Lang Downs

by Ariel Tachna

  Caine went under, struggling to find his footing in the rough water. A second later, the rope around his chest pulled tight. He held on with both hands, swimming as best he could in his soaked clothes and heavy coat. Within minutes, hands were pulling him to shore.

  “Bloody hell, Caine Neiheisel! Of all the fucking stupid things….”

  Then hot lips covered his, and Caine nearly sobbed in relief. Macklin was here, holding him, cursing at him, kissing him like he’d never let go. Somebody let out a wolf whistle, but Macklin ignored it, the kiss continuing, deepening even, as if Macklin had to prove to himself Caine was still there with him.

  When Macklin finally lifted his head, Caine had to catch his breath.

  “Um, boss?”

  “Get Neil home,” Macklin ordered, not waiting for Caine to speak. “Kyle, check Titan’s legs and take him with you. I’ll see to Caine.”

  “I bet you will,” one of the men laughed.

  “Shut it,” Neil snapped. “Caine saved my life. I don’t want to hear anybody saying anything about this.”

  “G-g-go home,” Caine ordered, the cold seeping into his bones and making him shiver. “Everybody.”

  “You’re soaked through,” Macklin said. “You aren’t going to make it home if we don’t get you warm.”

  “How do you suggest we do that?” Caine asked. “It’s raining. Everything is soaked.”

  “Ride with me,” Macklin said. “You can wrap my drizabone around you too. It won’t be perfect, but it will get us home.”

  “Neil might b-bully Kyle and the two who came with you into silence, but if we ride into the station with me wrapped in your coat, there won’t be any hiding it anymore.”

  “I’m done hiding,” Macklin said, urging Caine toward his horse. “I nearly lost you today. That puts things in perspective.” He helped Caine up onto the back of his horse. Caine shivered as the wind picked up. Then Macklin mounted behind him, folding him in the warmth of his coat. “Let’s go home.”

  Even with Macklin’s body heat and the extra drizabone, Caine was so cold by the time they reached the station that every inch of his body hurt and he couldn’t stop his teeth from chattering. Macklin swung down from the saddle, pulling Caine into his arms. “Jason, take care of Ned!” he snapped, striding toward the main house with Caine still in his arms.

  “Yes, sir!” Jason called back as Macklin crossed the veranda and went into the living room.

  “Kami! He needs coffee!”

  Caine turned his head enough to see the cook’s horrified expression as he raced to the kitchen.

  “Bring it upstairs,” Macklin shouted down the hallway as he carried Caine up the stairs to the big bathroom. “Can you stand?” he asked Caine tenderly.

  Caine nodded, bracing himself on the wall as Macklin set him down and turned on the hot water in the tub. Caine flinched. As much as he wanted to be warm, he knew how much it would hurt at first.

  “Come on, Cay,” Macklin said. “Let’s get you out of these wet clothes.”

  The new nickname surprised Caine. He’d gotten used to “pup,” but he wasn’t coherent enough to ask Macklin about it right now. He tried to help with his clothes, but his fingers had lost all coordination. They’d managed to peel off the drizabone and boots when Kami came rushing in with a thermos of coffee. “There’s more downstairs, boss,” he said. “Just yell down and I’ll bring it up to you.”

  “Thanks, Kami,” Macklin said, waiting until the cook had left to strip off the last of Caine’s clothes. “Okay, Cay, into the water.”

  “It’s g-g-going to hurt,” Caine grumbled.

  “Yes, but it’s better than hypothermia,” Macklin said, “and it’s the fastest way to get you warm.”

  “You c-c-could take me t-t-to b-bed,” Caine proposed.

  “I will,” Macklin promised. “As soon as I’m sure you’re warm again. Go on. I’ll even join you.”

  That was incentive enough for Caine to dip his toe in the water. It burned as he’d known it would, but even in the warm bathroom, he was shivering so hard he could barely stand. He forced himself to climb into the tub, hissing through the pain as he lowered himself into the water. Then Macklin was there with him, holding him, steadying him, encouraging him to relax and let the pain pass.

  Caine leaned back against the strong chest, still shivering. Macklin soothed him, running his hands over as much of Caine’s body as he could reach, rubbing his skin to help relax his muscles and increase his circulation. Caine’s eyes drifted closed.

  “Open your eyes, Cay,” Macklin prompted. “You can’t go to sleep until I know you’re all warmed up.”

  Caine struggled to keep his eyes open, but lethargy had settled in, making him so sleepy.

  “Caine!” Macklin said sharply. “Come on, don’t do this to me. Open your eyes and drink some of the coffee Kami made for you.”

  Caine opened his mouth, even if he couldn’t quite open his eyes. The coffee warmed his insides, and the caffeine helped stimulate him as well. He forced his eyes open to meet Macklin’s worried stare. “I’m ok-k-kay.”

  “Not yet, you aren’t, but you will be,” Macklin promised, pulling Caine into his arms again. “I won’t let you be anything else.”

  Caine burrowed deeper into the embrace, the shivers finally easing somewhat. “S-so what happens n-now?” he asked.

  “I take you to bed and make love to you until neither of us can see straight,” Macklin said. “And then when I’m done with that, I’ll beat you black and blue for doing such a bloody stupid thing in the first place.”

  “What would you have done?” Caine demanded, not pulling away because it felt too good to be held, but tipping his head up so he could look Macklin in the eyes. “If you’d been in my shoes, with Neil trapped on the other side of that gully with no way to get to shelter, what would you have done?”

  “Tossed him a rope,” Macklin said.

  “We tried. We couldn’t get it across the gully to him. Would you really have left him there?”

  “No,” Macklin replied, “but I’m a better rider than you, and I’m used to Ned.”

  “Titan and I were doing fine until that branch hit us,” Caine retorted. “And we put the rope around me precisely so we’d have a safety net if something did happen. Yes, it was dangerous, but it was also necessary, so don’t yell at me about it.”

  “You aren’t stuttering anymore,” Macklin observed. “You must be warming up.”

  Caine wasn’t sure if that was an admission on Macklin’s part concerning the logic of his argument or simply a change of subject, but he was too relieved to have Macklin there with him to worry about it now. They could argue about it later if Macklin insisted. “Warm enough to exchange the tub for the bed?” he asked hopefully.

  “I think that could be arranged,” Macklin said, standing and pulling Caine to his feet as well. With the chill gone and the air cleared between them, Caine became suddenly aware of the hard cock pressing against his belly as Macklin held him close. Feeling bold, Caine slid a hand between them, circling both their cocks and stroking them together. “Bloody hell, that feels good.”

  “Then dry me off and take me to bed so I can do it some more,” Caine proposed.

  Macklin grabbed a towel, drying Caine thoroughly and lingering over his nipples, cock, and ass, much to Caine’s delight. Even better, Macklin let him return the favor. Caine wanted to take his time and linger, but even in the steam-filled bathroom and with dry skin, he started feeling chilled again. “T-time for b-bed.”

  “Cold or horny?” Macklin asked.

  “B-both,” Caine replied, leading Macklin down the hall to the room he’d claimed as his own, although if Macklin agreed to move in with him, they’d have to use the master bedroom to have enough space.

  “Horny is good,” Macklin said, switching on the heater in Caine’s room. “Cold is not. Get under the covers. I have to go back out. The lube and condoms are in my cabin.”

  “I have that little tube
of lube,” Caine said. “It’s in my backpack.”

  “That doesn’t take care of the condoms.”

  “When were you last tested?” Caine asked.

  “A couple months before you got here,” Macklin replied, every muscle in his body visibly tense. “You aren’t suggesting….”

  “Why not?” Caine asked. “Was your test negative?”

  Macklin nodded.

  “So was mine. I got tested when I had my physical before I came here, after John and I broke up. You just kissed me in front of a bunch of jackaroos and then carried me inside when we got back to the station,” Caine pointed out. “You can’t go back in the closet now. You’re out, and if that wasn’t a declaration of commitment, I don’t know what would be. I don’t see the problem here.”

  “One more thing I’ve never done,” Macklin admitted.

  Caine smiled slowly. “I’ll enjoy showing you what you’ve been missing.”

  Caine could see the shiver of desire that went through Macklin at the words. “Where’s the lube? Once I get in that bed, I’m not getting out any time soon.”

  “In my backpack,” Caine said. “In the toiletries kit.”

  Macklin found what he was looking for and stalked toward the bed, everything in his expression and body language sending frissons of desire through Caine. He opened his arms and pulled Macklin down on top of him.

  “Don’t scare me like this again,” Macklin ordered, bracketing Caine’s head with his forearms as he hovered over Caine. “You won’t like the results.”

  “Don’t send me out with one of the other jackaroos when I should be out with you,” Caine retorted, lifting his head to kiss Macklin lightly. Macklin’s tongue surged into his mouth the moment their lips met, taking possession of Caine’s senses with a masterful touch. Caine let his head fall back to the pillow, unable to support its weight with Macklin bearing down on him. Macklin followed, never letting up on the kiss as he explored every inch of Caine’s mouth and then did it again.

  When they finally broke the kiss, Caine was fully hard and completely warm again. “If I could stand to share, I’d patent that as a cure for hypothermia,” he joked.

  “I’m not kissing anyone but you,” Macklin insisted. “I want to make love to you, but I don’t know if I have the patience.”

  “So fuck me this time and make love to me next time,” Caine said, rubbing his hands down Macklin’s back in encouragement. “I’ll love it either way.”

  Macklin reared back onto his knees. “Turn over,” he ordered.

  Caine scrambled onto his hands and knees, uncaring of the covers that fell to the side. Between the heater and Macklin touching him, he didn’t need them.

  Immediately Macklin’s fingers worked their way inside him, stretching urgently. It burned, but Caine ignored it, rocking back against the probing digits, letting the pressure on his prostate ratchet his desire high enough that the burn didn’t matter. Before long, the fingers withdrew and Macklin covered Caine with his body, his cock slipping into place, hot and hard and completely bare inside Caine. Caine shuddered with need, but he stayed where he was, ceding control of their lovemaking to Macklin. It might be hard and fast, with nothing but a few kisses in the way of foreplay, but Caine felt the way Macklin paused when he hit bottom, felt the brush of lips across his neck, and knew they were still making love.

  Then the moment of respite ended and Macklin began to move, riding Caine hard and fast, harder than he’d ever been fucked before. He lowered his head to his forearms, braced his hands against the headboard, and held on for dear life. Even though Macklin’s hands never left his hips, Caine felt every inch of his body grow sensitive as Macklin’s cock plowed into him. He sobbed out his need, too far gone to put his request into words, but Macklin understood, moving one hand beneath him to stroke his cock. Caine cried out again, his climax blindsiding him. Macklin fucked him all the way through it, drawing it out until Caine felt like a ragdoll caught in a dog’s teeth. He collapsed forward onto the bed, only Macklin’s grip on his hips keeping them lifted to the right angle.

  If Caine could have formed the words, he would have begged Macklin to hurry up and come already, but words were beyond him. Instead he clenched his muscles around his lover as best he could, trying to provide the stimulation Macklin needed to find release.

  Whether that had been the signal Macklin was waiting for or whether it was something else entirely, it worked. Macklin’s movements lost their rhythm, his body convulsing against Caine, shooting his load into Caine’s body. Macklin slumped forward, his weight forcing Caine’s hips down onto the bed and dislodging his cock from Caine’s passage. Caine could feel the fluid seeping onto his thighs. He pressed them together, trying to hold as much of Macklin inside him as he could.

  “Next time will be better, I promise,” Macklin murmured against his ear.

  Caine was pretty sure “better” would kill him completely.

  Twenty-One

  THEY SLEPT after that, the cold and the sex enough to leave both of them exhausted. Macklin nudged Caine awake several hours later. “It’s almost dinner time, Cay. I can hear Kami shouting in the kitchen.”

  Caine rolled onto his back so he could look at Macklin. “What happened to calling me pup?”

  Macklin shrugged. “It doesn’t exactly fit anymore. You’ve outgrown that nickname.”

  “But I like it,” Caine said. “I don’t mind if you still call me that.”

  Macklin shook his head. “You’re the boss now. The men don’t need to hear me questioning that.”

  “I’m their boss. I’m your lover,” Caine disagreed, “and chances are, they all know it by now. I don’t think you calling me pup will be construed as questioning my authority. Fucking me into oblivion might be, but we won’t tell them who tops.”

  “Do you think for a second they’d believe I’m a bottom?” Macklin scoffed.

  Caine grinned and slid his hand over Macklin’s ass, his fingers probing the crease. “Give me time. I’ll convince you.”

  Macklin tensed but didn’t pull away, so Caine worked his fingers a little deeper, finding Macklin’s entrance and tracing it lightly. “I’ve wanted to rim you since you fucked my mouth in Boorowa. Think about it.”

  Macklin shivered, his hips rutting against Caine’s side, his cock twitching in interest.

  “I think you l-like the sound of that.”

  “I think you do, too, if you’re stuttering just thinking about it,” Macklin teased. “Be patient with me, pup. We’re going to do this because the alternative isn’t an alternative at all, but I’m not any better at relationships than I was last week or last month.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” Caine promised. “So do we have to go down for dinner or can we stay here and make love again?”

  “Food first, then sex,” Macklin declared. “After your adventure today, you need to eat. You expended a lot of energy just staying alive.”

  “How do you want me to act at dinner?” Caine asked. “I mean, I’m not going to hang all over you because that isn’t who I am, but can I touch your hand or your arm or anything?”

  “I told you I was done hiding and I meant it,” Macklin said, “but I probably won’t ever be comfortable with kissing or anything in public.”

  “It sure didn’t seem that way this afternoon,” Caine teased.

  “That was extenuating circumstances,” Macklin retorted. “Don’t expect it to happen again.”

  “All teasing aside,” Caine said, “what will you be comfortable with?”

  “I don’t know,” Macklin replied. “I’ve never done this before. If you do something that makes me uncomfortable, I’ll tell you.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Caine said. He shifted on the bed, feeling the stickiness between his legs. “I need a shower before we can go anywhere.”

  “I need dry clothes,” Macklin said with a chuckle. “I came in here with you to dry off.”

  “I’d offer you some of mine, but they wouldn’t fit,�
�� Caine replied. “I could get dressed and send Jason or someone to get some for you so you’ll have something dry after your shower, or I could put your wet clothes in the dryer here and just bring dinner up to you.”

  “Send Jason to get some,” Macklin decided. “You’re not going anywhere without me for a day or two until I’m sure you don’t have any lingering effects from your dunking today.”

  Caine pulled on dry pants and a sweatshirt, not bothering with underwear since he was coming back up to take a shower as soon as he found someone to either get Macklin’s clothes or send Jason to do it. He padded downstairs in sock feet to find a pile of clothes sitting on the living room table. “Where did these come from?” he wondered as he carried them back upstairs.

  “It would seem we have a fairy godmother,” Caine said, setting the clothes on the bed. “Someone left these in the living room.”

  “Kami, probably,” Macklin said. “The whole station saw me come inside carrying you, and Kami probably guessed I wasn’t leaving.”

  “He knows about us,” Caine agreed. “I think he knew about us before I did.”

  “He’s a superstitious old aborigine,” Macklin said, affection obvious in his voice despite the disdainful words. “He probably thinks Michael waited until Christmas to die so you could break up with the Galah and be free to come to Lang Downs.”

  Caine smiled. “I’m not opposed to thanking fate for my good fortune. We should clean up so we can go down to dinner. You can use Uncle Michael’s shower if you want. I’ll use the small one down the hall.”

  “And miss a chance to get my hands on you?” Macklin said. “You can join me in the bath, or I’ll squeeze into the shower with you.”

  “That won’t get us to dinner on time, and we’ll get enough teasing as it is without being late.”

  “Fine,” Macklin said, “but after dinner, your arse is mine.”

  Caine grinned and tweaked Macklin’s buttocks as he walked by. “As long as your ass is mine as well.”