Beginning to Believe

by Sean Michael

  Ty licked his way down one side of Kit’s cock and back up the other. Then he worked the condom down with his mouth, taking the sweet heat in.

  “Oh. Oh, Ty. Hot. I...” Kit rose up on his elbows, watching with dazed eyes.

  He bobbed up and down, sucking lightly, watching Kit’s face. Kit stared at him like a man unable to believe he was awake, sort of dazed, sort of lost. Kit’s body, though, it knew what it needed, no question.

  Ty increased his suction, one hand going down to play with Kit’s balls.

  Kit’s head fell back, the man’s legs shifted, bunching beneath him.

  Ty hummed around Kit’s heat, one finger sliding back to tease the soft skin beyond Kit’s balls and the hot, hot crease hidden beyond that.

  “Oh, sweet. Ty. Feels damned good.” Kit was stretched out in the sun, a fine sheen of sweat making that tan skin shine.

  He hummed again and nodded his head, sucking hard. His finger stroked between Kit’s ass cheeks, finding the wrinkled flesh around Kit’s hole. The muscles jerked, tightened under his touch, even as Kit’s cock throbbed.

  Ty backed off and concentrated on sucking, on reaching up and tweaking one of Kit’s nipples. The little nub tightened for him, hard as a little pebble under his fingers. He played it and its mate, stroking one and then the other.

  “Mmm... Close. Damn, Ty. Close.” Kit grabbed his hand, drawing it up toward a hungry, wet mouth.

  He hummed again, saying let me having it without words and traced Kit’s lips, the hair tickling his fingertips before he dipped them into the wet heat of Kit’s mouth. Those lips wrapped around his fingers, sucking hard as Kit bucked, filling the condom with jerks of those strong hips.

  Humming happily, Tyler rubbed his own cock against the sheets. Man, he loved fucking in the morning.

  He pulled up and got the condom off Kit, and disposed of, then kissed his way slowly back up to Kit’s mouth. Kit took a long kiss, hand sliding down his spine. “Hell of a way to wake up, there.”

  “Best way in the world, I’d say.” He grinned, hips moving slowly, lazily rubbing himself against Kit.

  “Yeah.” His ass was stroked, hips tickled. “What can I do for you, Ty?”

  “What sounds good, cowboy? I’m easy.”

  “Oh, no. None of that now.” Kit goosed him. “What do you like?”

  “Oh, I like getting fucked, blown. Hell, cowboy, I’m happy to rub off on you.”

  Kit shook he head and grinned, turning him to face the window with its amazing fucking view, cuddling up to his back, hands sliding over his belly. “Then let me touch you, make you come.”

  “Oh yeah.” He pressed back against Kit, loving all that warm skin. “I like being touched, Kit. I like it a lot.”

  “Mmm... Good.” Kit petted and stroked, hand tangling in his curls, then moving up to tease his nipples.

  Ty gasped and moaned, moving against Kit, loving the touches, the feelings going through him.

  Steady and slow, Kit didn’t seem to be in any hurry, just focused on his skin, his pleasure.

  It felt good. So very good. Ty undulated, pushing into the touches, moving with Kit’s hands. Those hands were truly magic.

  “You’re beautiful.” The words floated against his ear. “Moving under the sun.”

  “You make me feel beautiful, Kit. Sexy. Wanton. Oh, yeah,” he arched as Kit’s fingers stroked over his cock. “Touch me there.”

  “Yes.” Kit’s lips brushed over his nape, fingers sliding. “So hard.”

  “For you, Kit. Please.” He moved into the touches.

  “Yes.” Kit’s thumb slid across his slit, stroking hard. “God, yes.”

  “Oh!”

  The view merged, colors sliding into each other as pleasure shot through him and from his cock.

  Kit moaned, kept touching, drawing out each shudder, each sensation.

  At last he lay against the solid warmth behind him, boneless and sated.

  Oh yeah, he loved waking up in a lover’s arms.

  Chapter Six

  They’d napped a little, but Lindy and Lester wandered in, whining, Lindy’s pregnant belly getting bigger by the second. Kit eased out from behind Ty and into his chair, herding the pups out of the bedroom and into the yard so he could feed and water them. Then he came back in, started some coffee, checked his messages and headed back out to exercise.

  It wasn’t until he started doing his work on the chin-up bar that he realized he was whistling. Whistling. Him.

  Kit grinned and kept working out, strengthening his arms and back, mind going over last night and this morning again and again.

  Ty appeared, giving him a warm smile. “Hey, Kit. Wow, look at those muscles work. You are one sexy cowboy.”

  He grinned, pulling his body up two more times before settling into his chair, wiping his chest and belly off with a towel. “Mornin’ Ty. There’s fresh coffee made.”

  “Cool. Thought I’d hit the waves first -- get some swimming in, that okay?”

  “Help yourself.” He nodded toward the pier. “I’ll wheel down and watch.”

  The pups followed them, Lindy slow, Lester bouncing like a huge puppy.

  Ty grinned. “He gonna come in with me?”

  Kit shook his head. “Only a few steps. They’re not allowed out too far. I’d hate to lose them because I couldn’t get to them.”

  Ty stopped and looked at him, head tilted. “You don’t swim? With your upper body strength I’d have thought you’d be a natural.”

  “I do in the pool, yeah, but never in the ocean.” Truth was, he was scared of the undertow, of being swept down the shoreline and not being able to get back to his chair.

  “Oh man, the pool’s got nothing on the ocean! You want to come in with me? I’ll be your swim buddy.”

  “I...” Kit blinked, gave it a thought. “Okay, for a few minutes. I don’t want to fuck up your morning swim, but I’ve always wanted to get in for a while. Thanks.”

  “Awesome. And you won’t fuck up my swim. I just want to get wet and play in the waves.” Ty gave him a wide grin.

  He smiled back, rolling down to the end of the pier. It tilted down into the water, allowing him to slide out of his chair and sit at the edge, let the water splash against him.

  Ty got into the water, looking about as at home as a man could without having fins, scales and gills. “What do you need me to do to help?”

  “Err... I don’t know. I can’t roll out there and I’m going to look like an asshole, scooting along on my butt.” Kit chuckled, shook his head. “Maybe this is a sign.”

  “I think it is -- of course I don’t think we’re looking at the same sign.” Ty winked and moved over to him, standing between his stumps and sliding warm arms around his waist. “Hold onto me, cowboy, and we’ll get you in the water without a hitch.”

  “Oh!” He blinked up and then nodded, wrapping his arms around Ty’s shoulders. “Don’t hurt yourself.”

  Oh, wow. Just... God, it was hard to be down with this beautiful man making shit happen.

  “The water’s going to do all the work, Kit.”

  Ty stole a kiss, then stepped back from the pier and just like that there they were in the water, bobbing together. Ty’s skin was warm where it touched him, so different from the cold water that moved around them.

  “Oh...” Kit laughed, head thrown back as the dogs barked and whined on the pier. It felt so good!

  Ty chuckled along with him. “This is my lady, Kit. The one who’s always here for me. She’s a real lover, isn’t she?”

  “Yeah. It’s why I came here, to the ocean, after. I always wanted to live near the ocean.” It only just occurred to him how weird living near the ocean and never getting in really was.

  “But this is your first time in the water?” Ty shook his head. “I’m going to be here every morning and bring you out into the water, so you make sure you stock up on towels.”

  “I...” Kit blushed dark, leaned back to look into Tyler’s eyes. “I can
manage towels.”

  Oh, God. Oh, he was so very fucked in that long-term, heartbreak way.

  Tyler smiled, warm and slow and sweet. “Cool. It’s a standing date. Of course if I’m lucky, it’ll be a lying down date, if you get my drift.” Ty gave him another wink and worked them a little deeper. “You ready to give this a go without the Tyler life preserver?”

  “Yeah. Sorry, I could get used to that. Holding you, that is.” Kit blushed and let go, arms moving slow as he kept himself mostly afloat.

  Ty gave him a pleased smile. “Well, I think I’d like you to get used to that, too.”

  It was harder work than he remembered from swimming in the Gulf as a kid. Not having his legs meant he had to use his arms constantly, fight the waves. Damned good exercise, actually.

  Ty kept close, but not so close that Kit felt like he was cramping the man’s style and just as he was thinking he was going to have to ask for help getting back to the pier, Ty swam up to him. “I’m about done -- you ready to go in?”

  He nodded, catching his breath, arms a little shaky. “Yeah. ‘s good exercise.”

  Ty nodded and scooped him up around the waist again as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Ty stopped to kiss him, lips salty and warm.

  Kit moaned into the kiss, opening easily, inviting Ty in to taste.

  One kiss melted into another, the waves buffeting against them. Finally Ty pulled back. “Let’s go in. Fun as it might be -- it’s dangerous making love in the ocean.”

  “Yeah.” He let Ty get him back to his chair, laughing as Lester jumped up into his lap, barking and unhappy. “Shh! Hush, you big mutt! I’m fine!”

  Ty laughed and pet the dog before bending to give him another soft kiss. “I’m starving -- you think we can find some breakfast?”

  “I imagine there’s something in the kitchen, yeah.” They made it back to the house and into the kitchen, moving easily and confidently. The cabinets were all low, barring storage, and the stovetop was built into an island that he could easily reach. “Eggs and sausage and biscuits work okay?”

  “Homemade biscuits?” Ty asked hopefully.

  He laughed and nodded. “You make the orange juice and you got a deal.”

  “You’re on. You got a squeezer?” Ty moved around Kit’s kitchen like he was comfortable in it, finding the oranges in the big basket, pulling down a couple of tall glasses.

  The man looked sexy as hell in nothing but his swim shorts, that tattoo rippling as Ty’s muscles moved.

  “Yep. There’s a walk-in pantry on the other side of the fridge. The little appliances are in there.” Kit pulled out canisters and started measuring and mixing, stopping halfway to turn on the stereo system and let it fill the house. They worked together companionably, Ty humming along to the music, and it wasn’t long before they had a five-star restaurant breakfast set out on the deck.

  Kit pulled up to the table, nodding. “Not bad. Not bad at all.” He poured a cup of coffee and grinned over at Ty. “Dig in.”

  They didn’t say much while they ate -- both of them hungry from their swim.

  Ty sat back once his plate was empty, sighing and rubbing his belly. “Those had to be the best biscuits I have had ever. Bar none.”

  “Thanks. I worked for a little bakery one summer when I was in high school. Learned there.” He laughed, remembering the funny little old lady who ran the store, insisting she was going to bring taste into the town. “I can make a decent pie crust too.”

  “Oh, all my weaknesses. I can see it’s going to be awfully hard to ever leave your home, Kit.”

  He blushed, trying not to be too pleased. “You say that, but you haven’t seen the all-night jam sessions, yet. You might run screaming.”

  “Given that they’re country music jam sessions, you just might be right. Or maybe I’ll just join the dogs and howl at the moon. I’d love to watch you play, actually. I get a kick out of seeing people in their element.”

  “Would you like to see the studios? That’s what’s in the other half of the house. That and the swimming pool and Jacuzzi.” He blushed. “God, that sounds so uppity -- come see the pool. I’m sorry.”

  Ty laughed. “Oh, Kit, I have never met anyone as down to earth as you -- I don’t think you’d know uppity if it bit you in the ass.”

  “Well, then, come and see? I’ll introduce you to Miss Betty.” He pushed back from the table, gathering up dishes to take in. He was falling hard -- in like, in lust, in love. The whole kit and caboodle.

  “Miss Betty? If you have a live-in maid I just might decide you’re uppity after all,” Ty teased, getting the rest of the dishes and following him in.

  “A what? Hell, no. Miss Betty’s my guitar. She even made it through the wreck, with a little mending. She and I go way back.” He let Ty get the door and loaded the dishwasher quick while they were standing there.

  “Cool. I’ve got a board like that.”

  “Yeah? Cool. That’s on my list. I’ll have to get you to come shopping with me one day.” He led Ty through the house, into the studio.

  “Have you ever surfed? Man, I’d love to take you out on a day when the swells aren’t too bad, teach you to feel the board, ride a few waves together.”

  “I haven’t, but I want to and I hear they can make boards I can use.”

  “Yeah. I can take you shopping for one if you like. I know more about boards than I do about bikes.”

  “No shit? Cool!” Kit grinned up at Ty, impressed. “You’re a talented man, Mr. Tyler.”

  Ty shook his head. “Nah, I just know boards and bikes. Now are you going to introduce me to this lady of yours?”

  “Yep. She’s right here.” He led Ty into his office, pulling Betty out of the case. He ran his fingers over the body and then picked some, listening to the warm tone filling the air.

  “So what’s the etiquette here, do I say hi to her? Feel her up? Or just stand back and watch the magic happen?”

  “No feeling her up.” Kit grinned and winked, fingers continuing to play. “I got her from my Aunt Julie when I graduated from high school. Thought I was the luckiest son of a bitch on Earth. Johnny Cash played her once. James Taylor did too.”

  “Really? Cool.” Ty flopped down on his couch, eyes watching his fingers.

  “Yep.” He started playing one old song after another, the melodies burned into his soul, into his heart. Then, when those were finished, he played Ty his songs -- the ones that were hits, the ones that weren’t, the ones that might have been.

  Ty watched him for a while and then lay back on the couch, humming along. Sometimes Ty’s feet counted the beat, sometimes his fingers tapped along.

  Kit played until he could feel the need to hum along, feel the old pain encroaching, and he let the last song fade, slow and easy. “Th...this is what I do.”

  “Wow, Kit. That’s a gift you have. A real talent. I think you’re safe on those all night jam sessions because I could honestly listen to you play all night long.”

  Blushing dark, Kit dipped his head. “You’re going to have to stop being so good to me, Ty. I’m going to end up falling in love and looking like a moron.” He said it, half-joking, half-dead-on honest.

  “Now why would love make you look like a moron?” Ty shook his head and came over, kneeling in front of Kit’s chair, hands on his thighs. “Love’s a beautiful thing, Kit.”

  “It is, but there’s a big chance of loss, for a few minutes of happy.”

  Ty nodded. “Or a lot more than a few minutes. How long were you and Tim, wasn’t it, together?”

  “Yeah, Tim.” He pointed to a picture on the wall of him and the band, back when he was young and skinny and just a puppy. “Ten years. Tim’s the one in the black hat.”

  “That’s more than a few years, Kit. How much loss before it wasn’t worth it anymore?” Ty’s hands were sliding on his legs, touching him there.

  “I could fall in love with you so easy. You make me want things I thought were gone forever.” His voic
e was harsh, sand-papered with truth.

  “Tell me what they are and I’ll see if I can give them to you.” Ty smiled, hands squeezing on his legs. “Kit, you’re a good man and a good-looking man. I love your smile and the way you play guitar and you turn me on. Would loving me be such a bad thing?”

  “I hope not, Ty.” Kit reached out and stroked the long hair, giving his lover a smile. “You want a shower, wash the seawater off? Mine’s big enough for two.”

  He was just going to have to take it as it went. One hour at a time.

  Chapter Seven

  Tyler stretched out on the bed, watching Kit get dressed for the jam session he’d set up.

  They’d spent the last couple days making love and swimming and eating and showering and making love some more. His skin felt good, kissed by salt and sand and wind and sun and bearded man. His own clothes were currently doing a turn in the dryer, having been washed after he admitted he’d rather stay here and explore all those beautiful muscles some more rather than go home for a change of clothes.

  He’d had his share of lovers, mostly casual, but not all. Still it had been a very long time since he’d shared the bed of someone he cared about as much as he was coming to care about Kit. The man got under his skin, made him want to make promises he wasn’t in the habit of making.

  Kit rolled on some white pressure socks, then stuck the metal legs into a pair of blue jeans before attaching his legs and standing to fasten his jeans. The man was moving loose and easy, almost glowing after their day.

  Ty liked that, liked that he had a part of putting that half smile on Kit’s face. Keeping it there was promising to be a bit of an addiction. Maybe a whole lot of an addiction.

  A royal blue shirt was shrugged on, Kit leaving it unbuttoned as that sweet little beard was trimmed, hair brushed. Then Kit walked over, turning his face back and forth. “Am I even?”

  “I think I need to examine you more closely to tell.” Ty held out his arms, encouraging Kit to come down for a kiss.

  Kit sat on the bed, then moved into his arms, eyes shining, lips kiss-swollen and warm.