by A. M. Arthur
“I’m glad I could help give you a portion of today’s joy. This is the best Christmas I’ve had in a long time, too. For different reasons, but the emotions are similar, I think.” Levi’s eyes went soft lidded. “You were very unexpected, George.”
“You were too. Very unexpected, but in the best way.” George rested a hand on Levi’s shoulder, enjoying the warm contact. “I wanted to get a life so badly but had no idea how to go about it. How to tell my brother who I really am. How to even attempt to take what I want.”
Desire burned in Levi’s eyes. “What do you want?”
“You.” George waited for embarrassment over his bluntness that never came, so he grabbed on to his confidence with both hands. “I want you, Levi.”
“I’m all yours.”
George lunged, rolling Levi to his back and covering the bigger man with his slimmer body. Knees on either side of Levi’s hips, he rubbed their groins together as he came in for a long, exploratory kiss. Deeper than their first kisses and far more meaningful now. Tonight was about more than spending a holiday together. It was a new step toward something bigger between them.
Levi ground up into him, hands loose on George’s hips, giving George all the control. It endeared the older man to him even more and gave George the confidence to be aggressive. To lick and stroke into Levi’s mouth, plundering and seeking, their erections riding each other through two layers of denim. He kissed his way around Levi’s neck, tasting hot skin and the slight tang of sweat, and he wanted more. More skin to taste, more of Levi’s body to admire and enjoy.
Curbing his natural instinct to ask, George instead demanded, “Clothes off. Under the covers.”
Levi released a gentle, growly sound that sent wiggles of arousal through George’s belly. He rolled off Levi and tugged at his own belt. The mattress bounced as they both got naked as quickly as possible without bumping their heads on the low roof of the loft. Levi pulled back the covers and, after they both climbed into the middle, tugged just the top sheet up around their waists. George didn’t know how the home’s heat system worked but it was warm up there.
And it was about to get warmer.
They both lay on their sides, heads propped up on one hand, facing each other. Levi’s eyes gleamed, and he seemed to vibrate with the need to act first, but restrained himself. Waited for George to move. George studied the tan swaths of Levi’s bare chest. The work-hardened muscles of his abs and arms, and the smattering of dark hair on his chest. He never stopped marveling at how beautiful Levi was, and that he’d chosen someone as plain as George.
With a single finger, George traced a line from the base of Levi’s throat, slowly down between his pecs to his navel. He swirled into that navel, and Levi huffed, not quite laughing. Down farther into the thin happy trail that led to his destination. He ran his finger up the length of Levi’s dick and paused to rub around the slit. Levi inhaled sharply, hips jerking once, silently asking for more.
“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” Levi whispered.
“I want to try sucking you.” The bold words popped out but George didn’t blush. He meant them. He really wanted to share this with Levi. To know what it felt like. What Levi tasted like.
Levi licked his lips. “Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Then yes, please.” He rolled to his back, then scooted a bit higher up the bed so he was half reclining against the two pillows, his legs spread lewdly. Showing off his hard, red dick. George knelt between his legs and reached out, but Levi caught his wrist. “I don’t have anything but I do have condoms if you want to use one.”
“I believe you and no, I want to taste you. Have for a while but I’ve been too nervous to try.”
Levi pulled him up for a soft kiss. “It’s not something you have to master or even enjoy. If you don’t like it, you can stop, okay? I don’t want you to feel pressured to finish something you’ve started. Consent can be revoked at any time during sex.”
“I know.” George kissed him again. “But thank you for saying it. You are...amazing.”
“You’re pretty amazing yourself.”
Inspired by his position, George took his time kissing and licking his way down Levi’s torso. Tasting his way across smooth, sun-kissed skin. Loving the way Levi’s belly quivered with want. It stoked George’s own arousal, and part of him wanted to quit the foreplay and get to the main event, but he was enjoying himself too much. Enjoying having complete control for a little while. A different kind of control than hiding in his apartment and avoiding people.
Control over his happiness.
Levi’s cock bumped his chin, and George smiled. Then he dipped his tongue into Levi’s navel just to hear him chuckle and feel his abs ripple. He was doing this for Levi as much as himself, giving Levi pleasure, and George loved it. He reveled in it in a way he hadn’t since his first first-place skate in a national competition. But this wasn’t about impressing his parents, his coach or the judges.
This was all for him and Levi.
George sat back on his ankles and wrapped his hand around Levi’s shaft, stroking lightly while he watched Levi’s face. Levi held his gaze, lips parted, panting lightly. Aroused and anticipating. It fueled George’s desire to make Levi soar—even if he wasn’t very good at it at first.
He continued stroking him as he leaned forward and inhaled the spicy scent of Levi. His mouth watered, desperate to put that scent on his tongue and experience this new thing. A small pearl of fluid appeared in the slit, and George couldn’t help himself. He licked it, and a burst of salt hit his tongue. Levi gasped.
Oh yes, I like this.
George made a soft, almost desperate sound he didn’t recognize from himself before taking the head of Levi’s cock into his mouth. Soft, sharp, and exactly right. He used a bit of his day job knowledge and rubbed his tongue against the underside of Levi’s glans, against that sensitive bundle of nerves, and that earned him a long moan from Levi. Fingers brushed through his hair but didn’t stay. Didn’t direct or force. He worked the glans until Levi lost a bit of his previously perfect control and thrust up into George’s mouth.
Not too far, though, and George stilled him by wrapping his hand around the base of his dick and holding firm. He took a bit more of Levi’s length, loving this new exploration, as the heady taste of his boyfriend filled his senses, leaving him a bit lightheaded from the experience. He went down as far as he could before his gag reflex said no more, then pulled back to suck on the glans again, because Levi really seemed to like that. Levi’s upper body thrashed, and his hands clenched at the bottom sheet. So much control that George’s heart swelled with even more affection for the man.
Using his hand as a gauge, George worked steadily up and down Levi’s shaft, wetting the skin, enjoying the way his tongue glided over heat and steel.
“So good, sweetheart,” Levi panted. “So fucking good.”
The fact that George had managed to get Levi to swear again spurred George on even more. Fueled by every gasp and cry he earned from Levi, he used his free hand to massage Levi’s sac until his balls were high and tight.
“Gonna come soon,” Levi said. “You don’t have to—ah!”
Oh yes, he did. George used both hands and tongue to work Levi harder, faster, doing his best to bring his boyfriend to a messy, spit-soaked orgasm. Levi cried out and thrust up, into George’s sure grip, and George did his best to swallow the salty, slightly bitter load. To lick and suck and drag every single second of pleasure out of Levi, whose body trembled from his release.
He didn’t want to stop, but Levi let out a soft protesting noise, and George released his softening cock from his mouth. Sat back and marveled at what he’d done. Sparkling eyes stared at him down the length of Levi’s body, his face red and expression almost dazed. George licked his lips, unsure how he looked or if he’d been as good as—
Levi
lunged, knocking George over on his back, mouth covering George’s in the most intense, claiming kiss of his life. Levi’s tongue licked into his mouth as if trying to get his own come back, and George surrendered. The pressure of Levi’s thigh on his groin became too much, and George moaned as he came, coating their bellies and smoothing the way even more. Levi didn’t relent for a long time, but the kisses gradually slowed. Became calmer, more sensual and less frantic. When Levi finally released his mouth, George’s lips felt swollen and he didn’t care.
“Thank you,” Levi panted. “That was the best sex of my life, I mean it, George.”
Levi had never lied to him, so George took the compliment. “I loved everything about it. It’s easy with you, Levi. And we are definitely doing this again.”
“Oh yes, we are.” He nuzzled his nose against George’s. “It’s still early. Do you want to rinse off, make hot chocolate and watch a cheesy Christmas movie?”
“Absolutely.”
They did exactly that, and George couldn’t remember a better, more relaxing—and satiating—Christmas Day ever.
Chapter Twenty
Levi couldn’t remember a better, more relaxing Christmas in his entire adult life. First waking up to find Robin had left him a gift under his paper tree—new running trainers—and then a long run in the crisp winter air. A hearty breakfast with his friends in the guesthouse, eventually followed by an amazing conversation with Robin and Dad to honor Xander. His trip out to get George. Dinner at Mack’s.
The incredible sex he’d shared with George later. George had seemed like a completely different person that night, full of confidence and taking control. Telling Levi what he wanted. Giving Levi so much pleasure he’d lost his mind a little bit. Even such a simple thing as watching It’s A Wonderful Life—because George had never seen it—while drinking cocoa had been everything Levi never knew he needed.
And he wanted to protect it.
He watched George sleep, his face faintly lit by moonlight that filtered through the loft’s various small windows. George looked peaceful, almost like an angel with his shaggy blond hair and strikingly fair skin. They’d gone to bed in their boxers, and Levi marveled at the amount of trust he’d earned with George in only five weeks. He was nothing like the shy, panicked boy he’d first met on Thanksgiving.
George was alive and thriving, and while he recognized that George had done the bulk of the work, Levi loved knowing he’d helped George on his journey. But would their journeys always travel the same path? He hadn’t told George yet, because Levi still wasn’t sure what he thought about it, and he needed to sit on it for a while. There was no hurry for a decision anyway.
After he, Robin and Dad had conference called as a trio, Dad had asked to speak to Levi privately. Robin had headed back to his cabin, leaving Levi alone in the corral. Levi had perched on the set of steps the horsemen used for shorter riders or greenhorns who couldn’t mount on their own.
“What’s up, Dad?” Levi asked. “Everything okay at home?”
“Nothin’s wrong, son, but I’ve come to a decision that I think you deserve to hear first.” Dad’s voice was clear, no hint of worry or stress. “It’s about Lucky’s.”
His heart began thumping against his ribs. “Is the rodeo in trouble? Can I help?”
“No, we’re not in trouble. Far from it. Potter’s already working on a full spring schedule, and we’ve got all our regular summer spots lined up. The business is solid, don’t worry about that.”
“Then what kind of decision?”
“It’s a promise I made to your mother before she passed.”
Levi closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Mom had passed away from ovarian cancer when he was seventeen, and it had been a hard time for their family. He still missed her and hoped she would be proud of the man he’d become. When the land was quiet around him, he liked to think it whispered that she was.
“She always supported the rodeo and you boys being part of it,” Dad continued, “but we did have arguments about it. When she first got sick, I promised her and God that I’d retire early enough that she and I could travel, just the two of us. See the places around the world we never got to see, because I was always too busy with the rodeo.”
“And then she died.”
Dad cleared his throat hard. “Yeah. But the last time she was awake, I told her I’d keep my promise. I told her I would retire when I turned sixty and see the places we talked about.”
“You’re retiring?” He turned sixty next September. Levi was glad to be sitting because his head spun a bit with shock. He never thought his dad would retire, not even after he dislocated his shoulder two years ago. “But what about Lucky’s? You’re the heart of the rodeo.”
“I want Lucky’s to go on, and Willard has offered to buy me out on more than one occasion. Take over when I’m ready to retire.”
Levi nodded even though Dad couldn’t see him. Willard was one of the most senior guys in the rodeo, and he’d been with them since Levi was a child. “I think he’s a good choice. And you could use the money to travel.”
“Yup, I could. But I also invested your mom’s life insurance as a future retirement plan, knowing I couldn’t go on with Lucky’s forever, so I’m covered. It’s not about the money, it’s about family. My father started it, and I’d hate to be the last Peletier to own it. Willard taking over and eventually buying me out is my second choice.” Levi saw the request sailing toward him before Dad lobbed it his way. “I want you to take over running it when I retire, Levi. It was always supposed to be your legacy.”
A reflexive “I don’t want it” died before it passed his lips. Levi had walked away from Lucky’s after Xander died, allowing his grief to carry him far away from his family and into a long year of terrible decisions. Even after he got sober, Levi had never entertained the idea of going back to Lucky’s—at least, not seriously. His wanderlust still existed, and the idea of traveling again...of performing in front of audiences of thousands...
“I have a job here that I love, Dad,” Levi said. “I can’t just leave before the season is over. I can’t do that to Robin and Mack.”
“It wouldn’t happen the day of my birthday, son.” Dad’s tone had changed into something almost hopeful. “I’d stay with Lucky’s until the end of our season, too. This will be my farewell tour, one last visit to places I’ve been traveling to my entire life. Saying goodbye.”
Levi blinked several times, affected by the new grief in his father’s voice as he spoke about another hard goodbye. Dad had already lost his own parents, his wife, and one son. Now he was losing his rodeo—if he sold out to Willard. If Levi took over, it would stay in the family longer.
He couldn’t bring himself to break his dad’s heart by saying no to taking over Lucky’s, but he also couldn’t commit to it. Not without a lot of meditating, soul searching...and more time with George. What would happen to his relationship with George if Levi ended up traveling ten months out of the year?
“Are you sure this is what you want to do, Dad?”
“It is. If my accident didn’t tell me I should step back, then my promise to your mother has convinced me. Besides, you’re safe and happy and dating again, and Robin is safe and happy and in love. I can leave the country knowing my boys are well.”
I will not cry. I will not cry.
“You know how much I love you, even when we were estranged,” Levi said, voice too rough for his liking. “And you know how much I treasure my time at Lucky’s. I am honored that you want me to run it but I can’t give you an answer today.”
“I understand, and I did not expect a yes or no today. You’ve got plenty of time, months, to decide what you want to do. I also haven’t decided if I want to sell out to Willard or not, he’s just the best second choice to run it.”
If he didn’t know Dad as well as he did, Levi might think his father was tr
ying to manipulate him into saying yes. Saying no meant Dad potentially selling Lucky’s to someone else, and there went Levi’s inheritance. But money wasn’t the most important thing to Levi. It never had been and never would be. If Dad walked away from Lucky’s without another Peletier in charge, it was because he simply wanted a clean break from his old life.
Levi couldn’t bear giving him a disingenuous “Let Willard run it for a few years and then I’ll decide” kind of answer. It jerked everyone around, especially if Willard was prepared to buy Dad out now. As much as Levi wanted to travel again, he wasn’t sure if running the rodeo was how he wanted to do it. But Dad had said he had a few months to decide.
“I’m definitely going to need time,” Levi said. “There’s just so much to consider.”
“I know there is. And I don’t want to steal you away from the life you have if it’s what makes you happiest, and I mean that. All I’ve ever wanted is for my boys to be happy.”
“We are.” Happy and—at least for Levi—now a little bit confused.
“Good. Well, I won’t keep you much longer. I’m sure you’ve got your man to get back to soon.”
They’d chatted briefly for a while longer, and then they had said their goodbyes. Levi had wandered the corral for a while, before he found himself heading toward one of the walking trails. But even out in the beautiful lands of Clean Slate Ranch, he hadn’t been able to collect his swirling thoughts. He’d pushed the conversation with Dad aside and tried to enjoy the rest of his day.
A day that culminated with George asleep in his bed, a half smile on his face, eyes twitching as he dreamed about something that seemed pleasant. Levi was slowly, but surely, falling in love with George Thompson, but what did that mean for Levi’s future? For the future of Lucky’s? No, he couldn’t give Lucky’s more weight in his decision than his relationship with George, no matter how new and delicate it still was. Lucky’s was his past; his future was still yet to be written.