by Andrew Grey
“You did the right thing coming here. Don’t doubt that. Mom and Grandma need a chance to talk to you and get to know you.”
“But your mom….”
“She’s tough with a heart of gold.” Foster took his hand. “They know how much I care about you, and they aren’t going to kick you out.”
“I’m willing to work and help,” Javi said.
“I know, and we’re going to need that. It’s harvest time, the busiest part of the year. I can pay you a small amount, and I can include a place to live and food. If I phrase it that way, they’ll back off, and that will provide time for them to get to know you.” At least Foster hoped they’d agree. They had to.
“But what about when there isn’t any work?”
Foster scoffed. “There’s always work. I’m going to enlarge the garden again, and with more help I can make it even bigger. I also want to see about enlarging the herd. If I milk more cows, I can increase my cash flow, but I can’t do any of that without someone to help me.”
“So you want me to stay because you need help?” Javi asked.
“No. I want you to stay because I love you. I was torn apart while you were gone, and I’m so happy you’re back and that you trusted enough in me to come here.” Foster moved forward, his legs thinking for themselves. “I felt so alone without you here.”
“All I did was think about you… too much. That’s why I had to write things down, because if I didn’t I was going to burst with resentment and pain.” Javi met him halfway, their bodies fitting together perfectly. “I needed to get back, but I couldn’t leave my family.” Javi tightened his grip, clinging to Foster, who felt like he was holding Javi on his feet. “But my family left me.” There were tears and pain in Javi’s voice. “I knew you’d care for me.”
“Yes. I’ll care for you as much as you’ll care for me,” Foster whispered.
“But what about your mom and grandmother?”
“I know they’ll come to care for you. Give them time.” Foster knew he, his mother, and grandmother had plenty of talking to do. But Foster was happy, and ultimately that was what would make his mother and grandmother happy. He stroked Javi’s cheek, gazing deep into his amazing dark-chocolate eyes, neither of them moving for a long time.
“Foster, why did we come out here?” Javi asked without breaking their gaze. Just holding each other was a heavenly experience. The tension, worry, and strain of the past few months seemed to melt away, sliding onto the concrete floor and down one of the drains just as easy as running water.
“Because I wanted some time alone with you,” Foster explained, “and I thought we could talk out here without as much pressure. Mom and Grandma will respect our privacy, most of the time, but they’re too curious for that right now.” Foster held Javi’s hand and led him outside and around to the weaning pens where the younger cows learned to separate from their mothers. He leaned on the fencing, and a heifer walked over to him, huge eyes shining in the light from the barn.
“What’s with this one?” The youngster stuck her head as close to Foster as she could.
“Her birth was hard and her mother rejected her, so I bottle-fed her. Now she’s on grass and feed, but she thinks I’m her mother.” Foster couldn’t help petting her head. “She isn’t the first one I’ve done that with, but I was feeling vulnerable, so I didn’t separate as early as I should have. Now I think she’ll be mine forever.”
“Does she have a name?”
Foster blushed and hoped it was dark enough that Javi couldn’t see. “Javita,” he answered.
“You named a cow after me?” Javi said, and Foster couldn’t tell if he was upset or not. Then he laughed. “So it’s okay if I named one of the cockroaches that infested the place in Ohio after you?”
“I don’t know about that.” Now it was Foster’s turn to laugh. “But she is cute and has great eyes like you.” Foster was teasing, and thankfully Javi hugged him. “I came out here a lot while you were gone. It was quiet, and I listened to the cows as they ate and lowed. It was comforting and gave me time to think. But mostly what I did was miss you.”
“There was a dairy herd in one of the fields next to where we were working, and every day I thought of you, wondering what you were doing at that moment. I kept seeing you in everything around me, and it hurt so badly.” Javi kissed him gently at first. But when Foster parted his lips, heat built between them, and Foster slid his hands down Javi’s back, pressing to his firm butt, bringing them as close as possible.
“Foster,” his mother called from the back door. “Is everything all right?”
“Yes.” It would be a lot better if you’d leave me alone.
She closed the door, and Foster chuckled, staying right where he was. It felt too good and right to stop. But they couldn’t stay where they were forever. “Good night, Javita,” Foster said to the cow and turned to Javi. “Let’s go in.” Together they walked hand in hand toward the house.
JAVI WAS still tired, so he went upstairs after saying good night and thanking Foster’s mother for letting him stay. Once he was gone, she and Foster sat at the table for the conversation he was dreading.
“You want him to stay,” she said, and Foster nodded. “I know he’ll help out, and we could use it.”
“Okay…,” Foster said warily.
“And I know how you feel about him.” Her speech was measured, fingers knitted together and hands resting on the table. “I’m not going to stand in your way. I want you to be happy.” She reached out to touch his hand. “I also don’t want you to get hurt, and I wonder what will happen if things between you don’t work out.”
“I know. Me too. But I have to see, and I can’t do that if we send him on his way.” Foster wanted Javi here with him more than he’d ever wanted or needed anything or anyone in his life.
“Then we’ll see how things work out,” she said, then paused. “I want you to understand that I’d have these same reservations if Javi were a girl. I don’t want anyone to hurt my son.”
Foster stood and walked around the table. “That’s the nicest thing I think you could possibly have said, and it’s all I’m asking for.” He wrapped her in his arms from behind. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too,” she added cautiously and turned in her chair. “I expect….” The words trailed off, but her eyes said it all. Foster nodded and turned away. He knew that she was aware of what most likely was going to happen and was making it clear that she didn’t want to hear or see… anything in the night.
Foster left his mother and went upstairs. He wondered if he should peer into Javi’s room, but instead he went to his own, closed the door, and got undressed. He’d said that he’d wait for Javi, but now he wondered if he should go say good night and make sure Javi was okay.
Foster pulled on a pair of shorts, turned the knob, and opened the door to find Javi standing with his hand raised to knock.
“I wasn’t sure…,” Javi said and stepped inside.
“I didn’t want to push you,” Foster said as he closed the door. Javi stepped into his arms, and his doubts all slipped away. Foster tugged Javi’s shirt over his head, stepping back to look at him. He was thinner but no less breathtaking. Foster slipped off his shorts and waited for Javi to do the same. Then he climbed in bed and held the covers open, waiting for Javi to decide what he wanted.
Javi didn’t hesitate. He joined him in half a heartbeat, encircling Foster with his arms, holding him tightly as though he were something precious that had been lost and found again. He realized that was what he was to Javi and what he’d found. Javi had returned, and Foster intended to hold on as tightly as he could for as long as Javi would have him.
“I thought I’d never have this again,” Foster whispered, holding Javi to him, sliding his hands over his smooth skin, avoiding his scars. “I want it all right now.”
“I know. I can’t believe I’m here at this moment with you. I keep thinking it’s an illusion, and I’ll blink and you’ll be gone.�
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Foster rolled on top of Javi, chest to chest, hip to hip, their cocks nestled side by side, and stared down into Javi’s eyes. “This is no illusion or dream. It’s real and I want you forever.” He closed the distance between their lips and started a night of passion that left them sore in all the right places, and hours later, just falling asleep, he held Javi to him and closed his eyes, looking forward to tomorrow.
Epilogue
FOSTER LOVED the spring. It was his favorite time of year. Everything from the pansies in the flowerbeds next to the back door, which his grandmother had already planted, to the livestock seemed to know that winter was over and that it was time for new life and new beginnings. It had also been his father’s favorite time of year, and as Foster walked across the yard to the garden, he thought of his father and hoped he’d be proud of what he’d done and was doing.
“This thing is like riding a bull,” Javi called from where he was tilling up new ground.
“Have you ever ridden a bull?” Foster shouted.
Javi stuck his tongue out before going back to his work. “I won’t need to now.”
“Yee-haw.” Foster waved his hand over his head and watched as Javi laughed.
“You’re supposed to be working, not joking around,” his mother chastised with a slight smile.
“Yes, Mom,” Foster deadpanned and pulled his drawing out of his pocket. “This is my plan for the garden. We’re going to add eggplant, squash, small pumpkins for pie, and cabbage.”
“What about tomatoes?”
“If you want a plant or two, go ahead, but we aren’t going to sell them. I had thought about raspberries or blackberries, but they’re too much trouble and too fragile to take efficiently to market. Do you agree?”
“Yes.”
“Good. We’ll plant in a few weeks, and when Javi is done over there, we’ll spread fresh manure on the garden, till it in, and let the rain do its job. We should be able to plant seeds in a few weeks, with plants to follow.” Foster looked up as his grandmother slowly made her way over using her cane. She’d fallen on ice during the winter and broken her left knee. They replaced it, and she was still strengthening it. Nothing stopped Grandma Katie, but she had slowed down some. “What do you think?”
“I think we’re going to run out of land,” she observed, and Foster smiled. “Not that it’s a bad thing. You’re putting it all to good use.”
The engine on the tiller stopped and quiet surrounded them. “It’s done,” Javi said.
“Looks good,” Grandma Katie said, giving Javi a thumbs-up. Javi and Foster’s mother had had a slow start, but when his grandmother fell and broke her knee, she and Javi had been home alone, and he’d taken such good care of her that his mother had opened her heart to him. Foster had been thrilled—not at the broken-knee part, but that they had bonded. Javi already held his heart in so many ways.
Javi was covered in dirt and dust, but when he joined them, Foster kissed him right there. They were used to it by now. Others in town, well…. They’d had a few problems, but Foster figured it was time for them to put on their big-boy pants because he and Javi were here to stay.
When Foster released him, Javi moved to stand next to Grandma Katie. “Do you need to put your leg up?” Javi asked her.
Grandma Katie patted his hand. “I’m fine for now.”
“Well, we’re going to spread the manure, so you might want to go inside.” The scent would be intense.
“Please, I’ve been around cow shit all my life. Besides, who’s going to make sure you do it right?” She motioned them off, and Foster shook his head, handing his mother his plans. Then he and Javi went to get the wheelbarrows.
It took a good hour of hauling and spreading. Once that part was done, Foster had Javi start tilling it in while he continued hauling. Hard work was something he did all the time, but having Javi working with him made everything easier, even spreading manure.
By the time they were done and the manure was tilled in, Javi looked completely shaken up and ready to drop. “What’s next?” he asked, as though he wasn’t dog tired. That was one of the many things Foster had learned about Javi. He would work as long as there was work to do.
“Put the tiller back in the toolshed, and I’ll take care of the rest of the equipment. Then we can get these boots and gloves off and wash up. I have a surprise for you.” Foster grinned and hurried to put away the equipment. When he was done, Foster headed inside and went into the basement. He got a small cooler and went back upstairs. He washed up quickly and then filled the cooler with Cokes, because Javi loved them, and added ice from the freezer.
Javi met him out by the truck. Foster put the cooler inside, then they got in and pulled out of the drive.
“Where are we going?” Javi asked.
“You’ll know in a few minutes.” Foster made the turn and then started up the hill. They hadn’t been up here since Javi returned. In the fall there was too much to do and then the snow had come, making climbing the hill impossible. But it was spring now, and he’d been aching to bring Javi here again.
They reached the top, and Foster parked. The wind was soft as it swirled around them, filled with warmth and promise. Foster grabbed the cooler and the blankets he’d stuffed behind the seat earlier in the day. He spread the blankets on the tailgate and motioned for Javi to hop up, putting the cooler behind them.
“Why here?” Javi asked, sitting next to Foster.
“This is a special spot, our spot. This is where I held you in my arms and you told me about yourself. Remember?” Javi nodded, and Foster slid back and then forward, sliding his legs around Javi, holding him. “Do you remember what you said then?”
“Not really,” Javi answered.
“We stood like this with my arms around you, and I asked what your dreams were,” Foster whispered.
Javi slid off the tailgate and turned, pushing Foster back as he kissed him. “I remember now.” Javi tugged at Foster’s shirt, undoing the buttons and parting the fabric, stroking his chest while Foster groaned. He always loved being touched by Javi, who slid his hands down Foster’s chest to his belly and kept going, opening his pants and pulling them down his legs.
“I wasn’t expecting this….”
“I know. But if this spot is special, I want to make it extra special.” Javi shucked his own clothes and pulled off Foster’s shoes, then dropped his pants to the ground.
“Isn’t it too cold?”
Javi climbed on top of him, and Foster wound his legs around Javi’s waist. “You’re always warm to me.” Javi spit and wet himself before slowly sliding into Foster’s body.
Foster groaned loud and long, making more noise than they dared at home.
“Scream for me. Let your shouts of love and ecstasy right out everywhere.”
Foster didn’t hold back, keening when Javi rubbed the spot inside, riding the waves of the heated stretch, enjoying the zing of pleasure and the warmth of Javi on top of him. Nothing ever compared to this—them together, alone, in a way only they were and ever would be.
The truck rocked with Javi’s motions, and Foster groaned, wanting more, needing all Javi had to give him. “I feel you.”
“Me too.” Javi leaned forward and kissed the very center of Foster’s chest. “I always feel you. When we’re working I feel you, when we sleep, you’re still there, and when we make love, I burn for you and only you.” Foster was on the edge within seconds and climaxed right along with Javi seconds later with Javi in complete and wonderful control of his pleasure and body.
Neither of them moved until the haze of passion wore off and the lines on the truck bed dug into Foster’s back. Javi backed away and stood, huffing heavily, watching him with half-lidded eyes.
“Wow,” Foster murmured softly. “You were….”
“Too strong?” Javi asked.
“I was going to say amazing, memorable, awesome, and an animal, but those barely scratch the surface,” Foster said with a satiated grin. The breeze pic
ked up, and Foster shivered slightly. Javi picked up his clothes, and Foster placed them behind him, pulling one of the blankets up. Javi added his clothes to the pile in the truck and sat down. Foster spread a blanket over both of them, leaning in to kiss Javi, enjoying the quiet time with the man he loved more than anything.
“That day I brought you here, I asked you what your dreams were, remember?” Foster had never forgotten that day and Javi’s answer. It was what he strove every day to change.
“I do.” Javi leaned against him, finding Foster’s hand under the blanket. “And I still don’t have dreams. I allowed myself one, and it came true.” Javi leaned close. “So I decided to take life as it comes and not press my luck.”
“And what dream was that?” Foster asked, catching the hitch in his own voice.
“You.”
More by Andrew Grey
For years, Clayton Potter’s been friends and workout partners with Ronnie. Though Clay is attracted, he’s never come on to Ronnie because, let’s face it, Ronnie only dates women.
When Clay’s father suffers a heart attack, Ronnie, having recently lost his dad, springs into action, driving Clay to the hospital over a hundred miles away. To stay close to Clay’s father, the men share a hotel room near the hospital, but after an emotional day, one thing leads to another, and straight-as-an-arrow Ronnie make a proposal that knocks Clay’s socks off! Just a little something to take the edge off.
Clay responds in a way he’s never considered. After an amazing night together, Clay expects Ronnie to ignore what happened between them and go back to his old life. Ronnie surprises him and seems interested in additional exploration. Though they’re friends, Clay suddenly finds it hard to accept the new Ronnie and suspects that Ronnie will return to his old ways. Maybe they both have a thing or two to learn.
Carlisle Cops: Book Three
