
An Ellora's Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
Smooth Ride
ISBN # 1-4199-0880-4
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
mooth Ride Copyright© 2006 Cash Cole
Edited by Nicholas Conrad.
Cover art by Syneca.
Electronic book Publication: December 2006
This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors' imagination and used fictitiously.
Content Advisory:
S -- ENSUOUS
E -- ROTIC
X - TREME
Ellora's Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).
The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. This story has been rated E--rotic.
S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.
E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overall word count. E-rated titles might contain material that some readers find objectionable---in other words, almost anything goes, sexually. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry in terms of both sexual language and descriptiveness in these works of literature.
X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Stories designated with the letter X tend to contain difficult or controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.
Smooth Ride
Cash Cole
Trademarks Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:
A.1.: Nabisco Brands Company
Beavis and Butt-head: Viacom International Inc.
Heinz 57: H.J. Heinz Company Corporation
Steak and Ale: S&A Restaurant Corp.
"It is the horse's gift to connect us with Heaven and our own footsteps." ~Ronni Sweet
Leo Castle's Native American instincts told him the slender-hipped jockey stood in the shadows, watching as Smooth Ride took his last lap around the arena---his first time out in nine months. The horse's nostrils flared, eyes darting, almost as if he knew that his former rider was in the building---could sense him, just as Leo could. Dane Robinson had been a damned fine jockey before the fall they'd taken the previous spring, but his presence today could be catastrophic to Leo's plans. The man stood out, even when silent, and the last thing Leo needed was for the horse's owner, Chris Malloy, to fly into a rage.
The chill December air inside the building, which normally housed rodeo events, was crisp with promise. A fitting atmosphere for a reunion rich with revealed secrets and realized hopes. Not now, though. Stay out of sight. Leo willed Dane to stay hidden until Malloy climbed into his truck outside and headed back for his hotel room. Don't let him see you!
Whatever had possessed the banged-up jockey to seek out the horse now could destroy them all if Dane came into Malloy's view. Nine months after the accident, Malloy still swelled with anger at the mere mention of Dane's name. He blamed the jockey for the horse's mishap during the last race. Never mind that Number Five had plowed into them, knocking both horse and rider into the quarter pole, mere seconds before the race was over. Leo knew that Malloy already had a lot of money invested in Smooth Ride. Given his previous gambling debts, he had probably placed even more on a bet that his horse would take the purse that day. Dane's presence would only serve to fuel the owner's already irrational fury.
Leo's normally steady pulse quickened when he caught sight of Dane's walking stick as the lights overhead flashed against the metal handle. Hardheaded white boy. He needed a wooden cane, something that would help ground him, but Choctaw practices meant nothing to those on the outside, and he and Dane had never been close enough for him to suggest such a thing to a non-Native.
Leo pulled his black felt hat further down his forehead, shielding his eyes from Malloy. Then he held out his right arm, hoping the jockey would recall the hand signals they'd used during both training and racing. Horse, trainer and jockey had relied on a silent system of communication that had bonded them during the months they worked together, and the almost imperceptible flick of a wrist or closing of a hand had more of a schoolboys' secret handshake than anything else, but it had saved them countless problems. Now Leo's signal flashed Do Not Approach.
He watched from his peripheral vision to see if Dane had noticed and grinned when the cane drew back, blending into the shadows. Noticing that Malloy was watching him suspiciously, he dropped his arm easily, as if he'd been flexing.
"Why can't he use that foreleg any better?" Malloy's voice was whiny. "His gait is off, and he looks like it's his first day."
"He's just out of sorts." Let Malloy think what he wanted, but Leo knew what was missing from their workout---Dane. Smooth Ride had been depressed for weeks once his leg started healing, and Leo was certain it was due to environment, nothing else. The animal wanted his friend, and Dane had been a willing visitor to the stables prior to their accident. It was only after Malloy had banned Dane that Smooth Ride began showing signs of aggression, alternating with periods of abject sorrow or irritability. He'd even shown a reluctance to engage in play with the goat who was his constant companion.
"He's had the most expensive diagnostic ultrasounds, the support bandages, confinement---even some of your Comanche mumbo jumbo that seems to work half the time. We've done everything by the book for him. He should be better by now."
Leo boiled with anger at the white man's derogatory inflection. Not that Malloy had a clue as to the phenomenal medicinal qualities of herbs or the healing power of touch. Better not to even bother responding to the insufferable bastard.
"Well, I'm going back to the motel. Call me if you see anything worth reporting." Malloy swore. "I've seen morning glories with more promise. Fuck it. It's time I sold him. He's never gonna race again, not like he used to, so I'm just throwing money after foolishness, wasting my time on him."
Leo kept calm, but inside his guts churned with anticipation. Good. That was just what the horse needed, a new owner---him! He couldn't wait to get home and tell Hannah...right after he lured Dane out of the dark and fucked his brains out. The thought of seeing the blond, whose eyes were almost the same shocking blue of the white horse's, fired up his desire. They hadn't so much as kissed, but he knew the smaller man was aware of the sexual tension that lay thick upon them each time they spoke.
The hand not holding Smooth Ride's halter slipped downward. Leo adjusted his balls and hardening cock as he thought of the jockey whose blue eyes had haunted him for nearly a year. Just stay put, you little shit. He was pleased Dane had found them, pissed that he'd stayed away so long.
Or had he? How long had he followed them? If he'd been around prior to that afternoon, why hadn't he approached, said something, phoned, anything to let Leo know he was okay?
Leo set his jaw. Not like he'd given Dane reason to keep in touch. Not like he'd made the moves on him that he'd wanted to make prior to Dane's accident. He grinned. Although...he did still have the package of condoms in his coat pocket. He'd carried three of them with him to the stables ever since, thinking it was a dumb gesture but allowing them to serve as a constant reminder of why he'd worked so hard the past few months.
A loud clap of thunder alerted him that an Oklahoma winter storm was about to break. Best to get the three-year-old home. Thank God Malloy had been smart enough to at least let Leo stable Smooth Ride in Lexington, where Leo could give him daily attention and not leave his care solely to the hay-shuckers and vets near the track.
\*
Dane shivered, the lightweight jacket he wore not affording him enough heat. Dumbass, he chided himself. You shouldn't have come. You've been following them for weeks, hoping to get a glimpse of both Smooth Ride and Leo, and now that you're here, you're only making matters worse.
He was hoping they could talk, that he could ask Leo for permission to at least visit the handsome cremello. The healing process had been a lonely one, with weeks confined to a hospital bed and then months staying with his sister out of state, always wondering about the horse and his trainer.
Now he was home, whatever that was. He hadn't had a home outside of racing for so many years that the thought of no place to go was unsettling. His place was with his friends, his horse, the track. Without them he was nothing. He had to convince Leo to help him find a job within their familiar circle, one that would allow him to at least feel useful and afford him the sights, sounds and smells to which he was accustomed.
Question was, how? Malloy wouldn't allow him on the ranch, so the only chances Dane had to see the horse were those he thieved when no one was watching. He could hardly walk up to Smooth Ride at the track once the season started. If Smooth Ride was even racing. Not knowing was hell. If the way Malloy had stormed out of the building was any indication, chances were slim to none the horse would ever experience the inside of Remington Park again.
He squinted in an effort to see inside the darkened hall between stalls and arena. He hadn't seen anyone but the Indian and the horse after Malloy left. Usually old Walt, Leo's assistant, was around. Maybe now he could venture forth since Leo had already seen him. But when he peered into the arena, all he saw was an empty, dimly lit cavern that reminded him of the hollowness in his own heart.
Backing away, heartsick that he'd missed them again, he felt strong fingers digging into his shoulders and spinning him around so fast that he dropped his cane.
Leo's dark eyes flashed, but despite the obvious anger there was something different as those brown orbs lowered their gaze from Dane's eyes to his lips. Dane felt his dick throbbing in response. Last time they'd seen each other, circumstances had been much darker. But winter had bled into spring and spring into summer, then fall. Now, days before the new winter solstice began, here they were again, this time alone instead of staring at one another over the foot of Dane's hospital bed with Chris Malloy bellowing at him.
"Leo." Dane's voice nearly deserted him. The sight of the taller man, whose thick, satiny black braid had fallen over one shoulder, was a shock to his system, breathtaking, robbing him of the ability to formulate an emotional defense.
Leo gave one brief nod, then grabbed the back of his head and dragged him close. Dane gripped the lapels of the other man's sheepherder's coat to keep from falling.
"Fucktard. Don't you know how to dial a phone? Let people know you're okay?" The Indian's angular face was stormy, unfathomable, his lips a grim yet sexy beacon. A punishing kiss ensued, leaving Dane weak, forcing him to plaster his hands against the rough-hewn wall behind him for balance.
When Leo lifted his face from Dane's, Dane opened his eyes, trying not to lose his composure. "I take it you're glad to see me."
"No, that's a pistol in my pocket. When the hell did you get back into town?"
"A month ago. I've been following you...and Smooth Ride." If only Leo knew just how much he'd wanted a moment like this.
"I never saw you."
Dane chuckled. "Some Indian you are." Keep it on the light side... Keep it flip and easy.
Leo's lips lifted into a smile, and he snorted softly. "So how's the leg?" He dropped his hands from Dane's shoulders and slid them over his arms and then hips. He tapped Dane's left thigh.
"Sore. Mending. Still scary." But I'd risk breaking it again for one night with you.
The Indian studied him, eyes narrowed as if he was suspicious. "You left without a word, without letting me know where you were going, whether you'd be back. I wondered if you'd even saddle up again after that spill."
Dane snorted. "Hell, even I wondered." He stared back, giving Leo measure for measure. "I didn't think you'd give a shit one way or the other what happened to me."
Leo's nostrils flared and his eyes widened...in surprise? Dane almost jumped at the intensity in them.
"You really are an asshole. If only you hadn't fallen."
"Yeah, well I did, and there's not much anyone can do about it now, is there?" Dane didn't mean to sound defensive, but his leg wasn't the only thing injured---his pride had taken an equal beating, and the leg seemed to be healing much quicker.
Leo's face lost some of its hardness. "You up for a little ride?"
Dane sucked in a deep breath and let it out in one huge puff. "Riiight. Like Malloy would allow that."
Leo peeled off his coat and tossed it to the ground. He had to be crazy, in this bone-chilling weather. He held up a small foil packet. His eyes held a mixture of teasing and torment. When he spoke, his voice was low, sexy, seductive. "There was something I always meant to do and never got around to it. Then you had your fall, then you disappeared, and..." He flipped the condom between his fingers like some card sharp toying with a silver half-dollar. "You gonna give me a hard time or a hard time?"
Holy shit! So Leo had felt the same way he had, all the way. Dane swallowed hard. "Malloy won't like it if he sees us together." Give in, dumbass! Work with him here.
Leo's hands drifted to Dane's belt and began undoing the buckle. "Malloy has nothing to do with this ride, pal." His stare practically nailed Dane to the wall. "There's nobody here but us---Walt took our horse back to the trailer. I imagine they're headed for Lexington about now."
Panic set in. Dane had dreamed of this moment for over two years, ever since he'd first seen Leo training a Morgan at Malloy's ranch. But here? In a public place? What if someone were to come in? What if... "And you just happened to have a rubber on you." Dane looked at him skeptically. After the next kiss, he didn't care if Leo had kept the damn condom since before they'd last met.
Leo's fingers threaded through Dane's hair. "I don't know what it is about you." Leo pulled him closer for another kiss, this one full of barely leashed passion and the promise of the fuck to end all fucks.
Dane drifted forward, sighing despite his resolve not to get too into the moment, to hold back a part of himself.
Leo broke the kiss and whirled him around. He yanked down the jockey's jeans and underwear, with a low growl. "You're not getting off that easy, jockey. Bend more for me---that's it. C'mon sweet cheeks, put me out of my misery." He handed him the packet. "Here. You take care of that, okay?"
Dane ripped the foil open with his teeth and pulled out the rubber then watched over one shoulder as Leo unzipped his own pants and pulled out his thick cock. He fingered Dane's ass, spreading him with one hand while tugging on his own cock with the other.
Leo's hands faltered at one point. "What the hell's that?"
"What?"
"On that underwear."
"Shit." Dane didn't know whether to laugh or explain. "Those are ponies, okay? Just get on with it, will you?" He thrust his hand behind his back for Leo to grab the exposed condom.
Dane took a deep breath and turned to face the wall. Well, this was totally unexpected! He'd hoped to talk to the trainer, had hoped to spend enough time just looking at his handsome face, hearing about Smooth Ride's progress. He'd even wondered how to open the conversation, how to steer Leo into an intimate situation. He'd had a good feeling Leo could feel the same way he did, but he sure hadn't considered the possibility that he would be the seduced rather than the seducer.
The first thrust made him gasp. God, the Indian was big! Jesus! Dane closed his eyes in agonized pleasure, his hands turning to fists against the wall as he instinctively bore down, forced himself to relax, then tensed again. Fuck, that felt good.
A deep groan behind him resonated, heightening his pleasure by letting him know he wasn't the only one revealing his needs. The bigger man leaned against him, his cock buried to the root. Dane felt the tip of it hitting his gland and pressing against it relentlessly.
Leo took a shuddering breath and pumped him with determination, filling Dane's ass with that magnificent cock, gripping his hips and riding him, fucking him quickly, hard. Driving him crazy with desire. Wordlessly, he slid in and out, his cock seeming to grow with each strike against Dane's sweet spot.
That's it, big boy, fuck me...harder. Give me all you've got. Dane didn't know when Leo's sudden impulsiveness had originated, but he hoped it continued, at least for a few more explosively wild moments. God, what a homecoming.
"Damn, you've got a tight ass, Dane. Perfect for fucking." The big man's thighs brushed against Dane's with a hot, hard heat as he ground into the jockey's ass with smooth, rhythmic thrusts. "I always knew you'd feel like this."
Months of loneliness, endless nights of dreaming about Leo fucking him, the aching need to reconnect to people and places that had eluded him---all the frozen dreams of the past winter shattered, and the ice around Dane's heart melted. He felt alive, a participant instead of a spectator.
"You feel good, man." Leo's voice was low, seductive.
"So do you."
Dane opened his eyes and hung his head, staring at the ground, almost doubled over, held firmly in place by Leo's broad hands and steady, unrelenting cock. He thumped the wall with each powerful thrust, fighting the urge to cry out his pleasure, willing himself to remain calm, to not lose control...not yet.
"You okay?"
Dane nodded. He was more than okay.
"Then stop beating the wall and start beating yourself." Leo's voice sounded desperate. "I can't hold out much longer---not this time. I want you to come!"
Not a problem. Dane rested his weight on one arm, sliding his free one toward his cock. His flesh felt hot, combustible, steel-hard, already threatening to explode. Don't stop! He begged silently for the Indian to hold out for just a few more seconds.
Leo's moans became louder, insistent, and he ground his cock into Dane unmercifully. "You gonna come or not?"
Dane nodded, panting, feeling the lift in his balls as fluid rose and readied for release. His head lolled backward and Leo kissed him just behind the ear, and the touch of his lover's tongue flicking onto his neck was the final boost he needed.
"Ahhh!" He shot a stream of cum against the wall, and as soon as he voiced his pleasure he felt Leo come, his body crushing Dane's as he pushed what seemed like every ounce of cum he could into Dane's ass.
Silence, like the calm following a storm. Neither seemed able to budge for several seconds. Leo's cock was still rigid, as was Dane's. For a second, Dane couldn't breathe. Rational thought deserted him.
Leo pulled out slowly, patting Dane's butt affectionately. "Pick up your cane and pull up your pants. You're coming home with me."
As Dane turned, doing as Leo suggested, he saw Leo putting on his coat and fishing a cell phone out of one of the pockets. "Who are you calling?" Part of him panicked at the thought that it might be Malloy, even though he knew better.
"Hannah, to tell her we'll have a visitor for awhile." He looked around the stable area and hallway. "You got any gear?"
Dane shook his head. "Just a few clothes at the motel."
Leo nodded. "You can give me directions once we're on the road." He patted Dane's flat stomach. "Check out of wherever you're staying, and we'll fatten you up at home. I have something to discuss with you."
Dane tried not to eavesdrop as Leo made the call. All he heard was an occasional chuckle after Leo said, "We're having company." Then the only part of the conversation he heard was "Dane" and "Hope so".
Once they were in Leo's old truck and headed for the acreage Leo had in Lexington, Dane asked the question that had been on his mind since the arena. "Who is Hannah?"
Leo stared straight ahead, his profile rigid, his voice calm. "My wife."
"Having a jealous wife means if you come home with a hair on your coat, you'd better have the horse to match." ~Ken Alstad
Dane blinked in surprise. "Stop the truck."
Silence from the driver.
"Stop the goddamn truck, Leo!"
"Settle down. It's not what you think." Leo's voice was maddeningly calm.
Bile rose in Dane's throat. "Not what I think? What else am I supposed to think?" He ran his hands over his scalp, fingers gripping his hair. If they weren't traveling at nearly sixty miles per hour on I-35, heading south toward Lexington, he'd have grabbed the door handle and jumped out, drizzling cold rain, bad leg, cane and all.
He gripped his cane, contemplating bashing Leo with it if it would get him to pull to the side of the goddamn road.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Leo's gaze shifted from the highway to Dane's tense fingers on the metal cane. "Didn't I teach you anything? You need wood, something from Mother Earth to ground you, not some piece of manmade metal that has no soul."
Dane snorted. Speaking of no soul... How the fuck could Leo do this to him? Just use him like that and then pick him up like some puppy at the pound to take home to his wife? To his wife. Dane rolled his eyes and gave a bitter chuckle. He hadn't been with a woman since he'd lost his virginity to Mark Miller in high school, and then later had a threesome with Mark and their friend Candy, the librarian's assistant.
"I'm not into women. Haven't been for nearly twenty years. Just thought that bit of news would be useful to you."
"You into horses?"
Dane nearly got whiplash when he jerked his attention from the road to the Indian. "What? Are you out of your goddamned mind?"
"Maybe."
Leo turned on the windshield wipers and Dane's heart sank. All this time, working up the courage to find Leo and Smooth Ride again, and all the Indian had in mind was fucking him then using him as a house pet for him and his wife?
Leo had said there was something to discuss. But how could the man do this not just to him, but to his own wife?
She had to have a screw loose somewhere. Leo was a big guy, quiet but dominating, unobtrusive yet at the same time filling whatever room he happened to be in. And that black hair and eyes to match... Sexy as hell. All Dane knew what that he sure as shit wouldn't share him if they were involved, so this Hannah was a few sandwiches short of a picnic if that's what Leo had planned.
Thunder crashed and lightning split the December sky, this time closer, which meant they were in for a downpour. Dane hoped Walt and the horse had made it home before the rain turned to sleet. He hoped Leo had adequate quarters for the horse. Knowing Leo, that probably wasn't a problem. Leo loved horses. He'd grown up on the reservation near Cheyenne and Arapaho country and had worked with horses since he was a kid.
One time when they'd sat down to dinner at Steak and Ale, Leo had joked as they poured separate sauces on their steaks that Dane might be a Heinz 57 white boy, but he was an A-1 Indian, even if it was a mix of Comanche, Cheyenne and Arapaho.
Right now, to Dane's thinking, Leo was just a grade-A, homogenized asshole.
\*
Leo had no intentions of explaining Hannah to Dane. At this point, Dane would think he was lying, anyway, since he already suspected him of being a straight man deceiving his wife. Leo needed time, not to formulate a good lie but to explain the truth. And Hannah would be happy to help him.
Hannah had long been well aware of his feelings for the jockey, and right now that was all that mattered. She wouldn't mind---hell, she was happy he'd found Dane again. After they'd broken up, she'd told him she suspected what he needed was a good affair with a man, not a woman. Tonight over the phone, she'd joked that she'd better sleep on the couch.
God knows I've talked about him often enough. Leo set his jaw as he made the turnoff toward the ranch. It had been his dream to reunite with Dane ever since he'd convinced himself that he could afford to buy Smooth Ride, once Malloy realized the cremello probably wouldn't run for him again.
But the horse would run for Leo...and Dane. Leo was willing to stake his ranch on it.
Malloy had indicated he was selling, and that was where Hannah came in. Leo hadn't seen her in over fifteen years. They'd married too young, but they'd remained long-distance friends. Then she'd dropped out of sight the past years, and he'd lost touch with her. Once she resurfaced, she had her veterinary degree and some money in the bank, and they discovered that their Mexican divorce wasn't legal in the States.
There was no sense in having her waste her money to reside in a motel while she looked for a place to live and waited for her lab equipment to arrive, so he'd welcomed her to stay with him. Yeah, they'd had sex occasionally, but that had been good, friendly fun---neither was interested in rekindling their marriage. They were comfortable with one another's sexual appetites, but they weren't dumb or disillusioned enough to think they'd ever make it as a couple.
He slid Dane a wary look. Explaining that to the jockey wouldn't be easy. Not that there had been time for it in between kisses back at the fairgrounds.
His old friend looked beat. Totally worn out from life. The twinkle in his eyes was missing, and his shoulders, while still square and solid, had a sad heaviness to them. His face lacked its usual brightness in the skin tone. Maybe Hannah could help. She was Native like him---she, too, believed that medicines only went so far, that the spirit needed healing before the body fell into line.
"Would you believe me if I told you that I have your best interests at heart?" Leo's voice was calm, despite his racing mind. How far do I go? When is the best time to tell him about my plans?
"Probably not."
"At least you're honest."
"Yep. Wish I could say the same for you, pal."
Leo snorted. "I've never lied to you---ever. Ask me anything you like, and you'll get an honest answer."
"Okay, try this one. When did you marry?"
"About fifteen years ago."
Dane stared out the window. "You said you were single last February when Ride and I crashed and burned."
"I thought I was single. Big difference."
Dane whirled to face him. "So you just woke up one day and found out you were married?"
"Something like that. Yeah."
"You're serious?"
Leo grinned. "More serious than those boxers you're wearing."
"My sister gave me those shorts, for your information." Dane's defensiveness was laced with a little humor. "For my birthday. I'd been so damned depressed, she thought they'd cheer me up."
"Well, they made me laugh."
\*
"I'll grab your duffle," Leo told him once he'd parked the truck in the driveway.
Dane studied the cabin and surrounding barns and stables as he climbed out of the truck and Leo hoisted his luggage over one shoulder. "Nice spread."
"Thanks. We like it."
That word...we. Dane could have done without the reminder that Leo was married.
With that one exception, Dane felt as if he had come home. The smells of boot leather and horseflesh, some kind of ash wood lacing the smoke that came out of a fireplace inside, the sight of open Dutch doors to the stables...
"I want to see him."
Leo nodded. "Hang on, and I'll take you." He set Dane's duffle on the front porch next to the front door then walked back toward him. "Here---take my arm, there's mud ahead and I don't fancy cleaning you up."
"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."
Leo pulled off his coat and wrapped it around the smaller man. "Whatever. Don't you own a damn coat? Something besides that jacket?"
Dane huddled into the coat, not wanting to accept help but cherishing the warmth and Leo's scent. "Not much call for a coat in southern California. Just haven't made the effort to get one since I've been back." Okay, this was a small lie. He'd had no money, for one thing. He could have gone to the Army Surplus, but since the accident it had taken every cent he had just to exist.
The horse whinnied before they made it to his stall.
Walt tipped his hat and grinned toothlessly. "Hey, stranger! Someone seems pretty glad to see you!" The elderly man stepped aside so Dane and Leo could enter the horse's quarters.
Smooth Ride tossed his head and continued to voice his excitement, pawing the ground and leaning forward to nuzzle Dane's neck.
Tears sprang to Dane's eyes and he forced them back. It had been so long.
The horse smelled wonderful. He sniffed at Dane's pockets, rooting gently but insistently.
"Here." Walt tossed Dane an apple. "Hannah's been feeding him her special applesauce, but now and then I let him sink his teeth into one of these."
"Hello, Beavis," Dane said softly, stroking the horse's neck.
Then he heard a bleating behind him and laughed. "And how's Butt-head?" he asked the goat.
God, it was good to see his old friends, to utter nonsensical endearments and not feel apologetic. Time melted, and it was as if they'd never been separated. He looked up to find Leo and Walt smiling indulgently.
There was no need for talk. Leo knew exactly how he felt. The Indian may have been the strong, silent type, but the touch and smell of a dear animal could turn him to mush almost as easily as it could Dane.
"Well, boys, I'm headed to the barn. Need to put some more kerosene in my lamp and stoke up the fire." Walt clapped Dane on the back. "It's good to see you again, son. Talk to you tomorrow."
Dane nodded, unable to speak until the old man was out of sight. "He still refuses to use electricity?"
"You know Walt. He's proud of the fact that he's lived so long without modern conveniences, although we did talk him into letting us install a shower."
Dane shook his head. "How can anybody live in this state without refrigeration in the summer and heat in the winter?"
"He takes his meals with us and only drinks water from the well or coffee brewed over a campfire. I think he just doesn't want to admit that he's not back in the 1920s when he was born." Leo walked up behind Dane and wrapped his arms about Dane's shoulders. "Give me a chance to explain all of this before you go off half-cocked?"
"You'd better talk fast."
"Why? Where you gonna go? There's a storm outside, and you're miles from the city."
"I've got a thumb, a middle finger and a cane. I'll manage."
Leo squeezed him and dropped a kiss on his neck. "What you need is an umbrella and a clue. Still a stubborn little shit, aren't you? I'm not offering you up as a sacrifice to my wife, and I don't intend to use you as my bitch. I'm offering you a job."
Dane's heart raced. "Keep talking."
"You can still ride."
Dane snorted. "I think we've established that I can be ridden---big difference there."
Leo stood back and flicked him on the back of an ear. "Are you listening? Stop feeling so damned sorry for yourself and pay attention. You have the opportunity of a lifetime, to get back into the game."
"I don't get it." Dane turned from the horse and faced him. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Leo leaned forward and kissed him, licking the inside of his mouth with his tongue. When he seemed satisfied that Dane was calm, he continued talking. "Dane, I know you're hurting, in more ways than one, but for the love of God, just keep an open mind and hear me out." He moved toward the stall door. "C'mon. Hannah's waiting, and unless my nose has failed me, smells like roast beef she's been cooking."
"You're insane."
"Probably. But you'll be just as crazy about this scheme as I am once you've heard it."
"What about your wife?"
Leo hesitated. "Hannah is part of the plan."
"Wouldn't it be awkward for her, if you and I..."
Leo laughed. "So the Ice King is thawing. You're admitting there's something between us? That you'd like me to fuck you again?"
Dane twisted out of his embrace. "Goddamnit, Leo."
"Look, Hannah isn't the jealous type. Maybe at one time, but not now, not since we haven't really been husband and wife for so long. Stop worrying so much."
"I still don't see her role in this."
"You want the long story or the abbreviated version?"
"Whichever one will convince me not to stick my cane up your ass and head for the highway."
"Abbreviated. Okay." Leo took a deep breath. "She's the one buying the horse---the sale will take place to Hannah's veterinary clinic. She can say she wants Smooth Ride as sire to a mare she has, which is the truth...for later. She doesn't have to say she also wants to race him. I---we---need her as front man."
Dane started to protest when Leo hushed him with another kiss. "Just trust me, Dane. I won't let either of you get hurt. Neither will Hannah."
"You've got to control yourself before you kin control your horse."~ Ken Alstad
Between bites of roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy and steamed carrots dotted with butter and brown sugar, Hannah filled Dane in on what Leo had left out.
Dane watched her with intense interest. She was everything he wasn't---female, dark and tall, a perfect complement to Leo's strength and physical build. He should be wildly jealous of her, but there didn't seem to be a deceptive bone in her body. She was open, forthright, enthusiastic and convincing. To top it all off, she was the first woman who'd even come close to turning him on in two decades.
He watched her lips as she talked, and when he realized what he was doing, it startled him so much that he damn near dropped his fork once he'd laid it down. She reached for it the same time he did, and nobody was more surprised than Dane when she grasped the fork and their hands connected. Her eyes widened and a smile played on the corners of her full lips. Dane looked up to find Leo grinning and obviously stifling a chuckle.
Hannah released the fork and continued. "So you see, with my money and Leo's, we can buy Smooth Ride. With your expertise in the saddle, we can get him back onto the track and into the Winner's Circle."
"I'm washed out," he told her sadly. "I know you two mean well, and you have a terrific plan, but it shouldn't include me. Ride needs a better jockey, someone able to work with him, not hold him back."
"You communicate better with him than anyone outside of me," Leo broke in. "And I can't ride him, not like you. We know that...and so do you."
"Then find someone who can. How about Jerry?"
Leo pounded the table. "The jockey who ran you into the quarter pole?"
"He's good, Leo. He'd treat the horse well, and he's a big purse winner."
"He should be shot!"
Leo rose from the table and Hannah rose with him, placing a hand on his arm. "Leo thinks it was deliberate, Dane," she explained.
"But Jerry lost the race as well. He loves horses! He might be competitive, but he'd never do anything that might deliberately hurt one of the animals---"
"You're wrong." Leo shook off Hannah's arm, sat back down and leaned forward. "He's been after your job for years. I've seen him with Malloy, overheard them talking. Malloy told him last year that he was satisfied with you, but if you ever fucked up, he'd think about hiring Jerry."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Doesn't it? Malloy's a gambler, and before he had a streak of bad luck last winter, he won a gelding from Bill Tate. I've seen the baby run---he's a contender. With you and Smooth Ride out of the way, Jerry's a shoo-in for riding him." He narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, the boss can employ both of you, but nobody likes competing against themselves. Hurting you made sense. It just sucks."
"You're not suggesting that Chris Malloy had anything to do with this!"
"No. He's smart, but he's not that avaricious. He just made some stupid bets he couldn't cover---that's why he's out to ruin you. He figures you ruined him. Easier to blame you than to take responsibility for his own foolishness." Leo sat back in his chair. "Jerry's kissing up to him like he's Malloy's ticket back into racing, the one who can help him clear his bets and get back on top. Neither of them will be counting on you to return."
"My legs are useless to me as a jockey, Leo. I can't grip the horse anymore. Maybe I should just...stay clear. Be your assistant trainer. I mean, Walt's hardly feeble, but he can't hold out much longer---"
"How do you know until you've tried?" Hannah reached across the table and placed her hands on top of his.
Dane felt a surge zip from ass to cock in one fluid race of his blood. What the hell? Was she fucking with him? Surely, she'd been aware of him staring at her lips, and if he was honest, he'd done more than play with the image of kissing her. He knew without a doubt that he was gay, yet here he was wondering what it would be like...just the one time...to make love to a woman again.
Hannah saved him the trouble of having to cover his now throbbing cock. She looked away and clucked her tongue at Leo. "You're still the same sorry-ass communicator you were when we were married, aren't you?"
Leo blinked. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Your friend here." She indicated Dane. "He thinks you brought him here for me to fuck, Leo."
Leo shrugged. "I never told him anything like that."
Hannah turned to face Dane. "Well? Did he?"
Dane's throat tightened. He wasn't sure if he was in the midst of a brewing argument or if she was leading up to something else entirely. "He didn't say."
"But you assumed." It wasn't a question.
Dane nodded. "I didn't give him time to explain. We'd just...well..." He felt himself flush. "We'd just had an...intense reunion, and---"
"And you phoned," Leo finished for him. "So when he asked who it was, I told him...my wife."
Hannah nodded. "I see. Assholes. The both of you." She started clearing the table.
Dane rose to help her and she threatened him with the fork he'd almost dropped. "The hell of it is," she said evenly, "I do want to sleep with you---with both of you, but I'm damned if I'll do it now."
Dane was shocked by her words. What had he done?
She let him know. "You came here anyway, thinking you would be served up like some prized lamb for me to suckle." Then she whirled to face Leo. "And you! You knew he was nervous, you knew I have a thing for blonds, and you still sat through dinner not setting him straight or even giving me a chance to work into this."
Leo threw up his hands in defeat. "What chance? To work into what?"
Hannah jerked away when he tried to block her from entering the kitchen. "I don't want to talk about it."
Leo looked at Dane and once again held up his hands in a defiant What the hell? motion. Dane shook his head and mouthed, "This is why I'm not into women!"
He closed his lips, knowing that he'd just issued a half-truth. He wasn't into women---just one, surprisingly enough. And he was about to rethink that if she didn't come clean with what the hell she wanted.
He left Leo standing in the dining area and carried his dishes to the sink, waiting for Hannah to look up. Her eyes were troubled. "Wanna talk about it?" He dipped his head, hoping she'd look him in the eye.
"It's just been a long, long time." Her voice was tired, and the composure she'd shown during the meal had fractured.
"You still love him?" Dane had with a sinking feeling she'd say yes.
"God, no---not like that!" For the first time since dinner, Hannah smiled. "I'm just horny, and you..." She gestured at his frame. "You are the complete and total opposite of Leo, and...I'd like..." She blushed. "I've said too much already."
"No." He placed a hand on her arm. "It's been a long time for me, too. Haven't---uh, hadn't been with a man in nearly a year, and it's been like twenty times that since I've been with a woman."
She seemed shocked. "You're considering this? Seriously?"
God help him, he nodded, not realizing until that very moment that his curiosity was strong, but the urge to feel something...anything besides the loneliness, the physical pain, the emptiness he'd felt for so long.
Leo knocked against the doorjamb. "Am I interrupting anything?"
\*
Leo was surprised that Hannah was able to get Dane on his back after dinner, that he'd allow a stranger---and a woman at that---to lay her hands on him, especially after their rocky beginning.
They'd finished clearing the table, all pitched in to clean the kitchen and do dishes, and then she'd led Dane to a rug in front of the fireplace and instructed him to let her examine him.
It hadn't been easy. Dane had protested at first when Hannah wanted him to remove his shirt, then his jeans.
"I'm sorry I got weird." She gave him a level but sheepish gaze.
"That's okay."
"No, it's not." She chewed her bottom lip for a second then squared her shoulders. "I haven't slept with two men since I was twenty years old, and the idea hadn't really occurred to me again until tonight. I just felt uncomfortable, because...well, you're obviously not attracted to women."
Dane shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Maybe."
"You telling me your sexuality is some kind of viral thing, comes and goes like some twenty-four-hour bug?" she teased.
"Hardly, but let's just assume for the time being that I've been bitten by a different kind of bug, and... I'm not so sure I'm immune."
Leo blinked and shook his head, not believing what he was hearing.
"Really?" Hannah's voice was that of a little girl, pleased to find approval.
Dane wet his lips. "Maybe I'm more bi than I thought. You know, I've been in a threesome before---it just soured me." He shrugged. "I'm not a woman hater." He smiled shyly and his voice dropped to a whisper that Leo could barely hear. "Just talk me through it."
"Yeah, like I'm such an expert," Hannah answered with a conspirator's whisper. "You can put a sheet over your body. This doesn't have to be about sex. I know your inclination, and it isn't toward me, and I know your leg is bothering you. But I think I can help you if you'll trust me."
Once the jockey acquiesced, she had him where she wanted him. Her hands traced the contours of his lower body, fingers trailing over his thighs, then his calves, pausing only when she found something that seemed to intrigue her. Her eyes widened during those moments, and she massaged his muscles. Occasionally, Dane would moan, and she'd apologize for touching a sensitive area. Then she'd proceed to massage his feet.
"This is so strange." Dane looked up at Leo. "It's like she knows just where the pain is, and then it's as if whatever she's doing to my toes and feet...well, it's just weird as hell."
"It's reflexology," Hannah explained with a smile.
"Oh, I thought it was some Comanche 'mumbo jumbo'," Dane responded with a chuckle, recalling Malloy's words at the arena.
Leo filled Hannah in on the joke. Then he offered to Dane, "Don't be surprised if we make an Indian out of you yet, white boy."
"You have much in common with our cremello friend out in the stables." Hannah's hands slid under the sheet, making Dane jump. "You both have nice, slender but strong legs. We just need to get them working at full capacity again."
Dane's erection was now tenting the sheet.
Leo watched as she worked her hands up further, slowly, eventually cupping Dane's balls and stroking his cock. "Neither of you are gelded, I'm assuming."
Dane gave an extremely nervous chuckle. "N-no." His almost helpless gaze flew to meet Leo's.
Leo smiled in response. He could tell the smaller man was shocked but not offended. "Tell me more about our friend here, Hannah." He walked to stand behind her so he could watch what she was doing.
"He's skittish, like our horse. He's wary, not quite afraid, but definitely not trusting me fully at this point. I think he just needs to get closer, to see that I don't intend to harm him." She pulled off Dane's boxers and tossed them aside. Then she lifted her long, crinkled skirt and moved, positioning herself between his legs, spreading them with her hands.
"How about his shanks?" Leo knelt to study Dane as if he were buying a horse. He removed his shirt, exposing his chest to Dane's view.
Hannah's hands drifted over the outside of Dane's thighs, kneading them, her breathing deep and soulful, as if she relished the touch of Dane's skin. "Strong. Muscular. Definitely able to handle the job you have for him."
Leo's cock ached as he knelt behind her, peering over her shoulder to maintain eye contact with Dane. The blond man's blue eyes were wide, curious, wanting...longing. Leo grasped his ankles and pulled him slowly toward Hannah so that Dane's cock was directly in front of her. Then Leo slid over and took off his jeans, tossing them on top of his shirt. He fumbled in his wallet for another condom and rolled it into place.
She bent forward and took Dane into her mouth. Leo couldn't see if she was deep-throating him or not, but the extraordinary, ecstatic expression on Dane's face was enough to give him a massive amount of wood.
Leo got back into position. He lifted her skirt and pulled it over her head. As usual, she wore no undergarments. His hands circled her waist, pulling her back toward him and lifting her ass onto his cock, so he could drive himself into her pussy. She moaned and nestled against him. Once settled, she bent forward and again went down on Dane. Over her back, Leo watched Dane's eyes darken. Leo softly blew him a kiss and took a fistful of Hannah's long, dark ponytail. Holding on for the ride, he fucked her, watching Dane the entire time.
Dane was mindless, watching Leo ride Hannah like he was fucking them both. Hannah's tongue on his balls and her mouth sheathing his cock were like extensions of the man staring at him, riveting him yet freeing him.
What in Brokeback Mountain hell was he doing here? What had made him think Hannah's part in his new life with Leo would remain strictly business? And for that matter, why did he care, when she was obviously such an asset both in and out of bed?
The tenderness and care with which she let him fuck her mouth weakened his defenses, and although he hadn't even considered sleeping with a woman for years, there he was, legs spread, letting Hannah have her way with him while Leo ran the show.
He felt the familiar rising in his testicles, his cue that he was about to come. He saw the dark, hungry look in Leo's eyes, and felt himself spurt once, twice and again, while Hannah sucked him and bucked between the two men as Leo completed his ride.
Dane was still weak when Leo lifted Hannah and set her to the side. The Indian crawled toward him then kissed him right in front of Hannah.
"I'd like a turn at being fucked." Leo winked. "Care to find out how well your legs can hold you in place?" He pointed toward his wallet. "Hannah? Check for the last condom, please."
"There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." ~Winston Churchill
Leo stretched, flexing his back and shoulders. Hannah bent to kiss him, a long, lingering one. Leo looked away from her when it was over to gauge Dane's reaction. The jockey sat up and kissed him as well, not in a competitive way, but as if to say he understood. The kiss was filled with fearless passion, which thrilled Leo. Maybe his friend was dropping all his defenses, ready to engage in a full-on partnership.
He leaned forward, hugging a pillow Hannah tossed from beside the fireplace. C'mon, Dane, let's have it. Show me you're not afraid of me anymore. Of yourself. Of life.
Leo hadn't trusted himself with anyone in this position in years. Dane had no clue what it took for him to turn his back and offer himself like this, to show the kind of vulnerability one lover offers another when all safeguards are dropped.
Dane kissed his back as he moved into position. "I've wanted you for so long." Leo heard the soft words and warmed to the sincerity in Dane's voice.
Leo braced himself for Dane's cock. It was larger than he'd imagined, longer, just not as much girth as his own. It felt good, and Dane knew what he was doing.
He'd push in with large, heavy thrusts, then inch out in increments, prolonging Leo's pleasure, granting him time to savor each long, sensual withdrawal. He was also good with his hands. He knew just the right moment to reach for Leo's balls and play with them before going back to fucking him at length until both their bodies were drenched in sweat.
Hannah sat within Leo's peripheral vision, legs parted as if she was riding her mare, allowing her plenty of room to touch herself. She worked her fingers in and out of her pussy slowly at first, then more forcefully, until Leo could hear her juices sluicing. With each thrust, she'd buck forward, moaning softly. Her breasts jutted against the thin gauze of her blouse, and Leo remembered what it had been like to lick her nipples, to feel them pebble in his mouth.
"Leo, I'm coming!" Dane's voice was gritty, laced with effort as he ground into Leo and exploded.
"Oh, God, me, too!" Hannah gave a low, guttural growl, completely surrendering to the shared sensuality. Then the throaty noise she made turned into a breathy sigh of contentment, punctuated by tiny whimpers as her body weakened and she leaned against the fireplace in exhaustion.
Leo rubbed his cock, squeezing, manipulating it toward orgasm. Sheer joy filled him as he came powerfully. Anticipation was part of a seduction, but the ensuing climax was always welcome, a validation that he was alive. He hadn't felt this good in months. Leo turned and sat facing Dane, studying him from his clear blue eyes to the milky cum on his cock. "You pack quite a load for a little guy. Let me clean you up." He bent to lave Dane's still-throbbing cock with his tongue.
"You're leaving me weak as a damn cat." Dane held onto Leo's shoulders, and Leo could feel Dane's vulnerability.
"Good. I think I like you like this. Beats having you sulky and scared."
"I'm not scared of you!"
"Aren't you?"
Hannah laughed. "Everyone's frightened of Leo, but don't let him bully you."
She rose, not bothering to put on her skirt, and left the room, presumably to compose herself. Soon she returned and slammed a set of notebooks onto the table from which they'd dined. "Now. Here are some examples. First we all need to put on our clothes before our asses freeze to the chairs, and then we need to draw up a contract for ourselves and a bill of sale for Malloy to sign. Anybody want to dictate while I type it?"
Leo chuckled to himself. Nobody else he knew could snap back to business so quickly after pleasure like that woman.
\*
"What makes you think he'll bite?" Dane asked Leo once they were back at the stables, feeding Smooth Ride.
"Because he's broke and needs the money." Leo pitched a forkful of hay toward the cremello. "Because he's arrogant and doesn't want to admit he's lost anything, so a sale will salve his injured pride." He handed the pitchfork to Dane and checked the horse's water trough. "And because he'll think he's getting a bargain by selling to a woman. Malloy's a total chauvinist who'd never believe a woman bested him."
The three of them had signed the paperwork making them official partners, with Hannah as president of their little triad that they were registering as Three Forks Veterinary Clinic. Malloy would never suspect until it was too late that his former trainer and jockey were partners with her.
Dane doubted his usefulness to either of the other two, but he went along with it. Didn't cost him a monetary investment, only his name on the dotted line that he'd work for Three Forks as assistant to Hannah, whatever that capacity entailed.
"Isn't this deceitful?" Dane's head told him it wasn't, but his heart was another matter. Malloy was an absolute shit to him after the accident, but Dane still felt a misguided sense of loyalty to the bastard.
"He's the first man who treated you decently, right?"
When Dane nodded, Leo continued. "He's also the man who dropped you like yesterday's news when you needed him most. Don't waste your sympathy. He'd have Smooth Ride in a glue factory and you chained to that cane if money weren't involved. He doesn't love that horse, and he certainly doesn't love you."
Smooth Ride's ears perked up then leaned forward. Leo sat back on his haunches and studied the horse.
"He'll be eager to get back on the track now that you're here."
Dane shuffled his feet. "What are our living arrangements?"
"You in my bed, Hannah on the couch until her apartment becomes available next week."
"She won't be living with us?"
Leo looked at him in surprise. "You sound disappointed."
"I am." Dane felt himself blush. "It's not the sex---"
"I know, but it's okay, you know, if it is." Leo grinned. "I'll ask her if she wants to stay. I'm sure she'd like that."
Dane chuckled. "Only if you don't make her sleep on the couch."
Leo nodded. "The spare bedroom is nothing but storage right now, but between the two of us, we can get it cleared out for her and stow what's in the room out in the barn with Walt. We can have the room ready for her by tomorrow night." He studied Dane for a moment. "Hannah won't stay with us forever, you know. She has her own plans. She wants to create a habitat for animals, a place for quarter horses to retire. We'll keep them here for a while, but I imagine she'll want her own spread before too long, some place closer to her clinic."
"Where's that?"
"The 'Three Forks' refers to the North Canadian River that feeds the ranch before joining with the South Canadian and Deep Fork Rivers, but the clinic's up near Eufaula. Too far from here." Leo sighed. "I'd like to be closer to her, too, but I have plans for this place." He gave Dane a steady look. "You're part of those plans. I can't make any promises right now, but I hope you'll stay, not just during training and racing seasons."
Dane laughed. "That doesn't leave too much time, considering one leads into the other." Then he sobered. "I appreciate all you've done, all you're doing...both of you."
His friend's eyes were kind but sad. "Dane, don't worry about it. By the time the horse is ready, you'll be ready. You can do this."
Dane swallowed hard. He guessed they'd find out soon enough, provided the sale went through.
"There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse." ~Robert Smith Surtees
Dane had walked without the cane for a solid month. They'd spent Christmas at the ranch, the three of them. Hannah had opened her practice. And Smooth Ride had cantered without mishap. Leo was beginning to think that his pipe dream was about to materialize.
The only problem was his partner's reluctance to run the horse, to allow them both the ability to test their healing and get back to business.
"You'll have to let him loose at some point," he reminded Dane. "He wants to go all out---look at him. He's on the bit, man!"
The blond merely chewed his lip and stared ahead, as if he weren't even on the horse.
They'd managed to buy Smooth Ride, make all the arrangements to race him again and to even lease the track for the afternoon. Their first race was only a few weeks away. Hannah and Walt had already given him hell for scheduling one so soon, but Leo felt the time was right. Granted, the race was out of state. Oklahoma was way too cold to race Smooth Ride until he got his legs back under him.
"He's not ready," Dane said quietly, his breath coming in cloudy puffs in the cold air.
"I don't want to hear it! He's good and ready---you're the one holding back!" Leo couldn't help but raise his voice. "Everything is in place. Dane, I need you to focus."
"I'm trying!" Dane sounded angry, but there was a decided fear lacing the anger.
Leo dropped his head and sighed. All that work---their combined efforts---had brought them so close to realizing their dream. Dane couldn't bow out now.
Once horse and rider had cantered off to make another lap, Leo turned to look sadly at Walt. The old man shrugged. "Nothing you can do except wait."
"But how long?"
"As long as it takes." Walt pulled out a chaw of tobacco and dug again into the pouch. "I'm going upstairs. Care to join me?"
"Nah. I'll watch from here." Leo rested against the railing, sniffing as his nose began to run. "I'm fucking freezing. I know he is, too." He nodded toward Dane. "All the little shit has to do is one good half-turn and I'll pull him in." One half, damn you! At least give me a fucking furlong! He stared at his friend, the cold air making his eyes water.
\*
Dane stroked Smooth Ride's neck, working up the courage to do what he knew must be done. Leo's right---I'm the one holding us back.
The powerfully muscled beast beneath him quivered in anticipation. Dane's fear might attribute the shivers to exhaustion and the cold, but his horse sense told him the animal was aquiver out of sheer desire to run.
There was no one else at the track, not another animal for Ride to contend with, just his own past to outrun. Dane clicked to him and turned him toward the sloppy track, walking him toward the south end of the field.
"Just you and me, boy. I'm okay with this if you are."
The horse pulled to break free.
"Not yet. Wait." Dane rode him to their mark, turned him and took a deep breath. This was it. Within seconds, he'd know if he was done as a jockey, whether he had a future or not.
He no sooner gave the command than Smooth Ride burst into action.
The cold stung his eyes and he wished he'd worn goggles. The air whipped him, beating him as if trying to throw him off. His hands felt arthritic holding the reins, and his legs cramped all the way to his ankles.
He heard Leo shouting to his right, saw the finish line come up to meet him---literally.
Dane blinked, his head pounding. When he focused his eyes, he saw Smooth Ride's nostrils bearing down on him and the horse's flesh quivering. He rolled away, more out of habit than the fear that Ride would trample him.
Strong arms lifting him, voices shouting made him realize what had happened. Oh, God, I've fallen again.
He flexed his limbs. Everything seemed to work.
"You landed on your right side." Leo's voice shook as he examined Dane. "Did you break anything? Your arm? How's the leg? You were right---it was too early. I shouldn't have pushed you... Dane, I'm so sorry."
Dane chuckled, and the rumble in his throat connected with a strong belly laugh. He threw back his head and howled with pleasure. "I'm all right! I'm not hurt, and it was the left leg that got busted up, remember?"
Leo looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. Poor old Walt just held the horse's reins and stared as if transfixed on an alien.
Dane tried to rise, faltered and accepted Leo's arm about him. "Truly, I'm fine. Just busted my ass and wounded my ego."
"What happened?" Leo demanded.
"I got dizzy." Dane shook off the other man's concern. "Not that kind of dizzy---it was more like I was floating then flying, and I just lost my focus. That's all, Leo."
"Well, it is his first time on the track in nearly a year." Walt had evidently found his voice.
Dane popped his neck. "I need a hot tub---now!" He leaned closer to whisper in Leo's ear. "And a massage, chocolate and champagne."
Leo looked at him, a slow smile forming. "Champagne?"
"It's time you were my bitch for a while. Yes, champagne. It's time to celebrate. I don't know whether or not you clocked that run, but if he pulls that in his first race, we are definitely back in business!"
"The Horse: Friendship without envy, Beauty without vanity, Nobility without conceit, A willing partner, yet no slave." ~Unknown Author
"You're the most costly partner I've ever had." Leo surveyed the two-seater hot tub on his front porch.
"I'm the only partner you've ever had, outside of Hannah."
"Well, she never insisted on my buying her a hot tub."
"Bet she never gave it to you up the ass either."
"True." Leo reached into the ice bucket next to the tub. "More champagne, dear?"
"Only if you climb into the tub and share it with me, darling." Dane chuckled at his own sense of play.
He lolled his head on his shoulders and sank against the tub as water bubbled around his shoulders and neck. "This is the best Christmas gift anyone has ever given me."
"I should have made you wait until next Christmas to open it."
"Yeah, but you wanted in here, too---you know you did." Dane winked at him.
Leo poured the glass and started shucking his clothes. "The things I do for love." He faltered as he undid his clothing. Wow! That one snuck up on me. He'd considered his feelings for Dane for weeks, but his subconscious had run ahead of the conscious, that part of him that wanted to wait until Valentine's Day before laying his heart on the line. Oh, well, the turn of the New Year was as good a time as any.
The words were unexpected, not something he'd intended to utter---they just seemed a natural accompaniment to the evening.
He noticed Dane watching him as he climbed into the tub sans everything except his black felt hat. "What?" His forced himself to sound gruff.
"Ah, the Indian is back."
"What does that mean?"
Dane handed him the glass of champagne. "You know what it means, Mr. 'I never do or say anything without a reason'. It's rather nice seeing you're human like the rest of us."
"Oh, shut up and kiss me." Leo leaned forward to claim his reward for being a stand-up guy and buying the damn hot tub. Maybe they'd get his money's worth out of it.
"Did you mean it?"
"What?" Leo feigned ignorance. He wasn't ready to make that move just yet.
"Okay. Play stupid and see where it gets you."
"Bet it gets me laid tonight."
"Bet it doesn't." Dane reached over and snatched the cowboy hat and plopped it on his own head, while Leo's braid that had been tucked away tumbled out and down his chest.
"Now my hair's wet." Leo grimaced. "Thanks."
"Tell me you love me, and I'll give it back." Dane offered a saccharin smile.
"Keep the damn hat. Suits you."
Dane took a long drink out of the glass then set it plus the hat next to the ice bucket. "Come here." He snuggled his back against the tub and crooked a finger at Leo.
Leo scooted across the tub until their cocks touched and thrilled to the gentle yet hard feel of Dane's member pressed against his. "This what you want?"
"It'll do for a couple of minutes. I'm getting cold. Make me warm."
Leo pulled the smaller man into his arms and kissed him soundly. "How warm?"
"Off the thermostat."
Leo slid Dane between his legs and wrapped his arms about him, letting his fingers trail across the jockey's back. "You still sore?"
"As hell."
"Think you can ride in a couple of weeks?"
"Try and stop me."
Leo's heart swelled with pride. Dane was on the mend, both spiritually and physically. He'd taken some pretty hard knocks, but he hadn't given up hope. "I have an idea that may make your temperature rise a notch."
"What's that?" Dane rested his head on Leo's shoulder and kissed his neck.
Leo leaned to give him more access. "Well, on paper we look pretty good, right?"
"I think so."
"What do you say we take a trip to Florida after the race?"
Dane leaned back and studied him, frowning. "Florida? What's in---"
"A ceremony. One that involves just you and me. My divorce is final in ten days."
Leo grinned when Dane still didn't get it. "I've only been married once, man, and as you well know, I make a damn good ex. I always remain friends after the divorce."
Then Dane got it. "Won't be another divorce."
The transformation on the blond man's face was amazing to watch, and Leo couldn't help but laugh. "Think you'd like to make our relationship official---well, as official as these things get?"
Dane hugged him and showered him with kisses. Then he stopped, solemnly. "You don't have to do this. You've given me a job, a home and---"
"You already had a home, Dane." Leo touched his heart. "Right here. I'm just offering to give you a ring and make it official. I don't care what people think. Of course, we'll most likely get more than just a cold shoulder from the Oklahoma Racing Commission if we're vocal about our beliefs."
"So why the ceremony?"
"It's for us, to remind us every time we look at our rings just where home is. With each other."
Dane's eyes shimmered. "Home. I like the sound of that." Then his face clouded. "Leo? You still haven't---"
"I love you, Dane. Took me a long time to say that, but there it is. I love you."
Dane's arms pulled him closer, seemingly warm enough at last. "I love you, too. Have for two years. Took you long enough to figure it out."
"Blame it on the horse."
"No, I'll give credit to the horse---Smooth Ride is who really brought us together."
"True. Hope that doesn't mean you expect me to cart him to Jacksonville for the wedding."
Dane gave him a sly look. "Well, if we take Route 66 all the way east, there is this one race we can take in."
Leo grabbed Dane's face with both hands. "Kiss me, fool, before I change my mind and fly you there tonight."
Dane pressed his chest against Leo's and nuzzled his neck. "Let's just stay like this for awhile."
"No fucking?"
"Of course! Just not until I've held you a while longer. I really do love you."
Leo kissed him passionately, his hands finding the other man's steel-hard cock. "Just remember who said it first."
About the Author
Cash Cole writes male/male erotic fiction for Ellora's Cave, while her alter ego Lyn Cash writes fiction using both female and male perspective. Like her other personalities that split from the same source, Cash enjoys a multitude of interests and hobbies that far outreach the time she can spend on them. Why the male name for a female writer? As author George Sand once said, most of my motivation stems from economics. To quote one of her contemporaries, "What a brave man she was, and what a good woman." Ivan Turgenev (novelist). May the same be said some day of Cash Cole.
Cash welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Discover for yourself why readers can't get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora's Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.
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