Page 50 of Resilience on Canvas

“Nah, I’m feelin’ better now,” Robert said, holding up one of his hands. “I think me and Hen figured everything out with regards to makin’ money.”

“Do you mean the fruit pickin’?”

Robert nodded. “Me and Hen will make enough to find us our own place soon. Not only for me and him, though. I mean for everybody. All of us. I’ll see to it that we won’t have to keep bein’ leeches, takin’ money from the Sherwoods like this.”

“Alright, well, I’ll save these in case you ever have a cravin’ for one,” she said before tucking the package into one of her dress pockets.

Robert leaned back to rest his weight on his palms. “Henry would probably like it if I never had one again. I caught him wrinklin’ his nose the last time I smoked a cigarette. Of course, he was too polite to say nothin’.”

Rose chuckled. “Sounds like our Henry.”

“Yep.”

Robert let out what had to have been the most pathetic, lovesick sigh in the entirety of human existence. He’d have been embarrassed by it if he hadn’t been too Goddamn happy to care.

Clara smiled and said, “Me and Rose have a second surprise for you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, we, uhm, we convinced the twins to sleep in the room with me and May tonight,” she said. “So, you and Henry can have some time to yerselves. ”

Robert’s heart stuttered. Now this was a much better surprise than the cigarettes.

Grinning, Robert said, “How’d you manage that?”

“I offered to buy them chocolate,” Rose said with a sly smile.

“Thank you,” Robert said. “Damn, that was real nice of you, Rose. I promise I’ll pay you back.”

“We’re friends, and it’ll cost me a nickel. Don’t even think of paying me back.”

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Robert said with a roll of his eyes. “Did you and Joe find a place?”

“Not yet. Unfortunately, the cheapest rental house we could find would cost us twenty bucks a month. We have a lot in savings now because of the marathon, but I’m worried that we’ll run through it too fast if neither of us has found work first.” She let out a long breath and leaned back, mirroring Robert’s position.

“I hope one of us finds something soon.”

Robert’s stomach plummeted. Holy hell, twenty bucks for rent. God, he hoped that him and Henry would make enough picking fruit together.

Clara placed a hand on Robert’s knee. “What’s wrong?”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Robert forced the thought out of his head.

There wasn’t no use worrying right now, not when there wasn’t no way to know how much money him and Henry would make on the farms. They were two strong, capable men.

It wasn’t likely that they’d make too little to rent a regular old house.

They didn’t need nothing fancy. And with the two of them both working hard in the fields? They would be fine.

“Nothin’,” Robert said, hopping to his feet. “But I think I ought to head in. Get some rest.”

“Rest?” Rose replied with a chuckle. “I thought we said you and Henry could have the bedroom. ”

Clara erupted with laughter. Robert nudged Rose with his foot.

“Goodnight, you two,” he said, trying to sound mad, but he was smiling way too much.

What a lucky man he was to have these fine folks in his life—people who were comfortable enough with him and Henry’s relationship to tease him so easily.

“Goodnight,” they called back as Robert went into the house.

Luckily, Rose’s teasing had banished Robert’s worry over the cost of housing from his mind, leaving Robert feeling hopeful again.

After toeing off his shoes, he crept through the house on the balls of his feet, unsure if anyone else was still awake.

Most of the lights were off. Joe and Henry were no longer in the main room, though the checker board was still resting on the coffee table with some of the black and red pieces remaining on the squares.

Slowly, Robert ascended the staircase to the third floor where most of the bedrooms were, wincing every time the wood creaked beneath his feet.

Damn, if him and Henry were found out, Charles and Lillian wouldn’t be none too happy.

Probably there’d be some kind of fight, which was the last thing him and Henry needed.

Traversing the hall, Robert said a silent prayer in his head that none of the children would pop out before he could make it to the bedroom. When he reached the room seconds later, he breathed a sigh of relief, turned the doorknob, and went inside.

“Hey,” Henry whispered the moment they saw each other. “Uhm, we have the bedroom to ourselves for the whole night. In case the ladies hadn’t told you yet.”

“Nah, they told me,” Robert said, a huge smile stretching across his face.

He started walking toward the closest of the two beds, where Henry was waiting for him.

Normally, him and Henry shared that bed (something that was meant to be temporary until Rose and Joe moved out) while the twins had the other.

It would be so Goddamn nice to have the privacy to be intimate with each other.

“Just me and you, little wolf. Think you can handle it?”

“Maybe?”

Robert snorted. What a Henry-like response that was.

After climbing into bed, Robert pressed a kiss to Henry’s lips. Immediately, they began taking off each other’s clothes, and their exchange of light, happy laughter as they wriggled out of their pants sent Robert’s heart a-flutter.

Once they were both naked, they collapsed onto the bed beside one another, and Henry caught Robert’s lips in another searing kiss.

Before Robert could reach for Henry’s hard cock, Henry coaxed Robert on top of him, and Robert started to rock his hips instead.

Being in this position, it was making Robert want to try something else.

Something that he’d been taught was truly sinful.

Wicked, even. It was something he’d heard of in church and had seen referenced in the Bible, but hadn’t never thought he’d be able to try himself.

Robert broke their kiss. “Hen...” He began kissing Henry’s cheek and then his neck, thankful for the opportunity to conceal his face while he proposed the idea.

“I know I was the one to suggest the last new thing we tried, but I think I have one more idea, too, maybe.” He paused to nuzzle Henry’s cheek and found he had to concentrate on keeping himself from continuing to rock his hips.

Just the mere thought of what he wanted them to try was making it hard not to become lost in the fantasy of it.

Christ, his body wanted to thrust as though it was really happening right that instant. “Hen, I want to... be inside you.”

Henry made a sound that was a mix of a moan and a whine. Robert moved his hips, massaging his cock on Henry’s pelvic region, feeling Henry’s cock twitch beneath him too.

“Gosh, Robert, that sounds... oh, that sounds heavenly.”

“Yeah? ”

“Yeah, I’d love to try that.” Henry’s hands found Robert’s buttocks. Robert let out a sigh when he felt the force of Henry’s fingertips pressing into his flesh as he squeezed. “Now?”

“We could? I mean, I can’t see why we shouldn’t. Other than the fact that we need to make sure we keep our voices low.”

“Yeah, I won’t be too loud.” Henry squeezed Robert’s butt once more. “I promise.”

He swallowed thickly, nervousness and excitement making his throat feel tight and his heart begin to race. He pushed himself up to kneel and then, letting his eyes roam over Henry’s body, Robert took his own cock in his hand, stroking himself once.

“How?”

“Uhm...” Henry chewed on that plump bottom lip of his for a moment before turning over and scrambling to his knees. Resting on his elbows, he looked over his shoulder and said, “Maybe like this?”

Robert’s breath caught from the sight of Henry’s bare back, the way he was positioned for Robert to take .

Jesus, Henry was beautiful. He looked so perfect like this, with his butt raised up and his eyes filled with nervous want.

Robert tugged on himself twice more. God, he wouldn’t last long.

No way in hell he’d make it more than a minute or two. At most.

“Yeah, this ought to work,” he said, shuffling forward.

Heart hammering, Robert lined his cock up with Henry’s opening—his cute little pucker that Robert hadn’t even taken notice of before—and let out a long breath. He shifted his hips forward, trying to force himself in.

But he was met with resistance.

Taking hold of Henry’s shoulder, he pressed a little more, but then Henry sucked in a breath through his teeth, and Robert sensed that something was wrong .

“It’s not really... fittin’, huh?” Robert said, taking care to keep his voice low.

“It, uhm, it’s too tight, I think.”

“I’m worried I’ll hurt you if I press too hard.”

“Yeah, those last few seconds felt kind of...”

“Bad?” Robert said, wrinkling his nose.

Looking over his shoulder, Henry met Robert’s eyes. With a regretful-looking expression—big, sad wolf-pup eyes—he said, “I’m sorry, Robert.”

Robert reached out to stroke his cheek. “Don’t be sorry, Hen. I never want to hurt you.”

After a few more seconds of comforting Henry, Robert paused to rake a hand through his hair. Other men must make this work somehow. But how?

While Robert was trying to figure out a solution, Henry hopped off the bed. He went over to their luggage and started rummaging through it. After a moment, he came back holding the tub of Vaseline.

“What if we make it more slippery?” he said, climbing back up on the bed. “With this?”

“Oh. Maybe?”

Robert took the Vaseline from him and unscrewed the cap.

He fished out a big glob with his first two fingers, and Henry took some, too, both of them kneeling next to each other on the mattress.

Henry’s cheeks flushed pink as he reached behind himself to coat his hole, and Robert had to smile.

Son of a bitch, Henry was adorable. Before Henry could steady himself, Robert caught his mouth in a kiss, and Henry nearly fell.

He stopped himself by planting his Vaseline-coated hand on the mattress.