Inherit the Sky (Lang Downs 1 ) (33 page)

T
HEY slept after that, the cold and the sex enough to leave both of them exhausted. Macklin nudged Caine awake several hours later. “It’s almost dinner time, Cay. I can hear Kami shouting in the kitchen.”

Caine rolled onto his back so he could look at Macklin. “What happened to calling me pup?”
Macklin shrugged. “It doesn’t exactly fit anymore. You’ve outgrown that nickname.”
“But I like it,” Caine said.“I don’t mind if you still call me that.”
Macklin shook his head. “You’re the boss now. The men don’t need to hear me questioning that.”
“I’m their boss. I’m your lover,” Caine disagreed, “and chances are, they all know it by now. I don’t think you calling me pup will be construed as questioning my authority. Fucking me into oblivion might be, but we won’t tell them who tops.”
“Do you think for a second they’d believe I’m a bottom?” Macklin scoffed.
Caine grinned and slid his hand over Macklin’s ass, his fingers probing the crease.“Give me time. I’ll convince you.”
Macklin tensed but didn’t pull away, so Caine worked his fingers a little deeper, finding Macklin’s entrance and tracing it lightly. “I’ve wanted to rim you since you fucked my mouth in Boorowa. Think about it.”
Macklin shivered, his hips rutting against Caine’s side, his cock twitching in interest.
“I think you l-like the sound of that.”
“I think you do, too, if you’re stuttering just thinking about it,” Macklin teased. “Be patient with me, pup. We’re going to do this because the alternative isn’t an alternative at all, but I’m not any better at relationships than I was last week or last month.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Caine promised. “So do we have to go down for dinner or can we stay here and make love again?”
“Food first, then sex,” Macklin declared. “After your adventure today, you need to eat. You expended a lot of energy just staying alive.”
“How do you want me to act at dinner?” Caine asked. “I mean, I’m not going to hang all over you because that isn’t who I am, but can I touch your hand or your arm or anything?”
“I told you I was done hiding and I meant it,” Macklin said, “but I probably won’t ever be comfortable with kissing or anything in public.”
“It sure didn’t seem that way this afternoon,” Caine teased.
“That was extenuating circumstances,” Macklin retorted. “Don’t expect it to happen again.”
“All teasing aside,” Caine said, “what will you be comfortable with?”
“I don’t know,” Macklin replied. “I’ve never done this before. If you do something that makes me uncomfortable, I’ll tell you.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Caine said. He shifted on the bed, feeling the stickiness between his legs. “I need a shower before we can go anywhere.”
“I need dry clothes,” Macklin said with a chuckle. “I came in here with you to dry off.”
“I’d offer you some of mine, but they wouldn’t fit,” Caine replied. “I could get dressed and send Jason or someone to get some for you so you’ll have something dry after your shower, or I could put your wet clothes in the dryer here and just bring dinner up to you.”
“Send Jason to get some,” Macklin decided. “You’re not going anywhere without me for a day or two until I’m sure you don’t have any lingering effects from your dunking today.”
Caine pulled on dry pants and a sweatshirt, not bothering with underwear since he was coming back up to take a shower as soon as he found someone to either get Macklin’s clothes or send Jason to do it. He padded downstairs in sock feet to find a pile of clothes sitting on the living room table. “Where did these come from?” he wondered as he carried them back upstairs.
“It would seem we have a fairy godmother,” Caine said, setting the clothes on the bed.“Someone left these in the living room.”
“Kami, probably,” Macklin said. “The whole station saw me come inside carrying you, and Kami probably guessed I wasn’t leaving.”
“He knows about us,” Caine agreed. “I think he knew about us before I did.”
“He’s a superstitious old aborigine,” Macklin said, affection obvious in his voice despite the disdainful words. “He probably thinks Michael waited until Christmas to die so you could break up with the Galah and be free to come to Lang Downs.”
Caine smiled. “I’m not opposed to thanking fate for my good fortune. We should clean up so we can go down to dinner. You can use Uncle Michael’s shower if you want. I’ll use the small one down the hall.”
“And miss a chance to get my hands on you?” Macklin said. “You can join me in the bath,or I’ll squeeze into the shower with you.”
“That won’t get us to dinner on time, and we’ll get enough teasing as it is without being late.”
“Fine,” Macklin said, “but after dinner, your arse is mine.”
Caine grinned and tweaked Macklin’s buttocks as he walked by. “As long as your ass is mine as well.”
Macklin didn’t reply to that, and Caine didn’t push any more than he already had. He was skirting the edge of Macklin’s comfort zone, and while he intended to keep skirting that line until the line moved back a bit, he didn’t have to accomplish that goal tonight. He could give Macklin time and space to get used to the idea of Caine’s tongue, fingers, and maybe even his cock inside him.
They showered quickly and headed down to the canteen for dinner. Caine walked inside first, Macklin two steps behind him, not at all sure what kind of reaction they’d face from the rest of the crew. Caine had barely gotten over the threshold before he was mobbed, the men shaking his hand, patting his back, asking if he was all right, thanking him for helping Neil. The throng of people carried him forward deeper into the room. He looked for Macklin, but the crowd around him had separated them completely. Caine smiled at Macklin, surprised and touched by the reaction he was getting. He hadn’t known what to expect, but it hadn’t been this.
Macklin’s sharp whistle cut through the hubbub in the room. “Let him get some tucker,” Macklin ordered. “He’s had a rough day.”
“Here, boss,” Neil said, pushing through the crowd. “I got a plate for you.”
“Thank you,” Caine replied, taking the plate and finding a seat at the nearest table.
Jason plopped down next to him almost immediately. “You’re a hero, Caine! All the men are talking about it.”
“I just did what had to be done,” Caine said with a shrug. “Anyone else would have done the same.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Neil interjected, taking a seat across from Caine, “but you’re the one who did it. Whether anyone else would have doesn’t matter.”
Before Caine could think of a way to ask what kind of reaction Macklin’s coming out and the revelation of their relationship had gotten, Macklin plunked his plate down next to Caine’s and glared at the men who were hovering nearby. “Don’t you have work to do?”
“No,” Neil said. “Nobody’s given us new orders now that the search for the sheep was called off.”
“Do we need to be worried about flooding here in the valley?” Caine asked.
“No,” Macklin said, “we may get more runoff than usual, but the valley is open at the far end so the water doesn’t build up enough to be a danger to the buildings. Michael planned well when he decided where to build.”
“Then our next concern is finding the person who’s been damaging our fences,” Caine said. “I hate to make people stand watch in this weather, but we can’t keep losing sheep.”
“We’ll take short watches,” Neil offered. “Like you said, it has to be done.”
“Can you organize that?” Caine asked. “Macklin has already decreed I’m not allowed back outside tonight.”
“Anything you need, boss,” Neil said. “I meant what I said today. I’m your man.”
“Have you recovered from the cold?” Caine asked. “You weren’t as wet as I was, but you got pretty soaked crossing the gully too.”
“I’m fine. I might take an early morning shift, though, so I have the night to stay warm.”
“You’ll stay inside just like Caine will,” Macklin snapped. “Tomorrow night you can stand watch with everyone else. Neither of you is going outside tonight.”
Neil looked like he wanted to argue, but Caine smiled and shook his head. “You heard the man, Neil. We’re under house arrest tonight.”

Caine smiled. “You didn’t really want me to tell them I couldn’t stand watch tonight because you had to make love to me since you fucked me earlier, did you?”

“Um, well, no, not really,” Macklin said. “They’ll think it, but we don’t have to tell them they’re right.”
“You don’t mind that they’re thinking it?”
Macklin shrugged. “I’d rather they not think about it at all, but because it’s private, not because I’m ashamed of you.”
“That’s fair,” Caine said, pulling his sweatshirt over his head. “Come to bed.The nap this afternoon helped, but I’m still exhausted.”
“Too exhausted to make love?” Macklin teased, stripping down with an ease he’d never before had in Caine’s presence.
“I’ll never be too tired for that,” Caine said, climbing into bed and pulling the cover up to his waist. Macklin climbed in on the other side, drawing Caine toward him. Caine moved willingly enough, latching onto one of Macklin’s nipples and sucking lightly.
“So you want to be in charge tonight?” Macklin asked.
“Will you let me?” Caine replied seriously.
“For now,” Macklin said.
It was more of a concession than Caine had expected. Mulling over his options and which would be most likely to give him a shot at what he really wanted, he rolled over to his back and urged Macklin to straddle his chest.
“You can face me and watch as I suck you or you can turn around and suck me too.”
Caine hoped Macklin would turn around, but he didn’t want to be too obvious about it. If Macklin knew what Caine had planned, he’d never give Caine the chance to get started.
“As tempting as it is to watch, it’s even more tempting to reciprocate,” Macklin said, shifting around and giving Caine a prime view of his backside as he bent over to lick Caine’s erection.
Caine took his time, fondling Macklin’s cock and licking his balls. Macklin trembled above him, giving Caine the courage he needed to slip back enough to bury his face between Macklin’s buttocks and lick the tight entrance.
Macklin froze, Caine’s cock in his mouth, every muscle in his body tense.
Caine licked him again.
Macklin shivered, starting to pull away, but Caine wasn’t done yet. He grabbed Macklin’s hips, holding him steady as he pressed his tongue against the tight iris, barely penetrating.
“Caine!”
Let me love you
, Caine begged silently, his actions conveying the request his words could not.
Macklin stayed where he was, his body tense as Caine continued to rim him, focusing on the outer ring more than on pushing inside. When he pressed a finger against Macklin’s entrance in place of his tongue, the foreman’s control broke. He pulled away, flipping Caine onto his stomach and pulling his hips into the air.
Caine squirmed around, trying to get comfortable, expecting to feel fingers and Macklin’s cock in short order. Instead, Macklin’s hands gripped his buttocks, spreading them and exposing his entrance. Caine held his breath, not daring to hope Macklin would reciprocate.
“P-p-please,” Caine begged when Macklin didn’t move. “D-d-do something.”
Macklin’s teeth nipping his ass was the only answer he got. Caine pushed up onto his elbows, looking back over his shoulder. Macklin’s hands still held him open, his eyes fixed on Caine’s entrance. “You ddon’t h-have to.”
“No, I don’t,” Macklin agreed, his voice rough, “but now that you’ve done it to me, I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“So t-try it. If you d-don’t l-like it, d-do something else.”
“I can’t imagine not liking something that will make you feel like you made me feel,” Macklin said.
Caine trembled, the anticipation adding to the desire for the man behind him. Then Macklin bent his head, his whiskers rubbing Caine’s skin as he leaned in, licking his way up Caine’s crease from his balls to the base of his spine, the flat of his tongue passing over Caine’s entrance but not lingering. It wasn’t enough, and yet it was already so much more than Caine had expected to get so soon. Then Macklin’s tongue was back, circling Caine’s entrance and pushing inside.
Caine dropped his shoulders and pushed his ass back against Macklin’s mouth, breath catching in his throat as he absorbed the sensation of Macklin rimming him. He smiled at the stray thought that next time, he’d get to rim Macklin longer. If his lover liked it well enough to do it to him, the next time he’d be less hesitant to let Caine do it.
One of Macklin’s hands slipped between Caine’s widespread thighs, reaching for his cock and stroking it in time with his teasing tongue. The stimulation was too much for Caine’s control. His release slammed through him, leaving him panting and oversensitive.
Macklin’s tongue kept teasing him, but the sensation became almost unbearable. “S-s-stop,” Caine gasped, pulling away. “T-t-too much.”
“I’m not done with you yet,” Macklin teased.
“D-do something else,” Caine said, rolling onto his back again. “Or l-let me d-do something to you.”
“You just want another shot at my arse,” Macklin said.
Caine batted his eyelashes jokingly. “C-can I?”
To Caine’s surprise, Macklin turned back around after grabbing the lube from where he’d left it earlier. “Only until you’re ready for a second round,” Macklin warned.“I’m not coming anywhere but in your arse tonight.”
“I c-can’t w-wait,” Caine said, pulling Macklin back so he could reach his prize.
The taste of sweat and musk was stronger this time, Macklin’s arousal clear in every judder that went through his body as Caine licked him.Caine didn’t repeat his mistake from the first time, keeping his hands firmly on Macklin’s hips rather than trying to finger his lover as well. That could wait for another time, when Macklin had grown accustomed to the idea of switching roles. Caine didn’t need to top every time, but he refused to give it up entirely. Macklin was already far too smug and controlling. He didn’t need to always control their lovemaking too.
It was hard to concentrate with Macklin’s tongue coaxing Caine’s cock back to life and his fingers pressing on Caine’s prostate, but Caine refused to be distracted. He would make Macklin feel so good that the next time Caine suggested it, Macklin wouldn’t hesitate at all.
Macklin pulled away sooner than Caine would have liked, but given that Macklin turned and kissed him deeply, mingling the tastes in their mouths, Caine let it go. Then Macklin covered him completely, pressing him down into the mattress as he fit their bodies together as intimately as possible, burying himself deeply and rocking against Caine like he never intended to move again.
Caine wrapped his arms and legs around the foreman and gave complete control to his lover. He was hard again, but he didn’t really