It wasn’t easy. No matter how much distance he put between them, the connection between them sizzled, at least for Kitt. He needed to stay away from the Grainger farm. Mike would just have to understand. Damn! Mike complicated the whole deal. He’d been so pumped when he landed that job. Kitt had promised Mike he’d help in whatever he needed, and he knew Mike wanted the Grainger farm to get involved in the investment group Kitt started to fund his new ponies about to birth. Breeding quality race horses was too exciting an opportunity not to pass on to the few of them interested. Kitt didn’t see how he could let Austin Grainger in. He’d have to figure something out for Mike. Figure out a way to explain it to him, get him to understand. But what could he really say? Nothing would make sense and the investment group needed the capital to keep breeding their horses.
“Damn it,” Kitt muttered in frustration and finally rose from bed. It was way too early to get up, only three in the morning. But, he got up anyway and started on his day. He wasn’t scheduled to go back over to the Grainger farm until later and that was to check a couple of head of cattle for some possible respiratory issues. If anything else came up, he’d send Jose, his foreman over in his place. Kitt desperately needed distance. To help him find perspective, he decided to take Sean up on his offer. Even thinking it caused his heart to drop, but his head knew it was the right decision. Kitt had to use his head. He needed time to get comfortable with Austin living next door. Surely, something regular and faithful would help Kitt get past this unhealthy consumption.
For God’s sake, Austin was a straight man engaged to be married! Jealousy spiked up in Kitt at the thought even though he knew possessiveness had no place searing through him. So yeah, Sean as his boyfriend, sex twice a week…it wasn’t the hell he’d thought just two days ago. It’s what he needed to get his mind back focused right, but he’d have conditions. Sean would have to stop with the ‘I love yous’. That was the deal breaker. Maybe.
Besides, being away from here once a week could help get Austin out of his system. And, the other night, Sean offered to invest in his breeding program as a silent partner. He needed the money. If the hay baling didn’t pan out like Kitt hoped, the extra cash would help and buyers weren’t jumping in to buy his hay as easily as he thought they might. Maybe, Sean had a point. Now that they were a couple, weren’t they supposed to do things like share with one another? The bigger question though, why did the weight of thinking they were a couple settle so heavily on his shoulders?
~~~~~~
Sweat trickled down the side of Austin’s face as he loaded the last heifer in the chute. Tugging his t-shirt up and over his head, he wiped the wet cotton over his dust streaked face. Austin, Mike and a few of his security guards were the only ones on the job today, and they’d done it. Job complete. All the animals were tagged, vaccinated, fed, sectioned off and quarantined. He didn’t know what anyone else thought, but he considered this a job well fucking done.
“Good job, boss man.” Mike came to stand on the other side of the stall. He took off his work gloves and anchored an arm on the rail.
“Fuck I’m tired.” Austin slapped the heifer out of the rack. She took off, not needing to be urged twice.
“Yeah, it’s a hard day’s work out here,” Mike said. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry now that they’d finally gotten everything done. Austin longed for a shower and some food, but he mimicked Mike’s stance and leaned on the rail. If the guy wanted to talk a minute, he guessed he could do likewise.
“Thanks for arranging the meals. I’ll do better next time.”
“Nah, it’s my job to arrange all that. As we grow, I’ll start lookin’ for a regular cook, but until then, the place in town caters the meals. Mrs. Kelly likes to do it, too. I gave her some money,” Mike explained.
“Good. Is it still called the Horseshoe Café?” Austin asked.
“Yeah, they did this meal for us today,” Mike said.
“Everybody still go there on Friday night for supper?” Austin asked, searching for conversation now. He wasn’t completely sure why Mike still stood there so he straightened, working his aching muscle out.
“Yeah, but it’s got a pool hall and dance joint added on to it. The Baptist church doesn’t like it at all, but it gives everyone a place to gather and somethin’ for the church folk to talk about,” Mike said grinning.
If Mike planned to continue the conversation, it would have to be while heading out the door. Austin was done for the day. “Maybe someday I’ll check that out.”
“You need to. The local girls’ll go crazy.” Mike followed him out.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of. I’m digging this quiet thing. Your buddies didn’t treat me any different,” Austin said, pushing open the barn door. The bright sun hit him, and he squinted under its glare.
“Nah, they’re salt of the earth kind of people. Work too hard to get lost in the glitz. Listen, I’ve got plans in town tonight. Your hands are gonna be on the watch for the cattle, but it should all be fine. We’ll stay like this for a few days, make sure the herds healthy, give the State time to come out if they want.”
“You handle that part,” Austin said, and again stretched his body out. “Have fun tonight. I’m going in.”
“Will do. Good job, again,” Mike said.
“You too. Thanks Mike,” Austin tossed the words kind of over his shoulder never fully looking back. He feared that if he didn’t concentrate on moving each sore leg in front of the other, he might not make it all the way to his house. How embarrassing would it be to collapse in the middle of the yard in front of Mike and have to have him carry him inside?
Once he made it up to his back porch, Austin felt like congratulating himself. If anyone knew how sore he really was, he’d die. The back porch entry led him straight into his living room and kitchen area. The big windows spread all along the back part of the house were outfitted with remote controlled planter blinds. Just a touch of a button closed them all quickly, but since they had been installed, Austin kept them pulled up, leaving the windows completely open. It gave him such a sense of peace and normalcy to be able to look out and see nothing but wide open flat lands.
Austin couldn’t wait to get out of the sweaty, dirty clothes he’d worn all day. He tracked a small trail of dirt across his marble floor as he made his way to his bathroom. He peeled off his jeans and dropped his underwear, kicking both aside once he hit his bedroom door. The t-shirt made it close to the hamper in the bathroom.
Austin had let the decorators come in and finish the house over the last two days. He’d stayed discreetly hidden, tucked away in the barn. He’d also scheduled the local grocery store to deliver once a week. They left his order at Mike’s trailer every Friday. His Spanish, non-English speaking, senior citizen housekeeper apparently had one of his hands bring it down to the house. Mike hired the housekeeper before Austin ever arrived, swearing she had no clue as to his identity and would absolutely keep things quiet. She turned out to be one of Mike’s aunts and did a fantastic job. She even cooked for him a little. Spicy hot, jalapeno filled foods, but extremely delicious nonetheless, He was grateful for it.
Austin padded across the floor of his bathroom in nothing more than an exhausted smile. He didn’t touch anything, knowing a fine layer of dirt coated his skin. The shower was hot and he let the pounding of the water spray down across shoulders and back. He rolled his thick muscles under the spray trying to loosen them. By tomorrow, the aches would be at an all-time high. He ran his hand over his stomach, feeling each defined abdominal muscle and could tell he’d already slimmed up. For years, he’d worked out daily to maintain the bulk and sixpack stomach. Closer to his retirement, he’d let the strict workout regime go a bit and had put on a few pounds. But, the real work he now performed would slim him right back up quick, trim him out, and it looked to already be happening.
Austin stepped out of the shower and took a minute to shave, brush his teeth and pluck a stray hair or two. As he stood there looking in th
e mirror, combing his sandy blond hair in place, he again thought about Kitt. Austin had watched the sway of his ass as he came by the barn today to check his cattle for infection. Kitt never came inside the barn, staying outside the whole time, but it was a perfect angle for Austin to watch him out of a window. Kitt bent over checking the animals, as if inviting Austin to take a good long look at his ass. And, he did. Kitt so had that perfect cowboy swagger thing going on. He wore it well and pulled it off so naturally it was like he invented it himself.
Even when Kitt had worn those casual khaki cargo shorts, a loose fitting t-shirt and flip flops, he couldn’t hide that cowboy strut. He carried his long, lean body with confidence and ease. Austin had witnessed his temper first hand, but he also knew it wasn’t who Kitt was as a man. As a man, he was smart, articulate when necessary, and other times he was quiet. He never forced himself on anyone. He was a natural born leader. Austin wasn’t sure Kitt knew that about himself based on the blush that rose on his face when Austin had mentioned it in the kitchen.
From spending time with Kitt and the others Austin learned Kitt usually came to the answer first in the group, but he always let the others settle into it before pushing forward with the plan. There was no doubt Kitt was the boss out there. The one the others looked up to, and the one Austin desperately wanted be buried deep inside.
That thought lead Austin to another: he prayed again Kitt would bottom at least on occasion. Natural born leaders like Kitt were rarely bottoms, but the more Austin waited, the more he wanted in Kitt’s tight ass. He wanted it real bad. It was absolutely the most prominent thought in his head.
Austin opted for a pair of blue jeans and a polo going commando in the process. His big plan for the evening was to cook dinner, maybe grill a steak and watch some television before turning in. It might seem a boring night to many, but for him it sounded perfect. As he walked through the house, a stray thought slammed into his head and a smile hit his lips. The only question, would he be able to pull it off?
The warm water of the pond soaked into Kitt’s skin as he floated on his back. The evening was coming on quick. A cool breeze blew across his skin in contrast to the warm water, sending goose bump springing up along his arms and legs. They were in the midst of a true Indian summer. It was quickly becoming one of the hottest October’s on record with a heat wave breaking century old temperature highs during the day, but the nights were still cooling down nicely. Kitt fought back a yawn, hoping he’d be so badly worn out from the day’s work, he’d have no choice but to get some sleep tonight.
Thank God, Mike didn’t need his help anymore today. This morning, Kitt made the official announcement to his staff at the barn, that he’d be sending Jose over in his place for anything Mike needed in the foreseeable future. He figured Mike would need some help in breaking the herd up and sending them out to pasture. Jose should have no problem filling in for Kitt.
After their impromptu meeting, Kitt worked himself into the ground. Anything requiring manual labor, he did himself. He still hadn’t called Sean to let him know of his decision and decided to put it off another day. He needed to talk to Jose and Lily first, check their schedules to find the best time to go up to Dallas this weekend.
A bonus, as if to reiterate Kitt’s need to exhaust himself, one mishap after another happened all the way up until dinner. Once he got done over at Mike’s place where he successfully managed to dodge Austin, he got a call about a fence break on his property. The repair only took a minute, but corralling the herd back inside took some time.
As they broke for dinner, Kitt’s stepmom met him at the barn, panicked. Some four legged something got into her prized garden and apparently ate quite a bit. She’d found enough to know that whatever the culprit, it dug under the fence this time instead of going over it. While she finished preparing everyone’s dinner, Kitt repaired the damage to the garden’s fence and anchored it better into the ground, making this long day even longer. This time when the yawn threatened to come out, he didn’t stop it. Thank God, tonight, he would finally sleep!
He’d opted to skip having dinner at the house. Instead, he’d fixed a plate to eat later and took it back to his cabin. He’d driven the four-wheeler to the pond, parked it and jumped off, stripping as he stalked over to the water and dove in. He had spent almost every night of his youth in this pond, and it felt just as good now as it did then. As Kitt gently kicked his way in a circle, he dove under the water head first and came back up again, flipping on to his back as two blue jean clad horizontal legs caught his eye. Kitt flipped back around again lifting his head, slinging water with his wet hair. Austin stood before him.
“I didn’t think you heard me, even though I wasn’t being quiet,” Austin said smiling while resting an arm on the fence. He stood on his side of the divide. His four-wheeler sat parked a few feet away, and it looked like he’d been there for a while.
“No, I didn’t.” It sounded lame even to Kitt, and he checked the urge to roll his eyes at the obvious.
“I didn’t think so.” That crooked, charming as hell smile still graced Austin’s face. Neither of them spoke for what felt like a long time, but in reality, it couldn’t have been more than a minute.
“Did you need somethin’?” Kitt finally asked ending the silence.
“Mike and I were talking about artificial insemination, and I was wondering if maybe we could talk about it tonight. If you’re not busy. I got three big, thick steaks ready to go on the grill. It won’t take long,” Austin added, still perched in the same position.
“Umm… Sure…” Kitt begged his brain to find a way out.
“So, you’ll come?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Kitt said, still treading water to keep his head above the surface.
“Alright. So I’ll see you in like thirty minutes?” Austin’s eyes seemed to be glued to his. Why was he staring at him like that?
“Sure.” No! His brain rejected this so solidly he worried he’d said the word out loud.
“Alright then, I’ll just go get the grill started.” Austin slowly sauntered off back to his four-wheeler. Kitt watched him the entire time, never moving just keeping his body underwater until the four-wheeler drove out of sight.
“Fuck! What the fuck?” Kitt yelled out into the night slapping at the water with his fist. He swam hard to the side, almost running to his clothes. His giant hard-on stuck out like the pain in the ass it had become.
What the fuck was Mike thinking? He knew Kitt would be more than happy to do anything his buddy needed, but why were they discussing artificial insemination with the ranch owner right now? No way the Grainger farm was even remotely ready to begin anything like an insemination program.
Kitt dug a hand in the pocket of his jeans, palming his phone. He was all set to send Mike a straight up, go to hell message, when he stopped in mid type. Mike would never get why he was so upset. And, what could he say? Your boss’s about the best looking thing I’ve ever seen, and I can’t think of much else than fucking his brains out, so why did you invite me over you fuckin’ idiot!?! Yeah, no, he definitely couldn’t say that.
“Fuck!” Kitt growled out into the night.
Feeling much like a fool and completely out of his element, he forced the phone back down in his pocket and stalked to his cabin carrying his bundled up clothes under his arm. He dumped them in the general direction of the laundry room area. He didn’t stop, but went straight into the bathroom and turned the faucet on for the shower. He stepped under the cold stream and prayed his cock would calm before he got to Austin’s house.
~~~~~~
The grin never left Austin’s face as he drove back to the house. And, he certainly didn’t jump right in to making dinner. Instead, he detoured to the bathroom to jack off before Kitt’s arrival. It didn’t take much for him to come. Seeing Kitt in the pond, easily making out it was him from at least fifty yards away, had him pulling the four-wheeler straight up to the fence line. He’d watched Kitt swim and float around in t
he water, his long legs kicking up, his ass sliding under water, and that long thick dick floating freely. Austin walked to the fence line never trying to hide he was there.
He anchored a foot up on the first post, and lifted his Ray-Ban’s and just watched Kitt as he relaxed. Kitt was completely lost in thought as several minutes passed with Austin just watching that perfect body arch and twist in the water. When Kitt realized he stood there, everything changed. The air between them crackled and intensified. Kitt’s relaxed mood vanished and all he gave were clipped, one word answers. Austin wasn’t sure where the brilliance of three steaks came from, knowing Kitt would think Mike planned to come, but he said it and Kitt bought it.
Now, as Austin stood in the hall bathroom stroking his dick, he closed his eyes with the grin on his face broadening. He let the thoughts of sliding Kitt’s thick cock between his lips take over, and that was all it took. Austin’s orgasm came fast, pumping out into the sink.
He stayed leaning against the sink even after he finished, etching the image of Kitt floating in the pond deep into his memory. Very much like he’d done fifteen years ago in the locker room of the high school when he’d caught Kitt in the shower. Austin was beginning to realize everything about Kitt Kelly had always called out to him.
Austin let himself feel the romance of his thoughts as he slowly opened his eyes to look at himself in the mirror. He couldn’t stop grinning. As crazy as it sounded, he felt like that boy in high school, all those years ago, with his first crush finally paying attention to him.
Whatever caused the feeling, Austin wasn’t ready to let it go. It fit perfectly into his new solitary life. Hell, maybe it was just the glorious feeling of finally being left alone. But whatever, he wasn’t in a mind set to let it go, and oddly, he wanted to dress up for Kitt tonight. He wanted to impress Kitt, to look his best for him. He decided to give into the urge.
Texas Pride Page 9
