Tougher to Love

Diana DeRicci

Published by Purple Sword Publications

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are

fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and

persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Any trademarks,

service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be

the property of their respective owners, and are used only for

reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms

are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book

in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a

copyright violation.

TOUGHER TO LOVE

© 2011 DIANA DERICCI

ISBN 978-1-61292-029-0

Cover Art Layout by Anastasia Rabiyah

Image DWS Photography

Edited By Traci Markou

Dedication:

First, I want to thank and dedicate this book to my readers. I love

to write, but sharing my stories with readers who understand the

characters and enjoy their tales is priceless. Second, I really must

give much love and kudos to my publisher. Traci, you rock the

cosmos.

I hope that everyone gets to walk in the sunlight and be happy in

their life. Reading and writing these stories is a little snapshot of

that sunlight for all of us.

Chapter One

Bleary sunlight warmed Ian Cravelle‟s bedroom. Stretching

his arms over his head, he retracted that thought. His room was as
cold as an icebox. A well-lit icebox. Stupid heater. He‟d have to go
beat it up again, show the ancient contraption who ruled. Though as

time went on between them, he was beginning to suspect it really
wasn‟t him.

A solid knocking on his door dragged him the remaining way

out of sleep. Stumbling, he reached for the robe at the end of the
bed. He cursed under his breath. It had to be thirty below. A shiver

danced down his back as frigid currents shrouded his sleep-warmed
skin with goose bumps. He wrapped the flannel up tight, not caring
if it made him look like an old fart or not. Walking his way into his

house shoes, he obeyed the summons of the repeated knocking,
rubbing a hand over the scruffy sign of his beard along the way. He
only hoped whoever needed him this damn badly at this hour

wasn‟t expecting him to rise and shine. Anyone who knew him,
knew better.

Standing at the door, he tossed the bolt and unlocked it.

Inching it open, he blinked, lifting a hand to cover a yawn.

“Uncle Ian!”

“Oomph!” He staggered a step as arms cinched his waist with

a steel grip.

Ian raised his head and snagged on bright blue eyes and a

not too pleased smile, as though the man in uniform had tasted
something rather bitter. “Do you know this young lady?”

Ian swallowed, hunting for his voice. He found it cowering

deep in his throat. “Terror? Terra? What are you doing here?”

Sobs wrenched her shoulders. He put a comforting arm

around her out of reflex.

“What‟s going on?” Ian finally found the wherewithal to ask,

not caring who had the answer.

“This young lady was found this morning loitering by a

church. She gave this address as her home.”

Glancing down, he realized she was barely dressed. A long

sleeved shirt and jeans, but no jacket or socks. “Terror?” She
trembled like a newborn colt in his arms.

“I can‟t go home, Uncle Ian,” she whispered with cracks in

the words. “Striker kicked me out.”

“Say what?” he snapped.

The officer crossed his arms. A swirl of wind raised the hem

of Ian‟s robe and reminded him that it was freezing, colder than a

witch‟s tit outside. “Okay, come inside. Officer?”

Those blue eyes hadn‟t blinked once. At least not that Ian

saw. “Drew. Officer Drew.”

Ian nodded. “Let me get some coffee and go beat the sh—

beat the heater into working again. You‟re welcome to come in and

get a cup and an answer or two.”

“Believe me, I wasn‟t leaving without at least the last part of

that offer.”

Ian twisted his head, hearing his neck pop. Officer Drew‟s

expression went to perplexed then blank in the twitch of an eye.

Gratefully, it was still early enough in the morning, no one

had come out to see why a Sheriff‟s cruiser was sitting in front of
Ian‟s house. “Come on, Terra. Let‟s get you warmed up.” Once

everyone was inside, Ian closed the door and locked it. Keeping
Terra close, he led her and her escort to the kitchen. “Sit. I‟ll be
right back.” She nodded, misery and a near hopefulness in her

expression. “You can too, Officer Drew. Give me five minutes and a
conversation with Cantankerous and I‟ll get that coffee started.”

Drew‟s response was a curt nod, though he remained on his

feet with his arms crossed over his chest. Shaking his head, Ian
returned to his bedroom to swiftly dress in thick fleece, running

through his morning routine in probably less than three minutes,
with two minutes to go to the basement. Opening the heater shell,
he pulled, tugged, kicked and cursed, then shoved the reworked

wires back into place, bypassing the latest casualty, a fried fuse.
He‟d been replacing them like light bulbs, one after another.

Flipping the power off, he counted to five and then gave it the juice.
At first, he thought the old beast had finally given up the ghost—of
course, in the dead of winter to be spiteful—but a heartbeat later, a

clank was followed by a rattled hum, though it sounded more like a
diesel engine in the confines of the basement.

“Thank you, you pile of scrap.” Sighing, he marched up the

stairs and shut the basement door. That heater was older than he
was, but they had a long history and he just hadn‟t been able to do

the old bastard in…yet. But this looked like it was going to be the
winter it pushed him too hard. Before passing his bedroom, he
detoured inside and grabbed the top quilt off his bed.

“It‟ll take about half an hour, but it‟ll cut the freeze off at

least,” Ian said, walking into the kitchen. He settled the blanket
over Terra‟s shoulders to help her warm up.

Two sets of eyes watched him get the coffeepot filled and

gurgling. He turned and leaned against the counter, crossing his

arms to fully take in his fourteen year-old niece. Officer Drew had
taken up his own position on the opposite side of the table.

“Okay, tell me why Striker kicked you out and why you were

out in this freeze.”

Terra hiked her shoulders, gripping the quilt between tight

fingers, her short black hair straight as a board and shaggy, to fall
around her ears and over her eyes. A streak of deep blue to the side
of a temple added to her own style.

“Mama was drunk,” she whispered.
Ian flinched. His sister was not going to win any parenting

awards. He adored his niece, and tried to be there for Maria, but
Striker was like a bad fix to a coke addict. Six months she‟d been
with that sleaze ball and now her only daughter was huddling on the

steps of a church with four feet of snow on the ground.

Her dark brown eyes dropped. “Striker thought I should earn

my keep. I fought him.” Her voice was dropping, a whisper of

sound. “He kicked me out.”

Ian tensed, then forcefully released his jaw. A second later,

he sank to a knee in front of her. He knew what was coming but had
never anticipated it happening in his world, to someone in his
family. “Terra, did he touch you?”

He saw a haze of red when she nodded stiffly. Ian should

have been surprised, but he wasn‟t. He‟d hated Striker on sight,
knew he was bad to the bone and not in any way the Thorogood

song portrayed a badass. That mofo was just a gene step from slime.

He kept his voice low and soothing with a herculean effort,

because the one person he wanted to maim wasn‟t there and the
fury boiling inside of him would only frighten the girl more. “Did he
hurt you?”

She twitched and he noticed the way her fingers were curling

around her ribs. He thought she‟d been hugging herself for comfort,
holding the blanket snug. He was beginning to get a different

suspicion now.

“Terra, stand up for me.” Shaking, she did. “Lift your shirt so

I can see.”

“He‟ll blame me,” she choked out, looking down at the floor.
“Terror, you know that won‟t happen. We have an officer

right here who is seeing this.” He glanced toward the silently
observant man across the table. He hadn‟t moved nor spoken since
Ian had walked into the kitchen. A single nod of mutual agreement

showed they were on the same page. A scowling frown was
deepening the grooves above his eyes.

A flicker of blue, an icy color, told Ian all he needed to know.

The cop wasn‟t unfamiliar with the scenario.

“Just enough to let us see where he hit you,” he gently

prodded.

Weaving her arms lower, she let the blanket fall to the chair,

then clutched the lower part of her shirt and lifted it over her ribs
and above her waist to expose her back. A slow hiss was the only
sign of Ian‟s rage. Black and blue bruising was beginning to darken

her torso where obvious belt strikes welted her skin.

“I think this changes a few things, Officer Drew,” Ian said

through a tight jaw. “All right, you can let it down.” With a thankful
whoosh of air she did, retaking her chair without meeting anyone‟s
gaze.

Ian turned to the counter, gathering cups along with his

thoughts. He poured, giving himself time not to snarl. He couldn‟t
believe his sister had allowed this, but what did he know about what

she‟d been up to the last few months? He‟d barely seen her over
Christmas, and he‟d avoided her because of the scumbag she‟d

taken up with. He rolled his shoulders in shame. He‟d been turning
a blind eye and his niece was paying the price.

Time to step up. For Terra, he knew he could without a single

hesitation. “She‟s a minor, and as her next of kin, I‟ll take her in.”
He filled three mugs, placing them before the two at the table. Milk
and sugar followed. Holding the last mug, he faced the man across

the table. “I also want to press charges and get my sister the help
she needs.”

“I can help with that,” Officer Drew replied solemnly. “Terra?

I‟m going to go get my camera and computer. I need to make an
official report and I‟ll have to take pictures.”

She trembled, but managed a thin, “Okay.” She dumped a

huge spoonful of sugar into her coffee, stirred then sipped. She
grimaced but didn‟t let it dissuade her.

When the cop had left, Ian tugged a chair close and sat at her

side. “Terra, did he rape you?”

She winced, but shook her head. “It‟s why he beat me and

kicked me out. I wouldn‟t make it easy enough for him.”

Lifting a hand, he swept fallen hair out of her eyes. “I‟m

sorry, Terror. How long has this been happening?”

“About two weeks. Mama‟s been…” She faltered, sipped, then

stared at her mug. “Not sober enough and it‟s been pissing him off.”

“And last night…” He knew she‟d have to answer the same

questions, and with a lot more detail, but he had to hear it for

himself. Because when he confronted the fucker, he wanted to have
the reasons for killing him down to the letter. Purposefully, he

unclenched the fisted hand on his thigh, feeling blood reach his
fingertips again.

“He did something to Mama. She didn‟t wake up yesterday

morning, or she was too hung-over. He wouldn‟t let me talk to her
before school. I haven‟t seen her since Wednesday,” she quietly
admitted.

“Shit,” he breathed. “Wait here.”
He didn‟t jump from the chair but he moved like a fire was

under his ass just the same. Shooting outside, he ran for the patrol
car. “I need you to do a resident check at my sister‟s house. I think
her boyfriend may have hurt her. Terra hasn‟t seen her mother in

three days.”

Officer Drew was already reaching for the radio to make the

request before he‟d finished speaking. Ian leaned on the roof of the

car, his heart hammering with a dull thud into his ribs. He rested
limp against the car‟s frame with his eyes covered by a forearm. He

gave the address and waited.

“It‟ll take some time for them to get out there.”
The calm voice penetrated his worry and fear, making Ian lift

the dead weight of his head. “Just let me know what they find. I had
no idea it was this bad.”

“Family rarely does.” An urging motion had Ian stepping

back, giving the officer room.

Ian studied the other man as he stooped and palmed the

necessary items. He was broad in the shoulders, though getting a
better idea of what else wasn‟t easy beneath a winter uniform
jacket. The man had piercing blue eyes and midnight black hair

with a hint of gray peppered throughout. Ian typically wasn‟t
agreeable with law enforcement—they were usually harassing him
for his ride, or the leather. Or any other number of fictitious

infractions that they could nail him for.

Ian wasn‟t a law breaker, just a plain working man, but add a

Harley, black leather and a few marks on his record and he
suddenly became a rebel without a cause.

When the man before him straightened, he held out a card.

“In case you‟re thinking of trying to find this asshole yourself, don‟t.
I‟ve seen that look before too,” he cautioned. “If anyone gets thrown

in jail, odds are against you and then Terra will be homeless, so
don‟t do it.”

Ian twisted to stare at the house. The man made sense, as

much as Ian hated it. He took the card, reading. “What‟s the C. for?”

“Caleb.”
A good, strong name. “He deserves—”
“What he deserves will be delivered by the justice system and

the grace of God,” he interrupted smoothly. “Not a lone man with a
vengeful streak.” Caleb studied him in contemplative quiet. “You
don‟t strike me as the kind of man who does foolish things. Don‟t

start with this.”

Turning away, Officer Drew strode up the walk and into Ian‟s

house to question his niece.

Ian hung to the sidelines as Terra answered a long list of

detailed questions. He had been right about hearing them again,

and what she would have to answer. He‟d been questioned a few
times himself over his lifetime. It was never easy.

When it was time to take the pictures, Ian left them in the

kitchen. He couldn‟t stand to see those bruises again and not want
to beat the living shit out of the asshole responsible. Searching

through his clothes, he found items that Terra could wear until they
could get her sorted out and living with him. At least he had spare
bedrooms.

Holy Terror. That had been her nickname from about two

and a half to seven. Then Terror just stuck. With sweatpants that he
knew would be too long and a heavy shirt that likely would drape

over her smaller frame set out, he‟d let her do what she needed to
do, take a shower or just sleep for the next few days. He also found

his pain reliever in the medicine cabinet and left it on the sink edge
for her to find.

“All done?” Ian called, not wanting to just barge in.

“Finished.”
He had to admit, he liked Caleb‟s cool drawl. Slow.

Purposeful. The kind of man who could be explosive deep down.

Scratching his chin he realized he‟d never even shaved. Entering the
kitchen, he found them at the table, Terra nursing a fresh cup of

coffee and Officer Drew signing forms. He paused though when the
radio at Caleb‟s shoulder squawked.

“Go ahead.” He released the converse button.

A voice crackled then came through loud and clear. “There‟s

no contact at Chalmers Street.”

“Any sign of recent activity?”

“Negative.”
“Ask him if there‟s a blue car in the driveway.” Terra bit her

lip.

Caleb relayed the question.

“Affirmative. Four-door sedan.”
Terra‟s fingers tightened on her mug and she raised a

frightened look to Ian. “That‟s Mom‟s car. If it‟s there, she‟s there.

She doesn‟t ride in the winter, period.” Ian nodded. He knew that
about his sister. “She has to be there.”

Efficient and calm, Caleb gave the orders to do a full search.

With a shared glance, they both knew what they‟d find, and what
Ian prayed they wouldn‟t.

* * * *

Caleb stood on Ian‟s front porch a few hours later. He let out

a crystallized breath, then knocked. This was going to be hard.
Terra was the age of his own young niece. Now she was a child with
no parent.

Ian opened the door, and with a look, a silent conversation

that happened in the blink of an eye, the man knew. He paled and

shook, his brown eyes closing for a moment in shock. His hand
tightened where he held the door ajar, whitening the skin of his
knuckles. Harsh breaths rocked his chest until he could stand

straight. Stiffening his spine, he focused on Caleb then opened the
door wider. “Come in.”

Once inside, Caleb reached and brushed his fingertips to

Ian‟s elbow. “I‟m sorry.” Sorrow filled his brown eyes. It didn‟t
matter how long Caleb had been a cop, he knew that pain and knew

it cut deep.

Ian led the way to the kitchen and motioned for Caleb to

wait. He did as Ian vanished around the corner of the small home.

The murmur of voices reached him. He stuffed his hands into his
pockets.

The girl he‟d found huddled on the church grounds looked

like she was walking around in her daddy‟s clothes. Ian was a tall
man, fairly stocky and broad, like himself. Terra‟s black hair was

shaggy and loose. Caleb could see the family resemblance between
them with the dark looks, and unfortunately, the shared uncertainty
they both wore on their faces.

Faint smudges under her eyes proved the strain of the last

few days. She hadn‟t wanted to go to the emergency room, though

he‟d more than suggested it. She swore it hadn‟t gone that far. Caleb
doubted she was lying, but it was hard not to want to make sure.

“Why don‟t you sit down?” Caleb said when they stood at the

table.

She pulled out a chair and sank onto it. Ian stood at her

shoulder.

“I‟m sorry, Terra. We searched the house and…” Caleb lifted

to catch Ian‟s dulled gaze. Locking on the teenager, he said in a flat
monotone, “Your mother is dead. The officers found her in her
room.”

Terra‟s eyes welled up like a faucet had been turned on. “No!

She can‟t be.” Ian‟s hand formed to her shoulder when she tried to

lurch from the chair. Her entire body trembled. “She was there!
You‟re lying!”

Ian kept her in the chair. When Caleb didn‟t move, didn‟t

push back, she crumpled.

Caleb would spare her the harder details, but he knew Ian

would want to know, had a right to know what they‟d found. A

warrant was already posted for Striker, AKA Jimmy Loweson. With
the evidence found at the house and the abuse he‟d delivered to

Maria‟s daughter, he was a wanted man.

Terra buried herself into her hands, racking sobs brittle in

the tense quiet of the kitchen. Ian reached behind him and opened a

drawer. With a hand towel in his fingers, he offered it to Terra. She
bawled into it, gasping and crying.

“I am sorry, Terra.” Caleb noted the tight lines around Ian‟s

mouth, the white around the bridge of his nose. Anger glittered like
ice in his eyes. Answering the questions in those damning eyes, he

explained, “There‟s a warrant for his arrest. He‟s being charged with
murder and aggravated assault.” His tone left the there’s more
unsaid.

Ian didn‟t speak, walking around the table. Caleb followed,

his job done.

“Finish it,” Ian demanded. He had shaved, exposing the hard

line of his jaw, the blunt angle of his cheekbones, and a scar that
could have only come from a fistfight.

“Striker was running drugs. Maria died of an overdose and

alcohol poisoning. If she didn‟t have a problem before, he made
sure she did.”

“Oh, God.” Ian wavered on his feet. Caleb loosened his hands

in his pockets in case Ian swayed too much, but the man regained
himself. Ian‟s voice was thick when he spoke. “No, she didn‟t, but I

knew Striker was bad for her.” Bleak eyes. Hollow eyes. They tore at
Caleb. “Had she been beaten?”

He nodded.
Ian jerked away, swallowing. “How long… Do you know

when…” His voice trailed off, his eyes drawing closed, waiting for
the answer.

“At least twenty-four hours.”

Ian‟s shoulders caved. A raw sob struck. A shaking hand

covered the lower half of his face then scrubbed downward. Terra
had still been home then. Her mother had been murdered and she,

thankfully, hadn‟t been aware. Caleb knew Ian was just grateful
she‟d come to him, that she was safe. “I haven‟t talked to her in

almost a month.” A snarl slashed Ian‟s face. Narrowed eyes pinned
Caleb. “You better find that fucker first, Drew.”

“We will.”

Chapter Two

Ian was numb. Maria was gone. Terra‟s mother, his older

sister. He went through the motions of closing her life, his heart

bleeding as it healed. Gathering her property. Signing as Terra‟s
guardian. Days turned into cold, bitterly cold, weeks.

Their parents were gone, which only left him and his niece.

While he didn‟t proclaim it, he knew why he was alone, why he‟d
never married. He‟d tried to do the normal thing, the expected
relationship, but got out before it was too late to stop the

catastrophe that loomed like a bad highway ad sign. He could see it
coming for miles, but hadn‟t wanted to acknowledge it, or admit it.

Ian touched, kissed—hell, fucked—like it was a chore. Nearly

twenty years before, he did what was expected. He hadn‟t known
any different. Then he‟d met Danny. He was the one who‟d shown

Ian the light, made it imperative that he break up with the girl he‟d
been dating. Oh, he‟d hurt her, Ian knew he had. It couldn‟t be
helped under the circumstances.

It wasn‟t every day a man took out his girl to break up, only

to tell her the truth, or a near truth. No, he hadn‟t been in love with

her, but after an explosive weekend with Danny, he also knew he‟d
never be able to look at a woman the same way again.

Young and able to sow his oats the way he‟d wanted, that had

been Danny. Ian had been in his early twenties, and had only had
three girlfriends up to then. The first he lost his virginity to, the
second had broken up with him, which had been more of a relief

than he‟d let on at the time. Even then, he was beginning to wonder
just what was wrong with him, why he couldn‟t enjoy their bodies

more, enjoy their femininity more. He‟d honestly wondered if there
was something really wrong with him. The third girlfriend proved
all the arguments and accusations he‟d heard up to then correct.

Three girlfriends and two boyfriends. He‟d been alone for the

last eight years. He wasn‟t some pussy-footed beach comber. He
wasn‟t a fashion parade walking through Times Square. Ian was a

mechanic, working hard for the money he made, an honest wage to
pay his mortgage and keep food on the table in a town where jobs

were hard to find. The kind of town where smart kids left after
graduation.

Because Jasper sure wasn‟t ready for a gay man. Definitely

not an out gay man.

Maria hadn‟t even known. No one did. A man‟s business was

private, and Ian liked it kept that way. The boyfriends he‟d had

weren‟t from town, and he never brought them home. Ian had met
Danny on a ride. There were gay men in riding clubs, and some

were even able to live openly with whomever they wanted, a
significant other. A partner.

Just thinking about it sent a shiver of apprehension down

Ian‟s spine. Danny had been young and nearly sparkled, he was so
full of life. A couple years younger than Ian, he‟d practically seduced

Ian out of his socks.

The age of enlightenment had hit. Danny may have been

young, but he‟d also been smart, and for his age, wise. They‟d stayed

in contact for almost a year, then Danny said he‟d met someone and
wanted to try for something a little deeper than a weekend

sleepover. Ian had let him go without a grudge.

Sipping his coffee at the kitchen table, he managed a gentle

smile, remembering the other man. He‟d certainly filled out leather

chaps in phenomenal ways. It had been a few years later when he‟d
met Becker. They had lasted a little less than six months, but again,
he refused to bring it home, and Becker had left him in the dust.

Ian had resigned himself to a life of solitude and the

occasional burst of familial bonding when Maria had needed him.

Setting the mug before him on the table, he rubbed stiff

fingers into dry eyes. Except now, there was no more of even that.
And there was Terra to think about. His holy terror. He could still

remember her with wild, inky black pigtails and a gap-toothed grin
that melted even the hardest heart. The last thing he would do
would be to expose his Terror to that. She didn‟t need another

apocalyptic moment in her life.

Spring was almost on them, the snow finally melting. He

didn‟t mind the snow, hated the sludge. Terra was back in school.
They were both dealing, both healing, mostly. Watching the sun
come up on a Saturday morning felt almost normal. He rarely slept

late on the weekends because his internal clock wouldn‟t let him.
He didn‟t enforce a schedule with Terra. He knew she needed
whatever sleep she could get.

A light knock on his door broke into his thoughts. Scooting

away from the table, he rose to answer it. The man on the other side

surprised him.

“Officer Drew. What can I do for you?” A glance beyond his

shoulders proved the rest of the neighborhood was just as slow to

start their Saturday as he was. No one was out yet.

“Caleb this morning. Not on duty.” He shrugged his

shoulders, his hands stuffed into his light jacket. The heavy winter

parka wasn‟t in sight. “Came to see how you and Terra were doing.”
Lashes lowered to hide those sky blue eyes. “Can I come in?”

“Uh, sure.” Ian stepped back and shut the door behind the

other man. “Coffee?”

“I‟d love some.”
Ian led the way, Caleb following. For such a large man, he

had a very silent step.

He motioned to the table but Caleb leaned on the counter

close by instead.

Ian studied him. “Does this have to do with Striker?”

Caleb shook his head. “Honestly, it‟s personal.”
“How‟s that?” Ian poured him a hot cup of coffee and handed

it over. He blew on it then took a drink, straight and black.

“It breaks every rule, but I wanted to see how Terra was.”
Ian waited, but Caleb didn‟t look up again.

“Why?” He palmed his coffee after topping it off, leaning on a

hip against the same counter.

“We‟re not supposed to do what I‟m about to do,” he uttered.

“Or what I know I‟ve done.” Caleb grimaced, then finally met Ian‟s
searching, claiming his entire focus. “She‟s the same age as my

niece, Rebecca. I just wanted to know that she‟s okay. I could see
Becky in her, and it scared the shit out of me.”

“She‟s healing, inside and out. Striker‟s bruises are gone,” he

explained quietly.

“I‟m glad for that. Did she ever get checked out?”
“Yeah.” Ian swept a hand over his shortened hair. He‟d

finally dragged his ass down for a haircut. “I managed to convince
her. God only knows what cesspool that fuck had been dipping in.

She‟s fine.” Not a virgin, but at least it hadn‟t been taken from her.
He‟d be the last to berate her for being wild. Since her mother‟s
death, she‟d been very subdued, actually focusing on her

schoolwork. Ian knew she was avoiding her feelings, but he‟d
helped as much as he knew how. There were options available for
her. Faith in her kept him from pushing too hard. She was a

resilient young lady. He just hoped she didn‟t lose herself
completely while hiding from the pain.

Caleb grunted behind his cup, sipping his coffee with a single

hand still in a pocket. He had broad hands, work rough with blunt
nails, his fingers curled around the black ceramic. Standing that

close to the other man, Ian discovered the scent of warmed skin,
and the spiced bite of aftershave. Not strong, but it had been a long
time since he‟d been close enough to another to notice anything of

the sort. Ian swallowed a drink of his coffee, surprised at the sudden
rush of heat surging through his body. That hadn‟t happened in a

coon‟s age.

Breathing through his nose to bury his senses in the aroma of

black Arabica beans, he pushed it down.

* * * *

Caleb didn‟t want to make a nuisance of himself by

overstaying his welcome, but he couldn‟t bring himself to just gulp
and leave now that he‟d done what he‟d intended with the visit.

He‟d been telling the truth about his concern for Terra. Those big
brown eyes were Becky through and through. The more he‟d tried to

forget, the more he‟d worried, and worrying about her only brought
her uncle to the forefront larger than life.

He wasn‟t ashamed. Caleb had run a background check on

Ian, from his current records to high school. He‟d wanted to know
about Ian, and with the warrant still hot for Striker, he‟d done his
job. The lie was that he‟d been doing it solely with Terra‟s safety in

mind. The reasoning he‟d used with his superiors was to ensure
there wasn‟t any tie between Ian and Striker. Once he‟d learned Ian

had a record, he‟d had to follow through to eliminate any question
of collusion. That had taken less than three hours of record
searching.

The man had kept his nose clean for more than ten years,

except for a few minor skirmishes that had only seemed to put him
in the wrong place at a bad time in his early twenties. Jasper wasn‟t

huge, mostly a farming community with families that had been
there since the dawning of the dark ages. Caleb had filled a position

on the small town force by request, word of mouth, five months
before. The chief of police had known someone, who was a friend of
another, who knew Caleb. Where he ended up made little difference

to him.

He had his two brothers, and their families, within a few

hours‟ drive. Seeing Becky over Christmas, then Terra‟s mother‟s

murder and the beating she‟d been given had reminded him all too
easily that the size of the town didn‟t matter. Bad things happened

everywhere, to everyone.

Caleb had worked in Chicago, then Des Moines until he

found himself in Jasper. But now that he stood in the kitchen beside

Ian, he couldn‟t bring himself to rush his way back out the door.

The scuff of socked feet had him glancing upward and

landing on a bedraggled Terra.

She stuttered to a stop, her eyes widening.
“It‟s okay, Terra,” Ian said. “He just stopped by to say hi.”

Terra nodded, her watchful gaze flickering between the two

of them.

“How are you?” Caleb followed her.
She rolled a shoulder, not facing them. “Fine.” Opening the

pantry, she then reached for a box of cereal.

A glance at Ian earned him a shrug. “She‟s a teenager,” he

whispered. Lifting the coffeepot, he offered more.

“If you don‟t mind the company,” Caleb said, giving Ian an

out to shove him through the door, politely.

“Nope.”

“Um, Uncle Ian?”
Ian shifted to gaze in her direction. “Yeah, Terror?”
“I need to go to the library. Book report.”

Ian nodded. “Sure. Just let me know when you‟re ready.”
A mumbled thanks and she set up her breakfast, box and all

to zone out, away from the adults.

Ian topped off their mugs then led them out of the kitchen to

the living room. Caleb guessed he‟d been in that house for years,

maybe it had even been left to him. It was reminiscent of the one-
level shaker homes in the area, wide open with large windows and
spacious rooms. He didn‟t have a lot of furniture to fill it, so the

wood flooring dominated the rooms.

“Ever get your heater replaced?”
Ian chuckled, motioning to a rocker. He claimed the stuffed

recliner, making himself comfortable. “No, we made it through
another winter. I‟ll have to do something about it this summer. I

doubt it‟ll manage another.”

“How is she holding up? How are you?”
Ian‟s rising hand slowed, but he slurped a bit to let it lower.

“We‟re managing. She‟s talked to the counselor at school once or
twice. Maria didn‟t have anything left over after the debts were
covered. The car is in the garage for Terra when she‟s sixteen. That

much was paid for.”

“Have you talked to anyone about it?” Caleb leaned with his

elbows on his knees, asking gently. The movement brought him
fairly close to Ian.

“No. Just waiting for the word that Striker has been caught.

Will she have to ID him?”

“No.”

Ian‟s shoulders rolled. “That‟s good. I don‟t want to keep

dragging her back to what happened to her if I don‟t have to. I want

her to heal.”

Caleb reached and settled a hand above Ian‟s knee. “She‟s a

smart girl, Ian. Tough. She was scared the morning I found her and
probably lost, being in pain.”

Almost instantly, Caleb realized what he‟d done, felt the hard

strength of Ian‟s thigh as he flexed under Caleb‟s braced palm.
Soaked up the heat of jean covered skin through his palm. Ian had
solid thighs, long legs. He knew the man owned a Harley. Caleb bet

he made a sexy, imposing sight on it. If men gawked unashamedly
at women in public, then he was just as guilty, though quietly, for

doing it with men.

He removed his hand, though he fought not to yank it away.

Not because he hadn‟t wanted to do that, but because he‟d been

wanting to for a long time. Just touch him.

His pulse thudded thickly for a moment. He sat straight as if

nothing but a moment of male comfort had occurred.

That was until he glimpsed a stolen look from Ian and caught

him watching Caleb through heavy, midnight lashes. Not annoyed,

or even ticked. They weren‟t friends, hardly more than
acquaintances, but there was definitely something in that look. If
read the right way, it could mean a lot more than Caleb had

expected or anticipated. He‟d certainly not hoped for it, but that
look had borne hope, and that meant it was time to vacate. Now.

“Thanks.” Ian‟s breathed whisper slammed into Caleb, hard.

Faking hunting for his cell phone, he patted his pockets.

“Damn. I must have left it in the car.” He stood. “I better get out of

your hair. Thanks for the coffee.” Ian stood, too, and accepted the
empty mug while Caleb hunted for his missing phone. He knew
perfectly well where it was. His hip pocket.

Caleb drifted toward the front door.
“Thanks for checking on us. We haven‟t heard much. I

guessed that meant he was still out there?” Ian tipped his head, his

brown eyes sharp, punctuating the question.

“Unfortunately. You will be informed when things happen.

The warrant is out there.”

“But he‟s not in town?”
“No. He vanished about three hours after I found Terra.” Any

sign of Jimmy Loweson had gone up like a puff of smoke as soon as
they‟d started hunting for the man.

Ian‟s facial expression slackened, a touch weary. “Thanks,

Caleb.”

Caleb‟s heart pounded while he watched Ian‟s lips as he

spoke. Vaguely, he remembered to answer. “You‟re welcome. See

you.”

Sitting behind the wheel and starting his car, he stared at the

house. Well, that explained why he hadn‟t been able to forget the

other man. He hadn‟t felt a rush like that in years. His body still
tingled from the simple touch.

The question was, what was he going to do about it?

Chapter Three

It was almost a month later before Ian bumped into Caleb

again. He just wished he hadn‟t caught him mid-temper with Lonny

over his damned motorcycle.

Ian hadn‟t even sensed the cruiser pull up to park next to the

shop, being so focused on Lonny and determined not to punch him

in his pie-hole while the man pitched a fit in front of the shop.

“What‟s the problem here?”
Lonny thrust a stiff finger into Ian‟s face. Ian swatted it away.

“This thief is bilking me for storage!”

“I am not!”

“Easy guys. Just so you know, half the town heard this one.”
Ian rolled his eyes. “Thanks for pointing that out, Officer

Drew.”

Caleb smirked knowingly. “Let me hear it, Lonny.”
Ian crossed his arms over his faded steel blue overalls and

fumed as Lonny detailed the week Ian had been holding his ride

hostage, and the cost.

“First of all—”

“You‟ll get your say, Ian.”
He clamped his jaws shut with a snap. And a short snarl.

Caleb arched an eyebrow. Fucker. He hoped Caleb knew how to

read between the lines.

“Go ahead and finish, Lonny.”
“And now he wants to add another fifty bucks because he has

to hold it over the weekend.”

“Do you?”

“What?” Ian barked.
“Ian.” Caleb sighed. “What‟s the fifty bucks for?”
“He didn‟t read the bill. The parts were fifty. If he‟d paid

attention when he dropped it off, he‟d know that. I can‟t help that
it‟s taking them „til Monday to get here on the truck.”

“So you‟re not holding it hostage?”

“Of course not.”
Ian glanced at Caleb, and even though he had his serious face

on, the asshole was enjoying the show of fireworks. At Ian‟s
expense. Must have been a slow week if Ian was making his day
worthwhile.

Caleb spoke. “Did you read the bill, Lonny?”

Lonny knuckled his chin as he thought then let his hand

drop. “I think so, but I sure don‟t remember seein‟ no fifty dollar

charge.”

“It was there. Still is,” Ian muttered. “I can‟t change a

purchase order I wrote five days ago. I‟m good at a lot, but that isn‟t
one of them.”

“So the charge hasn‟t gone up?” Lonny asked calmer, though

still suspicious.

Geez, Lonny. How long have I been working on your

damned machine? He knew this sometimes happened. The man

must‟ve had a hot date to be giving Ian this much grief, though if he
did, Ian sure didn‟t want to hear about it. “No. I just have to keep it

over because putting it together without the right parts won‟t make
it run any faster.”

“See, Lonny? Monday. Right, Ian?”

“Unless Hell freezes over, yeah.”
Lonny swung from Ian to Caleb and back. “Fine. Monday. I‟ll

call for the time.”

“After lunch should be good, Lonny. I only need about two

hours after the parts get here, and I‟ll hold my lunch to get your

bike back to you. Okay?”

He grimaced, but gave a sullen head nod. After all that, he

turned and hopped into Charlie‟s Fruits and Veggies board-sided

vending truck and sputtered out of the shop parking lot and onto
the road.

“Please tell me they didn‟t hear us in town?”

“Nah, but I‟ve heard Lonny lose it before. The more of

spectacle he thinks he‟s being, the more likely he is to back down.

He‟s hot, but shy. Go figure.”

Ian grinned, not at all upset with being interrupted by Caleb.

“You‟ve dealt with him before?”

“Once or twice. Though you can get up there too when you‟re

riled.”

“Yeah, well, you wouldn‟t appreciate what he was throwing

around either.”

“Probably not,” Caleb agreed.

Ian glanced down the road from his shop, about a mile from

the center of town. “Your day must be exciting if you‟ve come to
keep me from decking Lonny.”

“Bored stiff.” Deadpan and blank.
Ian burst out laughing. “Want to hang for a few?”

He groaned like a dying man with a granted wish, his eyes

rolling high in exclamation. “Thank you, Jesus.”

He trailed after Ian as he entered the bay where a white

Chevy waited with its hood up.

Caleb leaned against the wall on a shoulder, crossing his

arms to relax. “How long have you been here?”

“Since I was born. The shop came to me from my dad.

Learned it all from him and then some.” Palming a shop rag to stuff
in his pocket, he then grabbed the wrench he‟d had to leave in the
frame lip when Lonny pulled up shouting and cursing like a fool.

“Took a community college course to be ASE certified and keep up
as much as I can. My specialty is motorcycles.”

Caleb hooked a thumb over his shoulder in the general

direction of outside. “I take it that sweet thing in the shade is
yours?”

Ian didn‟t try to hide his pleasure in his motorcycle.

Everyone in town knew Red was his pride and joy. “All of her.”

“Haven‟t in a few years, but I used to own one.”

Ian stood straight, his mind quickly losing interest in the fuel

injection system in front of him. A lot of things lost his attention

when he began talking bikes. “Yeah? You like to ride?” That
certainly added a new dimension to the man standing so
nonchalantly before him, shots of warmer spring sunlight glowing

over him. He certainly looked the bit of the small town cop. Brown
on brown Sheriff‟s uniform, thick black hair cut close and those
rebellious hints of gray. He didn‟t try to hide them either. Except

right that second, lounging and conversing, Caleb was the hottest
block of stud Ian had seen in years, uniform or not. Though it didn‟t

hurt. The man cut an imposing picture in it.

“Every weekend. I didn‟t take it to work. It was stolen once

from the station, and I didn‟t want to risk it twice.”

Ian twitched. Seriously? “Out of the cops‟ yard?” That was

sacrilege.

“Yeah, I know.” Caleb chuckled ruefully. “Anyway. I got it

back a few hours later, then I sold it to my brother when I moved
here.”

“Maybe you‟d like to take off some weekend?” Ian asked it

before he thought twice, before he remembered certain details of
the last meeting he‟d had with the cop.

Those cool blue eyes that could slice through pain, anger and

fear with a glance. Or the weighted touch that had all but shoved his

heart through his ribs. He knew it had been innocent, but as soon as
the words were spoken, his skin began to grow tight.

And damn, but if what happened next didn‟t shock him to his

boots.

His cock twitched, wanting to take a look at the world. Or

more specifically, the stud of a man standing only a foot or two
away. At least beneath jeans and overalls, it wasn‟t noticeable.

Except he couldn‟t take the offer back.

“Actually, that sounds like a great idea. I have a lake

house…well, I don‟t. Jessie does, my brother. It‟s about halfway

between Pella and Des Moines. He called earlier in the week and
offered it. Said it was stocked for him and his boys, but they had to

cancel. Jenson broke his leg skateboarding.”

Ian winced. “Ouch.”
“Yeah. The poor boy was pissed that he screwed them out of

the trip. Good fishing on the lake. Terra can even come. She can veg
and relax.”

“A weekend fishing trip?” Now that sounded like a vacation.

“The weather‟s supposed to be damn good,” he drawled in

sheer, evil enticement. “And you can ride, nothing but highway.” He

swept a slow hand across his front, a smooth arc, then crossed his
arms once more.

“That‟s some sweet talking, there, Caleb,” he teased throatily,

punctuating it with a wink, making light of it, even if his body was
practically humming from the sound of Caleb‟s rich voice and the
offer of a weekend to get to know him better. “You can get some

wheels?”

“By tomorrow? Piece of cake.” His radio crackled. “Damn.

Duty calls. Let me know.” Caleb straightened from his slouch
against the wall, once more the city‟s law enforcer.

“Stop in the morning.”

“Will do.”
Then before Ian could draw another breath, Caleb was

strutting out the bay door to his cruiser, smacking the car door shut

to peel tires on pavement as he shot out to the road. Good thing
Ian‟s shop wasn‟t on one of the busier town roads. Jasper wasn‟t

huge, about eighteen thousand with a lot of the county on farms.

Focusing on the car in front of him again, he worked on the

tune up and fuel injectors wondering if the offer was simply one of

friendship, or if Ian had read those glimpses of smoldering blue—
not iced at all—correctly.

Caleb was a brick if he was anything. Broad and square,

probably a couple years older than Ian. He had lines at the corners

of his eyes, though they didn‟t detract. When Caleb smiled, they
added something to his hewn features.

Ian knew he hadn‟t been in Jasper long. He wound up

working on everyone‟s car or ride at least once. He had competition.
Billy Jo‟s across town and Ditzy‟s, but he worked alone and couldn‟t

always meet a rush. He also refused to work fast and cause more
damage in the long run for a quick fix. He knew the other shops
didn‟t do that either, but without any help, he knew what he could

take on. Ian had his regulars. They were enough. He never expected
to earn buckets, just wanted to keep a roof over his head and food

on the table.

What more could an honest working man want?
Someone to share it with.

He shook his head, whapping his knuckles when the wrench

in his hand slipped. Cursing, he shook off the pain then returned to
the car.

The gay offerings in Jasper just weren‟t there, and if they

were, Ian didn‟t know and didn‟t want to know. No one needed to

know that he preferred men. Just what he needed; the old church
biddies showering him with holy water and praying like he was the
devil. They gave him cross enough looks when he dared to ride his

bike past the lot of them on a Sunday after their service. It‟s a
Harley. They‟re loud. He‟d ignored the pointed glares.

Yes, Caleb was slowly hitting his switches, but there wasn‟t a

single signal that the attraction was mutual.

“Whoa.” He breathed slowly, then stood straight, his gaze

going hazy until he didn‟t see the car in front of him at all. Am I
attracted to him? With the way he felt when Caleb had been close,
when he‟d touched his leg, despite the fact that it had been the

briefest of contacts, when he‟d teased and joked with a private
nuance between them, Ian had to accept that he was. The only
problem was, for all Ian knew, Caleb was straight.

Raw and rough, strong yet kind with a soft spot for

youngsters, but no way to know if he felt the same. Ian doubted he‟d

have the balls to ask. It wasn‟t his way.

Grumbling under his breath, it was better to just take the

invite as it was given. A guy‟s weekend to ride and bum around.

Besides, with Terra along, they‟d be as good as chaperoned.
Probably for the better.

Even if his aching body didn‟t agree.

* * * *

The following afternoon, Ian could hardly keep himself from

frothing at the mouth to hit the road. “Come on, Terra!”

She stomped out the front door, scowling. “Get a grip, Uncle

Ian. He‟s not even…here yet.” She deflated as the roar of Caleb‟s
ride reached them only for both to watch him pull into the drive.

Caleb tugged off his helmet when he was stopped, a single

foot bracing the weight of the motorcycle between his legs.
“Ready?”

“Do I have to go?”
“Terror,” Ian pleaded. He didn‟t know why she was fussing

about it so much. She liked to ride, and honestly, lying around for a
weekend to soak up some sun? What was wrong with that?

She ran a hand through her hair, and he realized she‟d

washed out the blue streak. When had she done that? He frowned,
worried, but a glance at Caleb and his mind went blank. The sun
was beating down on them, and Caleb was beaming as bright as

morning sunshine, anticipating the ride and adventure as much as
Ian was. Straddling the machine emphasized his long legs and hips,

with thighs like tree trunks. Ian swallowed, hiding the wanting
before he drooled.

“Okay.”

He whipped around, finding Terra standing at his side. “Put

your stuff in the bag and hop on.”

“You sure I can‟t stay here?” She pouted. “You don‟t trust me.

All I have is homework.”

“And that‟s why you‟re going. Not because I don‟t trust you,

but because you need away from this as much as I do.” He tugged
her close. Tipping her chin up, he peered into her eyes. “Okay, Holy
Terror? It‟s just us now. I don‟t want to lose you, too.”

She gulped, her eyes darkening, then she nodded. “I know,

Uncle Ian.” She slid on a dark purple helmet, and he crammed his
noggin into his own. With a wave to Caleb, he hit the ignition. Two

seconds later, they were following that broad back and hot ass on
growling chrome and leather.

Open road sang under tires as pavement slipped like black

ribbon beneath them. It was nearly dark when Ian turned on his
blinker to follow Caleb down an offshoot road with a green Parks

and Rec sign. Trees lined the sides of the road, only breaking open
for smaller trails and roadways. It had been years since he‟d been
up this way. Drawing a deep lungful of crisp early evening air filled

his chest and just letting it slip out felt like he‟d expelled a year‟s
worth of stress and tension.

Terra‟s arms held at his waist while she peered around as

they slowed on the rougher roads.

“What do you think?” he called over his shoulder.
“It‟s quiet!” she chirped close to the side of his helmet to be

heard over the roar of their motorcycles.

That’s the best part, he thought.
Caleb pulled to a slow stop in front of a cabin with a wide

porch and rocking chairs. It was a modern log design with two large

square pane windows in the front and a propane tank hidden off the
rear corner behind a barrier. Rustic redwood in color, and pure

wilderness appeal.

Ian echoed Terra‟s exclamation when she said, “Wow,”

tugging off her helmet before she‟d slipped from the bike. “This is

just a weekend cabin?”

Caleb chuckled in warm humor. “My brother is an attorney,

and a damn good one. Took after my father, just a different branch

of law. Believe me, he knows how to appreciate perks.”

“I‟ll say,” Ian agreed.

“Let‟s go see what‟s inside.”
“Right behind you,” Ian stated.

Chapter Four

Caleb waited for Ian and Terra, then unlocked the door.

“Honestly we all use it, but Jessie said he‟d stocked it and didn‟t

want the food to go to waste. I have a better chance of making it a
weekend fling than my other brother.”

“Two, plus you?” Ian dropped his saddlebags by the door.

“That would be us.” Caleb pointed to a framed photo hanging

on the wall a few feet away. “Jessie is the bruiser in the middle. Jake
is the one with the evil grin.”

Ian‟s mouth curled. “Really? I‟d have pegged you for that

smile.”

Caleb only shook his head, in clear denial. “Terra, you have

the loft. It‟s more private.” He pointed to the stairs. The loft had its
own small bath, so she wouldn‟t have to share with the both of them

downstairs.

“Thanks.” She put a hand on the rail and scurried up the

steps to investigate.

Ian approached, speaking in a hushed tone. “Thanks for

inviting us, for letting us come up here. I know she needed it.”

“What about you?” Caleb met bottomless brown eyes, unable

not to lean just a hair closer, even if it was under the guise of
speaking privately between them. Ian had obviously showered right

after work, his chin stubble-free, exposing that single scar on the
bone of his jaw. Caleb pulled back when the urge to lick that marker
grew too strong.

“Getting by,” Ian replied, apparently unaware Caleb had

almost nibbled on him like a snack. “It‟s getting easier. I just wish

we could call it done, knowing Striker was under arrest and behind
bars.”

Reminding Caleb about what had actually brought him into

Ian‟s and Terra‟s lives sobered him a little. “Manhunts take time
and Jasper isn‟t high on the list for help. The most excitement I
usually see is Mr. Turner‟s sow breaking into Willy‟s garden.”

“That damn load of bacon is still around?” Ian‟s gaze

brightened with mirth.

“Tell me about it.” Caleb shook his head “Mr. Turner can tell

you everything, and I mean ev-er-y thing, about that damned hog.”

Footsteps overhead then on the stairs drew them further

apart, but it felt like a tentative link had been made between himself
and Ian. Letting Ian know that Caleb had been thinking, worrying
about him. Losing a family member was hard on anyone, and he‟d

taken in his niece without a single hesitation. Ian kept their little
family together, made sure Terra had a home, stayed in school. The

man had morals and believed in his niece. Maybe Caleb would get
the chance to take care of Uncle Ian. Caleb may not have made it a

point to just pop in at Ian‟s shop regularly, but he knew the
schedule the man worked, and he didn‟t take it light on himself.

Though one of these days, Caleb was going to find out what

was behind the nickname Terra had.

“Is it rude to ask about dinner?” Terra studied both men

from the foot of the stairs, her face hopeful. “I‟m starving.”

“Not rude. I‟m slacking.” He hefted his own well-used leather

satchel over a shoulder. “Let me go dump this and show your uncle

to his room and we‟ll go raid the kitchen.”

* * * *

Ian sat, loose as a noodle, in one of the rockers on the front

porch. Stars hung in the night sky, bright above the tops of the oaks
and elms. The rustle of leaves and the cicadas‟ song filled the

shadows. There was just something about nature that relaxed Ian. It
might have been the food, too.

Terra had called it a night. Ian didn‟t argue. He knew she‟d

brought her homework with her. He wouldn‟t keep her from doing
it with only a few weeks left but hoped she didn‟t spend the whole

weekend buried in the bed, not if the weather was as nice as it had
been on the ride up to the lake.

A tap on his shoulder was Caleb with the gift of an ice cold

beer. “Thanks.”

“Nothing beats one on a night like this.” Caleb sank into the

chair‟s duplicate at his side.

“So, who usually comes up here?” Ian took a drink and let his

body just unwind. He rested his head on the top of the rocker, his

eyes drifting closed.

“Jessie, Jenson, Blake and Aaron.”
“Three boys, huh?”

“They‟re a handful, too. But it works for Bethany. They come

up here and she can have some men-free time.”

Ian chuckled. “She must have the patience of a saint.”
“She does, she‟s also got a mean glare. She‟s the enforcer.”
“And your other brother?”

Caleb took a swallow, leaving a sheen of moisture. Ian

couldn‟t stop from locking on the sight of that gleam on his lips. He
tore himself away, dropping his chin before Caleb caught him

staring. He rolled his hips to ease the tightness in his jeans, hoping
it wasn‟t as obvious as it felt in the nighttime darkness surrounding

them.

“Jake. Rebecca‟s dad. He‟s divorced.”

Ian shook his head. “That‟s a shame.”
“Well, when she moved in with her boyfriend, it was kind of

over.”

“Ouch.”
“Yeah.” Caleb sighed. “What about you?”
“There was just Maria. Our folks are gone. Now it‟s just me

and Terra.”

“No exes?”

Ian slid a look toward Caleb, snagging on those clear blue

eyes. Damn, but Ian wished he could read just what the other man
was thinking, how that was meant. If he were a braver man, he

might even just say that he couldn‟t, because they didn‟t interest
him, not in the way a certain town cop did.

Except Ian didn‟t. Speaking to the can in his hand, he said,

“None in the recent history.”

“Not many in Jasper,” Caleb concurred quietly.

“Not under eighty.”
Caleb snickered then coughed into a fist. They fell silent,

enjoying the evening and the last of their beers. Ian thought he

might have dozed off when he heard Caleb get to his feet.

“I‟m turning in. We‟ll try the lake early, see if they‟re biting.

Sound good?”

“I‟m in.” Ian stretched his hands over his head and yawned.

“Man, this is awesome.”

Caleb smiled. “Thanks for coming. Beats eating all that food

alone.”

Ian stood and jabbed a punch to Caleb‟s shoulder. “Food?

I‟m your man.”

Caleb‟s smile broadened. “See you in the morning.”
“„Night.”

Ian followed him in, going ahead to let Caleb lock the front

door, but heard him go into his own room across the hall a short

moment later.

After changing, he slipped out of his bedroom for the

bathroom, noticing Caleb‟s door was partially opened across the

way. Caleb had already been in the bathroom, and now he was
changing for bed.

Ian hadn‟t meant to stop, he wasn‟t a pervert, but watching

Caleb strip his T-shirt over his shoulders with his back to Ian was a

sight he couldn‟t make himself walk away from.

Strong, broad shoulders were exposed above a solid waist.

The man was on the other side of his youth. Ian wasn‟t much better,
but neither was on the downhill slide either. Ian couldn‟t stop
staring just the same. Not when there were also those long legs and

thighs that were all muscle to enjoy. He still didn‟t know how much
taller than him Caleb was. At six-two, Ian wasn‟t a small, wilting
anything by any means. He was fit, still well-muscled from dealing

with heavy machinery and vehicles. Ian had made it a point not to
let himself go soft. Now he was glad he hadn‟t. He felt a hunger

begin to burn low in his belly, a heat that he welcomed as he gazed
on the expanse of skin in front of him.

Then, Caleb loosened his jeans and dropped them off his

hips. Ian sucked in a breath, unprepared. Muscles flinched across
that solid frame and Ian knew he‟d been busted.

Jumping away from the door like he‟d been goosed with a

branding iron, he managed to dash into the bathroom as he heard
Caleb‟s door open completely.

Feeling heat on his face, it easily took him twice as long to

brush his teeth and calm down enough to walk by that bedroom to
his own. He prayed he wouldn‟t have to face Caleb before sunrise.

Toweling off his face and hands, he grabbed his shower pack

then, with a steadying breath, tugged open the door. It was quiet.

Thank you, God. Caleb‟s door was shut as he passed it. A

band that had shackled around his lungs popped loose, allowing
him to breathe.

Time to get to bed and get the other man out of his head. He

swore he‟d at least make a valiant attempt.

* * * *

Caleb lay on top of his covers buck naked, listening. His

heart pounded erratically until he heard Ian‟s tread walk by his

door a second time. The sound of feet slowed, but didn‟t stop, to
quickly bypass and make the right into his room. Then the near-

silent click of his door closing preempted the quiet that filled the
cabin.

With his hands layered flat beneath his head, he stared at the

ceiling.

It was official. Ian was driving Caleb into dangerous

territory, pushing him to do things that were uncharacteristic by

nature. Like that little striptease show.

Ian hadn‟t noticed the mirror, but man, Caleb had noticed

him. Glittering brown eyes, lightly parted lips, and a hunger that
had thrilled Caleb to his soul, then Caleb had upped the stakes and
prayed. The shirt had worked. But it was the sound of that sucked

gasp when he‟d dropped his jeans. A shiver rolled over him in
memory. The answer he‟d hoped for on the porch was almost
clearly defined now, because Ian hadn‟t told him what Caleb needed

to know. Everyone had exes, right? Damn, the man was a pro at
evasive answers.

Caleb didn‟t move from his spot on the bed, though he was

tempted. His cock lay thick and heavy against his groin, a
demanding hunger that he wanted to feed. But not yet. He was

beginning to suspect that Ian was gay, but deep in the closet. Gentle
hands were needed in a situation like this. Ian had his pride. He was
careful with his feelings, and showed very little of his own needs.

Caleb‟s chest shuddered as he released a tense breath.

There was no doubt now. Caleb was definitely feeling the

spark when it came to that square jaw and lips that he knew would
look like plump berries after a thorough kiss. He flicked a look
south, frowning when he realized his thoughts weren‟t helping ease

his situation.

“Not tonight,” he warned his dick. The eye winked at him

and he shivered. Caleb closed his eyes and focused on his breathing

rather than the need beating at him. For all he knew, Ian didn‟t like
older guys, and Caleb had hit forty-three in November. He knew Ian

was thirty-eight because of the records he‟d read through, and still a
tall drink of sexy. Those eyes of his…

Caleb hissed when a charge of energy settled at the base of

his spine.

“Fuck,” he growled. He rolled to his side, punching the pillow

beneath him. A moment later, he shoved the blankets from beneath

him and dug underneath to tuck them around his shoulders while
he did his best to put all the incredible parts of Ian out of his mind.

He would have had better results making the moon glow

purple.

* * * *

Ian eased his fishing rod over his shoulder, then let it rip,

casting until the line plunked into the flat glass surface of the lake.

He pulled his flannel collar up around his neck, the overnight chill
not quite scared away by the morning sun. He settled into the chair

on the boat and did a slow crawl retrieval. Caleb mimicked him a
second or so later, his feet propped on the boat wall as his own lure

made the reverse trip.

Ian made it a point to focus on the line in front of him

skimming water and not those legs. Who would‟ve thought fishing

would also be classified as torture?

No one filled out a pair of jeans like Caleb. Instead of heavy

boots, he wore plain sneakers. The man was huge all over. And once

that realization had occurred to him, his mind had quickly taken a
one-way train ride into the gutter. Sadly, Ian was liking it there.

He cleared his throat, focusing on the steady circles on the

reel, the drag of the water against his lure. Sunglasses were waiting,
as were sandwiches and sodas. The water was still running a little

cool, but heck, fish got hungry too, didn‟t they? Either way, the
morning had put him in close proximity to the only man Ian had
called friend in too long. The only problem was he was also thinking

of him in a lot more graphic ways than as a friend.

Preferably naked and tangled up with himself.

He swallowed a groan. Ian just wasn‟t a first move kind of

guy. He didn‟t even know if he should ask if Caleb was that way.
Ian could just imagine the hostility that would come if it ever got

out that he was homosexual. It wasn‟t like there were anonymous
help meetings for the gay community. He ground his jaw, forcing
himself to relax with a slow breath. Maybe they did elsewhere, but

not in Jasper. The little sleepy town missed being in the Bible belt
by inches. Some acted like they were in the middle of it.

And there was no doubt. Caleb was all man. The sight of his

gun belt on his hips, the badge he wore every day on his chest, they
weren‟t a lie. He knew how to carry the burden and well.

So what makes you think he’s gay?
He rolled his lips together as his mind twisted and turned, to

swing his rod and reel up and over to listen for the light splash of

contact. He cranked it on autopilot.

Ian wasn‟t sure, and that made it a big problem. Lusting for a

friend was bad enough. Lusting for a straight one…

It was the eyes. The man had incredible sky blue eyes. Bright

like the morning sky blue. Glancing toward the man in the twin

metal chair, he grazed over him, taking in every inch while Caleb
was focused on his rod and line. Wide hands, strong hands. Ian felt
his breath hitch, watching Caleb work the lure with light flicks of his

wrist. The sudden craving to feel those hands on his skin, stroking
him, running up and down his dick, kicked his heart into his ribs.

He had to swallow a moan before it escaped.

A jerk on his fishing pole swung him and his wandering

attention around with a sudden lurch. When the fish didn‟t strike
again, he sighed. “Tease.” He‟d all but forgotten he was supposed to
be doing something with the reel in his hand.

“More than I‟m getting.” Caleb finished bringing in his line.

“Good thing Jessie stocked the fridge. I think this morning is going
to be a bust.”

“It‟s early. Maybe they haven‟t had their fishy coffee.”
Caleb chuckled. It was a nice low, rumbled sound.

They tried for another hour. Ian gave in and grabbed his

sunglasses. The reflection on the lake was bright. The shades, he
discovered, also gave him an unnoticeable way of admiring.

If the fish weren‟t biting, at least he could enjoy the view.

Chapter Five

Caleb was burning up, and it wasn‟t sunburn. If Ian gave him

one more of those I want to lick you like an ice cream cone looks,

he was going to grab him and not apologize for what he did next. If
a fish had nibbled, he‟d have been too distracted by the bobble-head
next to him to notice. A glance, a stare, and Ian trying hard to act

like he wasn‟t. He was killing Caleb.

So what did it all mean? If he didn‟t find out soon, he was

going to self-combust and there wouldn‟t be much left.

He reeled in his lure with a mutter of disgust. “I‟m taking a

break. Ready for a bite?”

“Sure.” Caleb was aware as Ian brought in his line and set the

pole on the inside of the boat. The bass boat wasn‟t huge, about
nineteen feet long and just enough to do the job. The lake rented

them for a decent price, and Caleb was not above profiting from his
nephew‟s bad timing of a broken leg.

Ian slunk down and sat on the top partition where the

padded fishing seat was bolted down to the boat. Caleb dished out
sandwiches and cans of soda from their stocked cooler then sat

down himself with a grumbled sigh.

“Do you and your brothers come up here often?” Ian dug into

his sandwich with a hearty appetite.

“Yeah. Before I moved to Chicago to attend the academy, we

used to come up here all the time, though the cabin was something
Jessie bought when he made partner at his firm.”

“Nice.”
“Perks, buddy. Perks.”

Ian swigged some of his drink and Caleb became hypnotized

by the way he moved, the way the sun warmed his skin, the strength
of his throat. Caleb wanted to run his tongue up the length of

golden skin, taste him, feel the strength, and then go back for
seconds. Fuck me, I’m going crazy.

He stared at his sandwich, debating, and honestly exhausted

with trying to figure out the other man, tired of looking for a bone
to work with. He‟d hardly slept as it was with the fucking hard-on

he‟d had all night. How did he know it was all night? Because it
wouldn‟t let him sleep and he‟d lain there in bed, watching the clock
turn its numbers, refusing to alleviate some of the pressure.

“Something wrong?”
Caleb glanced up, and felt his heart pound. It was more than

just being attracted to him. He liked Ian. A hell of a lot.

“You can tell me if I‟m being a nosy prick but last night,

you‟d said no recent exes, right?”

Ian‟s shoulders went back, his forearms resting on his knees.

“That‟s right.”

“What‟s your opinion of finding someone in Jasper?”
“Oh… Uh-um.” Ian glanced away. “Honestly, I don‟t really

follow who‟s still single or what guy is seeing what girl.”

Caleb licked his lips, daring himself to go out on a limb. Man,

Ian was like cracking a nut. He was busting Caleb‟s balls, that was
for sure.

“You don‟t have an opinion?” Caleb smirked, adding just a

dare of heat to his gaze.

“Weeell.” Ian dropped his chin to stare at the contents of his

hands. “It‟s impossible.”

And that just about broke Caleb right there. It told him all he

needed to know about Ian in two little words. “What if you‟re gay?”

That snapped Ian up faster than a rattlesnake strike.
Caleb didn‟t drop his focus, though he wished Ian would take

those damned sunglasses off.

“Are you?” Ian‟s hands trembled just enough to tell Caleb he

wasn‟t unaffected, and he was breaking. Now wouldn‟t it just suck if
he‟d been all wrong about Ian and he wasn‟t interested? Caleb
prayed for once his dick wasn‟t hunting in the wrong fields.

“For as long as I can remember.”
Ian‟s throat worked, hard.
“That‟s why you‟re alone, isn‟t it?” Caleb asked him gently

when he didn‟t react like a man disgusted to find out the not-so-
trivial fact about his fishing buddy.

Ian looked away, out to the lake, closing himself off. “My life

is private. I like keeping it that way.” His jaw firmed, not relenting.

“I understand,” Caleb soothed. “But being alone isn‟t the

same as privacy, and it isn‟t going to change what you‟re missing.”
He let out a slow breath, keeping his voice even. “You don‟t have to
live in the closet, not with me, Ian.”

Caleb waited, but for what he didn‟t know.
“No one knows,” quietly reached Caleb from the other side of

the boat.

Relief was sudden, though Caleb kept it well off his features.

The little ball of hope he‟d been harboring stood up and cheered like

he‟d won the Super Bowl.

“Why does it matter?”

Ian whipped around, gaping at him. He finally tore those

shades off his nose. “You‟re fucked up, Caleb. Do you have any idea

how they‟d take a gay man in Jasper? I have a business to run, a
house, and now Terra. It‟s a small town.”

Caleb leaned back, giving a little space before Ian went

completely rabid on his ass. “I can tell you how a few take it.” He
crossed his arms, making it clear he had a stand to make.

Ian‟s lips thinned.
“I didn‟t hide it when I interviewed with Sheriff Carrolton. I

didn‟t want it becoming an issue, because though I‟m quiet about it,

I don‟t hide it like an ugly secret.”

“I‟m not—”

“Did I say you were?” he came back, as equally calm as Ian

was getting riled. “So you‟re gay. Am I supposed to go put an ad in
the Gazette? I don‟t do things like that. I‟ve already been through all

the finger-pointing and sneered jabs, and honestly, I just don‟t give
a shit. There‟s haters and bigots all over this planet, for all kinds of
reasons. I quit giving a rat‟s ass when I was living in Chicago and

had my car spray painted with the fucking hugest faggot graffiti I‟d
ever seen. Since it was done, I went ahead and had the car

repainted.” So long as those people never went as far as physical
harm, let them be stupid. The car had needed a fresh look anyway.

Caleb picked up his soda and took a swallow, waiting for Ian

to blow his top. It took less than thirty seconds.

“So now they know, and I‟m here with you?” He gaped. He

growled. If Caleb hadn‟t thought it was the sexiest sound he‟d ever

heard, he might have been willing to back off, but not yet.

“So you‟re friends with a gay man. Is that a crime, too?” He

added just enough censure to it for Ian to understand exactly what
the question was about.

“No, of course not,” Ian muttered. He slumped over his

knees again. “But—”

“Don‟t you dare say it.” Caleb snapped. “You‟re not going to

be wearing a label, and I‟m not asking you to change one damn

thing. I‟m just glad you finally admitted it. I‟ve been going nuts for
months.”

Ian blinked, his brown eyes widening to gleam with the

reflection of the water and sunlight.

Caleb balled the wrapper his sandwich had been in and

chunked it at Ian‟s shoulder. “Yes, moron. I‟m attracted to you.” Ian
picked it up, contemplated a return volley, twisting it back and forth
between his fingers yet dropped it in the refuse bag instead. Caleb

finished his last bite then dusted his hands off. Bending over, he
palmed his fishing rod. “Come on. We‟re catching something for

dinner or Terra‟s going to want burgers again, and I want fish.”

“So that‟s it?” Ian hadn‟t really moved, obviously still too

stunned. The man was more than in the closet. He was behind the
winter coats and halfway to Narnia. Curse his nephews for making
him sit through that…twice.

“Is what it? That you‟re gay? Glad to know. That I‟m gay?”

Caleb shrugged his shoulders. “Can‟t change it. Still glad you‟re a
friend.”

That seemed to take Ian by surprise, his voice cracking on

one word. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Caleb twisted to peer over his shoulder, rocking his

head to indicate the sandwich in his hand. “You better eat that.
Can‟t fish with roast beef in your hand.”

Ian huffed a breath. “Watch me.”
Shoving to his feet, Ian curled his hand around his fishing

pole then stood to lean against his seat with a crooked hip. With

nimble fingers, he prepped his lure, without dropping any of his
sandwich. “If I can work with heavy tools and screws the size of

dimes, a damned lure is nothing.”

Caleb chuckled. “Then let‟s get us dinner.”
He didn‟t get an answer, but a few minutes later, Ian

shimmied onto his chair and threw out his lure like he had
something to prove. He didn‟t, not for Caleb, but Ian didn‟t say
another word. Caleb didn‟t want to push too hard. All things

considered, he‟d take this morning as a victory.

He was smiling when he felt the attack hit his lure.

* * * *

“Please tell me I don‟t have to touch those.”

Caleb held the stringer up for Terra to see, beaming. If he

was hoping for admiration, Ian could tell him it wasn‟t happening.

“You don‟t. I‟ll take care of the cleaning. I don‟t mind.”

Ian grinned at Terra‟s shudder. “Relax. They‟ll look like fish

planks by the time they hit your plate.”

“Yay,” she muttered sarcastically. “I‟m bored.”
Ian waved Caleb on to the back of the house where the

scaling table waited. It had only taken about three minutes to get a

quick tour of the cabin the night before. “I‟ll bring you a beer.”

“Fair payment, considering two of these are yours.” Caleb

walked through the cabin and vanished beyond the back door.

“Terra, the whole point of this is to relax, not find something

to do nonstop.” Ian was dying for a shower. He‟d stripped the

flannel down to his T-shirt and could still feel the heat of the sun
beating on his skin.

“I don‟t know anyone,” she whined.
“Have you even been to the lake?”
She sighed, rolling her eyes in adolescent disdain. “No.”

Ian put a hand on her shoulder. “I know it‟s not your perfect

weekend, but give it a chance. I‟d like to do more things like this.
You might not think so, but I do like having you around. I just wish

I‟d done it more when your mother…” Ian trailed off. He shook
himself, seeing the same hollow pain he felt being mirrored in

Terra‟s eyes. “Remember how to play poker?”

She crossed her arms, snuffling a little. “Mom hated that you

taught me how to play it.”

“Well, she hated a lot of the stuff I taught you to do, but I‟m

doing my best here. This is for us, too,” he told her quietly. He
flipped fingers through the shaggy ends of her hair. “By the way,

why‟d you get rid of the blue?”

Terra shrugged. “Seemed irreverent for the funeral. Never

got around to putting it in again.”

“Well, so long as you don‟t shave it, or color it in stripes, I‟m

okay with whatever you do to it.”

“Yeah?” She peeked up at him, hesitant hopefulness in her

eyes.

Ian squeezed her shoulder. “Yeah. Go watch TV for a while.”

“Uncle Ian?”
“Yeah, Terror?” He paused from heading for the kitchen for

those beers.

“Thanks. I know you didn‟t have to but I‟m glad you did.”
“I am, too. I wouldn‟t have let you run wild on the streets

anyway. You, wild and untamed? Jasper isn‟t ready for it.” He
smiled for her when she giggled, her insecurity dissipating with the
sound. He waited until she turned to go lounge on the couch in

front of the TV. One of his regrets was that he hadn‟t done this more
when Maria was alive. He was still finding his way, grateful that

Terra wasn‟t a hysterical type of teenager. They‟d make it.

Chapter Six

“I see your two beans and raise you three.” Ian tossed his bet

into the pile.

“Crap. I‟m out.” Caleb tossed his cards.
Ian grinned evilly at Terra. “What ya got, Terror?”
She eyed him through her lashes, nibbling on her lip.

Accepting, she put in her three. She sat straight in her chair. “A
bunch of spades,” she mumbled.

Ian whooped then tossed his cards on the table. “Three of a

kind. Don‟t bluff a bluffer,” he told her then reached for the middle.

Her voice stopped him. “As in all spades.” She laid her cards

face up in a fan on the table.

“Damn,” Caleb breathed. “Card shark.”
“He only asked if I remembered, not if I‟d been playing.” She

had the nerve to grin congenially at Ian.

He slouched into his chair and graciously—or at least tried

to—let her claim the pot. She danced a little in her chair, moving the

pile in her direction.

“Isn‟t it your bedtime yet?” Ian grumbled, huffing

indignantly.

“Don‟t be a spoilsport.” Caleb jabbed him lightly on the

shoulder with a stiff finger. “At least she‟s not taking us to the

cleaners.” Caleb had lost a few hands himself to Terra.

“Says you.” Ian played with the small pile of legumes he had

left, and it wasn‟t a lot.

Terra stood up, covering a yawn with a limp hand. “It‟s okay,

Uncle Ian.” She bent over and kissed him on the cheek. “I‟m headed

up. See you in the morning.”

Ian let her go, noting it was well after midnight.
“If you don‟t mind hearing it, you‟re really good with her.”

Ian slid Caleb a look, his attention drawn from the beans

under his fingertips. “Yeah? I honestly have no idea. Except for a
few stints of babysitting, I‟m winging it.”

Caleb‟s mouth curled, making him seem younger. When he

didn‟t have the weight of the world on his shoulders, the man was

worth a second look. When he did bear that weight, Ian just wanted
to give him a shoulder to lean on.

“That‟s all you can do with kids. They don‟t come with starter

manuals.”

Ian relaxed until his spine hit the chair. “Experienced?”

“Some. I‟ve had all four at once and that is an adventure.

Three boys and one girl, and trust me, they know how to gang up

against Uncle Caleb.” The twinkle in his eyes negated the
beleaguered tone.

Ian palmed the scattered cards and Caleb stood to get the

container for the beans. He placed the deck in the cabinet where
he‟d seen Caleb find it, however he wasn‟t expecting to turn and

find himself face to face with the other man.

He felt his heart leap to a new gear, his pulse surging against

his neck. The counter cut into his lower spine as parts of him went

weak with wanting.

“It‟s been a long time, Caleb,” he managed, almost a croak.

His throat had gone dry.

“Tell me if you remember how to do this.” Caleb‟s breath was

warm over Ian‟s lips, his mouth coming closer.

Ian‟s brain was screaming at him to move, that he couldn‟t

do this, but his body, and okay, his dick, were giving his sense of
preservation the finger because the rest of him wanted this. Caleb

knew his secret, and as he studied those patient blue eyes, Ian
realized he trusted the man behind that penetrating stare.

Caleb‟s rough fingers glided down Ian‟s forearm, a light

stroke and Ian‟s breathing staggered in answer. Then there was
nowhere to hide, no way to run because Caleb‟s lips were touching

his and in that instant, Ian‟s brain shut up.

Warmth flooded his body. His heart pounded. And God, his

cock throbbed. Ian moaned a low sound, craving, wanting,

starving, and not realizing how badly until that moment in time.
Caleb shifted, tilting closer and Ian‟s eyelids dropped like weights,

leaving him in sensory overload.

Gentle hands encircled his bare forearms, roaming upward

until discovering palms stopped at the apex of his shoulders.

Fingertips lightly scratched the sides of his throat. Ian‟s hand found
the denim of Caleb‟s jeans waist and latched on, hanging on to not
melt to the floor. The other was grasping the counter in a knuckled

grip.

A strong tongue circled his lips and Ian met his curiosity,

stroking out to find Caleb. Rumbles and purrs were his reward. If
he‟d forgotten how to kiss, Caleb was well versed to reinstruct him,
to refresh his memory. Heat danced along Ian‟s spine. Hunger

gnawed at him, pooling low in his belly, sinking into his balls.
Waves of desire were rolling over him.

Then Caleb went a little further, cupping Ian‟s nape to play

with his hair, threading his fingers through the strands reaching for

Ian‟s collar. Shivers cascaded down from the playful caresses.

Each heartbeat brought them closer and closer until Caleb

covered him, snug against Ian‟s frame with the counter behind him.
Solid muscles and a rock hard cock pressed into him. Before Ian
sank too deep in the lust-filled daze, he jerked Caleb‟s hip tight into

his groin, grinding in a hard, circular motion. Caleb groaned, a
shudder echoing down his body right after.

Ian was moving before he even knew what he‟d intended.

Another tug, a twist and a spinning step and Caleb was the one
captured against the counter. Their mouths tore apart, ragged

panting filling the kitchen.

Blue eyes glittered like a summer sky. Generous lips were red

and full, and just right for more kisses. Ian bet he‟d have that same

look after going down on him, and he could imagine it. Clearly.

He swept his tongue over his tingling lip then decided doing

it to Caleb would be even better.

It was.
Shivers stole over Caleb‟s shoulders as his eyes closed to

savor.

“I think you remember just fine,” he said, graveled and low

with need. Lashes raised slowly. “Even better than I‟d imagined.”

That brought warmth to Ian‟s face. Then it crashed down

around him.

“What do we do next?”

Caleb continued to sift through the ends of his hair, not in

the least concerned that he was caught between Ian and a hard

place by the lazy, pleased glimmer in his eyes.

“That‟s up to you. Me, I want to take you to bed.” Ian‟s heart

leaped for his throat. “I know you‟re not ready for that.” An

understanding twist of Caleb‟s mouth told him he‟d caught the rush
of nervousness. Steady fingertips continued to caress his neck, a
slow, gentle kneading. “But I‟m willing to let you chase me.”

“Smartass.” Ian cocked his head. “That sure of yourself?”
“No, not really. Optimistic. That and you‟re the hottest thing

I‟ve run across in a long time.”

“I‟m not the chasing type.” Ian followed as Caleb studied

him. He had yet to stop touching. The flare of desire might have

cooled, but the raging inferno Caleb had lit was only biding its time
to erupt again.

“Because of small minds?”

“Because I‟d be jacking with my livelihood.”
Caleb brought him closer. “I think you‟re going to be

surprised. Shocked and surprised. Time to come out of the closet,
Ian.” Caleb winked then released him, easing him backward a pace

to stand straight. “Besides, what you‟re worried about doesn‟t affect
one soul other than you…and me, provided I wasn‟t imagining this.”

Caleb slid his free hand down Ian‟s front, teasing and

cupping the prominent ridge of flesh behind his jeans zipper.

“If that‟s my imagination,” he whispered. “Please don‟t wake

me up.”

Ian trembled, and Caleb took it a step further, giving him a

squeeze. Ian shook. Literally shook, his knees weakening. Strikes of

electric need coursed down Ian‟s spine, tingling and popping over
nerves. He lifted his hands and pressed flat palms to Caleb‟s chest,
determined to stay upright.

Caleb shuddered, a harsh breath breaking the expectant

silence between them. He removed his hand from Ian‟s front.

“One of us better go or this is going to happen a lot faster

than I think you‟re ready for.”

Gulping, Ian put more space between them. He then realized

what Caleb had said. A deep frown cut into his brow. “I‟m not some
teenage kid, Caleb.”

Caleb crossed his arms and relaxed against the counter. His

shirt molded like a second skin across the chest Ian had just been
touching, and there was nothing to be ashamed of beneath the
cotton. “Believe me, I‟m damned glad you‟re not.”

Now that he wasn‟t being held or touched, Ian felt like a fog

had been lifted from his mind. A wonderful, sensual fog, but he

could think clearer just the same.

“This isn‟t going to happen, Caleb. I‟ve never had anyone

over, and never at the house.”

Caleb tilted his head on his shoulders. “Never?” He canted

his lips, as if puzzled.

“Never. I told you, I have responsibilities at home, a business

that is my only means of support, and now Terra. I‟m not going to
jeopardize any of that.”

“So you‟ve been sacrificing any happiness on whether or not

the townspeople would care or hate you.” He harrumphed.

“My family has been in Jasper since my great-grandparents.

We have history, I have history.”

Caleb rocked his head. “I know. So what you‟re saying is now

or never?”

“Well, no—”
“Then you are willing to give us a chance?”

It took Ian about three seconds to answer, however painfully

honest it was. He wasn‟t going to jump into something right this

second, no matter how badly he ached to do it and not care about
the consequences. That only left one real choice. “I want to,” he
answered quietly.

“Then that means you‟re going to have to either let me come

to your place or you come to mine, even if it‟s just to hang out. You
do remember how to do that, don‟t you?”

Ian raked a hand through his hair. Even though he hadn‟t

moved, it felt as though Caleb were blocking him, caging him when

he was the one standing in the middle of the kitchen. “Don‟t be an
ass.”

“Can‟t let the neighbors get the wrong idea, you know,” Caleb

muttered sarcastically.

Ian didn‟t flinch, but he heard the message loud and clear.

Caleb didn‟t hide his orientation. Guilty by association. A gay man

pretending to be straight with his gay friend for the nosy-Nellies
around town. He scrubbed his face with his palms, suddenly feeling

exhausted.

“I can‟t do it like you do, Caleb.”
When Caleb didn‟t answer, Ian sought him from behind his

hands, dropping them when he felt like he might be hiding a little
too much.

“Can‟t do what?” he asked with a private rasp. “Be happy?

Only you know how to do that. Can‟t be gay? Didn‟t think it was a
choice, but if you know different, I‟d love to hear it—”

“Caleb,” he snarled lowly.
“Can‟t be open about us? Well, that‟s disappointing, because

I‟d love to just go down to the Husker and have a beer some time.

Believe it or not, I do know how to behave in public. I‟m not averse
to doing things, going places, but if you can‟t do even that…”

“What?” Ian glared now.

“Then it‟s more than being in the closet.” Caleb straightened,

blatant disappointment shadowing those sky-blue pools. “I thought

we were also friends, and friends do those kinds of things.”

“We are friends.”
Caleb hummed, studying Ian. “That‟s good to know.”

He wondered if he was still measuring up, and somehow

doubted it. “But…”

Caleb put a hand on Ian‟s shoulder. “Why don‟t we just start

there? Don‟t get me wrong, the only place I want you is in my bed.

Yes, I‟m optimistic, and I don‟t give in to challenges easily.” He
leaned forward until he could whisper into Ian‟s ear. “Believe me,

there is no one I want more than you.”

Ian clenched a fist to forcefully release it, his heart doing that

kicked danced again. “When was your last boyfriend?”

“Three years ago. Des Moines.”
“And you were…public?”
“Well, we did live together. We went out to eat, grabbed a

beer, hung out with friends. If you‟re asking if we made out in
public, the answer is no.”

Ian felt himself cracking. Caleb was offering something he

hadn‟t had, hadn‟t tasted, touched or experienced in almost a
decade. His chin sank forward. “One step at a time, okay?” He could

go to the Husker, play some pool, down a couple. It didn‟t mean
anyone would see something that wasn‟t there, right? Just two fellas
not sitting at home watching paint dry.

Caleb wrapped an arm around Ian‟s shoulders and brought

them together. “Not asking to move in or to even sleep over, but I

do want to spend time with you. As a friend, and as your lover.”

Ian trembled again, and for a wholly different reason. Caleb

scared the shit out of him. Yet as heat infiltrated his skin where they

touched chest to chest, arms entwined, Ian felt himself being pulled
toward Caleb, like a meteor circling closer by an unfathomable
gravitational pull.

Chapter Seven

“I made the coffee this morning.”
Ian yawned and dragged himself into the kitchen. “Thanks.”

He sat at the table and a moment later, Terra took the chair
opposite him to eat her cereal. “Last week of school?”

She nodded, chomping and slurping. She wiped her mouth

with a napkin. “Friday will probably be an early release day.”

Ian sipped his coffee, not quite in full motion. He licked his

lips. “You make good coffee.”

She smiled then scooped her bowl into her hands to down

the milk. Finished, she took her bowl to the sink. Then what she

was getting at, hit him.

Friday was the last day of school. Crap.
She couldn‟t stay at home all day. She‟d go out of her ever-

lovin‟ mind. He sucked down the last of his go-juice and pushed
back from the table. “How would you like to come to the shop in the
mornings? Help out a little?” It wasn‟t much, and he couldn‟t think

of a single thing she could do, but maybe it would be enough to
keep them both from going stir-crazy. Her at home and him

worrying about her.

“Like a summer job?”
He wasn‟t awake enough yet to really answer that. “Let‟s talk

about it tonight. You don‟t want to be late.”

She left him to go dress for school, and he did the same for

work. As had become their routine, he dropped her off at the high

school on the way to his shop.

It was times like this that he really missed his sister. He had

no idea what to do with Terra, knew trouble would be too easy to
find if he left her alone, and honestly wondered how Maria had
managed raising his niece. The girl‟s father was an unknown and

though Maria had tried to do right by her daughter, she hadn‟t been
the strongest of moral examples, thus hooking up with Striker. That
had proved to be a fatal mistake.

He let out a breath, slowing his ride under the tree where he

parked. After pulling off his helmet and shaking his hair loose, he

settled the helmet to hang on the handlebars with Terra‟s hooked
on the seat in back. He refused to let her ride without one. Ian
didn‟t take those kinds of risks. Period.

It wasn‟t quite lunchtime when the cop cruiser pulled up to

his open bay doors. He swallowed, his heart tripping, watching
Caleb climb out of the vehicle. It had been a few weeks since their

weekend at the lake, and their kiss. He hadn‟t forgotten it. Caleb
had been out of town for a week and a half recertifying for some

state protocol something or other. Ian left the law to the lawman.

It was good to see him back, though. Good to see him period.

It wasn‟t fair how the man affected him, though he straightened
when he snagged on a livid blue gaze.

“What‟s got your tail in a twist?” he asked, trying to joke the

man out of his fury.

“Striker.”
“Shit,” Ian cursed.

Caleb‟s hand was flexing. Ian had never seen him so ready to

unload, and he doubted a soul would be left standing when he did.

“Come into the office.” Caleb followed without an argument.

Ian shut the door to the shop outside. His office was close to
soundproof, and no one would be able to interrupt that they didn‟t

see first. “What?”

Caleb‟s lip lifted in a snarl, though he kept his distance from

Ian, pacing in short bursts within the confines of the inner office.

“The fucker did it again. The son of a bitch got away with it again.”

Ian leaned against the work counter where the phone, fax

and register were. A file cabinet and a few other things took up
space, the empty waiting room visible through shatter-proof glass
with four empty chairs. They were rarely used.

He crossed his arms and nodded. Caleb‟s shoulders bunched

then shuddered. “Fuck, Ian. I want this asshole caught and he keeps
slipping through everyone‟s fingers.”

“Where was he?”
“Kentucky. They have everyone watching for him.”

Ian didn‟t doubt determination would win, that Striker

would fuck up. They‟d catch him. “What did he do?”

“He drugged the woman he was shacked up with. Almost

exactly like Maria, except she didn‟t have a high alcohol level.”

“Like Maria?” Ian asked, and with a nod Caleb gave his

answer. Ian closed his eyes. “Son of a bitch.”

“He‟s gathered a few to ride with him. One took the fall when

he skipped town. He was paid for it, but when he finally spilled that,

Striker was long gone.”

Ian‟s stomach tumbled then lurched. “They have to catch

him.” Ian knew it burned Caleb that he‟d missed the jackass when

he managed to slip out of Jasper.

Caleb‟s chest rose and fell until he closed his eyes, bringing

himself back under control. Ian moved across the small space,

nearing him. “I don‟t blame you that he got away, Caleb,” he told
the other man.

“When I think of what he did, could have done to Terra…” A

shudder rocked his thick frame.

It never ceased to amaze Ian how deeply Caleb cared for

those he protected. And he knew Terra struck a soft spot that went
even deeper because of the age similarity between Terra and his

only niece.

He lightly clasped Caleb‟s elbow. “She‟s better, Caleb. We

both miss her mother, but we‟re doing okay.”

Caleb heaved a slow exhale. When he gazed at Ian, his eyes

were clear. “Thanks for talking me down. You don‟t know how badly

I wanted to get in that damn car and go find him myself. When I
heard he‟d done it again…” He shrugged. “The man is either lucky
or damn good, and I doubt it‟s the second.”

“They‟ll get him, and I know if he shows his face here again,

he won‟t leave twice.” Caleb wasn‟t the only one who had been
outraged by Maria‟s murder. Those that cared would have to take a

number behind himself and Caleb though. He released Caleb‟s arm.
“What‟s he taking? Why is he doing it?”

“With this one, she‟d threatened to turn him in. Had even

talked to a friend because he‟d been too heavy-handed with her. He
knows who to shack up with though. Women who need something,

whether it‟s him, or the money he flashes around. He wiped out her
bank account and stole her jewelry. I don‟t know because I didn‟t
get the full report, but it didn‟t sound like this one knew about his

drug business.”

“Slick fucker.”

“Yeah.” He inhaled a steadier breath, to let it out with the

same control. A moment passed with both working to calm their
fury. Then, “Have you had a chance to think about us?”

Ian felt goose bumps rise up on his flesh, his head nearly

spinning at the sudden topic change. When Caleb lowered his voice
like that, it sent his heart into his ribs. Caleb hadn‟t moved, but the

space they shared suddenly seemed much smaller.

“What happened to your last boyfriend?” Ian blurted. Caleb

was disturbing Ian‟s balance, unsettling his world, inside and out.
He‟d wondered why a man like Caleb would be alone. Thought
about it after their weekend at the lake, but hadn‟t had a chance to

ask. Blurting it out wasn‟t exactly what he‟d planned, but he
couldn‟t retract it, and he did want to know. Caleb had said he‟d

lived with his last boyfriend, but never called him an ex. So what
happened?

A shadow fell across his sun-tanned features to then fade.

“He left me, and two weeks later he was in a wreck. A drunk driver,

head on. I was pretty sure he‟d be back. John was like that. Needed
space sometimes to think. He thought he was having his mid-life
crisis. Maybe he was.”

“I‟m sorry, Caleb.”
“It was three years ago. I‟ve been drifting since then.” Caleb

encroached into Ian‟s personal space until Ian was forced to take a

step back, giving Caleb the chance to corral him into the counter. “I
sure as hell wasn‟t expecting to find someone here in Jasper. That‟s

why it hasn‟t mattered where I ended up. After John, I didn‟t want
to hurt like that again.” Caleb bracketed his arms on either side of
Ian‟s body.

Ian couldn‟t help the increased pounding of his heart, or the

short pants as they raced between parted lips.

“Then someone called in Terra half-frozen and hiding at

Saint Andrew and my life hasn‟t been the same since.”

Ian gulped. “Caleb.”

A tick became noticeable beneath the skin of Caleb‟s throat.

“My name on your lips sounds incredible.” He whipped his head
around. “Can‟t be seen, right?”

“Not in to here, no.”
Caleb shackled his upper arms. “Behind the counter. Better

safe than sorry.”

“What—?”
Caleb silenced him with a fiery kiss. Ian shivered. Caleb was

strong but never to hurt, controlling but not without taking both of
them into account. Ian danced with Caleb until they stopped on the
hidden side of the counter, both squeezed in between it and the wall

and cabinet.

“You drive me insane, Ian.” Caleb was breathing heavier

now, his lips fuller. “Don‟t move.”

Caleb drew down his overalls zipper to expose his jeans.

Then Caleb popped the button, drawing that zipper down as well.

“Caleb.” Ian groaned through a shuddering chest. Shit, if he hadn‟t
been hard, he was now. Caleb ran a flat hand over the outlined
shape of his cock behind constraining briefs. Ian curled his palms

over the blunt edge of the counter, locking his knees to not shake.

“Tell me you want this, Ian,” Caleb said with a lowered growl

in his voice that shot electricity down Ian‟s spine. It matched the

sparks of need and desire in brilliant blue eyes. Caleb leaned close
and licked the scar at the edge of Ian‟s chin, never knowing what the

single action could do to him.

Caleb showed him.

“Yesss,” he breathed, putting up the white flag and giving in.
Caleb moaned, lowering to his haunches. He flipped snug

briefs low, bringing Ian‟s dick out with a gentle touch. Ian‟s head

rolled on a suddenly loose as a noodle neck. It was almost like it was
his first time, it had been so long since anyone had touched him.
And Caleb was heaven. The quarters were snug, but Caleb had just

enough room to draw him completely out and slip a hand between
his legs to cup his balls.

“Fuck!” Ian trembled, gripping the counter until the wood

cut into his blood supply.

Warm breath slid over his length just before the slick swipe

of a tongue curled around his tip.

“Mm. Damn,” Caleb crooned, then continued exploring. Heat

and wet engulfed Ian‟s dick and he was lost. He knew he was

moaning shamelessly. The strength of a palm formed to his ass and
he grunted, bucking forward in reaction. Caleb opened up wider

and took him.

Managing to swing forward on a weak neck, he opened his

eyes and hissed at the sight. Caleb‟s plump red lips glided up and

down his shaft, eyes closed in bliss. A strong hand was wrapped
around behind, massaging Ian‟s ass. Caleb held his body steady
with a grip on Ian‟s hip. Ian‟s hand trembled when he reached to

touch Caleb‟s hair. Caleb moaned in encouragement, Ian‟s cock
stuffed deep into his mouth, driving sensation outward with a

heated blast.

It only took a few seconds beneath the onslaught.

Embarrassingly, it had been too long. The pressure built, boiling

like a furnace threatening to explode. His balls tightened. “Caleb,”
he gasped, grinding his teeth together when the man only took him
deeper, faster. “Can‟t… Not… Oh fuck!”

His head snapped on his neck. Ian clutched at Caleb‟s hair,

thrusting as he jetted. Caleb took it, swallowing him as kneading

fingers worked his ass. Then Caleb did an evil thing, purposely
drawing his touch over Ian‟s hole and Ian twitched, wrung out and
gasping. It felt so good. Ian moaned, drowning in the combined

pressures and feelings. Flickering sparks filled his vision, proof he‟d
nearly blacked out from the intense release.

Ian was vaguely aware as Caleb licked him clean, letting him

go with a last kiss to his cock. He stood in front of Ian and

embraced him, murmuring calming words, stroking the side of his
neck. The erratic race of his heart pounded against his ears.

Gently, Caleb tucked him back into his clothing, easing his

jeans up. Ian hadn‟t even noticed they‟d drooped halfway down his
thighs, he‟d been so enraptured by Caleb‟s intoxicating mouth. Once

his jeans were up and he was safely covered beneath them again,
Caleb kissed him. A slow, drugging kiss tasting faintly of the salty
tanginess that could only be him. Ian shuddered, his arm circling

Caleb‟s body and drawing him flush.

Caleb leaned forward, his weight caging Ian between himself

and the counter. Caleb moved his hips side to side, rubbing an
erection into his groin that had Ian salivating. He was as hard as a
rock.

“Feels so good,” Caleb whispered just above Ian‟s lips. “Taste

incredible.”

Daring himself, Ian let his hand skim Caleb‟s hip, cutting to

the front. Caleb‟s lip quivered as a moan slipped loose when Ian
cupped him. He filled Ian‟s palm and then some. A bolt of lust

struck Ian hard. No one had felt like this in his hand.

“You. Want you,” he managed through a dry mouth. Caleb‟s

eyes were luminous blue when he captured Ian‟s gaze. He shook his

head.

“Wasn‟t for me,” he rasped, sounding rough and raw. “Can‟t

take any more time either.” He neared, stealing a last kiss. “But I‟ll

be dreaming about it.” He then found the pull to Ian‟s overalls
zipper and eased it up, bringing it up over his shoulders from where

it had fallen to sag around his back. “God, you are sexy. I love that I
get to unwrap you.”

“But…”

Caleb shook his head. “Just think about us. Give us a

chance.” With a final swipe of his thumb to Ian‟s lower lip, a caress
that was somehow even more powerful than any kiss, he rounded

the painted counter and walked out of the shop.

Chapter Eight

Ian held the phone in his hand. Did he have the guts to do

this? Two days ago, Caleb had taken his world and spun it sideways.

Just thinking about it sent blood to his cock. The frequency of hard-
ons he‟d been experiencing was all Caleb‟s fault. He couldn‟t get
what they‟d done out of his mind. Ian couldn‟t remember the last

time he‟d felt so damn good, either. Just thinking about the man,
about his wicked tongue or his touch made his heart thud like a
hammer into his ribs.

“Hi, Uncle Ian.”
He dropped the phone to the floor with a clatter, whirling to

find his niece eyeing him like he was a few cards short. And fearing
she might just be right.

“Didn‟t hear you.”

She pursed her lips. “Got that. You going to leave it on the

floor? When it rings, we‟ll know where to look.”

“Smartass.”

She grinned with pure evil precociousness. “Genetics.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He sighed a chuckle.

She opened the refrigerator and came back out with a soda.

The door closed with a magnetic thump.

“Terra, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” She gave him another one of those Are you feeling

okay? looks, but waited for him to continue.

“Sit with me a minute.” His gut was killing him, wrapped up

so tight over itself, it was probably on the north side of his liver. He
snatched the phone off the floor to try to collect himself, to set it on

the table beside him. It didn‟t help much. This was so out of his
comfort zone, he might as well be on Mars. But fuck… He couldn‟t
forget Caleb‟s challenge. Give us a chance.

She pulled out a chair and plunked into it, resting her arms

on the kitchen table. White on white, the old spindle chairs were the
original ones to the table, even down to the cornflower blue tile on

the top. What had he needed with a house full of fancy furniture, a
man who lived alone? He didn‟t even have a computer at home. He

used the one at work if he needed one.

He stared at his niece sitting at his elbow. She‟d be fifteen in

a few more weeks. Yet when he looked into her eyes, there was a

wealth of maturity in their depths. A maturity that had been forced
upon her. Life was a bitch and she bit hard.

“You know I love you,” he started shakily. He knitted his

fingers together. “I have since you were a baby. I can remember you

in those stupid pigtails your mother used to put in your hair. And
you‟re getting older now—”

“Uncle Ian, I know about sex.” She dipped her chin to peer

up at him. “I don‟t fool around and I‟m careful.”

He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I know. I knew when you

had your physical.”

She straightened sharply, gaping. “And you didn‟t say

anything? Didn‟t… Didn‟t…” Her eyebrows crossed in blatant

confusion. “Why didn‟t you?”

He rolled a shoulder, still having a hard time looking at her.

“Because I am the last person to get on you for being wild or just
curious. I was a fuck-up for the first twenty-three years of my life.”

“What happened?”

“I had a life changing reality slap me in the face.” He watched

as his knuckles turned white, his hands gripping each other until
they were bloodless on the surface.

That had been an adjustment to make, realizing he wasn‟t

normal in the sense everyone expected. It had been a relief in some

ways, to know there were reasons for the way he felt, for the way he
looked at and thought about women. What had scared the shit out
of him had been the new outlook he had, one he‟d never suspected

about why some men drew his attention and the denial that it was
for anything other than visual curiosity. That had taken a little
longer after the epiphany. Ian had been and still was a private

person, and that truth was simply something he couldn‟t wear on
his sleeve.

“I was wild, a trouble-maker who barely graduated and only

went to school at the time to make Dad happy. Hell, you know
what‟s here. Nothing.”

“Yeah, but that‟s what makes it unique. I‟ve been to the city

with Mom. It‟s foreign not knowing the person behind the counter
at the store. I know I‟ll have to make choices in another year or two.

College, a career, what I want to do with my life. I know there‟s no
options here for a beginner.”

Ian shook his head. “Are you sure you‟re only fourteen? And

my niece?” How anyone of his family could be so level-headed blew
his mind.

She ran a thumbnail over a moisture bead on her soda can.

“I‟ve been talking to the counselor at school. She‟s been helping
me.”

Ian looked up and focused on her. “Really?”
“Yeah. I know you don‟t know it, because it never happened,

but I almost ran away.”

Ian‟s eyebrows shot up. “When? Why?”

She was the one to not meet his gaze this time, a red hue

tinting her cheeks as her jaw worked back and forth. “Right after
Mom‟s funeral. I felt…lost, angry, and I wanted to kill Striker.

Actually find him and see his blood. Mrs. Ramsey hauled me into
her office and we talked for over two hours. I‟ve been talking to her
a couple times a week since.”

“I knew you‟d talked once or twice…” He trailed off, feeling

like he‟d failed somehow that he hadn‟t known.

“She‟s the reason I‟ve stayed in school. Life sucks, school

sucks, but not being with family, that‟s…” She swallowed. “You‟re
right, Uncle Ian. I don‟t want to lose us either.”

“Shit,” he breathed, not even embarrassed to swear in front

of her. When she smirked, he only said, “And I know you‟ve heard
and probably said worse.”

“Yeah, but I‟m supposed to keep this innocent angel thing for

as long as I can.” The glimmer of humor added to her teasing tone.

“Terror, you‟ll always be my angel.” He reached out and

grasped her hand beneath his. She gave him an answering squeeze.

“So, what was this life-changing thing that happened?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.” He couldn‟t imagine bringing

it up now. It was the coward‟s way out and he knew it. Terra was
trusting him with something that he knew was painful to deal with.

He would cut off his own arm if it would help her heal. It wasn‟t the
direction he‟d anticipated the conversation going, but he wasn‟t

going to disparage her efforts to bring them closer either. It had
been a long time since he‟d felt close, as family. He wanted to be a
good role model for Terra, supportive and someone she knew she

could trust and come to. After what she‟d been through, she
deserved it. Each other was all they had now.

For Caleb though, Ian could take a step in the right direction.

“Would you mind if I invited Caleb over for dinner some time?”

She sipped her drink, giving him a sassy, “Am I supposed

to?”

“There‟s that smartass gene again,” he muttered.
“And I learned from the best.” When she stood, she pecked

him on the cheek with a light kiss. He sat there for several minutes,
feeling a little thunderstruck by the show of affection. This being an
uncle stuff wasn‟t looking so hard after all.

* * * *

“Okay, I know it‟s going to be boring, but you can bring

books to read and if you want, there‟s solitaire on the computer.”

For all Ian knew, there was more than that, but he never had the
time to find out.

“Just answer the phone?” Terra appeared skeptical,

investigating the office as though it were on a foreign planet. She‟d
been at his shop, but now he worried she saw it as being stuck
there. Unfortunately, she was probably right, at least until the

following summer when she could actually be hired somewhere in
town for part-time work.

“Yes. And it does ring. But if I‟m under a car or down in the

pit, it takes me time to get to it. The only two things I need are
name and phone number. We‟ll figure out more as we go along.

Okay?”

“And you‟re going to pay me for this?” Terra was giving him

that doubtful grimace again.

“It won‟t be much, but I promised I wouldn‟t make this a

slave labor deal. This will also help me out. Let me see if I need to

have another mechanic or not. It feels like the workload is
increasing, but I haven‟t had a chance to sit down and look at the
numbers.”

“Oh! I can do that for you. Even do a spreadsheet to see what

type of work you‟re getting.”

Ian thought a moment. Terra seemed excited about having

something to do, and truthfully it would help him. “All right.
There‟s a program on the computer.” He walked behind the counter

and clicked a few things. The printer under the counter began to
crank out pages. “These are the orders I‟ve had over the last eight
weeks. You can put in a different date here,” he pointed to the

screen, “to get a longer range.”

“Okay.”
“You sure it‟s not too much?”

She shook her head, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.

“They were teaching us how to do all of this stuff at school. Ledgers

and credit and stuff.”

“Amazing. I think we were still doing math on an abacus

when I was in school.”

Terra laughed, rolling her eyes at him. Just then, a horn

honked outside.

“Time to go make the world run,” he told her. “If you need

me, don‟t hesitate.”

“Go, Uncle Ian.” She shooed him out with a wave.
He took a step, gave her one last glance, then maneuvered

from behind the desk to go see who needed him outside. He
couldn‟t help the lift of his lips or the perk of his step when he
discovered a certain Sheriff‟s cruiser and its driver.

“Hey.”
“Morning,” Caleb called, closing his door to walk up to him.

He stopped for Ian at the front fender. A light breeze scudded

clouds across the sky overhead. Promised to be a dry and hot one
this summer, if Ian wasn‟t too wrong.

Caleb‟s face was forbidding. “I wanted to come tell you

myself. Striker‟s been spotted. The word is he‟s headed this way.”

“Here? Why?”

Ian caught the faintest hint of a glance toward the garage

office.

He forcefully relaxed the strain across his frame, asking, “For

Terra?”

“That seems to be the consensus,” Caleb said confidentially.

He stood shoulder to shoulder with Ian, his arms crossed over a
solid chest. “Terra ties him to Maria‟s murder, and she can ID him
for the assault on her.”

Ian‟s stomach clenched like an iron vise had tightened

around it.

A grim glower shadowed his features when he continued.

“It‟s not even necessary any longer, but I doubt he‟s thinking clearly
enough to know that.”

“Caleb.” A shiver stole over Ian‟s shoulders. He whipped up

when the phone rang, the shrill sound being cut off before it had hit
one cycle. “I can‟t let anything happen to her. She‟s all I have.”

Amazing how close they‟d become over the last several months.
When all she‟d been was his niece for most of her life and his, now
he couldn‟t imagine her not at his house, not making a mess out of

the microwave, or leaving a half full can of soda in the fridge.

Caleb bent close. “Nothing will. I promise you that.” When

Caleb let his arms fall to his sides, he unobtrusively slid the
knuckles of his hand over Ian‟s hip. Comfort. Solidarity. And
nothing overtly sexual in the gesture in the least. Ian was grateful

for both how it was meant and how it was given. The slight stroke
still made his heart kick once or twice.

He cleared his throat. “She‟s working with me over the

summer. I‟ll keep an eye on her.”

“Okay. I‟m not saying she‟s in danger, or even his objective,

but it makes sense just the same to watch over her.”

Ian couldn‟t have agreed more.

Chapter Nine

Caleb wanted to stay, wanted to do more than just talk, too, if

truth be told, but he couldn‟t, and their little rendezvous spot was

now Terra‟s. He really didn‟t want to go chase Mr. Turner‟s hog
again, either. Stupid beast had broken out twice this month already.

He was on alert for Striker, but his jurisdiction only

stretched so far. He knew Ian would keep Terra close. It wasn‟t like
there was a den of iniquity, an underground of crime, in Jasper. It
wasn‟t Mayberry, but it wasn‟t half bad either.

“Okay, then. I‟ll let you get to work.” Caleb shifted to turn,

reaching for his car door. What made it so damned interminably

aggravating was being that close to Ian and not being able to touch.
Caleb couldn‟t stop thinking about what had happened between
them before. He couldn‟t lie to himself. He wanted more. A hell of a

lot more, and he needed time and space to bring Ian along for the
ride, except when he was done convincing, he was pretty damned
sure he wasn‟t going to let the other man go.

He sure as hell knew Ian wasn‟t ready for that. Caleb was

letting him make the next move. He‟d cornered him last time,

though neither was complaining. Caleb hoped he‟d refreshed Ian‟s
memory a little. Caleb had certainly enjoyed it. He‟d been alone
since John‟s desertion and death, heartbroken twice. The yearning

for anything had died with him. Until he‟d stood on the man‟s porch
and stared into brown eyes one bitch-cold winter morning.

“Caleb?” The cruiser door hung open between them when he

stopped at the rough sound of his name.

“Yeah?” He looked up and found those same eyes boring into

him. He felt his body begin to react, and had to focus to keep his
dick from swelling. Ian with his hair tussled like it was this morning
was just too sexy for words.

“Want to come over for dinner Saturday?”
Caleb felt his heart slam to a stop, to immediately jump into

a new gear. He prayed he was keeping it all off his face. He hid

himself behind the propped door because his efforts south were
fruitless. He was getting a boner and knew he couldn‟t stop it.

Ian‟s offer was solid, but wary hesitation, the uncertainty

gleamed brightly in his sun-kissed eyes.

“You‟re not covering this weekend, are you?” Ian shifted, a

shoulder sinking, just waiting for the let-down.

“No. What time?” Lashes fell, and Caleb wanted to do

something to ease his fears. He leaned forward, lowering his voice.

“Relax.” Ian‟s eyes whipped open. “I‟ve done nothing but think of
you,” he whispered.

Ian shrank the space between them with a step, the hanging

door a single barrier. If anyone had seen, they would have only

appeared to be talking quietly. It was the heat generated between
the two of them that said otherwise.

“I almost called you, but Terra…” Ian glanced away beyond

Caleb, a definite hue coloring his throat. “She walked in and we
started talking instead. I was trying to bring it up.”

“Bring what up?” Caleb rested an elbow on the roof of the car

and leaned. Unless there was a fire, there really wasn‟t a hurry. And
anything Ian had to say trumped life in that moment.

Ian cleared his throat and found Caleb‟s eyes. “That I‟m gay.”
“Ian, I know it‟s been a long time, but times have changed, a

lot in the last twenty years since you were in school. You should

check at the high school. You‟ll see what I mean.”

Caleb knew Ian would never believe him, but maybe if he

saw the changes for himself, it would do what Caleb knew he

couldn‟t. Being out wasn‟t perfect, and it wasn‟t paradise, but it was
a lot better than it had been. Maybe seeing the signs for the summer

GSA club meetings would help.

“School‟s out for summer.”
“Not everything, not yet. And yes, I‟ll be there Saturday.

Need me to bring anything?”

Ian seemed to gather himself, finally saying, “No. Just show

up. Afternoon. I‟ll get the pit going.”

“Barbeque? Now I know I‟ll be there.”
Caleb received a shaky grin that firmed. He almost leaned

forward to taste that tremulous mouth. The shop phone rang again
and this time Terra shouted for him, her head appearing through
the glass welcome door of the waiting room. “Uncle Ian! It‟s Mrs.

Huebner. Second call.”

“Get to work, grease monkey.” Caleb clocked him lightly on

the shoulder, hiding his cravings deep. For now. “Hey. It‟s going to

be okay.”

“Which part?” Doubts were so thick around him, they were

almost visible ripples in the air.

“Everything,” Caleb replied. Sunlight glinted off brown pools,

and Caleb‟s pulse thundered at the heat in those eyes. He waited

until Ian turned to go talk to Mrs. Huebner before sliding into his
car to leave.

* * * *

“Terra?”

“Hm?” She barely looked away from the TV, sitting in his

lounger.

He‟d just finished putting their chicken dinner in the oven

and was trying to think of a way to bring up his question without
making it too obvious or sounding incredibly ignorant. “Do you ever

join the school clubs?”

She snorted. “Like what? The Chess Club?” She made a rude

raspberry adding a derisive flick of her hand. “Please.”

“They still have a Chess Club?” He grinned as a low rumbled

chuckle gurgled up. The memories he had of Chess Club were from

the non-attending perspective.

“Yeah, and Honor Society, Debate, Student Council, GSA,

Community Awareness, Marching Band. There‟s tons.” She

slouched into the chair, her chin on a raised fist propped on an
elbow with her body tucked up into the cushions. Essentially a
teenage pretzel. He almost envied her that limberness.

“What‟s GSA? I don‟t remember anything named that.”

Driving by the high school via the scenic route to the grocery store

after shutting up shop, he‟d spotted a few of the club banners. Terra
mentioning it was a perfect opportunity to find out what it was
about.

“Gay-Straight Alliance. Before I got to the high school, a kid

was put in the hospital because he was gay. The senior who
assaulted him was sentenced to nine months of community service

and they started a GSA chapter here in Jasper.”

Ian vaguely remembered the fracas details. “I thought it was

a knife fight,” he said, trying to recall what he‟d known then. He
eased himself into the rocker, leaning with his elbows on his knees.

“It was. Only the kid he attacked didn‟t have one.”

He popped up straighter. “Geez. Is he okay?”
“Dunno. I guess so.” Her attention was divided between him

and the TV, some reality show or other.

“How do you feel about that?” Ian relaxed, though he was

honestly struggling not to tense up.

“Which? The fight?” She shrugged with indifference. “There‟s

always someone getting suspended.”

“No, the club.”

She blinked and faced him. “I‟m not joining that one. Sheesh.

Trust me, Uncle Ian, I‟m not gay.” Sarcasm twisted her mouth
accompanied by an eye roll.

“I know you‟re not.” He cleared his throat. That was one

thing he did know, unequivocally. “How do feel about a person

being gay?”

Terra crossed her arms over her chest. “Why?” She drew it

out into a long sound.

He couldn‟t hold her stare, instead focusing on the TV in

time to catch a commercial. His heart was kicking against his ribs, a

painful pounding that was making it hard for him to breathe.

“If someone‟s saying crap about me being mean, I‟m not,”

she immediately stated while her eyes narrowed.

“No, no one‟s said anything.” The weight of his head dragged

his shoulders in as it hung loose between his shoulder blades.

Hesitantly, he looked up into her face. “Are you okay with people
being gay?”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I guess so. Why?”

Ian swallowed. That was as far as he could make himself go.

Terror made him freeze up. He wished he had half of Caleb‟s
strength. No doubt the man had balls. Here he was, almost forty

and he couldn‟t find it in himself to go after what he wanted. He
smacked down the little voice with a hard slap when he heard

coward between his ears.

“Nothing. Just been thinking.” He stood and popped his

neck, breaking the tension that had settled there in the last ten

minutes. “Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay.” She was already watching TV again with a total lack

of concern for the torrent of doubt and fear swirling within his body

and mind.

* * * *

Things were running smoothly with Terra handling the office

for Ian. It surprised him how much she helped, how much more

time it gave him to complete repairs when he wasn‟t chasing down
orders or answering phone calls. But the numbers she gave him
proved he hadn‟t been imagining the pressure. There was more

work coming to him. Ian was going to have to hire a second
mechanic.

The shop wasn‟t huge, a remodeled tin barn with hydraulic

lifts in the back bays and shelves and hooks on almost every
available wall space for storage and stock.

Taking a breather, he strolled into the office wiping his

hands on a shop rag. Terra was sipping at her soda, playing a game
he hadn‟t seen before.

“What‟s that?” He motioned to the monitor with a flick of his

hand.

“Mah Jongg. A Chinese strategy game.” She glanced up, then

reached behind her chair for a loose sheet of paper. “Oh, I got this

fax. Your order for Mrs. Huebner‟s Caddy will be here tomorrow.
They found the part.”

“That‟s great. Can you call her and tell her to bring it in the

morning?”

“Just call me your girl Friday.” She smirked.
“Yeah, yeah. Okay, Friday. You‟re still getting paid. And I

need you to call the paper and find out how much it‟ll cost to run an
employment ad.”

She nodded. “Belinda‟s sister works there. Shouldn‟t be a

problem.”

He shifted around the counter to watch her play. “I

appreciate what you do, Terra.” There was a sense of relief actually
having someone to help take some of the finer details off his hands.

She blinked and stared at him, wide-eyed. “Thanks,” she

stammered.

“I got so used to doing it all alone, I hadn‟t realized things

were actually as busy as they are.” He rubbed his chin on his
shoulder. “Want to make this your regular summer job?”

Terra hesitated for a thoughtful moment. “I guess so.”

When Ian stepped to go back to work, she reached out and

grabbed his arm, halting him. Leaning close, she smacked a quick
kiss on his cheek. “Love you, Uncle Ian.”

He swallowed, ducking his head a little. “You too, Terror. Get

back to work.” She laughed and started playing her game again.

* * * *

Caleb approached Ian‟s front door, cautious when it stood

wide open. He knocked on the jamb, craning his head inside.
“Hello?”

“Backyard!” Ian‟s voice carried through the house.

Walking toward the sound of the shout, Caleb caught the

scent of wood smoke wafting toward him on a breeze. It made his

mouth water. Nothing beat a hot mesquite fire on a Saturday
afternoon, preferably with something meaty cooking on it.

The glint of heat in Ian‟s welcoming gaze that greeted him

beat even the allure of a hot steak. Caleb swallowed, feeling his
temperature begin to rise, as well as his dick. “Hey.”

“There‟s beers in the fridge, or sodas,” Ian called to him.

Caleb paused before stepping completely outside. “You want

one?”

“Sure.”
Caleb did a one-eighty for the kitchen. With two beers in

hand, he joined Ian outside. “Just us? Where‟s Terra?” Caleb
glanced around the yard searching for her, realizing he hadn‟t heard
any sounds from inside either. He popped the top off one bottle and

handed it to Ian, doing the same for his own. He drew a sip, letting
himself relax in the sunshine.

“She went to a movie with a friend from school. I told her if

it‟s late when they‟re done, she can stay over.”

“And?”

Ian dragged his teeth across his bottom lip, not looking up at

Caleb while he purposefully poked at the fire in the grill. “She won‟t
be home tonight.” He cleared his throat, swinging a pensive glance

toward Caleb, quickly dropping it before he could be sure of just
what the message was in them.

Caleb inched closer. “And?” He quietly purred the word,

excitement and anticipation shooting mini-shocks to his groin.

“I went to the grocery store on Thursday to buy the steaks.”

Caleb almost moaned when Ian tipped his head, biting his lip

again. He wanted to taste and savor the stretch of skin from
beneath Ian‟s ear to his pulse, or simply take over when Ian let his

lip go. He sucked hard on his beer instead.

“Are you sure, Ian?” Caleb asked gently when he felt he could

trust his voice.

Nearly coffee brown, his eyes rose from where he was poking

at the fire. “Not in the fucking least.”

Caleb snorted. “You look good, by the way.” He made an

obvious, leering perusal of Ian from his shoulders to his legs, being
sure to linger in the middle.

Ian blinked, then cackled on a short burst. “Flattery will get

you everywhere.”

Caleb smiled, sipping at his bottle once more, trying to cool

the heat Ian caused. The line worked. The fear and tension that had
been threatening to overwhelm Ian faded, leaving his eyes deep and

bottomless. A few minutes later, Ian laid the grates over the fire and
scraped them with the grill brush.

“Steaks,” Ian said, closing the grill.

Caleb followed him. Once they were inside, he hooked a

finger through a belt loop and tugged a startled Ian down the
interior hallway, stopping between bedroom doors to press himself

into the wall. He aligned Ian in front of him. With a wiggle, Ian
straddled Caleb‟s legs, pinning him neatly.

Caleb didn‟t ask, didn‟t give him a chance to panic. With a

hand cupping behind Ian‟s head, Caleb brought them together. Ian

let him, covering Caleb chest to thigh without a fight, one hand
hooked by a thumb at Caleb‟s waist and the other near his head flat
on the wall. Black lashes fell at the first hint of flesh to flesh.

Cool lips became sizzling hot when they molded to each

other. Caleb moaned, relishing the longed-for raw taste on his
tongue, something singularly Ian with the bitter bite of the beer

they were drinking. Ian echoed him as they kissed, molding
seductively and savoring. Caleb brought him closer to feel Ian‟s

weight along his frame. Ian tilted and opened succulent lips, gliding
forward with his tongue to dance alongside Caleb‟s. He raised his
hips in answer, grinding until shivers drowned them both.

Ian let him go first, panting, resting over Caleb‟s shoulder.

“Still amazing,” Ian whispered.

Caleb rubbed his fingers into Ian‟s scalp, keeping him pinned

chest to chest. “I haven‟t forgotten it either.”

Ian‟s lips tantalized the side of his neck, dancing a shudder

over Caleb‟s spine. “The cabin?”

Caleb arched and gasped when Ian swirled his wicked

tongue, to suckle lightly at the throbbing vein beneath. “Mm hm.

And the shop,” Caleb added with a husky drawl. “Had hard-ons for
days after. Every time I thought of you, remembered the sounds you
made, the taste.” Caleb had prayed on a regular basis that Ian would

find a way to come to him, to make the next move. He could chase
the man, easily, but Ian wasn‟t the kind to be trapped. Ian had to

find the strength to chase him back, and today was definitely a good
sign.

“Aw fuck.” Caleb growled, his eyes popping open as

sensation and hunger poured into his bloodstream. Ian‟s hand had
soundlessly dropped from the wall to cover his swollen cock in his
jeans, deliciously pinned beneath the other man‟s groin.

“I have to tell you,” Ian murmured, still nibbling on Caleb‟s

throat. “I love them big.”

Caleb‟s lip quivered. He gasped when Ian dipped his fingers

between his legs to rake stiff nails against his sac through the
denim.

“Ian,” he growled.
“So, yes, for tonight?” Ian murmured with a teasing breath

against Caleb‟s ear.

“Fuck, yes,” Caleb bit out. When the hell did he lose control

of the situation? He gulped for air.

Ian straightened, though Caleb still felt his weight, the heat

of his body. Focusing forward, he became impaled by sexy brown

eyes. His heart pounded, stuck somewhere between his ribs.

Caleb could barely get a word out, he was panting so hard.

“Next time, I‟m pinning your ass to the wall.”

Ian‟s lips twitched, fighting a smile. Caleb lived to see the

spark in his eyes, the wanting. “Consider that part one of your
payback.”

Caleb inched off the wall, readjusting his aching length with

Ian watching every motion shamelessly.

With a promising stare that nearly melted Caleb to the floor

all over again, Ian spun on a booted heel, aiming for the kitchen
with an easy gait. Long legs and an ass that he longed to claim.

Caleb had thought showing Ian he didn‟t have to be in control
would allow Ian to ease his way into more. What he got almost
made him come in his jeans. Rediscovering the smooth shape of

chilled glass in his hand, he raised the forgotten bottle to his lips,
draining it dry with a few desperate swallows. He was sure he was

going to need a whole lot more than beer to put out the blaze Ian
had sparked.

Chapter Ten

Ian didn‟t know how he made it through dinner then

cleaning up afterward without Caleb seeing just how badly he

trembled. Nerves were one thing. Except he had not a one left.

What was I thinking?
He listened for the other man as he circled around the

kitchen. He‟d pitched in to help clean without a word of pressure
from Ian. He was used to doing it alone, for himself and then Terra.
Caleb‟s aid was appreciated, and it gave Ian ample time to watch

and debate just what he thought he was doing, because Ian was
pretty sure he was losing it.

Okay, so he‟d bought supplies. It wasn‟t against the law and

no one really would have taken a second look. It wasn‟t like they
kept a list for the Gazette, reprinting shopping habits of Jasper. For

that, Ian was grateful. Jasper is a small town, but Christ, not that
small, right? But asking the man to stay? He focused on the sink,
swallowing, wishing he had more to occupy him because he wasn‟t

ready to face this.

His eyes grew unfocused with the remembered heat and

strength of Caleb beneath him, caught between him and the wall, a
position that Caleb had put himself in. Ian wasn‟t going to be the
one to complain. It had felt too damned good, and once he was

there, Ian had forgotten everything. His fear, his worry. Blood
began to rush all over again, beating against his skin as the
moments replayed in his mind.

Ian had made it clear he wanted him to stay. And he did, but

that fact didn‟t drown out the fear. Caleb would be the first. He

hadn‟t even allowed himself to think about after, or tomorrow.
What if he sucked? What if Caleb was disappointed? Ian doubted he
would be with Caleb, not as drawn as he was to the other man, but

they lived in the same town, practically had the same neighbors. His
heart thudded painfully as his mind displayed the worst case
scenarios for him.

Strong arms encircled his middle, disrupting his turbulent

thoughts when Caleb rested his chin on Ian‟s shoulder. “If you don‟t

relax, you‟re going to hyperventilate and pass out.”

Ian chuckled, apprehension making it brittle.
“Where‟s the tiger that melted me into the hardwood of your

hallway?” Caleb nuzzled Ian‟s ear gently. A shiver rolled across his
shoulders when Caleb found an earlobe and tugged it playfully

between his teeth. “Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep my
hands off you when you‟re this close?”

“Your hands aren‟t off me, though,” Ian pointed out, trying

not to sound breathless. He tipped to the side when more than lips

began to investigate his ear. The beat of his heart tripped, and he
almost moaned as warm breath teased him.

“How do you think I wound up in this position? You‟re real

close,” Caleb drawled with a hint of laughter. “Quit splashing in the
water and turn around.”

Ian huffed a laugh, but pulled the plug and rinsed the sink,

taking his time before turning around as asked. Caleb held a towel
ready for him to dry his hands, but quickly blocked him in once Ian

held it.

“That‟s better.”
“Yeah?” Ian swallowed, hearing how his voice rumbled. The

glint of desire in Caleb‟s blue eyes struck like lightning, an electrical
current that found a place to land in his groin.

“Warned you I‟d pin your ass,” Caleb drawled through a

leering grin. “Gotcha.” He straddled Ian, blanketing him beneath
broader shoulders.

Ian lowered dried hands, flicking the towel to the side

counter so he could brace himself at the sink edge. Staring into that
lust-drenched stare, Ian did something he hadn‟t done in years. He

cocked his head and lowered his lashes, all in the name of flirting.
“Come and get me,” he taunted with a husky growl.

Caleb didn‟t need a second hint, diving for Ian‟s throat with a

hungry mouth. He latched onto the nerves at the curve of Ian‟s
shoulder and sucked, rocketing shivers and desire through him on a

bolt of pleasure.

Oh fuck, Ian moaned inside, arching into the man caging

him. He’s going to mark me. Ian knew he should stop him, but his

limbs felt like dead weight. His legs barely held him upright as his
bones turned to water beneath Caleb‟s passionate mouth. Ian‟s
eyelids slammed shut as he was sucked under by the hard pull of

Caleb‟s lips and the teasing whip of his tongue over sensitized
nerves.

A hand lifted and sought Caleb‟s hip, clutching, digging

fingers into flesh as heat and desire swamped Ian. Tugs on Ian‟s T-
shirt pulled it out of his jeans and for the first time, the dry scrape

of calloused hands roamed Ian‟s chest and ribs. Blood rushed to his
cock, swelling him into the prison of his jeans.

“Feels incredible,” Caleb murmured, his lips and mouth

continuing their attack against Ian‟s throat. Shivers danced in

Caleb‟s wake, Ian‟s body hardening and seeking more at the same
time. Unerringly, Caleb homed in on Ian‟s taut nipples, making him

hiss with pleasure as he tapped then circled them lazily. “You‟re
practically hairless.” Caleb lifted the hem of his T-shirt, wanting to
see what apparently his fingers had already discovered.

“Arapaho grandfather.”
Only Caleb didn‟t stop with just peeking. He urged Ian to lift

his arms, stripping the T-shirt off and over his head. It fell to the

counter by the discarded towel. The appreciation in Caleb‟s eyes
once he stood there bare-chested stole Ian‟s breath away.

“I had a feeling you were going to make me look bad.” Caleb

sighed. Learning fingers drifted from his clavicle to his oblique on
either side. The longing in his expression said he was enjoying the

journey. “It fucking sucks getting old.”

Ian framed Caleb‟s jaw with a cupped palm, bringing his

wandering focus to Ian. “You‟re incredible. All I did was stare at you

when you came by the shop that day with Lonny.” He caressed an
aroused lower lip with a thumb. “Before I had any idea you were

interested in me, I already knew I liked what I saw even if it was
killing me to admit it then.” Not to mention all the staring and
drooling he did while fishing. Caleb had absolutely nothing to be

ashamed of.

Ian tugged him firmly into his shape with the hand at Caleb‟s

waist, rolling his hips leaving the meaning clear. “Think I can fake

that?”

Caleb‟s eyes grew heavy-lidded. “I know I can‟t,” he

murmured huskily, pressing close, causing friction for them both.
Ian sucked in a groan, his thoughts scattering with need and
hunger. When Caleb inched closer, Ian met him, opening for the

invasion, craving the heat. It was a kiss that went on forever and not
long enough. The stroke of a tongue, the press of heated lips. Ian‟s
heart pounded as desire filled his veins.

Panting, Ian fell into azure eyes. “Want to feel you. It‟s been

so long.” His voice rasped as he tried to get his breathing under

control.

Caleb groaned throatily then shifted to devour his lips again.

Ian‟s fingers slid around to hold Caleb‟s head and secure their

frames together above the waistband at the small of his back with
his other, wrapping Caleb into his arms. Caleb‟s weight pressing
into Ian was everything he‟d been denying himself.

Ian didn‟t try to hide the tremor that rocked his frame when

Caleb danced his tongue around his mouth, plying with a teasing

stroke, letting Ian know exactly what his intentions were.

“Okay to take you to bed now?” Caleb asked him when he

released Ian, sipping along his jaw with hungry little kisses.

Caleb‟s cock glided against his groin with each gasped breath

between, melting Ian‟s last flair of self-preservation into a puddle of

need and lust. Gulping, he nodded with a jerk, unable to physically
speak his want. Caleb straightened and Ian let him go, sliding
around him to lead the way.

Ian stopped dead in his tracks in the hallway. He barely

registered as Caleb stumbled to not plow into him. “The front

door?”

“Closed and locked before we sat to eat.” Caleb wrapped his

arms around Ian‟s waist, bringing them flushed. “I got you, babe,”

he whispered, nuzzling into Ian‟s neck. “Smell so good, outdoors
and all man.” Ian moaned as a hard shiver from Caleb rocked them
both. “Driving me crazy, Ian.”

Ian‟s pulse raced when Caleb‟s fingers dipped south and

popped the button to his jeans free.

“Can‟t wait to taste you again.”
Caleb slipped questing fingertips between Ian‟s skin and his

jeans, teasing just above the tip of his aching cock, and Ian

trembled.

“Fuck,” Ian managed through a suddenly dry mouth, losing

himself to the exploratory touch. His head rocked loosely until it

landed on Caleb‟s strong shoulder.

“I plan on it, long and hard.”

Any chance Ian had of walking away from Caleb died right

there.

* * * *

Caleb couldn‟t stop touching. He wanted to wrap Ian into his

arms and keep him there, wanted to kiss and lick every square inch

of his muscled frame. There wasn‟t a hairsbreadth of difference in
their heights, which made Ian perfect in so many ways. The man

had legs for days, a tight, sculpted ass and a walk that made Caleb
stare happily for hours. He‟d be the last to complain about following
Ian anywhere.

After months of longing, waiting, he nearly vibrated with the

hunger slicing through his body. But where Caleb had been single,
Ian had been alone for much longer. He wanted to make this last,

and unforgettable. He also respected the strength it took to invite
him to stay. Caleb hadn‟t expected it, though he wasn‟t going to turn

away from opportunity. Not after the little game of chase they‟d
been playing. The secret looks, the denied hunger from both sides.

Caleb wasn‟t going to push Ian into something he wasn‟t ready for,
but he would be a fool to walk away from the man who stood melted
against his chest, where he brushed fingers seductively beneath his

jeans and over the waist of his underwear.

Caleb was definitely no one‟s fool.
Urging Ian forward, they managed to make it into the

bedroom, then Caleb began his seduction in earnest. After they
stopped moving, he eased Ian‟s zipper down and slowly rocked snug

jeans over smooth hips, snagging at underwear with his thumbs to
let it all fall down to his thighs. Ian‟s stiff dick stood out, bobbing as
Ian shivered in Caleb‟s arms.

“I got you,” he murmured again, peppering kisses to Ian‟s

nape and over his shoulders. Sleek muscles bunched and jumped.
Caleb bent and eased Ian‟s jeans down the rest of the way, then

stood to circle him. Ian‟s heavy-lidded gaze was glassy with desire,
his lips parted as he panted. Caleb leaned and drew a kiss from

those lips, relishing the heat.

Ian looped his arms around Caleb‟s waist, bringing them

together. Caleb enjoyed the feel of Ian‟s heat, chest to chest, the

roaming tease of lips as he moved from Caleb‟s mouth to his throat,
sucking soft puckered kisses as he traveled. With minimal jerks, Ian
punted his jeans off his feet, toeing off his boots at the same time.

Caleb cupped his ass and shaped him into his palms, giving him a
gentle squeeze.

“Ah, hell.” Ian‟s chest staggered. Then he was tugging on

Caleb‟s shirt, his hands hot and his lips hotter as he exposed Caleb.

Caleb hissed with the first real contact, standing there,

soaking it in. Then it was a flurry of hands and vanishing clothes as
Ian stripped him down to his ankles. With a directed shove, he
landed on his ass on the bed‟s edge so Ian could tug off his sneakers

and fling his socks over a shoulder.

“Caleb.”

He shivered beneath the intensity of Ian‟s stare, mated with

the sound of his name on Ian‟s lips. Combined, it drove him beyond
wild.

“Son of a bitch.” Ian groaned.

Worried, Caleb noticed where he was staring. The tip of his

cock was glossy with pre-cum, throbbing and almost to the point of

pain with the need to be touched. “I can, if—”

“No fucking way,” he growled. “I knew you were big, and

imagined it. Caleb, you put my imagination to shame.” Then he
dipped down, an arm locked on either side of his thighs, and
engulfed the tip of Caleb‟s cock.

Caleb howled. He thrust into the pleasure of wet heat, of a

tight mouth devouring the sensitive head. Ian‟s tongue stroked and
whipped, tantalized and teased, even dipping into the slit, careening

shivering shocks down Caleb‟s spine. Then he blew Caleb‟s mind by
opening up and swallowing as much of his cock as he could, until

Caleb knew he felt the back of his throat. He fought to stay still to
not hurt him with the urges to fuck his face like a madman.

Caleb knew he was big, thick if not overly long and had

learned not everyone could handle that. It was about the intimacy of
the moment, not just getting off. His head lolled on a loose neck,
gasping when Ian swirled his tongue around the shaft like a

freaking Popsicle. One end to the other, riding up and down at the
same time.

He was shaking with the need to move. “Ian.”
Ian let him go with a wet pop, sipping and moaning in

blissful delight. “Taste so damned good.” He raised enough to meet

Caleb‟s gaze with an earnest plea. “Stretch me good and go slow. I
want to feel that fucker.”

Caleb swallowed. “I will, babe. I‟ll take care of you.”

Chapter Eleven

Ian crawled up his body, and Caleb fell backward to the

mattress, his arms circling around Ian as their mouths met.

Thrusting tongues and discovering hands. Caleb raised his hips,
grinding against Ian. Drips eased the glide and Caleb hungered for
more. Rolling them both, they managed to nearly center

themselves. “Where?”

“Drawer,” Ian whispered, holding his weight on supporting

elbows to lick at Caleb‟s nipples with flicks of his tongue.

Caleb opened the nightstand drawer and after a brief fumble,

palmed his prize. He moaned deep in his throat when Ian circled

one taut bud and sucked, gently gnawing on the flesh with careful
jaws.

“Okay?”

“Feels incredible,” Caleb answered when he found his voice.

Shifting downward, he ran his tongue over the hard beat of Ian‟s
pulse. He laved over the faint dark hue of his earlier bite. Caleb

loved the way it looked on Ian, who plopped to the bed with a rich
moan.

Inching down his chest, he traversed the smooth expanse

with his tongue, licking in wide swipes over ribs and across his
heart to savor the flavor of Ian. Goose bumps erupted in his wake

when he blew across a damp trail. Ian panted, fisting the covers.
Then Caleb stuck out his tongue and ran it over the dripping head
of Ian‟s engorged penis. Ian‟s shout filled the bedroom. “More.

Fucking hell, more.” He ground his jaw together, his hips thrusting,
demanding.

“Easy,” Caleb crooned. He didn‟t know where to start with

the livewire snapping beneath his fingers. Popping the lid on the
lube, he squeezed some out onto his fingers, rubbing them together

to warm it. Going for the dual sensation assault, he wrapped his lips
around Ian‟s crown at the same time he rimmed his rosette with a
slick finger.

Ian‟s growl sent shivers down Caleb‟s spine. He added

pressure and entered Ian‟s body, waiting for signals. The clasping of

the muscle made him shake, knowing how that was going to feel on
his cock, and craving it. Gasps and grunts filled the room as he
invaded and retreated, sucking on Ian‟s dick in tandem. When he

moved away and Ian drove himself downward for more, Caleb
upped the stakes, adding a finger.

“Oh, fucking Christ!” Ian shouted, rocking his head side to

side as tremors rolled over his torso.

“Too fast?”
He panted, licking his lips. “No. Just so damn good.” Black

lashes lay against sun-bronzed cheeks, his face lost in the pleasure
of being taken. A few gulps of air filled his lungs, heaving his chest.
“Don‟t stop, Caleb. Please.”

“Can you hold on? I want to be inside you so bad when you

come.”

“I‟m waiting for you,” he whispered, his fingers clutching and

releasing the blankets.

Caleb dropped his forehead to Ian‟s hip, overwhelmed.

Breathing deep and collected once more, he lapped up leaked drops
at the slit of his penis, rolling the flavor on his tongue. When Caleb
moved further between his legs, Ian accommodated him naturally.

Muscles quivered when Caleb was close enough to let his

warm breath bathe flesh.

Ian‟s throaty moans were almost non-stop now. Caleb

stretched him carefully, licking and enveloping his damp cock at the
same time until he was easily accepting.

“Ready, babe?”
“Fuck, Caleb. Yes!” He growled it, then laughed with a husky

shake. “Bastard. I‟m dying.”

He tore open the condom, then rolled it on, wiping the

leftover slick on his fingers onto it. When he glanced up, dark eyes
impaled him.

“That is the hottest fucking thing I‟ve ever seen. Give me that

monster.”

Caleb leaned forward and Ian brought his legs up.
“I don‟t want to hurt you,” Caleb said as he drank a kiss from

Ian‟s passion-rouged lips.

“I won‟t let you.”
Honesty gazed up at him, and Caleb knew he was in trouble.

Letting out a breath, holding himself at the edge, he eased himself

forward until he felt the give. Then stopped.

He shook his head as heat raced through him. “Shit.”

“Little more.” Ian panted, his neck arched. “So good.”
Caleb did and retreated, holding himself steady as he rocked

his hips with methodical patience, dying to roar his need and claim

Ian. His skin grew tight as sweat dampened his back between his
shoulder blades. Sex was rarely a disappointment for Caleb. He
didn‟t take indiscriminate partners or play the field, so when he

began to move with Ian, he felt pressure on his eyes at just how
amazing it was, how unbelievably incredible the man felt locked

around Caleb‟s cock with his hands digging into Caleb‟s biceps for
purchase. Grunts and whimpers slipped from Ian‟s lips and Caleb

knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life making Ian sound like
that.

“Still good?” Caleb asked, sounding breathlessly raw.

“Best,” was Ian‟s panted response. He hiked a leg to lock

around Caleb‟s waist and on the next thrust cried out with a wailing
curse word. Caleb froze, terrified he‟d hurt him. “Don‟t fucking

stop! Again.” Ian‟s nails dug into Caleb‟s skin, his neck arched as he
rose up to meet Caleb‟s thrusts. Caleb realized he‟d hit Ian‟s sweet

spot and withdrew, pumping forward again, watching as a ripple of
pleasure raced over Ian, leaving him flushed and panting.

Ian lost in the throes of passion was the sexiest thing Caleb

had ever seen in his life.

“Not going to last,” Caleb managed.
Licking his lips, Ian opened his eyes and nailed Caleb‟s heart

to the wall. Releasing an arm from its tenterhook grip, Ian wrapped
fingers around the red, pulsing length of his cock, hissing and

trembling. “Shit.” His eyelids smacked shut, his jaw tight. Caleb
grabbed his hips, thrusting with powerful strokes. Caleb loved the
sight of Ian whipping his hand over his cock, the head shiny with

beads of pre-cum.

“Oh God,” Caleb uttered, then Ian was shooting, his orgasm

clenching his length in a freeze frame that captured Caleb‟s cock

like a vice.

Caleb exploded shouting Ian‟s name, pulsating as jet after jet

filled his cock to load the condom. Tremors fed off ripples as each
beat of their orgasms created a new wave, ricocheting between them
like the echo of a shout in a canyon.

Dazed, Caleb blinked, gasping as his world righted itself.

Gently, he eased away from Ian‟s spent length. “Can‟t move,” he
croaked, swallowing thickly.

Ian‟s mouth twitched. “Fucking steamroller, Caleb. I can‟t

move either.”

Caleb grinned, letting his heart find a slower rhythm once

more. A moment later, he oozed off the bed, wobbling a step as he
aimed for the bathroom. Taking care of the condom and washing

up, he warmed a cloth and grasped a towel off the rack. A glimpse in
the mirror froze him to the floor.

He was smiling. Not a huge shit-eating grin, but a happy,

never-felt-better smile that made his eyes sparkle.

“Oh, man, you have this bad,” he whispered to his reflection.
“Say something, Caleb?”

“Huh? Naw.” He pivoted on a heel and retraced his steps to

the bed. Ian lay stretched out on the covers, relaxed, his cock now
resting calmly in the nest of curls covering his groin. “Sexy.”

Ian stretched his legs out accompanied by a low sigh.
“You okay?” Caleb sat at his side and patiently cleaned him

off. A wave of tenderness swamped him and he had to deliberately

keep it from showing. Ian wasn‟t ready. Hell, he wasn‟t sure he was
ready, but there it was, soaking into him with every light swipe of

the cloth over slick skin and smooth muscle.

“Going to feel you for days,” Ian breathed, watching Caleb

through lowered lashes.

Once Caleb had taken care of Ian and offered the towel to let

him dry, he asked, “You sure you‟re okay with me staying?”

Ian nodded, a slow hand winding up his arm to cup his

shoulder. “I want you to.”

“Thank God,” Caleb groaned. “I‟m about to pass out.”

Ian chuckled, then made room on the bed. “Come here.”
Caleb climbed under the blankets and wrapped Ian into his

arms.

“I‟m not always going to be the little spoon,” Ian warned with

a rough laugh, sounding pleasantly replete and happy.

“I‟m absolutely fine with that,” Caleb told him, kissing him

behind the ear. Within minutes they were both out.

* * * *

Ian awoke to the gentle strumming of lazy fingertips dancing

over his stomach. It had been so long since he‟d awakened in

someone‟s arms that it took a second or two for him to remember.
When he did, he couldn‟t resist the urge to burrow tighter into the
chest behind him. He knew what he‟d be facing when he woke up,

and he wasn‟t wrong. He was sore, but man, the way he got there…
Ian reveled in the memories.

Blinking his eyes open, he guessed they‟d napped for a few

hours. Dusk was quickly turning to night. Warm lips drifted over
his nape while the fingers that had been strumming were now

stretched out on his abdomen, as though mapping his body‟s
geography with gentle tracing touches.

“Feels good,” Ian murmured, arching his neck to give Caleb

more to adore.

“Not too sore?”
“Not with that to distract me,” he replied with a husky groan.

Ian focused on what Caleb was doing behind him, not on

anything outside his door. Not worried about what his neighbors
may think because Caleb‟s car would be parked out front all night.

He didn‟t worry about the rumors that would begin with people
knowing Caleb was gay. Hopefully they wouldn‟t but he had to
expect it, he just didn‟t want to let that pending avalanche ruin what

was quickly becoming the best Saturday of his life.

He looped an arm behind him and cupped Caleb‟s head,

massaging him gently beneath wandering fingers. “You don‟t have a
problem with getting fucked, do you?” He licked sensitive lips,
surprised at how raw he already sounded.

“No. Want to tackle this?” Caleb teased, raking teeth down

the tendon in Ian‟s neck, much to Ian‟s shivery delight.

“Damn,” he gasped, shuddering and aching from the tingling

shock. “You know I do.”

“Good. Been wanting it since that day in the shop. One taste

just wasn‟t enough.”

Ian groaned. “Killing me, Caleb.”
The jab of Caleb‟s dick into his ass made him almost swallow

his tongue. The man was packing. Ian gripped harder when Caleb
glided the hand down from his stomach to Ian‟s cock, wrapping
firm fingers around him possessively.

“Tell me now if you can‟t handle it, because if you do, this is

mine,” Caleb breathed with a growl of meaning. He swept a thumb

over the broad head, claiming the moisture at the tip to spread it
like liquid silk over tightening skin.

“Do you think you even have to ask?” Ian questioned gruffly,

stiffening at what he was hearing. Caleb knew there‟d been no one
there before him, knew Ian had been alone. He waited for Caleb‟s
answer.

Caleb‟s forehead sagged to Ian‟s shoulder and he held the

weight, waiting. “I know, babe. I can‟t help it. Guess we‟re both

finding our way.”

Ian slipped loose and rolled beneath two caging arms, facing

Caleb. Blue eyes blazed then grew hazy when their bodies lined up,

creating just enough friction to entice. “Can you promise the same?”

“In a heartbeat,” Caleb replied without any hesitation, his

gaze sharpening to pierce Ian.

“I don‟t play with people, Caleb,” Ian said. He ran a hand up

Caleb‟s chest, touching the dark curls scattered there. He drew a

deep, deep breath. “If you want me to say it, then there‟s only you.”

Caleb bent and warm breath bathed Ian‟s lips right before

the sizzling touch of flesh to flesh. “I trust you, Ian. I think I‟m just
feeling a little possessive.”

“Just a little?” Ian hummed, clawing fingernails lightly down

Caleb‟s chest. Trembles flowed over Caleb‟s body as he hissed softly.
It turned Ian on to know Caleb wanted him so much. He tucked
himself into Caleb‟s throat and licked, liking the purred rumble that

vibrated his tongue in answer. Beneath the blankets, body heat
cocooned them.

Nightfall surrounded them while the bedroom created a

private reprieve. His ass ached, but in the way that told him he‟d
been well fucked, and he knew he had been. He hadn‟t experienced

anything as explosive as what he‟d shared with Caleb since he was
with Danny still learning and sowing, if at all. Chest to chest with
Caleb, his heart pounded, growing steadily faster as desires were

stoked anew. Now, he wanted to make Caleb feel this good.

Rolling him onto his back with a stiff hand, Ian did just that.

Chapter Twelve

“Uncle Ian?” A tapping on his bedroom door followed. “Are

you awake yet?”

Ian groaned. “I am now.”
“I‟m home.”
“M‟kay,” he mumbled, delving deeper into the bedding and

the muscled shoulder under his cheek. Warmth wrapped around his
middle as Caleb snuggled him closer. “Shit,” Ian hissed, stiffening
for a heartbeat, then sagging in defeat.

“Busted, huh?” Caleb asked groggily.
“Utterly.” Ian flipped to his back to stare at the ceiling.

“Caleb…”

“Shh.” Gentle lips to his shoulder helped to stave off the

rising tide of fears. Caleb lifted to an elbow to stare at him. “No

matter what happens, I‟m with you on this. I‟m not going to pretend
it didn‟t happen. But no one deserves the details. All Terra needs to
know is that she‟s still safe and loved.”

Ian inched his gaze to meet azure blue pools. He’s already

been through this. “I trust you.”

Caleb relaxed visibly. “Thank you.”
Ian‟s hand stroked the firm jut of Caleb‟s jaw. He neared and

they shared a slow morning kiss.

“Not too much,” Caleb chuckled, pulling away.
“Morning breath.” Ian pursed his lips.
“No. Morning wood.” They both glanced down and burst into

quiet, rumbled laughter.

“As much as I would love to,” Ian said with clear

disappointment, “Terra needs to come first.”

“I understand. Shower?”
“Let me hit it first and I‟ll talk to her while you‟re getting

clean and dressed.”

“Okay.” Caleb snatched another quick kiss as Ian sat up.
Ian went through the shower and dressed, leaving a spare

toothbrush on the sink for Caleb. “Use anything you need,” he
offered. Caleb nodded, then all there was to do was face his niece.

He‟d dawdled as long as he could have. Ian knew she could hear the
shower and make the connection that he wasn‟t the one in it,
especially if he was standing in front of her.

Firming his shoulders for the coming moments, he walked

into the kitchen. Terra sat at the kitchen table with a large glass of

chocolate milk in front of her. Ian began prepping the coffee maker,
not making any apologies when he set aside two mugs.

His heart was racing as he tried to figure out how to broach

the subject of Caleb staying the night. Unable to ignore the elephant

in the room, he swung around and faced her.

“The purple looks good.”
She‟d added three vibrant purple stripes to her hair.

“Thanks.”

“Did you have fun at Missy‟s?”
She rolled a shoulder. “The movie was okay, then we did our

hair.” She was looking at a point across the table, not at Ian. She
drew a sip of her drink through the straw. Ian crossed his arms,

feigning a nonchalance that was as distant as Paris at the moment.

“I guess you saw Caleb‟s car out front.”
A motion of her head was the sum of her answer.

“Are you okay with that?” he asked pensively.
“I‟m thinking.” She sipped her milk, poking out the straw

with her tongue when she was done. “You‟re gay.”

Ian sighed, praying he hadn‟t let her down. “I‟ve been trying

to find a way to tell you. I‟ve never told anyone.”

Terra‟s eyes popped up to his. “Never?”
“Maria didn‟t even know,” he explained solemnly.
“Mama thought you were alone because you had your heart

broken.”

He smiled, a little sadly. That belief had been circulating for

over a decade. “That‟s what I let her think. That‟s pretty much what

I let everyone think.” When she didn‟t seem disgusted, he pulled out
a chair and sat across from her. “Remember when I said I‟d had a

reality check?” She encouraged him with a shallow nod and he
continued. “I thought there was something wrong with me. I liked
women, but men… Let me know if you‟re okay with this, Terra? I

don‟t want to upset you.” He watched her carefully, appealing for
her understanding.

Leaning on her elbows, she wiggled the straw with her

tongue, sucking on it in contemplation. When she let it go, she said,
“Men turned your crank?”

His shoulders unclenched marginally. “Yeah. I dated women

because I was supposed to. I‟m a guy. When I was twenty-three,
that came to a screeching train wreck of a halt.” Ian studied his

clenched hands, just the same as he‟d done the last time he‟d tried
to have this conversation, white knuckles included. He drew a
ragged breath. “I met Danny. He showed me I needed to quit hiding

from myself. Needless to say, I stopped dating girls completely
then.”

Terra‟s face went slack, appalled when she asked, “And

you‟ve been alone since then?”

“I had one other boyfriend. He wasn‟t from Jasper and he

didn‟t come here. But yeah. Jasper isn‟t exactly a thriving hotspot
for single, gay guys.”

She tilted her head, her eyes open, and thankfully, not

condemning. “And now you and Caleb…” She let it trail off.

“I guess, yeah, me and Caleb.” It made his heart trip actually

saying it out loud. “Are you okay with that?”

“Yes and no.”

He‟d expected it, but it still hurt. “Okay. Tell me.” Ian waited,

dreading what she would say.

She blinked a few times, and he gave her a chance to speak.

“I‟m okay with you being gay. Now it makes sense. I‟m even kind of
glad it‟s Caleb. I‟m not okay that you‟ve been hiding it, least of all
from family…well, now me,” she finished.

He winced inside, aware he deserved that. “I know. And I‟m

sorry. It‟s not something I grew up knowing how to deal with. I

think that‟s why it took me so long to accept the reality that I was
different, even then.”

She latched onto her straw again and slurped the last of her

milk, watching him.

“You‟re still my niece, and I still want you here,” Ian said.
“Is he moving in with us?” Her eyes rose to a point above

him. A hand on his shoulder kept him from needing to answer.

“No.” Caleb‟s voice was calm, and immediately Ian felt a rush

of heat with his touch on him again. “We‟re taking this slow. Just
like any other relationship, the ones that matter, you work for. And
you‟re a part of his life, so you matter.”

“I don‟t mind if he does.” She was speaking to Ian but her

flickered gaze upward made it clear who she meant.

Ian managed to keep his jaw from dropping with sheer

willpower. He swallowed. “Thank you, Terra. That means a lot.”
Caleb squeezed once then removed his hand, walking to the counter

to pour the coffee.

“Do you mind if I ask a question or two, Terra?” Caleb

handed a mug to Ian, then withdrew a chair from under the table to

sit on.

She crossed her arms to lean forward. “Nope.”

“Would it embarrass you if people saw us together? If they

knew about us, or your uncle?”

“No.”
Ian sipped his coffee carefully, aware why Caleb had asked,

and grateful he‟d thought to do so. Because the minute she left the
room, the worries would have begun to plague Ian on those two
points exactly. It was going to come as a shock to many that Ian was

gay. He knew it was inevitable, with Caleb being quietly out. He
refused to let the nauseous feeling in his stomach gain in strength.
He‟d handle it, they‟d get through it. Somehow. Glancing to his side

to Caleb, thick black hair was shower damp and he‟d never thought
the cop looked any hotter.

“Honestly,” she said a few moments later, disrupting the

quiet that had settled between them. “It doesn‟t disgust me. I‟m not
sure I want to wrap my head around the how, because that is just—”

Ian palmed his face in avoidance, setting his mug down to

stop her with a blocking hand. “Don‟t. I understand.”

Caleb chuckled ruefully and when Ian peeked, Terra finally

smiled for him.

Her lips thinned. “Not everyone will like it, but most won‟t

care.”

Caleb nodded, holding his mug before him. “Sheriff

Carrolton knows. Well, about me. When he invited me to come

interview, I told him.”

“How did he take it?” Ian asked, curious and brave enough

now to ask.

“Not bad. Said not to worry, that I wasn‟t the only one.” He

arched a dark eyebrow, his gaze pinning Ian. “And no. Not you. I

don‟t think a soul in this state would call you gay.”

“They might now.” Ian snickered with a silent guffaw, not

upset.

Terra grinned. “I know there‟s a few at the high school, or the

GSA meetings wouldn‟t even happen.”

“Man. High school kids having to deal with this.” Ian could

only imagine how things were for them. Ian finished his coffee. “I‟m
going to make breakfast. You two hungry?”

“I had toast at Missy‟s.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “That‟s not breakfast.”
“Maybe for a hamster,” she retorted with a flashing grin.

And there’s my teenager, Ian thought with a hidden smile,

affection flowing through him. “Thanks, Terra.”

“Love you too,” she replied, blowing him a kiss when he

stood from the table.

* * * *

Ian slid off the saddle of his ride, palming his helmet. Caleb

was renting the old Settler‟s homestead, a midsize farmhouse on
about fifty acres. The property in the back was leased separate for

horses, along with the barn, but there if the renter wanted to use
them. The house was painted a slate gray with darker cloud gray
accents and trim, with a wide porch, a padded swing and large

pottery urns across the front filled with daisies and other light
flowers. Caleb‟s cruiser was parked next to his personal car. Ian

walked up the rock-paved path to the front door, knocking once
when he reached it.

His stomach grumbled when he caught the aromatic scents

teasing him on the air.

Caleb opened the door for him. “Hey. Where‟s Terra?” He

peeked over Ian‟s shoulder.

“She‟s playing on some girls-only game site that she and her

friends found. I checked it out.” Ian shrugged, his helmet secured

under an arm. He told her he wouldn‟t be late and to keep the door
locked. He knew she would. The computer was a recent addition,
knowing she‟d need it for schoolwork, and not having one was

almost sacrilege in today‟s world. It was still new enough that Terra
wouldn‟t leave the house unless it was on fire. Being a smart man,
he‟d also locked the computer with a password she‟d never hack if

she wanted to go any further. New to computers he may be, dumb
he wasn‟t. “Amazing what the kids today have.”

“Tell me about it.” Caleb grinned, waving him in. “Put that

down anywhere.”

Ian settled his helmet on the table closest to the door,

alongside a plastic candy bowl full of spare change and Caleb‟s key
ring.

He chuckled when Caleb pinned him to the door the second

his hands were empty. Blue eyes sizzled, half hidden by black
lashes.

“Didn‟t I just see you this morning?” Ian‟s lips twitched,

fighting to keep the corner from curling up.

“And your point is?” Caleb drawled, caging Ian.

“Fuck if I know. Kiss me already.”
Caleb groaned and did. Ian wrapped his fingers through belt

loops and tugged Caleb into him, bracing Caleb‟s broader frame

against his chest. Then Caleb‟s lips were on Ian‟s and heat swamped
him, from his fingertips to his ankles. Caleb stroked over his lips

and he shivered in answer. Opening for a taste, Caleb delved and
danced, teasing him, frustrating Ian with faint licks and light

pressure.

Until Ian growled, grinding into the bulge pressing into him,

demanding. Caleb thrust a large hand to the back of his head and

held him still in his palm. Then the plundering began. Ian moaned
and whimpered. God, yes.

Drifting a hand around Caleb‟s waist, he jerked the snap free

on snug jeans, lowering the zipper. Caleb‟s cock was a stiff ridge in
his underwear, pulsing and throbbing beneath Ian‟s seeking fingers.

He didn‟t waste any time, dragging down the top of Caleb‟s
underwear to bring the thick weight out to enjoy. Caleb growled,
gasping through the kiss.

Ian bit at his mouth, imagining Caleb‟s taste on his tongue,

rolling over the smooth head, holding him just right. Ian ached,
pinned as he was within his own jeans. Caleb was melting his

defenses, eating away at his hesitations, one calculated maneuver at
a time. Ian wasn‟t ready to let the world know he was seeing one of

the city‟s Sheriffs, but considering he‟d lasted less than six hours
between this morning and finding himself in his arms again… He
was dreading the coming week when they‟d both be working and

unable to just touch, or talk. And Caleb went on weekend rotation
the coming week. Three weeks of no Caleb. Ian didn‟t want to think
about it.

He broke away from the kiss, panting. Now that he had Caleb

where he wanted him, he‟d be damned before he‟d let him go.

Ian slunk down before Caleb could catch him, with the door

at his back. If Caleb thought of arguing, Ian‟s mouth stopped him as
a groan ricocheted between them. Caleb braced himself on the door

on an arm breathing heavily, and Ian sucked.

“Fuck, Ian,” he whispered. “I didn‟t ask… Oh fuck…ask you

over for… Shit!” Caleb thrust his hips and Ian took it, opening wide

to suck him to the base. Working his mouth over the swollen head,
he caught the leaking drips of dew on his tongue, swallowing them

hungrily.

Caleb‟s scent drove him crazy with need. The man didn‟t

shave, didn‟t landscape and the rough scrape against his cheeks and

lips made him crazy for more. The hair on Caleb‟s chest was short
and soft, and Ian loved the way it felt when they touched skin to

skin. He drew a breath through his nose, keening softly, riding
Caleb stem to stern. Shakes trembled Caleb‟s length.

“Ian.” Caleb‟s voice was raw, graveled with desire and

hunger.

When it felt like Caleb was going to make him stop, try to get

things to slow down, he jerked Caleb‟s jeans off his hips to be able
to enjoy the entirety of the man before him. Caleb locked his knees

to stay standing with the rough tugs on his clothing taking them
south.

Withdrawing to the tip of his dick, he swept his tongue over

the glistening head, then spit on his fingers. Thick and red, Caleb‟s
shaft bobbed in front of him. He licked his lips, loving the way they

tingled, the swollen sensitivity from the pleasure he‟d been giving
the man in front of him.

With his fingers slicked, he wrapped his lips around the

crown. Hunting by feel with an arm between spread legs, he circled
the tight skin of Caleb‟s channel, feeling the shudder that rocked his
frame.

“Ian,” Caleb breathed, a hint of desperation and warning on

the sound now. Caleb wasn‟t going to stop, and neither was Ian.

Grunting, he added a twist of his mouth, swirling his tongue

to ride him to his groin, then do it all over again. Stiffening his
tongue, he rode the vein underneath, adding pressure. A hiss

overhead proved he‟d hit on another of Caleb‟s buttons. The sight of
his balls growing tight was beautiful. The man was an all over turn-
on. Flesh pulsed between Ian‟s lips. Need and desire beat at them.

Caleb was clenching, thrusting shallowly to meet his pace.

Ian caught him unprepared, slipping his finger knuckle deep

on a thrust and Caleb shot, hot and hard, gasping and swearing as
sensation rolled over them both. Ian opened wide, taking each shot.
He swallowed and licked, undulating his tongue with an equal pace

to match the shallow stroke of his finger, pleasuring Caleb until he
trembled. Until he was leaning heavily on the door, dazed from
pleasure. Until he began to grow soft beneath Ian‟s tender care to

clean him. Massaging his ass, Ian soothed him until Caleb was
nearly breathing normally.

“Fucking Christ, Ian,” he croaked. Ian crawled up the door,

bringing Caleb‟s clothing up with him.

Caleb didn‟t seem to notice, wrapping Ian up with strong

arms around his shoulders, hot breath fanning Ian‟s neck as short
shivers and shudders roamed over Caleb‟s torso. Ian petted him, his
fingers loosely threading through black hair as he calmed.

His heart was racing and he felt Caleb‟s beating on the other

side of his ribs. His cock ached. It wouldn‟t take two seconds to

make him unload, but somehow this, just this, felt too good to turn
away from. Being held. The scent of Caleb filling his senses. His

taste. His touch.

Ian closed his eyes, savoring.

Chapter Thirteen

It didn‟t take two days before his next door neighbor came to

visit Ian. On most days, Paul Heike was an okay guy. A widower, he

owned one of the local real estate agencies. He and Ian weren‟t close
friends, but they were neighbors and had been for years. With the
age difference, and Ian‟s motorcycle, there were a few things that

Paul didn‟t condone. His attitude made Ian snicker more than it
rankled.

Ian was on his front porch after work, enjoying a cold beer,

his mind wandering, as it usually did, thinking about Caleb. Three
weeks on rotation. Sucks. They‟d find a way to talk at least, but Ian

was still trying to adjust to the newness, to the fact that he was in a
relationship now, after so long without anyone in his life. The need
to connect was new, exhilarating even as it made him antsy, the

want to hear Caleb‟s drawl or his laugh a lingering need from the
minute he woke in the morning. He‟d never admit it to a breathing,
living soul, but he‟d dreamed more nights about Caleb and what he

wanted to do with the man than he could remember, ever, for
anyone else.

Sitting on the steps, he watched the neighborhood. People

coming home from jobs. Kids playing football in one of the yards.
He grinned, watching one lift a youngster, all of four maybe, and

help him catch the football to a round of cheers. He knew a lot of his
neighbors by name. Jasper was a good town to call home.

Ian still wasn‟t ready to come out, though, regardless. Caleb

hadn‟t put any pressure on him to. He was eternally grateful for the
man‟s patience.

Except, word gets around in small towns, faster than the

latest pneumonia bug.

“Got a spare cold one?”

Ian rolled his head to greet his neighbor. “Hey, Paul.” He

reached out and shook the man‟s hand. “I do.” He tipped the bottle
in his hand back and drained it. “Let me go grab a couple.”

“Appreciate it. Looks like it‟s gonna be another scorcher this

summer.”

Ian stood with a slow stretch of his spine. “They‟ve already

listed the fire bans. That‟s never a good sign.”

Paul shook his head in answer. “Not at all.” He put his hands

in his pockets and leaned with a shoulder on a porch beam.

Ian went inside and palmed two beers, bringing them out,

offering one to his neighbor.

He accepted with a gracious nod of his head, and took a

heavy swig, sighing once in appreciation. “Been a while since I just

unwound,” he remarked. He lifted his gaze. “Where‟s your niece?”

“Went to the mall with Missy and a couple of friends. She has

a paycheck now working for me.” He grinned. “I think she‟s
beginning to like it too.”

Paul chuckled. “Girls and malls, eh.” He swung the bottle in

his hand.

Ian could tell something was on his mind, relaxed, but not.

He certainly wasn‟t going to just open up to let the man in on what

it was on his own mind.

“It was a sad thing that happened to your sister.”

Ian sipped his brew. “Yeah.”
“Have they caught the bastard yet?”
He shook his head, a twinge of the lingering sadness still

with him. “Not yet.” Soon, he hoped.

“Seen the Sheriff‟s car at your shop a lot. Wondered if there‟d

been any news.”

Ian shrugged. Not that any of it was of Paul‟s concern. “No

more than what everyone else already knows.” Though he wasn‟t

going to announce that it looked like the trail had gone cold months
before, or that it might be possible he was coming back to Jasper.
He honestly didn‟t know. He was just getting through day by day,

like almost everyone else he knew.

Trees rustled with dry wisps of leaves as breezes sifted

through the afternoon heat. Birds called and flew from power lines,

then back again. Idyllic.

Paul‟s quiet tension didn‟t fit.

Ian waited.
“So, I guess if you‟re friends with Sheriff Drew, you know

he‟s gay.”

And there it is.
“Wasn‟t aware a man‟s life was open to discussion.” He took

a slow draw of his beer. More cemented proof of why he didn‟t

broadcast his own. He definitely didn‟t want his private life
discussed at some random hour of the day between people who had

no business talking.

“It doesn‟t bother you?”
“Is it supposed to?” Ian countered.

Paul ran a hand over his throat, then dropped it to lean on

his shoulder again. The breeze ruffled his thinning gray hair. He
wasn‟t dressed in his business suit, just some casual at home pants

and a clean shirt. Ian was in jeans and a T-shirt the sleeves had
been ripped from ages ago. To him, this was his at home relaxing

wardrobe. Paul looked like he could go to church.

“It‟s not natural.”

Ian didn‟t rise to the bait.
“There‟s a few on the city council who don‟t want him here.”
Ian arched an eyebrow. This was the first Ian had heard of

any discourse over Caleb‟s position. “Really? Why is that?”

“Because he‟s a homo.” Like it was as clear as the sun in the

sky.

“That‟s not a reason,” Ian stated, working to keep his jaw

from stiffening. “He‟s an excellent cop, good at his job.”

Paul released a slow breath. He stared out beyond Ian, down

the street. “It‟s bad enough they‟ve infected the damn high school
with this bullshit propaganda. We don‟t need a respected official of

authority touting his preferences to influence more.” Paul took a
hard swig, his case made.

“Bullshit propaganda?” Ouch. He shook his head, fighting to

keep his cool. This was a first with Paul. Ian didn‟t know if he
suspected about himself, or if his neighbor was simply looking for a

brother-in-arms. He‟d probably have a stroke if he learned the
truth.

“Well, shit, of course! It‟s not like these kids don‟t have

enough to deal with, but to also be tricked into believing they‟re
gay?” Paul snorted. “It‟s not natural. There‟s no way anyone does
that kind of behavior willingly.”

Ian knew he was staring at a losing argument. Paul was not

going to be swayed, but damn, how he wanted to use the heel of his

boot to cram his bigoted ass into the soil at their feet.

Ian stood, unable to stay on the step having to look up at the

man. A man he‟d known for the better part of his life, a neighbor

now for more than twelve years. A man he‟d had no idea held such
stringent ideas, or hatred.

“I know he‟s gay, Paul,” he informed his neighbor quietly. “I

also know what an excellent job he does, that he gives a shit about
this community, and about the people when he‟s been here for such

a short time. His sexuality has no bearing on any of that. Only
people who don‟t approve have that problem. As for anyone on the
council, they hired him on his record and his ability, not who he

sleeps with. Judging him for it now makes them bigots.” He didn‟t
blink when he met and held Paul‟s condemning eyes. “Not any nicer
when the arrow‟s facing the other way.”

Paul glared at him, then shook his head. “Better than letting

people like him contaminate our town and manipulate our kids‟

minds.”

That made Ian‟s blood boil. No one was going to malign

Caleb. The man was above reproach and this was nothing but pure
vindictiveness.

“Really? And you think making them into people they‟re not

to appease a self-righteous sense of appropriateness is any
different? That‟s your hang-up then, not the kids‟. Being gay isn‟t a
choice, it isn‟t force-fed to anyone, and it sure as hell isn‟t

something you can just extract out of a person like a bad tooth. It‟s
who they are. It‟s what they are.”

Paul‟s eyes flashed and he straightened. “I can tell whose side

you‟re on in this fight.”

Ian forcefully released the tension in his shoulders. “It‟s not a

fight, Paul. It‟s a way of being. I can just tell which out of the two of
us doesn‟t consider it a crime.”

“Crime against nature,” he snarled, standing straight. He

glared for a moment at Ian then set his bottle down, half full.
“Thanks for the beer, Ian. You have a nice evening.”

With that, he turned and stalked to his own yard and

vanished into his house. The front door slammed audibly. Shaking
his head a moment later, Ian tipped over the abandoned bottle,

pouring the suds into the flower bed that wasn‟t showing any
promise.

* * * *

The sound of a vehicle stopping in front of his shop didn‟t

have him pulling his head out to investigate like it usually would.
People had come to know Terra was in the office and checked with
her first, leaving him alone to do what he was being paid to do.

Though all that free, uninterrupted time left him too much time to
think, wondering and worrying about who it was on the council, if
they were, that could be targeting Caleb.

“Bunch of old busybodies,” he muttered under his breath,

tightening sparkplug wires on a pickup.

“Who‟s a busybody?” Caleb‟s warm voice rolled over him

with a light chuckle.

Ian‟s heart thumped, and he smiled when he twisted around

to land on the man who now stood at the front fender. Damn, he
looked good. Something about that uniform. Had to be. Starched

and tight in all the right places. And Ian knew exactly what was
underneath it. Thank you, Jesus, for overalls.

Caleb lifted his sunglasses to rest on top of his head.
“No one.” Ian stepped down off the bumper and wiped his

hands on a shop rag.

Caleb‟s gaze roamed the bays. “Still looking for a junior

mechanic?”

Ian mimicked him. There were cars waiting, and he only had

two hands. “Yeah. I‟ve only had two résumés come in. I thought
there‟d be more.” He had no idea why there‟d been so little

response.

“If you need help until you get someone permanent, I can ask

Jessie to see if Aaron can over the summer. The kid‟s good with cars
and all the new electronic systems.”

“He‟s had training?”

“Training, no. He‟s been rebuilding things since he was

nine.”

“Shit. Seriously?” Ian settled a hip against the truck.

“It‟s a hobby for him. He wants to design, but he loves

getting dirty. I think it will help in the long run to know about what

he‟s engineering rather than just drawing lines to play connect the
dots.”

“How old is he? I can get away with Terra, she‟s family. I

don‟t want anyone claiming child labor shit on me.”

“He just turned seventeen. Senior this year, then college.

Already has it set up, too.”

Ian couldn‟t help it. He was impressed. “Ambitious.”
“No more than his dad or uncles,” Caleb replied with a broad

grin.

Ian glanced behind him over a shoulder. “If he can handle

basic things, oil changes, filters, fuses, lights, stuff like that, it would

help a lot. We can go from there.”

“I‟ll give him a call. See what he‟s up to this summer.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

Caleb inched a little closer, his elbow on the frame of the

truck. “We take care of each other, right?”

Ian swallowed. Heat was beginning to simmer in Caleb‟s

gaze. Too much more of that and he‟d go into meltdown. Ian
desperately wanted to get closer to the promise behind that gaze.

Skin to skin was preferred.

Caleb straightened, sexy lips forming just the gentlest of

smiles. “Get used to it, babe,” he whispered. “I‟m that kinda guy.”

Ian did a quick search out into the world. They were alone.

“When are you off again?”

“Tonight. Want to come to dinner?”
Did he ever. “Just dinner, though. Terra.”

Ian waited for a sign, but not a flicker of disappointment

showed on Caleb‟s face. “That‟s how it was meant. But trust me, it‟s
not all I want.”

Blood pulsed, scorching and heady against his skin. The fan

he had for airflow behind him was definitely not keeping up with
the combined summer heat and Caleb.

“God, you‟re sexy turned on,” Caleb murmured.
Caleb hadn‟t moved any closer, and had lowered his voice,

but the impact of those few words had Ian‟s body revving like a
twin-cam motor. He cleared his throat. “We‟ll be there.”

“I‟ll be waiting,” Caleb all but purred.

A shiver skated down his spine as Caleb walked away, the

man‟s strut doing even more to distract him.

Chapter Fourteen

“Hey, Aaron, can you grab me the filter for this off the tool

tray?” Ian unscrewed the one off the car on the lift and tossed it into

the oil waste bin at his hip.

The young man popped his head around from checking tire

pressures. “Sure.”

Ian watched the oil stream into the wide bowl of the funnel

to fill the collection barrel. “You done on the rotation?” he asked
when Aaron stood at his side.

“Just now.” He handed Ian the filter, crushing the box.
“Good work. If you‟d go ahead and start the sweep up, we can

close on time tonight.”

“Sweet.”
Ian chuckled. With the filter in place and snug, he lowered

the car and began to pump clean oil into it. With Aaron‟s help, he‟d
managed to get caught up over the last two weeks. July Fourth was
right around the corner, and Ian was taking a long weekend. He

wasn‟t going to make either Terra or Aaron worry about the shop
over the weekend, and he could use a small break for himself. Even

better, Caleb would be off his rotation.

Hallelujah.
Closing the hood on the car and making sure the car was

locked, he carried the keys inside and hung them in the safety box
in his office. Anything staying overnight was secured in the bays,
then secured again. He knew Denise would grab her car on the way

to work in the morning. It‟s the way she‟d done it for the last five
years.

He‟d held one interview for the open mechanic position,

dumbfounded at the trickle of applicants looking for work. He was
hoping to hire someone soon, not wanting to steal all of Aaron‟s

summer break, considering he‟d already been in Jasper for almost
three weeks helping Ian at the shop. Luckily, the teenager had been
having a good time while there, learning how to work the diagnostic

machines and spending time with his uncle. Ian knew he‟d have to
start considering the few he‟d seen, or push harder to find the right

help. Just being caught up was helping him breathe easier again.

“So, uh, you coming to dinner tonight?”
Ian turned to the young man and said over his shoulder, “I

think so.” Caleb liked cooking on the nights he was free for all of
them. Terra and himself had become usual company, and he would

be the first to admit he liked spending time with Caleb, no matter
how it was spent.

“Is Terra coming?”
Ian blinked, but didn‟t let any other sign of realization

lighten his features. “I would think so.”

Aaron blushed faintly, then glanced away.
Ian turned all the way around. “It‟s okay if you like her,

Aaron. You‟re a good kid, and she‟s smart. I trust her.”

Aaron shuffled his feet. “Thanks, Ian.”
“Why don‟t you ask her to the July Fourth Cook-Off?”

Aaron peered him with a youthful befuddled expression.

“Yeah?”

“Sure,” he replied, scooting him out of the office to lock it.

“Now let‟s get out of here.”

A beaming smile filled Aaron‟s face. “I‟ll check the bay

doors.” He whirled and was gone like a shot. Ian walked out of the
small space he called an office and locked the door.

Terra appeared out of the restroom, swiping a hand over her

brow. “Clean. Can I just say, blech?” She stuck out her tongue in
disgust.

“I do,” Ian joked with her. “Get your stuff. We‟re done.”
She cheered and perked up. Ensuring the office was set for

the night, he closed it up, then waited for Aaron before locking the

main door. Standing beside his truck, he shucked his overalls with a
hefty groan. He stuffed them into the corner of the truck bed to grab
when he got home.

Aaron did the same on the other side.
“All set?”

Aaron hopped into the truck in answer with Terra between

them. Ian made a point of not saying anything more when he
dropped Aaron off other than to say he‟d see him and Caleb in a

couple hours.

* * * *

Caleb stretched out on the sofa on his back, using one of

Ian‟s thighs for a pillow. He sighed, a full stomach and good

company. When he heard quiet whispers, he tipped his head and
caught Aaron and Terra sneaking peeks in his direction. Teenagers
plotting. Never a good thing.

“What?”
“Nothing,” they chirped like they‟d rehearsed it to sound so

perfectly innocent—when it clearly wasn‟t. Horns, a perch for

halos. Caleb grabbed a pillow and threw it at his nephew. He
ducked and laughed hard.

“Dad will be glad.”
Ian‟s thigh shifted under his head, tensing then relaxing. He

had an arm over the back of the couch, his iced tea within reach by
the other. He was listening in mute silence.

“Why?” Caleb was sure he knew. The brat was practically

beaming. When Aaron only shrugged, he had his answer. “Tell your
dad I‟m fine.” Caleb grumbled.

“Does your family…” Ian tried, then stopped. He shook his

head, his lips thinning when he pinched them together.

Caleb went to put him at ease, but was beat to the punch.

One of these days, he‟d find a way to shut up his nephews. Maybe.

“Totally.”
Ian‟s other foot started to tap restlessly. Caleb arched to look

up into Ian‟s face. “Relax. They‟re all going to love you.”

The shadows in those dark orbs made Caleb think he wasn‟t

completely buying it. “He‟s working for me.”

“So?” Aaron was quick to interject. He was sitting beside

Terra on a stuffed chair, both more or less crammed into the single

cushion space clinging to each other, but neither complaining about
it. “No one in our family has an issue with Uncle Caleb, or anyone
else.” He shared a look with Terra, then pointedly faced Caleb. “And

whether you know it or not, Dad has been worried.”

“I know,” Caleb replied. Wasn‟t much he could do about it

before he met Ian. “Shut up and watch TV.”

Aaron snickered, rolling his eyes. “Yes, sir.” Caleb closed his

eyes and relaxed, feeling as Ian gradually did the same, the anxious

twitching fading.

It wasn‟t until they were leaving that Caleb had a few

minutes without teenagers hanging onto his every word. He tugged

on a belt loop and Ian followed him into the kitchen. “You okay?”

Ian took a slow breath, avoiding his gaze.
“Does it bother you that Aaron knows about us?”

“No.” He crossed his arms, standing to the side. “I hadn‟t

made it as far as your whole family.”

Caleb lifted him with a light touch, his palm under Ian‟s jaw.

“Why don‟t we start with my family?” he suggested. “Aaron likes
you, and he‟s no different than anyone else in my family. We can

worry about the rest of the world later. And babe, if they have a
problem with you being gay, I think they would have started with
me long before now.”

Shadows danced across his expressive eyes. Caleb stroked his

cheek, thrilling at the rasp of stubble. Heat filled his chest, the same

desire beginning to burn in the depths of the eyes drawing him
closer, a desire that was chasing away the clouds of worry. He

wanted to make Ian comfortable. It would take time, and Caleb
knew that. Maybe starting with his family would be easier for him.
Slowly, the tension Caleb feeding through his palm faded and the

urge to kiss the man in front of him strengthened.

“Oh, good grief! Kiss him already!” This was followed by

feminine laughter.

Ian whipped around, his arms falling to his sides. They both

spotted her backing away from the kitchen entry, giggling madly.

Ian turned a lopsided grin to Caleb. “Excuse me?”
“Sure, babe.”
Ian charged after Terra. He chased her out of the house, the

screen door slamming when she smacked it out of her way to sprint
for the truck. Ian caught her, sweeping her up to bend over his
shoulder in a fireman‟s carry.

She squealed through her laughter. “Does this mean we‟re

leaving?”

Caleb and Aaron were howling when he dumped her on the

front seat.

“Over.”

She saluted with a smart-alecky grin, then scooted across the

seat.

Caleb and Aaron waved when Ian backed out of the drive and

pulled away to go home. Caleb drew a breath, missing Ian already.
“Did you get your goodbye kiss?” he asked his nephew.

Aaron blushed. “Yeah.”
“You owe me, then.”
Aaron snorted with laughter and turned to go inside.

“I mean it!” That only made his nephew laugh harder, the

guffaws echoing through the house. “Damn.” Caleb shook his head.
“Definitely your father‟s son,” he groused under his breath. With a

last wishful look in the direction Ian‟s truck had gone, he closed the
door for the evening.

Chapter Fifteen

July Fourth was hot. The hovering smell of wood smoke,

barbecue sauce, and meat filled one half of the square where the

citywide cook-off was being held. Ian trailed Aaron and Terra, the
young couple holding hands and laughing. He wasn‟t paying much
attention to them, or the vendors, just wandering, distracted with

his mind elsewhere. He was waiting for Caleb to show up. When he
and Terra had arrived at Caleb‟s, Aaron had informed them that
Caleb had been called in to the station, so he‟d meet them

downtown later.

A glance at his watch told Ian it was later. Searching the

crowd, there was still no sign of the other man, though. When he
caught up to the kids, he asked, “You two going to the carnival
later?”

“If it‟s okay with you, Ian,” Aaron answered. He stood

sideways to talk, Terra held close.

Ian knew puppy love and crushes when he saw them. He

wasn‟t going to linger and be a drag on their fun. Well, much of one,
anyway. “No funny business,” he warned.

Terra rolled her eyes. “I promise not to laugh in excess.”
“You know what I mean,” he growled, then took a breath. He

didn‟t need to take his surly attitude out on them. Calming himself,

he told them, “Go have fun. I‟ll find you in a while.”

He turned to leave them but a light touch on his arm stopped

him. Terra stood alone at his side.

“Uncle Ian? You all right?” Large dark eyes filled with

concern watched him.

He dredged up a smile. “Yeah. Go have fun.”
She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss to his cheek.

“Love you.”

“You too.”
With a final squeeze on his arm, she jogged to a waiting

Aaron.

Ian strolled through the crowd, meandering, gazing outward,

hunting, but there was no Caleb. He knew Caleb would arrive when

he could, that there was a reason for being called into the station on
a day off. The knowing didn‟t temper his impatience just the same.

Walking past booths and smoking pits, he almost missed the

hum of conversation as he had all the others as white noise to the
day, background static to his own thoughts. And he would have
except for the venomous attack against Caleb.

“Drew needs to quit infecting the kids with this

homosexuality bullshit!” The urgent hiss was layered in brittle rage.

Ian stopped, frozen and unable to put distance between

himself and the unseen men just a few feet away on the other side of

a booth wall. He knew he didn‟t want to hear more, but couldn‟t
make his feet move.

“Why? What did he do?”

“He‟s volunteered at the high school for next year! Now he‟s

going to be shoving his damned faggot beliefs down their throats!”

Ian‟s jaw clenched. He knew who that was spewing hatred—

Paul.

“Good for him,” came a quiet, supportive reply. “Those kids

need someone who‟s been in their shoes to help them.”

“No!” Paul raged. “It‟s unnatural! Jesus—”
“Hung out with dudes in dresses,” came a snarked reply.

“What is your problem, Paul? And don‟t give me your religion line.
God made us all.”

“My next door neighbor is his fucking lover!” Paul thundered

loud enough to be heard in the Rockies.

Ian‟s world spun. The treetops in his vision blurred. He felt

nauseous, knew he was going to lose everything in his stomach as
his gut clenched. Holy shit. He screamed that loud enough for an
entire city block to hear him.

“No way? Ian?” Someone chuckled. “Well, I‟ll be damned.

Good for them.” There wasn‟t a hint of angry disbelief, only mild
surprise. Ian swayed and closed his eyes, prepared to hear more,

but was infinitely glad when there wasn‟t.

Paul growled. Ian realized Paul wasn‟t going to win that

battle and waited until he was positive Paul had stomped off before
he felt capable of breathing again, unsure if he‟d really heard things
the way he thought he had. Where was the anger? Where was the

hatred that condoned Paul‟s beliefs that men like Ian and Caleb
were the devil‟s spawn?

“Man, I hope Paul lays off Caleb. He‟s volunteering for the

Christmas drive this year. Don‟t need…” The voices trailed off in
another direction, leaving Ian as the last witness to the argument.

Now he was unable to move because he was trembling so badly.

He didn‟t even know who it was that had stuck up for Caleb

and himself. Maybe what Caleb had said, that some didn‟t care, was

true. Ian didn‟t know and wasn‟t sure he was ready to take the
chance. There were too many factors to weigh and it wasn‟t

something he could think about clearly in the chaos of the city fair.
But what he‟d heard gave him something to think about.

Shaking his hands out, he managed to take a step, and

followed it with another, staring forward. He didn‟t want to see if

anyone had noticed him, if anyone knew it was him Paul had so
clearly trashed, or if those around him were just curious and people
watching. He didn‟t know where he was going, and didn‟t really

care, just wanting to clear his thoughts from the malicious words.

It was over an hour later when Caleb found him wandering

not quite as numbly through downtown, when Ian was almost ready

to find Terra and Aaron and call it quits. He‟d stopped to talk to a
few people he knew, or shook hands, just praying that it wasn‟t as

obvious on the outside as it felt to suddenly be labeled, to have his
entire life bared and bandied about like a locker room whore‟s
name. It sucked being alone in the mass, and more than once, he‟d

felt the inquisitive weight of a speculative gaze. Someone who‟d
heard, and wondered. Or guessed and now could only imagine him
like Paul did—gone and unable to influence their precious town.

“Sorry, babe,” Caleb said quietly when he‟d finally reached

Ian‟s shoulder. “But it‟s a damned good reason I‟m late.” Caleb fell

in at his side.

“Oh?” Ian stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets, still at odds

over that morning‟s upheavals.

“Striker was picked up this morning. He‟s in jail and not

moving fast.”

“Really?” Ian stopped and faced Caleb. “It‟s over?”

“It‟s over,” Caleb echoed, a smile of victory giving his

features an elated light.

Relief hit Ian in a wave. No more worrying about Striker

coming after Terra, no more lack of justice for Maria‟s murder.

“Thank God.” He lifted a hand and gripped Caleb‟s shoulder.

“Thank you.”

“Ready to go stuff ourselves stupid on some barbeque?”
“Was just waiting for you.” And Ian knew he would have

waited all afternoon, impatience or not. Fear be damned. He wasn‟t
going to run because Paul couldn‟t keep his religious nose out of

Ian‟s life.

“Hey, Ian!” They turned at the same time and Ian groaned.
“Oh hell.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I swear, I did

nothing to his bike.” Caleb chuckled, and waited as Lonny crossed
the street.

“Hey, Sheriff Drew,” Lonny greeted.

Caleb offered his hand. “Just Caleb, Lonny. I‟m not on duty

today.”

Lonny looked between Caleb and Ian, shook hands, and then

sidestepped to face them both.

“What Lonny?” Ian asked when Lonny just stood there and

stared at them.

“Huh? Oh, uh…” Lonny searched across the street where

about three or four men watched them. “There‟s a rumor going
around,” he began, sounding like he wished he were anywhere but
there.

Caleb crossed his arms and stared coolly at Lonny. “Oh?”
Ian‟s stomach twisted again, fearing he knew just what that

rumor was. He‟d heard it shouted for half the county to hear.

“Well.” Lonny cleared his throat. “You‟re gay.”
“And you‟re straight. Glad we got that out in the open,” Caleb

remarked with dry boredom.

Then Lonny switched to stare at Ian, probably unable to hold

Caleb‟s gaze. Ian had been held by that gaze and knew just how

powerful it could be.

“But…” Lonny began to look uncomfortable.

Caleb cast a confused glance to Ian. Ian sure as hell wasn‟t

going to help Lonny out on this one.

Caleb leaned over and said as an aside to Ian, “Is there some

new gay game? Guess the blank look? „Cause I‟m not sure I‟m
getting it.”

Ian snickered and Lonny‟s cheeks flashed an abashed red.

Ian went to step around Lonny, tired of waiting for the man

to grow his balls, when he blurted, “Are you gay, Ian?”

Caleb snarled, very quietly. Ian swallowed, tamping down

the rush of fear and anger. In that moment, he wanted to stuff a fist
right through Paul‟s face. “Are you a dick?” Ian asked in the same

incredulous inflected voice. He didn‟t wait for an answer, simply
leaving Lonny behind on the sidewalk.

“What the hell?” Caleb growled when they were out of

earshot.

Ian gave him a quick rundown on what had been overheard

with Paul, and Caleb‟s face grew stony.

“So just like that, the shit outs you?”
“It seems that way,” Ian said, still trying to box up all the

damned knots in his gut. Really, what could he do about it but what
he‟d been doing since the beginning? Living but just that fast he
knew he wasn‟t going back to what had been before Caleb. Ian

wasn‟t going to give up the man at his side. Fuck you, Paul. He
guessed he needed to let Caleb know what the other man was up to

as well. Forewarned and all that bullshit. “He‟s doing his best to
have the council review your contract with the city. He wants you

fired.”

“Seriously?” Caleb stopped walking. “What? Are they afraid

I‟m going to kiss you right downtown in front of all their angel

eyes?” he scoffed in utter disgust.

Caleb was steaming, and the madder he got, the calmer Ian

grew. Caleb could be calm about just about anything—except an

attack against Ian or Terra.

“Paul doesn‟t have any weight with the city council, and he

doesn‟t have a say,” Ian pointed out. “He‟s just making noise.”

“And making trouble for you.” Caleb scowled. “It‟s no one‟s

business.”

Ian drew a slow breath. “It would have come out eventually,”

he said. As much time as they spent together. As often as Caleb
stayed at Ian‟s. It wouldn‟t have been long at all, he was sure.

Especially with as much interest as Paul seemed to have taken to
how much time the two men seemed to be spending together.

“Maybe, but it‟s your choice, not some bigoted asshole who

thinks he has a direct line with God.” At Ian‟s raised eyebrows,
Caleb clarified. “I know who Paul Heike is. He‟s impeded or spoken

out about every mentoring activity I‟ve signed on for at the high
school because he knows I‟m gay. He‟s even demanded they
disband the GSA clubs, which they won‟t and can‟t do without

disbanding every extra-curricular activity they have. I thought he
was going to blow a gasket when I signed on for the Christmas

drive.”

“Damn.” Ian sighed. “He has a serious problem.”
Caleb rolled a shoulder. “Believe it or not, but I‟ve seen

worse. He‟s an extreme.” Caleb nudged shoulders. “You‟ll see. It‟ll
be okay.” Gentle and understanding blue eyes met his. “I‟m not
going to make you do a single thing you‟re not comfortable with,

babe. Right now, even if people suspect, we‟re here with the kids.
Nothing more than friends, and no one knows any different.”

Ian surreptitiously studied around them and found no one

was specifically paying them any attention as they made their way
to the carnival through the crowds.

“But what if it causes you problems?” The last thing Ian

wanted was for Caleb to have any issues because they were seeing
each other. Just the thought of it made his stomach roil.

Caleb slanted him another patient look. “Ian, it‟s only a

problem if I let it be.” He stopped walking and looked around them,

his expression lightening when he landed on the businesses
cattycorner to where they stood. “Come with me.”

Unsure of his intent, Ian could only follow.

Chapter Sixteen

Caleb wished he could—legally—put a gag order on Paul

Heike. The man was bitter and plain mean. He‟d been a thorn in

Caleb‟s side since he‟d been hired. Caleb had always contributed to
the community he worked in. It brought him closer to the people he
served, and left a stronger bond for people to trust him when the

need was there to trust law enforcement. Jasper was no different.

When he‟d found out the high school had a GSA, he

immediately signed on as a mentor. The need was enough that they

were branching into other areas of encouragement. Anti-bullying,
alliances, anti-defamation. He supported them all.

It definitely did not make him popular with those like Paul

who felt he was an abomination to the human race. At least he‟d
never told a kid that God hated them. Considering Paul‟s behavior

toward himself and Ian, he was sure the same couldn‟t be said for
the religious zealot.

With Ian at his shoulder, he backtracked until he reached the

bakery. Seeing the hoped for movement behind the counter, he
rapped on the window with a curved knuckle. The woman inside

smiled and hurried to the front, unlocking the door for them. With
the door in one hand, she brushed her hair off her face.

“Officer Drew.”

“Hi, Jeannie. I know you‟re done for the day, but can we have

a few minutes of privacy?”

“Of course. Hi, Ian. How are you?”

Ian nodded with some mild confusion on his features,

staying close to Caleb.

“Don‟t worry. I‟m only hot for her cinnamon rolls,” Caleb

whispered in a loud way next to Ian‟s temple. Some of the tension
seeped from his lover at the poking fun.

Jeannie‟s eyes glittered with mirth. “Uh huh. I‟ve seen you

eat them too. Take as long as you want. I‟m waiting for Wanda to
get here to go enjoy the music.”

Caleb smiled and sauntered in, going all the way to the back

of the bakery, away from the wide windows and any nosy passerby.

“Now then,” Caleb began, leaning against a spotless chrome

counter. He reached and snagged Ian‟s waist with a single finger,
tugging him close. “Why do you think I brought you here?”

Ian‟s hands encircled Caleb‟s forearms. “I don‟t know.” He

seemed totally puzzled.

“How long have Jeannie and Wanda been friends?”

Ian tipped his head. “I‟m not really sure. I don‟t know them

that well. Why?”

“Because they‟re more than friends. They‟ve been together

for almost fifteen years. They‟re now my friends too. They know

about us and have since I made the mistake of telling Wanda about
a certain mechanic who tripped my meter like a New York taxi. It
went downhill after that,” he admitted with a chuckled ruefulness.

Man, how those two snookered him into giving up details. They
should have been interrogators. As a tag team, they were evil.

“They‟re lesbians?”

The sheer shock on Ian‟s face had Caleb almost roaring with

laughter. Catching his breath, Caleb ran fingers into Ian‟s hair. “And

in your own backyard. I know. What is this world coming to?” he
joked. “What I‟m saying is you have friends and neighbors who
aren‟t going to care, friends who will support anything you do, any

choice you make because who you sleep with doesn‟t define who
you are.” Caleb caressed a temple with a thumb, letting the words
sink in. “Don‟t let Paul and his clones get to you. They can‟t do a

thing to you or to me but try to be annoying. The greatest victory we
have over people like that is living our lives to the fullest and

enjoying every minute of it.” He leaned closed and brushed a
fleeting kiss to Ian‟s lips. “I am sorry he blew your secret,” Caleb
murmured after. Shaking his head, he added, “That was just plain

spiteful and wrong.”

“Whoever he was talking to didn‟t seem bothered with it.”

Ian‟s hands lost their tense grip, rather caressing skin beneath his

palms as though lost in thought. The light motions shot shocks up
Caleb‟s arms to gather in his chest.

“I‟m not saying you need to do anything at all, Ian. I am only

asking you to not let one man‟s bitter bigotry build a wedge between
us. You don‟t have to hold my hand, don‟t have to kiss me, don‟t

even have to let me sleep over, though that would really suck to not
be able to taste this incredible body of yours.” He dipped and
nibbled lightly at Ian‟s neck.

“It‟s going to shock a lot of people,” Ian returned, a little

more breathless than before.

“And that is our problem, how?” Caleb countered, still

finding a lot to enjoy beneath Ian‟s ear.

Ian rumbled in pleasure. “What if it comes back on Terra?

Oh…mm.” Ian‟s head was loose on his neck, weaving to give Caleb
all the access he could to Ian‟s throat and shoulder to their mutual

enjoyment. Ian‟s fingers tightened again around Caleb‟s forearms,
this time in a compulsive rhythm.

“That‟s a different thing altogether,” Caleb replied. “She‟s a

minor for one. God, you taste so good.” Caleb swept the length of

Ian‟s throat to nip with intent right behind his earlobe. Shivers flew
down Ian in answer. “We will protect her.”

“Is it hard?”

Caleb reluctantly stopped his oral fixation on Ian‟s flesh.

“What, babe?”

Ian‟s bottomless eyes blinked open. “Being out.”

“Yes and no. I‟m being truthful.” Caleb brought Ian close at

his frown. “It‟s hard because of the Pauls of the world. It‟s worth it

because of those who love us. Because of those we love,” he
whispered, hoping Ian understood. A sharp halt to his breathing
and the way his eyes widened into deep eddies of heat hinted that

Ian very well might.

Ian‟s throat jogged up and down twice. Dark lashes drifted

low then rose. “I‟m not sure what I can do, Caleb.” Ian lifted a hand

and caressed the edge of Caleb‟s jaw. “It just happened, and it
wasn‟t a way I would have chosen.”

“I know, babe.” He let out a harsh breath. Damn you, Paul.

Ian was finally becoming comfortable with what they had over the
last few months and the ass had to throw a wrench in the works. “I

guess we better go find the kids.”

Except Ian held him firm to lean into Caleb‟s frame, halting

his attempt to leave with his forehead nuzzling Caleb‟s chin. “Are

you staying tonight?”

“Any night you want,” Caleb answered.

Ian didn‟t show a single sign of hesitation when he said,

“Then let‟s make it every night. My cover‟s been blown thanks to
Paul‟s loud mouth. I‟ll face the shit storm. There is no reason to

hide you, or us.”

“I‟ll be there for you, if this is really what you want,” Caleb

replied with a lighter hum, though inside he was cheering. Caleb

hadn‟t anticipated this type of move for months yet. Maybe Ian was
becoming more comfortable in spite of Paul‟s cruel lunacy. “At your

pace, babe. I‟ve meant that since the beginning. It won‟t change
what we have.”

“What we have,” he echoed, a little wondrously. “And it‟s

good?”

“Babe, it‟s the best fucking thing in my life,” Caleb replied

honestly.

Caleb felt Ian‟s muscled length relax into his frame, thigh to

thigh. Caleb‟s fingers rested at Ian‟s waist while Ian caressed Caleb‟s

jaw with light lips.

“I thought I was going to be sick when he shouted it like he

did,” Ian murmured, then flicked the tip of his tongue to Caleb‟s
throat. “I had no idea he knew about us.” Warm breath slid over
skin, skating heated shivers down Caleb‟s torso.

Caleb did what came naturally, smoothing his palms around

Ian‟s ass, cupping him in his palms. Ian groaned in appreciative
answer.

“Does it bother you?” Caleb hoped it didn‟t but waited for his

answer. If Paul had figured it out, there was a good chance Ian‟s

other neighbors had as well. Though it wasn‟t like they were
sneaking around at night. Just spending time at each other‟s
houses. A lot of time. If Caleb‟s neighbors knew or guessed, he

didn‟t know. The houses where he lived weren‟t side by side, by any
means, so if they knew, it would only be because they‟d been
looking.

Ian‟s lips were soft and warm on Caleb‟s throat. “His interest

in another man‟s privacy, yes. The more I think about it, especially

with your hands… Oh, fuck.” He gasped hard when Caleb squeezed.
“The more I think about it, the less I think I care,” Ian rushed. He
bit with playful intensity to Caleb‟s neck in retaliation.

Caleb shuddered like ice had been dropped down his shirt.
“Caleb?” Ian‟s breath breezed over sensitive skin.
“Yeah, Ian?”

“If Paul causes you one shitty minute, I want to know.”
Caleb straightened and held tightly onto Ian, wanting to offer

him a cocoon to keep the world at bay and out of their lives. “The
same. You or Terra. Agreed?”

“Or any of his clones,” Ian added. When Caleb nodded, Ian

agreed.

Caleb looped his arms around Ian‟s waist, just living in the

moment of contact. “You ready to go enjoy this party?”

“Unless there‟s a way to get you naked in the next sixty

seconds, I guess I don‟t have much of a choice.”

His mouth was still gifting lingering kisses over reachable

skin, sending little shocks into Caleb‟s blood. Ian‟s hands skimmed
up loose arms to rest on Caleb‟s shoulders.

Those words combined with the heat of Ian‟s caresses almost

melted Caleb where he stood. Having it bad for the man was such
an understatement. “Do you really want me to come stay with you?”

Ian took a step back, the trailing touch of a hand lingering

over one of Caleb‟s before letting him go completely. “I want you to

move in, yes. I just need to talk to Terra about it. Make sure she‟s
still okay if you do.”

Caleb threaded loose fingers into Ian‟s hair and brought him

forward, claiming his mouth in a fierce kiss. With a final lick to
perfect lips, he released the other man. “Consider that your rain

check on getting you naked.”

Ian‟s flushed mouth bowed, a beckoning desire darkening his

eyes. “Believe me, I am cashing that in tonight.”

Caleb‟s heart fluttered at the growl of promise in Ian‟s words.
After thanking Jeannie and leaving the bakery behind, they

strolled in the direction of the carnival. “So is that how Jeannie
guessed it was me with you? She‟s the keeper of all your dirty
secrets?”

Caleb‟s brow shot up at Ian‟s teasing. “Well, a few secrets.

Like my unnatural appetite for cinnamon rolls at four in the
afternoon.”

Ian‟s chest rocked with his silent laughter as he walked

beside Caleb, relaxed and unconcerned.

Caleb‟s attention was mostly on Ian, his reactions, his focus,

making sure he was comfortable at Caleb‟s side. There were a few
stares, but either Ian didn‟t notice, or didn‟t let on that he did. Caleb

had never hid who he was, which would be like asking a straight guy
to hide that they liked women. Most didn‟t go into excessive PDA—
well, anyone over say twenty-five, and neither did he. If the city was

holding its breath waiting for him to tackle some hunky man, they‟d
pass out long before it would happen.

Ian talked, pointing out people he knew, sharing short

anecdotes about growing up and living his whole life in Jasper,
which had Caleb ribbing on him or simply laughing at the hi-jinks a

younger Ian had been a contributor to. He didn‟t seem at all
stressed over the decision to invite Caleb to move in really just
weeks after the idea had been brought up by Terra, or the fact that

Caleb had essentially said he was in love with him.

They weren‟t young bucks. They could build up to what he

knew was already a strong foundation for the both of them. All they
needed was Terra‟s okay, and Caleb was hoping her opinion hadn‟t
changed since that first morning when he‟d been stone cold busted

sleeping over in Ian‟s room.

All in all, Caleb was feeling pretty good about the way the day

had gone. Striker was behind bars, Ian was finding his feet in this

new jungle called a relationship, handling it rather well considering,
and the man had made a very strong move in bringing them closer

together. The sunshine was only part of the reason he was feeling
warm inside and out.

Chapter Seventeen

Ian‟s heart was thudding like a turbo-charged hammer into

his ribs. Did Caleb just admit he loved me? Walking down the

sidewalk, he did his best to not let the shock show. Ian tripped
between surprised and bemused. No one had ever said that to him,
not even so much as hinted at it. Of course, the relationships he‟d

been in hadn‟t lasted long enough to find out if love could happen.
He certainly hadn‟t expected it.

Loud chatter, laughter, and children running around in

chaotic mayhem thickened the closer they got to the carnival. It
wasn‟t long before he was having to talk rather loudly for Caleb to

hear him over those squeals and the blaring soundtracks on each
ride, so instead, he motioned with a hand when he spotted Aaron
and Terra trying to outsmart a carny for a stuffed animal. Terra‟s

squeal of delight proved Aaron was very capable at the game of skill.

Wrapping her arms around a humungous pink stuffed dog,

they turned and strolled in Ian and Caleb‟s direction.

“How much did that thing cost?” Caleb asked, grinning while

he patted the head of the great pink beast when they met up.

“Not too much,” Aaron admitted with a wink, his fingers

tucked into his shorts pockets. Walking together between the
booths, Aaron said, “Hey, Ian. I had a couple guys come up and ask

when you were going to call about the job opening. I thought you
hadn‟t received any interest.”

Ian paused in his stroll. “I had two résumés come in. One

was from a guy named Richard, the other was…” He chewed on his
lip as he thought. “William, but if it‟s the guy I think I know, he goes

by Billy and I‟m not hiring him. Why? Was it someone you‟ve gotten
to know?”

“Yeah, actually.” He palmed Terra‟s hand into his as he

spoke. “Missy‟s older brother, Jackson.”

Terra nodded. “I was surprised when he asked, because I

know I hadn‟t seen the résumé come over the fax.”

“Did you tell him to send it again?”
“I did,” Terra offered. “But something he said had me

thinking.” She blinked big brown eyes at Ian then Aaron and he
gave her a firm squeeze of encouragement. “It‟s gotten around what
Mr. Heike did this morning, Uncle Ian. A few from my class have

asked and I think he has something to do with the lack of
applicants.”

Ian felt his stomach rise into his throat. He swallowed to

tame it. He kept the surge of conflicted emotions out of his voice

with effort. He couldn‟t look toward Caleb. Ian knew his every fear
would be visible on his face. “What did you tell them?”

“That it wasn‟t any of their business. I don‟t ask how often

their parents get it on,” she retorted with a wrinkled face of disgust.
“Anyway, I found out Jackson had faxed it from the library. Mr.

Heike‟s sister is the head librarian. I think they‟ve been sabotaging
you.”

“That‟s quite a jump, Terra,” Caleb cautioned, though he‟d

cupped his chin in a palm and was listening intently.

“If it weren‟t for the fact that he‟d sent it twice already, I‟d

say you‟re probably right,” she continued. “Except he wasn‟t the
only one. Apparently, Jackson knows about five different guys who
have sent in letters and applications from the library because they

don‟t charge for local faxes. They all found the ad and wanted it for
the summer. And Mrs. Fellers is the one who‟s been helping them.
All their stories were the same too. They went in to send it, and as

soon as Mrs. Fellers heard your name or saw it on the cover sheet,
she was all helpful. And this is why I‟m suspicious. The fax never

connected while they were there, for any of them. They were each
told she‟d follow up with it and make sure it was sent through.”

Ian crossed his arms over his chest as he thought about what

she‟d learned. “And I know I haven‟t received any more than the
two I have in my desk.”

Terra‟s expression lengthened.

“Don‟t you worry, honey,” Caleb told Terra. “First thing

tomorrow, I‟ll go down to the library myself and get the

applications, and I‟ll have a word with Mrs. Fellers about interfering
with private business.” Caleb shared a look with Ian. “I won‟t go out
of my way, but the next time I see Paul…” He didn‟t finish it.

Thunderheads clouded his eyes, which deepened the scowl on his
brow.

“Just remember, we have to live next to him.” Not that Ian

wasn‟t ready to give the man a piece of his mind as well.

“We?” Terra chirped, picking up on that immediately,

flipping between himself and Caleb with a hint of excitement.

Ian motioned to bring the four of them a little closer. Terra

slipped into Aaron‟s side, hip to hip, expectantly. “I asked Caleb to

move in. You‟re still okay with that?” He hadn‟t realized until right
then just how much her approval meant, but by the beaming

happiness glowing around her, it was Ian who had just been slow to
actually do it.

Aaron high-fived Caleb, laughing. “Awright! You rock it,

Uncle Caleb.”

“Absolutely!” She let Aaron‟s hand go and shoving the pink

dog into Aaron‟s arms, gave Ian a huge hug. Releasing him, she
stood next to Aaron again. Then her face fell. “Oh, crap. I live with a

cop.”

Caleb and Ian shared a look then both burst out with

laughter, Aaron giving her a squeeze as they joined them. She gave

them a cheeky smile and winked at Ian.

Ian put an arm around Terra and tugged her into his arms.

“Brat. Love you,” he said, choked up and trying hard to hide it.

“Love you, too.” She was slower to let him go this time and

he cherished the closeness.

* * * *

Ian turned out the light as he walked into the bedroom. Terra

was in her room, out cold after a long afternoon at the carnival,
Aaron was passed out in the spare, and the house was locked tight

for the night. Now it was their time. Moonlight and a single lamp by
the bed provided ample glow for Ian to make Caleb out in the
darkness. Caleb watched him from where he waited on the bed,

already naked and utterly delicious. Blue eyes glimmered in the
softer light. With a drawn out motion, Ian unfastened the snap to
his jeans. The corner of Caleb‟s mouth rose, glued to Ian‟s every

motion. It felt incredible being his sole focus.

“Tease,” Caleb accused with a raw undercurrent. “That hot

body.”

That caused an arched eyebrow in reply from Ian. “Me? Have

you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?”

Caleb looked down his frame where he rested against the

headboard. Ian licked his lips, staring none-too-secretly at the hard
jut of Caleb‟s dick in all his bare and naked glory. A breath

shuddered through Ian‟s chest, a wave of desire that made him
weave where he stood.

“I‟m cashing in my rain check,” he said, ripping his shirt over

his head. He tossed it to the corner. Tomorrow was soon enough to
worry about laundry, and cleaning up.

Caleb curled a hand around his cock and gave it a slow tug.

“Damn, you are fucking incredible. Love watching you.” The words
and the view were a combination hot enough to melt Ian through.

Crawling onto the bed, he inched up Caleb‟s legs, dropping

kisses as he went. A faint scar on one knee received a tender lick.

Caleb‟s breath caught audibly, filling the room with the sound of his
rising desire and his harder breathing. Knowing Ian was the one

turning him on, that Caleb was engulfed and lost to Ian‟s touch, was
one of the strongest realizations he‟d ever faced. And by far one of
the hottest.

The lightest touch of fingers sifted through Ian‟s hair,

shooting goose bumps across his back and all the way down his
spine. He sighed in enjoyment, nuzzling the skin of Caleb‟s hip,

rubbing his face all over Caleb‟s muscled body.

“Oohhh… Mm…” Caleb‟s breathy moans were a music that

Ian loved. He loved so much about the man.

A shudder rocked his length as that one thought formed into

one bigger, clearer picture. The caring Caleb exuded, the support

and sheer strength that was Ian‟s or Terra‟s, for any reason. No man
was an angel, but Caleb was a man to be respected, a person who
put so many before himself, before and beyond his duty. Resting his

cheek to the curve of Caleb‟s hip, Ian sank into the feeling. He didn‟t
even know when it had happened.

Ian had fallen for Caleb.
Rising on his hands, he glided up Caleb‟s body until he stared

him eye to eye. “Did you mean what you said earlier?” he asked, his

voice a thread of sound. Ian had never put his heart out there. He
was terrified he was wrong.

He was more terrified he was right.

Caleb‟s hands were surprisingly gentle for being so strong as

they glided up Ian‟s sides, over his ribs. Shocks vibrated his senses.

“About people caring for you? Loving you?”
Ian swallowed, so dry, it was near impossible. His mouth

opened, and his chest constricted. Ian‟s head sagged forward,

breaking that incredible gaze, overwhelmed.

The tender strength of one of those hands that he loved

palmed his jaw, caressing his chin. “About me loving you?” Caleb

asked when Ian couldn‟t seem to find his voice.

Ian finally managed that gulped swallow, his heart

thundering with the reverberation of a runaway locomotive behind
it. “Yes.”

“I meant it,” he replied, a near whisper. Blue eyes were

crystal clear and pierced Ian through. “I‟ve loved you for months,
waiting.”

Ian began to tremble. He closed his eyes, leaning his weight

into the strength of that one hand. “I don‟t think I‟ve ever felt like

this,” he croaked.

“Like you want to throw up, scream for hours, and still just

wallow in it all?” Caleb murmured with a light tease.

Ian blinked abruptly to meet his glimmering gaze. “Yeah,”

was followed by an exacerbated exhale.

“Then you‟re perfectly normal. And I‟m the happiest man on

Earth right now.” Caleb gave him a very patient smile.

Ian inched closer until they rested nearly chest to chest. He

wanted to fall into those blue eyes and stay there, wanted to be held
by this man and feel his warmth for the rest of his life. “I‟ve never

said it to anyone,” he admitted. “Not to a man.”

Caleb inched down on the bed, bringing Ian directly over

him. “I‟m all yours, babe. I think since the day I met you. I love you,

and I‟m going to tell you that every day for the rest of our lives.”

Ian hung suspended for what felt like an eternity, then

slowly, so gently, he neared Caleb‟s lips. The first touch was electric,

halting his breathing with the force of a sledge to steel. He moaned
as it took him under with pure wanton energy. Ian‟s vision grew

hazy, and he closed them, absorbed in the sensation of Caleb‟s
strong kiss to his mouth. The daring thrust and parry, seeking the
telling taste of Caleb and moaning when he found it. The rough

glide of fingertips danced over his side and scalp through it all,
caressing, kneading with a stroke that made Ian tremble.

Lowering himself, he blanketed Caleb‟s body, feeling the full

shudder that flared down the stretched length beneath him, at every
point they touched and connected. Skin to skin, Ian glided his

length over Caleb‟s, chest to chest, feeling the way he reacted. The
abrupt shudders, soft gasps, and telling flex of fingers demanding
more; Ian was on fire.

Skating downward, he nipped and nibbled at Caleb‟s throat,

bathing in the warmth of his body as he caressed and tasted Caleb‟s
uniqueness on his tongue.

He buried himself into the crook of Caleb‟s neck and relaxed,

just for a moment in time, giving himself over to the other man,

completely. Caleb‟s arms held him tight, as though aware of the
tumultuous storm raging within Ian as he accepted the reality, his
reality, keeping him safe, and whole. He didn‟t know how much

time passed, only that it felt right, and for Ian, that was all he
needed to know.

Then Ian was moving, delivering heartfelt kisses to Caleb‟s

chest, licking over the hard points of his nipples and sucking lightly.

The sudden surge of movement brought a charged growl from
Caleb.

“Oh, hell. Ian,” he groaned. His fingers turned bruising as

desire raged.

Ian nimbly scooted down Caleb‟s length and gifted kisses

everywhere he could. Once he reached the end of the bed, he
lowered, wrapping lips hungrily around the tip of Caleb‟s cock. The
full six-foot plus length beneath his touch went ramrod straight. Ian

grinned, chuckling while he swallowed Caleb‟s fat cock as deep as
he could.

“Shit.” Caleb‟s breaths were jagged pants, hissed curses and

stiff jerks of his body as he succumbed to Ian‟s voracious attention
to detail. He left no inch untouched, no spot without kissing it, then

repeating the action to Caleb‟s deepening moans of pleasure.

Lying on his side, Ian managed to jerk his jeans and

underwear off without losing control of Caleb‟s shaft. He kicked

them free, oblivious to where they landed. Finally as naked as
Caleb, he rubbed his length along the leg beneath him, moaning as

stiff hair and skin collided with nerves.

“Mm, yeah. Feels good, babe.” Caleb‟s voice was hoarse, as

lost as he was. Ian loved the timbre.

“Caleb?” There was a single question in the rasped whisper of

his name.

Caleb‟s eyes blinked open, searching for, then finding him.

“Fuck, Ian. I need it. Yes.”

Ian dropped a kiss on a hip then hopped from the bed to get

what he needed from the drawer. He would have taken longer,
prolonged it for the both of them, but he just couldn‟t. Not tonight.
It was as though a current of hunger had become a whip of

electricity within himself. He needed the man on his bed. He
gathered that need and hoarded it, knowing he could only share it
because he loved him.

A sharp hiss filled the room when one of Caleb‟s hands

encircled his own engorged shaft.

“Let me. A taste,” Caleb asked, inching closer. Ian twisted,

powerless to deny him, then he had to steady himself with a clawed
hand to a raised shoulder when Caleb repaid the heady suction Ian

had given him, riding him from tip to root and back again.

“Please, Caleb. Want in you. Need to fuck you so bad.” He

was almost appalled at how desperate he sounded, at how hungry.

He couldn‟t remember when he‟d craved another so much, and the
fact that it was Caleb… He swayed, clinging hard to the thick nest of

hair on Caleb‟s head. “Oh, fuck,” he growled, thrusting. He was
tumbling headfirst into the roaring sensation.

Caleb must have realized he was pushing Ian. He gentled his

attack, licking over the tip to then fall to the bed. Blue eyes were
sharp as quartz and glowed with a tenderness that engulfed Ian.

“Only and always yours, Ian.”

Ian shuddered again. Climbing on the bed, he cupped Caleb‟s

sac, giving him a gentle squeeze to lick his entire length with the flat

of his tongue. Caleb widened his stretch, exposing his dark hole. It
quivered in anticipation.

Rolling the furred sac on his tongue, he teased and dipped

with a slicked finger, taunting Caleb‟s flesh, bringing his need to an
explosive pitch. Tonight, Ian felt almost driven to conquer and

claim the mighty mountain of male perfection before him. Strong
fingers clutched through and released his hair, proving Caleb was
riding the wave of pleasure.

Once Caleb was prepared, and reduced to a rumbled chorus

of pleas and whimpers, Ian rose on his knees and sheathed his cock.

“Caleb,” he breathed, his voice as bottomed out and raw as

Caleb‟s. “Look at me, sexy.” Caleb managed, slowly. Holding a leg in
place with a firm hand, Ian glided forward until he was at the edge

of his entrance, the final centimeter between teasing and euphoria.
“I love you, Caleb Drew. I want this, and I want you.”

Caleb‟s torso shuddered with a meaningful exhale. “Love

you, babe.” Black lashes fell a few heartbeats later, succumbing and
surrendering to Ian completely.

Ian melted and burst into flame at the same time at the

giving emotion and pure wanting on Caleb‟s face. With as much
control as he could scrounge, digging deep for the strength to not

rush even as he trembled with an unknown hunger, he inched
forward.

Ian had taken Caleb before, had pleased him but this time

surpassed his wildest dreams. The emotion, the heat of pleasure
went soul deep. He muffled his cry as he sank in and filled the man

he loved.

The man he loved. He wondered how long it would take to

get used to that.

Leaning forward he nipped at Caleb‟s chin, claiming his lips

with a passionate kiss when he lifted, seeking Ian in return. Slow

thrusts built into a whirlpool of heat, binding him tighter and
tighter to the man Ian claimed.

Ian straightened and looped his arms beneath Caleb‟s legs,

bringing him closer, able to pound deeper. Caleb‟s head rocked on

the bed in answer.

“Fuck, Ian,” he growled, gasping. “Yes, there!” His words

faded to a string of grunts and pants.

Ian shook his head, damp hair clinging to his forehead. His

hips snapped. His head sank to his chest and the force of his orgasm
built. “Caleb,” he groaned. Ian‟s skin tightened. When Caleb

wrapped a hand around his dripping cock and stroked, Ian‟s fuse lit.
It burned bright all the way up his spine, scorching nerves and

flesh. Watching Caleb whip his hand up and down his engorged
shaft, drips pooling on the tight curls of his groin in need of his own
release, sent Ian over the edge of no return.

He stiffened, crying out. Jet after jet filled the condom,

Caleb‟s body taking it and fluttering all around him as his own
orgasm ripped through him, splattering his abdomen with streams

and spots of white.

It took an eternity for Ian‟s heart to begin beating again. For

his lungs to suck air. He shivered, a pleasure-numbed body unable
to hold him and tipping him forward as though his bones had
melted. Ian caught himself before he bent Caleb in half, releasing

the other man‟s legs to rest on the bed. A hoarse whimper slipped
from Caleb in answer with the movement.

With tender care, he leaned over Caleb. The sense of coming

home when Caleb‟s hands curled around his shoulders and brought
him skin to skin overwhelmed him, and he had to close his eyes.

This was what he‟d waited his entire life for. He‟d been

scared and unwilling to change. Ian was still terrified, if he were
honest with himself, but Caleb had shown him it was worth it to

make those changes. It was worth it to face those fears and deal
with them as they happen. He deserved to be happy as much as the
next person. He loved Caleb for showing him that among so many

reasons.

Able to finally breathe, his skin cooling as dampness dried,

he nuzzled temple to temple to Caleb. “Love you.” He relaxed
feeling the curve of Caleb‟s lips on his skin, Caleb‟s assurance easing
his doubts a little at a time. “It‟s getting easier to say.”

“It will get easier, and it will only get better.”
Slipping from Caleb‟s body, Ian rose from the bed to clean up

and return with a towel to clean Caleb‟s pleasure from his front.

Tossing that as well in some uncharted direction, Ian inched under
the covers and curled up beside Caleb. A hand drifted lazily along

Ian‟s side until both of them fell asleep.

Chapter Eighteen

“Are you ready for this, Uncle Ian?” Terra gave him a steady

once-over from her side of the truck.

Even though he was sweating bullets, he said as evenly as

was possible, “As ready as I‟ll ever be.”

“If it helps, I‟ve talked to Bethany on the phone and she‟s

excited to meet you.”

If he could, he‟d turn the truck around. But they were almost

to the lake house. No turning back now. Caleb had left earlier that

morning, taking a couple hours head start to meet up with his
brothers, but only after he‟d all but extracted the promise in blood

that Ian would be coming to the cookout.

“Uncle Ian?”
“Yeah, Terra?”

“I love you.”
He swallowed. “Thanks.” He blew out a breath. He knew she

meant that as unconditional, that it didn‟t matter to her that he

loved a man. It was just the way of the world. Some people were
drawn to the opposite sex, and some weren‟t. This was the first time

ever Ian had met a man‟s family. The first time ever he‟d met them
as his lover. He shook himself before his heart exploded in fear.
“Love you, too.”

Her smile lit up the truck. She relaxed on the seat, watching

the scenery.

“How are you and Aaron doing?”

“We‟re seeing how things work out once he‟s in college.” Her

fingers twisted on her lap now. “I still have two years to complete

after he graduates this year. He‟s probably going to find a ton of hot
girls down in Texas anyway,” she murmured.

“Terra, if it means something to him, then he‟ll treat you

right. If he doesn‟t, and he can‟t, then better to know now, okay?” It
sounded good to Ian. He could only hope it made sense. This was
one page of the parenting guide he desperately could have used.

She swallowed. “I know. I‟m going to miss him when school

starts next month.”

Ian didn‟t make any promises, but he was willing to bet that

being with Caleb, Aaron and Terra would be thrown together once
or twice again. All he wanted was for her to be happy. And hopefully

not hurt.

He pulled into a blank space next to a black Expedition.

Caleb‟s car was on the far side. Everyone was already there. Slipping

the truck into park, he faced her. “Ready?”

“Hey, I‟m going to be making sure they‟re a good family for

you, as much as they are going to be vetting you for Caleb.”

Ian snorted. “That‟s my girl. Let‟s go.” She had his back, and

it warmed him. He popped open the door and hopped out.

The cabin door opened as they neared the front of the truck.

Ian wasn‟t sure who he expected to greet them, but when Aaron
came flying out of the house and all but tackled Terra, he leaped out

of the way.

“Good God, son! Don‟t molest her!”

Ian‟s eyes widened at the booming laughter. Okay, maybe

Aaron wasn‟t a bad catch after all. A little growing up wouldn‟t hurt
the either of them, but if being separated from her for a week and

half had that kind of a result… He shook his head and hid his grin.

“Hi, Ian.” The barrel of a man on legs thrust out his hand.
“Jessie?” He was pretty sure he was staring at the oldest of

the three, casually dressed in cargo shorts and a pullover.
Considering Ian knew he was a lawyer, he didn‟t seem pretentious.

“Good to meet you.” Jessie was a solid two inches taller than Ian
and knowing the stare their family had cultivated, Ian just bet he
was sheer hell in the courtroom.

“Come on inside. Aaron, give her back her tonsils.”
Aaron sputtered, red in the face.
Terra tapped him on the shoulder. She smiled saucily at Ian

then toward Aaron. “You heard your dad. Give them back.”

Ian should have known how she‟d run with that. She tugged

him close for a final kiss. Jessie just shook his head but he was
smiling at their impetuous behavior.

“Everyone else is inside, though the boys and Rebecca are

down at the lake. Jake and Caleb are manning the grill.”

“I brought my swimsuit,” Terra piped up, looking hopefully

at Ian.

“Yes, go.”
“Sweet!” Terra chirped. She reached into the bed of the truck

and pulled out a backpack of clothes.

“I‟ll meet you out back in five minutes,” Aaron directed at

her, then he was dodging everyone with her in tow. Ian heard her

squeal a hi followed by laughter as they vanished into the cabin.

“Damn,” Jessie murmured, amused. “I knew he had it bad

for her. He‟s been an absolute clam and pill since he got home.” He

started walking toward the cabin. “She is cute. She‟s only fifteen?”

“Only, yeah,” he replied. Ian didn‟t envy her that age, not in

the least.

Jessie stopped before he walked through the door. “I am

sorry about what happened to her mother, your sister. From what

Aaron has told me, she‟s smart, focused, and knows what she‟s
doing. And that they‟ve only kissed.” He chuckled ruefully. “He was
adamant as hell about that. And, I think, a little frustrated. So glad

to not be a teenager again.”

Ian grinned himself. “She‟s constantly surprising me with

how mature she is. She‟s a good kid. She knows the coming three
years are going to be hard and then some if this is something real.”

“Really?” Jessie‟s eyebrows drew together. “Aaron said

nearly the same thing not an hour ago. We‟ll have to watch them,
but I think they might be onto something. Okay, enough kid
business. Brother was practically climbing the walls with checking

the time before you got here. I shouldn‟t hog you to myself.”

Caleb was anxious for me to get here? He rubbed his chin

over his shoulder, silently praying it was all for good reasons.

Ian trailed Jessie through the house to the rear where the

others waited.

“Are you done giving him the third degree?” Caleb asked

with the bite of exasperation and the hint of a scowl, walking up to
Ian‟s side and giving him a quick look-over. He guessed to make

sure Jessie hadn‟t done anything physical in the last ten minutes
since he‟d arrived.

“We were actually discussing the kids. Aaron is completely

over the moon for Terra,” Jessie chided him.

“Ignore them. They‟re the most competitive lot I‟ve ever

known.” A lovely brunette handed him a beer. “I‟m Bethany.” She
stood almost to Ian‟s shoulder. “Nice to meet you, Ian.”

He took the beer and shook her hand. “Same here. Aaron has

been a world of help this summer. Thanks for letting me borrow
him.”

She laughed low. “Please. One less in the house was a

blessing. You want him again, he‟s all yours.”

Ian turned and shook the last man‟s hand, Jake. A few

seconds later, Aaron and Terra came careening out of the lake
house. She managed to detour and stretched Aaron‟s arm at the
same time when he wouldn‟t let her go, to reach and give Ian a

quick kiss on the cheek, then she was gone, running down the
embankment with Aaron.

“Is that pink in her hair?” Caleb asked, watching them vanish

the same as everyone else.

“Yeah. Her and Missy—”
Caleb raised a hand. “That explains it.”
“So long as she doesn‟t shave it off or put tiger stripes all

through it, I‟m okay with it,” Ian explained. “It beats her wanting to
get a tattoo already.”

“Good point,” Bethany agreed, tapping her bottle against his

in approval.

Ian caught a quick wink and a smile from Caleb and Ian

relaxed. Things were going to be just fine.

* * * *

Caleb could actually feel his heart rate slow while standing

next to Ian. He knew there was nothing to worry about, having his
brothers meet Ian. He just didn‟t want Ian to feel overwhelmed. The

bunch of them could be a handful, and he knew Jessie could be an
intimidating dick when he wanted, especially being the oldest.

“You gonna grab the burgers, Caleb?” Jake asked, standing

in front of the grill again, making sure it was ready.

“Sure.” He nudged Ian. “Give me a hand?”

Ian nodded and Caleb went inside, Ian a pace or two behind

him. “Don‟t let them get to you,” Caleb directed over a shoulder.

“They‟re fine.”

Caleb walked into the kitchen. When they were out of view,

Caleb grabbed Ian‟s belt and pulled Ian into his arms.

“You‟re shaking,” Ian mentioned, grinning a little crookedly.

A warm palm flattened to Caleb‟s chest. He set his beer down on the
closest counter and placed both hands on Caleb. Ian‟s closeness

made his heart skip.

“I think I may have been more nervous than you,” he

admitted. “Half feared you wouldn‟t come. I know you‟re private

and how you feel—”

Caleb was silenced when Ian pressed warm lips to his. They

tasted faintly of the beer he‟d been drinking. Strong hands glided
lower from his chest to encircle his wrists, pinning Caleb neatly
between Ian and the counter. “Shut up, asshole. I can‟t tongue

wrestle you in front of an audience, but I can do this. Meet your
brothers. I‟m here, right?”

Caleb swallowed, searching and finding the determination in

Ian‟s earthen eyes. He‟d moved in with Ian barely two weeks ago.

Not many knew, though he had to inform Sheriff Carrolton for
records. It probably wasn‟t a well kept secret regardless,

considering his cruiser was now parked in front of Ian‟s nightly.
Thankfully, it didn‟t seem as though Ian had suffered any backlash
for Paul‟s earlier pettiness.

“I can give a little,” Ian breathed just before he licked Caleb‟s

lower lip.

In Caleb‟s eyes, Ian was leaping mountains. Caleb closed the

gap and gave him the welcome kiss he‟d craved since Ian had
cleared the doorway behind Jessie. It didn‟t matter that he‟d

awakened in the same bed. It didn‟t matter that they‟d shared a few
kisses before Caleb had hit the road to reach the lake. All that
mattered was Ian in his arms right now.

He slipped his arms free of Ian‟s loose restraint and looped

them around his waist. Caleb loved the way Ian felt against him.
Skin grew tight when Ian deepened the kiss, drifting palms rising

up Caleb‟s arms, aligning them perfectly. He never wanted to lose
this.

“Hey, uh, guys…” A low voice hummed, popping them apart.

Jake stood there smiling mischievously. “Food. Remember?” Then
he whirled and dashed out of sight.

Caleb blinked. A chill iced his enjoyment. His first worry was

how was Ian going to take getting busted for sucking face.

Ian‟s eyes were wide, and a flush of heat colored his naturally

bronzed cheeks. Then he snorted and sagged forward to Caleb‟s
shoulder, his body rocking with hard laughter.

“Oh, shit. That was uncalled for,” Ian groused.
“Sorry,” Caleb mumbled, waiting to see how Ian wanted to

proceed. Caleb was used to his brothers being jackasses. Caleb

wouldn‟t have been in the least surprised if Jake had done it on
purpose. He was the brat of the three.

Ian raised his head, skimming a warm kiss to Caleb‟s jaw on

the way. “It‟s okay. Guess that kinda makes it official now, though.”
He grinned wickedly. Ian leaned close to whisper in his ear, “You‟re

worth it, sexy.” Still relaxed, Ian let him go. “Let‟s get the burgers or
whatever before they think we‟re in here doing something X-rated.”

Caleb let out a rough sigh of relief. He hooked Ian‟s jeans

waist before he could escape. “Love you.”

A shudder struck Ian and a soft smile curled his kissed-red

lips. “You too.” Caleb smooched him quickly before letting him go.

Just enough to appease his needs, and to not throw the man to the
floor and lick him all over.

Chapter Nineteen

Ian couldn‟t keep his eyes off Caleb. At the moment, he was

in a heated discussion between his brothers over hand guns. He had

a feeling it was a long-standing argument between the three. Ian
had only ever seen Caleb‟s up close, so he had no clue how to
participate. By their staunch arguments, it was clear they all had

some experience with various models, revolvers, and semi-
automatics. It was a wonder only one became a lawyer. They were
all very strong-willed and confident by the tone and conviction of

their voices.

The kids had come up to eat but were back at the lake and he

was leaning on the railing, his face tilted up into the sunshine, just
enjoying the peacefulness of it all. It also gave him a nearly direct
view of Caleb‟s shoulders in the taut T-shirt he‟d worn. The man

was incredible.

“I guess I should warn you. We do this several times a year

and holidays.” Bethany leaned on the railing at his side, giving him

a wink.

“I think I can handle it.”

She smiled, then sipped on her drink. She‟d only had a beer

or two. Now it was fruit-flavored water. She slid a curious look
toward Caleb. “I‟m glad he‟s happy again. It‟s been missing for a

long time.”

Ian rubbed a finger beneath his chin. Faint bursts of squeals

and laughter drifted up to them from the water. It was a good day.

As shocked as he was to admit it, he liked Caleb‟s family.

“This is a great little place,” Ian said, tilting his beer to finish

it.

“It‟s open to the family, and that means you now too,” she

replied, brown eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

Ian almost nodded, then paused. Family? He swallowed to

clear his throat, a sudden lump making his breathing hitch. When
he glanced down to her at his side, she bumped him with her

shoulder. He chuckled. “I passed inspection?”

“With flying colors,” she replied. A moment later she put two

fingers in her mouth and released a piercing whistle. “Tug-o-war
time!” Several hollers and cheers echoed her shout.

“Seriously?”

Bethany gave him an evil grin. “Like I said, you‟re family.

Prepare to have your ass whooped.”

Ian shook his head, lifting just then to catch humor and an

underlying heat in his lover‟s gaze. For once, he didn‟t care in the

least that those same emotions were mirrored in his own eyes for
Caleb. And even more enlightening, he didn‟t give a rat‟s ass who

saw it.

* * * *

Ian was stirring his coffee at the kitchen counter when steady

and strong arms circled his middle from behind. Warm lips and
Caleb‟s heat when he spoke breezed over his ear. “Morning.”

A shiver rolled down Ian‟s frame in answer. He prayed he

never got used to that feeling. He never wanted to take it for

granted and lose it.

The sun wasn‟t more than half over the horizon and he was

already having a wonderful day. Holding the second cup, he spun

carefully, offering it like a gift.

“Mm, you and caffeine. You do know how to make my day,”

Caleb growled playfully. He palmed the hot brew, blowing on it to

take a sip. His eyes closed in bliss. “Damn. I‟m taking you to the
station and making it your job to just make the coffee.”

Ian smiled. He knew how Caleb liked it after the last month

under the same roof. He was stunning in his uniform. A solid brick
of all male. Ian had no idea how much of a turn-on a man in

uniform was until he got to strip Caleb out of his after a long shift.
Running his hands over shoulders, down his chest, feeling the
ripple and sway of muscle beneath his touch. Removing the belt

with all his equipment, cuffs, weapon. It was like shedding a second
skin. He loved doing it, but seeing him in it had just as much of an

effect on him.

He shifted his weight, already knowing it was too late. Sadly,

there wasn‟t a chance of doing a thing about the throbbing now.

Clearing his thoughts as much to ease the ache in his groin as

to say what had been on his mind, he set his mug down. “I‟ve been
thinking.” Ian hooked thumbs into Caleb‟s utility belt, holding him

close.

“Oh? Is this a good kind of thinking?” Blue eyes peeked up at

him through dark lashes, his lips still poised over the gold in his
coffee cup. He drew another sip and Ian wallowed in the simple act
of being close, of being comfortable with each other, in each other‟s

arms. He saw Caleb in a way no one else ever would.

“I hope so. I know it‟s mostly unnecessary considering,

but…” He drew a steadying breath. This had been slowly building

since the day at the lake with Caleb‟s brothers. It was just taking the
guts to go for what he wanted. He met Caleb‟s blue eyes and held

his gaze. For the first time in his life, his knees felt weak. “I want to
do blood tests. Will you stay with me?”

Caleb‟s eyes darkened, his chest stuttering as his body

tightened. “Ian.” Caleb‟s voice was raspy. “Are you asking…”

Ian‟s cheeks warmed and he tilted his head. “Yeah. I am.”

Caleb gulped, no longer intent on the steaming brew in his

hold. Ian never thought he‟d be doing this. Asking anyone for a
monogamous relationship. Asking anyone for a permanent

relationship. He never expected anyone to ask him, and he never
dreamed he‟d have the chance.

Ian wasn‟t letting Caleb go.
With cautious motions, Caleb settled his mug beside Ian‟s,

then he cupped Ian‟s jaw in his palms.

Ian almost held his breath.
Caleb neared, his lips hovering right over Ian‟s. “Yes.” A

sweetly nibbled kiss melted him to the floor where he stood. “I will

stay.” Another kiss. “I will love you until the last day of my life.” The
kisses were growing steadily stronger, desire and need beating at

them both. When Ian licked at Caleb‟s lips, he caught the warmth
and flavor of coffee on them. He moaned, gripping tighter to his
uniform. Caleb shuddered, his breathing staggered. It took a few

minutes for either to pull away, until necessity dictated it.

“Do you want to get married?” Caleb asked gently when he

was breathing nearly normally.

“Can we?” Ian didn‟t think it was possible.
“I believe so, if they haven‟t changed the laws again.” Caleb

stroked his cheek with a thumb.

He curled into Caleb, and those strong arms circled him in a

clutch that left no hidden meaning. Caleb wasn‟t letting him go

either.

“Yes.” He managed it, but barely, trembling. “But if we can‟t,

I just want you.” Caleb needed to know that. Ian wasn‟t going to

back out.

“Ooh, private moment.”

Ian‟s eyes popped open and caught Terra swinging around

on a heel, exiting the kitchen.

“Wait!”

Terra turned with a bewildered expression on her face.
Ian straightened, sharing a final look with Caleb who

nodded, a gentle smile reaching his eyes. Ian was bursting inside

and wanted to share this with his niece, and prayed this would be
okay. A lot had changed in her life in the last year. Regardless that it

was just the two of them, they were family.

Caleb shifted and stood beside him at the counter, and Ian

clasped his hand. “I asked Caleb to stay.”

Terra gave him a duh look. “He‟s living here, Uncle Ian. I

think that‟s a foregone conclusion.”

“Brat.” He smiled, almost floating. “I mean…” A subtle

squeeze on his hand gave him strength. A slow, steadying breath. “If
we can do it, we want to get married.”

Terra‟s mouth fell open. “Like husband and…husband?” she

asked, puzzlement quickly being replaced by happiness.

When Caleb nodded, Terra cheered and jumped across the

kitchen space to hug Ian.

“You‟re okay with this, then?” he asked her, laughing.

“More than okay!” She jumped for Caleb next. “Oh, I have a

new Uncle!”

Ian heard Caleb‟s low rumbled chuckle as he wrapped his

arms around her and hugged her close. “I‟m so glad you approve,”
he told Terra.

She leaned back. “Keep him happy, Uncle Caleb. He deserves

it.”

Ian blinked, glancing away at the sudden dampness in his

eyes. Caleb set her on her feet. He looked to Ian and hooked him
under the chin with a crooked finger. “Unfortunately, I have to get
going, but how about we go celebrate tonight? Dinner out?”

“I‟d like that,” Ian replied, unable to lock down all the giddy

good feelings in his stomach. “I really should get the shop opened.”

“A day of distraction will make it go by faster,” Caleb advised.
“Baloney,” Terra interjected. “This is too exciting!”
Caleb shook his head, his shoulders rocking as he fought his

laughter. “I‟m afraid you are very right.” Even with Terra right in
front of them, he dipped and grabbed a last kiss from Ian. “Love
you, handsome.”

“I‟m going to swoon,” she teased, all giggles and broad

smiles.

“Now I see where the Brat nickname comes from,” Caleb

growled.

“That‟s not half of it,” Ian warned. “Go. See you later.” He

tapped Caleb on the hip and watched him walk out of the kitchen.
He sank against the counter.

“You really love him, don‟t you?” she asked, coming closer.

“I do, Terra. I really do.”
She snuggled into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around

her. “I‟m so happy for you, Uncle Ian. Mama would have
understood and would have been so proud and happy for you, too.”

Ian‟s lungs shuddered with an aching breath filling his body.

Holding her tight, he felt close to his sister again, and somehow he
knew Terra was right. Silently, he promised Maria he would be

there for her daughter.

A moment later, he straightened, swallowing to clear the clog

of emotions out of his throat. “Come on. We better get to work too.

Jackson and Brock are going to beat us there at this rate.”

She walked to the fridge and grabbed her morning can of

soda, teenager caffeine. “Don‟t forget, I need to go pick classes next
week.”

“Got it.” He clasped his mug and downed the rest of his

coffee, rinsing both mugs to leave in the sink. Ten minutes later,
they were out the door.

Chapter Twenty

Ian walked beside Terra through the gymnasium of the high

school. Her head was bent, reading over the requirements list for

the tenth grade.

“Holy cow! Biology?” She shuddered. “I‟ve heard horror

stories about Mrs. Hester‟s Bio class. Zombie frogs.”

Ian stifled his laugh down to a barked sound. “I‟m sure

there‟s no zombie frogs.” But he‟d pay to see it.

“Terra!”

She whirled, hunting. Then her face lit up. “Carrie!” She

homed in on a lanky blonde with wide eyes. The girls squealed and

hugged on each other. “How was your summer?”

“Boring. Yours?”
“I had a blast!” They hooked arms and Ian trailed them.

“Let‟s see. I have a boyfriend—”

“No way!” Carrie looked suitably impressed.
“I do! He‟s a senior this year in Des Moines. Super smart and

so cute. And I had my first job. Oh! And my Uncle Ian is getting
married.”

“Cool!” Carrie peeked behind her and smiled, a little more

flirt than needed in the once over. “Who‟s the lucky lady?” She bent
close and whispered. “Can she be offed? He‟s hot!”

Terra laughed but didn‟t answer. “Come on. Let‟s go make

sure we‟re signed up for Algebra. I wonder if we can get into Mr.
Birdy‟s class together. He‟s so easy.” They bowed their heads and

plotted.

Ian drifted to a wall where a table with refreshments was set

up. Grabbing a tiny cup of something that could have been imposter
lemonade, he watched patiently from the sidelines as she ran the
gauntlet. He definitely did not miss High School. At all.

“Getting married?”
Ian tensed, turning slowly. “Hello, Paul.” Shit. Ian never once

saw him as they‟d strolled between courses and teachers, parents

and their prodigy.

“How on earth can you get married?” he sneered, glaring

coldly at Ian.

“Same way as everyone else, I suppose.” He sipped,

determined to not let Paul rile him, especially in a gym full of kids

and adults.

“Unless you‟re marrying a woman, which you better be, you

can‟t call it marriage.”

Ian rolled a shoulder, flexing his fingers to hook a thumb on

a pocket lip. “Don‟t know where it‟s any of your concern,” he replied

flatly.

When Ian turned away, Paul gripped his arm and swung him

around. “It‟s my concern because I know it‟s right!”

Ian snarled, then managed to swallow the flare of rage.

Shaking the other man loose, he put a step between them.

“Congratulations, Paul. You should hit the game show circuit if
you‟re always right. If you‟ll excuse me.” He stalked away, tossing
his cup in the first refuse bucket he found.

“You‟re a sinning fag!” Paul‟s shrill scream cut through the

gymnasium like a surgeon‟s scalpel. Silence fell in a shocked wave.

Ian froze in his tracks, his spine so straight and tight it was a

wonder someone didn‟t try to run a flag between his shoulders. His
fingers popped as he clenched them reflexively at his sides.

Instantly, he knew the entire population of the school was focused
on him. His stomach narrowed to the size of a walnut.

He slowly turned on a heel. With precise steps he walked

back to Paul. “You know what, Paul? You can call me any name you
feel your damned god gave you the right to use, but I know the

truth. You‟re a bitter bigot who feels he has the right to speak for
God himself. Doesn‟t that make you one hell of a hypocrite? Who
gave you the right to speak his name above all of man?” He drew a

slow breath, refusing to unleash his real anger on the religious
coward before him.

Paul stood straight, his tight jaw opening to blast him when

Ian suddenly felt he wasn‟t alone.

“Paul.” A woman‟s voice. “Stop this nonsense. Ian is a

fantastic part of this community. An honorable man who took in his
niece when his sister was murdered.” He didn‟t know the speaker,
but she growled the last word, patronizing Paul‟s attack of him.

“He‟s fair, and I‟ve never had a problem with him.” Another

supporter. Looking over his shoulder, he almost stumbled in place
seeing Lonny defending him.

Then Terra was standing in front of him. “Mr. Heike, I‟m

ashamed of you,” she hissed. “Uncle Ian deserves every civil right

you take for granted. Keep your religion out of it.”

“Wow,” came a whispered murmur. “She‟s got balls.”

Someone snickered.

Paul whipped to study the wall of people now surrounding

Ian. “He‟s going to infect your kids!” He pointed at Terra as if
proving his point.

What Terra did next shocked the ever-living shit out of Ian.
She slapped Paul. Hard.

“Never insult him like that again! You‟re a moron. Do I even

look gay? Do I?” she shouted at him, getting in his face. “I‟m

straight, and I have a boyfriend. He‟s my family!” She spun and
clung to Ian, burying her face into his chest, sobbing quietly.

“You better leave, Paul.”

Swinging around to search, Ian landed on the stern and

unfriendly face of Caleb, Officer of the Law. His heart leaped and
pounded in reaction to the cold menace emanating from his lover.

Right then, he knew Caleb wanted to throw Paul against a wall and
arrest him for his venom.

“You‟re disrupting this event for the kids and their families.”
“You watch!” Paul shrieked, his eyes wide and not quite sane.

“You‟ll regret this!”

“Paul, I‟m giving you to the count of five before I arrest you

for disorderly conduct.” Caleb began counting. When Paul took a
step, the crowd parted, giving him a path.

“This isn‟t over,” Paul snarled under his breath when he

stood right in front of Ian.

“Is that a threat, Mr. Heike?” Caleb asked stoically.
With Caleb coolly watching his every move, Paul finally took

the safest route and banged out of the gym through a side door. A

collective sigh was heard like a pressure release on a valve.

“Holy shit.” Lonny neared Ian. “I‟m sorry, man. I had no idea

he was crazy.”

“It‟s okay.” He stroked Terra‟s back, feeling her start to calm

beneath his hands. He twisted enough to catch Caleb‟s eye. “I‟m

taking her home.”

Caleb nodded, answering a few questions, then leaving. Ian

heaved a sigh when he could finally see the end of the tunnel to get

out of there. He wanted nothing more than to follow that strut right
out of the gymnasium. All he wanted was to get home, get Terra
relaxed, and try to put this behind him. And maybe hope for the

town of Jasper to forget what they saw today. He knew that was an
empty wish.

“Hey, Ian?”
He paused his exit. “Yeah?” He waited but he didn‟t know the

young man before him.

The stranger held out a hand for Ian. “I‟m Brice Reynolds.”

Terra wiggled to Ian‟s side, an arm latched protectively around his
waist. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Brice glanced

around, then adjusted the thin framed glasses on his face, an
apparent nervous habit. “I just wanted to introduce myself really.

I‟m one of the new History teachers, and well…” Brice blushed,
hands diving for his loose slacks pockets. “I honestly didn‟t think

there was another gay man anywhere in this town.”

“There aren‟t many,” he concurred.
“He‟s engaged,” Terra piped up, standing firm at his side.

Ian cringed then chuckled. My guard dog.
“I saw that.” Brice smiled warmly at her. “And unless I miss

my guess, that walking wall of uniform is the other half?”

Ian ran a hand down his face. So much for staying under the

radar. “Yes. That‟s Caleb Drew.” Could everyone tell?

“You‟re a lucky man, Ian.” Brice took a step, encouraging

them to continue out of the gym. “I‟m not hitting on you,” he stated
with a lowered voice. “Just looking for friends. I‟ve only been in

town three weeks.”

“You picked a backwards town to relocate to,” Ian said

sympathetically.

“Yeah, well. You go where the jobs are in this economy.”
“True.”

He smiled toward Terra. “And I really respect someone who

just did what your niece did.”

“I‟m Terra.” She reached across Ian‟s body and shook his

hand.

“Pleasure.” Standing at the gym doors, Brice said, “I hope I

get to talk to you again. I guess I better get back to enrolling the

inmates.”

Ian stifled a laugh, relaxing more. “I‟ll see you around,

Brice.”

“You too. Bye Terra.”
“Bye!” she chirped then waved. Once outdoors, she

whispered, “Don‟t you dare tell Aaron, but I think he‟s cute.”

Ian‟s laugh was free and loud. “At least he‟s a safe crush.”
Terra shrugged, still hanging on tight. “I managed to get into

all my classes before that happened.”

“Good. Let‟s go home and start dinner.”

Terra finally unwound from around his waist and they

walked together to the truck.

* * * *

Ian heard Caleb‟s car door smack shut outside seconds

before the front door opened. Dinner was almost done, the crock

pot doing the hard work for him. He wouldn‟t lie. He loved those
types of inventions, though the computer still mostly baffled him.

He turned to greet his lover and taking one look at Caleb‟s

tired face, opened his arms and let him slip into his embrace. “It‟s

fine. Paul just has a loud mouth.”

A shudder stole over Caleb. He nuzzled into Ian‟s neck. “God,

I love you. I wanted to do anything to shut him up.”

“How much did you hear?”
Caleb shrugged. “I was in the hall talking to the principal

when Paul shouted. I was getting the details I needed for the

volunteer stuff, and I knew he‟d be there today.”

“So you heard everything.”

Caleb ran loving fingers into Ian‟s hair. “You were amazing.

Remind me to never piss off Terra.”

Ian snickered. He melted into Caleb‟s strong hold. “You

know, it‟s like I can’t keep it secret any longer.” Ian rubbed thumbs
over Caleb‟s shoulder blades. “One of the new teachers connected
the dots quick after you left.” When Caleb went to straighten, Ian

held him in place. With his lips against Caleb‟s ear, he whispered, “I
don‟t care. I‟m proud to be with you. It was hard playing it cool

because I didn‟t want to get you busted in uniform. I wanted to grab
you and kiss you right there.”

Caleb groaned. “Can we knock Terra out? I want you.” Lips

roamed over Ian‟s neck.

Ian caressed him, nuzzling and touching. “Later. I promise.”

Ian arched to meet his blue eyes. “I was thinking a hot, relaxing

shower after dinner.”

Caleb‟s eyes grew dark and sparked. “Love the way you

think.”

“Love you,” Ian returned, kissing him gently.

* * * *

“Will you quit messing with that?” Terra adjusted his suit

collar for the third time, giving it a pat. “You look amazing.”

Ian shuffled his feet then settled. I’m insane. Must be. Ian

was a bucket of knots. It was his wedding day. They were waiting in

one of the spare bedrooms of Jessie‟s house, though Ian had seen
very little since he‟d been snuck in through the back door a little
more than an hour before. All he‟d been told was Caleb knew he was

there so there would be no panicking from either groom.

“Have you seen Caleb?”

Terra‟s smile was serene. “Trust me, he‟s not much calmer.

Uncle Jake is sitting with him.”

“Why?”
“Because it‟s tradition. You‟re not supposed to see each other

until you meet for the altar.”

“Even in a gay wedding?” Ian mused.
“Humor me,” she said. A moment later she looked up into his

eyes. “I love you so much, Uncle Ian. I‟m glad you get to do this, to
be happy.”

“Thanks, Terror.”

She quirked her lips. “I‟m never going to outgrow that, am

I?”

“Nope.” A tightness in his chest finally began to unravel with

the familiarity of family and all the love he had for her.

A knock on the door drew their attention. It opened. Aaron

poked his head in. “Hey. We‟re ready.”

“That‟s my cue. Don‟t drag your ass,” she whispered. A last

warning. Taking Aaron‟s arm, she waltzed out of the room.

Ian trailed a few paces behind Terra and Aaron down the

hallway. His niece wore a lovely golden yellow fall dress, and for

once there was no dye in her hair—he‟d take that as a sign of how
serious this was for her—next to Aaron‟s sharp suited frame.

Then his heart almost stopped when he reached the foyer of

Jessie‟s house. Caleb stood waiting for him. Intense blue eyes
captured Ian completely and his breath hitched. Caleb was stunning
in a pressed black suit.

It was a small affair, family and a very few select friends.

Jeannie and Wanda, all of Caleb‟s family, and Brice Reynolds. The

random meeting at the beginning of the school year had brought
another friendship into Ian‟s life.

But nothing and no one in that house held a candle to Caleb.

When Caleb stretched out his hand, Ian clasped it firmly, no doubts,
no question.

Turning together, they followed Terra and Aaron, who sat in

the first row of seats in front of the fireplace beside Jessie and
Bethany. Everything in the front room had been decked out and

rearranged for today. Ian didn‟t see any of it with Caleb‟s warm
palm in his own. Walking together between the rows of chairs, they
stopped in front of the Justice of the Peace. Ian‟s heart gave a little

flutter when Caleb squeezed his hand gently.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”

The End

About the Author

Diana DeRicci is the sexy, flirty pen name of Diana Castilleja. A
romance author at heart, DeRicci‟s writing takes you into a saucier

spectrum of sensuality and sexual adventure, where a happily-ever-
after is still the key to any story. Diana lives in Central Texas with
her husband, one son, and a feisty little Chihuahua named Rascal.

You can catch the latest news on all of Diana DeRicci‟s writing and
books on her website. Feel free to drop Diana an email. She‟d love
to hear from you.

Visit her on the web at:

www.DianaDeRicci.com

PURPLE SWORD PUBLICATIONS LLC

Romance and Speculative Fiction

www.purplesword.com