by Jools Louise
“Kick your legs, slow but steady,” Cooper advised, moving backward, and lightly gripping Luther’s fingers. The small serval shifter obeyed, kicking out, paddling away strongly. He kept moving toward Cooper, still kicking, as Cooper backed up even more. With his focus on his lover, he didn’t realize that Cooper had let go, and he was moving on his own. When he noticed, he gave a shriek of fright and began to flounder, until Cooper grabbed for him, holding him close.
“Well done, baby,” Cooper said approvingly, kissing Luther gently. “I thought you said you couldn’t swim.” He grinned against Luther’s mouth, laughing at Luther’s snort.
“You did it,” Ernest said excitedly, swimming up to them. He gave Luther a wet kiss, grinning his head off.
“Hey, horndogs,” came a loud, British-accented voice from the shore. Groaning, everyone looked over, and spied John and his family all riding along the trail from Zane’s place. “Let’s keep things G-rated, shall we?” He smirked audaciously as the four in the water all sent each other disappointed looks.
“We haven’t been camping in ages,” Aaron called, who was following behind on a big spotted Appaloosa gelding, with Joe trailing after him. “John said you were heading for the rez, so we thought you might like some company…family time, you know?” He was grinning wickedly as he said it, his look saying he knew that his friends had been hoping for something a little different.
“How did you know where we were going?” Ernest asked John with a scowl, his nose wrinkled in irritation at the interruption to their intended weekend of sexy fun and frolics.
John dismounted, holding onto his adopted son, Murray, under his arm. The boy was fast approaching his fifth birthday, he and his twin sister, Primrose, having been procreated in a lab owned by the cult. Primrose sat with Cameron, looking less sure in the saddle. Cameron sent Cooper and Zane an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, guys, I really am,” Cameron said, handing Primrose down to John, who giggled as John swung her around in circles. “Chester was at the store and told Douglas, who told John what you were planning. Chester said to say hi, by the way.”
Joe came to a halt beside his husband and dropped to the ground, cuffing John upside the head as he sauntered past. “Go get them some towels, John-boy,” he said, grinning when John huffed with mock offense, but obeyed. “We thought we all needed some down time,” Joe said, not sounding sorry at all. “We’ve all been through the mill, and Aaron kindly suggested this place as somewhere to unwind.” He grinned more widely at Zane’s snort.
“You mean John found out that I was going away for the weekend, and was worried in case his order wouldn’t be completed in time for the big event,” Zane retorted succinctly.
“That, too,” Joe replied, laughing when John came over with thick, fluffy towels for the men still in the water.
“Cover your rude bits,” John advised helpfully, dangling a towel as though he was a matador at a bullfight. “Torro!”
“Kids, let’s go help uncle Aaron get the tents set up,” Cameron said hastily, turning the four youngsters away, even though Primrose and Ruby both giggled, waving to Ernest and Luther.
Zane rolled his eyes at John, then shook his head, and headed for the shore. There was no way these guys were going to let them alone right now, thanks to Aaron’s big mouth. He shot his friend a speaking glance, promising retaliation later.
“Hey, don’t look at me,” Aaron protested, raising his hands, palms out, to fend off Zane’s disapproving look. “Once the kids got wind of a camping trip, they were so excited about going riding on the reservation, we couldn’t say no.” He paused for a moment, turning back to look along the trail. “Of course, some kids are bigger than others.”
Sure enough, by the time Zane, Cooper, Luther, and Ernest were out of the water and wearing towels around their waists, more people began arriving. Zane recognized all of the Two Spirit crew, Joe’s old army buddies, plus their partners and children. This was turning into a fairly big event. Joe and Aaron, Mick and Jamie, Zack and Pace, Rafe and Lucas and Archie. Cody and Thomas had brought Ethan and Douglas and all four of the wolverine brethren. Murphy was there with Aiden and their brood. Like John, Murphy had only brought their younger ones, explaining that the older kids were staying at the ranch for movie night, and to help Cassidy corral the younger ones.
Blue, Honey, Kylie, and Charlotte all ran around gathering firewood, and generally getting under everyone’s feet as they tried to erect tents, build a big fire pit, and build a small corral for the horses.
“I take it our plans for a nice massage just went out the window,” Luther whispered to Ernest, heading for their tent to get dressed. They both grabbed the clothes they’d discarded earlier and scuttled into the relative privacy of their canvas abode.
Ernest grabbed Luther’s towel as he shoved the man into one of the side rooms. Luther laughed softly, falling onto his back and spreading his legs as Ernest zipped up the tent flap, cocooning them inside.
“Baby, I’ll give you a massage if that’s what you want,” Ernest murmured, dropping to his knees. He lifted Luther’s legs over his shoulders, and then dipped his head, aiming for the crease that split Luther’s ass. Luther raised one arm, biting down on his wrist to muffle the moans that erupted the second Ernest buried his face in the shadowy, musky crevice of Luther’s ass.
Ernest swirled his tongue around the clenching hole, lapping at the pink-tinged muscles guarding Luther’s rear entrance. Luther’s back arched as Ernest speared Luther’s chute, punching past the sphincter, and began fucking Luther over and over, driving Luther crazy. Before Luther knew what was going on, Ernest reared up, planted his cock right at the loosened entrance to Luther’s hole, and then shoved all seven inches of his dick deep inside. Panting, Luther writhed beneath his lover, his long golden hair splayed out on the sleeping bag beneath as Ernest began to make love to his ass. Ernest was great at powerfucking, but he was moving more slowly this time, sliding in and out slowly and tenderly, their eyes locked as Ernest massaged Luther’s ass with his cock.
“I love you, Luther,” Ernest said, his voice barely a whisper, lying down between Luther’s thighs, moving with sure, steady strokes inside Luther’s ass. Wrapping Luther in his arms, he encouraged Luther to wrap his legs around Ernest’s slim waist as they undulated together, kissing and caressing each other with loving touches and gentle sighs.
“I love you, too, Ernest,” Luther replied, keeping his voice down, too, his hands moving restlessly over Ernest’s sleek body. “Thank you for sharing.”
Ernest kissed his mate passionately, infusing the caress with all the love he had in him. “Honey, I dreamed of us, together in a relationship like this. When I met Zane, I felt the same connection I felt with you, and I knew what I wanted. Then when Cooper came into the workshop that day, it felt so right. I never even considered not accepting him as well. I just hoped you’d be open to all the possibilities as well. I’m so very glad you are.”
Luther moaned, shivering as their passion built. “I felt a little left out at first,” he admitted. “I knew you were seeing Zane, and I knew that if I wanted any kind of relationship with you, I would have to not act all jealous. I thought you wouldn’t want me when you met Zane.”
He tried to hide his face, but Ernest was having none of it. “Baby, I’m greedy.” Ernest grinned, peppering kisses all over Luther’s mouth. “I dreamed of having a big, strong man in my bed, sharing him between us…then Cooper arrived and I wanted him, too. I never, ever thought you wouldn’t be involved with us. I want you all, forever.” He fell on Luther, his mouth practically devouring his mate, as his hips moved like the tide, back and forth, driving Luther out of his mind.
Within seconds, both men were coming hard, Ernest spurting into Luther’s greedy hole as Luther spattered his release between the two of them, painting their abs and chest as he came hard.
They remained glued together, eyes closing as their passion subsided, cuddling tenderly as sleep took over, a
nd they fell into slumber.
Chapter Ten:
A Family Affair
A huge campfire burned brightly, flames shooting skyward and lighting the area around the campsite with flickers of orange and gold. A separate grilling area had been set up, so they could cook, and with stars shimmering high above, it was now time for stories and banter…and a John roast.
“So, John, is it true you once blew up the wrong enemy camp, but somehow managed to come out of it smelling of roses?” Aaron asked innocently, his eyes gleaming wickedly as he looked at his target.
John snorted, his arms full of two sleeping children, with Cameron snuggling alongside, eyes half-closed and a smile on his face. “Joe’s memory is apparently defective in his advancing years,” he shot back, eyeing his old boss with a smug grin. “I was attached to another unit, with the British special forces, and I happened to have been given directions to a particular target. It was hardly my fault, despite Joe’s faulty reckoning, that the camp did not contain the expected target…but a much bigger one, instead.”
Joe rumbled with laughter, sitting with Aaron sprawled against him and Kylie perched in his lap, looking sleepy. “John, you’ll never admit that you got it wrong, will you? After all this time, you still won’t tell us what really happened.”
John sighed, as though weary of the conversation. “Joe, my old friend, I was given directions, I followed directions, and I carried out my orders, as per those directions. How is it that you Americans can’t comprehend that you missed the target by several miles, as I recall, and ended up having to assist in my little mission? The same mission, I might add, that netted one of the most senior figures in international terrorism.”
“My friend, you didn’t know that person was even in that camp,” Mick drawled, yawning widely. Jamie was fast asleep, drooling onto Mick’s huge chest, wrapped up in Mick’s massive arms, dwarfed by the big tiger shifter. “And for your information, we weren’t assisting you. We just happened to be able to follow directions correctly. You were ten miles away from where you were supposed to be.”
Zack began to laugh, his blond hair gleaming in the firelight. “He’s not wrong, John,” he chuckled. “You got lost, just admit it. You got the wrong camp, stumbled onto a target we were already tracking, and got lucky.”
“John’s not going to admit to getting lost,” Rafe drawled, his white teeth glinting in his tanned face.
“Daddy, did you tell a lie?” a little voice asked from John’s side. Oscar, his adopted son who had just turned eight years old, stared up at his father, wide-eyed. “Cassidy says you should never, ever lie about things, or else it makes you a bad person.”
John let out a strangled noise, halfway between a snort and a laugh, and looked down at his son sheepishly. “Oscar, you’re quite right. One should never tell lies.”
“So, did you tell a lie?” Oscar persisted, sucking on his fingers.
Gently, John removed the fingers and gave Oscar a long stick with gooey marshmallow attached to the end. “Suck on this, sweetheart,” he told his son. Then he sighed, sending a look that boded ill around at his old friends. “I may have stretched the truth just a bit, when I said I arrived at my destination on purpose.” There was muffled laughter at this announcement, which didn’t quite go far enough in admitting anything.
“So, you lied, then?” Aiden asked drolly, grinning widely at John as he tried to get John to confess.
John continued to stare at Oscar’s little face, then sighed again, and pressed a light kiss to the top of his son’s dark head. “Yes, I lied,” he said, shaking his head. “I lost my original coordinates, lost my crew during an ambush, and had to head out across enemy terrain, with an idea of where I was supposed to be. My cat ended up leading me ten miles out of my way, and we found the main headquarters for their eastern division. When I saw you reprobates, already in position, I had to at least make it seem as though I was in full control of things.” John let out a belly laugh as his friends all began to give their various opinions on his announcement. “Gentlemen, please remember there are children present,” he chided. “I’m trying to impress upon them that I’m a reformed character.”
That generated even more insults, coming thick and fast, with John laughing heartily, not bothering to defend himself.
“Mick, what happened in Guam?” Jamie asked sleepily when the noise died down again, and instantly everyone turned their attention on the big red-haired shifter, who flushed bright red.
“Nothing happened in Guam,” Mick replied, stroking a hand over his mate’s soft hair. “It was all in John’s vivid imagination, that’s all.”
John grinned hugely, winking at his friend. “I do indeed have a vivid imagination, but in this instance, I am telling the truth,” he replied.
Mick sent his buddy a warning look, as though daring him to say more. As usual, John ignored the silent caution and continued merrily with the tale. “Mick and I shared a dorm at the base on Guam, as part of some joint operation with NATO. The rest of the crew were already on maneuvers, and we had a tiny altercation with some British soldiers, who thought it would be fun to yank Mick’s rather short chain.”
Joe, Zack, and Murphy all guffawed at this, with Rafe joining in, laughing softly.
“Jamie can tell you, in detail, that my chain is certainly not short,” Mick responded with a smug grin, planting a kiss to the top of his mate’s head. Jamie let out a laugh, tilting his head up and finding Mick’s lips with his own.
“Definitely not short,” Jamie determined with a grin, waggling his brows at everyone when the kiss ended.
“In conclusion,” John continued when the laughter died down again. “The marines had an aversion to ginger hair and were teasing Mick mercilessly. When Mick retaliated by trying to flush two of them down the toilet, their captain walked in and tried to get Mick court-martialed on the spot. One of the soldiers was apparently an officer…although he certainly acted like a prick, more than an officer.”
“Daddy!” Oscar protested sharply. “You’re not supposed to say bad words.”
John laughed softly, but apologized, “I’m sorry, love, I’m being a bad example, aren’t I?”
“No, you’re just saying bad words,” Oscar replied, giggling, and then hugged John tightly.
John nuzzled his son’s soft cheek, kissing the boy’s dark mop of hair tenderly. “Is it time for bed?” he asked, laughing again when Oscar yawned widely and then shook his head in a half-hearted protest. “Come on, squeak,” John said, getting to his feet. With Murray and Primrose in his arms, and Cameron leaning against him, he called out a good night, and then led his family away to their large tent about fifty yards away from the campfire.
“What happened to the soldiers?” Jamie asked his husband, snuggling against Mick again. “You didn’t get court-martialed did you?”
Zack answered that one, laughing quietly. “No, Mick ended up getting a promotion instead. Everyone had to join forces the next day on a joint initiative, and Mick ended up saving the captain’s life when he got into difficulty. After that, the captain filed charges against his own men, putting them on disciplinary charges for their conduct, especially since other soldiers came forward as well. Apparently the soldiers carried on their grudge match, which nearly ended up with men getting killed. Without Mick’s help, there would have been a catastrophe because of bad behavior. Mick got a commendation for his actions.”
The fire was dying down, the party breaking up finally. Cooper and his mates had been sitting listening quietly to all the stories, laughter, and banter. The day had been a long one, but filled with fun.
“Do you think maybe we should adopt a couple of the children from the ranch?” Luther asked suddenly, his gaze on Murphy and Aiden, their little family all around them. “They don’t have anyone to love them. I think they’d be better in a proper home.”
Cooper and Zane exchanged startled glances, each of them sitting with a mate on their laps. Luther was snuggled up with Cooper, and
Ernest sprawled languorously on Zane.
“Adopt?” Ernest asked in surprise. “Where would we put everyone?”
Luther shrugged. “It was just a thought,” he said. “Maybe it’s not even possible, since we’re in an unusual kind of relationship. People might think badly of us if we tried to take care of young children.”
Ernest gave a low snarl of irritation, dropping his fangs and lifting his head to look at Luther. “After what people did to us, after what was allowed to happen to us, I don’t think has any cause to say anything about how we choose to live,” he growled, scowling. “I lost my entire family because our own bloody government had a president who condoned mass kidnappings and murder. You lost part of your family for the same reason, so that rich men could get richer. If we want to bloody well adopt, we bloody well will.” His repeated use of the British expletives showed his anger…and too much time spent around a certain British ex-soldier.
There was a round of applause from the remaining people sitting around the fire.
“You tell ’em, tiger.” Aiden grinned.
“Ocelot, not tiger,” Ernest retorted, wrinkling his nose, but grinned as well.
“I think it would be a great idea,” Cooper suddenly said, getting three startled looks from his lovers. He shrugged, his lips curving wryly. “We have the room, don’t we?” he asked Zane. “We have the potential for building behind the workshop, two floors high, which we can connect to the main building.”
“But that would mean getting rid of the green room and the patio area, wouldn’t it?” Luther asked, sounding upset.
Cooper shook his head. “No. Not necessarily. The oasis sits on two levels. We would drop the upper level down a bit, which would create at least two new bedrooms at the back.”
“Or we could leave the oasis where it is and put our workshop in the basement,” Ernest suggested quietly, leaving a stunned silence as everyone digested what he’d said. He and Luther shared an agonized look, looking tormented.
