Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 02 - Out of the Darkness (30 page)

Jeff’s calm smile helps a little. “And you think that’s the horse that would suit his personality? A Percheron?” They both turn to look at Evan, trying to imagine the perfect match. Evan grins a little and strikes a noble pose with his head and shoulders, as if trying to encourage them in a certain direction.

Dan shakes his head. “I don’t know, man… do you pick a horse to
match
his personality or one to
complement
it?” Jeff cocks an eyebrow inquiringly, so Dan goes on. “Like… if I was trying to
match
him, I’d want a horse that was brave and kind, but, you know… maybe a little high strung. Maybe not all the way to a Thoroughbred, but… well, any of our eventers, really. But if I was trying to find one to
complement
his personality….”

Jeff nods. “Something steadier, calmer… something that wouldn’t get all nervous when he does.”

 

Dan grins. “So, Jeff, what’s your horse equivalent? Huh? What breed would you be, if you were a horse? ’Cause that’s what he needs.”

Jeff shakes his head slowly, eyes half-closed as if he’s trying to picture imaginary Evan on different horses, but half-open as if he doesn’t want to stop looking at the real men sitting in front of him. “He needs something pretty big. Maybe a warmblood, if we could find one that they haven’t bred all the sense out of… or, yeah, I like your Percheron idea.”

Evan shifts a little, and the other two look at him inquiringly. He blushes a little. “This probably shouldn’t be turning me on, huh?”

Dan’s eyes fall to Evan’s crotch, while Jeff just snickers. “You always have been an attention whore, kid, but if this is some new horsekink, we’re gonna have to keep you away from the barn or Dan’ll never get any work done.”

Dan shakes his head. “So how does your ‘conversation-first’ plan address this, man? What happens if conversation is really just foreplay? Do we get to follow through?”

Jeff leans back a little, hooking his elbows on the seat of the easy chair behind him. He looks lazy, and relaxed. “It wouldn’t kill either one of you to experience a little delayed gratification, you know. Waiting for things just makes them sweeter when you get them.”

“Yeah, if your balls don’t explode while you’re waiting.” Evan’s voice is light, but there’s a thread of tension in it. Jeff smiles at him as if this is a conversation they’ve had before, and Dan feels left out again.

Evan’s knee is next to Dan’s foot, hidden from Jeff’s view by the knee of Dan’s other leg, and Dan wiggles his toes a little, getting Evan’s attention, and then strokes them down his knee. Evan shifts again, and his leg presses more firmly into Dan’s toes. Dan’s not sure what he’s started, and based on his past initiatives, it seems unlikely to be a good idea, but he doesn’t care too much about that. Conversation is hard, and sex is easy; maybe Jeff can just lean back and be all relaxed, but Dan’s had a weird night, and he could use some stress relief. If Jeff doesn’t want to take part, that’s his decision, but Dan’s pretty sure he won’t have any trouble getting Evan involved. Dan runs his toes along Evan’s leg again, and Evan risks a glance at him. It’s brief, but Dan has no trouble recognizing the desire in Evan’s eyes. Yeah, that won’t be a problem; now all Dan has to do is figure out whether the two of them can manage to get Jeff involved. And whether they should go ahead if they can’t.

Chapter 18
D
AN
’
S
having fun. He’s mostly just listening to Jeff and Evan,

although they do try to include him in their conversation and he tries to contribute, but he’s not much of a talker at the best of times, and his attention at the moment is definitely not on their discussion of Evan’s company’s efforts to set up a manufacturing community in Thailand. Instead, he’s focused on getting Evan turned on. Without Jeff knowing.

The first part really isn’t much of a challenge. Evan had been pretty interested to start with, so Dan just has to brush his toes against Evan’s leg and lean over occasionally to rub his fingers against him. The second part is trickier. Dan thinks he’s maybe a bit too obvious when he braces himself on Evan’s shoulder in order to climb to his feet and get them another round of beers, and then sort of rubs against him as he stands, but if Jeff notices, he doesn’t say anything.

Dan gets a bit more interested in the conversation when they start talking about Jeff’s day at the gallery. Dan really has no idea how the art world works—well, he has no idea how Evan’s business world works, either, but it seems too complex to ever be comprehensible. Dan feels like he’s at least got a prayer of figuring out what Jeff’s talking about. And he’s had an idea tickling around in his head for a while now, ever since the opening night at the gallery….

“So, all the pictures at the gallery, they’re all for sale?”

Evan and Jeff look a bit surprised by the question, and Dan wonders whether they’d changed the topic of conversation while he’d been thinking. He notices that Evan’s leg is pressed up against his a bit harder than before, as if Dan’s toes had stopped their ministrations and Evan had missed them. So maybe his mind
had
wandered a little.

Jeff recovers quickly. “Yeah, they are. Like I said, I sold one, and had some interest in another, but the rest are all still for sale.” Dan frowns. “There’s no price tags or anything.”

“Nah, apparently that’s too gauche for them. If you’re interested you have to ask them for a price.” Jeff takes a swig of his beer as if to re-establish his working-class credentials and distance himself from the actions of the gallery.

Dan nods. That makes things more difficult, but at least he’d be talking to the gallery people, not to Jeff himself.

 

Jeff smiles softly. “Why, did you see something you liked? Prices are pretty negotiable, for the right people.”

Dan shakes his head with a laugh. He’s paid enough attention to know that Jeff has taken time off from coaching riders and is really trying to make a living as an artist; Dan’s not going to jeopardize that by asking for special deals. “No, man, just interested.” He catches himself. “I mean, yes, I saw stuff I liked, but, you know… I don’t have anywhere to put anything.”

Jeff shakes his head. “No walls in the new place? Damn, no wonder Evan wants you back in the guest house.”

Dan curls his toes a little. “I don’t really think that’s why Evan wants me in the guest house….” Then he decides that it’s time. He’s got Evan firmly on board with the idea, it’s time to unleash their combined force on Jeff. He uncrosses his legs and sits up straight, completely out of contact with Evan. “Not that any of that matters, if we actually go along with this insane ‘no sex’ idea.”

Evan groans dramatically. “Seriously, Jeff. We’ve been talking for a while, and I think we’ve really developed a much greater understanding of each other. I for one feel that I have learned not only about Dan, but also a little more about you, and even about myself. So, what’d’ya say?” His grin is half mischievous little boy and half ravenous tiger. “Lift the embargo?”

Dan nods. “It’d be positive reinforcement, right? We behaved like civilized adults—now we need a reward.”

Jeff looks from one to the other. “So I’ve got the business argument and the animal training argument—but what about my sensitive artist’s soul?”

Dan barely needs to think about that one. “Be a rebellious artist instead. Be all about the pleasure of the flesh, or whatever… what’s that word, man? Starts with an H, maybe?” Dan looks to Evan for backup.

“Hedonism.” Evan nods enthusiastically. “Be a hedonistic artist, Jeff. Revel in the beauty of the human form.” Evan puts a hand on the waist of his shirt and pulls it up a little to show a flash of sun-browned skin. He smiles teasingly. “Ooh, the human form….” He reaches over slowly, keeping his eyes on Jeff as if waiting to see if he’s going to be reprimanded, and pulls Dan’s shirt up in the same way. Dan leans back a little, letting the skin stretch and ripple over his flat stomach, and Evan runs his fingertips gently along Dan’s waistband. “Ooh, revel in the beauty….”

Jeff’s trying to look serious, but Dan notices that he’s having trouble keeping his eyes on their faces rather than their torsos. “Guys, it’s not like I can just make up a rule, here. If you don’t agree, you don’t have to go along. I just think….” Dan reaches his hand over to Evan’s thigh, rubbing along the top of it and letting his fingers trace along the hard bulge further inside. Evan stirs, pushing into the contact, and Jeff just stares.

Dan is so wrapped up in the moment that he honestly doesn’t recognize the sound of his own phone ringing from where he’d left it on the end table. It’s enough to snap Jeff out of his daze, though, and he springs to his feet with the agility of a teenage gymnast. “I’m just gonna go to the bathroom….” And he gestures helpfully down the hall before scurrying away.

Evan looks like he’s thinking about smashing the phone. “Fuck. We almost had him.” He struggles up off the floor while Dan reaches for the cell. “I’m gonna get more beer—if it’s Chris, tell him the job offer’s gone. I don’t wanna hire a cock block.”

Dan glances at the display and is just as glad Evan’s out of the room, because it’s not Chris. “Hey, Taylor.”

“Hey, Dan. The little man’s finally asleep, and, uh… I just wanted to check in, make sure that I didn’t fuck things up for you with Evan. He seemed a bit….”

“Possessive?” Dan suggests. “Yeah, that’s him, not you. Don’t worry about it.”

“Nah, man, I meant, you know, springing it on him like that. I swear I didn’t know you guys were…. Well, I heard he came to the show with your barn, but I thought it was because of his sister, not….”

“Yeah, it
was
because of his sister. We weren’t…. It’s all pretty new. But, no, I don’t think he minded about that. I think he’s pretty used to it.” Evan comes back in the room, holding three beer bottles with their necks tucked between his fingers, and Dan is torn. He knows it would be rude to keep talking on the phone with someone else in the room, but he doesn’t want Evan to think that he’s been intimidated by Evan’s bad temper, or, worse, that he’s sneaking around. “Listen, everything’s fine, don’t worry about. I’m at a friend’s place, though… can I call you back tomorrow? And….” Dan knows he’s pushing it a little, with Evan listening, but he’s not going to sneak, and he’s not going to limit his circle of friends to Jeff and Evan. “I’d like to come out and see the place sometime. I meant it when I said I’d like to help. Moneywise, obviously Evan’s your guy, but if you need anything else—you know, help with horses, or… well, that’s pretty much it, I guess. Help with horses.”

Taylor laughs quietly. “That’s your specialty, I know. Luckily, we happen to have quite a few horses, and they could all use help. It’s a different kind of training, going more for obedience and steadiness instead of maximum performance, but… yeah, if you’ve got any spare time, it’d be great to get you involved.” There’s a pause. “And, you know, if you could get Evan out with you….”

Dan glances over at Evan’s face, tight and closed off and obviously unhappy with Dan’s conversation, and wonders if it’s a good idea to bring Evan into any more contact with Taylor. “Yeah, okay, I’ll see.” Jeff’s back now, and he’s obviously picked up on the changed atmosphere in the room. “So, I’ll call you in the next couple days, okay?”

Taylor agrees, and Dan clicks the phone shut. Evan crosses over and hands Jeff his beer, but he sits down on the couch instead of on the floor, and all the earlier playfulness is gone. Dan sighs and tries to think of what to do. Jeff stays standing, looking like he’s sharing Dan’s train of thought. Dan closes his eyes for a second, then opens them and looks directly at Evan. “Hey, Evan?” Evan lifts his eyes in response. “I’m thinking about getting involved in Taylor’s barn, helping out somehow. It’s interesting, and I think I could be useful, and it sounds like a really good program. So that’s what I’m gonna do.” He pauses to collect himself, and to make sure his voice comes out as sincerely as he wants it to. “So… what can we do to make that okay for you?”

Evan looks a little startled, but Dan thinks he can see Jeff smile, so he thinks maybe he’s said the right thing. Jeff’s low, gentle voice confirms Dan’s hope. “That’s a good question. Evan, ball’s in your court. What’s it going to take to make you feel secure about this?”

Evan’s struggling a little, and Dan can almost see him fighting to not reply with the petulance of a child, saying that nothing can make it all right because he doesn’t want it to happen. Finally, he groans a little and slides down off the couch to sit on the floor. He’s still leaning against a separate piece of furniture on the opposite side of the room from Dan, but it’s a step in the right direction. “I don’t know.” Evan stretches his head back over the couch. “Okay, I totally see your point that you need to have your own friends, and your own interests…. I just… do you have to be spending time around some guy you used to date?”

Dan shrugs, trying to keep his temper down. “I don’t know, man—if we make the rule that we can’t see anybody that we ever fucked, the way I’ve heard it, you’re not going to be able to walk down the damn street in this town.” And that came out a little more snidely than intended. Or, rather, exactly as snidely as intended, but Dan wishes he hadn’t wanted to sound that way.

He tries again, tries to really make Evan understand. “It was… Taylor and me—
everybody
and me, except Justin—it was just sex. I never….” And this is getting a little dangerous for Dan, a little too close to an area that he’s been trying to keep under control, at least in front of people, but he struggles on. “Before Justin, I never loved anybody. I never even… I didn’t really care. About anyone else or about myself or… anything. I just…. Sex… it was a good distraction, you know? It… it made me feel
something
, at least.”

Dan takes a deep breath. It was a
long
time with Justin before they’d had a conversation this honest, and Justin had already figured out most of it for himself anyway. Had already seen most of it firsthand. Dan forces a little laugh out. “Sorry, I’m not trying to be all melodramatic or whatever. I just…. Taylor was a friend, but he was from before Justin. He’s… he’s from a whole different life, you know? And….” Dan swallows past the dryness in his throat, then takes a big swallow of beer. He’s about done with this conversation, but he tries to force another few words out. There’s no point in having exposed himself like this if Evan doesn’t even get the point. “It’s not a life I want to go back to. At all.”