Rain and Whiskey

by BA Tortuga

  “Oh, sweet Jesus.” He started shifting, rocking in short, jerky motions, damned near there, just like that.

  The shorts gave up the fight as Galen spread him wider, hands on his thighs, pushing. The muscles there protested, but Galen made it up to him by bending to press that hot tongue against his hole. He started making those noises that only Galen could find in him—low and hungry and rough as sandpaper.

  Hands pushing him wide open, Galen moved on him, fucking him with that rough tongue, rubbing that short beard against his cock and balls. Galen was eating him right up. Just all over him. He was fixing to lose it, hips jerking, hands white-knuckled on the headboard. He got no mercy from Galen. That mouth tormented him, drove him, tongue pushing in over and over, one of Galen’s fingers sliding in beside it.

  “Shit!” He arched, teeth clicking together as he shot, entire body stiff as a board.

  Oh. Galen nuzzled him, licked him clean. “God, I love how you taste.”

  If Galen expected more than a whimper, a low groan, the man seriously underestimated his own tongue.

  He got a chuckle, warm and wet against the muscles of his belly, before Galen’s weight was gone, Galen shucking off the jeans and coming back. “Gonna fuck you into the mattress, lover.”

  “G… good plan.” He looked up at his hands, letting loose of the headboard. “Fucking great plan.”

  His reward for that? A kiss that shook him to his curled-up toes. Didn’t take long for Galen to grab the lube and settle between his legs, opening him wide. He was eager for it, empty with a dull ache in the center of his belly that was the beginnings of wanting again.

  It took no time at all before Galen was pushing into him, that thick cock what he needed. Galen moaned, and sweat dripped on Shane’s chest, Galen’s face and chest flushed deep. He met each thrust, fingers sliding and scraping over nipples and ribs, needing.

  “Yeah.” Shuddering, Galen started giving it to him, hips pounding against him. Every move of Shane’s hands gained him a moan or a shiver, made Galen gasp for him. Made Galen shake over him. They pushed harder, that old bed creaking and groaning.

  “Gonna soon, lover. Got to.” Shit, Galen’s voice was raw with it.

  He nodded, groaning low. “Come on. In me. Fuck, love.”

  “Oh, God!” Galen gave it up to him, shooting hard, hot and wet inside him. The look on Galen’s face? Pure need.

  He watched the whole time, panting. Fuck, he’d damn near give up coming himself to see that look. Almost.

  Galen slumped on him, sweaty and panting and licking his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around Galen, sort of halfheartedly petting. They tangled up again, arms and legs and bodies settling. Galen kissed him lightly, eyes drooping. His heart slowed, things quiet and easier between them.

  They’d have to talk. He’d have to find his shirts. But the window showed it was dark outside, and their bed was warm, and he could think about everything else tomorrow. Because Lord knew, Galen wasn’t thinking.

  Not with him snoring like that.

  GALEN SANG along with the radio as he folded laundry. Yeah, okay, laundry wasn’t usually a reason for song, but damn. He was in a fine mood. Just a good one.

  He shook out another pair of Shane’s jeans. They’d cleaned out the Jeep a few days before, and some of Shane’s clothes? Whew. The weird smell, they’d found, came from the remains of a patty melt that Shane had put away for the next day and had slipped down behind the seat.

  That was nasty.

  So the laundry was kind of penance, as his momma would call it. For making Shane sleep in his Jeep anyway. There was a reward waiting for him, though. As soon as he was done folding, he got to go back to bed. With those muffins Old Lady Herron had brought to the bait shop yesterday afternoon. Orange something. With little seeds.

  He finished the last pair of shorts, brand-new to replace the ones he and Shane had ripped to pieces the other day, and headed off to the kitchen to get the muffins and some coffee.

  Then to bed. Damn, it was good to not have to avoid the bed anymore.

  He wandered in with the tray, set it on the bedside table, and reached out to pop Shane on the ass.

  “Huh?” Shane’s head popped up, eyes drowsy and blinking.

  “Hey, you. I have food. And coffee.” Before Shane could tease him about the coffee, he hurried on. “The coffee you set up last night. All I did was turn it on.”

  “Cool.” Shane grinned, sat up and stretched, belly tight. Galen reached out and stroked that sweet belly. He loved the way it rippled. Shane hummed, leaned toward his hand. “Feels good. What time is it?”

  “About eleven maybe? I did laundry.” Man, he was getting used to lazing around.

  “Oh, cool. Love jeans that are all hot from the dryer.” Shane snuggled in, reaching over to snag a cup of coffee. “’Course naked’s even better.”

  Yeah. Galen sipped his own coffee, still petting absently. His cock was gonna fall off if he tried anything right then. They needed a little break. Maybe an hour.

  “Did you go see your momma at Thanksgiving?”

  “I did.” Lord. She hadn’t yelled. She’d just… made him see the light. “She wants us to come up for Mardi Gras.”

  “Us?”

  “Us. She told me when I got you and brought you home, I could come back to see her, and not before.” He sipped his coffee. Such a reasonable lady, his momma.

  “Oh.” Shane got quiet for a minute, then grinned. “I like her.”

  “Yeah.” He grinned back, tickling Shane’s ribs before grabbing a muffin and splitting it in half.

  Shane took the half he offered, nibbling. “I need to get back to job hunting. Otherwise I won’t be able to take any time off in February. I’m thinking I could get a job on one of the fishing boats, maybe one of the cruise boats.”

  He tried not to get his back up. It was silly to think Shane wouldn’t want to work, wouldn’t have to. Hell, he was just thinking they needed to get back into a routine. But maybe….

  “Maybe you could get on someplace part-time or something until spring? I was thinking… I was hoping we’d go out of town for Christmas and New Year’s.”

  “Yeah? I’d like that….” Shane started to nod, then stopped. “I only have $300, Len. That’s not enough to go anywhere, not really.”

  Crap. He was gonna have to do some talking, and he hated that. But they might as well get it done. “I’m not asking you to take charity or anything, Shane, but I was planning on covering.”

  “That don’t seem fair to you.” Shane met his eyes, cheeks hot. “I didn’t come back because I was staying in the Jeep.”

  Wiping crumbs off Shane’s mouth, he nodded. “And I didn’t go find you because I felt guilty. But I did get you fired, and I’m asking you to hold off getting a job so I can haul your ass to Vermont. Least I can do is pay for it.”

  “Vermont? What’s in Vermont?” The nice thing with Shane was, even if they were having to do serious talking, they got to press up close. Touch. Rub a little.

  Galen grinned. “Snow, darlin’. There’s snow in Vermont.”

  “Oh!” Man, it was worth the price of admission, the excitement, the pleasure in those blue eyes.

  “I promised you snow, yeah?” He popped another bite in his mouth, savoring the bright citrus flavor. “So, whattaya say?”

  “I…. Yeah. Yeah. I want to.” Shane stroked his belly, thinking, frowning. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.” He leaned against Shane, drawing patterns on that smooth skin.

  “You gonna be pissed at me if that guy comes back and I turn him away? Because if… well, if I’m here-here and not just staying-here, he’s not welcome.”

  “No. I’m not. He comes back, I’ll kill him.” Galen sighed, pressing his face to Shane’s shoulder. “I should have told you, Shane. I didn’t want Robbie and Sam to know, and I knew if I told you, you’d be different. I should have told you.” He should have. He’d been so…. Hell. He’d let his pride get in th
e way. And fuck if he wasn’t still ashamed of it.

  “Why would I be different? I wish you had said, though. I’d have made Miss Lynn ban them. I wouldn’t have served them. I….” Shane’s voice trailed off, hand stroking his hair. “I didn’t know people thought I was slutty, you know. I was only being friendly, making money. I didn’t think I was coming off as cheap.”

  “You weren’t!” God, he’d made a mess. “I meant I thought you’d be different with them, and they would’ve known something was wrong, and I didn’t… I didn’t want Jack to have the satisfaction of rattling me either, I guess.”

  Shane was never cheap. Galen loved the way he flirted and played. “I took it out on you. I didn’t mean it, darlin’.”

  “I can see where I wouldn’t want that piece of shit knowing he could make me growl.” Shane held him, petted him. “Why’d he want to see you anyway, Galen?”

  “I don’t know. To lord it over me? He knew I wouldn’t rat him out to Sam.” God, that man still amazed him, still made him feel sick in the pit of his belly. Thank God he’d gotten out of that life.

  “I hope he rots in hell,” Shane rumbled softly, hands tightening. “He needs to fucking understand that he’s not welcome, that you’re mine, and I won’t let him fuck with you.”

  Oh, God. Galen kissed Shane’s neck, his cheek. This man never ceased to amaze him. “You got that right. And you’re mine, lover. And I’ll kick his ass, he ever comes near us again.”

  Shane nodded. “And I’ll hold your hat and keys while you do. Pisses me right off, thinking that somebody’d do you wrong, Galen.”

  “Pisses me off he made me do you that way. After all this time? I shoulda gotten over what he did to me and got on with it. But I’ll be happy to never see him or any of them again as long as I live. It was a bad time and I did shit I ain’t proud of.” That was the solid, God’s honest truth.

  Another growling sound filled the air, Shane’s hands holding him close. “No. You don’t have to see any of them. Bastards.”

  “You’re something else, darlin’.” He took a kiss, deep and slow, more a thank-you than hunger.

  Shane relaxed against him, touching him. “Just love you, yeah? I…. Man, I had a lot of time to think about you not wanting me here, about not being us, and I’m a loser, but I’m not stupid. I’ll fight to keep what’s mine and good.”

  “And I’ll kick your ass if you call yourself a loser again.” Galen kissed some more, sliding a leg over Shane’s. “So does this mean we’re going to Vermont?”

  “Yeah. Yeah.” He got one of those grins. “After all, I got years and years to pay your ass back.”

  “Yeah. Fuck yeah.”

  Now that he had Shane? He wasn’t fucking letting go.

  “Want another muffin?”

  HE WOKE up with a cry, off-balance, and unsure for a second where he was, heart trip-hammering in his chest, because he’d been dreaming again about brown eyes and strong, sure hands and a certain smile and….

  Oh.

  Wait.

  Wait.

  Fuck.

  His hands slid over the sheets, shaking hard. Galen’s pillow was still squashed a little, the bed still warm.

  Oh.

  Not a dream.

  Not a dream.

  He slumped back, closed his eyes. Home. Thank God.

  GALEN WOKE up in the middle of the night, reaching. And Shane was there, warm and firm and boneless with sleep.

  Oh, God, yeah. He’d missed that so bad. Needed it. He curled around Shane, breathing in the beach-and-beer scent, nuzzling that smooth, hot skin and holding on tight.

  This time he figured he had the right idea. Hold on to Shane, no matter what. That worked really well for him, especially when he couldn’t sleep for wondering if he even deserved it.

  Galen snuggled close, his hips snug to Shane’s ass. Deserved or not, he had Shane. And this time? He was keeping him.

  Chapter Fifteen

  SHANE SLEPT for the entire plane ride and most of the drive up to the cabin. Shit. When he’d signed on to work for a bunch of caterers, he’d seriously underestimated how many fucking office parties and ritzy parties and shit he’d be working—bartend the night ones, serve coffee in the morning and shit. He was a busy, tired boy. Still, they were on vacation for three weeks, and he had a little spending money, and him and Galen had time, and it was all good.

  Cold as a witch’s tit in a brass brassiere, but good.

  The cabin was like it was right off the front of a postcard. Very Vermonty—all white snow and green pines and log walls. And there was a fireplace, where even now Galen was building a fire.

  Thank God.

  “You’re looking a little blue around the lips, darlin’. Come on over and get warm.”

  He nodded and scooted over, pushing right into Galen’s arms and cuddling in. “Man, this place is something else.”

  “Yeah. Pretty out there, huh?” Galen grinned, holding him close as the kindling caught and flared and the big log started showing flames up the sides.

  “Very white and sparkly and Christmassy.” He leaned in, watching the fire, fingers sliding on Galen’s arms.

  “Mm-hmm. We’ll have to cut us a tree. The rental guy says it’s part of the package.” Galen nuzzled his ear, licked his neck. Damn, that man was warm.

  “Yeah? There decorations and shit?” He tilted his head, damn near purring.

  “Yeah. We got a few, and I figure we can make popcorn and stuff.” Those big hands slid up and down his back, Galen’s mouth moving on his skin. “You taste good.”

  “Mmm… you sure get my motor running.” His fingers slipped under Galen’s sweater and slid over that fine belly.

  “Cold! Shit, Shane. We need to get you gloves.” Galen jumped and twisted under his touch. “Gimme that other hand to warm up before you go for anything lower, will you?”

  He laughed, pushing his other hand right up into the heat of Galen’s underarm.

  “Jesus fuck.” Wiggling, cussing up a storm, Galen got him pulled right on Galen’s lap, completely surrounded by that fine, hot body. “There. I can see you’re gonna have to stay close while we’re up here.”

  “I’m thinking that’s a plan.” He settled in, rubbing and wiggling until he was perfectly comfortable. Then he grinned up, winked. “Hey.”

  “Hey. You better watch that. Gettin’ me all worked up.” And damned if he couldn’t feel how worked up Galen was under his ass. Galen nibbled him, teeth nipping sharply for a moment.

  “Darn. You know… I been taking lessons in how not to work up my lover. I’d best study harder.”

  “Oh, now. I’d hate for you to lose your touch.” Laughter warmed his cheek, Galen finally tilting his head up and kissing him nice and hard.

  Oh, that was the ticket. He pressed closer, rubbing right up, tongue sliding against Galen’s. The heat in the pit of his belly was familiar and welcome as spring rain. Galen pulled him so close they could share skin and kissed him silly, some of that aggressiveness that had been scarce since their fight coming out. Those hands were hard on his ass, digging in, and Galen’s tongue took his mouth, deep and needy.

  Sweet fuck, yes. He pushed into those hands, rubbing good and hard.

  The fire crackled and spat as the log started to burn good, making them break apart to breathe. Galen set him back on the floor to get up and put the fire screen on, then held a hand down to him. “Let’s go check out the bed, darlin’. I’m wanting.”

  He slipped his hand into Len’s, fitting fine, heat spreading all through him. “Hell, yeah.”

  Galen hauled him to his feet, pulling him right up against that long body and half hauled him, half carried him to the bed, caveman style. Shane laughed, at least until he managed to nip Galen’s shoulder, making those hands tug him close. Galen growled, the sound hot and welcome. He hit the bed so hard he bounced, Galen coming down on top of him, pressing him down into the quilt. And into the down mattress.

  Oh, cozy. He pushed up, gr
inning as his heels sank deeper into the softness. “Damn, it’s working for you.”

  “Yeah. I like it.” He got a happy grin, Galen’s mouth kicking up on one side. Then he got bit, right at the collar of his sweater, Galen’s teeth practically breaking the skin, making him throb. The sharp cry that sort of tore out of him? Pure need and heat, and his hands scrabbled at Len’s sweater, searching for skin.

  Galen helped, probably because his plan matched Shane’s, and he knelt up to take that sweater off, giving Shane that wide chest and flat belly to touch, nipples hard with the cold. Galen unbuckled and unzipped his jeans while he was up there before attacking Shane’s own clothes.

  “Oh, no. Get those jeans off. I want the whole package.” He wriggled, laughing and moaning as they rubbed together.

  “You want my ass to freeze.” But Galen was leaning up again, shucking the jeans, getting them both naked before wrapping them in the quilt. “There. Now where was I? Oh, yeah.”

  Galen came back down between his legs, cock rubbing alongside his.

  “I’ll keep your ass warm.” He wrapped one leg around Galen’s thighs. “Fuck, you’re like a furnace. So good.”

  “Who knew you were such a lizard baby?” They laughed, then groaned as Galen rubbed just right, fingers finding the little gold rings in his nipples.

  “Oh, don’t stop.” He pushed into their kiss, hand on Len’s hips, working them together.

  “God, you’re a hot one, Shane. Something else. Like nobody else, ever.” Galen didn’t seem to have plans to stop, not the way he was biting and licking and touching, twisting against Shane.

  “Just need this, yeah?” Like breathing or good whiskey.

  “Hell, yes. Need you.” Galen worked down his body, mouth hot on his neck and chest, down over his belly.

  He reached down, tugged Len’s shoulder. “Spin around and we can share.”

  Grunting his approval, Galen swung around, bringing his hips up level with Shane’s mouth, Galen’s mouth sliding over Shane’s prick. He moaned, lips wrapping right around Galen’s cock, tongue slip-sliding against the slit.