The Ties That Bind

by J. L. Langley, Jet Mykles, Jet Mykles

  "What was that for?"

  "What was what for?"

  Mark took a swig from his bottle. “That grimace?"

  "Nothing.” No way was he telling Mark what he suspected, Mark would be trying to set him up with Tracy. Evan had been on too many of Mark's blind dates not to know a disaster waiting to happen.

  "Hey, whatda ya think of the cowboy over there in the gray hat?"

  Mark scoffed. “Which one of the fifty in here are you referring to?"

  Evan elbowed him in the ribs. “To your left about four barstools down, smart ass."

  "Eh. He's okay. I wouldn't do him, but—"

  Evan elbowed his friend again, trying not to smile. “What do you know about him?"

  Mark chuckled. “Well, if I were a betting man—"

  "You are. What do you know?"

  "Well, I'd be willing to bet he's gay or at the very least open to the possibility."

  Damn. How did he do that? More to the point, how the hell could he be so sure? “Quit being an ass, you can't know that by just a glance."

  Mark shrugged and took a swig from his longneck. “I'm not being a smart ass. I have no clue who he is but I've seen him before and the way he watches you when you aren't looki—"

  "What? He watches me?” Evan leaned forward past Mark's shoulder to peek at the man in question. He was staring off toward the band. “You're so full of it.” Mark had to be shitting him. Wasn't he? Hell, maybe Evan should go talk to the guy. Oh what was he thinking, Mark was fucking with him.

  "Would I do that?” Mark asked, feigning innocence.

  "Yes."

  Laughing, Mark shook his head. “Get out of here, go by the bar I told you about. I'll find my way back to the motel before tomorrow."

  Evan cocked a brow. “Oh?” He surveyed the bar, trying to find the source of his friend's good mood. Not that Mark wasn't cool, he was, but still ... The man must be planning on going home with some cowgirl.

  "Doreen."

  Evan's gaze shot back to Mark. “Yeah? Ya'll are back together?"

  "For tonight anyway.” Mark wrinkled his brow, staring at the floor. “Not sure how I feel about that, actually. I don't think I want anything permanent. Doreen's fun and all, but..."

  But when they'd dated before, she was as carefree and easygoing as Mark. Mark needed someone to take him by the reins and give him focus. The man was all over the place. He needed a strong hand, someone to ground him. He needed stability. Doreen wasn't that person, she needed to be taken care of as much as Mark did. Lord knew Evan tried to take care of the man, but it was damned near a full time job, and Evan couldn't do it full time. Mark and his scheming plumb wore Evan out. He slapped Mark on the arm.

  Mark snapped out of his daze. “Get out of here.” He shoved Evan toward the door.

  Evan glanced back at tall, dark and handsome one last time. If he couldn't have that, he might as well take what he could get. He held up his arms in surrender. “Okay, I'm gone. Have fun."

  It looked like every country and western bar Evan had ever been in. It smelled the same too, like cigarette smoke, beer and sawdust. The band was decent, although a bit loud. They were playing an old Alabama song at the moment. It was easy to see how those bull riders would've come in and sat down before noticing there were no women. No, that wasn't true. Evan noticed right away that there were only men on the dance floor, but maybe he was looking for it. It could probably be overlooked if one were headed straight for the bar. The bar ran perpendicular to the doorway and was the first thing you noticed upon entry. Not to mention the place was dark and cloudy with smoke. Although the name of the bar, The Neon Rainbow, should have been a dead giveaway. Then again, he supposed an Alan Jackson fan wouldn't think much of the name, since Alan had a song called Chasing that Neon Rainbow.

  Evan sauntered in and took a seat at the big, dominating wood bar. If it weren't for the assortment of neon signs around the mirror behind the bar, the place would've brought to mind an old saloon.

  "What'll it be?” The bartender wiped down the bar in front of Evan.

  "Bud Light."

  The man dipped his head and walked off down to the end of the bar. He bent over and came up with a longneck. As he headed back, Evan pulled the billfold out of his back pocket.

  "Five dollars.” The bartender twisted off the cap and slid the beer across the smooth dark surface right to Evan.

  "Thank you.” Evan tossed a five down on the bar and put his wallet up.

  The bartender took the money and stepped away, already talking to another patron.

  Evan snagged his beer and turned on his barstool, surveying the crowd. Two big ole rough-looking cowboys two-stepped their way past and Evan grinned. He could just imagine Benson and his group of friends sitting down, ordering a drink then turning to find a very similar sight to the one Evan was now watching. Oh, to have seen the look on their faces ... Evan took a drink, still smiling. He got a vision of them looking like cartoon characters with their eyes popping out of their heads and chuckled.

  The back corners of the room were pretty dark. A short, stocky cowboy pulled another tall man toward the back wall. Hmm, there looked to be back room, well not actually back, more like a side. It was across the dance floor on the other side of the bar. The two men he just saw disappeared behind a black curtain. Evan had heard about them, but he'd never been in one before. Most the bars he went to were pretty much just a place to drink and meet people. If couples wanted to get to know one another better, they usually went to the restroom, although Evan had been in a few places where people didn't even bother trying to make it that far. He'd always been too picky. Anonymous sex wasn't his thing. He took a long pull from his bottle as he watched another couple, who were hanging all over one another, practically fall into the room.

  Damn, that was kinda hot, maybe he'd had more beers at the other bar than he'd thought. Evan shook his head and drank down the rest of his beer. He'd been too long with nothing but his hand if he was thinking sex with a stranger was appealing.

  Turning back to the bar to set his empty bottle down, Evan caught a glimpse of gray and green in the mirror. His gaze locked with the reflection's. Did the guy wink at him? Gray hat and green shirt. Evan dropped the bottle and whipped his head around so fast his neck popped. Ack. He stretched his head side-to-side as he searched the crowd. The bottle continued to clatter behind him on top of the bar then stopped. Evan heard someone say “whoa, buddy” but his attention centered on the vision at the edge of the dance floor.

  The tall man in a green shirt and gray hat had turned around and was walking away.

  Hot damn. It was the same man, Evan would recognize that frame anywhere. He'd been lusting after it for months now. A pang of excitement shot through him at the prospect of his cowboy showing up here and what it meant. If he wasn't gay, then why else would he be here? Had he followed Evan?

  Evan stood and hurried after him.

  The gray felt drifted away, barely visible over a sea of darker hats, then it disappeared altogether into the crowd on the dance floor. Where did he go?

  A knot formed in Evan's stomach. He couldn't lose the guy ... not now. Making his way across the dance floor, he dodged couples left and right. When he made it to the edge of the sawdust-covered wood planks he searched the tables.

  In the corner booth, two guys were making out, both were bare-headed. There were a couple of men standing around a table but all of them had on dark hats. A man in a gray hat sat at the table next to that one, but it wasn't his cowboy, the guy was wearing a denim shirt. Another light-colored hat, Evan couldn't tell if it was white or gray because it was under the blue neon bathroom sign. Even from that distance Evan could tell it wasn't who he was looking for anyway. Tall, dark and handsome was nowhere in sight. Where could he have gone? The restrooms were the opposite direction from which the man headed. Did that mean ... Evan glanced toward the black curtain. It was still swaying back and forth.

  The unease of seconds ago grew into a tickle
way down deep in Evan's belly. He was certain the man had winked at him. Which meant he'd come here to find Evan, didn't it? Evan's prick began to fill, well on its way to hard. God, he'd had a hankering to get himself a piece of that man since he's laid eyes on him a few months ago in Dallas.

  No time like the present. Evan headed toward the back room, his chest getting tight with anticipation. If he were completely honest with himself, he was a little nervous too. He'd never done this before. But if his cowboy were in there waiting for him ... He hesitated just a few seconds, then pushed through the heavy black material.

  The smell of sweat and sex hit him before he let the curtain fall closed behind him. The sound of skin slapping against skin wafted up over the sound of the band. In the dim light he could make out bodies writhing together, some against the walls of the narrow, long room, others in the middle of the floor.

  Evan stepped around a couple just inside the door, screwing against the wall, and made his way through the narrow room, trying not to look as shocked as he felt. This was the stuff he fantasized about, but he'd never had the guts to do anything like it. He was just a small town boy. Grunt and groans filled the narrow space. Evan stepped over the feet of a guy who knelt on his knees giving a blow job, and walked deeper into the room. It was dark, with only a single dim red-colored bulb near where he'd entered. Evan was having a harder time seeing the farther back he went. On the other hand, there weren't many light-colored hats, most men seemed to prefer black, like Evan's Resistol.

  Spotting a pale shape, Evan stopped and squinted. The man leaned against the wall, stroking himself, watching the couple next to him. Turning his head he caught Evan's gaze. He grinned and dipped his chin. It wasn't the right man.

  Shaking his head, Evan averted his attention toward the other wall. Thank god, it was dim in here ‘cause he knew, sure as shit, he was blushing. He was hard as a fucking rock too.

  Where are you? Evan started walking again, trying not to make eye contact. He was in here to find one man in particular. If he didn't find him ... well, he might stay and watch the goings on, but he was dead set on locating his mystery man. After all the nights of fantasizing about the man as he jerked off, Evan was determined to at least talk to the guy tonight.

  Searching back to his left, Evan spotted another pale-colored hat. It appeared to be hanging on the wall. The men next to it were ripping at one another's clothes. Was that a green shirt, that guy just unsnapped? Evan squinted, stepping a little closer. His foot caught on something, a boot from the looks of it, and he pitched forward.

  An arm wrapped around his waist and a warm, hard body pressed up against Evan's back, keeping him from falling.

  Evan gasped and grabbed the muscled forearm looped around him.

  "Looking for something, cowboy?” A soft, deep voice purred into his ear.

  Evan shivered as the hot breath caressed his cheek.

  The man started walking them toward the wall as his hand snaked down, pressing Evan's hips back against him. He moved forward, nestling his front to Evan's ass. There was no mistaking the hard prick touching Evan.

  "I'm looking for someone.” Evan whispered and glanced down to see if he could make out the color of the man's shirt under the red light. He couldn't. Turning his head, he tried to glance over his shoulder, but the man's head was too close, all he saw was the couple kissing next to them.

  "I'd say you found him.” The gruff voice rasped into Evan's ear making his cock throb. Damn, that voice. Not much of a drawl, but it was deep and sexy. He sounded like Josh Turner. God, Evan loved the country singer's voice. How many times had he jerked off to Josh's Your Man?

  He maneuvered Evan up next to a wall. “Put your hands on the wall."

  Evan hesitated. What if it wasn't his cowboy?

  The man nipped Evan's neck, hard enough that the pressure shot right through his body leaving goosebumps in its wake. “Put your hands on the wall.” He said again in reprimand.

  Oh god, Evan loved a commanding, confident man. His cock jerked and his stomach tensed. His body got all shivery.

  The warm whisper of breath touched Evan's cheek, then his companion bent and kissed the skin of Evan's neck, exposed above the collar of his Texas flag shirt. Their hats hit and Evan's fell from his head. He reached for it, but his savior caught it first and held it up toward the wall.

  There was a peg about a foot over their heads to the left of them. Evan stared as his hat came to rest on the peg. Nifty. It made sense, this was a western bar and cowboy hats did tend to get in the way.

  Before Evan could drop his outstretched hand, his wrist was seized in a strong, warm, palm. His other wrist soon joined it, then both were pushed above his head against the smooth cool wall.

  A light-colored hat brim appeared out of the corner of Evan's eye as the man licked up the side of his face from his jawbone to his cheekbone. “Be still, Tex.” He pressed his hips against Evan's ass again, mashing Evan's own throbbing prick into the wall.

  The pressure on his cock felt good. Evan groaned and pushed backwards a little. He straightened his arms so he could press further back against his companion, letting the man's warmth sink into him, feeling the hard prick against his ass cheek. It was like a branding iron garnering all of Evan's attention. It felt huge. Evan groaned and rocked back.

  "Mmm ... You like that?” The man reached around and squeezed Evan's cock through his jeans.

  Evan gasped and thrust into the touch. His dick twitched, begging for attention. The sounds and smells of sex surrounded them, adding to the excitement. Evan was too caught up in the feel of his cowboy touching him to speak. He should ask the man's name, find out why he hadn't approached Evan before. Maybe Mark was right and he'd been watching Evan. At least Evan hoped it was his cowboy. At this point it didn't really matter, he was too far gone to care. His balls were so tight, he wanted to come ... needed it.

  The hand left his prick and fumbled with his belt. The heavy buckle jangled free, hitting Evan's hip, and the nimble fingers started working on his pants. He should help, but his wrists were still caught and held against the wall. He was certain could get away if he wanted to, the grip wasn't that tight, but he didn't want to. The need for someone else to take charge for a change was overwhelming.

  The warm hand wormed into his briefs and wrapped around his cock. “So fucking hard.” The thumb swiped over the head, smearing precome Evan hadn't even known was there. “Tell me you want it.” The sexy voice rumbled in his ear.

  Evan nodded dipping his head back and let it fall on the other man's shoulder. He stared up at a pale, felt cowboy hat brim and a dark chin. “Yes.” He'd never had a lover take over so completely, it was exciting. Somehow he'd known his mystery man would just sweep him away and take what he wanted, what they both wanted.

  His cowboy released his hands and let go of his prick. He pushed Evan's pants and underwear down over his hips. “Spread your legs to keep your jeans from falling all the way down. The Great Spirit only knows what's on this floor."

  Evan spread his thighs and reached for his throbbing cock as he heard the clink of a belt buckle and rustle of clothes.

  "I didn't say you could move your hands, Tex.” The sound of something—a condom wrapper?—being torn came from behind Evan. Then his cowboy's breath danced across his cheek and his hat brim once again appeared in Evan's line of sight. “Put them back on the wall."

  Evan shivered and his balls drew tighter at the smooth, cocky voice. It was a difficult command to obey with his prick already dripping. The room was fairly warm, but the air felt cool on his heated skin, more so where precome had trickled from the tip and down his shaft. The hairs on Evan's legs stood out and a tremble raced up his spine. He slapped his palms against the wall. “Hurry."

  "Mmm ... That's a good boy."

  Something wet slid up Evan's crease to find his hole. It was small like a finger.

  "Relax."

  As Evan let out the breath he was holding the finger slipped in. It didn'
t hurt, but it had been awhile since he'd done this.

  Cowboy pulled his finger free, then his hand appeared and tapped at Evan's lips. “Get them wet.” He pushed two long fingers into Evan's mouth.

  Evan's eyes widened, but he sucked both fingers, getting them good and wet. It was such a primal act. The taste was tangy, not what he'd expected. Evan's cock jerked again. Damn, he was so hard. He moaned around the fingers, wishing like hell his cowboy would grab his cock again.

  Pulling his fingers from Evan's lips, the taller man grabbed his hip with the other hand. His wet finger tips trailed across Evan's ass before pushing against his hole. When they slid in, Evan groaned and moved back toward them, his body on fire. Fuck, that feels good.

  "That's it, move with me."

  Sweat dotted Evan's forehead, he squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on the feel of those long fingers in his ass. His cock bobbed up and down as he moved.

  His cowboy moaned in his ear and pulled his fingers free. The tip of the cowboy's cock touched him, sliding up and down the crack of his ass. When it found his hole, it pushed slowly and steadily inside.

  Evan's breath hitched. The slight stinging feel he expected was way more intense than he'd anticipated, but not enough to make his erection flag. His companion was freaking huge.

  "Breathe, Evan.” An arm wrapped around Evan's chest, rubbing softly. That sexy-as-sin voice crooned to him, telling him to relax and how hot he was. Then his cowboy's free hand wrapped around his prick and squeezed. Denim touched Evan's bare ass and his lover stilled. He licked up Evan's neck to his jaw. The pinch of pain receded as tall, dark and handsome worked Evan's cock with one hand and slipped his other down Evan's chest to his hip.

  The tingly feeling intensified in Evan's ass and his cock jerked against the palm holding it. Pleasure coiled tight in his balls. Damn, he couldn't believe he was doing this.

  "Ready?"

  "Oh, hell yes.” He pushed back.

  A groan flooded his ear then his partner started moving, thrusting hard and fast.