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Jake was pretty sure that a mirror would show him the same grin Tor wore.

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Chapter Forty-six

“He called me this morning, asked for his job back.” The Boss was sitting behind his desk, twirling a pen between his fingers. He’d called Jake into the house as soon as the truck had stopped in the yard—told him to leave his bag and come chat.

Jake nodded and settled himself deeper into the easy chair. He knew what he wanted to happen, but he and Tor knew what they’d do if this part didn’t work out. “He said he would.”

“Told him I’d talk to you first.”

Jake grinned. “Told him you’d say that.” He could just imagine Tor on the phone, being as polite as possible and inside railing against the wait, even though he knew it was necessary in the Boss’s mind.

“I assume you’re together again?” The Boss didn’t look displeased with the idea. He’d not once said a word against Tor, not even when Jake wanted him to.

“Yes, sir.”

But the Boss sighed, sitting back in his chair. Carefully, he said, “You know what kind of turmoil everyone went through last year.”

Jake tried not to wince. He and Tor had talked about that too, and had made plans for avoiding the same upset. “Yes, sir. And you know I won’t let it happen again.”

“If I say no, what happens?”

“I keep working here, but move to town. He’ll look for work in town or on a spread that’s not too far away.”

The Boss shook his head and rubbed his hand over his jaw. “Not sure I trust this, Jake.”

“You don’t have to. I do.”

“That’s that, then. I’ll call him tonight and tell him to come home.”

~*~*~

“We gotta talk.”

Elias looked at him and frowned. “Bad trip?”

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“Well, there was a funeral. That’s never fun,” Jake deadpanned as he headed to the fridge for juice. He stared at the bottles all neatly lined up on the second shelf. “Um, not to be an utter idiot, but when was the last time there was actually beer in here?”

“Morning after the dance last fall,” Kirk replied. “Tor made it fucking plain that there shouldn’t be any booze in the house for a bit. We figured ten months was a bit.” He sounded defiant, like he half expected Jake to tell him that he couldn’t have beer.

Jake rolled his eyes and grabbed the apple juice. “I never noticed.” It was true, it hadn’t occurred to him until he’d seen it suddenly reappear. “Want one?”

Kirk nodded warily and Elias whapped him on the top of the head. “If he’s offering beer to us he’s got something to say that we’re not going to much like.”

Kirk frowned and Jake rolled his eyes again. “Shut up. It ain’t bad.”

Elias reached for the beer Jake held out.

Jake took a breath and leaned on the kitchen counter, one hand holding onto it behind his back. “Tor’s moving back.”

Elias and Kirk stared at him.

“With me.”

“Didn’t figure he was coming back ‘cause of me,” Elias said with a snort. “When?”

“Two weeks. Maybe three. Depends on lawyers and his job—and his sister, too, I guess.

But as soon as he can manage it.” Jake waited, watching Elias think. Kirk was…well, he lived there, worked with him, but Elias had been there forever, almost as long as Jake.

And Jake wanted him to deal with this as well as he could.

“Boss know?”

“Of course. Tor called, asked for his job back.”

“Which he got.”

“Yep.”

“He moving in here?” Elias’s questions were coming fast now, the ones important to him flying to the surface, which was the way Jake needed it. The points that were important to Elias were the ones he needed most to address.

“We’re back together.”

“So say yes.”

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“Depends on you.”

Elias blinked. “What?”

“Mean that if you and Kirk are really not happy with it, me and Tor will move out. Drive here every day, home each night.”

Elias just nodded and swallowed a mouthful of beer.

Kirk’s eyes were wide. “But it’s your home. You’ve been here for what? Fifteen years?”

Jake nodded. “But y’all live here, too, as was pointed out to me last fall.”

Elias put his bottle on the kitchen table and looked at Kirk. “You want to talk this over?”

“Me?” Damn, but the man was almost squeaking. “No, whatever. I’m good.”

“What happens if things go tits up again?” Elias asked Jake.

“We both leave,” Jake said promptly. Tor had brought it up, and though they both knew it wasn’t going to happen, they knew everyone else had reason to be sceptical. “The house, the ranch, we’re gone.”

Elias sighed and reached for his beer again. “Damn. And I’m out of earplugs.”

Kirk snickered, but Elias and Jake just grinned at each other.

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Chapter Forty-seven

It had been a long hot day, most of the hands out with Jake moving part of the herd to fresher land. The horses were hot and the men hotter as they made their way back to the ranch, the sun hanging low. Missy had delivered supper to them, but Jake figured there wasn’t a body there that didn’t ache for a shower and a soft bed.

“So when’s Tor getting back?” Tommy asked as they came in sight of the barns.

“Day after tomorrow. He hits town tomorrow night, be out in the morning with Ray and Fred.” And not a damn day too soon. Jake had let Elias and Kirk spread the word among the hands, and he’d called ‘Lissa and Cath, which was fine. But he’d spent the last two weeks trying not to count days and racking up a long distance phone bill like he’d never done before. And that was only talking to Tor every three days or so. Okay, every other day, but no one was pointing it out. Not where Jake could hear, anyway.

He passed River’s reins off to Kirk and went in to see the Boss. One of the perks of being the number two man was that he got to report in and fill in forms while someone else saw to the horses. Usually it grated a little–Jake never really minded spending time with the horses—but this time he was damn near weary to the bone and was happy enough to go sit for a spell before heading to the shower.

The Boss didn’t keep him long, didn’t even offer him a drink of juice, which was unusual. Jake didn’t really think about it, passing it off to the man’s own exhaustion.

He’d been slowing down a little since his heart trouble, and Jake didn’t have much to tell him anyway. Jake filed the herd records and took his leave, pausing only long enough to wish the Boss’s wife a good night before heading to the bunkhouse, almost feeling the spray from the shower.

He kicked off his boots outside the door and had his shirts untucked before he’d crossed the kitchen. He was peeling them off when he glanced into the living room on his way past to tell Elias he was going to call it a night, and for a moment he thought it was the flickering light from the TV combined with the fabric sliding over his eyes that made him see the impossible.

He froze and blinked, then grinned as Tor stood up.

“When did you get here?” he asked, throwing the shirts down the hall, vaguely in the direction of his—their—room.

“Couple hours ago. Got away early, hitchhiked out.” Tor was walking toward him, his eyes dark.

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Elias stood up from the easy chair. Jake hadn’t even noticed him until then, and only spared him the briefest of glances. Every muscle in Jake’s body was suddenly tense.

Hard.

“Can see where this is going,” Elias said, walking past them. “At least get down the hall, will you? It’s gonna kill Kirk if this goes—”

Too late to take Elias’s advice, Tor stepped closer, his hands sliding over Jake’s hips and then they were lost, kissing in the middle of the living room, pressing tight against each other.

It had been a long couple of weeks.

Kirk made an indelicate noise and pushed past them, muttering, “Get a room. And welcome back. But God, get a room.”

This time Tor seemed to listen, backing Jake down the hall slowly, still kissing him, though his mouth travelled along Jake’s jaw and down his neck, licking and tasting.

“I need a shower,” Jake said, then shuddered when Tor pressed him into the wall to suck up a mark on his shoulder.

“Room!” Elias hollered.

Jake pushed hard and managed to get them at least inside the doorway to the their room, and Tor kicked the door shut.

“No shower,” Tor said, breaking contact only long enough to pull his own shirt off.

“Taste like you.”

Then they fell on each other, tugging at clothes that for once cooperated and came off with relative ease.

Jake urged Tor back toward the bed, but the man stood firm and solid in front of him, hands fused to Jake’s ass and hips.

“Tor—” Jake warned. “This ain’t gonna last long, the bed—”

“Can wait.” Tor rubbed against him, his cock nestled along Jake’s hip. “Just want to—oh yeah.”

Jake rubbed back, his hands travelling along Tor’s spine from neck to ass, digging in as he tried to stay upright. Tor was back to sucking on his neck, mumbling into his skin.

Jake had no idea what the man was saying, but the vibrations were making him breathless. He arched his back as Tor ground against him, panting all ready. Tor’s belly was hard, but it was nothing compared to the rigid heat alongside his prick.

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“Tor. Fuck. I’m serious. Bed.” It was as easy as leaning over, both of them falling onto the bed. Jake groaned as Tor shifted, their cocks rubbing hard, but nowhere near as much as he wanted.

Tor moved down his body, fast and determined. He looked down to meet hungry dark eyes then Tor opened his mouth and took him in, sucking hard and doing that weird swirling thing with his tongue that had earned him his nickname.

Jake’s head hit the bed with a muffled thunk as his eyes rolled back and his hips thrust up. “Oh shit!”

There was nothing like Tor’s mouth, nothing on earth. Only thing better was Tor’s cock, buried deep in his ass, and that’s what he wanted. Only trouble was, Jake couldn’t talk, couldn’t think of the words to tell Tor what he wanted. All he could do was ride it, his hips pushing faster as Tor licked and sucked at the head of his cock then took him deep and swallowed him whole.

A hand on his balls, squeezing gently, rolling them, and Jake was flying, coming down Tor’s throat with a strangled cry.

Tor kept sucking until Jake was a shaking mess, his skin tingling, unable to stop the soft sounds he was making.

“Good?”

Jake groaned.

With a laugh Tor crawled up his body, nestled between Jake’s spread legs. “No sleeping,” he said just before he kissed Jake.

As if Jake was going to sleep. Not with Tor heavy on him, cock, still hard, pressing against him, and the flavor of his own come on Tor’s tongue.

“Fuck me.”

Tor groaned and froze, lying perfectly still on top of him. They’d not done that yet, even when they’d finally gotten a hold of lube when they were spending their nights at the hotel. Nothing had been said, Tor just seemed to open for him and that was the way it was. But this time Jake needed it, wanted it.

Tor rolled to the side and reached for his nightstand, grabbing the lube. He kissed Jake hard and pressed the tube into his hand. “Will. In a minute.”

Jake was confused until Tor slid down again, lifting his legs and licking at the inside of his thighs, nuzzling his balls.

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“Oh fuck, Tor,” he gasped when Tor started to lick. His brain kept repeating the phrase, mixing in the occasional round of oh God, yes, as Tor got down to business. His balls were treated to long licks, his ass to licks and sucking kisses, and then there was just intense sensation as Tor rimmed him. Heat flowed through his body and he knew he was making noise, crying out for more and deeper.

He fisted the sheets and rocked his hips, the lube long forgotten. He had a vague idea he’d at least managed to get it in Tor’s general vicinity, but he wasn’t really worried about it. His cock was filling rapidly, need growing into desperation.

“Tor, please—”

Tor could have been waiting for that, or maybe he was needing, too. Two slick fingers brushed over his skin and the heat of Tor’s mouth was gone, just as they breached him.

“Oh God, tight.”

Jake gasped and pushed back. “Ten months. You were tight, too. Are. Something, just—”

Tor watched him, finger fucked him until Jake was writhing on the bed. When Jake reached for his own cock Tor slapped his hand away and added a third finger, opening him carefully, avoiding his gland.

“Now, Tor. God, don’t make me beg.”

Tor gave him a wicked grin. “That’s tomorrow.”

Then the fingers were gone and Jake could feel the metal at the tip of Tor’s prick pushing at him. A gentle push, a rock of his own hips and Tor was in, pushing deep, one long, slow glide that made Jake’s toes curl.

Words were gone. Tor filled him, searing him from the inside, claiming him with every thrust, every pull, every kiss. Jake’s legs were over Tor’s shoulders and the slow pace couldn’t last. Tor started to pound into him, the metal ring slamming against his gland with every thrust.

Lost and floating and almost screaming, they moved. Tor’s mouth was everywhere he could reach, kissing and nipping, teasing Jake with every breath.

“Oh fuck,” Tor groaned. “Fuck, fuck, fuck. Gonna come. Oh shit, Jake. So good, so hot, so fucking—oh God, oh God—”

Jake wrapped his hand around his own cock and pulled, his hips slamming up to meet Tor’s, his body on fire. He felt Tor coming, felt heat and pressure and throbbing, felt teeth at this shoulder and heard Tor crying out and grunting.

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Jake called Tor’s name and shot, spunk flying over his hand, his belly, and all he could smell was Tor’s skin and hair around him.

Tor collapsed onto him, arching Jake’s back for a moment until they shifted enough for Tor to pull out and Jake could lower his legs. Curled around each other they tried to catch their breath, but kissing interfered. Sometimes it was more important to kiss.

Finally, though, Jake brushed his chin along Tor’s, enjoying the rasp of stubble.