The Stolen Suitor (22 page)

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Authors: Eli Easton

Tags: #gay romance

BOOK: The Stolen Suitor
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Meanwhile, Eric would be building his own ranch right next door. The thought about killed her. And when had she come to have such a crush on Eric Crassen anyway?

Janie stood in the feeding aisle, calling out, “Eric! Eric!”

“Janie, he’s not here,” Trix said, catching up. “Come on. Let’s go into the house.”

“Why not?” Janie asked, a frown on her little brow. “Eric’s always here.”

“Not anymore, Bug. Eric doesn’t work here anymore. Okay? Come on, let’s go get a snack.”

“Why not?” Janie insisted loudly. “Why doesn’t Eric work here? He always works here!”


Janie
.” Trix used a warning tone, but her daughter was already in a state.

“You made Eric leave!”

Trix closed her eyes and counted to ten. The full weight of what had happened hit her. Eric had wormed his way into their lives and her little girl’s heart. Of course Janie liked Eric. He must remind her of her daddy in so many ways—his smell, his silhouette, his touch…. And he’d gotten to Billy too. Billy might be able to forget John and replace him with Eric. Janie too, she was so young. But not Trix. Trix would never dishonor John’s memory in that way. No one could replace John.

“I want Eric!” Janie shrieked loudly, on the edge of a major tantrum.

Trix snapped. She opened her eyes and grabbed Janie by the upper arms. “Eric is not your daddy! Your daddy was your daddy, and it’s wrong to forget him so soon. It’s
wrong
, do you hear me?”

Janie’s face went slack and shocked at her mother’s words. Then she yanked free and ran out of the stable.

Chapter Eighteen

 

 

JEREMY
was soaring through the air on golden wings. The landscape below was pure Montana on a summer day, the breezes playing with his hair and rushing by his body. He felt awesome, like it was the best moment ever. Just him and the sky and the breeze and nature and—

Oh, look, a pterodactyl.

No. No, this wasn’t that kind of dream. The pterodactyl vanished. This was all perfection and safety and love, love, love and joy, joy, joy, joy, joy.

“Good Lord above, that’s a smile I’ve never seen before. Please tell me you’re thinkin’ about me.”

Jeremy opened his eyes and looked up at Chris. He was silhouetted against the afternoon sky, but Jeremy could still make out the bemused expression on his face. It was a Friday morning, and he’d texted Chris that he was going to their usual fishing spot. He hadn’t expected him so soon, though.

Chris plopped down next to Jeremy in the grass.

“You got away fast,” Jeremy said.

“Aw, my dad was working the front this morning. I was in his hair—or he was in mine. He told me to take the day off. Anyway, don’t change the subject. What has you smiling like that?”

Jeremy felt his grin double in size as he took a folded sheet of paper from inside his shirt, from next to his heart. It was inside a little baggie so it wouldn’t get all sweaty and gross. He opened the baggie and handed the folded page to Chris.

“What’s this?”

“It’s an e-mail from that professor, Robert Optner. I printed it out.”

Chris raised an eyebrow.
That good, huh?
He unfolded the paper.

“Read it out loud!” Jeremy urged, almost giggling. He sat up and folded his legs under him, too excited to be still.

“Dear Jeremy. I was sent your manuscript by a former student of mine, Chris Ramsey. To be honest, I only planned to read the first chapter, but I found myself engaged and carried on to the end of what I had. First question: Where is chapter seventeen? You can imagine my distress when I turned the last page and there was no more.

“As a writer myself, and a teacher of writing, I firmly believe in the need for endless practice, and learning, and understanding the elements of craft. But I also believe there’s such a thing as native talent. You have that.

“If you decide you’re interested in attending the University of Denver, I would be pleased to have you as a student. Of course, the normal entry requirements would apply, but if you send in your application, please let me know. I’d be happy to add a letter of recommendation to the mix.

“All the best, Robert Optner”

Jeremy fidgeted as Chris read the words Jeremy had memorized by now. He was so filled with light, he couldn’t be still. He wanted to get up and dance. He wanted to clap his hands, beat his chest, throw back his head and do a Tarzan yell.

Instead, as soon as Chris finished reading, Jeremy tackled him and kissed him hard. When he finally let Chris up for air, they were both laughing.

“Oh my God, Jeremy. I can’t believe it! That’s amazing.”

“It’s so amazing!” Jeremy echoed.

“Having a recommendation from Optner will mean a lot. Unless your high-school grades really suck.”

“No, they’re good.” Jeremy had gotten almost perfect grades in high school. It wasn’t that hard when he had nothing else to do.

“I didn’t think they would be. You’re way too smart for your own good.” Chris tugged on a lock of Jeremy’s hair.

“He liked it!” Jeremy said, still unable to believe it. “And I looked him up. He has five novels published.
Five
, Chris! And they got good reviews too. He’s a real writer and he likes my book!”

“Of course he does. It’s good, Jeremy.”

“But still… I don’t know how I can afford to go off to Denver. I only have five grand saved from Nora’s. I pay part of the rent each month for Ma, and groceries—”

“Listen,” Chris said firmly, grabbing Jeremy’s hands. He got very still and serious. “This is a chance you need to take. You can apply for financial aid and a campus job. DU has a great aid program, and you might get a scholarship with Optner’s input. It’s not insurmountable. I’ll help you.” Chris’s words were sure, but his smile slowly faded.

“What’s wrong?” Jeremy asked.

“Nothing. This is amazing. I, um, have some news for you too.”

“What?”

Chris rubbed his thumbs over the backs of Jeremy’s hands. “I… broke up with Trix. That is, I’ve hardly even seen her lately, but she came into the Merc day before yesterday and she was all upset.” Chris paused, studying Jeremy’s face. “Did you know Eric is Billy Stubben’s son?”

Jeremy’s joy faded. He pulled his hands away from Chris, needing a little distance. “Yeah. Ma just told me and Eric. I can hardly believe it.”

“It must be weird.”

“Very weird. I didn’t even know Ma had once dated Billy Stubben. And then to hear Eric’s only my
half
-brother…. And Eric, he’s taking it hard. He’s pretty angry at Ma.”

Chris nodded. “Billy told Trix. Seems he wants to give half the ranch to Eric. Trix isn’t happy about it. She came into the Merc and wanted me to fly off to Vegas—and get married.”

“What?” The ground tilted beneath Jeremy’s feet. Maybe it was because he’d been riding so high earlier, but it felt like his wings were just shot clean off.

“It’s okay.” Chris pulled one of Jeremy’s hands back into his. “I told her I couldn’t. And I told her I never would, that we needed to just be friends. It’s over between her and me. The dating anyway.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Chris smiled sadly and tucked a long strand of Jeremy’s hair behind his ears. “Truth is, I’ve fallen for someone else.”

Jeremy’s wings were back and they were fucking
huge.
Could this day
get
any freaking better? He hadn’t realized how much it had hurt knowing that Chris was still seeing Trix, that some part of him still planned to be with her eventually, that he, Jeremy, wasn’t enough.

“I am going to suck your brains out,” Jeremy said with great intent.

Chris laughed as he was tackled to the grass.

Jeremy shoved up his shirt and began kissing his belly.

“Sure you wouldn’t rather go fishing?” Chris teased breathlessly.

“Uh-uh. You’ve been a very, very good boy and you deserve a reward.”

“Oh yes. Yes, I do,” Chris agreed, as Jeremy flicked open his button flies. “You know it’s midmorning. Anyone could show up to fish.”

“You’d better keep an eye out, then,” Jeremy advised. No way was he stopping, not when Chris was already plump and hard under his boxer briefs. Dear God, Jeremy was King of the World.

“Jeremy….” Chris was begging already. Good.

Jeremy pulled down the elastic of Chris’s waistband enough to reveal the sweetheart head of his erection. It looked like a heart almost, the way the scar at his frenulum tugged the swollen head down. Jeremy had never wanted anything so badly as he did Chris—this part of Chris and all of Chris put together.

He tugged the elastic down to Chris’s balls and licked up the shaft.

“Yeah,” Chris whispered.

Jeremy sucked him inside.

I love you,
he tried to say with his mouth.
Love you, Chris
. He wasn’t brave enough to say the words out loud, but he could say them with his body. He could make love to Chris with everything that he had.

Jeremy stopped long enough to pull Chris’s jeans and briefs down to his calves and settle himself between Chris’s legs for the long haul. He looked up at Chris as he worked.

Chris braced himself on one elbow and wove the other hand through Jeremy’s hair, wrapping it around his fingers. “I love your hair. I love your eyes. You’re so beautiful.”

Jeremy thought that was probably the blowjob talking, but it made him happy anyway. He closed his eyes and showed Chris how he felt about that.

For once it was Chris moaning and gasping and saying
that’s it
, and
yeah
, and
oh God
, and
oh fuck, yeah
. And Jeremy wasn’t even worried about bears. A bear circus parade could pass down the river with trumpets blaring, and he wouldn’t care.

The sounds Chris made were so hot, though, Jeremy couldn’t help but slip a hand down his own pants and tug himself. And when Chris pulsed against his tongue, Jeremy whimpered and came in his underwear, coasting on waves of pleasure that filled him up, body and soul.

God
, it was a perfect day. Why couldn’t
Groundhog Day
happen on a day like this?

Chris pulled Jeremy up onto the grass beside him and reassembled his clothes. He lay down next to Jeremy and smiled.

Jeremy sighed, his hand still down his pants.

“You came in your pants?” Chris smirked.

“Yup.” Jeremy felt no shame. None.

“You gonna keep your hand down there all day?”

“Yup.”

“You afraid your dick’s going somewhere?”

Jeremy chuckled. “It probably would if it could, just crawl right off me and attach itself to you permanently.”

Chris laughed and kissed Jeremy. “That would be convenient. Too bad it doesn’t work like that.” His face grew serious as he looked down into Jeremy’s eyes. “I’m so happy for you.” There was a touch of sadness in his voice too.

And it struck Jeremy that if he were to do this, if he applied to DU and got in, it would mean leaving Chris behind. And suddenly that dream—that dream that had been just in front of him for the first time in his life, so close he could reach out and touch it—didn’t seem so close after all.

“Hey,” Chris said, with cheer that rang a little false. “I want to take you out on a real date, Jeremy Crassen. How about it?”

“When?”

“When can you get a free night?”

Jeremy thought about it. “It’s too late this weekend, but I could ask Nora if I can get next Friday night off. She’s always telling me to just ask if I need to, and I never have.”

“Okay, then, next Friday night. Where do you want to go?”

Jeremy thought about it. He knew what he wanted, but was afraid to ask. To give himself time, he got up and went over to the river to wash off his hand.
Gross
. His underwear was sticky. So classy. “Does it have to be out of town?” he asked casually over his shoulder. He looked back and Chris was watching him, a strange expression on his face almost like guilt.

“No, it doesn’t have to be out of town. I’m more than happy to be seen with you in Clyde’s Corner.”

Did he mean as a friend? “Yeah, but….”

“On a
date
. Yes, Jeremy. I’d be happy to be seen with you on a date. In Clyde’s Corner.”

Jeremy knew Chris wasn’t really “out” in town, not in the “everybody knows” kind of way. But he was willing to be seen with Jeremy and draw that line in the sand. Jeremy turned back to the river and washed his hands again, rubbing them in the cold water.

How many times had he imagined it? Walking down Main Street hand in hand with a good-looking guy. A minor revenge fantasy he was not at all ashamed of.
Screw you, I’m gay, and look at this beautiful man who wants me.
Me,
Jeremy Crassen.

“Are you sure?” Jeremy asked, going back to sit in the grass by Chris.

Chris was half lying down, propped up on one elbow. He looked so young just then, his crop of dark bangs sticking straight up.

Jeremy couldn’t stop smiling.

“Yes. I’d like to be out—with you. If you want, that is. It’s fine if you don’t.”

Are you fucking kidding me? I want to tattoo your name on my forehead
,
Jeremy thought
.
What he said was: “Nora’s serves a good chicken-fried steak on Friday nights.”

Chris laughed.

 

 

WHEN
Jeremy got up on Saturday morning, Eric was sitting at the breakfast table in a dirty white tank top, looking morose and hungover.

Uh-oh
, a voice inside Jeremy’s head supplied, rather unhelpfully. This was a familiar picture of Eric, but one Jeremy hadn’t seen for a while.

“What’s up?” Jeremy asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot. “Where’s Ma?”

“Workin’. Said she was doin’ somethin’
blah blah
about the garage at Billy’s place.”

Jeremy snorted. “Real engaged in that conversation, were you?”

“Shut up.”

Jeremy took a few lovingly savored sips of coffee before trying again. “We don’t have riding lessons today. You workin’ at Big Basin?”

“Fired,” Eric said in a deeply Eeyore fashion. His head hung back lazily and his eyes were closed, but his face was tense.

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