He and Levi ate on the porch, sharing the steps instead of the furniture, because the sun was shining right on them, and it felt amazing against his face. George couldn’t remember the last time he’d been exposed to this much constant fresh air, and he wanted to bask in every moment.
“There aren’t any specific activities this afternoon,” Levi said after he’d polished off half of a loaded sandwich. “I was thinking of asking Reyes if I can borrow an ATV. Go home for a little while and visit my cats. Make sure Ginger is doing okay.”
“Oh, cool.” George dipped a carrot stick in dip but didn’t eat it, disappointment tightening his belly. “I bet they miss you.”
“I miss them and don’t normally worry this much, but after Ginger’s accident...”
“You’re an overprotective cat papa. I get it.”
Some of his unhappiness must have bled through in George’s voice, because Levi nudged one shoulder against his. “You want to come with me?”
A few hours of privacy in Levi’s tiny home? Hell to the yes, he wanted to go. That disappointment dissolved, quickly replaced by anticipation. “Definitely.” He couldn’t bring himself to meet Levi’s gaze, though, worried he didn’t have a very good poker face on right now.
“Excellent.”
When they were both done, Levi took their plates and cups into the guesthouse with the promise of hunting down Reyes, or someone else who could give them permission to use an ATV. Riding horses might have been fun, but George’s ass needed a bit of rest after today’s long return trip.
“Permission granted,” Levi said upon return. “Reyes said the keys are in the ignitions, so we can take whichever.”
“Cool. I’ve never actually ridden on one before.”
“Want me to teach you how to drive it?”
His gut wobbled with nerves. “Um, maybe on the return trip? I’d rather watch you do it first.”
“Sure. No problem. I’m happy to share new experiences with you, George.”
“I hope you mean that.”
Levi quirked a single eyebrow. “I do. Some things you may need to ease into more slowly, but I think I’m up for the challenge.”
George glanced around but no one was close enough to hear the blatant flirting. “Then let’s go check on your cats.”
Chapter Fourteen
Levi was both excited and nervous to spend a few hours alone with George, far away from other people for the first time since Sunday night’s epic make-out session. He craved the taste of George in his mouth again, the sensation of his slimmer body pressed close to Levi’s. The chance to eventually do so much more.
Riding the ATV down the worn path to Mack’s place was a special kind of torture, with George pressed up close to Levi’s back and butt, arms cinched around his waist. Neither of them had showered since the previous morning, and George smelled faintly of sweat and horse, and Levi loved those scents. Craved them on George’s skin. He drove slowly over the rutted path that was easier to travel on horse, he imagined, but they managed.
The cabin came into view, and Levi steered past Mack’s place to the small patch of land Levi currently called home. No one came out right away, and he imagined it was because his girls didn’t hear the familiar roar of his truck engine. Just the unusual sound of the ATV. But as soon as he shut it off and clucked his tongue, Baby zoomed out from beneath the house and jumped into his lap.
“Well, hello, Baby girl.” Levi scratched her ears and chin, absorbing the familiar sound of her purr as it rumbled from her throat. “I missed you.”
George climbed off, and Levi immediately missed his body heat. Ginger and Sporty both came out of the brush, and Sporty jumped onto the ATV, too, trying to push Baby off his lap. Ginger headbutted George’s shin. George gently picked her up, and Levi’s heart fluttered at how sweet the pair looked together. Ginger had the loudest purr of the trio, and she filled the quiet air with her contentment and joy.
“I think the girls are happy to see us,” George said.
“Definitely. I owe them some treats for being away this long.” Levi freed his lap of wrestling cats and got off the ATV. He’d nearly tripped more than once walking to his home, because they wouldn’t stop weaving around his ankles. He didn’t bother locking the door right now because they were in the middle of nowhere with no tourists coming and going—plus Wes was walking over to feed the girls—so he went right inside.
George hesitated.
“Please, come in,” Levi said. “Welcome to my very humble abode.”
“I’ve never been inside a tiny house before.” George stepped inside, then put Ginger down. The trio of cats stared up at them expectantly.
“Feel free to explore. Everyone always wants to see the composting toilet.”
George chuckled. “I’ve heard of them but never seen one.”
“You have to get used to them. Oh, and if you don’t mind, will you remove your shoes? I’m not a clean freak or anything. It’s just something I’ve done since I got the place.”
“Of course. This is your house, your rules.” George put his sneakers on the small mat next to Levi’s boots, then began to poke around the simple living and kitchen space. The bathroom was beneath the lofted “bedroom,” which was little more than a queen-size mattress and built-in dresser for his clothes. Levi grabbed a bag of their favorite treats from a cabinet and offered a few to each of his girls. Then he sat on the floor and petted them for a while, enjoying their soft fur and excited purrs. Three beautiful little lives he’d had the great fortune to rescue from a box on the side of the road.
One of the reasons he’d chosen this particular home model was because the design turned the steps up to his loft into tiered shelves/cabinets that he used for storage. Plus, the litter box when they were traveling or experiencing bad weather. George ascended those steps carefully, one hand on the wall for balance because there was no rail. It had taken Levi a few weeks to get used to it, but the cats loved chasing each other up and down them.
George gazed around a moment, then sat on the top step to look out over the compact living space. “This is pretty cool. A house you can take anywhere you want.”
“That was the point. I missed the nomadic life I’d had with the rodeo. I wanted the freedom to just go where I could drive to, but I didn’t want to have to rely on motels.”
“Did you stay in a lot of motels with the rodeo?”
“Not very many. We had a bunch of RVs. I used to share one with Robin, my brother Xander and a guy named Petey. It was cramped but we loved what we did and we made it work. Although sometimes the sound of Xander and Robin fucking through a wall as thin as a bedsheet got to be a little much. But I think some of that was just me envying how in love they were.”