“Finally a straight answer.” Mick pulled his legs up, watching Wynn in expectation. When Wynn lubed his fingers and carefully slid one into Mick’s waiting entrance, pressing in far enough to find his gland and stroke it, Mick moaned, his cock starting to harden again.
Wynn eased in a second finger, gently stretching Mick then pulled them out. With his gaze locked on Mick’s face he entered him slowly.
“I’m fine,” Mick whispered, ignoring the pain, anticipating the pleasure that would follow. He knew he wasn’t fooling Wynn when his lover hesitated so he thrust up, taking more of him in.
That was all it took. Soon Wynn was fully inside and riding him, slowly at first, still watching Mick’s expression.
“Are you trying to drive me crazy?” Mick growled.
“Umm humm. That was the plan. To make you beg.”
“No, that was…my plan,” Mick countered, moaning, thrusting up again. When Wynn wrapped one hand around Mick’s now-hard member, Mick’s moans deepened. Soon they were moving together as if they’d been making love for a lifetime.
And we are making love. It was Mick’s last thought before he exploded, feeling Wynn come seconds later with one final hard thrust.
* * * *
“I vote we do that again,” Mick murmured much later, nipping Wynn’s earlobe.
“Oh we will, and often, but not quite yet,” Wynn responded with a laugh. He searched Mick’s face, saying, “Maybe now’s not the time to ask, but are you all right?”
“Good Lord, yes. Better than all right.”
“Okay, maybe I should clarify a bit, and you have to promise not to get upset. The doctor, well, warned you I guess, that you could have some emotional reaction to what happened with Danny and being shot. I haven’t seen any of that, but I think I know you well enough by now to realize you could be keeping it all inside.”
“I’m not,” Mick said defensively, turning away from Wynn’s scrutiny. “Yeah, I think about it. How could I not? I feel sorry for Danny, and guilty too, because I didn’t handle the situation the way I probably could have if I’d been thinking clearly. I was just trying to deal with his up and down emotions and get him calmed down enough that he’d leave town. Then he asked if I’d take him back if he cleaned up his act, or…or something like that. I told him I wouldn’t and…he shot me.”
“You have nothing to feel guilty about,” Wynn said quietly, putting a finger under Mick’s jaw, urging him to look at him again. “He sounds, from what you’ve said, like a man whose feelings were always on a roller coaster.”
“They were, even when we were together, although they weren’t nearly as…volatile, I guess you could say, as they were that evening. He had his ups and downs. I sometimes wondered if he wasn’t bipolar. That’s part of the reason we finally broke up. That and the fact I was tired of traveling to spend time with him.” Mick grimaced. “I never would have done that if he hadn’t threatened to out me. I was still pretty much hiding my sexuality at that point, afraid it could affect my job.”
“So you did what, took long weekends or vacation time?”
“Yeah. Stupid, huh? But I was in love with him—or thought I was. That was a first for me.” Mick smiled sourly. “It lasted for all of two months before I realized it was lust, not love, so I told him it was over and left. He seemed to understand. Oh, he argued, but in the end I was sure he accepted it. Believe it or not, that all happened almost seven years ago. Who would have thought he’d suddenly show up the way he did?”
“He’s sick, Mick. He probably kept dwelling on what happened and finally it got to be too much and he decided, somewhere deep inside, you were mistaken and really did love him and, hell, who knows? Hopefully, with help, he’ll get straightened out and back on track. The right track.” Wynn cupped Mick’s face in his hands. “So you’re to stop beating yourself up over it. Understand?”
“I do and I will. And if I start thinking that way again, I’ll tell you and you can lecture me the way you are now.”
Wynn chuckled. “Is that what I was doing, lecturing you?”
“No.” Mick smiled and brushed a kiss over his lips. “You were helping me see clearly. And that, my dear man, is just one of the reasons I think I finally found someone I truly do love.”
“I hope so, because I’m fast moving beyond just caring and into love myself—with you.”
They looked at each other for a long moment then kissed. It was deep, soulful, and Mick knew it spoke of their feelings, sharing them.
Then, when they broke apart, Wynn dropped his gaze to the scar on Mick’s chest, circling it as he had before with one fingertip, his expression full of remorse. “Maybe, if I hadn’t been in the picture, if he hadn’t seen me—”
“Don’t even go there. Don’t try to take some of the blame on yourself. Look at me, Wynn.” When he did Mick continued. “Danny came here with a gun. I doubt he planned on shooting me but he might have thought he could frighten me into returning to him, or maybe he planned on kidnapping me to force the issue. Or, maybe, he just kept one in his car. He ran around with some pretty unsavory characters when I knew him. Whatever his reason for having it, his seeing you had nothing to do with what happened.”
“You’re right, of course. Neither of us is to blame.” Wynn pulled him into a tight hug. “He was what he was, which makes me damned glad I didn’t kill him.”
“I don’t think you have it in you to kill anyone. Well, except Lionel, of course, but that was self-defense. Now can we put all of this behind us and move on?”
“For sure. And the first place we’re moving on to is bed.”
“Hate to point this out to you, but we’re already in bed.” Mick grinned broadly. “So what next?”
“We sleep. You should be exhausted and I know I’m close to it.”
“On one condition, in the morning we do this all again.”
Wynn cocked an eyebrow. “The talking?”
“No, you nut, the sex, or rather—” Mick kissed him, “—making love.”
“I think I can handle that.”
“Oh I know you can, at least once, and maybe more.”
Chapter 17
“You look happy,” Carly said as she came over to take Mick’s lunch order. “Glad to be back to work?”
“You better believe it. Now if the guys would just stop treating me like I was going to fall on my face the second their backs were turned.” Mick laughed to let her know he kidding. They weren’t acting nearly that bad, although Mary, the dispatcher, had hovered a bit when he’d first walked into his office. He’d finally had to tell her, nicely, he was quite capable of getting his own coffee.
“Is Wynn joining you?” She knew that the man she’d first thought of as ‘Walt’ was in actuality ‘Wynn’, as did everyone else now. It had seemed foolish to both Wynn and Mick to keep up the pretense now that they were together.
“Now that’s a good question. He said he had some things to do today.”
“So he’s sticking around?” Carly looked knowingly at him.
“Well…” Mick hesitated. “We haven’t actually talked about it in so many words but I think so.”
“With you? I mean at your place?” She slid across from him. “It’s common knowledge, in case you weren’t aware of it, that he’s been there since you came home from the hospital.” She grinned when Mick rolled his eyes. “You know it’s almost impossible to keep secrets around here. Besides, it’s not like he was sneaking in the back way hoping no one would notice.”
“Yeah, I know. Still, as I said, we haven’t really sat down and talked about it. Now that I’m better, he might decide it’s time for him to get back to his real life.”
“Who’s real life?” John asked as he came up to the booth. Carly got out so he could take her place, giving him a hug before he sat down.
“Wynn’s,” Carly told him. “Mick was saying Wynn might want to go back home, wherever that is.”
“Not from what I saw on the way over here. He and Ms. Lan
g were just coming out of her realty office.”
Mick cocked his head in question. “They were?”
“Yep. Unless there’s someone else in town with long, white hair.”
“Mrs. Grainger, Mrs. Smith…” Carly grinned.
“Trust me. It wasn’t either of them,” John told her, swatting her butt. “And aren’t you supposed to be taking our orders, not standing around gossiping?”
“Yes, oh lord and master.” She gave him a mocking curtsey then waited for them to decide what they wanted before leaving to place their orders.
“I take it you didn’t know he was going to be looking for a place,” John said.
Mick frowned. “We haven’t talked about his staying—and I feel like I’ve been saying that since I walked in here.”
“But things are going well between the two of you? I mean, if he is looking for a place, I’d assume they must be.”
“So far they are.” Mick smiled, remembering the weekend.
John laughed. “I’d say from the look on your face they’re going very well.”
Mick nodded. “And I’m not going to worry about why he’s talking to Ms. Lang. He’ll tell me when he’s ready to.”
* * * *
“This would work,” Wynn said, as he looked around the large, open space. “The lighting’s not bad, and if I put in a skylight and larger windows on the north wall…” He tapped a finger to his lips. “It’s the best place you’ve shown me so far.”
“You don’t mind that it’s not in town, I gather,” Ms. Lang said.
“Not in the least. As a matter of fact I prefer it that way.” He chuckled. “Most of my work revolves around nature, and God only knows, there’s plenty of it outside this cabin. I’ll admit I’m surprised the owner wants to sell it.”
“Her husband died about six months ago and it was, to be honest, more his place than hers. He was an avid hunter.”
Then my buying it is just what he deserves. Wynn considered the thought, chuckling to himself. He’ll probably roll over in his grave.
“Okay, barring complications, I’ll take it.”
Ms. Lang looked worried. “Complications?”
“I have to talk to my, umm, partner.” Wynn smiled. “I doubt he’ll object but I’m not committing until I’m sure.”
She arched her eyebrows but nodded. “When will you know for certain?”
“By this time tomorrow.” He looked around one more time, nodding. “Shall we get back to town now?”
* * * *
“So what did you do today while I was busting my ass working?” Mick asked, when he came into the house to find Wynn lounging on the sofa watching the news.
“I kept busy, but I’m not telling you how until I get a kiss instead of a growl from you.”
Mick strode across the room, dropping down beside him and kissed him somewhat perfunctorily. “So?”
Wynn shook his head, but said, “First off, I have a question for you. I plan on moving here on a permanent basis. Would you mind terribly if we shared your house?”
“Umm, no.” Mick’s reply was short, but the look on his face said worlds more about how he felt about that.
“Good, because I was thinking it would save on commuting, be cheaper in terms of utilities, and probably food as well, since we can eat in,” Wynn said with a straight face.
“Of course. We do have to be practical in this day and age,” Mick agreed. Then, smiling widely, he said, “Did you really have to ask?”
“Yep. Had to make sure we were on the same page about…things.”
“So you’ll tell Ms. Lang you’ve changed your mind about house-hunting?”
Wynn looked at him in surprise. “How did you know I’d talked to her?”
“John saw the two of you leaving her office.”
“That’s why you were a bit uptight when you got home. Sorry. I should have said something this morning, but I still hadn’t made up my mind.”
“About staying?”
“No. I knew I was going to and was pretty sure it would be here.” Wynn smiled at Mick, putting his arm around him to pull him closer and kiss him. The kiss was enthusiastically returned. “Now that was much better,” he said moments later before getting back to the subject at hand. “The only problem was a studio since, well to be honest, the basement wouldn’t work, the attic’s too full of junk, and we really do need the garage, especially in winter.”
“Did you find anything?”
“I found the perfect place. It’s a cabin to the west outside of town with lots of privacy, tons of trees, one big room with a small kitchen and bathroom. Sort of like the Peters’ place only without a separate bedroom. I gather it was mainly used during hunting season.”
“Ah, I know the one you’re talking about then. It’s been vacant since Josh Allan died. I’m surprised it’s still on the market.”
Wynn grinned. “It won’t be as of tomorrow morning. And, as soon as I get the deed, which shouldn’t take long since I’ll be paying cash for it outright, I’ll go get my things and move them in.”
Chapter 18
True to his word, by Wednesday Wynn owned the cabin. He left town early the next afternoon to get everything from his old studio and bring it back. Mick wanted to go along but then decided it would be more practical if he remained in town to oversee the renovations to the cabin. He knew two local men, retired carpenters, who were good and would work for a reasonable price. So Thursday morning, he and Wynn consulted with them and they promised to start on the windows and skylight immediately.
Late Saturday afternoon, a large rental truck pulled into the sheriff department’s parking lot, closely followed by Wynn’s car that Maribel was driving.
Mick appeared moments later, having seen them through his office window. “So this is the lovely lady you keep raving about,” he said, offering his hand to Maribel.
She shook it while looking him over then turned to Wynn. “He’s not quite as handsome as you said, but he’ll do.”
“Gee thanks,” Mick muttered.
Wynn hugged him, the most demonstrative either of them got in public. “She has a sassy mouth on her, which you’ll grow to love once you get past wanting to strangle her.”
Maribel swatted Wynn’s arm. “That was mean. True, but mean. Just for that, you have to feed me at that diner you kept going on about.”
“I will, as soon as he’s off work.”
“Which would be now,” Mick said. “As sheriff, I can make my own hours…occasionally.”
A few minutes later they were seated in one of the diner booths. Carly came over and after Wynn introduced the two women, she asked Maribel, “Where did you get that blouse?”
“At a small boutique back home. The woman is a genius.”
Mick looked at the blouse in question. It seemed pretty normal to him. Maybe a bit bright, with embroidery around the neckline but it was just a blouse. He glanced at Wynn, who shrugged and grinned in response, saying, “It’s a girl thing.”
Girl thing or not, apparently it was enough to bond the two women. Wynn watched in amusement, then he coughed and pointed out they were there to eat, not listen to a fashion critique. Maribel rolled her eyes, as did Carly seconds later, and they got down to the business of ordering dinner.
Once Carly was gone, Mick said he was surprised Wynn managed to get everything into one medium-sized truck. “Don’t you have furniture and stuff?”
Wynn shrugged. “Nothing much that really matters to me and I did bring those few things. The rest of it the Realtor’s going to deal with before putting my place on the market.”
“Which will be after I take what I want,” Maribel added. “He has a desk and a couple of display cases I’ve been coveting since the first day I saw them.”
Wynn stage-whispered to Mick, “I’m betting she takes it all.”
“Like hell,” Maribel said in mock anger. Then she grinned. “Most, but not all. It’s not like you had all that much when it comes to living quarters, Mr
. Minimalist Decorator.”
The two men laughed and from then until they’d finished supper, the three of them just chatted companionably. Afterward, Mick and Wynn escorted Maribel to the hotel where she got a room then excused herself for the night, pleading exhaustion. After going back to get the truck and Wynn’s car, Mick and Wynn went home, leaving Mick’s car in the lot as Wynn would drive him back to work in the morning.
“I was smart,” Wynn said as he got out of the car and joined Mick by the truck. “I put the bits and pieces of furniture and my clothes by the door so we can get them out first.”
“But not tonight,” Mick told him firmly. “I have other plans and they don’t involve manual labor.” He grinned, pressing Wynn back against the side of the truck. “At least not that kind of labor.” Then he kissed him with a good deal of gusto.
Wynn laughed when the kiss ended. “Might I suggest for the kind of ‘labor’ you have in mind, we adjourn to the bedroom.”
“Exactly what I had in mind.”
So they did.
* * * *
Getting the truck up to the cabin early Sunday morning proved to be an exercise in logistics as the lane was barely wide enough for it. But they finally made it, the men and Maribel jumping out of the cab with cheers of relief.
They unloaded everything carefully, especially the two unfinished canvases, which were well wrapped in brown paper. When Wynn walked into the cabin carrying a large box of supplies, he stopped in astonishment. The skylight was already in place and the openings for the large, north wall windows were cut and at the moment temporarily covered with plywood.
“Your friends are fast,” he said, when Mick and Maribel joined him.
Mick grinned. “Told you they were good. They promised to finish it off this afternoon after church.”
“Fantastic!” Wynn put down the box he was carrying then with Mick’s help, they got the parts for his worktable from the truck and put it together, setting it along one wall. Soon it was filled with the rest of Wynn’s boxed up supplies. The two easels were left leaning against the wall beside the table and the wrapped canvases were put in the kitchen area, well away from where the carpenters would be working. An old, battered desk took up the area between the kitchen and bathroom doors.
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