.” When David nodded, Chet said, “Great. Meet me there for lunch.”
Another date. Yesterday, he was single and only human. Now he was pregnant, with the sheriff of Timber Crossing ready to pop the question. Get me out of here.
“I can’t,” David blurted out. “Diana and Troy are coming to town.”
“Bring them along. It’s time I met your sister with her clothes on.”
David laughed nervously, grateful they were pulling up to the Welcome Inn. “Thanks for the ride.” He threw his door open, attempting to make a run for it. Unfortunately, he had forgotten about the seat belt.
“Whoa there,” Chet said. “Are you okay?” He pressed the release button on the belt.
David shook his head. If Chet wanted to assume it was morning sickness, he wasn’t going to take the time to explain. He gave a hurried wave and made a beeline to the house.
The smell of coffee greeted him when he entered the Welcome Inn. A few guests in the dining room nodded their greeting.
Trisha held a basket of freshly baked muffins. “Would you like an omelet?”
His first impulse was to decline, until he remembered how long it had been since he was able to enjoy eating. “May I steal a muffin to take back to my room?”
“Help yourself,” she replied.
It was still warm, and he savored every bite before calling his sister.
“You won’t believe what happened after you left,” she said. “Our parents got along.”
“Really?”
“Remember when we found out about sex, and I said, ‘Mother would never do anything like that.’? Well, now I’m starting to suspect she might.”
“Let’s hope Joshua doesn’t get an aunt or uncle who’s younger than him.”
“Don’t even joke about it. But we should talk about his future cousin.”
