“To hell, if we don’t change our ways?” He wasn’t going to be able to hold it together. Not at all.
“I don’t plan on changing my ways so I guess you might as well get the lighter fluid.”
Troy cracked up, managing to plug in the phone and get the GPS started. “Ta-da!”
“Ooh.” Saul was laughing hard enough even those strong shoulders were shaking. “Good to have, particularly if you’re asleep!”
“I’d just have to drive with my toes.” Wait. Did that even make sense?
“Hey.” Saul leaned close. “Close your eyes. What’s the worst that can happen? We sleep in the truck bed? I got this.” He got a quick kiss. “I do.”
“I trust you.” He did close his eyes, focusing on listening, relaxing. Focusing on Saul.
He felt the truck start to move. Saul turned the radio down low and just kept talking to him. “I want you to relax, boy. I want you to leave your job and your tough day behind. All you have to do for the next two days is breathe. Serve and breathe. You’re with me now.”
“Yes, Sir.” He focused on his breath, deep, full-belly inhalations, slow, steady exhalations.
“That’s it. Get some sleep.”
He reached out, hand finding Saul’s thigh, trailing as he sank deeper. He was aware of Saul fingers in his, tangling them together, as the song on the radio faded into the monotonous hum of the engine.
He woke up to the front of the truck dipping and bouncing, and blinked to clear his eyes in the dim light. Saul’s hand pressed into his chest. “All good. Almost there.”
“Mmm. Smells good out here. How you doing?” Troy stretched up tall, his back snapping and popping.
“Great. It was a gorgeous drive. Lots of time to let my mind wander. Did you have a good nap?”
“I did, thank you. I was wore.” And he felt refreshed, awake, and he actually was looking forward to their ‘weekend’.
Saul drove his truck carefully up the narrow, bumpy road and past a stand of trees. “I think this is it.”
The camp site was simple, isolated, and lovely—with a cleared space for a tent, a firepit, and battered picnic table.
“Looks like! It’s going to be chilly. We’ll have to snuggle tonight.”
“If we must.” The truck came to a stop, Saul shut the engine off and handed him back his keys. “I like how your truck drives.”
“Thank you.” He leaned close. “I appreciate the hell out of you driving. I was in a state.”
“You looked it. We’ll make it an early night.” He got a hug, but then Saul hopped out of the cab. “I’ll get started on the tent. You want to figure out a fire?”
“I’m on it.” He’d packed in a bunch of firewood, unloading about half of it so that he could get the fire going. Once he’d done that, he set up their chairs and pulled the cooler out.
The tent went up quick and Saul anchored it down like a pro, stretching the guy-lines out and marking them so they wouldn’t trip. “That looks totally comfy.” Saul hooked an arm around him. “Let me just get the sleeping gear, and then I’ll be ready to sit for a minute.”
“Sounds great. Would you like a drink? We have Cokes, beer, water.”
“Coke sounds good for now.” Saul pulled their sleeping bags from the truck and headed for the tent. “Man, I’m glad you reminded me to bring a jacket. I almost didn’t. I forget how much cooler it gets once the sun goes down.”
It was getting dark, but they’d gotten the complicated stuff set up. Dinner would be easy enough by lantern and firelight.
“We’re a hell of a lot higher, hmm?” He had blankets in the cab, so they were good.
“Yeah, I feel that a little too. You?” Saul zipped the tent closed and joined him at the fire, looping arms around him and nuzzling his neck. “Okay. We’re set up.”
“We are.” He leaned back, sighing with pleasure. “Happy Sunday, Sir.”
“Mmm.” Saul hummed in his ear. “Thank you, boy. It is now. I missed you last night.”
“Mmhmm. I dreamed about you.” All night long. He’d woken up hard as a rock.
“Not too tired to dream? I hope they were good.” A hand slid over his abs. “Do you need help with dinner?”
“I have stuff for burgers. Does that work for you?” Carter had let him grab the fixins for a couple days; he was damn lucky.
“Anything works. I’m more interested in you than dinner anyway.” Saul was just holding him, nothing more, and that somehow made those words seem more sincere.
“We should just have sandwiches. I brought some already made up.”
“Yeah. Simple dinner, beautiful night, campfire, and my arms around my boy. Sounds great to me.”
Troy leaned into him, humming deep in his chest and thanking God that he hadn’t canceled. This felt like balm for the soul.
Saul kissed his neck and then his temple. “I love a fire. I like watching the flames, I like how the wood hisses. It’s nice to just watch it, or poke at it, and soak in the heat. Fire is fascinating.”
“That’s why there’s a fireplace in the bedroom too. In the winters I can lay in bed and watch it forever.” Right now, though, his focus was on his Master, on the solid heat behind him.
“Now I’m looking forward to winter.” Saul gave him a squeeze and let him go. “Okay. Let’s eat before it gets even darker. I’ve got a lantern in my bag, I’ll grab it.”
“Sounds good to me.” He grabbed the turkey and provolone from the cooler, along with a bag of chips. It wasn’t glamping, but it totally didn’t suck.
Saul met him at the picnic table with the lantern. “You’ve been to this site before? Did you have to reserve it? Or is it just something you found?”
“I reserved it. I used to drive out here and go to the hot springs after. Beau Jo’s pizza, soaking, and mountains.” It had been magic. Maybe it still was.
“Oh wow. Let’s try that sometime.” Saul opened up one of the sandwiches and popped the top on his Coke. “When I come up, I usually figure out some way to get up to the mountains, bring a pack, and hike in. It’s handy having a truck.”
“I’ve hiked a bunch of these trails. I could spend a lifetime up here, I love Rocky Mountain National Park, but house payments and all…” Still, if he was rich, he’d go find himself a fourteener and build a cabin.
“If you spent a lifetime up here you wouldn’t have a house payment.” Saul winked at him and bit into the sandwich.
“Logic is totally overrated.” The sandwich was good, even a few hours later. Man, he made a fine bite of food.
“True. I wouldn’t want you thinking for yourself.” Saul gave him a wide grin. “I mean, thinking too hard.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good for you that I’m not the sharpest tack in the box then.” He was good at consistency—ride the bull for eight, cook the perfect pancake—but he wasn’t brilliant. That was okay. Steady was a good thing.
“I didn’t mean that, boy. I value who a person is way more than what they know. I was teasing my sub, was all. You’re more than sharp enough for me. Please. I have a degree, but I am clearly not smart enough to figure out how to use it.” Saul laughed.