“I know I said it before but I’m so sorry about Xander. I can’t imagine how devastated I’d be if something ever happened to Orry.”
“Thanks.” Levi’s throat didn’t tighten the way it normally did when he talked about his late brother. “It’s hard to believe it’ll be four years this Christmas Day.”
“I guess that’s a hard holiday for you, huh?”
“Yes and no.” He stroked Baby’s soft head. “I have hundreds of amazing Christmas memories from the first three decades of my life. And last year was a huge turning point for my grief, because I spent it here with Robin. The brother I’d missed. I fell in love with this land. The peace and the beauty.”
“How long do you think you’ll stay?”
Levi didn’t miss the subtle tremble in George’s question. He looked up and held George’s gaze. “I don’t know. I love trick riding and I love working at the ghost town with Robin. Shawn’s great. Everyone who works here, be it the ghost town or the ranch, is great.”
“But?”
“No but.” He didn’t like that they were having this conversation so far apart but if this made George feel comfortable, Levi wouldn’t complain. “Sometimes I get itchy feet. A rolling stone gathers no moss and all. I’d actually hoped to spend some of the ghost town’s down time traveling a bit. Seeing more of Northern California.”
“Shit, I wrecked those plans.”
“Hardly.” Levi pulled Sporty off his lap and went up three steps. Sat. “Ginger getting hurt put those plans off, and I do not regret being here with you right now. Not even a tiny bit. You have been a breath of fresh air in my life George, not a burden. Never a burden.”
Ginger darted up the steps and climbed onto George’s lap.
“I think someone else has gotten attached, too,” Levi added.
George swallowed hard, his expression softening. “I’ve gotten a bit attached myself.”
They weren’t talking about the cat anymore, and George was too close to a comfortable mattress. Levi needed to be the mature one and keep his ass where he was, but George licked his lips and Levi had to taste them again. To remember what it felt like to kiss George. He avoided stepping on Sporty during his ascent of the steps. George eased Ginger off his lap and scooted a bit to the side so Levi could sit next to him.
Levi cupped his cheek in one palm, arousal heating his blood. An abundance of naked emotions shined in George’s eyes. “I didn’t ask you here to seduce you, George.”
George rested a hand on Levi’s thigh. “Maybe I came here because I want you to seduce me.”
“George.”
“Not all the way. Not this soon, but I trust you, Levi. I’m attracted to you, and I’ve never felt this way about a guy before. I just...want to feel good with you. Make me feel good?”
How was a guy supposed to say no to such a sweetly asked question? “If I do anything you don’t like, tell me and I’ll stop.”
“I promise.”
Levi swooped in before George finished speaking, and the sweet taste of George was back on his lips. His tongue. George fisted the front of Levi’s shirt and hauled him closer—as if Levi was going anywhere. Levi made sweet love to George’s mouth while careful to keep his hands from slipping below George’s shoulders. He loved the thickness of George’s hair and the soft noises he made in his throat as they kissed. Needy noises that went straight to Levi’s dick, but he wasn’t going to push anything on George.
George’s free hand dropped to Levi’s hip and squeezed, reminding Levi which part of his body was not getting any friction right now. “Anything...you...want...George,” Levi said between kisses.
That wandering hand circled forward and squeezed Levi’s erection. Levi nearly bit George’s tongue from the bold move and amazing sensation of a hand on his dick. Ginger ruined the moment by jumping into Levi’s lap. She bumped against George’s hand, and they both laughed as they drew back.
“Someone’s protective,” George teased.
“Of you or of me? Silly girl. We’re a little busy right now.”
Ginger purred.
“I never expected my first time to be cockblocked by a cat,” George said with an impish smile.
“Around these parts, you’ve got to learn to expect the unexpected.” Levi glanced at George’s impressively tented crotch. “Do you want to lie down on the bed with me? It’s a lot easier to cuddle than sitting on these steps.”
“Okay.”
Levi rose first, unable to fully stand in the short space, then offered George his hand. George took it and held tight for the few brief steps it took to reach the mattress. They stretched out together, facing each other, and Levi pulled a pillow down for them to share. He nuzzled his nose against George’s, adoring the innocent smile on George’s face. The eagerness, too. The face of someone who truly wanted to have a new experience, and he wanted it with Levi.
I don’t deserve such a precious gift.
Maybe he didn’t deserve it but he would absolutely take care with it.
“I kind of feel like a teenager again,” Levi said. “Sneaking off into another boy’s bedroom.”
George rested his hand on Levi’s hip. “I wish I knew what that feels like but this is also pretty damned amazing. Being here with you. You make me feel so many things, Levi.”
“I’m going to have fun making you feel a whole lot more.”
“Bring it on.”
Levi brought it by easing George on to his back and sliding half his taller, broader body on top of him. Inserting his leg between George’s so his erection rode Levi’s thigh. Levi’s rode George’s, too, and George let out a soft gasp. Thrust up once in a way that made Levi want to skip foreplay and simply slide his dick home. But he wouldn’t. Couldn’t. He wanted to show George all the possible ways for them to pleasure each other before crossing that border—if George wanted to go there with him.
“You are so beautiful,” Levi whispered. “Not just physically but your soul. Your heart. Your trust is a gift, and I thank you for it.”
“I love the weird way you talk sometimes.”
“It took me a long time and a lot of bad choices before I learned the true value of trust and kindness. I want to shower you with both.”
George’s eyes went adorably half lidded. “Shower away.”
“I will. One step at a time.”
Levi did his favorite thing and made love to George’s mouth with long, leisurely strokes of his tongue. Mimicking how he’d adore making love to George’s body one day. If they went that far. Levi wouldn’t dare presume at such an early stage. When he first presented the vacation vouchers to George, he had never imagined being at this point so quickly. But Clean Slate Ranch was a magical place, and George was blossoming under her big blue sky and vast, rolling lands.