Finding The Way Home (7 page)

"Cool." And it was. It was cool as hell.

"This is better than dancing at the restaurant," Horse said.

"Yeah." This was quiet, easy, no worrying about people getting bumped into or getting a hard on in public.

Horse smiled and pressed their lips together, more breathing into him than kissing. They couldn't do this in public either. Not even at a gay bar. This was theirs.

Groaning, Horse increased the pressure of his lips, his tongue slipping into James' mouth. James pushed back, wanting to prove that he was where he wanted to be, that he was whole and happy. Horse let him take the lead in the kiss, sucking on his tongue when James slipped it between Horse's lips.

They kept swaying, back and forth, nice and slow. The song ended and another one started, and they danced. It was perfect. As fucked up as the night had been, the end was James and Horse together, alone, dancing in the dark.

* * * *

Horse couldn't believe he was having to tell his version of what had happened yet again. He'd only repeated it five hundred times already. But the cops had asked them to come down to the station. Apparently they hadn't given official statements yet. It wasn't like Jim could even remember what had happened. Here they were, though.

Horse parked the truck and went around to open the door for Jim. "You feeling steady?"

"I feel fine. A little weird because there's a hole where information ought to be, but besides that?" Jim shrugged. "I'm golden."

"Okay."

They'd made long, slow love this morning, Horse burying himself in Jim's body over and over, and it had settled them both, somewhere deep inside. Horse could feel it, could feel that it had done the same for Jim as it had for him.

He closed the door, locked the truck, and they headed in together. Thankfully, they were soon seated in front of a desk, started filling out paperwork, and telling the fucking story, yet again.

"Do you want to file a restraining order?" the officer asked Horse. "You'll need to go in front of a judge in a few days so he can rule on it, but it will help to have it in your records."

Fuck yes, Horse did. He looked at Jim, arching one eyebrow.

Jim answered immediately. "I think that's a good idea. It won't stop him, but it'll protect us if we have to defend ourselves."

Horse nodded. He had a handgun. He would use it if that man tried anything at their home.

"Okay, more paperwork. Yay." The policeman was solid, funny, easy to deal with.

Horse told his story yet again, and Jim reiterated that he couldn't remember anything after eating the steak.

"Nothing, huh?" the cop asked.

"Not really. The doctor says that's the point of the drug."

Horse thought that creeped him out more than anything, except for the fact that Andy's doctor had come with him to kidnap his ex; they didn't want Jim to remember whatever they'd planned.

"We're recommending to the DA to charge Andy with attempted rape and attempted kidnapping. I don't know if the rape charge will stick."

"What about the guy he was with?" Horse asked. "The supposed doctor."

"We can't prove that committed a crime, guys. He wasn't there during the attack, he didn't actually make any direct threats, and he denies that he knew what Mr. Johnston was up to."

"Do you buy that?" Horse asked. Because really, if your lover was that batshit crazy, you'd notice, right?

"No, but the law's the law."

Pursing his lips, Horse nodded. It pissed him off that Andy had drugged Jim, nearly kidnapped him, and they were going to be lucky if he got more than a slap on the wrist.

"Did anyone say why?" Jim asked. "I mean, it's been months."

The officer consulted his notes. "Mr. Johnston says that his lover wanted a threesome with you, wanted a night."

"What?" Horse looked at the cop like he was crazy. You didn't kidnap ex-lovers to have threesomes.

"Okay... So, we're getting a security system." Jim was shaking his head.

"Yeah. And you're changing your phone and not giving him the number. That is how they found Jim, isn't it? Through his phone?"

"Yes, we think so. We also suggest that you change computer passwords, that sort of thing."

"Off the record, man to man. What are the odds he tries it again?" Horse wanted the man's professional opinion.

"It'll go one way or the other. Either he'll stick around for his court dates, in which case, he'll show up again. If he runs, you probably won't see him again."

"Then let's hope he runs." Horse hoped Andy realized how idiotic he'd been and he'd stay away.

Jim sighed softly. "Did anyone ask if this doctor guy was threatening Andy? If Andy wanted away from him?"

Horse shot Jim a surprised look. "You think that's possible?"

"I was with Andy a long time. He wasn't an evil man, just not very strong."

"Well I'm not comfortable with you talking to him to find out." Horse had no experience with James' ex, and didn't trust him.

"He'll be getting a psych work-up, so if something like that is going on, there will be every opportunity to discover it," the officer assured them.

"Whatever. I'm not dealing with him again. I don't wish him ill, but... I've moved on."

Hearing Jim say that, Horse breathed a little easier.

He nodded, put his hand on Jim's thigh, and gave him a squeeze of support. "Is there anything else or can we go?"

"We'll be calling with information about the restraining order, but for now, no."

"Thank God, I'm starving." Jim stood up, waited for him.

"Yeah, and I promised you lunch." They'd skipped breakfast.

He got up and shook the officer's hand, then took Jim's hand, and headed out.

"What are you hungry for? Pizza? Burgers? Barbecue?" Jim asked.

"Your choice, Jim." He'd picked the restaurant for dinner last night and look how well that had gone.

"Let's go grab some fried chicken and taters and take it to the beach."

His stomach growled. "Looks like my belly votes yes."

"Perfect. We'll get a big bucket."

"Works for me." Horse made a mental note to call a security company.

"I want an alarm, huh, for the house."

Horse chuckled. "I was just thinking I needed to remember to call someone. I'd feel better if we had something."

"Me, too. Great minds and all that."

"You know I love your...mind," Horse teased.

"Uh-huh. Butthead," Jim shot back.

"You love my butt."

They were both safe, Horse refused to let anything bother him.

"I do. I love your cock, too."

Horse laughed. "Hornball."

"You know it."

"Come on, get into the truck before we get arrested for being indecent." Horse had plenty of indecent in mind.

"Yeah. I've had enough excitement."

"Yeah, we're supposed to be a no drama zone."

"There was going to be a sign, right?" Jim started cackling, the sound merry as hell.

"Yeah, there was. We obviously need to go buy it before anything else occurs."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you hook up with a queer soldier," Jim noted.

"I thought you were the one hooking up with a queer soldier?"

"Six of one, half dozen of another."

"Is that like a sixty-nine?" Horse asked.

Jim began to chuckle, shaking his head. "You wish. Hell, I wish."

"We could pick up that chicken and go home, throw it in the oven while we explore that number."

Jim gave him a warm, happy smile. "How about we get food and eat on the back porch and then go in and spend the afternoon tearing each other up?"

"It's a plan." He opened the truck door for Jim.

Man, he couldn't blame Andy for wanting Jim back. If it was him, he'd want Jim back, too. Of course if it had been him, he never would have let Jim go in the first place. It didn't matter. Horse wasn't going to lose this chance now that he had it.

He smiled as he put Jim's seatbelt on for him, feeling gentlemanly and silly at the same time.

"Horse!" Jim's warning sounded. "Sarge! Duck!"

The words warned him of the attack and he stepped out of the way of a baseball bat Horse snarled. Seriously? In the fucking police department parking lot? These were the worst criminals ever. He slammed the truck door, keeping Jim safely in the truck behind him.

There were two of them, Andy and the doctor. Even as Jim called 911, police swarmed out of the building.

"You had your chance, Andy." Horse crouched, ready counter another attempted hit.

"Totally, and now you're going to jail. Both of you." Jim sounded furious, and Horse knew they'd only be in for a day, but that might be enough. Horse thought Andy looked a little relieved.

"Drop the baseball bat." The order came from one of the cops and Andy dropped the bat immediately.

Horse swore that if they all had to go tell the same fucking story again...

The cops moved in, taking Andy down, yanking the doctor back with him. Horse sank back against the truck, looking at Jim.

"We could just walk over to the chicken place..." Jim suggested.

"We could just grill fucking steaks at home." Being on their home turf made sense to Horse. He knew how to protect them there.

"Works for me. Let's go, man."

Horse didn't tarry. He didn't want to risk anything else happening. Or anyone wanting statements or any fucking thing. He got in the truck and drove off, moving slow enough that the police understood they were just leaving.

Just going home.

"Horse? There's a bad storm coming in. You want me to pull in the deck chairs closer to the house?"

The chicken was already cooked, the grill closed up and unhooked.

"Sure, baby." Horse was finishing up their salad, getting out the rolls, and setting the table.

James got the chairs wrestled to the porch and bungeed down, wishing he had his damn arm on.

Horse popped his head out the door. "Everything good?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I got it."

"Stubborn son of a bitch." Horse grinned.

"You know it. We got our candles and flashlights?"

"Yep. Is it wrong that I hope we lose power?"

"You like watching storms in the dark?" James thought that would be fun--the rain, the waves, them naked.

"Uh-huh. Plus I bet your skin looks amazing in candlelight."

Every so often James' lover said something utterly amazing.

"You want a beer?" James wandered over and took a kiss.

"Is my answer ever no to that question?" Horse's arms slid around him.

"Mmm. I don't know. If you have to choose between beer and blowjobs, you'll pick blowjobs every time."

Horse pouted. "You're not going to make me choose are you?"

"God, no." James took another kiss, making this one count.

Groaning, Horse kissed him back, hands sliding to cup his ass.

Maybe the beer could wait.

Often referred to as "Space Cowboy" and "Gangsta of Love" while still striving for the moniker of "Maurice," Sean Michael spends his days surfing, smutting, organizing his immense gourd collection and fantasizing about one day retiring on a small secluded island peopled entirely by horseshoe crabs. While collecting vast amounts of vintage gay pulp novels and mood rings, Sean whiles away the hours between dropping the f-bomb and pursuing the
Kama Sutra
by channeling the long-lost spirit of John Wayne and singing along with the soundtrack to
Chicago.

A long-time writer of complicated haiku, Sean is currently attempting to learn the advanced arts of plate-spinning and soap-carving sex toys.

Barring any of that? He'll stick with writing his stories, thanks, and rubbing pretty bodies together to see if they spark.

To learn more about Sean, please visit:

www.seanmichaelwrites.com

Kendall Webber is deep in the closet. Between working as a mechanic in a garage, having served in the army during the era of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and being raised by a fundamentalist-preacher stepfather who sent him to summer camps to make him straight, he's learned to hide his sexuality from absolutely everyone.

Still, when a tall, dark, and handsome stud named Barton Willis III roars into the garage in his vintage Mustang, Kendall can't help but look admiringly and longingly at the man, just a little. And when the flirtatious Barton not only looks back but eagerly invites him to explore his hidden desires, Kendall's whole world is turned upside-down.

Now, the question remains...can Barton help Kendall let go of the past and the attitudes he's had, literally, beaten into him?