by Carol Lynne
Sammy buried his face against Leo’s neck. He took the opportunity to pepper kisses to the wet skin while shielding himself from the overhead spray. He wasn’t sure how long they both lay there, but soon the water started to cool. Sammy squeezed his eyes shut, knowing all too soon the cold water would signal an end to their brief interlude.
Leo finally roused when Sammy’s body began to shiver. “Sorry.” Leo rolled to the side and stood, holding a hand out.
Sammy took the offered gesture and stood. He couldn’t bring himself to look Leo in the eyes. The last thing he wanted to see was regret. Even though it hadn’t been a tender moment, it taught him a lot about how Leo would react as a lover.
Sammy swiped his hand over his stomach quickly before shutting down the water. He didn’t bother with a towel right away, instead waiting to see how Leo would react after losing control.
Leo once again surprised him by retrieving the towel Sammy had hung on one of the hooks. He swiped Sammy’s hair and chest before wrapping it around his waist and tucking it in.
“Better get dressed or you’re going to get sick,” Leo mumbled before leaving the room.
Sammy took a deep breath. He ran a hand over his face, feeling the chafed skin and smiled. If he let Leo try to put distance between them, he’d never regain the ground.
He waited for several minutes before walking out of the bathroom to the bunkroom. With only a handful of people on staff, the single room only contained five twin beds. Looking towards Leo’s bed, Sammy wondered how the man had managed to strip and dry off so quickly.
Dropping his towel, Sammy pulled back the covers and climbed between the sheets. He lay there for several seconds before rolling to his side to face Leo. He should probably keep his mouth shut, but he had to know.
“Do you regret it?” he asked.
It took a few moments for Leo to answer. “I don’t know yet.”
Now or never. Sammy slid from his bed and walked over to Leo’s. Even in the dark, he could feel Leo’s gaze tracking his every move. Sammy stood beside Leo’s bed and waited.
Eventually, Leo held up his covers in invitation. Sammy smiled and accepted. He pressed his nude body against Leo’s and sighed. “I’ll just lay here for a few minutes. I know there isn’t enough room to sleep.”
Leo grunted in reply, but his hand rubbed up and down Sammy’s back before settling on the cheek of Sammy’s ass.
Sammy would have been content with simply being held, but Leo’s lips found their way to Sammy’s forehead. Soft, gentle kisses landed on his face as Leo fit his leg between Sammy’s.
When those fantastic lips finally captured Sammy’s mouth, he was once again lost. Their tongues duelled as they took turns tasting each other. Leo’s mouth tasted so good, Sammy wondered what the rest of him would taste like.
He started to kiss his way down Leo’s neck towards his chest, but Leo pulled him tighter against his chest.
“I’m not a young man. You’d probably just be wasting your time,” Leo whispered.
Sammy tilted his chin up. Pushing at that point wouldn’t have been a good idea. Eventually, he’d show Leo how much enjoyment could come from playing and sucking a flaccid cock. Instead he kissed Leo again and settled against him. Yes. Hopefully there would be time.
* * * *
Leo woke the next morning, surprised to find Sammy still in his arms. The last thing he’d remembered was listening to the younger man’s breathing even out as he’d drifted to sleep. Leo was sure the bed would become too small at some point during the night, and Sammy would go back to his own bed.
He leant back enough to stare at the sleeping man’s face. The black lashes fanned over Sammy’s high cheekbones begged to be kissed, but waking Sammy wasn’t what he wanted. He had a lot of thinking to do.
Leo carefully slid his arm out from under Sammy and rolled out of bed. He gazed down at the gorgeous man as he slipped on his clothes for the day. An affair with Sammy would definitely be easy to do. The question he kept asking himself was if it would be enough.
With one last look, he left the bunkroom and headed to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. The next shift wasn’t due in until three, which gave him another eight hours to be with Sammy.
After the coffee maker was turned on, he walked out front to retrieve the Sheridan paper from the drive. He heard a loud muffler and glanced up to find Mario’s truck pull to the side of the road.
Mario rolled down his window and grinned. “How’s it going?”
“Good,” Leo said, walking towards his neighbour.
“Asa told me you got roped in to do the fundraiser.”
Leo nodded. “Yeah, but Sammy’s agreed to help, so it shouldn’t be too bad. I figure it’ll give me a chance to get to know more people.”
“That it will,” Mario agreed.
“Sammy suggested a cook-off. That way we’d save money on supplies. Do you think there’ll be enough interest?”
“Are you shittin’ me? I know very few men who don’t think their chilli is the best you’ve ever tasted. It’ll be cut-throat. Just you watch. You’re going to have to line-up some judges though.”
Leo nodded. “Any suggestions?”
Mario scratched his jaw. “You could ask Erico, Jay and then there’s always Deb from the diner. I don’t think it would be fair for them to enter anyway.”
“Okay. Three enough?”
“Well, if you can find two more who love chilli but aren’t interested in competing that would probably be good.”
Leo had no idea how to do that, but he figured Sammy probably did.
Mario rubbed his hands together. “I’m gonna have to do some perfecting on my recipe. This should be fun.”
Mario glanced at his watch. “Better get going. There are far too many people who enjoy working out before putting in long hours at their day job. Fools. If it was up to me, I’d still be snuggled under the covers with Asa.”
Chuckling, Leo slapped the side of Mario’s truck. “Have a good one.”
“You, too.” Mario drove off in a puff of black smoke.
Leo coughed and shook his head. Why Mario refused to buy a new truck was beyond Leo.
Tucking the paper under his arm, he headed back into the station. As he walked into the kitchen, he was greeted by the sight of Sammy’s naked torso. Although the man had pulled on jeans, his chest was bare as well as his feet.
Shit. He wasn’t quite ready to face the events of the previous night. He was weighing his options, when Sammy stepped forward and offered a quick kiss.
“Morning.” Sammy handed Leo a cup of coffee before setting his own cup on the table. “Cereal okay?”
Leo nodded. The situation was starting to freak him out. It was just too…domestic. He sat down and took a sip of his coffee. “About last night…”
Sammy turned around and held his hand up, cutting Leo off. “You don’t even have to say it. I know you aren’t interested in anything too heavy. I know you’re going to be all funky about the age difference. Yada, yada, yada. I can deal as long as you don’t shut me out completely.”
Sammy turned back around and pulled the cereal and bowls out of the cupboard. He set them on the table before retrieving the milk and a couple of spoons.
Leo waited until Sammy sat down and stopped moving. “I haven’t done this sort of thing in over twenty years.”
“Fucked?” Sammy asked.
Leo nearly spewed the sip of coffee he’d just taken across the table. “No. Casual.”
Sammy’s face turned crimson. “Sorry. Guess you can tell where my mind’s at.”
Leo grinned. The thought of fucking Sammy was quite appealing. He just needed to lay a few ground rules. “No messing around when others are at the station, and I’d prefer to keep things in the bedroom.” Preferably with the lights off.
The thought of Sammy seeing firsthand what the years had done to parts of his body didn’t appeal to Leo in the least. He may be in good shape for a guy of forty-eight, but there
were certain things gravity had a way of destroying. Just looking at Sammy’s firm ball sac the previous evening told him that, although he assumed genetics had a lot to do with it.
Sammy narrowed his eyes. “What about when we’re not on shift?”
Shit. Leo hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Uhhh, bedroom rule still applies, but I suppose we could go out occasionally if that’s what you’re asking.”
Sammy smiled. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I was asking. I was trying to figure out if you wanted to keep things a secret.”
Leo had had his fill of keeping affairs secret with Randy and his boy toys. “No. I’m not really into public displays of affection. Well, I don’t mind holding hands or the occasional kiss, but that’s about my limit.”
Sammy poured cereal into his bowl. “Why do I get the feeling I’m going through some kind of job interview?”
“Sorry. I’m not trying to sound like an ass.” Leo rubbed his hands over his face. “Dammit. I told you I’m new to this. I just want you to know upfront what you’re getting into.”
Sammy stood and came around the corner of the table to give Leo a quick kiss. “You’re right. I’m glad you laid everything out. I officially accept your terms. Although I may have to sneak a few kisses here and there outside the bedroom.”
Leo pulled Sammy down into his lap. “I said sex in the bedroom. As long as we’re here alone. You can kiss me anywhere you want.”
“Well, in that case…” Sammy ended the sentence with a deep kiss.
Leo groaned and pulled the man even closer. He knew it was either the best thing he’d ever done, or the worst. Only time would tell.
Chapter Three
Sammy didn’t see Leo again until Friday afternoon at the beginning of his shift. They had planned to get together on Thursday after their shift ended, but George had decided to stay in Vegas an extra day, so Leo had to fill in for him.
Walking into work, Sammy knew it was going to be torture. With the full-staffed weekend shift, he wouldn’t be allowed to touch Leo for at least forty-eight hours. It was even worse because he had to work a full forty-eight, but Leo was off on Saturday night.
Sammy waved to Jakob before continuing on to the bunkroom. He spotted his old high school friend, Zac hanging up three days worth of clothes in his locker.
“Hey,” Sammy greeted.
Zac glanced over his shoulder. “Where were you last night? We needed you.”
“Shit. I completely forgot.” Sammy hadn’t really forgotten their weekly dart league at O’Brien’s, but he hadn’t felt like being around his friends.
“Right. What’s his name?” Zac asked with a chuckle in his voice.
“What? I was home alone. I watched some TV and fell asleep on the couch.”
Zac grinned. “Whatever.”
“So’d we at least win?” Sammy asked.
“Yeah. We had to find a substitute player. The only one in the bar who knew how to play but wasn’t already on a team was that new nurse from the clinic, Adam Sackston.”
“Is that the guy with the reddish brown hair?”
“That’s the one.”
“How’d he do?” Sammy wasn’t sure he liked the idea of being replaced, but he knew it was his own damn fault.
“Good. We asked him if we could call him next time we needed another player. He fits in nicely.”
Sammy finished putting his stuff in his locker. “See ya.”
He walked out of the room and into the main living area, spotting Leo’s broad back leaning against the doorjamb to the office. “Mind if I turn the TV on?”
Jakob glanced up from the newspaper and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Sammy settled on the couch and turned on Pirate’s Cove. He wondered if Leo had been able to catch the previous day’s episode. Things were really starting to heat up between Colt and Dex, but of course no one in the town of Pirate’s Cove knew it.
“Thank God for cable,” he muttered.
“Huh?” Jakob asked, looking up from his paper once more.
Sammy gestured to the television and repeated what he’d said. “I never got interested in soap operas until this one. It’s nice to see naked man butts on TV. There’s something about the way they film this show that really gets me going. I mean, it’s like you see and know what they’re doing, but they don’t really show it. You know?”
Jakob narrowed his eyes like he didn’t have a clue what Sammy was talking about. “What kind of soap are you watching?”
Sammy’s jaw dropped. “Please don’t tell me you’ve never watched Pirate’s Cove. It’s only the best gay soap opera ever. Okay, so it’s the only real gay soap opera, but you know what I mean.”
Jakob’s attention went to the TV. “Are you shittin’ me?”
“Watch and learn, my new friend,” Sammy said with confidence as he set the remote on the coffee table and stretched out.
* * * *
Leo walked into the living room to a heated discussion between Jakob and Sammy. He grinned at the vehemence in Sammy’s voice as he tried to argue the merits of having a bisexual character on the show.
“Are you fucking nuts? It shows diversity. Not all men are as smart as we are. Some of them actually enjoy girly parts.”
“But I thought you said this was a gay soap. So what’s the point?” Jakob asked.
“Trying to get the new guy addicted to Pirate’s Cove?” Leo asked. He surprised himself by automatically going over to the couch.
“You mind?” He nodded in the direction of Sammy’s socked feet.
Sammy’s eyes rounded as he bent his knees, moving his legs enough for Leo to sit down. “Jakob’s already addicted. Make no mistake. You can’t watch fifteen minutes of this show and not be. He’s just trying to be an ass by questioning what shouldn’t be questioned.”
Leo chuckled. He could see both sides of the argument, but he decided to add his two cents into the mix. “Although it’s a gay show, Pirate’s Cove is supposed to be a normal town which just happens to have an overabundance of hot, sexy gay men.”
“Like Cattle Valley,” Jakob added.
“Yeah. Like Cattle Valley.”
Jakob nodded, and turned back to the show.
Leo settled back against the couch and watched as Allison once again tried to flaunt her big tits to Jesse. Bravo to the restaurant owner for not slapping the woman. Leo’s hand wandered to Sammy’s leg. He lifted the bottom of his uniform pants and rubbed small circles against the skin of Sammy’s calf.
Sammy pressed his foot against Leo’s thigh, getting his attention. When Leo glanced at Sammy, the younger man subtly gestured towards his cock. Leo grinned at the obvious erection trapped behind Sammy’s zipper. Leo smiled apologetically and removed his hand just as the show ended.
“Hmph,” Jakob grunted and tossed the folded newspaper onto the table. “Other than the scenery, I’m not quite sure what the two of you see in that show.”
“Give it a chance. You’ll be able to pick up on the storylines soon enough,” Leo explained.
Shaking his head, Jakob headed for the kitchen. “I’ll start dinner.”
As soon as they were alone, Sammy sat up and gave Leo a deep kiss. Even though he knew he shouldn’t, Leo opened his mouth and accepted Sammy’s tongue.
They broke apart and Leo shook his head. “You’re going to get us in trouble.”
Sammy laughed. “If I wanted to do that, I’d be straddling your lap right now.”
Leo decided it might be better to remove himself from temptation. He gave Sammy another quick peck before standing. “I’m going to start calling around for chilli judges.”
“You want me to run over and talk to Kyle? I could pick us up something for dessert?” Sammy taunted Leo.
Leo rolled his eyes. Sammy knew Leo didn’t often indulge in sweets, but the sound of one of Kyle’s pies sounded nice. “Pecan praline?”
“If he’s got one,” Sammy agreed.
“Don’t forget to take a radio with you,�
�� Leo reminded.
“Sure thing.” Sammy checked to make sure he had his keys before walking into the office to get a handheld radio.
Once Sammy was out the door, Leo wandered into the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?”
Jakob added diced carrots to the pot on the stove. “Vegetable soup sound okay? I usually make mine really thick, almost like a stew.”
“Sounds great. Sammy went to pick up dessert.” Leo opened the fridge and pulled out the big pitcher. “Dammit. I hate when someone takes the last of the tea and doesn’t make more.”
Jakob snickered. “I think you need to yell at George for that one. I saw him with a big glass earlier.”
“Just my luck. Seeing as how I can’t really yell at the boss.” Leo grinned and set the pitcher on the counter. “Can I use this back burner?”
“Yeah.”
Leo filled a pan with water and a couple of tea bags. He was leaning around Jakob, setting the pan on the stove, when Zac walked into the room.
“Oh, sorry,” Zac said.
Leo pulled back and turned to the doorway, but Zac had already left. “What was that about?”
“Beats me,” Jakob answered.
“Will you watch that for me while I go make a few phone calls?”
“Sure.”
Leo headed towards the office. He had high hopes that he could get Asa, Erico and Jay to judge, but he wasn’t so sure about Deb. Why the hell did he open his big mouth and volunteer in the first place? It wasn’t like he had nothing else on his mind. Damn, Sammy. Since their scene in the shower, Leo hadn’t been able to concentrate on anything but the taste and feel of the younger man’s skin.
He’d surprised himself earlier by giving in to the overwhelming need to touch that soft flesh again. What would he have done if they’d been caught? He needed to cool it before someone did just that.
* * * *
While in town, Sammy decided to stop in at the drug store. Since he’d arrived in Cattle Valley, he hadn’t dated and he needed supplies. “Afternoon, Maggie.”
