Clouds and Rain

dare bring it up, though, fearing Gable would retreat back into his shell again. He was going to have to coax it out of him in other ways.
    As Flynn was standing over the hot pots, his nose started tingling and running, so he blew it in a paper towel.
    “Getting a cold?” Gable asked, looking concerned.
    “Nah,” Flynn shrugged it away. “I‟ll be okay.” Gable smiled at him and Flynn knew that would make it all better, even though running around in wet clothes on a cold day was probably what had caused this.
    Dinner passed quickly and they didn‟t talk about anything important, simply exchanged ideas about the ranch and talked about the money they owed, and Flynn reveled in the openness and positive attitude he felt now. After the dishes were done, Flynn returned to the barn to make sure all the horses were comfortable for the night.
    On his way out, after he‟d turned off the light in the barn, he tripped over a bucket he didn‟t remember leaving there and instantly felt uncomfortable. Having an unknown benefactor fix a gate and a lean-to was one thing. It could easily have been one of their neighbors who knew about Gable‟s illness and decided to lend a hand. But finding 129

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    things out of place in the barn, so close to their golden mares and equally close to the house, didn‟t sit right with Flynn. For all he knew, this stranger had less than good intentions, and although no items had gone missing, Flynn wished there was a better way to secure the house and the animals. Then again, Gable‟s house didn‟t even have a key to lock the front door, so finding ways of locking up the barn was probably overkill.
    Flynn put the bucket where it belonged and closed the barn door before walking back to the house.
    “Anything wrong with the horses?” Gable asked from the daybed as Flynn entered the house.
    “No, they‟re fine. Why?”
    “You look worried.”
    Flynn sat down next to Gable and put a hand on his knee. “I hope nothing happens to them. Those foals are worth a lot of money.”
    “I‟m sure they‟ll be fine,” Gable replied, soothingly placing his arm around Flynn‟s shoulders.
    Flynn turned into the embrace and hesitantly kissed Gable. To his surprise, the kiss was not only returned, but instantly deepened. Flynn gladly let Gable take the lead. It felt like a natural progression from what they‟d done in the barn earlier, and Flynn had a hard time restraining himself from letting it go even further. After such a long time without feeling Gable‟s touch, Flynn‟s body was clamoring for more, and now Gable seemed to be picking that up. The heat was rising way too fast, so Flynn pulled back.
    “Easy, Gabe.”
    Gable hugged him closer. “Why don‟t we go upstairs? Or is it too soon for bed?”
    Flynn understood the double entendre, but decided to play it safe for now. “It‟s dark out, so I don‟t see why it‟s too soon.” Gable smiled and got up, taking a little longer than Flynn to make it to the stairs. Flynn waited for him, tidying the room some to not make it too obvious. Gable was getting quite adept at walking up the stairs with his crutches now, so it didn‟t take long.

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    The tension was still there, though, the same tension that was there every night they went to bed. It had eased some after the few times Gable had stopped Flynn from coming closer at night. They now each slept on their own side of the bed, rarely touching anymore, but Flynn hoped that was about to change again. He decided to flaunt it a bit, walking around the bedroom in only his boxer shorts as he put his clothes away. He didn‟t need to look at Gable to see that his lover‟s eyes were following him as Gable changed into the long-legged pajama bottoms he had taken to wearing after the operation.
    Since Gable didn‟t seem to have any plans of making overtures, Flynn had no other choice than to crawl into his side of the bed. He was almost shaking with anticipation, though.
    “Do you want to…?” Flynn asked hesitantly.
    “Yes,” Gable answered, so quickly and with such conviction that they launched themselves toward each other without much care for the power of their impact. Their kisses were passionate from the word go, open-mouthed and intense, and Flynn couldn‟t help his hands from wandering. When he cupped Gable‟s ass and pulled him closer, grinding their bodies together, Gable pulled away.
    “I‟m sorry. Got carried away,” Flynn apologized,