Inherit the Sky (Lang Downs 1 ) (21 page)

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

of a deep sleep. The foreman rolled over and turned it off, then rolled right back against Caine, nuzzling his neck. Caine smiled and pressed back into the kiss and into the erection he could feel nudging his backside. He turned in Macklin’s arms, sliding a hand between them to caress the other man through his pajamas.

“Don’t start something we don’t have time to finish,” Macklin groaned.
Caine gave the hard cock a last, lingering stroke before leaning up to kiss Macklin. “Tomorrow morning, when no one is expecting us at breakfast, I’m going to give you a proper wake-up call.”
“And what would that be?” Macklin asked, his voice husky.
Caine licked his lips, easily imagining running his lips over Macklin’s chest and down to the waistband of his pajamas and beyond. “What do you think?”
“Bloody hell,” Macklin groaned. “I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about what you’d look like with your mouth on me.”
“Good,” Caine said with a triumphant smile. “It’ll keep you warm when we’re outside today.”
“And what will keep you warm?” Macklin replied.
Caine’s grin widened. “The thought that I’m wearing a pair of your long underwear beneath my clothes. Oh, and the knowledge that tonight I’ll have you all to myself.” He ran his hand down Macklin’s side. “I plan to take terrible advantage of you.”
Macklin groaned again and rolled away from Caine. “If you keep that up, I’m going to walk funny all day and someone’s going to notice.”
Caine relented, not wanting to push Macklin too far. “We can’t have that, can we? I could always leave the long underwear here. I’m not going to stop imagining tonight.”
“Don’t be a Galah,” Macklin said. “There’s no reason for you to be cold. I’ll just think of other things.”
“A Galah?” Caine asked, not familiar with the term.
“It’s a kind of bird,” Macklin replied. “The expression means don’t be silly or stupid. You shouldn’t be cold just because the thought of you wearing my clothes makes me hard.”
“I guess we should get up, shouldn’t we?” Caine said with a sigh.
“If you’re going back to your house to change and pack, yes,” Macklin agreed. “You don’t want to miss breakfast.”
“And I don’t want to be walking out of your cabin as everyone else is going to breakfast,” Caine said. “No need to provoke a crisis just yet.”
“Thank you,” Macklin said, kissing Caine quickly. “I’ll get you that long underwear.”
He pulled on his pajama shirt and padded barefoot across the floor. Caine shivered just looking at him as he put back on his T-shirt and waited for the long underwear. The floor was icy when he stood up to put them and his own clothes back on. He gave Macklin one more kiss. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”
“I’ll be there.”
Caine didn’t see anyone as he walked back to his house. He didn’t make a conscious effort to come in discreetly, but he also didn’t call out to Kami to let him know he was there like he usually did. He’d worry about that when or if Macklin started spending the night there or if Kami asked specifically where Caine had been the night before.
Going upstairs, he showered quickly, pulling on clean briefs before putting Macklin’s long underwear back on underneath the work clothes for the morning. If they had time, he’d shower and change again before they left for Boorowa because he didn’t really want to

smell like sheep for the long drive. He tossed a change of clothes and some toiletries in his backpack, wishing he had lube and condoms, but he hadn’t expected to need them when he moved to Australia. Maybe Macklin would have some. Packing done, he went down for breakfast.
“What do you mean you’re coming back tomorrow?” Kami’s demand was the first thing Caine heard as he walked into the kitchen. “What happened to your annual trip to Sydney?”
“I decided not to go this year,” Macklin replied, nodding to Caine as he came in. “I thought with a new boss on the station and with the storms we’ve been having, it might be a good idea to stay close to home. Caine and I will drive to Boorowa tonight, pick up the supplies in the morning, and be home tomorrow evening.”
“It’s your choice, I suppose,” Kami said, “but don’t take it out on me when you’re grumpy because you didn’t get laid this winter.”
Caine coughed to hide his smirk. Macklin would be getting laid a whole lot more often than one week a year if Caine had anything to say about it.
“I’ll be sure and not mention it,” Macklin promised, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Caine. “Come on, pup. Let’s leave Kami to finish breakfast. I want to run a thought by you about the organic farming idea.”
“Sure,” Caine said, following Macklin out into the living room. The moment they were alone, his laughter escaped. “Oh, G-g-god, if Kkami only knew,” he wheezed between fits of laughter.
“If you don’t talk a little softer, he’ll know anyway,” Macklin said, but he was smiling, so Caine didn’t worry about trying to contain his laughter.
“So what was your thought?” Caine asked when he finally stopped laughing.
“That I wanted to get you alone so I could kiss you,” Macklin replied, suiting actions to words. Caine returned the kiss, smiling when they parted.
“You keep saying you don’t know anything about relationships, but you’re doing just fine this morning.”

“Good to know,” Macklin said. “Let’s eat so we can get the rams moved into the pens and get on the road. It gets dark early, and I want to be in Boorowa before that if we can.”
“Ready when you are,” Caine said. “I packed before I came down this morning.”
They ate breakfast with the rest of the hands, heading out immediately afterward to start moving the rams in with the flocks of ewes. The big males weren’t nearly as biddable as the ewes, fighting the dogs and the men, trying to go anywhere but into a pen with a hundred other sheep. Finally, though, they managed to get all of them in the pens where Macklin wanted them.
Macklin thanked the summer jackaroos, shaking hands with each of them in turn and wishing them well. Caine waited to the side, adding his own thanks to those who stopped to speak to him before leaving. When only the year-round residents remained, Caine glanced at his watch. “We should pack sandwiches for lunch so we can eat on the way.”
“Good idea, pup,” Macklin said. “I’ll ask Kami to put something together for us while we load the ute.”
“He’ll tell us to make them ourselves,” Caine warned.
“He won’t tell me that,” Macklin said.
Caine looked at him skeptically, following Macklin into the kitchen. “Kami, could you make us a couple of sandwiches for the road?”
“Bread’s in the bread box, meat’s in the refrigerator,” Kami said without pausing in his chopping.
“Told you,” Caine mouthed to Macklin. “I’ll do it,” he said aloud. “You load the ute. It won’t take me long, and then we can toss my pack in before we leave.”
“Bloody foreman,” Kami muttered when Macklin left. “Always assuming everyone will do whatever he says just because he says it.”
“He is the foreman,” Caine pointed out.
“And?” Kami demanded. “This is my kitchen. I decide what happens in here, not him.”

“He said something about getting supplies for the winter,” Caine said, not about to get into that argument with Kami. He and Macklin could duke it out between themselves. “Did you give him a list? And if not, is there anything in particular you need? I can make sure we pick it up while we’re in town. I’d hate for you not to have what you need for the winter.”
“You’re a good boy to think of me, Caine,” Kami said. “Your uncle would have been proud of you.”
The compliment surprised Caine so much he couldn’t think of a reply. “Thank you,” he said finally. “I’m glad you think so. Do you have a list?”
“I gave it to Macklin a week ago,” Kami said. “He’s a good boy too. Makes me hope history will repeat itself.”
That was even more of a surprise. “I… I d-d-don’t know what to s-say.”
“Don’t say anything,” Kami replied.“I’m a sentimental old fool.”
“N-no, that isn’t what I m-meant. I m-meant—”
“Don’t say anything,” Kami repeated. “Macklin will tell me what he wants me to know when he’s ready for me to know it. This was just between you and me.”
Caine nodded and finished making sandwiches for Macklin and himself. He tossed them in a rucksack along with a couple of bottles of water and some chips, enough to tide them over until they reached Boorowa, although Caine was sure they’d be ready for dinner when they got to the hotel.
Leaving the sack by the front door, he hurried up to his room to get his backpack. Macklin was waiting for him in the living room when he came back down. “Ready, pup?”
“Ready,” Caine said, grabbing their lunch and following Macklin outside. Macklin tossed Caine’s backpack in the back of the truck with his own gear and gestured for Caine to climb in.
Caine waited until they had passed through the first gate and out of the main station before leaning his head back against the headrest. “You said Kami knew Donald too, right?”