He tugged now, to get those briefs down over Gabe’s hips to his thighs, which meant pulling thick blue denim down, which meant getting off the cot, urging Gabe to rise, his warm hands on the cool curve of Gabe’s buttocks, more trembling, a sigh.
“C’mon now,” whispered Blaze beneath his breath as he scooted to kneel beside the bed between Gabe’s parted thighs, raising himself up, whispering more kisses, suckling now, tasting Gabe, licking his lips as the taste of him grew in his mouth.
Gabe responded, surging into Blaze’s mouth, hot and slick, as Blaze drew him in, renouncing all things evil, it seemed, as the goodness of it swirled around him.
Gabe’s head was thrown back, his expression in the bald overhead light, vulnerable and open. Eyebrows raised over closed eyes, a tender curve to his mouth. Faint sounds in the back of his throat. Sweat on the length of his throat.
There was no wind, yet it was cool in the tent, the air sweet from where it had come across the lake and raced through the pines. The chorus of crickets and maybe even frogs talked to themselves in the night, all the way down in the slough.
If the world ended, then Blaze knew he could take this with him, this scent, this feeling, the trust that Gabe had given him with open hands, open arms. So Blaze gave it back as best he could, opening his throat and taking Gabe down, sucking soft and then hard, and then again, dipping his fingers to move between Gabe’s strong thighs, a wicked pleasure given, layered with sweet.
He could taste Gabe’s pleasure building, and mentally sighed as he swallowed the pulses from Gabe’s cock, strong, hearty pulses, wild with the pounding of Gabe’s sturdy heart. When the pulses slowed, Blaze soothed Gabe with both hands, long strokes, rising up more to lay a tender kiss just below Gabe’s belly button, and another on the soft skin inside the curve of his hip.
“Yeah?” asked Blaze, settling back on his heels, looking up at Gabe as he sat up, arms behind him, sweat on his brow, his dark hair a mess over his forehead.
“Yeah,” said Gabe. His blue eyes were almost black as he reached out and, again, tucked Blaze’s hair behind his ear. “You have—your hair. Usually the guys I’ve been with—”
But Blaze shook his head.
“We’re not talking about them now,” he said, soft, curving his fingers around Gabe’s hip. “Because I’m not like them at all.”
“No, you’re not,” said Gabe. “And that’s a fact.”
But he didn’t seem concerned that Blaze was different, and maybe he didn’t care, not really, that Blaze was an ex-con, and in fact was innocent of the charges against him. But all ex-cons said that, didn’t they, and now was certainly not the time to convince Gabe otherwise.
“Come up here,” said Gabe.
“Light the lantern,” said Blaze as he stood up, his throat going tight for reasons he didn’t understand.
Certainly he could hardly say out loud,Light the lantern so I can see you bathed in gold.Gabe might laugh, and become distracted rather than doing what he was doing, shucking his briefs and jeans all the way so he could stand up and pull out the lantern. Pump the gauge. Pull out the nightstick and set the mantle alight with a flash of flame that settled into a soft yellow glow.
Blaze reached and pulled the chain to turn off the overhead light, and now the tent was how he wanted it. A cave hidden amongst the trees, a protection against the darkness, lit from within, a place that only he and Gabe knew.
Gabe stood before him, shirt rumpled, his pupils huge and dark, jawline limned with yellow light. He reached for Blaze and pulled him close.
Blaze went, thinking, and perhaps he’d thought this before, that if he’d known this had been waiting for him all this while, he’d have been better behaved. Left home as soon as he could, sought out the ranch, gone to Gabe and begged on his knees.
But Gabe didn’t make him beg or wait. He kissed Blaze, fingers in his hair, strength surging beneath the gentleness that swept Blaze’s breath from his body.
With his other hand, Gabe undid the snap and zipper on Blaze’s jeans, and cupped Blaze’s hard cock for a moment on the outside of his briefs. Then he slipped that hand, warm, strong-fingered, inside, and stroked Blaze, slowness growing to urgency. And just at the moment where he seemed he would go to his knees and take Blaze in his mouth, returning the favor, Blaze stopped him, slinging his arm around Gabe’s neck.
“Just like this,” he said, rasping in Gabe’s ear, a hard kiss to the line of Gabe’s jaw. “Fast as you can, sweet Jesus, please, please please.”
Gabe did exactly that, with hard strokes, meant to arouse, maybe even abuse, rather than to soothe or be tender. His grip was tight and at one point, he licked his own palm, a broad stroke of his tongue right in front of Blaze’s eyes, then, once slick, returned, stroking between Blaze’s thighs, tucked into his briefs, constrained, almost awkward in the most perfect way. Pulling with a twist of his wrist, trailing his fingers along Blaze’s length, a swirl of fingertips along the top of Blaze’s cock.
And always fast, fast the way Blaze wanted it, almost punishing, but never cruel. Pushing Blaze right to the edge and then, with the sweetest of taps at the base of his cock, he sent Blaze’s brain rocking to the back of his skull as he came in Gabe’s warm hand.
Trembling, Blaze slumped in Gabe’s arms. Gabe, who stood as still and solid as a rock, held him, and waited while Blaze’s breath slowed. And all the while, the lantern glowed, soft and bright and steady.
Chapter22
Gabe
Saturday had gotten off to a late start, though nothing had ever been more pleasant than to wake up with Blaze in his arms, the metal cot beneath them creaking as Gabe turned to look at Blaze and tuck that dark hair behind his ear.
Then Blaze’s green eyes had opened, that quirky flirty grin forming. Beardgrowth and morning stubble had accompanied their kisses, Blaze’s soft sighs as Gabe had scooted down and taken Blaze’s morning hardness into his mouth, a quick pleasure given that he didn’t want returned now. Later, yes, surely, later, and he could promise himself this while he tasted the bitter salt on his tongue, and kissed Blaze’s belly, and smiled at the panting breaths from the direction of the pillow.
Then came a horse’s whinny and the smell of fresh coffee in the air, and it was all go from that moment on. No time for words between them, promises or explanations or defenses, none of it. As they worked as a team, Gabe’s mind was spinning with what he was supposed to do with how he felt when his cellphone rang. He answered it, thinking it was the prison’s parole board, calling to remind him of their non-fraternization rule that he’d simply and quite blithely ignored.
