Ravenous

by John Inman

  Terry watched him, his eyes relit, full of longing. “They’ve gone,” he whispered.

  “Then let’s go back to the cabin,” Jonas whispered back. “Quickly. There’s something I want to do.”

  “I’ll bet there is,” Terry answered with a wicked glint in his eye. With a laugh bubbling somewhere inside his frizzled red beard, Terry yanked Jonas to his feet and raced him to the Jeep.

  Chapter Eleven

  “OH JESUS,” Jonas panted. Sweat and a hot splash of Terry’s come sparkled on his face.

  They were sprawled out next to each other in opposite directions on Terry’s bed at the top of the stairs. Naked. Still trembling. Not wanting it to end quite yet, Terry gave a tiny lurch forward, easing his satiated cock deeper into Jonas’s mouth.

  Jonas accepted him happily. At the same time, he slipped his own rock-hard dick unerringly past Terry’s beard and into the delicious heat of his mouth. Terry laughed and swallowed him whole.

  Then, with a cry that surprised them both, it was Jonas’s turn to come. Terry clutched his bucking hips and worshipped his spewing cock until the last drop was spilled.

  After that, they lay in stunned silence and simply clung to each other. Soon, Jonas’s hands began roaming again. Exploring Terry’s furry ass. Outlining the vertebra in Terry’s muscled back. At the same time, Terry wrapped his own arms, still weak from release, tightly around Jonas’s slim waist. Relishing the heat and smell of the man. Not ready to let him go.

  Terry enjoyed the sensation of Jonas’s warm cock softening inside his mouth. The taste of Jonas’s juices still burning on his tongue. The way Jonas’s heavy balls rested atop his chin. He opened his eyes and brought his own hand around to stroke the flat belly in front of him. Somewhere inside the man he was holding, he heard the pounding of a frenzied heartbeat, slowly winding down.

  He let Jonas’s cock slide from between his lips and, lifting his head, sought out the face at the other end of that long, beautiful torso. He found Jonas staring back at him, and as he gazed at him, Jonas released the pressure of his lips around Terry’s dick and let it slide free as well, smiling as he did.

  “When you come,” Jonas panted, his voice puffily content and breathless from exertion, “you really, really come.”

  Even with everything they had experienced, Terry felt a blush burning his cheeks. Thank God for the beard, he thought, embarrassed by his own embarrassment. “I could say the same for you,” he breathed.

  As soon as the words were out, he planted a kiss in the damp nest of dark pubic hair billowing beneath his chin. Jonas’s hips rose up to meet him, and both men gave another delicious shudder. Jonas’s long fingers traveled along the back of Terry’s legs, massaging the muscles, stroking idly through the pelt of red hair that coated his long thighs.

  “You’re beautiful in all your fuzziness,” Jonas murmured, his mouth teasing Terry’s stomach.

  Terry wasn’t crazy about the fuzzy remark, but still it was all he could do not to purr like a cat. Deciding not to quibble about it, he dragged a kiss over Jonas’s rib cage as he slid upward in the bed. Jonas scooted down to meet him, and Terry laid his lips to Jonas’s come-smeared mouth. He tasted his own release in the kiss, and the eroticism of that simple act caused his heart to set off at a gallop inside his chest. The dimple in Jonas’s cheek appeared, signaling a grin about to erupt. But when their lips came together, Terry closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the grin had disappeared. Jonas broke the kiss long enough to twist around in the bed to face the same direction as Terry. He nestled close and buried his face in the furry mat of Terry’s chest. Their long legs twined together down below.

  Terry squeezed his eyes shut once more, relishing the feel of Jonas’s lean body resting in his arms. Their soft cocks snuggled one against the other, and their hands continued to idly explore the newly discovered terrain beneath their fingertips.

  “It’s a long time since I’ve been with anyone,” Jonas murmured, his lips nibbling at the hair on Terry’s chest, tugging playfully at it with his teeth while he spoke.

  “Same here,” Terry managed to say. And the moment the words were out, a vision of Bobby came flooding into his head, filling up every corner, pushing out all the recent wonders Terry had experienced with Jonas. “Well, not that long ago, I guess,” Terry amended sadly.

  “It’s been months since your husband died,” Jonas whispered, lifting his head to study Terry’s face. A pained look must have entered Terry’s eyes when he gazed back, judging by Jonas’s sudden frown. Voice deepening with concern, Jonas said, “Please don’t feel guilty about what we just did. Bobby’s gone, Terry. You didn’t do anything to hurt him. Living like a monk for the rest of your life would only hurt you, not him. Nothing we do together can ever change what the two of you shared. I would never want it to.”

  Terry allowed himself to be swallowed up in the depths of Jonas’s cognac-colored eyes. Eyes that could be gentle and kind, then turn around and snap with sarcasm, if that’s how Jonas was feeling. But no sarcasm shone in them now. There was only kindness and compassion.

  Terry nodded, clearing his throat to find his voice. “I’m not feeling guilty.” It was a lie and he knew it. He did feel guilty. He felt guilty as hell. Still he had no desire whatsoever to pull himself from Jonas’s arms. It was too delectable, holding on to someone again. Not feeling alone for the first time in months. Not lying here all by himself and having no one to reach out to. And having no one to reach out for him. Someone to press himself against. To coax into orgasm, then experience the thrill of that person coaxing the same from him.

  “Think of it as a wartime love affair,” Jonas whispered, scooting down in the bed again, burrowing his face into Terry’s belly. “We could both be dead tomorrow. We should take advantage of each other while we can. Enjoyable moments for both of us have been few and far between lately.”

  Terry smiled then. He dragged Jonas back up to eye level. When he had him where he wanted him, he wrapped him even more tightly in his arms. “Thanks for explaining it to me. Let me see if I’ve got this right. We’re fuck buddies in a foxhole, trying to get our rocks off one last time before a SCUD missile zooms in and blows us to smithereens. Is that the plan?”

  Jonas snorted. “Well, that wasn’t exactly what I meant, but if it works for you, I’m willing to accept that premise.” He stiffened in Terry’s arms and whispered, “Listen. What’s that thumping sound?”

  Terry laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s only Bruce. He’s downstairs scratching.”

  “Jesus, he sounds like a three-hundred-pound woodpecker banging on a tree.”

  “It’s the little guy’s hind leg banging against the floor. You’ll get used to it.”

  Jonas twiddled a clump of Terry’s long fiery beard, winding it around his forefinger. “Maybe I will at that. Big hunky redheads always make me feel content. When they have dogs, it’s even better.”

  “Did you and your lover have a dog?”

  “No, we had a cat.”

  “Was your lover a redhead?”

  “No, he was bald. I like bald men too.”

  “Is there any sort of man you don’t like?”

  “None that come to mind. Dog owner, cat owner, bald as a cantaloupe or hairy as a Wookie, it’s all the same to me. I guess that makes me a slut.”

  Terry grinned. “I guess it does.”

  They burrowed closer, grinning now. Terry decided to let himself enjoy the release of tension, the easy exchanges of friendship.

  A flurry of pattering at the window not six inches from their heads told Terry it had started to rain. Soon it began to come down harder. He could hear the rain thrumming across the roof and cascading through the downspout. A flash of distant lightning faintly lit the room, and long seconds later, a lazy boom of thunder grumbled through the cabin.

  “When I was a kid,” Jonas said, his voice lazy and reflective, “I used to count off the seconds between the lightning and the thunder. That one was about two mile
s away.”

  Terry eased his beard from around Jonas’s finger. He rose on one elbow and stared at the window in the dark. “Listen. The rain is really starting to fall. The storm is getting closer.”

  “It’s getting colder too.” Jonas reached down and dragged the covers over their naked bodies. Terry snuggled happily beneath them, relishing Jonas’s warmth, enjoying the cozy clatter of raindrops on the roof above their heads.

  They lay in silence for a while, listening to the storm. A candle burned on the nightstand. Occasional flashes of lightning and the muted glow of embers on the grate downstairs cast an orange glow on the cabin walls. They were the only lights visible.

  “We need to make one more trip into town for metal posts. That should supply enough to finish fortifying the cabin.”

  “What happens then?” Jonas quietly asked. He had burrowed all the way under the covers. He lay there now, his cheek to Terry’s chest, his fingers gently kneading Terry’s abdomen like a drowsing cat’s paws.

  Terry tucked his head under the covers too. He buried his lips in Jonas’s hair because he liked the sensation of having that dark mass of curls covering his face. He cleared his throat, seeking his voice. “I think it’s finally time we start searching the caverns. Maybe we can study your maps in the morning. Lay out a plan. When we go into town for posts, we can pick up some gear for spelunking too. Ropes. Cleated boots, if we can find them. Better flashlights. I need a holster for my pistol. Some light food we can carry with us.”

  Jonas lay quiet, as if letting it sink in. “According to the maps, there are only two caves on the mountain. One isn’t very big. The other appears massive. You said you knew about a third.”

  “Yes. It isn’t far from the cabin. Opens up inside a tumble of boulders where there must have been a massive geological upheaval about a gazillion years ago. I saw a mountain lion sunning himself at the opening once a couple of years back, so it may be occupied.”

  “A mountain lion doesn’t worry me,” Jonas noted. “Considering what we’re really looking for, a mountain lion seems pretty tame.”

  “Still, we’ll have to be careful when we’re exploring.”

  He could sense Jonas smiling in the dark. “Exploring is my favorite pastime.”

  As if to prove it, Jonas’s fingers began to move more urgently over Terry’s flesh. He gently prodded Terry’s legs apart, then scooped his balls into the palm of his hand. Squirming down in the bed, he pressed his mouth to the silky flesh and laughed when Terry lifted his hips off the bed in response.

  “You like that,” Jonas growled. He nestled his cheek alongside Terry’s cock, trailing kisses up the length of it. When he reached the tip, already swollen yet again with desire, he didn’t hesitate to slip it into his mouth.

  Terry arched his back and squeezed his eyes shut, lost already in Jonas’s attentions.

  “It’s going to be a long night, isn’t it?” he managed to sputter.

  “Let’s hope so,” Jonas mumbled, his tongue stroking Terry’s cock. Terry swept the blankets aside again. And in the candle’s flickering flame, he rolled closer to better enjoy the beautiful man beside him.

  Later, when the rain had stopped and their own desires had been quenched once more, they lay in each other’s arms. Spent. Terry barely noticed when Bruce came crawling onto the bed to tuck himself between them.

  Outside, in the night sky over the still dripping forest, ravenous creatures crisscrossed the sky in growing desperation. Hungrier, now, because their food supply was dwindling.

  No one in the cabin noticed.

  Chapter Twelve

  JONAS FUMBLED his way out of bed at first light. Terry was already gone.

  He tugged on jeans from the day before and, gathering up his shirt and socks and shoes, padded barefoot down the stairs. He found Terry at the kitchen counter, prepping a pot of coffee.

  Dumping his shirt and shoes on the kitchen table, he draped his arms around Terry, just as Terry turned to greet him.

  After a brief stiffening of surprise, Terry allowed himself to be hugged. When Jonas pulled back enough to see what was going on, Terry stepped backward, dropping his arms.

  “What’s wrong?” Jonas asked. “I thought….” He let that last sentence fade away unfinished, because frankly, he didn’t know what he thought, and whatever it was, he knew it was too early to worry about it anyway.

  Terry’s gaze dropped to the floor. He turned away long enough to hit the On switch for the Mr. Coffee machine, then leaned back against the counter—facing Jonas again, but still not quite looking at him. He crossed his arms in a protective stance that Jonas didn’t care for at all.

  He asked again, “What’s wrong, Terry? What the hell happened between last night and this morning to turn you off like this?”

  To his amazement, a shimmer of tears blurred Terry’s green eyes. They weren’t heavy enough to fall, but they were there all the same. It nearly broke Jonas’s heart to see them.

  As Terry struggled to find his voice, his face grew stern. Jonas could see him licking his lips through his bushy beard, doing everything he could to build up the courage to get the words out. To free himself of whatever it was he was trying to say.

  Then Jonas knew. Before Terry even spoke, Jonas already knew.

  “I’m not ready for this…,” Terry stammered. “…this fooling around. Our lives are on the line here. We have no business starting something that can only end in heartbreak. My world has fallen apart enough already. I’m too susceptible to all this fresh emotion. I don’t think I could stand any more hurt dropping into the middle of my life right now.”

  Jonas knew Terry didn’t want to be touched—his very posture screamed it. But he didn’t care. He reached out and laid his hand on Terry’s chest anyway. “Why do you think I’m going to hurt you?” he asked softly. “Why do you think I would even try to hurt you? I’m in the same boat you’re in, you know. Neither one of us has much of a future waiting for us.”

  Terry gave his head a tiny shake. His eyebrows scrunched together. Suddenly he looked even more upset than he had a moment ago. “That’s not what I mean,” he mumbled into his beard, his eyes still on the floor.

  Terry tightened his arms over his chest, and even though he didn’t try to pull away from Jonas’s touch, Jonas knew he was feeling uncomfortable. Vulnerable. Cornered. But Jonas didn’t care about that either. If he had to corner the guy to make him listen, that’s what he would do. He was determined to break through this stupid wall Terry had suddenly thrown up between them. He couldn’t let it stand. He wouldn’t. Last night had been too incredible to let it all end like this. In that rumpled bed upstairs, he had been given a glimpse of something he had not seen in a long, long time. A hope for the end of loneliness, maybe. Possibly even a shot at real happiness, if the two of them didn’t ruin it before it got started.

  Like they were doing right now.

  Jonas took a step closer. Close enough for their belt buckles to clink together. Terry’s looming hulk seemed to shrink the closer Jonas got. Still Jonas wouldn’t relent. He was feeling as stubborn as Terry now. He had something to say, and he was damn well going to say it. Terry would simply have to stand there and listen.

  “You don’t have to be afraid of me, Terry. I’m not here to break your heart. I’m not here to do anything you don’t want me to do. I wouldn’t have crawled into your bed last night if I hadn’t thought you were ready. Or if I hadn’t thought you wanted me there.”

  Terry expelled a shuddery breath while his gaze remained on the floor. Jonas could barely hear the words when Terry muttered, “I did want you there.”

  At that, Jonas caught the first speck of light at the end of the tunnel. A shimmer of hope. He let a tiny smile escape to welcome it in. Tucking a finger under Terry’s chin, he lifted his face so they could look into each other’s eyes. Terry’s eyes, as green as the forest outside, were dry now. Jonas was pretty sure that was a step in the right direction. The last thing in the world he want
ed was for Terry to feel bad about what had taken place between the two of them during the night. Especially when Jonas had found only happiness in it. And such unexpected possibilities.

  “I enjoyed making love to you, Terry. I haven’t enjoyed myself that much in a long time. And I’m insecure enough to be standing here hoping you enjoyed it too.”

  Jonas watched as Terry’s lips twitched into a smile. He kept most of it hidden away inside that bushyass beard of his, but Jonas knew it was there. He could see it in Terry’s stance. In the way Terry’s body relaxed a wee little bit. But mostly in the way those wondrous eyes didn’t look so wounded anymore.

  “Terry, listen to me. If you want to go back to how we were before last night, then I understand. I won’t pester you over it. While I want nothing more than to get your naked ass back into that bed right this fucking minute, I also don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do. I realize we aren’t exactly in a situation here where a shot at romance could be considered a viable option. Hell, we’re lucky to survive from one sunrise to the next. And every day that does pass with us still standing upright in the middle of it only means one thing. It means that by sheer good fortune we squeaked through another twenty-four hours without getting eaten.”

  Terry wasn’t fighting him anymore. Jonas could sense it. Terry’s eyes were drilling into his. He appeared to be seeking out every nuance of whatever the hell he thought Jonas was trying to say.

  “What?” Jonas asked, slightly perturbed at being silently interrogated when he didn’t really understand what it was that Terry was finding so confusing. “What?”

  Terry’s face softened. “Did you say romance?”

  Jonas froze. Had he said that? Yes, he supposed he had. Still annoyed, and suddenly slightly rebellious, he stammered, “Well, yeah, I guess I did. Romance. So what the hell is wrong with that?”