What's his Passion?

by Bailey Bradford, Ethan Stone, T. A. Chase, Sean Michael, L. M. Somerton, Morticia Knight

  “I’m tired, and not in the best of moods. I hope you have a good weekend.” He turned back to his computer and stared at the rows of figures on the screen. Accounting usually relaxed him—well, the numbers did. Today his concentration was just shot.

  “I can tell I’m not wanted here.”

  Carter ignored Mark. He wasn’t going to let Mark hang around and he wasn’t going to be offensive either.

  “I’m very busy. Sorry.” He cast a glance Mark’s way as Mark turned to leave, and it was then Carter noticed the faint smudge of what might have been a bruise along his jaw.

  Then again, for all he knew, Mark had missed a patch of hair while shaving. Carter hadn’t looked too hard. He dismissed the whole deal from his mind and tried to focus on the tasks he needed to complete so he could leave early.

  * * * *

  The drive wasn’t bad at all, and the cottage he had rented was much bigger than he needed, but the privacy and space was appreciated. Carter had debated making reservations for one of the smaller lodging options since he intended to be outside more than inside. In the end, he’d really wanted to stay in one of the cottages, so he had splurged.

  Now he was glad he had. Carter liked the stone floors and wood-beam ceilings. The large windows provided a beautiful view. He imagined during the day, the view would be gorgeous too, but he’d arrived after dark.

  Carter sat outside for an hour or so, just staring at the stars. There were so many, it was as if he’d never seen the night sky before. He’d hiked plenty, seen lots of beautiful skies, but this one beat them all for purity and brilliance.

  Eventually, he decided he’d best get some sleep. Tomorrow he’d need to be up and out early for the guided overnight tour being led by one of the park rangers. He’d been lucky to find out about the tour. Usually, the rangers only offered day tours, or evening tours, but a group of people had pitched in for the fee to hire a ranger for an overnight hiking trip. Carter had come across the information in a chat group he was a part of. And now he was excited. The West Texas desert was a stark and dangerous place, and he could hardly wait for morning.

  After a shower, Carter wandered over to check out the beds. He settled on one that fit well after he plopped on it. His cock bounced and he propped himself up on one elbow as he eyed his penis. “Wanting some attention?”

  Carter felt a little silly talking to his dick. “It’s not like there’s anyone to hear me.” He scooted up to lean against the headboard. “So I can say whatever I want, like how much I would love to have Eddie fucking me.” Carter spat in his hand. He wasn’t going to take the time to find the lube. “Guh, have him do it raw.” He gripped his dick and smeared the spit around. “Fuck me and fill me up with his cum. Ohhhh, yeah.”

  He really liked that idea a lot. Carter moaned and closed his eyes, envisioning Eddie. Darkly tanned or darker skinned, Carter wasn’t sure which. There’d been no tan lines, but that didn’t mean anything nowadays. Tanning booths and spray-ons took care of those issues.

  Eddie had broad shoulders and a hairy chest, hairy torso, with thick swirls of hair surrounding his quarter-sized nipples. Then there was Eddie’s seriously ridged stomach muscles, something Carter had never encountered in a lover before. His belly button pooched out a little, another new thing for Carter to explore. Well, he would have, but Eddie had been kind of shyly embarrassed over it.

  And his cock… “God,” Carter panted as he jacked himself off roughly. “That fucking perfect dick…” He ached to feel it again.

  Fucking Georgie had been great, double penetrating him a dream come true for Carter, but having Eddie pound away at his ass had been the most perfect fucking Carter had ever experienced.

  So he thought of that, of Eddie pinning him down with callused hands, of himself struggling because he wanted Eddie to work to fuck him, Eddie growling and pushing that hairy chest along Carter’s back. He’d bite as he’d done the night before, leave marks all over like the faint ones Carter knew were still there. He wanted them to be darker, to last longer.

  Carter thumbed his slit and shivered. Eddie could bite him, make him ache until Carter cried out. Once Carter was squirming and begging, Eddie would take that thick cock and shove it in deep. As a fantasy, it was achingly hot to Carter. In reality of course, more foreplay had to happen, but there was no place for factuality at that moment.

  Instead Carter worked his shaft harder and clenched his ass. He could feel the burn still from the night before, the pleasant sensation of having been well-fucked.

  Carter arched his back, thrusting frantically as his balls drew tight. He writhed and dug his heels into the mattress. Cum spurted from his dick, over his hand, onto his belly. Carter pumped until his shaft was too sensitive for another touch, then he sighed. It’d been a great beat-off session, but it couldn’t compare to the real thing—having Eddie pound into him until he came and came.

  After he shook himself out of his post-orgasm haze, Carter groaned and thumped his head on the pillow. Why couldn’t he get Eddie out of his thoughts?

  More and more, Carter was afraid he’d made a big mistake by running away the night before.

  Chapter Six

  After introducing himself to everyone waiting around the next morning, Carter moved to the back of the group. Talking to people could be the hardest part of a hike that wasn’t a solitary one. Some days, Carter didn’t have a problem, others, he had to force himself to smile and share his name. He hated that, but figured it was a hang-up from his childhood. Back then he’d been so awkward and shy.

  Maturity was helping with that. Maybe by the time he was sixty he wouldn’t sweat with nerves every time he met new people.

  Carter’s jaw couldn’t possibly have dropped open any further upon him seeing the ranger approaching everyone gathered at the appointed spot. The Chisos Mountains had held Carter’s attention until he heard a familiar, sexy voice.

  Then Carter’s nerves pinged and his belly dipped and rolled. He knew the owner of that voice, at least sexually. Carter’s heart fluttered and his cock twitched even while embarrassment flooded him. The memories of his immature behavior came to roaring life in his head as he turned to see Eddie striding over to speak to the lady who’d organized the hike.

  Is this fate, destiny, coincidence? Or is it the second chance I’ve wished for? Do I really want one? So many questions, and Carter wasn’t sure of any answers. He didn’t know if he trusted himself, and he didn’t know Eddie enough to trust him. He supposed that was why fucking strangers was stupid, when you got down to it. For him, anyway.

  While trying to sort out what he did want, Carter got to look his fill because Eddie didn’t see him at first. Carter was off to the side, at the back of the dozen people. His tendency to want to hide amongst a small crowd of people he didn’t know might have seemed contrary to his hook-up of a couple of nights ago, but that was just the way he was.

  How sad was it that it was easier to give away his body than his words? Talking could lead to heartbreak, if he thought about it, so Carter usually tried not to. Talking meant knowing someone, possibly liking or loving them, and rejection could follow.

  Carter wasn’t going to have an emotional moment. He steeled himself for the instant Eddie saw him, because it would happen.

  Wearing a khaki shirt, olive green shorts and a sturdy pair of hiking boots, along with a ranger hat, Eddie was breathtakingly handsome—maybe not in the classic sense. Eddie would never be a model. He was too masculine, too rough, with a lived-in face and body. But the simple fact was, Eddie was Carter’s wet-dream come to life.

  Carter moved around the back of the group, his gaze never leaving Eddie. There was a nametag the man was wearing, and Carter wanted to see it. Wanted to know Eddie’s last name, whereas he hadn’t cared the other night.

  The deep rumble of Eddie’s voice caused goosebumps to race down Carter’s spine despite the warm Texas morning. He shifted his pack, and in doing so, must have caught Eddie’s attention. Eddie glanced up from
the woman, and his pause was slight, a hesitation that went unnoticed by his listener.

  Carter’s heart skipped a beat. Would Eddie be happy to see him, or—well, probably not.

  Eddie nodded at the lady and approached Carter. He didn’t smile as he studied Carter for a moment. “I’d hoped,” he began before cupping Carter’s shoulder and tugging him farther from the others. Eddie dipped his head closer to Carter’s and stared at him with smoky black eyes. “I saw the name Carter Hausemann on the sign-up list. I’ve only ever met one Carter before, and I really am sorry about the way things ended the other night. But I don’t think it’s fair of you to judge me by my past sexual partners, unless you’ve never had a bad one.”

  Carter had to peer down at his boots as he blushed. “Mark has been bothering me at work for a while. Never crossing any lines, but he just gives me the creeps and won’t take a hint. I… I was more freaked out that he knew what I’d been up to, I guess. And I was a judgmental ass.” He realized as he spoke that it was the truth, and being honest lifted a burden off his chest he hadn’t known he was carrying. “I’m sorry for reacting like a teenage spazz. I’m usually a little more mature than that.”

  Eddie chuckled and gave his shoulder a squeeze before releasing him. “Apology accepted. If it matters at all, I didn’t, you know, I didn’t fuck him. I—we—” He glanced around at the group.

  “I don’t need the details,” Carter said, saving them both from that particular hell. He did feel better for knowing, though. “You should probably get back to the tour guide gig.”

  Eddie nodded. “I’d like to sit down and talk to you tonight, after we’re camped out. This is supposed to be an experienced group, which is the only reason I agreed to it.”

  “Ranger Canales, if you’ve got a minute?” someone called out.

  Eddie reached out and gave Carter’s shoulder another squeeze. “We’ll talk later.”

  With that, Eddie assumed his authoritative position. Carter forced himself to be attentive when Eddie began talking about the dangers of the land they’d be hiking in. Some people might have been nervous about the wildlife, but their group was one made up of years of hiking experience. The threat of encountering a bear or a mountain lion, or a rattlesnake, wasn’t as intimidating as it might have been for lesser experienced people.

  Not that any of those were things to scoff at. They weren’t. Carter had no desire to die painfully or at a young age. He’d be careful.

  Eventually, he found himself sinking into the hiking, the way the earth felt beneath his feet as he walked, the incline as they began making their way up one mountain, the wind as it grew stronger. Pinion, oak and juniper trees surrounded them after a few hours, and the scents those trees spread into the air were simply amazing. Pure and spicy at the same time, the trees smelled nothing like the awful air fresheners people hung in their cars. Every breath Carter took felt as if it were a cleansing gift from Mother Nature, removing the city toxins from his lungs.

  But even with the beauty of the West Texas land surrounding him, Carter never quite lost track of the fact that he’d found Eddie again. With the beauty of the sun and sky above him, the earth below him, and plants beside and around him, Carter’s thinking grew fanciful. It had to be fate, or God’s will, or something, he was sure of it.

  From the moment he’d decided to skip going to Grayson’s and giving the other bar a shot, to the second he’d seen Eddie in those leathers, and their gazes meeting, tangling like their limbs did mere hours later during sex.

  It all meant something, didn’t it?

  Carter let his gaze drift to Eddie. He’d regretted running off, and Eddie seemed interested in him despite the childish behavior he’d exhibited during their last few minutes together.

  He’d been wanting something more, someone to make a life with. Someones, really, and Carter hoped Eddie did too. Even if he didn’t, they could maybe have something together.

  Or, Eddie could decide Carter was more trouble than he was worth. Surely Eddie could easily hook up with any number of men. The guy was a stud, so why would he want to settle for one person? Or even two?

  “Stop it,” Carter whispered to himself. He wasn’t going to give any leeway to the negative thoughts anymore. He opened up his soul to the outdoors, to nature and the beauty around him. It soothed him and gave him hope, as if he were a solar panel that thrived under the sun’s brilliant rays.

  Eddie was a very informative guide, filling them in on the history of the area, the kinds of plants and trees they saw, and even pointing out a variety of birds.

  They stopped for lunch, and shortly thereafter Eddie sought him out, and it thrilled Carter, probably more than it should have. They sat together on the ground, at a heavily shaded area.

  “You two know each other?” asked Lela as she walked over to them.

  Carter glanced up at her. She was older than either of them and seemed to be asking in a friendly manner, not all judgy-judgy as some people might have done.

  “We do, actually,” he informed her. “But just barely. I didn’t know he was leading the hike.”

  “And I didn’t know he was coming along,” Eddie offered with a grin. “Surprised us both, and we’ve got things to chat about, but it can all wait if there’s anything you or anyone else needs.”

  Lela waved him off. “We all know to ask. I was just curious and am nosy enough to ask too, though not just the hiking questions.” With that, she winked at them then walked off to join another woman sitting under a different tree.

  Eddie took a sandwich from his pack. “How are you enjoying the hike so far?”

  “Loving it,” Carter told him enthusiastically. “One day, I want to hike the Appalachian Trail. Have to be well off enough financially to either quit or find a way to get my boss to let me off for up to seven months.”

  Eddie snorted. “Your boss would have to be pretty freakin’ amazing to let you take the time off.”

  “Yeah, and it wouldn’t even be up to her, really. It’d be the owner of the firm.”

  “How are you feeling?” Eddie asked in a quieter voice. “I mean, I was pretty rough, then the thing with that guy, you were, um…rattled.”

  Carter hummed while he considered the question. Rattled was putting it nicely. He thought of Mark. “You didn’t happen to hit him, did you?”

  Eddie appeared to be mortified, with his eyes widening and cheeks pinking with a blushed. “I— Yes?” He shifted on his butt. “He tried to hit me first, and I was only trying to block his punch, but I clipped his jaw with my elbow. Is he filing a report or going to sue me or something?”

  Carter didn’t think Eddie was lying. “So it was an accident?” It would have been kind of flattering had it been on purpose, even though Carter acknowledged feeling that way made him a jerk. He needed to work on that.

  “It was,” Eddie admitted gruffly. “I wanted to snap him in half, though. He was really creepy about you, and I don’t think that was my opinion. He seemed like he was close to hiking up a leg and marking his territory.”

  Carter let out a startled laugh. He covered his mouth with one hand and was glad he hadn’t just taken a bite when Eddie made his observation.

  “It’s true,” Eddie said.

  Carter uncovered his mouth and managed to stop laughing. “He was definitely being a creep. I don’t know about the marking his territory bit, but I’ll give you the first part. I saw him at work the next day and he was barely containing his anger.”

  “But he behaved?” Eddie prodded.

  “Yeah, I guess. I just don’t like him, and I don’t think he’s going to give up.” Carter sighed and went back to eating.

  After a minute or two, Eddie leaned close and spoke quietly in his ear. “I liked the things we did together. I was… I was more interested in you than Georgie. I still am.”

  Heat flooded Carter’s veins and his dick perked up. He gulped instead of swallowing calmly as he’d meant to do.

  Eddie glanced around and leaned
closer again. “Think you’d be interested in more?”

  Carter didn’t know how it happened, but he managed to choke on his own spit. He sputtered, and Eddie thumped him on the back. Carter shook his head, trying to tell Eddie he didn’t need the back-pats.

  Eddie’s expression of disappointment was instantaneous.

  Carter waved his hand back and forth in front of his face and shook his head again as he struggled to get words out. “Can I think about it until tonight?”

  Then he noticed he’d drawn the attention of most of the other hikers and felt himself blush. He dipped his head down. “I have hiked out of the States before. I’ve hiked all over, but apparently I can’t eat without trying to kill myself.”

  There were some snickers over that, and Eddie seemed to be relieved. Carter shrugged at him. He hadn’t been about to spill their private business in front of anyone else.

  “I’m very open to it, in case I haven’t made myself clear,” Eddie murmured. “Very.”

  Eddie’s warm smile made Carter yearn for a soft bed and some privacy. Usually nothing made him want to be inside when he was hiking, not even rain or snow, and he’d hiked through some bitches of storms.

  He wanted Eddie, at least physically. Saying so was hard, for some reason. “Understood.”

  They finished their lunches after that, and Carter spent too much of the remainder of the day thinking about whether or not he should give in to his body’s desires.

  Because it wasn’t just his body. He wanted more from Eddie.

  All he wants is sex. He didn’t ask for more. Carter frowned. What had Eddie asked for, exactly? He cursed softly. He’d asked if Carter was interested in ‘more’. Had he meant only more sex, or… He said he was interested in me. What does that mean, even?

  He supposed he’d have to wait until evening to find out, if at all.

  Chapter Seven

  Carter had thought the stars had been incredible the night before, and they had been. However, the view from where they were camping out was even better.