by Carol Lynne
Although Zac had stopped to talk to George, Butch continued towards Sammy. It was obvious by the man’s expression he wasn’t happy.
“What’s going on?” Sammy asked.
“He insisted. Said he wanted to get the stares over with and out of the way. Zac figured you’d have quite the crowd and he was right,” Butch explained.
“Is he up to it though? I mean, I don’t think people will say anything cruel to him, but it’s human nature to stare at something that’s different.”
“I know. I told him that very thing, but we both know Zac’s got a head harder than a coconut.” Butch ran his hand over his closely-cropped greying hair. “He won’t admit it, but I think he’s looking for ways to punish himself.”
“What? Why would he do that?”
“Probably has something to do with what went on between him and Terry, but he still won’t talk about it.”
Sammy wondered if he should mention Jakob. Zac wasn’t the only one punishing himself. Jakob was doing a damn good job of that, too, lately.
“I’m going to go say hi.” Sammy gestured to the rows of booths. “Chilli’s over there. I’d suggest having a drink handy. Some of them are pretty damn spicy.”
“Watch your mouth. You’re not too old for a bar of soap.” Butch grinned.
Sammy rolled his eyes. “Yeah I am.”
“No you’re not, never will be in my eyes.” Butch headed for the beer garden O’Brien’s had set up, and Sammy made his way over to Zac. He’d seen Zac almost daily since he’d been released from the hospital and his friend’s face was still hard for him to look at. It was still early in Zac’s recovery, but the jagged torn flesh would never be completely fixed, not even with plastic surgery. From the side, Zac didn’t even look like the man Sammy had known all his life.
“Hey.” Sammy gave Zac a quick hug, interrupting the conversation with George.
“I decided I couldn’t hide anymore. Besides, Dad was driving me nuts. He just stalks the house like he expects Terry to show up at any moment.”
George touched Zac’s arm. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
Zac nodded. “I’ll be there.”
They both watched George walk away before turning back to their conversation. It was the first time Zac had really mentioned Terry since the night of the attack, or fight, or whatever it had been.
“Is he still in town?” Sammy asked.
“I don’t think so, but who knows. Last I heard, Ryan stood watch while he gathered his shit from the house and saw him to his truck.”
“I don’t suppose you’re ready to talk about it.”
“Nope. What’s done is done. Just wish I hadn’t ended up looking like Frankenstein because of it.”
Sammy started to correct Zac, but they knew each other too well to lie. “They’ll fade some, even more if you follow your doctor’s advice and get the plastic surgery done.”
Zac shook his head and started to walk towards the beer garden. “I earned ’em. Best to just get used to no longer being the prettiest one of the two of us.”
Sammy wondered what Zac meant by the comment. What had his friend done to earn what had been done to him? “Don’t kid yourself. I was always the prettiest.”
* * * *
Leo had just finished tallying up the results, when Sammy stepped into the tent. Other than a few glimpses, it was the first time in hours since he’d been close enough to kiss. Leo set down his clipboard.
“I’ll be right over there,” he told Elliott Simms.
Leo walked towards his lover and pulled him to the corner of the tent before wrapping him in his arms. “I’ve missed you today.”
Sammy wrapped his arms around Leo’s neck. “You have? How much?”
Leo tightened his hold around Sammy’s waist and lifted him up for a deep kiss. He no longer worried about what might happen to end his relationship with the gorgeous man, instead he decided to relish it, roll around in it and soak in every ounce of love Sammy was willing to give.
Breaking the kiss, he stared into Sammy’s bright eyes. “I love you.”
Sammy’s eyes rounded before filling with moisture. “Really?”
Leo nodded his head and kissed his lover again, putting every ounce of himself into each swipe of his tongue.
Sammy was the first to pull back. “I love you, too.”
“I know this wasn’t really the time or place to tell you that, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer,” Leo tried to explain.
“That’s okay. You can tell me again later when you’ve got me all naked and pliable.”
Leo laughed and kissed Sammy again. “Deal.”
He set Sammy back on his feet. “Just finished adding up the scores. Would you like to accompany me to the gazebo so I can announce the winner?”
“Sure, but I already know who won. I tasted most of them earlier.”
“I think the winner will surprise you,” Leo said.
“No it won’t.” Sammy grinned.
Leo picked up the clipboard and the big gaudy crown he’d purchased before heading out of the tent with Sammy at his side. He climbed the gazebo steps and picked up the portable microphone brought in for their use.
“If everyone could gather around, we have the first ever Cattle Valley Chilli King or Queen to crown.”
While he waited for the contestants and townspeople to make their way to the gazebo, Leo turned off the microphone and leant down to whisper in Sammy’s ear. “Zac’s here.”
Sammy nodded. “I know. I talked to him earlier.”
“Is he okay?”
“No, but he hasn’t figured that out yet.”
Leo brushed a kiss to Sammy’s forehead. “Just be there for him when he does.”
“No worries there. I’ll always have Zac’s back.”
Sammy’s loyalty was one of the things Leo had fallen in love with. It was a trait he was counting on to get them through the next thirty years or so.
“Okay. If everyone’s ready, I’ll get right to it before the chilli starts kicking in and the area is declared an environmental hazard.”
The growing crowd laughed. Leo held the rhinestone embellished crown up over his head. “As you know, we decided to have only one official winner. So with that in mind, Cattle Valley’s first ever Chilli King is…Reverend Casey Sharp!”
Leo glanced down at Sammy who had a smug expression on his face. “How’d you know?”
“Helloooo? Did you taste Casey’s chilli? It was obvious,” Sammy answered as Casey made his way towards the steps.
Leo handed the microphone to Sammy and shook Casey’s hand, passing him the small cheque. “Congratulations.”
Casey took the crown and set it on his head. Sammy handed the reverend the microphone.
“I’ll have to buy a new crown for next year because this feels too good to just give up. I’d like to donate the prize money to the cause. Believe me. I’m going to get good mileage out of this crown.” Casey chuckled and sought Hal out in the crowd. “See this? I’m the King.”
“Does that make me the Queen?” Hal asked amongst laughter from the crowd.
Casey laughed into the microphone. “Oh, that’s too easy.”
After handing the mic and the cheque back to Leo, Casey made his way down the stairs and into the arms of his partner.
Leo addressed the crowd once more. “I hope you all enjoyed yourselves here today. I haven’t received a final tally on the money raised towards the youth centre, but I’ve got a good feeling we’ve surpassed our original goal.”
As the townspeople cheered the accomplishment, Leo looked out over the people he’d grown to care about. “On a more personal note, I just want to take the opportunity to thank you for welcoming me with such open arms. Although it’s not perfect, Cattle Valley is the closest damn thing I’ve ever found. We should all be proud to live in and support this community. God bless you all and thanks for coming today.”
Nate rushed up the steps before Leo could turn the microphone of
f. He held out his hand and Leo gave it to him.
“I’d like you all to put your hands together and show Leo, Sammy and the rest of the volunteers how much we appreciate everything they’ve done.”
Leo was touched by the overwhelming applause generated by the residents.
Nate glanced at Leo and gave him a devilish grin. “I hope this entices you to head up the cook-off next year.”
Leo chuckled. “I should’ve known you had an ulterior motive.”
“Me? Why, I’m completely innocent,” Nate said, giving the crowd his best schoolboy expression.
Raucous laughter replaced the applause. Despite Nate’s silliness, Leo knew Cattle Valley couldn’t ask for a better man to lead them. After all the heartache the town had suffered, Nate’s wit and dedication continued to act like a balm to the still-healing residents.
Nate left the gazebo and Leo turned to Sammy. “Let’s get this mess cleaned up before I drop where I stand.”
* * * *
With an arm around Leo’s waist, Sammy did his best to shoulder some of the man’s weight. It was obvious Leo was completely worn out, but Sammy knew better than to say anything. It would be just his luck for his lover to take it as a slam against his age. Sammy knew that wasn’t the case. Leo had worked his ass off, running between the judges’ tent and the booths, not to mention the set-up and take-down. That much activity was enough to wear anybody out.
When they entered the TV room, they found Jakob asleep on the sofa. Leo broke away and walked over to put a hand on Jakob’s arm. “Why don’t you go on to bed?”
Jakob opened his eyes and shook his head. “I’m fine here for the night if you could grab me a pillow and blanket.”
Sammy had a feeling Jakob was trying to give him and Leo some privacy. “You don’t have to do that.”
Jakob glanced at Sammy. “Yeah I do. I haven’t been sleeping well. No sense in waking you guys up all night long. I’ll be fine here.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, just holler.” Leo left Sammy’s side. “I’m going to grab a bottle of water, want one?”
“Sure.”
After Leo left the room, Sammy sat in the chair beside the sofa. “Did you get a chance to talk to Zac today?”
Jakob rolled to his side to face away from Sammy. “I saw him. Didn’t look like he cared to talk though, so I left him alone.”
Sammy took a deep breath and went to the bunkroom. He pulled the blanket off Jakob’s bed and grabbed the pillow. After covering Jakob and settling his head on the pillow, Sammy stood back and looked down at the man. Jakob wasn’t asleep, but he hadn’t acknowledged Sammy’s presence since he’d been back in the room.
“Goodnight,” Sammy whispered.
“Night,” Jakob eventually replied.
Sammy walked away with a heavy heart. He wondered how long it would be before Zac and Jakob talked about whatever was making them both miserable.
Sammy followed the sound of running water back to the communal shower, stripping as he went. Before joining Leo, he watched as the water ran down his lover’s body. How in heaven’s name could Leo have ever been self-conscious of such a gorgeous frame?
“You joining me?” Leo asked.
“That depends. You bring the proper shower supplies with you?”
Leo pointed towards the small shelf fastened to the wall. “If those are the supplies you’re talking about, then yes.”
Sammy noticed the bottle of lube and the shiny corner of a condom wrapper. “Excellent.”
After pulling Leo’s head down for a quick kiss, Sammy dropped to his knees. He buried his face against the wet nest of hair above Leo’s cock and wrapped his arms around Leo’s upper thighs. He wondered if it was too early to bring up his hopes for the future.
As he began licking at the flared head of Leo’s hardening cock, he thought about making love to Leo without anything between them. He sucked the crown of Leo’s erection into his mouth and suckled for several moments until he heard a loud groan from the man in his arms.
Sammy pulled back and stared up at Leo. “Would it be too forward if I asked if we could get tests done?”
Several heartbeats later, Leo turned off the shower and grabbed two towels without saying a word. He passed one to Sammy before swiping at his own body.
“You’re mad, aren’t you?” Sammy finally had to ask.
Leo shook his head. “Not at all. It suddenly dawned on me that I don’t want to do this or have this conversation in here.”
Confused, Sammy finished drying himself. Naked, he picked up the clothes and shoes that littered the hall leading to the shower and followed Leo into the bunkroom. While he put his stuff away, Leo pushed their twin beds together.
“I talked to George today about bringing in a bigger bed for the two of us,” Leo casually announced.
Shocked, Sammy’s jaw dropped. “And what’d he say?”
“That he didn’t care as long as we bought it and no one else objected. Of course he reminded me that fucking in a room full of co-workers wasn’t a good idea.” Leo finished the explanation off with a wide grin. “As if.”
Sammy pulled down the covers on his bed and climbed in. “So you’re really thinking beyond the next month or so of this thing between us?”
Leo turned off the overhead light and switched on the lamp beside the bed before joining Sammy on his mattress. “Of course I am. Why would you even ask a question like that? I thought we were on the same page with this relationship.”
Sammy shrugged, suddenly feeling stupid. “We haven’t really talked about it, so I guess I’m just not sure what page that is.”
It was Leo’s turn to look uncomfortable. “I thought we’d start building towards something permanent. Maybe eventually think about moving in together.”
Sammy gave a silent sigh of relief. He straddled Leo’s lap and buried his tongue in his lover’s mouth as he ground his cock against Leo’s erection. Breaking the kiss he braced himself against Leo’s chest and grinned. “Just tell me the day, and I’ll have my stuff packed and ready to go.”
Leo’s hands roamed down Sammy’s back to his ass as he thrust his hips upward. “I want it to be good and solid, and that requires a little more foundation work first.”
Sammy was jumping the gun and he knew it. He nodded his acceptance and reached for the bottle of lube. “As long as I know that’s the eventual plan, I’m fine with that.”
“Good.” Leo held out his hand and Sammy squirted a good-sized amount of lube onto his lover’s fingers.
As the pads of Leo’s fingers began massaging the puckered skin around Sammy’s hole he licked his lips. “Now, about the other thing you brought up.”
“Getting tested,” Sammy guessed.
“Right. I happen to know everyone in the department was tested in January for insurance reasons,” Leo said, pushing a finger inside Sammy.
Sammy nodded. “I’m clean.”
“I know that. Otherwise George would have had trouble getting our policy renewed. So am I, by the way.”
“So why’ve we been using condoms all this time?” Sammy asked.
“Because going bareback is a cementing thing for me. I couldn’t do it until I knew for sure things would work out between us.” Leo added another finger to Sammy’s ass.
“But you are now, right?” Sammy began moving his hips back and forth, riding Leo’s hand.
“I am.”
“Will you do me one favour?” Sammy asked.
“Anything,” Leo answered.
“Make love to me. No one’s ever truly made love to me.”
Leo rolled them over onto his bed as he settled on top of Sammy. “You’re wrong about that. I’ve made love to you for the last two weeks, maybe even three if I were being totally honest with myself.”
“You’ve been in love with me for three weeks?” Sammy asked. He reached between them and began lubing Leo’s cock.
“It took me a while to realise it, but yeah.” Leo braced himself on
one hand as he held his shaft by the root and slowly pushed inside.
Once he was past the initial bite of pain, Sammy opened his eyes. “I started falling for you the day you told me you’d become addicted to Pirate’s Cove.”
Leo chuckled. “So I have a gay soap opera to thank?”
“Guess so.” Sammy spread his legs further apart, allowing Leo to enter him fully. He welcomed the thick cock with a moan while maintaining eye contact with the man he loved. “So big.”
His hands smoothed down through the thick curls on Leo’s chest. He cupped the beautifully sculpted pecs and squeezed. “I want a body like yours. Will you help me workout?”
Leo looked down at Sammy like he was crazy. “Your body’s perfect the way it is.”
Finished talking for the time being, Leo began a slow, grinding rhythm as he took Sammy’s mouth in a kiss. All Sammy could think about was the thick cock sliding in and out of his ass. Leo’s body had a way of doing that to Sammy. One touch from Leo and he was a goner.
Sammy’s hand travelled down to the point at which he was joined with Leo. Each time Leo pulled out, Sammy slid his fingers along the bare shaft. The way his body stretched to accommodate Leo’s cock amazed him. “Does it feel different to you without a condom?”
“Hell yeah. It’s fantastic, but there’s a downside. I’m not going to last as long without one.” Leo gave Sammy a deep kiss. “You feel too damn good.”
In his heart, Sammy knew he’d found the one and only man he would ever love. Leo broke their kiss and rested his cheek against Sammy’s as he continued to thrust in and out.
“I love you,” Leo whispered as his cock pounded into Sammy. “I just hope I have enough time left on this earth to make you understand how much.”
The sentiment pushed Sammy over the edge. The warmth of his seed spread between his body and Leo’s as he cried, “I’ll love you forever.”
Leo’s lips covered Sammy’s mouth, no doubt in an attempt to quiet him. Sammy didn’t care. He opened to Leo’s questing tongue and accepted everything Leo offered.
After several moments, Leo’s body jerked as he pushed deep inside and came. Bareback wasn’t something Sammy had ever experienced and he was surprised at the feeling of being filled with his lover’s cum.
