Page 23 of Pride High 3: Yellow

Ricky pushed himself up before settling down on Diego’s hips, making sure that his rump was perfectly positioned.

Diego yawned sleepily before bucking and making him bounce.

Ricky laughed. “I feel like a cowboy!”

“I’ll be your stallion,” Diego growled. “Come here.”

He bucked hard enough that Ricky fell forward, Diego’s thick neck straining to reach his lips.

Ricky leaned forward for a kiss. He was pulled close as Diego resumed grinding. Despite how much that turned him on, a little voice in the back of his head kept yelling, waving its arms, and doing everything possible to get his attention. Ricky reluctantly pushed himself up to consider the cave. No sign of foxes or any other animals, but…

“How long does it take for a candle to burn down?” he asked.

“I dunno.” Diego nipped at his neck. “I thought you weren’t scared of the dark.”

“I’m not,” Ricky said, momentarily distracted by how Diego’s upper lip was snarling slightly. So hot! Then his survival instinct kicked in again. “How long do you think we slept?”

“Twenty years, give or take.”

“I’m serious!”

Diego let his head flop against the sleeping bag before it turned to consider the cave. “A few hours maybe.”

“What time is it?”

“Business time,” Diego said with a naughty smirk.

Ricky stared at him a moment, grappling with temptation before he sat up again. What a dumb day to forget his Casio calculator watch! He patted his boyfriend’s wrists, but they were equally bare. “When did we get here?”

Diego sighed in frustration before he pushed himself up on his elbows. “Let’s see… I picked you up at seven. Takes half an hour to drive here, plus the walk, so it was probably eight by the time we got settled. Edibles need about an hour to kick in, and if we slept for a few more after that—”

“It’s way past my curfew!” Ricky said, scrambling off him in panic. “My mom is going to kill me!”

“There’s no sense in doing the time if you can’t enjoy the crime,” Diego said, adjusting himself openly.

Ricky stared for a moment before shaking his head to clear it. Not that it helped much. He was definitely still high. And out in the middle of nowhere. He had school in the morning too. Oh yes, this was the end of his life! Unless they hadn’t slept as long as they thought.

“I really have to go,” Ricky said pleadingly.

“All right.” Diego got to his feet. “Help me grab everything and we’ll continue this some other time.”

“Thanks,” Ricky said with a surge of gratitude.

He scrambled around the cave, bringing things back for Diego to pack. Ricky only slowed when gathering their food. “Do you think foxes like hotdogs?” he asked.

Diego snorted. “Probably. How come?”

“I think one lives here,” he said. “Do you mind?”

“If you’ve got time to mess around with meat…” Diego said leadingly, but he was only teasing, because he resumed packing. Ricky put a hotdog in a bun and set it next to the tunnel where he’d seen the glowing eyes. After watching for a second to see if anything would appear, he turned around and saw Diego smothering the fire. Ricky grabbed one of the few remaining candles to provide light as he finished. Then they went outside, the night calm and quiet. What if it was even later than he thought?

Diego hesitated when they reached the woods. He already had the pack on his shoulders, but his hands were full of plastic bags and the radio. “What are you scared of more?” he asked. “Trees or getting grounded?”

In other words, Diego wouldn’t be able to carry him this time unless they stopped to pack things properly.

“I’ll help.” The candle he held had already blown out, so he pocketed it and took the radio from Diego, which freed one of his hands so Ricky could cling to it.

And he did, because the woods were even more frightening than before. Maybe the weed was to blame. It sure seemed to intensify everything he felt. The shadows seemed to close in around them as they walked.