Chapter 4
“Damn it!” Kitt growled and tossed his pillow across the bedroom. The clock read four-thirty in the morning, and he hadn’t slept a wink all night. The television in his bedroom played an all-night marathon of Gun Smoke. He’d watched all five shows, wishing his brain would turn off so he could actually get at least a minute of sleep. It never happened.
Kitt’s hard-on stayed unyielding no matter what he did to relieve the tension. He’d jacked off twice and tried a third time, but nothing helped. Kitt even went to his last resort; the thing sure to bore his brain into sleep. He got up to do his accounting. The farm’s bookkeeping should have done the trick and firmly knocked him out, but it didn’t work because about every thirty seconds, no matter what he did, his mind strayed back to Austin Grainger.
Hands down, Austin was the hottest man on the planet. He’d been Kitt’s crush since high school. It was Austin’s yearbook photo and newspaper sports page snapshots, Kitt used to stroke himself off when he was just a typical hormonal adolescent boy.
Austin left town straight after high school to begin a modeling career. Those photos carried Kitt all the way through high school and into college, jacking off about every other day. He’d even learned that if he whispered Austin’s name softly when he came, it made the orgasm just a little bit better in the end.
It took a couple of years, but it was Austin’s first movie role that finally made Kitt admit to himself that straight dudes didn’t fantasize over being with men. Well not men. A man.
Only one man, but it was the image of Austin Grainger in Kitt’s mind that helped get him through those dark days when he first admitted to himself he truly was gay. Back then, Austin stayed etched in his brain all the time to help fight the depression, giving him hope like only a high school crush could do. Seeing him in person, he understood he’d never lost the intensity of those feelings, not even after all these years. That was probably the single greatest thought fueling his anger while they stood outside this afternoon.
Stunned beyond words, Kitt’s heart seized in his chest when he saw Austin standing in front of him. Almost struck dumb by the guy’s presence, he fumed when his body betrayed him. It hardened and responded to just the air Austin breathed.
How could Austin still be so good looking after all these years? He wasn’t that same youthful, sunny, blond boy running around town who charmed everyone in his path. Instead, he’d grown into a gorgeous man with thick, sandy colored hair, and strong, alluring facial features. His cheekbones were high and accented a long straight nose that flared just slightly at the end. His mouth was wide and his lips – Dear God, those thick, full lips! – spread into a glorious, easy going smile.
Kitt always imagined his cock would fit perfectly inside Austin’s mouth, and a groan resonated in his chest just from the thought of Austin giving him a blow job. God, he wanted that so badly! He could see Austin on his knees in front of him. His fingertips running along Austin’s strong, chiseled jaw and chin, Austin’s deep cobalt eyes lifting up to lock on Kitt’s as he sucked him deeper inside his mouth. Austin’s hair was just long enough to thread his fingers through, to grip on to and guide himself deeper down Austin’s throat. Man did he want to fuck Austin’s mouth…
Refusing to allow another image to conjure in his overactive brain, Kitt forced himself to think of anything else, and his eyes landed on the pile of dirty clothes. He needed to do his laundry. He rose from bed, gathered the clothes and tossed them into the washing machine. Kitt started the machine with a push of a button and leaned a hip on its side. He may not have wanted to think about Austin anymore, but he didn’t seem to have a choice. His brow furrowed as he thought about Austin’s movie career.
Kitt owned every single one of Austin’s movies, all the magazines from his modeling days up until now and regularly jacked off to every one of them during the long, lonely spells between visits with Sean. He’d heard Austin planned to retire. How had it never occurred to him that Austin Grainger could be the person buying his land? And what the fuck would happen now?
Kitt took a chance and grabbed his phone as the time ticked closer to five in the morning. He sat with a thump on his small sofa in the living room. He began a text to Mike. They’d been friends since college. Kitt had been in the graduate program. He’d just finished his Master’s degree, working on his PhD, when he first met Mike who was just starting school. Mike came up and helped him when his dad died and when Kitt fired his dad’s foreman. Those were dark days. The foreman didn’t go easily, but Mike stood by him the entire time. Now, Kitt stumbled on his words, typing, erasing, and typing again.
‘Hey man, sorry about yesterday. I was pissed off.’ Kitt finally hit send and cringed at the time.
Mike’s text came back immediately. ‘No worries. I knew you were and you had every right. They didn’t talk it over with me first. Sorry man.’
‘No sorry necessary. I don’t normally let myself get that upset anymore. I need to apologize to your ranch owner. Was I just pissed off or was that really Austin Grainger in front of me?’
‘It’s him. I couldn’t say anything, part of my agreement. It’s grounds for termination and a lawsuit. He said he grew up around here.’
Kitt laid back, propped against the back of the sofa thinking that over.
‘Yeah, I went to high school with him.’ Kitt didn’t say anything more. It would be utter humiliation if anyone ever found his stash of photos.
‘He asked me to ask you not to say anything. He doesn’t want people to know he’s here. Did you know him back in school?’
Kitt barked with laughter at the thought of knowing Austin. ‘Not really, he’s a few years older. He was out the door as I was coming in. Are we still set for the cattle coming in tomorrow?’
‘So far we are. I need to check their schedule, but the first load should be here tomorrow. If you’re still willing to come? Micah’s coming, he signed an agreement, but it flows better with you here.’
‘Of course I’m coming! Text me and let me know the time, I’ll meet the trucks there.’ Kitt had offered to help unload and register three semi’s full of cattle. His only saving grace, it would be true manual labor, something he couldn’t see a famous movie star signing up to do.
‘Thanks, man. And seriously, Grainger seemed fine. He said he understood and agreed. He remembered the Kelly temper.’ Mike replied.
‘I hate that. I try not to be my dad.’ Kitt typed in a rare moment of honesty about his father’s reputation.
‘Don’t worry, you aren’t. I gotta go. I have a ranch hand meeting this morning at five. I need to lay down the law about your pond. Take care. I’ll text you later about tomorrow.’
And, with that, Kitt technically knew nothing more than before he’d sent the first text. As he sat back resting his head on the back of the sofa, he pulled up the message he’d received around midnight from Sean and re-read it.
‘Kitt, I turned away a hot little number tonight. It’s a first for me, but I’m texting you to let you know how serious I am about my offer. I’m planning to head down there tomorrow night. Don’t stop me. Just send me directions. As time goes on, we can plan it better. I’ll rent a truck, isn’t that what all you cowboys drive? Now, think about the positive side. Sex, twice in one week. How long has it been since that last happened for you?’
Kitt planned to again ignore the text, just like he had when he first read it, until he looked down at his still partially erect cock sticking up in his underwear. The underwear was Sean’s gift to him last Christmas. Kitt should have been set for a few weeks after last night, but then Mr. Hollywood made his presence known this afternoon effectively ruining the sex buzz from the morning. Kitt finally texted Sean back, ‘I’ll send directions through email.’ It was all the enthusiasm he could muster.
Frustrated beyond words, Kitt took a too cold shower, standing under the spray until his cock finally settled down. He dressed quickly with his lips chattering and his fingertips blue, but the icy sh
ower did the trick. Until his body warmed up again, causing his cock to spring back to life.
~~~~~~
After three of the quietest days he could remember, Austin lounged on the back porch. He’d loved every minute of the peace. He refused to check email, and only answered text messages from Cara and his agent if truly necessary. Except, he rarely found them necessary. The nights were perfect in his little slice of heaven, and even though it was early fall, the days were as hot as he remembered. The nights came on earlier every single day, and by seven in the evening, the air turned cool. The only thing that vied for his attention were the crickets and shooting stars, shining brightly in the sky. God, he loved this life.
So far, Austin hadn’t found a need to turn on the brand new plasma HD television installed the day before, nor a desire to sit on any of the expensive leather furniture delivered that morning. The back porch worked perfectly for him and represented all he seemed to really need in the world. He kicked back in a lawn chair. The light breeze blew, an AM/FM radio played old country classics and he held an ice cold Corona in his hand with a small cooler sitting at his feet. If he stayed true to his most current goal, the cooler would be empty before he went back inside for the night.
From the best he could tell, Mike appeared to still be working in the barn. The guy easily worked from before sunup to way past sundown. Austin spent most of the day lending a hand to get ready for their cattle to arrive the following morning. He found he’d turned soft over the years, no matter how many hours he’d logged in the gym, or how muscularly sculpted his body looked. Apparently, all that amounted to was looking good on the screen. His body wasn’t suited for any true manual labor. He already ached in places he hadn’t even known could ache, and for whatever reason, he loved that too. This whole place gave him a sense of belonging. One, he found he’d completely lost along the way. Austin felt like he’d really pulled his own weight today which might be the best feeling of all.
A grin spread across Austin’s lips at the thought that he might actually get a real suntan again, not one of the spray ones he’d grown accustomed to living the Hollywood lifestyle. Maybe, he’d look as hot in his real tan as his next door neighbor did in his. And just like that, much like he’d done about five hundred times over the last twenty-four hours, Austin looked out over his pasture in the direction of Kitt Kelly’s house. Just like every other time, the ridge obscuring his view refused to move, but if it had, Austin would have been able to see the little log cabin out in the distance.
Kitt Kelly was a problem. He stayed firmly under Austin’s skin, having never strayed too far from his mind since the moment he stormed off, refusing to look back. But, it was okay Kitt didn’t turn back. Austin did enough looking and lusting for both of them. After watching Kitt swagger away, Austin came straight back to the house to text Cara one simple question. Nine simple words, ‘What kind of a man wears Andrew Christian underwear?’
He knew the answer, but wanted reassurance from a professional shopper, and his fake fiancée fit that bill. And just like he’d known it would be, the answer he got back was clear, ‘Gay men with money or husbands whose wives buy them.’
The information didn’t come free. He’d then spent the rest of the night trying to convince Cara he wasn’t already hooking up down here and possibly blowing their cover. Which technically was completely true, he didn’t lie at all. But, he planned on changing it very soon.
Based on Cara’s assumption, Kitt would be a gay man with money. If run properly, these farms could bank, but he wasn’t so sure Kitt fit the mold of a prosperous rancher. If Kitt had money, he wouldn’t have sold such a prime piece of land. So the next question might be, who was it that bought Kitt that expensive underwear? Perhaps a boyfriend...jealousy Austin couldn’t comprehend kicked up in his heart before his competitive side kicked in. Both feelings were odd and unexplainable considering he didn’t even know his new neighbor.
With one leg propped on the porch rail, Austin leaned back in his chair and thought about the past. He remembered Kitt from their school days. Not real well, but he did remember one particular time in the locker room shower. Kitt was at the end of his freshman year and Austin was about to graduate. Even remembering the scene he’d walked into had Austin feeling a little like pervert, but he remembered it clearly: Kitt Kelly was hung. Something happened to the boy during his freshman year. He transformed from skinny kid to grown ass man in a matter of months.
It was funny how some things stuck with you. That one glimpse of Kitt standing all alone under the hot spray…oh yeah, Austin looked. He wasn’t going lie to himself even as wrong as it felt. He’d fantasized about Kitt for months. In his visions, Austin had him on his knees, both from the front and back. Kitt regularly starred in every possible position Austin could dream to put him in and turned out to be perfect for any gay man’s wettest of wet dreams. Now, as Austin sat there on his porch, he wondered if Kitt had gotten any bigger.
His eyes darted back in the direction of Kitt’s house willing the man to appear before him. He lost track of everything as he thought about how Kitt might look walking toward him right now, completely naked, that huge cock hard as steel. The thought dried his mouth and had him taking a long draw from his cold beer in an attempt to cool off his now hot and bothered body. Completely caught up in his daydreams, he didn’t catch Mike’s approach until he was already walking up the porch steps. The inattention was incredibly unusual for Austin. Over the last few years, he’d gotten almost paranoid about sensing when anyone tried to sneak up on him.
“Hey boss man. I just got word, all three truckloads of your cattle are arrivin’ tomorrow, for sure. They’re close now and gonna book it through the night. I’m guessin’ the first one’ll be here around eightish tomorrow mornin’,” Mike said, anchoring a hip on the porch rail in front of Austin.
“Want a beer?” Austin asked, his mind solidly on Kitt. He wondered if he could lure his foreman into conversation so he could learn more about the cowboy.
“Sure,” Mike said and reached for the cooler. Austin cocked his head toward the empty lawn chair next to his for Mike to sit down. “I’ve got the crew comin’ in tomorrow. I trust everyone comin’ to keep your secret. The only one who doesn’t already know is Micah, but like I said, I trust him.”
“That’s fine. Let me know what I need to pay everyone.” Austin absently stared out in the night. He finished one beer while reaching for another.
“Nah, that’s not how it works around here. We all pitch in and help each other out.” Mike twisted the cap off his beer as he kicked his boot up next to Austin’s on the rail. He took a long drink before removing his ball cap and rubbing a hand threw his sweaty hair.
“Yeah, I remember some of that. I just haven’t given anything back,” Austin said just as casually as Mike did.
“But I have. They’re helpin’ me. I’ve helped them enough, now they’re givin’ back to me. I’ve got Micah, his oldest two boys, Kitt, and all your ranch hands slash security who’ll be here. They’re all pretty worthless though. You do know that right? We’re gonna have to hire more hands now the animals are comin’, but I think we got enough people for tomorrow. I can get kids from the FFA program at the high school. They’ll need volunteer hours for the class. You’d have to stay hidden if they came.” Mike took another long drink.
“I’ll be here to help, too. You’ll have to tell me what you need me to do.” Austin cast a sideways glance toward Mike.
“Tomorrow won’t be too hard. It’s just runnin’ them through. It’ll be taggin’ and vaccinations that’ll be what takes the time. They’ll be quarantined and separated for a while. Micah and Kitt can handle all that. They’re bringin’ their horses, a couple extra too. They’ll do their part on horseback. I’m thinkin’ we’ll start breedin’ right away. I think I told you Kitt started an artificial insemination program a few years back. I know we agreed to run the bulls and cows together for now, but we could look at something like that, too. I know Kit
t’s cattle is gonna sell big this year,” Mike said. His hat sat crooked on his head, and he seemed just as lost to the lure of the night as Austin.
“I need to apologize to him. I still feel bad about all that over the fence. Does he run the farm by himself?” Austin didn’t hesitate to take his opportunity.
“Pretty much. His step-mom and sisters live in the main house. She does all the cookin’ for everybody. Has a badass garden out there she maintains just about year round. Kitt’s got about ten full time hands. He’s really got it goin’ on over there. It’s just taken a lot to get the ranch back up and movin’ forward again. His dad didn’t modernize.”
“Yeah, I can’t see old man Kelly being too modern.” Austin winced remembering the hardened John Wayne kind of a guy Kitt’s father had represented.
“They butted heads pretty hard, but it turned out good for Kitt, though. He tried to come home after his Bachelor’s degree. It didn’t last. So he went back to school,” Mike said finishing off his beer. Austin quickly handed him another hoping to keep the conversation going. Hell, Austin would get Mike drunk if he had to, he was already getting way more information than he thought he would.
“You met Kitt in college?”
“Yeah, he was in the graduate program. He got a full ride, he’s freakishly smart. I met him when he was a teacher’s aide in one of my classes. I think he might’ve become a professor if his dad hadn’t up and died. I was on financial aid, and Kitt found me work pretty regular during the summers. He’s a good guy. You shouldn’t judge him by what you saw,” Mike said, and this time it was him giving a sideways glance at Austin. It seemed Mike might be trying to smooth the path between him and Kitt. Funny, it was about the same thing Austin wanted, but for far different reasons.
Texas Pride Page 5
