Earth and Sky

ever shown interest in girls before.

    Should he cut his losses?

    Grant dropped down on the bed. Lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, all he could think of was their two days and one night spent ravishing each other, and how Hunter had changed from being shy and insecure to being an amazing lover. Grant had even bottomed for him. Not since he’d started exploring sex with men had he offered his ass to a guy. It still ached, but it had been so worth it. It had reminded him of why Gable was such an eager bottom and why Hunter, even after fucking him until he’d screamed, had chosen to be on the receiving end all the other times they’d gone all the way. How could he give that up? How could he never again lust after Hunter?

    Even now, thinking about Hunter made Grant’s erection almost painfully hard. He unbuckled his belt and freed it from his jeans before hurriedly stroking it. It wasn’t enough. What he really wanted was Hunter’s hands on it. And maybe his mouth around it. Yeah, that would be great. For an inexperienced guy, Hunter gave pretty good blow jobs. What he lacked in finesse he more than made up for in eagerness.

    Grant rolled onto his stomach, rutting against the hand in his pants. Yeah, this felt good. It was a poor substitute for the tight, muscled frame he’d felt under his hands just twenty-four hours earlier, but it would have to do. Right then, the idea of giving Hunter up was something he couldn’t think about. He simply had to have him again. They’d find a way. They’d have to hide, but then he’d always hidden his true feelings. He was used to not having anyone to confide in. It would simply mean having one more secret to stay mum about. No big deal.

    Turning onto his back again, Grant gasped, exasperated. His orgasm was just out of reach. Was he thinking too much? Was he worrying? Damn. He let go of his cock and got up off the bed. Pulling down his damp jeans and boxer briefs, he took himself in hand again, this time getting on the bed on all fours. The memory of Hunter fucking him was a strong one, and he fisted himself frantically. Then it dawned on him that there was one thing missing. Leaning on his shoulders with his ass up in the air, he licked his fingers and brought them to his entrance. The muscle felt raw, but as he pushed his fingers against it, it felt so glorious his balls pulled tight. It wasn’t hard to imagine they were Hunter’s fingers or Hunter’s cock. He wanted it to be him, his man, his Cowboy. “Fuck, Hunter.” After circling the hole a few times, both fingers slipped inside, and he involuntarily bucked into his other hand, spraying thick white ribbons of come all over the bedspread.

    As he lay panting after his orgasm, Grant knew for sure. He wouldn’t be able to walk away from Hunter like he’d walked out on Gable and countless others. This was something more. And it scared the hell out of him.

Chapter 24

    The search for the cougar hadn’t yielded any results, and although there were clear breaks in the fence whenever a foal went missing, they didn’t look man-made, so the mystery remained unsolved.

    After a few weeks of no missing horses, the men started alternating the herds between the meadows and slowly bringing them back down closer to the homestead, where they’d spend the winter. It was easier to feed them extra hay there, and the valley was warmer, so there was less chance of their water supply freezing during the cold winter nights.

    The rain had held off as well, making it possible to harvest the hay for the winter, so everyone had been kept busy cutting the grass, letting it dry, and stacking it in the barns.

    Hunter and Grant had continued to keep their relationship a secret from everyone but Izzie, who’d been discreetly teasing them every chance she got. Hunter had been often tempted to tease her back about the secret liaison she was carrying on, but he hadn’t been able to figure out who her intended was, so he’d held his tongue.

    From time to time, Hunter and Grant had found the opportunity to sneak off the ranch, but most of their encounters had been conducted in deserted barns around the ranch, and occasionally in Gable’s hayloft when it was raining outside and they were sure that Bridget, Gable’s dog, wouldn’t be around to catch them. It was a less than perfect arrangement, but they made do, and it took the pressure off Hunter coming out to his family.

    Grant had been working in the woodshed all day,