Texas #4_Texas Christmas (16 page)

“I don’t want to leave you,” Marcus said firmly. “Let me just help you get settled in bed.” He held up his hands. “I won’t try anything, I promise.”

Liam huffed a small laugh and Marcus was never more pleased to see the ghost of a smile on Liam’s face.

He stayed long enough to help Liam into bed, dosed up with some painkillers. Then he remained a little longer to make sure Liam would fall asleep, and he promised he would lock the door on the way out. But when Liam wouldn’t let go of him, he stayed to cradle the other man while Liam cried in his arms.

 When the light through the open drapes fell onto his face, Marcus woke with a headache. Liam was awake and staring over at him from the other side of the bed. He looked wary.

“You stayed,” he whispered.

“I did.”

“I said you should go.” The words weren’t accusation as much as confusion.

“I wanted to stay and help you when you were sad,” Marcus offered gently. “You’re kind of stuck with me now.”

“You really want me in your life? Despite how young I am?” He leaned in slightly, and they kissed gently.

  Marcus smiled. “You’ll always be younger; I’ll always be shorter. Whatever, we’ll work everything out.”

Grief was carved into Liam’s expression. “I thought I was doing okay,” he said. “What if I can’t get out of this again? I had to try so hard before.” So much remained unspoken, but Marcus thought he could understand what Liam was trying to say. Grasping Liam’s hand, he smiled encouragingly.

“Yeah, but this time you have me.”

It really was as simple as that.

Jack slumped down off the bale of hay and stared at Robbie as he finished brushing Solo. He coughed to get Robbie’s attention. Finally Robbie looked up.

“What’s up?” he asked without expanding on the question.

Jack blurted out the question, “What do you buy the man who has the money to get anything he wants to?”

Robbie frowned. “What?”

“Riley. For Christmas. What the hell do you buy someone who can go out and buy a new Ferrari if he happens to feel like it?”

“Jack, it’s still November,” Robbie said patiently with a teasing smile on his face.

“I’ve been thinking about it since September at least. Hell, probably since last Christmas.”

Robbie stopped what he was doing and leaned on the stall side. “A watch.”

“He has about ten of them.”

“A chain?”

“He doesn’t wear chains.”

“A new phone?”

“Get real.”

“I don’t know, then.”

“What are you buying Eli?”

Robbie snorted. “Did I not mention it’s only November?”

“I thought about a vacation. Just the two of us somewhere. But how do I beat the freaking Caribbean island we went to for our honeymoon?”

“You don’t,” Robbie said. “You can't,” he added.

Jack groaned. He knew he’d never be able to top some of the things Riley had done for him. “I know.” He was resigned to at least four more weeks of attempting to think of the right gift, then at the last minute going to the nearest store and buying something crap. He sighed.

“Jeez, Jack, I just meant that you need to do something that he won’t expect, like installing a bed in your barn.” Robbie laughed again and Jack felt instantly that way too many people knew about his and Riley’s barn.

“We can’t,” he said immediately. “Too many leaks and no working door.”

Robbie shook his head. “So that is your answer.”

He collected up the brushes he’d been using and left the stall. For a minute Jack tried to make sense of what his friend had just said. Then suddenly it all made sense, and he knew exactly what he was going to do.

Fix the barn.

In minutes he was on the phone to the local hardware store and had ordered in a delivery with enough wood to build a new house and insulation, nails, and you name it, he ordered it. Finally he had something meaningful to give Riley, and it would likely end in mind-blowing orgasms for them both.

“Win, win,” he muttered.

“Sorry?”

Jack looked up at the sound of Liam’s voice. The young man looked tired but there was something in his demeanor that spoke of determination. Only a few days had passed since the attack, and Jack had noticed Marcus was more or less a permanent fixture in the small apartment over their heads.

“Nothing,” Jack said with a welcoming smile. “Was talking to myself.”

“First sign of old age,” Liam teased. Then he must have realized what he said to his boss and he colored. Jack decided to cut the awkwardness off at the pass.

“Don’t I know it,” he said. “So how you doing, Liam?”

Liam nodded. “Okay. Enough so I’m able to sleep. Sometimes I get all this shit jumbled up in my head, but it helps having Marcus there. That was why I wanted to come find you actually.” He straightened as he said this and hooked his thumbs in his belt loops at the same time. “Marcus said I should talk to someone about what happened, and I want to know if it’s okay for me to take some time off on a regular basis, to see a shrink.”

Jack’s chest tightened. Of course it was okay, but he had the instinct that Liam needed more than this from him. “How often would this be?” he asked carefully.

“I don’t know. Guy said I should book ten.”

Jack nodded. “Ranch will cover it on health benefits,” he said.

“Marcus said—”

“We have it covered. You’re a good worker, and I want to see you go far with the Double D. It’s an investment in your future.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “Really?” he asked, then just as quickly he realized what he said. Jack guessed Liam would have thought he’d kick up a fuss. “Thank you.” He turned to leave.

“Liam?”

Liam turned. “Yeah?”

Jack used his firm voice. “Just be sure to make the time up, okay?”

“I will. I’ll sort it out with Robbie.”

Jack leaned back against Solo’s stall and smiled to himself after Liam left. He felt like the biggest,
baddest
, and best boss in the entire world at this very moment.

“Looking pretty smug there, cowboy,” Riley commented from beside him.

Jack reached out and pulled Riley in for a heated kiss. Riley was right, he was feeling smug. He’d organized the best present ever for his husband and dealt with Liam in a way that made the guy leave feeling respected and wanted. “Yeah,” he said. “I rock.”

Riley chuckled and pressed Jack against the wood. He was hard and evidently had searched out Jack for a reason.

“Barn?” Jack asked.

“Barn.”

They walked with purpose, and as soon as they entered the dim light of their place, Jack was loosening his belt. This wasn’t about long and slow—he needed Riley inside him and he needed it now.

“Slow down,” Riley ordered when Jack has had his pants and shorts down to his knees.

“
Nuh
uh,” Jack murmured. “Come on, Riley, I need to leave to pick up Hayley in thirty. You need to get with the plan.”

Riley evidently didn’t need to be told twice. He manhandled Jack to the crumbling wall and grabbed the supplies they had there. Quickly and efficiently he had lube on his fingers and those fingers searching out Jack’s hole. He pressed one inside, and Jack felt himself tense quickly before allowing himself to relax. Riley was so damn good at this, whispering all kinds of promises in his ear even as he stretched Jack to get him ready.

“I fucking love you,” Riley punctuated each word with a kiss and a bite to the sensitive area at the nape of Jack’s neck. Jack muttered something back, but the sudden soft touch of Riley’s fingers deep inside him had him moaning nothing but nonsensical pleading.

“Deeper,” he demanded. “More.”

“You want me to fuck you just with my fingers?” Riley smirked. “You sure?”

“Nah,” Jack groaned. “Stop…with…” He couldn’t form the words as Riley twisted his searching fingers and lightly tapped inside Jack. “
Gah
” was as coherent as he could manage. He was twisted in material, trapped up against the wall, and if Riley wasn’t careful he was going to be painting the inside of this damn barn before Riley was inside.

“All tied up again,” Riley said with a chuckle. “Right where I want you.” He removed his hands, and Jack whimpered at the loss and prayed to any God he could think of that Riley would get with the plan already. When Riley pushed inside, the blunt head of his cock stretching Jack wide, it was like coming home. Balls deep, Riley pressed and held and Jack couldn’t move. He tried to push back but the way he was standing, legs near together with Riley holding his weight, he could do nothing except take what he was being given. He couldn’t even grip his cock when Riley moved him so he couldn’t reach. If he was coming it was on the end of Riley’s cock and nothing else.

Riley moved a hand and tightened his hold on Jack. “I love you,” he groaned. Jack’s orgasm came from nowhere, one minute he was close, the next he lost control, his spend marking the wood and Riley losing it and coming deep inside Jack. They stood in a shuddering embrace until finally Riley pulled away and cleaned up Jack as best he could with the wipes they kept there. He helped Jack to pull up his pants and they kissed.

“I am the best boss in the world,” Jack said.

“You are,” Riley agreed with a smile of love and affection, his brown eyes searching for more to that statement in Jack’s expression.

“And I’m the best husband,” Jack added.

Riley hugged him close. “Yep. You are.” Then he tightened his hug. “After me, of course.”

“Asshole,” Jack said without heat.

“Your asshole,” Riley replied.

Which had them sliding down to sit next to each other with uncontrollable laughter.

The barn wasn’t always about sex. Sometimes it was just about love.

* * * * *

Liam ended the call and sat down on the bed. He’d not long gotten off the phone to the shrink organizing a block of appointments when it rang with the cops calling him.

He heard the familiar sound of Marcus’s car and crossed to the window to watch his boyfriend, lover, whatever, arrive. Marcus looked sharp in another one of his suits, and he was talking to Robbie for way too long. Liam had things to tell him and he wanted to tell him now.

Yuri’s attack had left him shaky with way too many memories breaking out of the boxes he had pushed them into. The last time he’d talked to a shrink she talked about self-respect and being able to love himself. She told him he deserved nothing but a place in this world where he felt safe and respected. Jack told him he was a good worker, and from the part about a career it seemed like Liam had earned a life here on the D.

What would the new shrink say? Another woman, Dr. Harding was recommended for dealing with all kinds of fucked-up shit. Sometimes Liam could see Yuri was just another part of what had happened in Laredo, other times he separated the incidents and he was overwhelmed. He touched a hand to his throat at the thin ridge of scabbing skin that for some reason wasn’t healing quickly. This new woman would listen to all the crap he had to say and just getting it all out was going to be good. He knew that, but he was damned scared.

He crossed to the door to open it for Marcus and drank in the sight of the man he loved. He knew it to the core of him. Marcus was everything he needed, and he wanted to be whole for him.

“You okay?” Marcus asked with a grin as Liam dragged him in and shut the door.

“No talking,” Liam ordered. “Just kissing.”

Marcus didn’t argue, and the kissing got them both hot to the point that they were lying on the bed with Liam cradling Marcus in his arms. Hard against each other, they rocked in a stead rhythm and kissed until they had to break to breathe. Absolute need shot through Liam and he wished he knew how to tell Marcus what he wanted. That Marcus had to be the one to take things a step further. He wasn’t a victim, he wasn’t wounded in his heart, and he needed Marcus.

They came together just from frotting and kissing and lay quietly in each other’s arms.

“You okay?” Marcus asked again. He sounded way more serious this time.

Liam paused before answering, but then he knew exactly what he should say. “I will be.”

~December~

Robbie’s eyes widened when he looked into the small larder area.

“Exactly how much beer did you buy?” Robbie asked with so much incredulity in his voice that Eli winced.

“Enough,” he answered cautiously. “And Jack had some leftover from Thanksgiving that he brought over this afternoon.”

“Eli. I’m counting at least sixty bottles. How many people did you invite?”

“Not as many as I
could
have invited.” Eli came up behind Robbie and cuddled him with his hands crossed over Robbie’s hard, toned stomach. They’d just had a frantic rutting-frotting-losing-it session in the bedroom with only thirty minutes until the first guests were due to arrive, and Eli still felt like he was riding the buzz of orgasm. Unlike Robbie, who appeared to more concerned with beer supplies in the big walk-in larder.

“I like our house, Eli,” Robbie turned to pull Eli into a hug. “I just don’t think it’s big enough to hold more than twenty people at one time. How many of your friends did you ask over?”

Eli felt a twinge of guilt. Robbie didn’t have a lot of friends around here, but Eli had lived in and around Dallas for a long while.

“
Allofthem
,” Eli mumbled against Robbie’s chest. Somehow he hoped the mumble sounded like something other than what it was.

Robbie huffed a laugh. “All of them? Your models, as well, and their partners?” He squeezed Eli and released him, and Eli was kind of pleased his lover was grinning. “I hope they brought jackets, it’s cold out.”

“I’m just so proud of this place and you, and I wanted to show it all off.” Eli tugged at the collar of Robbie’s sapphire-colored shirt that made his dark blue eyes seem bluer, deeper, more thoughtful. “I love you.”

Robbie cradled Eli’s face and kissed him firmly. Eli couldn’t help himself; he melted into Robbie’s kiss with a satisfied smile.

“Hi, guys, can I come in?” Liam’s voice came from the front door.