Heart of the Woods

by Grant C. Holland

  Brandon spread a small pad on the ground and laid his sleeping bag on top. He sat down and patted the bag. “Come and sit. I want to hear more about living off the grid. I can’t believe you make it through life without coffee shops, video games, TV, and…people! That’s crazy.”

  Levi sighed as he sat near Brandon. The sleeping bag was not large, and it was designed for one person. That meant he had to sit nearby. He couldn’t figure out a position that avoided touching Brandon in some way. He said, “Being away from people wasn’t so hard. I didn’t have a lot of luck in that direction at home. I had a couple of good friends, but they found each other as a couple. I was left out in the cold.”

  Brandon lay back with his hands propped behind his head. He bent his knees, and they brushed up against Levi’s back. Brandon said, “I haven’t had the greatest luck either. I have some good friends, but I think I kind of suck at the dating thing. My buddy Gabe says I’m too picky. He tells me that I can’t have everything go my way. I don’t think I’m that stuck on myself.”

  Levi laughed out loud. He said, “You confessed something to me. I guess I owe you a confession, too.”

  “Confession?” Brandon patted the sleeping bag again near his head. “Relax, Levi. We can look at the stars together. You’re right that they are great out here. You can see the constellations. It’s like looking at a star chart in a book.”

  Levi stretched out on the sleeping bag. He tried again to avoid touching Brandon, but there wasn’t enough space. In a voice just above a whisper, he said, “I like guys, too. That’s my confession. I don’t know what the chances were that we would meet out here and we’re both gay, but that’s how it is.”

  Levi watched as Brandon smiled. “Now tell me something I don’t already know.”

  Rolling over onto his side, Levi rested a hand on Brandon’s belly. “Is this okay? You probably don’t know that I’m a baseball fan. Not many gay guys I know like baseball.”

  Brandon looked up into Levi’s eyes. “Nope, not many that I know either. I’ve gone to Twin games, though. It’s fun hanging out at the stadium. I’ve never learned much about baseball rules, so I watch the crowd. Oh, and I do admit that the uniforms look nice.” Brandon stretched his arm up into the air and ran his hand in a curving motion. “The way those uniform pants fit a player’s ass…yum.”

  Levi began to rub Brandon’s belly through his T-Shirt. The muscle was firm, and feeling Brandon sent a warm, electric sensation through Levi’s body. It was such a long time since he’d touched anyone else other than his grandmother. Levi leaned in and rested his head on Brandon’s shoulder while he looked up at the sky.

  “That feels good. Do you know the constellations?”

  “Some. There are the easy ones like the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper. I know Cassiopeia, too. I like Orion in the winter time.”

  Brandon said, “You can see Hercules up there. He’s kind of hard to see down in the Twin Cities, but up here it’s easy, particularly his knee. I like heroes. If I were born in ancient times, I would have been a gladiator or a minor God.”

  Levi sighed. “I haven’t known many heroes in real life, and the ones that I thought might be disappeared.”

  Brandon reached out and wrapped an arm around Levi’s shoulders. “You know what, Levi? I’m glad I met you.”

  “I think I’m glad I met you, too but, to be honest, I’m still scared.”

  “Scared of me?”

  “Scared of what comes next. Day in and day out with just Grandma Daley is easy in most ways. You…” Levi paused. “How can I say this without sounding mean. You make some bad things possible.”

  “I hope maybe some good things, too.”

  “I guess so, but I don’t know what, yet.”

  Brandon shifted slightly onto his side. He held out a fingertip and traced it down the side of Levi’s face. “I love this thin beard. Did you just start shaving like that?”

  Levi grinned. “I saw a guy in Iron Crossing. He was obviously a miner, and I liked how it looked on him. There are a few hot, hunky guys out there that are miners.”

  “But they hate what people like me are trying to do.”

  Levi blinked his eyes. “I don’t take sides.”

  Brandon’s finger reached Levi’s lips. A shiver crept up Levi’s spine. “I can’t help it. I don’t have a choice. I’m on one of the sides by definition.”

  The conflict between miners and the tourist industry was already far from Levi’s mind. He concentrated on the fingertip and pursed his lips. Brandon pulled his index finger away and leaned forward. Levi closed his eyes for a moment before their lips touched. He wasn’t sure if he saw fireworks, but the sensation was explosive. It was his first kiss in almost four years.

  7

  Brandon

  Levi’s lips were soft. He parted them slightly. It allowed enough space for the tips of their tongues to touch. Brandon resisted the temptation to be aggressive. He liked rugged, rough play in bed, but his instinct about Levi was to take things more slowly.

  As Brandon pushed forward, Levi rolled onto his back. Brandon slid fingertips up under Levi’s shirt, and he pulled back from the kiss. “I don’t…” Levi grabbed Brandon’s wrist.

  “Too fast?”

  Brandon saw confusion in Levi’s eyes. “I don’t know. Yeah, I think so. I mean, who are you?”

  Brandon said, “I’m Brandon Turner. I run a company called Arrowhead Adventurers. Should we wait? I can be patient. I’m sorry if I moved too fast. Maybe we should only kiss.”

  “I can’t do this and never see you again. When a guy moves so fast, that’s often on his mind. At least that’s been my experience. If we went much further, and I didn’t see you again, then it would hurt too much.”

  Brandon leaned in for another kiss. Levi didn’t push him away. He kissed back. Knowing that kissing was the limit for the night was somehow extremely erotic. Coming up for air, Brandon said, “Unless you’re planning on moving away in the next few weeks, or even few days, and I can’t imagine in my wildest dreams that you are, you’ll see me again.”

  It was the right thing to say, and Brandon grinned to himself when Levi’s hand rose and slipped behind Brandon’s neck. Levi closed his eyes and kissed harder. He reached up and wrapped his other hand around the small of Brandon’s back before letting his fingers crawl further down. He knew the destination of those fingers, and he hoped Levi would be pleased.

  Levi murmured, “It’s been so long.”

  Brandon remembered seeing Levi’s bare chest in the daylight. It was perfectly structured, strong but slim. He wanted to slip his fingers inside the T-Shirt, but he couldn’t take the risk of driving Levi away.

  “Oh, God,” moaned Levi, and gasped for a breath.

  Brandon reached down to the side of Levi’s face again. “Is everything okay. Seriously, if we need to slow down or do something different, let me know.”

  Levi reached his fingertips up to the corner of his right eye. “No, it’s just…”

  “What?”

  “I’ve never done anything with a guy like you. I don’t want to screw it up.”

  Brandon settled back down onto the sleeping bag and scooted close enough that their bellies touched. It was an intoxicating sensation. “A guy like me? What am I like? I’m a normal everyday guy.”

  “You’re so…beautiful, Brandon.”

  “Oh, fuck. Nobody’s ever said something like that about me. At least they’ve never said it to my face.”

  “It’s okay that I said it?”

  Brandon leaned down and kissed Levi’s lips again. He snickered slightly and said, “Seriously, though, I’m a normal guy. I’ve got a fair amount of muscle because of what I do for a living. Hoisting those canoes and paddling across the lake is real work. Your body looks pretty damn good, too, Levi. I saw it out there on the lake. You should be damn proud of that.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m a little screwed up in the head on that. I didn’t look like this when I moved here. It’
s hard to see it sometimes when I look in the mirror.”

  Brandon leaned so close to Levi’s face that they were nearly nose to nose. “Can I show you how incredible you are? I mean, I don’t really know you either, but I’ve seen enough. You’re such a good guy. You take care of an old lady for God’s sake, and you’re okay with that.”

  “I love her.”

  “And she loves you, and you drive me nuts, Levi. Just shut up and let me do my thing. Okay?”

  Levi thought about saying something in reply, but then he bit his lip. He knew that he should probably say stop, but it was like being in the middle of a dream where you were going to get something you always thought you’d never have, and you started to think about waking up. Levi always wanted to stay asleep. He wanted to see what was going to happen.

  Levi looked down and watched as Brandon pushed the hem o the T-Shirt upward. He kissed just above Levi’s belly button and reached down to unfasten his jeans.

  Closing his eyes, Levi heard the zipper slide down. It was one of the sexiest sounds in the world. He was hard as a rock, and he hoped Brandon liked what he found. He raised his hips so the jeans could slide down to his thighs.

  “Fuck, Levi! These are awesome, and they look so damn hot on you.” The color wasn’t as vibrant in the moonlight, but Levi’s briefs were bright, fire engine red, and they were an expensive brand. The fabric clung tight to the outline of Levi’s cock curving up and to the right. “How the fuck do you get these out here in the woods? I’d have to go back to the cities to find them in a store. They don’t come from shopping in Duluth.”

  Levi laughed nervously. “Do you like them? I guess I kind of like underwear.”

  “It’s fucking hot. Oh man, sorry about my language. It goes south when I get excited.”

  Levi loved the compliment. “I don’t care. Yeah, the Colliers let me use the Internet to order stuff like clothes when I’m in Iron Crossing. The little store for groceries only carries jackets and once in a while a few sizes of jeans.”

  Brandon grinned. “So I found the one off-the-grid guy who has a big fetish for underwear. Shit, I feel like I struck gold today. Don’t listen to anybody who tells you there isn’t a fortune to be found in the BWCA.”

  “Because of my underwear?”

  “Because of you, dumbass. I mean that affectionately. I’m going to make this one hell of a night for you, and me, too.”

  Brandon watched Levi’s mouth open, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he closed his eyes, and a soft moan came out. It might as well have been a big, hearty, “Yes, please!” Brandon hooked his thumbs into the waistband of the briefs and pulled them down. Levi’s stunning cock pointed up toward the stars.

  Brandon felt Levi’s fingers cup his ass cheeks and squeeze. As he stared at veins that laced their way up the length of Levi’s cock, he hoped the cock was going up inside his ass, but first, he needed a taste.

  He wrapped his fingers tight around the base and gently tugged the foreskin down. The head was already glistening with precum. Brandon reached out his tongue for a taste.

  “Oh…oh, man.” Levi’s voice was ragged as he slowly rolled his head back. Brandon glanced up to see Levi’s Adam’s apple rise and fall. It was sexy as hell. His nipples were hard, too and they pushed into the cloth of his T-Shirt. Brandon wanted to blow Levi’s mind.

  He throbbed hard in his jeans when he slipped his lips around the head of Levi’s cock and sucked. He let gravity drop his face down so the cock slid deeper and deeper toward his throat.

  Most of Brandon’s past sex partners didn’t expect him to be on the giving end of a blow job. They expected him to be an exclusive top when it came to sex. He assumed it was his forthright, direct personality, but the truth was he loved sucking. His mom verified an oral fixation in her son. She always said he was born that way. Levi tasted amazing, and Brandon couldn’t wait for him to explode.

  When Levi finally caught his breath, he asked politely in a soft voice, “Can I fuck you?”

  The innocence made Brandon crazy. He slowly slipped his mouth off Levi’s cock. “Oh man, yeah, please. Shit, though, I don’t know if I’ve got protection.”

  “Oh, yeah, we need that,” whispered Levi. “I don’t have it either. I mean, the woods. Why would I need it out here?”

  “Umm…”

  Brandon didn’t know why Levi was talking so soft as if someone would hear. Even if Grandma Daley was awake, the back of the cabin was over fifty yards away with a solid log wall in between. “Can we rain check on that? I’m going to dream about this cock sliding up my ass, but I can wait.”

  “Oh, yeah. Do you promise to come back?”

  Brandon laughed softly. He knew he had a stupid grin on his face. Levi frowned and looked worried. “Oh, man, don’t do that. I’m only laughing because the question sounds so absurd to me. You blow me away so far, Levi. I mean…” He started to gesture around the clearing in the woods. “I don’t know how to say it, but don’t you see it? Don’t you see what a fucking unique guy you are? Don’t you have a clue how lucky I am?”

  “I’m not sure what you’re saying.”

  “You’re interesting, Levi, and a sweet guy with a good heart, and you’re handsome as hell. You’re the whole package, or at least that’s my best guess. You’re not just a dick hanging between a pair of legs with sex on the brain.”

  Levi’s smile was so incredibly sweet, and he finally laughed a bit. “No, I hope not.” He paused for a moment before asking, “Brandon, can we just do this together?”

  “What?”

  Levi reached out and slipped his long, slim fingers inside Brandon’s jeans. He found the cock and began a very slow stroke.

  “Oh man, let me help you with that.” Brandon unfastened his jeans and wiggled them down to his ankles.

  Pulling Brandon’s cock free of his boxer briefs, Levi leaned in close for a kiss.

  As their tongues twined together, Brandon moaned into the kiss, and within seconds his fingers found Levi’s cock. It was the most romantic thing Brandon could remember doing in ages. They lay side by side kissing and stroking. It wasn’t intense. It was gentle and passionate. It was Levi’s style.

  About fifteen minutes later, Levi pulled back from the kissing and gasped. His body convulsed. He whispered, “Oh, I’m close.”

  Brandon paused his stroking for a moment.

  “Please, please, don’t do that. Don’t stop.”

  Brandon grinned and started to stroke again. This time his hand moved faster, and he rode to the edge himself from watching Levi’s body tense as he teetered on the brink.

  The two orgasms came almost simultaneously. Levi cut off Brandon’s howl with another kiss. He was not a lot more than a stranger, but Brandon had sex in the past with people he’d known only for an evening. Levi felt right, and he was a good man. Brandon knew that had to be the truth.

  8

  Levi

  Levi and Brandon woke up the next morning as the early morning rays of the sun began to stream in through the windows of the cabin. Levi slept in his room, and Brandon slept on the sofa. Levi padded out to see if Brandon was awake. He reached out to Brandon’s shoulder and whispered, “You’ll have to go now. Grandma didn’t think you were spending the night. She usually doesn’t get up until a couple of hours from now, but you never know. I don’t think I could handle what she might think of me if she knew that you spent the night without her permission.”

  Brandon heard about half of what Levi had to say. He crawled off the sofa and rubbed down his wrinkled T-Shirt and jeans. Smiling, he asked, “Did it really happen? Please tell me it wasn’t just a dream.”

  Levi blushed. He slept fitfully through the night because he couldn’t believe it did happen, but he knew it was true. He whispered, “Yeah.”

  “Can I have a kiss before I go.”

  “Definitely.” Levi gestured toward the kitchen area. “I”ll get you a bag of our homemade granola to take for breakfast. I’m sorry I can’t do much more,
but if we made a lot of noise, it would surely wake Grandma up.”

  As he stuffed the granola into his jeans pocket, Brandon asked, “Are you sure you can’t come down to Arrowhead Falls with me today? We’d have a lot of fun.”

  “I can’t. I’ve got to make my trip the opposite direction that I was planning yesterday. We need groceries. You don’t want us to starve out here. I’ll go with you to the dock. I usually sit out at the end every morning when the sun’s coming up. It’s my form of meditation. It helps me get ready for the day.”

  Brandon reached out and wrapped his arms around Levi. He leaned in for a kiss. “You can get better groceries in the falls. I won’t tell anybody who you are. It’s our little secret.”

  Levi considered it for a moment, but he knew that the most critical part of his trip was the delivery of Grandma Daley’s small paintings. He didn’t want Brandon to know about that just yet, so he stood his ground about the groceries. “Our friends live in Iron Crossing. They might send out a search party if I don’t show up. Let’s go out to the dock.”

  They carried Brandon’s canoe together to the edge of the lake. Levi helped him push it out into the water and climbed onto the dock as Brandon settled himself into the vessel. He called, “Levi, thank you! You’ll see me soon.”

  Levi felt nearly giddy when Brandon blew him a kiss. He slipped off his sneakers and dipped his toes into the cool water of the lake while Brandon disappeared around a stone outcropping before reaching the portage on the way to Arrowhead Falls.

  It was one of Grandma Daley’s good days. She was out of bed and humming to herself when Levi returned. He tried to help her make breakfast, but she insisted that he sit at the kitchen table while she bustled around cooking oatmeal, frying bacon and scrambling eggs.