“Okay,” he spoke against Henry’s skin. “Fuck, you smell good. Why do you smell so good? I get hard from just smelling ya.” He stuck out his tongue and licked slowly across Henry’s neck, humming when he tasted the saltiness of the skin. “I could just smell you for hours, lick you all over until I have you moaning beneath me, begging for more.”
“Fuck,” Henry gasped as he rubbed his hips against Colton’s hardening length. “Fuck, I want that. I would love for you to do that,” he groaned again. “And I would beg you to do exactly that.”
Colton chuckled against his skin, then rested his head against Henry’s shoulder. “I still don’t get it.” He spoke more to himself than to Henry, his voice taking on a hint of vulnerability.
“What?” Henry buried his nose in Colton’s thick hair.
“That you would want someone like me. I mean, look at you. You’re young, beautiful, you’re a fucking doctor. I’m a middle-aged Army reject with zero education and so much baggage that I’m still surprised they didn’t charge me extra on the flight from Washington. What could you possibly want with me?” Again, a tightness appeared below his ribs. As if something inside him was about to burst and spill over.
Henry carefully pushed Colton away from his shoulder and held his gaze insistently. Licking his bottom lip, he spoke in a firm, unambiguous voice.
“But that is not how I see you. Not at all. Don’t you know that you are so much more, Colton? If you could only see yourself the way that I do. Jesus, I may be younger, but don’t you think that it should be up to me whether I feel like you’re worth being with? I can make up my own mind about things like that.” He almost mumbled the last part before he continued. “And as for your so-called baggage. We all have that. You just haven’t seen mine yet. I’m probably just better at hiding it than you.”
“Yeah… I just don’t want you to feel that I’m leading you on or anything. Because that’s not what this is about. And I need you to tell me if I’m doing something wrong or if you want to stop or if…”
“Stop!” Henry laughed, cutting him off. “Let’s just go slow, okay? Take it one day at a time? It’s not like I’m asking you to get married and start a family with me right this minute. As I see it, the most important thing right now is to do something about this rather acute problem we’re facing,” he winked at Colton while pointing down at both their straining cocks. “First things first, right?” he licked his full bottom lip teasingly before dropping to his knees in front of Colton.
Even if Colton would’ve wanted to give Henry a serious reply, all that came out was aJesus Fuckfollowed by a deep groan when Henry buried his face in his groin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Henry
HENRY COULD STILLtaste Colton on his tongue and feel him at the back of his throat every time he swallowed. The tanginess of Colton’s release. The still vivid memory of Colton’s hard cock pulsing in his mouth while he was chasing his orgasm. The steady rhythm of Colton’s hips. How he’d tried to push Henry away before he came. Holding forcefully on to the back of Colton’s thick, muscular thighs until his mouth was flooded with the proof of his release. Colton’s voice ringing through the silent woods as he came with a loudfuck.
Henry loved giving head. He loved everything about it. He felt empowered even when the other man’s cock was lodged deep in the back of his mouth making it hard to breathe. He almost got high from the feeling of being used. Of being marked by someone else. By Colton. After Colton had fucked Henry’s mouth, he’d jacked Henry off while he was leaning up against a tree in the clearing. Afterwards, Henry had licked his own cum off Colton’s palm and calloused fingers, then pulled Colton towards him, dipping into his mouth. Fucking Colton’s mouth with his tongue and the taste of their combined release had been one of the most erotic moments of his life. Colton had laughed, almost like a teenager, when Henry had chased the final drops of cum from the corner of his mouth, moaning with neediness.
They’d walked back to his gran’s house together and halfway there Colton had reached for Henry’s hand and tangled their fingers securely together. As if it was the most natural thing in the world. Now, as Henry was sitting on the couch in the den, his thoughts kept drifting back to the conversation, they’d had. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself. He knew that Colton hadn’t made any promises of anything more than exploring the physical attraction between them. There was no guarantee that this, whatever it was between them, would progress into more than mutual getting-off sessions. But if he were to be completely honest with himself, he didn’t care. He was already in too deep. It wasn’t a matter ofifhe was going to fall for the other man. He was already falling. The possibility that he could end up getting hurt lingered in the back of his mind, but Henry decided to push it away for now. Let himself explore his attraction to Colton and see where it could go.
The strange connection he felt with the other man, was something entirely new. Even in college when he was together with Chad and they’d discussed a shared future, he’d never felt like this. And it wasn’t just that he was extremely attracted to Colton. He triggered something deep within Henry. A need to be there for him, to comfort him and protect him. He knew that it was irrational. Colton was an ex-soldier, much older than himself and obviously physically able to take care of himself.
No, it was something that went beyond anything physical. He sensed that Colton needed someone and if that someone could be him, he’d bet everything on it. Even if it meant he could potentially end up getting hurt. It didn’t even feel like a choice at this point. Just like when he was sixteen and kissing Steven on his parents’ couch on a Friday night. It had been inevitable. A deep craving. Even if Henry wanted to, he couldn’t switch it off now that it had been turned on inside him.
They’d decided to meet up in the diner on Sunday for breakfast, so Henry had the rest of the afternoon to himself. Even if they hadn’t talked about it earlier, he knew that Colton needed to get some professional help. The two incidents where he’d witnessed Colton break down had been enough for Henry to realize that the other man was deeply affected by the PTSD. Sure, Colton was coping in his everyday life, but it was obvious to Henry that he was still carrying a lot of hurt around. Henry’s gut feeling told him that even though Colton wouldn’t want him to meddle, it was unlikely that he’d freak out or withdraw.
Therefore, Henry was now searching online for the closest therapists specializing in PTSD and anxiety. As emotionally involved as he already was, he couldn’t just stand by and watch as Colton had another nightmare or panic attack, which would leave him devastated for days. After searching for a bit, he found out that there was a walk-in clinic in Chadron, where they dealt with different types of traumas, including PTSD. Since they were open on Saturdays, he decided to call them, making sure they would in fact be able to help Colton.
A cheerful receptionist named Kayla answered the phone. Henry briefly described Colton’s symptoms and military history without giving away any personal details. Kayla informed him that Dr. Timothy Webster, who specialized in PTSD and had experience from working with veterans, had just been added to their staff. The specialist was in the clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and you usually had to wait no more than two weeks to get an appointment. Not just wanting to spring this on Colton, Henry agreed with Kayla that he’d call back.
After the conversation, he felt an almost electric sensation in his body; anticipation but also concern. Even though he was unsure how Colton would react to him getting involved in his personal life ? it was very likely that he’d be upset ? Henry still felt better, now that he was actually doing something to help.
Fuck, who was he kidding? He was already emotionally involved. If Colton wanted to be with him, he needed to get use to the fact that Henry was a meddler when it came to the people he cared about. Deciding that he needed to kill off some of the excess energy, he did something he hadn’t done in ages. He went for a run.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Colton
HANK WINKED AThim knowingly when Colton came home Saturday afternoon. He was sweeping multi-colored fall leaves off the porch but stopped and rested against the broom as Colton came up the wooden porch steps.
“Have a good time?” Hank smirked while clearly holding back a laugh. His eyes were crinkling and full of trouble.
“Shut up,” Colton tried to bite back a smile but had difficulty containing his good mood. He was almost bursting with excitement thinking about what had occurred over the past twenty-four hours. When he thought about it, it was all one big blur in his head. But it was a good kind of blur. He looked up at his uncle again and burst out laughing. “Oh, you can just stop with that right now…”
“I ain’t saying nothing,” Hank pretended to look serious for a moment but then decided it was just too good of an opportunity to tease his nephew. “There’s still bacon and eggs on the stove if you haven’t already had your daily dose of protein,” he winked again.
“Aww, fuck you, man,” he pushed at Hank’s shoulder pretending to be offended. And then surprising himself, Colton continued, “Henry on the other hand, should probably lay off on the protein for the next couple of days.”
Hank looked at him stunned as if he weren’t expecting Colton’s bluntness, his cheeks reddening just a bit, and then he nodded and continued sweeping up the leaves murmuring something unintelligible to himself.
