by BA Tortuga
Goob came wandering, jealous as anything as that big beast settled in his lap with a grunt. “Hey, Goob. You going to teach Khan about fireworks?”
“Oh man. Do we have a leash if she freaks out?” That was his Len. Always worrying.
“Yeah. We got her crate too.” He was getting good at this dog stuff.
“Cool.” One shoulder pressed against him while Len petted the dogs, laughing at the chewing and romping.
“I haven’t seen Vic yet. I’m getting kinda worried. Although with Khan, she’d bite him.”
“Well, maybe he got him a girl, huh?”
Oh, that would be cute. Little baby Vics.
“I’m not sure our freezer’s big enough to feed an entire family of gators, Len.” No, in fact, he’d have to get a part-time job just for the chickens.
“We could get one of them chest freezers. Stock up on turkeys at Thanksgiving.” Long fingers slid against his thigh, petting him too.
That tickled him, got him to laughing hard. Goob started howling, and Khan started barking, which got Galen going, and they were all rolling with it. When they sorted it all out, he was on top of Galen, Goob was on his feet, and Khan was licking their faces. “Jesus, Shane. Gonna kill me.”
“Nah. Nah, it’s good. Good to laugh.” They needed to laugh more. Together.
“It is. C’mere.” The kiss was a little Khan heavy, but they were all family, right?
“Mmm.” He scooted closer, grinning as Khan tried to push between them.
“Jealous girl. As bad as Goob.” They finally got a dog on each side, both of them chuckling and reaching for a drink.
“Happy Fourth, man.” This was better than the boat. Any day. Wade might have been a little disappointed, but they’d decided that was okay. Him and Galen wanted to be alone.
“Yeah. Same to you, darlin’. I missed Memorial Day and Easter and all, but this I made.” Galen seemed tickled.
“You did.” He might’ve gone and beaten that asshole Frank’s ass if Galen hadn’t.
“So, what do you want to do tomorrow?” Head tipped back, Galen watched the sky, his eye wrinkles all showing smile.
“Fuck a lot. Go to the grocery store. Take a long bath.” All those worked for him. So long as they were together.
“Sounds good. Maybe we can go Vic hunting….” Oh, tromping through the swamps with the dogs. Yeah.
“Cool. Oh man. We could take the little boat out.” That was actually as cool as Wade’s yacht.
“Oh, that’s a good idea. You. Me. Boat.” Cave Galen was in the house. Woo.
“Yup. Beer. Fish. Hot dogs in case of gators.” He leaned down, kissed Galen’s shoulder.
“Mmm. Do that again.” That arm wrapped even tighter around him, holding him up close.
He grinned, tongue sliding on Galen’s skin, the taste perfect.
“Oh yeah. Gonna have me for dessert?” That grin was pure-D wicked. So was Galen’s hand on his back, stroking down to his butt.
“You on the menu, Len?” He could so appreciate that smile.
“I am. Only for you. Not so much the gators. Did you know they eat marshmallows?” Galen was nibbling on him too, giving him what for.
“No. No, I ain’t sharing with Vic.” Marshmallows? He wasn’t sharing Len with anyone these days.
“Good.” That hand slipped right into his baggy shorts, stroking his bare skin.
“Mmm….” That made him shiver and stretch a little, butt shifting on the deck, feet dipping in the water. “Yeah. Yeah, good.”
Nodding, Len licked at the corner of his lips, rubbing up good, pushing Khan away with the other hand. Shane rolled closer, bringing their lips together, moaning at the flavor of Galen’s mouth. Giving it right back, Len pushed into his mouth, that hot tongue tracing every bit of him. They were setting off some fireworks of their own.
Oh now. That was better than any boat trip. Ever.
They were still kissing happily when the actual fireworks started, breaking out just above the tree line. Oh, look at that.
“Oh dude. Len. Look.” He shifted a little so they could both see, the pups pushing in close, Khan shaking like a leaf.
“Shh. S’all right, girl.” Len pulled Khan into the curve of his free arm, but the other stayed right there, holding on to him. “God, I’m glad I made it home.”
Goob leaned hard, head pushed into his hand. “Me too, Len. This was just what I needed.”
They sort of oohed and aahed and petted the pups until it was all over, the sound of the booms fading away on the last of the smoke. Then Galen grinned over at him, nudging.
“You ready to head in?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I am. That was damn fine, wasn’t it? All the colors?” Better than DC or New York or wherever that damned Frank was.
“It was perfect.” Climbing to his feet, Galen hauled Shane up too, calling the dogs right along. “We’ll put the pups to bed and then do a little more celebrating.”
“You got it.” He was right there, hand on one of those fine, tight buttcheeks. Galen wiggled for him, really giving him something to hold on to. That man had an ass to die for.
“Mmm… shake it, baby!” They chuckled at that, both tickled.
“I can really put on a show for you inside, darlin’.” Oh, Len the stripper.
“Yeah?” Now that sounded fun.
“Uh-huh. You just tell me what you want.” Listen to that. Him, getting to choose.
“I want you.” He shut the door behind them, eyes dragging down Galen’s body. “I want to see you smile.” He wanted Galen to look rested and happy again. And where the hell did that come from?
“You make me smile, Shane.” Of course, Galen wasn’t smiling when he said it, was he? Nope, he was doing that laser-stare thing, that oh, you now, thing.
He sorta stopped, caught, his heart pounding in his chest. Oh shit. He loved that man.
“Okay, darlin’. Put the dogs in the kitchen and come on to the bedroom.” Turning, Galen headed down the hall, ass moving.
“Uh-huh.” Dogs. Kitchen. Moving. Look at that ass. He was sorta dazed.
Being run over by the Galen truck always did that to him. The only thing that kept his legs moving was knowing that ass was waiting for him. He had damn near shaken it off by the time he got to the bedroom. Almost felt back in control of his brain again. Of course, that was when he saw Galen, leaning against the footboard of the big bed, arms folded, legs stretched out and out.
Oh.
His fucking mouth went dry, and he stood there a second. Watching. “Hey.”
“Hey, you.” Galen grinned, slow and hot and all his. “Been waiting.”
“I. Yeah.” His cock was trying to beat its way out of his shorts.
“So what goes first? Shirt? Jeans? Your choice.” That man looked like the cat who ate the canary.
“Shirt. You got the prettiest belly.” It was. Fuzzy. Hard. Tanned. Ripped.
His.
Jesus.
“You got it.” Slowly, inch by agonizing inch, Galen bared that heavy chest and flat belly to his eyes, peeling the shirt down off his arms, then tossing it away.
“Look at you.” He just.
Just.
God damn.
His cock hurt, it was so fucking hard, and he yanked down his zipper, setting it free.
“You like?” Shit, Galen knew he did. Knew it so well that those big hands moved over skin, touching all of his favorite places to touch.
“Uh-huh. You…. You’re fucking hot, Len. Make me….” He motioned down to his cock, already wet-tipped and dark.
“I can see that. So jeans next, huh?” Winking, Galen worked the button and zipper. “Unless you want me to do something else first….”
“Jeans are good.” He licked his lips, his knees buckling a little.
“Oh, that’s good. They’re gettin’ tight.” Those jeans worked down over one hip, then the other, and Len turned for him, just like some hot peepshow stud, pushing them down over that bounce-a-quarter
-off-it ass.
Shane stepped forward, hands reaching, needing to slide over that pretty ass. The jeans hit the floor, and Galen bent, holding on to the footboard, pushing right at him. Those muscled cheeks fucking begged for his hands.
“Jesus fuck.” Stumbling forward, he dropped to his knees, getting a double handful, licking right up along the crease.
“Shane!” Going right up on his tiptoes, Galen groaned, hips already starting to rock. “Damn, darlin’. Yeah.”
Hot, musky, his. Shane whimpered and went to town, licking and kissing, pushing into Galen’s body, fucking his man.
“Good. Shane. Feels so good.” He loved it when Galen growled for him, when that voice went all big bad wolf and gonna eat you up and yeah, more. One of his hands moved between Galen’s legs, fingers wrapped around those heavy balls, tugging and rolling them.
“Harder.” Oh, someone was wanting to play. Galen had been so fucking serious since he started working. Not relaxed enough to really get going like this. It was fucking hot.
“Mmm-hmm.” He pushed into Galen’s ass with his tongue, fingers tugging good and hard on those sensitive balls. More. He could do more. Hell, he could do damn near anything right now.
Len was moaning for him, low, deep sounds that slid right down his spine. That big body was tight and hard all over, every muscle clenched for him. Galen’s cock was leaking and hot as a two-dollar pistol when it slapped into his fist, Galen grunting and bucking back against him with it.
“Lover. Need… need your mouth or your ass or something.” Yeah. Galen fucking loved to do the doing, and Shane loved the taking.
“Anything.” He spun Galen around, mouth dropping over that heavy cock like a ton of bricks.
“Fuck!” The way that pretty belly pushed in and those hips tipped up was the basis for about a thousand wet dreams. And now Len could touch him too, hand on his head, petting and stroking. Galen tasted like no one else, ever, rich and male, salty enough that his mouth watered for more. Tilting his chin, Galen gave him more, pressing into his mouth, rubbing along his tongue. “Fucking love the way you love me, darlin’.”
Damn, that heated him up, balls-deep. He wrapped his lips around the base of Galen’s cock, sucking nice and hard. Hips circling and pumping, Galen took his mouth, going for it. Those hands dropped to his shoulders, rubbing and squeezing, then cupped the back of his neck, holding him still so Len could take more.
Shane started shaking, hips fucking the air, hurting with it, he needed so bad.
“Come on, darlin’. Come on up here.” Len finally pulled him off, just when he thought the man would shoot for him. He blinked, his lips wet and swollen, and Len yanked him to his feet to kiss him deep.
“Need.” His fucking head was spinning, hips rocking furiously, cock rubbing against that flat belly.
“Me too. Want to be with you. Right with you.” Their cocks rubbed when Len lifted him, pulling him up and up to get a hand around them both. They made this crazy noise, their skin sliding and catching.
“Galen.” His thighs went tight, toes curling so hard his feet tried to cramp. Fuck. Fuck. He. Now.
“Yeah, Shane. Yeah. Come on.” Len squeezed. Hard.
He shot so hard his back cracked, his cry winging out.
“Fuck!” That big body shuddered against him, Galen’s skin hot and damp, those hips pushing hard enough to rock the bed behind him. Galen’s come hit his belly, his thighs, shooting right across his skin.
Oh. Oh fuck. “Better than fireworks. Any day.”
“Mnh.” Saggy Len was too fucking cute. The man pressed a lazy kiss to his mouth, humming his approval.
Oh. Oh, happy Galen.
Happy Galen.
He was a fan.
“Bed.” One-word sentences meant even happier Galen. They danced a little around the side of the bed before flopping, Len giving him a bouncy, hot mattress.
“Ooh.” He settled in, kissing one nipple before settling down for a championship snuggle.
“We’ll play some more, later, darlin’. Yeah? Right now I’m good.” Long arms wrapped around him, one leg curling around his.
“Just fine, Galen. You rest.” He’d just do the same, listen to Len’s heart beat for a little bit.
Chapter Eleven
“GALEN! MAN, come on. We’ve got that great flaming cheese thing going!” Luke Pallance was calling to him, waving one beefy arm, and Galen waved back.
“In a minute, man. I’m trying to make a call….”
Trying, and not having much luck. Damn it, Shane wasn’t answering his cell, and the house phone was ringing and ringing and….
“Hey. Leave us a message,” his own voice told him, making him grit his teeth, the answering machine just not what he wanted.
“Shane? Come on, darlin’. If you’re there, pick up.”
He waited, wanting to talk to the man, not a recording. When Shane didn’t appear on the other end of the line, Galen sighed. “Gonna call you back in half an hour and sing loud. It will make the dogs howl, I swear.”
“Lenny! Come on!”
Jesus, they just never let up. “Love you, darlin’,” he finally said, just before he hung up.
Then he plastered a grim smile on his face and went to eat greasy, flaming cheese with a bunch of worse has-beens than him. Even if some of them were nice guys, they weren’t Shane. Frank was there, trying to stare him down with that disapproving glare, and the sight of all that food made his stomach turn.
Fuck, he wanted to go home.
Soon.
“YOU FINALLY getting some ink, Buster?”
Shane nodded through the green haze that surrounded him. Dude, whatever that was that Aaron’d given him was cool. “Yeah. I want it. A tattoo.”
The guys all hooted and slapped his back, but Nemo just watched, lips quirked, waiting to set up the ink and the needles. “You know what you want?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I want a G and an S all caught up together.”
“Well, isn’t that precious?” He was going to hit Wade with a hammer. For real.
“Don’t be an asshole, Wade. You didn’t have to come.” Wade stood from the doorframe and headed over with a hangdog look.
“I’m just teasing, man. You’re good. Where’re you gonna put it?” Wade’s hand slid down his back and landed right above his ass, fingers moving and leaving little light trails that he couldn’t see but could imagine.
“On my shoulder.” Higher. Where he could see it in the mirror.
“What’s it stand for? Great Sumbitch?”
“Fuck you.” Great sumbitch, asshole.
“Just asking, honey. You want me to hold your hand?”
“You gonna hold my prick when I piss too?”
Wade grasped his chest, all the guys hooting. “Oh man! Will you let me? The poor thing needs a snuggle!”
They all laughed, and Shane thought he could see it, see the laughter in blues and greens and pinks, bouncing on the air, unreal as fuck.
“Come on, Nemo. Let’s do this.”
“SHANE? HONEY? You okay?” Wade’s hand slid down his arm, fingers squeezing his elbow.
“Yeah. Sure I am.” No. No, Galen and him had just had another fucking snarl about whether or not Galen got to be pitiful about missing his birthday. He was thirty-two. Thirty-two. Old. Jesus.
Thirty-two with a lover who remembered because the fucking Blackberry beeped at him in a restaurant where Galen was having steak with a bunch of biggie wows.
He’d just come out to the club, the guys hooting and hollering and pouring him drinks from the time he’d walked in. They’d remembered. Hell, they were all celebrating.
Go him.
“I got you something….” Wade handed him a little box that reminded him a lot of the box Galen’d given him his chain in.
“Oh. Oh dude. I.” Shit.
“Open it.” Wade bumped his shoulder, grinning a little, so he did.
What else was he supposed to do?
Oh. Fucking cool. It
was a beer opener, all gold-plated and shit, on a heavy chain. “Dude, that’s wicked neat!”
He hopped up, hugged Wade tight. Wade’s arms wrapped right around him, squeezing the breath out of him.
Squeezing him up against a happy that wouldn’t quit.
Shane let go, took a deep breath. Man, bodies were stupid things. “Thanks, buddy. This is too cool.”
“I thought you could use it.” Wade nodded, clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on. I’ll buy you a round or two, and then we can go to the boat, have a little private celebration.”
That didn’t sound like the best…. “Perv.”
“Nah. Nah. I’m just talking about sharing some green. We’ll invite Will and Jake, okay? It’s cool.”
“Yeah? Cool. Yeah. Yeah, I can.”
He could.
He didn’t want to, but he could.
“Happy birthday, honey.”
“Thanks, Wade. Come on. I need that beer.”
Chapter Twelve
“HEY, FRANK.” Galen grabbed his erstwhile business partner by the arm when they passed in the hall of the convention center. “I can’t get any reception on my phone. Would you mind calling Diane?”
“Huh?” Frank jerked to a stop, eyeing him like a shark eyed a seal. It always made Galen a little uneasy, that look. “What for?”
“Well, you know I was talking to her about that investment property for Shane. For his retirement money. No sense letting it just sit there. She said if I was interested, I needed to do it today….” He sighed as he took off his hat and scrubbed a hand over his prickly head. “Look, I can just borrow your phone….”
“No, you can’t. You have a signing in three minutes. Call Diane, tell her yes. I can do that.”
“Cool. Oh, and could you call Shane and tell him to expect her call? He might wonder if she just calls him out of the blue, and he’ll need to sign the papers and shit.” Shane was good about signing stuff, but that might be stretching it, to have a sheaf of deed paperwork show up out of the blue.
“I surely can.” Frank smiled, a weird little twist of his lips. “You just leave it all to me.”
