Manny To The Rescue: Gay Romance

by Trina Solet

  Suddenly, Owen stopped him. He turned over on his back. His dark eyes locked on Dan's. As Dan took hold of his thighs, Owen's head fell back like he was offering his throat for him to kiss. Dan did just that and Owen moaned. He pulled Dan to him impatiently. Dan knew he needed him back inside, and Dan needed that too. He added lube and pushed back in. He held still, feeling Owen's hole pulse around him. He lifted Owen's legs running his hands up until he had a good grip on his ankles. The look in Owen's eyes was pure seduction as he said his name and grinned devilishly.

  *

  Dan held his legs firmly and pounded him hard. He was reaching so deep inside him with slow, steady thrusts. Owen's head swam as Dan's hips rolled, hitting him just right. His speed and power drove Owen to a state of mindless need.

  Dan's name was only a low moan on his lips, but in his head it echoed loudly, expressing everything he felt. Dan was everything. He was his whole world as Owen lost himself and all sense of time and place. He only saw Dan above him. He was so beautiful. As he gripped his legs hard, every muscle of Dan's body was sculpted rock hard with effort.

  Owen felt his own body stiffen, tightening around Dan. Dan was coming too just as a shattering orgasm almost made Owen scream out. The scream was silenced by Dan's mouth on his.

  Once he spent himself in Owen, Dan collapsed. His legs gave out and he tried to roll to the side so he wouldn't drop on top of Owen. Owen didn't allow that. He wrapped his arms and legs around Dan and pulled him down to him. Dan laughed at him, but he wasn't going anywhere.

  Owen had released his death grip on Dan to let him breathe and cool off. They were side by side, hand in hand with fingers entwined. Owen didn't realize he had fallen asleep until Dan brought his hand to his lips and kissed it. Then he let go. Dan swung his legs off the bed, and Owen raised his head in alarm. He let his head drop back on the pillow with a sigh. Of course Dan had to go back to his own room, damn it. Dan put on his pajama bottoms and threw his t-shirt over his shoulder as he left. Owen stared after him with heavy regret that he couldn't ask him to stay.

  Once he was alone, Owen turned restlessly. His bed was too big just for him. He needed Dan next to him, pressed against him so he could sleep. The distance between them was almost physically painful to him now. It was unbearable not to have Dan in his bed. How was he supposed to sleep when a half naked, hot guy was roaming his hallways at all hours of the night?

  When Owen finally fell asleep, Dan roamed his dreams. He came into his room, leaned over him, uncovered him, kissed him and fucked him. It was the most exhausting sleep of his life.

  Chapter 14

  Saturday, Dan had cleared the breakfast dishes and sent the girls upstairs to brush their teeth. Owen was on the phone. Dan gave him a quick kiss and went upstairs. As soon as Dan got into his room to grab his laptop, Maggie came running to him.

  "Daaaan! Connie doesn't like me!" she said.

  "What do you mean? Of course she likes you."

  "She yelled at me and called me clumsy," Maggie said with a pout.

  "Everyone is clumsy sometimes," Dan told her.

  "She was mean. I knocked down the little cactus. Connie said it's gonna die," she said worriedly.

  "A cactus is pretty strong. I don't think it will die," Dan told her.

  "It was a present from Grandma."

  "That's nice. Did you get one?"

  "No. I'm too little. I got kitty slippers," she said then she ran off suddenly to go get them and show them to him. She put them on her feet proudly.

  "Your grandma must love you a lot," Dan said.

  "She does!" she agreed loudly.

  "Let's go and see how that cactus is doing?" Dan said and offered her his hand.

  They went back to the girls' room. Seeing Connie’s concerned face as she fussing with the cactus on her nightstand, Dan assured her, "It's not going to die, Connie."

  "Are you sure?" she asked.

  "I promise. It won't die." He knew that she was so worried about the cactus because it was a gift from her grandmother.

  "OK," she said, but then she glared at Maggie, who stuck out her tongue at her.

  "Come on, guys, make up. You say you're sorry," he said to Maggie. "And you accept her apology," he said to Connie.

  "You first," Maggie said to her sister.

  "That's not how an apology works," Dan told her. "Say you're sorry for knocking down the cactus."

  "But it was an accident."

  "You have to apologize for accidents too," Dan explained.

  Maggie went up to the cactus and said, "Sorry I knocked you down."

  Dan waited to see if Connie would accept this apology. She did.

  "Your turn," Dan prompted her. "Say you're sorry for yelling and calling Maggie clumsy."

  "Sorry I called you clumsy. Stop being so clumsy," Connie said.

  Maggie accepted her version of an apology by sticking out her tongue again. Connie stuck out her tongue too. Dan considered the matter settled so he went downstairs and poked his head into Owen's office. He didn't look too busy now.

  "Is Maggie old enough to have a cactus?" Dan asked while Owen looked over some real estate listings.

  "How old does she need to be?"

  "Your mother gave a cactus to Connie but not to Maggie. She said she wasn't old enough. I wanted to get her one," Dan told him.

  "Just Maggie?"

  "If I get one for Connie too, she'll have two."

  "That's no good. Don't buy them stuff. You're just asking for trouble," Owen warned him.

  "I'd like to. I'll get something different for Connie. That's what your mom did. I think I saw the little cacti at the discount store."

  That afternoon, after picking up the girls from a play date, Dan took them to the discount store. The tiny cactus plants were exactly where Dan remembered seeing them. Domed and furry, they were about the size of golf balls. Though they all looked pretty much the same to Dan, Maggie was taking forever trying to choose one.

  "I don't know," she said with a sigh as she looked them over.

  "Yeah, it's a tough decision," Dan told her.

  She nodded gravely. She did choose one eventually, and Connie had no trouble picking what she wanted.

  Owen was in the kitchen, making dinner when Dan and the girls got home. The girls ran straight to him to brag and complain.

  "Dan got us presents. You didn't get us any presents," Connie complained.

  "Yeah," Maggie agreed.

  "I knew you were starting trouble," Owen said to Dan who just shrugged. "I'm making you dinner. Now let's see these great presents Dan got you," Owen said to the girls.

  They came closer to show him their gifts. The cactus in a little plastic pot was just like Connie's but smaller. It was obvious from the way Maggie was holding it that she treasured it.

  "Wow, it's really nice," Owen told her.

  Maggie beamed at him. Then Connie unfolded her gift. Connie's gift was a "#1 Grandma" t-shirt in a woman's size. Owen looked at Dan.

  "It's because Connie has the best grandma," Dan explained.

  "Grandma's number one!" Connie agreed.

  "She can sleep in it," Dan said with a shrug.

  "Connie and Maggie can both sleep in it," Owen said. It was certainly big enough.

  "No. It's just for me," Connie objected.

  "I have a cactus," Maggie said, holding it up high.

  Owen waited till the girls were gone to ask Dan, "Does she know that the t-shirt is for grandmothers to wear?"

  "I don't know, but I'm not going to tell her. It's what she picked, and it made her happy."

  "It's nice. I'll take a picture of her wearing it to send to Mom," Owen said. "Oh, we're invited to a fishing cabin tomorrow. It's Eve's grandfather's. It doesn't get used much so Eve goes out there to check on it every few weeks. We go with her sometimes, take a picnic lunch."

  "Sounds good," Dan said. When Owen turned back to the stove, Dan wrapped his arms around him from behind. Spreading his hands over his chest, Dan kissed
the back of his neck.

  Owen made a weak, complaining noise, but then he turned his head so Dan could kiss his mouth.

  "You're such a good boyfriend," Dan told him.

  "A what?" Owen gasped. Dan could feel him holding his breath then starting to breathe hard.

  "You need me to define boyfriend?" Dan whispered in his ear. "A guy I can't live without, who drives me crazy, and makes me hard, and makes me dinner."

  Owen stayed turned away. With his arms around him, Dan felt his heart beating harder and faster. But he had to lean over to catch sight of Owen's bright, tearful eyes and his shaky smile. They told Dan everything he needed to hear about how Owen felt about being called his boyfriend. Dan kissed his shoulder and held him tight. He wanted to show him, "This is us. We are stronger together and nothing can separate us."

  Early Sunday morning, Dan was helping the girls get ready for the day at the fishing cabin.

  "We can't wear anything too nice. We always get dirty when we go to the fish house," Connie said to Maggie as she picked what she wanted to wear.

  Maggie nodded in agreement, but said no to every piece of clothing Connie suggested. When Dan offered her the same outfit she had just rejected, Maggie put it on happily.

  Dan got jackets for the girls while they were more concerned with choosing which hats to wear. He wasn't sure what to expect of their outing to a fishing cabin, of all places, but as long as he got to spend time with Owen, he was up for anything.

  It was a warm day with only wispy, white clouds smudging the blue sky. The drive was pleasant, but the back of the car wasn't quiet even for an instant. Owen did his impression of a grouchy uncle as the girls bickered, laughed and exclaimed over what they saw out the window. He was such a faker. For a guy who grumbled about what terrors the girls were, Owen never really got irritated with them. He was actually pretty easygoing. Dan gazed at his profile as long as he dared. He didn't want the girls to notice that he was head over heels in love with their uncle.

  The highway was surrounded by evergreens, but once they turned into a country lane, the roadside was overgrown with tall bushes and smaller trees with leaves just starting to yellow. The paved road ended at an intersection next to a gas station. They followed a dirt road curving among thick brush until they came across a clear view of the river for the last stretch. The river was wide and as calm as a lake.

  When they arrived at the fishing cabin, Eve was already there. As soon as they were unbuckled, the girls jumped out of the car and ran to her. Eve did a complicated high five routine that made the girls giggle as they tried to keep up.

  Getting out of the car, Dan took a look around. On the drive there he had seen that the banks of the river were steep and unapproachable upstream. Trees grew right up to the water's edge, leaning over the slow moving water. Here, the landscape was different. The ground was bare. The river spread out here, marshy with muddy banks. Across the water, a thick growth of trees and bushes combined into a mass of green with only hints of yellow and orange. Only the tallest trees stood out, rising above the rest to show themselves against the blue sky.

  "No splashing in the mud," Owen warned the girls as they approached the edge of the river.

  The day was pretty warm with a nice breeze, a clear sky and no threat of rain. Good thing since their only shelter looked pretty uninviting. About thirty yards from the water, the fishing cabin looked just like a very small, gray house on stilts.

  "The river overflows sometimes," Eve said as they went up the stairs to the deep, high porch.

  Eve unlocked the door and grabbed some folding chairs that were just inside. Owen took them from her and unfolded them. Poking his head into the cabin as Eve opened the wooden shutters on the windows, Dan looked around.

  Wood was everywhere making up the walls and the floor. The walls were covered with posters, prints and paintings of boats, fish and men fishing. Fishing poles were mounted high on the walls. A checkered couch and a brown recliner were the main pieces of furniture along with a big, wooden chest that served as a coffee table. Going in, Dan saw that it was a one room cabin with a rudimentary bathroom. The kitchen had a sink and one open shelf where a pot, a pan and some dishes were stacked next to canned foods. Eve told him that the wood stove was both for heat and cooking. She showed him that the wooden chest held lanterns and blankets. Dan added it all up to mean that the cabin had no electricity.

  Considering what the place had to offer, Dan wasn't surprised that the girls came in for about a second then went back out. Owen only came in to stash the coolers with their food and drinks.

  They didn't stay around there long. To give Dan a better look at the scenery, they hiked up some rough trails over small hills. From there, they got a nice, long view of the river. It was wide and lazy as it traveled between banks crowded with vegetation. The girls had their cameras hanging around their necks. They took pictures, sometimes at the same time when Owen was taking pictures of them. Dan and Owen walked together while the girls treated Eve like she was one of them.

  At one point Dan overheard Maggie say to Eve, "Uncle Owen is smiling all the time."

  "That's because of Dan," Connie said wisely.

  Dan and Owen looked at each other, wondering how much she knew.

  "How is Dan doing it?" Maggie wanted to know.

  Eve looked over at the guys wickedly while they held their breaths.

  Connie had a perfectly innocent answer. "Because he's Dan."

  "Dan, the man!" Maggie yelled and Connie agreed with a nod.

  "They're so right," Owen whispered to Dan.

  That just gave Eve an excuse to wiggle her eyebrows at them.

  "You better watch it. The girls can see right through you guys," she said as the girls walked ahead of them far enough to be out of earshot.

  "It's Dan's fault. He said the B word," Owen said and gave Dan a look that was both accusing and happy.

  "Sorry, but you can't blame him. You are kind of a bitch," Eve said.

  Dan was pretty sure that she knew that wasn't the word Owen was talking about.

  "Boyfriend," Owen hissed at her, making sure the girls couldn't hear.

  "I guess that wasn't the first thing that came to mind," she said with a shrug. Then she punched Owen's arm lightly. "Kidding. You are the most beautiful couple I've ever seen."

  Owen looked at her wryly.

  "I can see you don't believe I'm sincere, but I'll prove I mean it later on," she promised cryptically and walked faster to join the girls.

  Following another trail, they went through woods that looked like they had been there forever. Gnarly, old trees were covered in creepers. The shaggy treetops let in sunlight in patches. These scraps of sunbeams looked both solid and unreal within the cool darkness of the forest. The girls found the place mysterious and ripe for adventure. Owen had printed up a map for the girls and marked a random spot with a red X. The girls pretended to be following the map, looking for treasure.

  "We do the treasure hunt every time we come here," Owen said.

  "What happens when they don't find any treasure?" Dan wanted to know.

  "They'll find something and call it a treasure," Owen said confidently.

  Eventually, they came out of the wilderness and walked next to the road that led back to the cabin. They saw ramshackle houses and other fishing cabins along the way. Whenever they saw people, the girls waved. Almost everyone waved back, and some of the older men tipped their caps to them.

  They were back at the cabin just in time for lunch. On their treasure hunt, the girls had found a piece of wood in the shape of the letter M. Maggie decided that was the treasure even if Connie disagreed.

  After lunch, the adults sat on the porch and watched Maggie and Connie playing. Maggie was running around with arms out like a little airplane. Armed with a stick that had a string hanging from it, Connie was chasing her. Maybe Maggie was supposed to be a fish.

  "Ugh, they're too energetic. They kill me," Owen said as he slumped lower in the
folding chair so that his long legs almost reached the edge of the porch.

  "Don't sound like such an old man," Dan told him.

  "I will fire you so fast," Owen said, but Dan knew an empty threat when he heard one.

  "And be left alone with them?"

  "Fine," Owen capitulated. "Go ahead and insult me."

  Dan leaned over and kissed him instead.

  "The girls didn't see that, but I did," Eve told them. She had been texting and now she told them the result. "Lou and Moira will be home in a few hours. Save it until then."

  Dan didn't know what that meant. Eve explained that Lou and Moira were friends of hers with a house an hour away from there. They had kids, dogs, and ducks so taking the girls over there for a visit was mandatory.

  "Me and the girls will be gone a minimum of two, three hours," she informed them then pointed back inside the cabin. "As you know, that is an extremely manly space. Use it accordingly."

  "How lucky can one man get?" Dan said to Owen. "You have an awesome friend like Eve, and you are getting banged by me later."

  Owen glared at him even though he had whispered the last part in his ear.

  Chapter 15

  Owen hadn't expected the opportunity to be alone with Dan. Too bad they had to wait a few hours. It did give Owen a chance to get some things from his car. Just because he wasn't expecting any action didn't mean he wasn't prepared. As they waited, the anticipation made him tingle all over. He was afraid to meet Dan's eyes. Waiting would become unbearable under that sexy gaze.

  Owen and Dan stood on the porch and waved at the girls as Eve's car pulled away. As soon as they were out of sight, Dan launched himself at Owen. Pressing himself against Owen, grabbing his ass, he pushed him backwards into the cabin and locked the door.

  Owen found himself against the back of the couch, legs apart so Dan could fit between them. Dan lunged for him, taking Owen's mouth with his own. His kiss was hot and fierce, making Owen instantly hard. Pulling back, Dan looked down Owen's body. Dan's chest was heaving. His breath was ragged in Owen's ears as Dan stripped him roughly. Owen's pulse was racing. His heart hammered against his ribcage. Once Dan had him naked, Owen pulled off his clothes hurriedly. His hungry gaze roamed Dan's naked body, but looking wasn't enough.