“I sure do.” The man lifted his hands out, warming them by the fire.
Everett gave him a moment, but when he didn’t say anything else, Everett asked, “Well?”
“What?”
“Your name.”
“Dalton. Dalton Hicks.”
“How’d you get here, Mr. Hicks?”
“Call me Dalton.”
“Dalton it is.” Again, Everett gave pause, waiting for the man to answer the question, but he just stayed there, balanced on the balls of his feet, warming himself by the fire. It took all Everett’s will not to stare at how the man’s flaccid cock dangled between his spread knees. Now that he was clean, Everett realized his pubic hair was the same deep brown as the hair on his head.
Moreover, he noticed his cock, even soft, was well formed and thick, and much bigger than Everett had assessed through all that dust. Why, if the man had been lying down with someone, they hadn’t tossed him for lacking in that area. Not from what Everett could see.
When he forcefully drew his gaze up to the man’s face, and saw a smirking grin, Everett realized that the man knew he’d been looking at his privates. Funny thing was, he didn’t seem upset by Everett’s interest. If anything, he seemed welcoming. But damned if that inner voice didn’t start up with the cautions again. Remember that feller back in San Antonio who seemed all smiles and welcomes? Everett did. He had a good-sized scar on the underside of his chin to remind him that sometimes men smiled to bare their teeth, not to indicate happiness.
“How did you get here?” Everett repeated the question, hoping this time Dalton would answer. Perversely, now that he had company, he was missing his solitude. Having to say everything twice would grow tiresome mighty fast. Moreover, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was imposing on the man. As crazy as it seemed, Everett wanted to gather up the animals and get going before he found out anything about this stranger. By the same measure, he felt another force holding him close. Push and pull battled his frayed nerves.
“How’d you get here?” Dalton returned the question with a smile that caused Everett’s breath to catch.
Pointedly, Everett looked over at the wagon then to the animals tethered by the water. The man didn’t seemed to be addled, but maybe looks were deceiving.
“Obviously I got here on that wagon.” Everett cast his attention around the sheltered area they shared. “Did your horse throw you?” It seemed as good an explanation as any for how the man had ended up knocked out cold on the ground. Course, that scenario didn’t explain his missing clothes. Everett had seen a lot of bucked men, but never one tossed right out of his duds.
“Nope.” Dalton grinned at him.
Sick of waiting for the man to speak further, Everett grumbled, “Not much of a talker, are you?”
“Nope.” Dalton’s grin deepened, flattening his curiously perfect lips against his even more perfect teeth.
Damn if he didn’t look like some kind of devil with his hair slicked back and flames dancing in his eyes. Didn’t help Everett’s concentration none that the man was naked. Distracted again by his cock, which had started to lengthen with arousal, Everett wondered where the hell the blanket had gone. When he glanced over, he saw the blanket folded neatly where Dalton had been laying in the dirt. Now he was wondering why he hadn’t used the damn thing to cover himself. Not that he minded looking, not at all, just that looking led to thinking, and thinking led to longing, and longing might lead him into a heap of trouble. Sometimes what seemed like welcome in a man’s eyes turned out to be anything but. Everett didn’t need another reminder of that out here where there wasn’t a barber to stitch up his face should his roving gaze get him hurt.
“Hungry?” Everett decided that if Dalton wasn’t much of a talker, he would save his breath. He could speak in one-word questions if that’s what the man wanted. Maybe Dalton was a loner and not used to talking. Funny that after too much time alone, Everett wanted to jaw the night away. Not about anything in particular. He just wanted to talk. Just his luck to end up with a tight-lipped companion.
The man stood and touched his belly. “I could eat.”
“Well, hell, I ain’t forcing you.”
“No, you aren’t.” While lowering his head but keeping his gaze pinned to Everett, Dalton smiled. It was the most bizarre look anyone had ever given him. Uncomfortable with the scrutiny, Everett turned away. Now he understood how him just sitting in the saloon looking at folks had gotten him in trouble. It was disturbing to be watched so intently.
“Let’s get you dressed first.” Without waiting for agreement, Everett moved to the back of the wagon. If the man didn’t want to wear the blanket, that was fine, but he was going to put something on to cover up his thoroughly distracting form.
This distance from the fire, the pops and crackles died down and the music of prairie insects rose up. Cool air with the barest taste of moisture soothed Everett’s heated face. There was something off about this man, this Dalton Hicks. Something not necessarily sinister, but something not entirely wholesome, either. No matter how hard he tried, Everett couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong with him, but his gut told him to be wary. And if Everett had learned nothing else, he’d learned to trust his gut.
Chapter Three
“Does my nudity bother you?”
“Damnation!” Everett jumped about a foot in the air. “Will you stop sneaking up on me?”
Dalton didn’t apologize. All he did was smile. And damn it all to hell, but that grin of his was becoming less strange and more alluring by the moment, especially back here in the dark. That kind of expression caused Everett to consider that if he propositioned the man, his attention would be more than welcomed. But Everett had been wrong before. The last thing he needed was to have to sleep with one eye open because of an angry fellow.
Once he got his heart back under control, Everett asked, “Aren’t you cold?”
As he had before, Dalton touched himself then said, “Now that I’m away from the fire, I am cold.”
Shaking his head at the utter bizarreness of this man, Everett climbed up into the wagon.
“I’ve got an extra pair of pants, and I think there’s a shirt or two in here…” He trailed off as he pushed the mounds of gear around. He might be good at building a fire, but he couldn’t organize his equipment to save his soul.
“I don’t want to trouble you.”
“No trouble,” Everett said, but he would trouble himself because if he didn’t, he’d end up staring at the man all night. And what in the world would he do when it came time to bunk down? There was one blanket and two men. That could add up to a wild night of wicked pleasure, but it could also equal a long night of uncomfortable posturing. Everett decided he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. Spending the evening with this most curious man should give him some hints as to which way the wind blew.
As Everett pawed his way through the gear, going by feel in the dark, he realized that Dalton seemed to be able to talk like a normal human being. Perhaps he just didn’t want to. When Everett glanced over his back, Dalton was standing by the wagon, watching him so intently it was as if he were the naked one.
“You are very kind,” Dalton said.
“Yeah, well, you’re in need, and I was taught to do unto others, and—ah, here we go.” Everett tossed the pants toward the open end of the wagon. Just as he laid his hand on what he thought was a shirt, he felt a hand on his leg. Since his two hands were busy, it had to be Dalton’s hand on his calf.
Time stood still.
Dalton’s hand was gentle, curious, but also intriguingly possessive.
“To do unto others?” Dalton asked.
Everett didn’t have to look to know Dalton had just climbed into the wagon. He’d felt his hand gripping along his calf for balance, and then, once Dalton had gotten in, his hand slid up to the crook of Everett’s knee. What had seemed a rather big area got mighty small in a big hurry.
“You know, that bible thing?” Ev
erett coughed to dislodge the massive lump that abruptly filled his throat. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” All of the sudden that phrase took on a most decidedly dirty connotation in Everett’s mind. That inner voice was more than a mite upset that he was twisting around the word of the lord even unintentionally.
“I should do unto you what I want you to do unto me?” Dalton asked, his voice closer in the dark, and terribly suggestive.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Everett struggled to keep his voice from cracking again. Once his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed the light from the fire danced against the canvas of the wagon, giving the shadows inside an orange glow. When Dalton’s hand fell away, Everett couldn’t decide if he was more relieved or disappointed. He didn’t have time to ponder the feeling for long.
With the skill of lifelong cowboy roping and tying a calf, Dalton had him on his back in less than a second. If the man had had cord on him, Everett had no doubt Dalton would have had his legs and one arm trussed up by now.
Before Everett could ask what the man thought he was doing, Dalton slid his way up his body, and kissed him full on the mouth.
As Dalton deepened the kiss, a hurricane of thoughts blew through Everett’s mind, not the least of which was that he’d finally found that something, or rather someone, he’d been looking for.
All his life he’d been seeking, finding disappointment, and moving on. But not this time. Their joining ended the frustration that had plagued his life. Everett thought he could stay right here, with this man, forever.
Deepening the kiss further by grabbing the back of Dalton’s head, Everett rolled until they were now pressed side by side. Dalton’s hair was still damp, and the length allowed Everett to thread the strands through his fingers. His hair was as soft as feather down.
When Dalton opened his mouth and swirled his tongue along his, Everett thought he would climax. That powerful surge he’d felt earlier when he’d touched his lips was multiplied, echoed, expanded until his entire form became filled with white-hot lightning.
Dalton tasted of a cool breeze on a hot summer day—refreshing, sweet, and blissful. When Everett breathed deep, all he could smell was clean flesh.
Everett pulled back. “Heaven help me, I must smell awful.”
“No.” Dalton pulled him close. “You smell like earth, and you taste of painful longing.”
Dalton’s eyes seemed enormous in the orange-tinged dark, hypnotizing and compelling.
This time, when Dalton merged their mouths, Everett didn’t pull away. From the way Dalton was kissing him, he welcomed his taste, no matter how raw he might be.
Hungry hands tore at his clothing, pushing the fabric aside to reveal sensitized flesh. Dalton spread his palms over Everett’s chest then lowered his mouth to one hard nipple. Hot and wet, his tongue made circles there before he switched to the other, then back.
As if compelled by Everett’s secret inner voice, Dalton worked his mouth over his chest, going lower, and lower. As he worked his way down, Dalton deftly undid and pushed Everett’s pants aside.
Just when Everett thought he would die from yearning, when he thought this marvelous stranger had gone as far as he dared, he went lower and took Everett’s cock into his mouth.
Energy poured into his body, causing him to arch up. His moan filled the night, cutting off the sound of nocturnal creatures. Bliss unlike anything he’d known caused him to question if this were real or a dream. Reaching down, Everett cupped the top of Dalton’s head, marveling at the feel of his hair and the way Dalton forcefully rocked his hips by cupping his ass. Most men tried to hold him still, but not this curious stranger.
Everett hadn’t had many lovers, but he’d never had a man take after him so thoroughly. Dalton sucked him with his full attention focused on Everett’s pleasure. He did things with his teeth and tongue that had Everett writhing against the bare boards of the wagon. A backside of splinters might greet him in the morning, but right now, he didn’t care.
When Dalton pulled away, a cry of remorse tore out of Everett’s throat before he could stifle himself.
“You are so lonely,” Dalton said.
Everett agreed with incoherent babbling. Once Dalton’s mouth returned to his penis, he thought he would never feel alone again. Come hell or high water he was going to keep this man at his side.
Swirling his tongue around the crown of Everett’s cock, Dalton looked up at the same moment that Everett looked down. Their eyes locked, and there, in his gaze, Everett saw his own troubles reflected back. The connection caused Dalton to pull away again.
“Just like you, I’ve been seeking.” Dalton settled on his knees so he could use his hands along with his mouth.
“Yeah?”
With his mouth over the length of his shaft, Dalton nodded, which bobbed his head and drew Everett’s cock almost to the back of his throat.
Sputtering, lost in the most intense pleasure, Everett groaned, “And this is the time you decide to talk?”
Drawing his mouth away completely, Dalton gripped up on Everett’s dick with both hands. He grinned. “I thought you wanted me to talk?”
“Sure—just—does it have to be right now?” Everett was so close to climax. All the thoughts he’d ruthlessly suppressed earlier, those wicked images of what he wanted to do to the stranger’s mouth, were washed away by the actual vision of his far too perfect lips slipping over and around Everett’s cock.
Lowering his hands to Everett’s balls, Dalton kissed the tip of his aching prick and whispered, “I like the taste of you, the feel of you.”
Dalton’s mouth was everywhere, making Everett crazed with a need to touch him, but Dalton was too far away. Desperate to do something with his hands, Everett reached above his head and pressed against the wooden slats of the wagon. Wood creaked as he pushed in an effort to hold his body still for Dalton’s openmouthed kisses and caressing hands.
Dalton ate at him with crazed hunger, wicked and free. In this pure moment, nothing but their two bodies, desperately seeking and wildly twisting, existed.
“I won’t let you go.”
With that, Dalton dropped his head down until Everett’s cock was fully buried in his mouth. While he sucked hard, Dalton rolled Everett’s balls in his hand. Even though canvas covered the wagon, Everett saw stars as he climaxed. His entire body lifted up as if drawn into Dalton. Over and again he shook as he poured his pleasure into Dalton’s waiting mouth. Rather than pull away, as others had, Dalton welcomed his thrusts. He encouraged him to rock his hips as the orgasm tore through him. For the longest time, he was without form. Vapor, or pure sensation, just free of all the demands of his body. He felt no hunger, no thirst, no longing.
For the first time in his life, for the only time in his life, Everett felt complete.
Chapter Four
Without waiting for his twitching cock to still, Everett reached down and hauled Dalton up. When he kissed him, he tasted his climax on Dalton’s lips, but beyond that, he savored Dalton’s own sweet flavor.
“You’re grinning.” Frankly, Everett had never known a man to be so satisfied with another man’s pleasure. Most of the men he’d been with had been in a hurry to get off and get away before they got caught.
“I wanted to make you happy, and I have.”
Rolling him over, pressing him down when he tried to sit up, Everett said, “I’m so happy I’m trying not to bust into song.” With a grin, he palmed then delicately twisted Dalton’s nipples.
The noise he made was part whimper, part growl, and all sexy. Encouraged, Everett made his way down Dalton’s chest, pressing his lips against strong muscles, clean flesh, and a body so ready he was unable to hold still.
“Settle down or you’re gonna get a backside of splinters.” Concerned for his incredibly smooth flesh, Everett yanked a spare piece of canvas under his butt and back to protect him from the raw wood.
“It’s just that your touch, the way you make me feel, I can’t hold still.”<
br />
Dalton’s frenzied squirming was hotter than hell and twice as wicked. Everett wrapped his fist around Dalton’s cock and lowered his mouth. Right before he made contact, he looked up and asked, “Do unto others, right?”
“Right.” Dalton swallowed hard and held very still, his anticipation practically rolling off him in waves.
“You ever done this before?” Everett deliberately washed the heat of his breath over Dalton’s dick.
“No—yes.”
“Which is it?” Everett grinned up at him, loving the frantic look in his eyes, the anxious tightening of his body. He was going to give him the suck of his life, but he wanted to pay him back some frustration first.
Clearly unaccustomed to teasing, Dalton pressed down on his head, but Everett moved to the side. All Dalton’s pushing did was press Everett’s mouth against his hip.
Kissing him there, then looking up, Everett asked again, “Yes, no, what?”
“No one has ever sucked my cock.” Dalton’s voice hitched. “But I’ve—”
Everett didn’t let him finish. He lunged down on him, taking his prick all the way to the base. Had he known, he wouldn’t have teased him at all. No wonder he was so eager to give what he so desperately wanted to receive.
Dalton uttered a cry of such joy Everett redoubled his efforts. He wanted to please him, to show him how wonderfully good he’d made him feel only moments ago. Working his mouth and hand in tandem, he sucked and stroked until Dalton’s body lifted up. Right at the verge of climax, Dalton froze in place.
Concerned, Everett looked up. Dalton’s face was twisted with need and what looked like anguish. Afraid that Dalton would push him away and make him stop, Everett sucked harder. Dalton’s eyes went wide, and he thrust his hips, plunging his prick so deep that Everett almost gagged. But he took him. He cupped his buttocks and helped him rock into his willing mouth.
Uttering a coyote cry, Dalton climaxed.
He tasted sweet, almost like the first warm air of spring. Sucking and swallowing, Everett swore he would never get enough of his flavor. Everett hadn’t had much experience of a sexual nature, but this man, this wonderfully different stranger, had a flavor that was utterly unique.
McLeod, Anitra Lynn - Dirty Cowboy (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 2
