Page 24 of On the Land, We Shoot Straight

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ole was still squirrely in the morning. He was keeping his head tucked down, his long hair falling around his face, and refusing to make eye contact. Grady left it alone.

They rode out before sunrise with their saddlebags full, the dogs keeping pace beside them. As the hooves ate up the miles, Cole came out of himself.

By the time they set down under the live oak in the far pasture for lunch, Cole was saying more than grunts and managing to hold Grady’s eyes for more than a second.

Grady wanted to tell Cole he had nothing to be ashamed of, but he didn’t want to bring it up, so he asked if Cole wanted a sandwich and he did, and they ate.

“We can move this lot a few pastures over and then camp here, I reckon,” Grady said.

Cole nodded. “Good.”

They dozed after eating and then headed out, the horses streaking down the hill, Lady ahead of them.

Grady had tied Dog up back at camp. He explained to Cole that he wouldn’t normally do it, but it was getting late and he didn’t want to be moving sheep until midnight, even if it was going to be a clear night.

The trio flanked the sheep and moved them like a well-oiled machine. They had them secure in a new pasture as the sun was setting.

Grady whistled Lady up and she charged back to the riders, soared over the fence and landed with a light foot and kept on running, which made Cole laugh.

Grady rode on back to camp and told Cole he’d get Dog and meet him at the dam. Dog’s tail was thumping on the ground when Grady rode up. Grady dismounted and untied him, and Dog tore off in the direction of Lady’s barking and the sound of splashing.

Cole was on Chloe’s back in the dam when Grady rode up, bare-ass naked and washing himself, laughing at Dog as he launched himself at Lady like an accusation. Grady chuckled and joined them.

By the time they were lying down on their bedrolls, Cole was looking like himself again.

Grady was beginning to reckon riding restored him like nothing else.

He was lying back, looking up at the stars with his head resting in the crook of his arm when he heard Cole roll over.

Grady turned his head, expecting Cole to say something.

But he just had his eyes on him, his elbow resting on the ground and head in his hand, the darkness of his eyes steady on Grady’s, catching the light of the fire.

“You wantin’ somethin’,” Grady said.

Cole smirked. “You know it.”

“Well come an’ get it then.” Grady smiled, full of promise, and Cole laughed but didn’t move.

“Or you could come over here.”

Grady’s smile widened. “You sassin’ me?”

Cole grinned and readjusted his head in his palm.

Grady rolled up, knee-walked over to Cole, and watched as Cole tracked the motion with his eyes but didn’t move otherwise.

He straddled Cole’s thighs, kept his legs trapped between his own where he was kneeling above him, and brought his hand down to Cole’s hip and squeezed.

Cole went to roll onto his back, but Grady hooked his fingers into the waistband of his pants.

He brought the knee behind his ass in and nudged so Cole was forced to roll onto his front.

Grady slipped his hands under him and unfastened his pants and Cole lifted his hips.

Grady swept his fingers along the skin above Cole’s waistband, light strokes of his fingers that made Cole shiver.

He slid his palms under the material so he had Cole’s hips in both palms, his fingers kneading the skin before he used the position to push them down and drag them off.

He tossed the pants aside. Cole pillowed his head on his arms, face tilted down so he could watch him from under the fall of his hair.

His lips were parted, his chest moving with his breaths, but they came out silent.

Grady held his gaze as he slid his hands up over Cole’s calves, up his thighs and then back around to his hips to lift them. Cole moved with him.

He kept his eyes on Cole’s as he brought his head down and breathed over his bare skin.

Using his thumbs, Grady opened him up and pressed his tongue flat to his entrance.

Cole made a little sound, a hitch of breath.

Grady licked; slow, gentle, teasing. He got Cole good and wet before he penetrated him, and felt as much as heard Cole moan.

Grady took his time about it, fucking him good with his tongue before he brought in a finger.

Grady was hard, but he enjoyed the way this made Cole lose his mind. He got off on it almost as much as fucking.

Almost.

Grady brought another finger up to join the first and then sat back to get the lube out of his pocket. He flicked the cap open with the hand that wasn’t currently fingering Cole and drizzled it over his fingers as he extricated them an inch. He looked up and watched Cole watching him do it.

Grady pushed in with three fingers easily now, and Cole pressed back to meet him.

Grady undid his pants with his free hand, got his dick out before extricating his fingers and getting his pants off fully.

He pulled his shirt off, and as he popped his head free, he saw Cole give him a slow once-over, from his chest down to his hand fisting his cock.

Cole shoved his hips down against the bedroll.

He swept his eyes back up to Grady’s face and his expression was serious, but so openly turned on it made Grady swallow.

As Grady came back down, his knees bracketing Cole’s thighs, he reached for Cole’s hips and pulled him up to his hands and knees.

Cole moved with him, his head dropping between his shoulders as he panted.

Grady lined up and pushed in. He groaned.

Cole’s answering groan was accompanied by him pushing his ass back to the hilt on Grady’s cock, before sliding forward to the tip and then rocking back again.

Grady ran his palms up Cole’s side and around his chest, brushed his index fingers over his nipples.

He dragged them back down in smooth passes as Cole took his pleasure on his dick.

Cole’s skin was so white against the firelight and shadows flickering over him.

He arched his back and fucked Grady, letting out groans of pleasure every time he impaled himself, gasping like he couldn’t help it as he rolled out again.

Cole brought himself up, and Grady grabbed him by the hips to hold him still.

Cole’s breath hitched. Grady thrust in and out a few times, gripping Cole hard so he was forced to take it.

His breathing was rough as he indulged himself for a moment before he slammed all the way in and brought himself over Cole’s back, his arms going around his chest to pull him up.

Once he had Cole in his lap, his dick buried to the hilt, he could get a hand around him. Grady gripped his hip with one hand, stroked him with the other and fucked up into him.

“Oh, oh. Oh, fuck,” Cole panted out between thrusts.

Grady turned his head so his lips were brushing Cole’s ear as he said, “Do it.”

Cole shuddered and came all over Grady’s hand.

Grady thrust in deep, held his hips still as he jerked Cole through it.

Cole’s hands clasped onto Grady’s forearms, blunt nails digging in.

He slumped once he’d finished, but kept his back against Grady’s front.

Grady went to pull out. Cole squeezed his thighs to hold him in place.

Grady started to move again, slowly, even though it was torture, and when Cole tightened around him, Grady felt the breath punch out of him as he fucked in hard.

He brought the palm covered with come to Cole’s other hip, held him tight, fucked into him until he felt his orgasm tingling at the base of his spine before rushing up and out of him.

Grady came down with his forehead pressed to the back of Cole’s head. His panting breaths whistled along the bare skin of Cole’s neck where his head was hanging forward, his hair parting like a curtain around his face. His hands still gripped onto Grady’s arms.

Grady released Cole’s hips, and flexed his fingers from where they’d gone stiff. Cole released his hold on his arms, but before he could pull away, Grady tangled their fingers together, not even thinking of the come now wetting Cole’s palm.

But Cole just let out a deep sigh, and Grady laughed quietly at him and squeezed his hands.

He was going soft so he shuffled back, and Cole got the message and sat up, let their hands slide free from each other.

Cole launched himself onto his bedroll and rolled over with a groan.

Grady reached for his shirt and wiped his hand, his dick.

He folded it, leaned down and pushed Cole’s thigh up.

Cole cracked his eyes open and watched as Grady cleaned him up. Grady tossed the shirt, reached for his pants and stood to put them on. Cole just watched him, his eyes roving over his body without a hint of shame or any attempt to hide it, a little smile on his face.

Grady reckoned if he hadn’t just had the best fuck of his life, he might be embarrassed by the blatant once-over from another guy. Instead, he got his pants over his hips, tucked himself away, raised an eyebrow at Cole, and smirked.

Cole’s smile widened. Grady grinned back. Then he got in his bedroll and passed the fuck out.