Chapter 4
Jack turned on the light in his dark and lonely house wishing he would have just done it. Why didn’t he just kiss the guy?
“Because you are a chicken shit.” Martin sat on the couch with his feet on the coffee table, a cute smirk on his face.
“I’m not afraid of him. It would be a waste of time. He’s leaving as soon as that house sells.”
Once Jack took off his hat and belt, put them in the bedroom then started unbuttoning his shirt. Martin was on the bed staring at him in that way he used to when Jack wouldn’t give in on something they were arguing about. Jack ignored it and took off his shirt throwing it in the hamper next to the dresser. Finally he couldn’t ignore him anymore.
“He’s not you.”
Martin was next to him then and Jack thought he could actually feel him. Martin’s head cocked to the side and he said, “No one will ever replace me but you don’t need another me. You need someone new.”
Jack nodded and walked away from the Martin his mind made and went to the kitchen to get a beer. Once he was sitting in his chair he thought about Rebel, his lips that were full and kissable, arms strong and lean that would look so good bound and those beautiful eyes that tried to hide so much but spoke volumes. Martin was right of course…or his own mind was. He wanted Rebel, and he wanted him more than he’d wanted anything for a long time.
When did he become so suffocated in loneliness? He hadn’t even noticed before but the house was too quiet and he missed the sound of another voice there. Not the one Martin used in his mind but a real live person to laugh with and talk to. He missed having someone to hold and kiss as well. He really missed fucking too and again he thought about how amazing Rebel would be on his knees begging for cock. How beautiful he would be while getting fucked. Jack rubbed his big erection through his jeans and put his head back on the chair.
He groaned and soon his pants were unbuttoned and his hand was around his hard shaft as he thought of Rebel’s tight little ass in the faded jeans he always wore. Jack’s grip tightened as he thought about the long forgotten shackles in his drawer and how hot they would look on Rebel’s wrists. Jack’s hand sped up as he jerked off thinking of someone who wasn’t Martin for the first time in nineteen years.
When he came it was Rebel’s face he saw and his body tensed so completely he stopped breathing for a minute but then he relaxed afterwards so completely he didn’t know if he would even make it to bed. Once he thought to try, he got up on legs made of rubber, made it through the house to the bedroom and tucked himself into bed. The last thought before sleep took him was of Rebel.
As soon as he woke up he remembered that he had to go get Rebel and he hurried to take a shower. Three years was a long time to mourn and maybe everyone was right. Maybe he could see himself moving on. The thought struck him in the chest as he stepped into the shower. Moving on…away from Martin. It scared him. He’d been in love with Martin since he was 19 years old. His entire adult life had been wrapped up in Martin. He didn’t know how to be without him.
“I’ll always be with you.”
Martin was under the water as soap suds slid over his muscled chest. The way it was muscled before the cancer ate away at him. Every single morning they took a shower together. It was their way of connecting before their long days apart and now that they were forever apart Jack felt all the more alone in the small tiled stall. There were no hands on him to wash his back and hair. There were no wet soapy kisses or quick hot sex. Just the water washing over him and reminding him that Martin was gone.
He turned off the faucet once he was finished and stepped out, suddenly smiling like a kid on Christmas morning. So, yeah he was always going have Martin. His heart was filled with the man. What he needed was his bed and mornings filled with a man with Rebel’s bright smile. He needed Rebel Marino and he knew that Rebel could leave; he knew it might not last but at least it would be a step forward. It would let him start to heal.
After dressing he went for coffee. The place was packed as usual but not his seat and he made his way over after shaking hands and greeting friends. He planned on making it a quick stop that morning so he could go pick up Rebel and talk to him about possibly getting together so he readied his cup for Deb to pour.
“Sheriff you do something different?” She asked while scrutinizing him.
Jack didn’t know what she could mean and Lonnie leaned over the table. “You do look funny.”
Even Carl got in on it as he said, “Yeah…funny. Like you just ate the canary. What happened Sheriff?”
Not able to believe that they sensed he had decided to end his self-imposed mourning period he just shrugged. “I just woke up, washed my ass and came for coffee.”
Carl smiled knowingly. “Maybe it was giving that young buck a ride last night. I saw his van at the bar and since you aren’t ordering a prisoner breakfast…”
“Yeah I gave him a ride home, and that is all, so drop it you nosy asshole! He was too pent up to drive,” Jack said defensively but never lost his smile.
Lonnie was shocked. “You took him home? He is a no-good bum Sheriff! Goes hitting on straight guys then beats them up for not letting him…well do things to them. Plain old no-good!”
Carl and Jack both looked at Lonnie, his tall lanky body hunched over the table as he stared at Jack in disbelief. Jack wanted to smack him for trusting the stupid rumors he knew were already flying. He calmed himself, though. Lonnie was a friend and he liked him too much to yell at the shy young man. “He didn’t start it and he wasn’t doing anything that Travis didn’t want until he got caught.” He said all of this low enough so the surrounding tables couldn’t hear and Lonnie looked perfectly miserable that the rumors weren’t true. Deb rubbed a hand on Lonnie’s shoulder then quickly moved away as Lonnie shot her a scathing look which she brushed off quickly.
Smiling, Deb finished filling his cup and gave him a little wink. “Well whatever it is I hope it works out for you.”
Lonnie looked at Deb and seemed dejected. Jack figured he thought that Deb was flirting with him but they should know that wasn’t true. She knew that he was gay just like most everyone in town. She should, she filled Martin’s cup every morning just like she did Jack’s before Martin got too sick to go to town. Jack gave Lonnie a pat on the arm and Lonnie looked away shyly. It was strange but he dismissed it as he was in a hurry. After a few rounds of talk about the government and the local weather coming in hard and fast in the next few days he got up and made his excuses. He wanted to get to Rebel’s and nothing else would stop him.
He made it to Mrs. Perry’s place at just after nine in the morning, When he pulled in he saw Rebel walking out of the garage brushing dirt from his pants. Rebel smiled and waved to him and Jack’s stomach did a flip in response. Fuck the man looked good, even with grease on his face and paint spatters on his shirt. Opening the door and getting out of the car, a smile took over his face and Rebel returned it. Rebel walked over to the car and once there he looked down. Oh fuck that submissive little gesture just made him all the more sure.
“Sheriff,” Rebel said with a smile in his voice.
The first time he hadn’t called Jack “Officer”. Progress!
“Rebel, I came to take you.”
Rebel glanced up at Jack’s choice of words then back down as his smile grew and he nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Good.” Over the door of the car Jack reached out, grabbing a handful of Rebel’s hair, pulled him in but didn’t kiss him. Their mouths were so close a piece of paper would have trouble fitting between them. Jack felt the quick huffs of breath coming through Rebel’s parted lips. Rebel’s eyes were still lowered but not closed and Jack said in a growl, “Look at me.”
Rebel looked up and Jack was caught in those seductive eyes for a moment before he closed his own and pulled Rebel the rest of the way in for a blistering hot kiss. It was slow and discovering, deep and lingering and it went on for a long time. The door was between them so their bodies’ couldn’t touch just their lips and tongues. Jack reached up and wrapped his other hand around Rebel’s neck, never letting his grip lessen on his hair.
Even in the kiss Jack could tell Rebel was submissive. He let Jack’s tongue control the kiss. Let his mouth take over the speed and intensity. For the first time in years Jack’s body was lit with impassioned arousal. Jack pulled back and let their mouth’s part. Jack’s arousal was spiked when a slight whimper came from the formerly smart assed man.
Rebel’s eyes were blurred, Jack could tell that by looking at him and Rebel smiled shyly. “Do you do everything that good Sheriff?”
Finally Jack stepped out from behind the door and took Rebel into his arms, kissing his bottom lip. He whispered against Rebel’s lips, “It’s been awhile but I think I still remember how.”
oooOooo
All night long he’d fought himself about the Sheriff but the second he was pulled in and that lusty voice had ordered him to look up into those dark blue orbs he was gone. All of the reasoning he’d done with himself about not sticking around and not needing some backwoods boyfriend getting in the way of his dreams went flying out of the window. The kiss had killed any reasoning he had left and the feelings his body was producing made him pant for more.
He felt like clay in Jack Colton’s strong hands and the second kiss which was hotter than the first, intensified that feeling. He knew then he was lost and he didn’t care to be found. Jack pulled back just a bit and took in a breath. “I’m on duty.”
Rebel felt the fucking glint in his eye. “So? I doubt there’s gonna be any big bank robberies or traffic jams.”
Oh fuck! The smile this guy had! It was warm and open. At least it seemed to be. He seemed to be. Not that Rebel bought into that but it was nice to live in the fantasy for a while.
“Fuck, believe me I would like to just take you in there and…well I’d rather show you than talk about it but I need to get you to your van and then get to the station. Can we meet later? I could make dinner and we could…I don’t know finish what we started now?”
Later? How much later and no he couldn’t fucking wait, his dick felt like the skin would split it was so hard but he played it cool. “Yeah later would be great.”
One more searing kiss that didn’t help his splitting cock problem and Jack stepped back to his cruiser and got in watching every move Rebel made. That in itself was intimidating. For fuck sake he didn’t get intimidated. He fought and he fucked but he didn’t get intimidated. For some reason this man was making him less like himself than he’d ever been and the biggest problem was…he was starting to like it.
As soon as they got to the road Rebel was looking out of the side window trying to calm his body some. He knew it was going to take every minute of the trip to make his cock go down but then, he felt a very strong hand on his thigh, right below his crotch. Right below it, as in Jack’s pinky finger was nestled against his balls. Without meaning to Rebel let out a tiny moan that he cut off fast making Jack laugh but not move his hand. Rebel turned his head but couldn’t look into those eyes again. He couldn’t because he would come in his pants like some horny adolescent.
A deep rumble of words made him swallow. “Rebel look at me.” It was a command, a very obvious command and who the fuck did this man think he was to order Rebel around? Didn’t matter how offended Rebel felt, he did just what he had been told and looked up to that face with the three day old beard and wisps of hair hanging out of his cowboy hat framing it. His eyes were on the road but Rebel had the overwhelming feeling he could still see even his slight movements or expressions.
He was right. “What is causing that face?”
Snorting out a laugh Rebel said, “No reason.”
Jack smiled that half smile of his that made Rebel want to drop to his knees and beg. “I would like to hear what you are feeling right now.” He rubbed his pinky a little over his balls. “I mean I can read what your body says pretty easily but I’m just as interested in the rest of you.”
This was new. Someone that wanted to know what he thought and how he felt. That was not happening though; he didn’t open himself up to anyone. “I’ll keep that to myself thanks.”
Jack bit his bottom lip while he kept his smile wide. “Ah your first limit to get past. Good to know.”
“Limit?” What the hell was Jack talking about? He didn’t have time to ask. The bar was coming up and as Jack turned into the parking lot they both saw the van. Bile rose up and then the anger followed. There was mud splattered all over it, both tail lights and headlights were broken and the seats were cut up. He could see that last from the open driver door. Jack looked at him for a split second before putting his hand firmly on Rebel’s chest.
“Don’t, Rebel. Don’t touch it for a minute alright? Let me see if there is any sign of who might have done this?”
Rebel’s eyes were blurred with the tears of rage gathering there and he pushed through Jack’s gentle barrier to go to his aunt’s van and once there he clenched his hands into fists and pounded them both down on the side. “Fuck!”
Jack’s calm demeanor wasn’t the thing he needed right then but it worked when Jack placed a soft grip on his shoulder and said, “I’ll find out who did this. I give you my word.”
Rebel looked at him like he was crazy and his insides turned with pain and confusion. “Your word? This is your town, your fucking people. When you do find out what are you going to do to them? Huh, what are you going to do big bad sheriff?”
Rebel got in and took the keys from his pocket. Shit there was even mud inside the fucking van and the bobble head Timothy Leary was now headless. He didn’t glance at Jack as he started the van and put it in gear but then he finally looked up as he was about to shut the door. Seeing the sheriff with a sympathetic look on his face was worse than mocking and he said, “Thanks but no thanks, Officer,” hoping to convey that his words included their getting together later. He pulled out and drove away.