by Kelex
“Good,” Lane said before clicking off.
He stared at the piles of papers on his desk, trying to figure what he might need to hand off to someone else. Lane tried to sort through some things, but gave up. He couldn’t waste another minute. Invoices and costs would have to wait until he got back. After grabbing his jacket, he rushed from his office.
* * * *
Kai was pacing the living room as he waited for his brother bear to return home, the city on full display along the wall of windows. He barely saw frantic lights of the city below as he moved. Lane hadn’t given him much to go on—and of course his mind went to the worst possible options. When the knob began to turn, he stalked over and wrenched the door open, pulling Lane in by the keys in the guy’s hand.
After giving Lane the once over and not seeing any visible wounds, he released a half breath. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“I need to go home.”
Kai frowned.
“Bear Mountain,” Lane continued.
Kai tensed up and took a step back. “Did Declan call you?”
Lane hissed. “You did get the invitation? And you didn’t tell me?”
Kai dropped his head back. “Is this your emergency?”
“No,” Lane spat. “My papa is sick. Cancer. And he’s not doing well. My dad called to tell me and beg me to come home.”
Kai quickly lifted his head, panic in his eyes. He frowned and drew Lane closer. “I’m so sorry. Did you know?”
“No. My dad didn’t even want to tell me over the phone. I think he was hoping we’d come for the ceremony so he could tell me once I was there.” Lane eyed Kai. “Why didn’t you talk to me about Declan’s call?”
“I didn’t get a chance to. He just called me this morning and left a message. I was about to tell you when Benny called me over after the meeting.”
Lane looked like he’d calmed a bit. Kai rubbed his brother bear’s biceps, trying to calm him more.
“I was going to tell you. Tonight. Once we were home.”
“Had you planned to go?” Lane asked, looking hopeful.
Kai didn’t plan on ever going home. But that was before he saw the fear in Lane’s eyes. “I didn’t. Nothing could force me back to Bear Mountain.”
Lane’s face fell.
“Except you.” Lane’s head bobbed back up, and he looked relieved. Kai smiled softly as he continued. “I won’t let you go back like this alone,” Kai murmured, still rubbing Lane’s arms. “I’ll go.”
“Thank you,” Lane whispered.
Kai drew Lane closer, hugging his brother bear. “I’d go through hell for you.”
Lane pressed his lips to Kai’s before pulling back some. “We need to make some calls. Get some tickets—wait—maybe we should drive.”
“Drive? It’ll take longer.”
Lane cringed. “I don’t want to end up yanked by the TSA and not make it home at all.”
Fake paperwork had been arranged for all of them prior to coming to Chicago. Born in Bear Mountain, they didn’t really exist in the human world. Their documents had caused snags a few times, but they’d always managed to talk their way out of it. They couldn’t afford for this time to be the one they lost out.
“I can drive. Go get packed and I’ll call Benny and get everything covered before I get a bag for myself.”
Lane kissed him again before wandering off to their bedroom.
Kai drew his cell from his pocket, knowing this was the last thing he wanted to do in the world.
But he had no choice.
Lane had stood beside him all these years. The hell if he wouldn’t be there, through hell or high water.
Hell, it is…
And after what he’d witnessed earlier, maybe some time away would be good. To get his head straight.
To decide what kind of man he was.
* * * *
“You’re too late. He passed this morning. You should’ve come earlier,” the man said to Lane.
“Who are you?” Lane asked the man, dressed in all black, standing in the doorway to his childhood home. “What are you doing here?”
Lane forced his way inside and turned to see chairs lined up and a casket at the front of the room. His father and dad leaning on it, crying. The crying grew louder, and louder still—almost as loud as the heartbeat in his own ears.
Father turned, his tears sliding down but only anger showing through the pain. “If only you hadn’t left in the first place! You did this to him!”
Lane startled awake, unsure where he was for a moment. As the SUV traveled along the open road, the dream world slowly slipped away, taking with it a little of the panic. Still, his heart beat loudly in his chest.
“You okay?”
He turned to see the darkened outline of his brother bear behind the wheel. Seeing Kai helped bind him to reality. After a deep breath, he nodded. “Fine.”
“You’ve been tossing in that seat all night,” Kai murmured. “You were supposed to rest up and take the next shift.”
Lane scrubbed his face and saw Kai pulling off the highway. “Where are you going?”
“You’re in no condition to drive. Nor am I. I’ve been driving for about twelve hours now, and I need a break.” Kai turned at the end of the off-ramp and in the distance, Lane saw a sign for a motel. Beaver Creek.
“I can drive.”
“I know you want to be there yesterday—but we need to arrive in one piece,” Kai said firmly. He turned to look at Kai a brief moment before looking back to the road. “A few hours sleep will do us both good.”
Lane looked out the side window and saw a light dusting of snow on the ground. It was only October. “Where are we?”
“Just crossed into Montana a little while ago.”
Kai pulled the SUV into the Beaver Creek motel, and Lane winced a little. He didn’t mind roughing it, but this place was a bit past rough. “I swear I slept a little. I can get us there.”
“You slept. Fitfully, at best. You made me uncomfortable watching you. Just a few hours and then we’re back on the road, I promise.”
Kai threw the gear into shift and left the motor running as he went in to get them a room. A few minutes later, he came out with a key. After getting back in, Kai drove up to their room and got out.
Lane climbed out, too, and scented the air. The night was cool and clear, the kind of night his bear loved to run in. I can’t wait for a run in the woods of home.
“I’d almost forgotten what the night sky looked like,” Kai said.
Lane turned and saw his brother bear looking up into the inky void. Kai had always been fascinated by the stars.
Something he couldn’t see in Chicago. There was too much light pollution.
Lane smiled, watching the joy on Kai’s face. “Maybe you can fit in a little star gazing while we’re in Bear Mountain.”
Kai turned to face Lane, his smile fading. “Once we get there.”
Lane knew how hard this was for his brother bear. The fact Kai put up no resistance meant the world.
He grabbed his bag and followed Kai in. Lane was pleased to see the room, while plain and older, was clean looking. As Kai locked the door behind them, he dropped onto one of the two beds and looked up at an old water spot on the ceiling.
The dream he’d had slipped back into his mind. Reaching for his phone, he wondered if he should call in and check on his papa. Eyeing his screen, he saw it was three in the morning.
Kai eyed him as he kicked off his shoes and began to unbuckle his belt. Lane’s stare traveled along the firm hands and the smooth way they moved. “You can call them once we get going. Four hours sleep and we’re back on the road, okay?”
“Reading my mind?”
Kai stared a moment, a soft smile on his handsome face. He dragged off his pullover before tossing it on top of his bag. “I know you well enough to see the worry in your face.”
“We should’ve flown,” Lane said. “I was stupid to suggest a drive.”
&nb
sp; After he removed his pants, Kai slid into the bed. He wrapped his big, strong arms around Lane. Closing his eyes, he sighed. Nowhere had Lane ever felt safer than exactly where he was.
Except when he was a boy. In his parents’ arms.
“You were right to be worried. We narrowly escaped a TSA showdown on our last flight out. We really need to update our papers,” Kai murmured. “The humans have gotten smarter.”
“No, their computers have and can sniff out forgeries better,” Lane said.
Kai pressed a kiss to the side of his cheek. “That they have.”
“I said we needed to fix them months ago and didn’t do it. I said I would take care of it, and I didn’t. Now we really need them and we’re stuck driving to the Pacific Northwest.”
“No point beating yourself up about it now,” Kai muttered. “Another fourteen hours drive and we’re there. Once you let me sleep.”
Lane sighed and kicked off his shoes before turning into Kai’s warm embrace. He eyed his brother bear. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, you know?”
Kai smiled, his eyelids fluttering open. “The same thing I’d do without you maybe? Be completely lost.”
Lane smiled and lifted a hand to caress Kai’s stubbled cheek. “I love you,” he whispered.
“And I love you.” Kai’s head moved closer, and he captured Lane’s lips. What started as a simple kiss soon escalated into something more. Fingers dug into flesh, need mounting. Lane’s body responded quickly, feeding off the lust of that kiss.
Kai was the one to pull away. “Sleep,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “We need to sleep.”
Lane knew they should, but he felt wired. “There’s no way I can sleep right now.”
One of Kai’s eyes opened, and he peeked out. “You’re wound up. Worried. That’s not really a good combination, Lane.”
Lane lowered a hand between them and caressed the burgeoning erection behind Kai’s underwear. “The only way I’m going to sleep right now is either getting knocked out or fucked hard. I prefer the latter.”
Kai chuckled lowly.
Lane continued his gentle massage of Kai’s cock before pressing his lips to his brother bear’s. He could taste roadside coffee and the saltiness of the cashews Kai liked to snack on when they took long trips. He ran his tongue along Kai’s, allowing for a lust-filled dance of sorts. On he stroked, until Kai was heavy and hard in his hand—and begging to be freed.
Lane reached through Kai’s underwear and gripped the warm, potent length in his hand. Stroking upward, he traced the veins with his fingertips. After all their years together, he knew this cock as well as his own. Yet still, he grew more and more excited to explore it over and over again.
Lane slid down Kai’s body and brought the broad head out from its hiding place. A drop of cum shone on the angry red tip. Lane flicked his tongue out to capture it and tasted the salty seed. A moan escaped them both, in near concert, as he swallowed the head and a few inches.
The feel of Kai’s strong hand sliding through his hair and twisting in the threads made his eyes roll back in his head. Kai was an aggressive lover, always had been. Luckily for Lane, he got off on that. His submissive streak was wide, but he did occasionally reverse the roles they played.
Kai urged him faster, tugging on his hair.
Lane complied, licking and sucking the fat cock in his mouth. He moaned around it, hungry for more—but Kai had other ideas. He leaned up and grabbed one of Lane’s legs. Kai spun Lane, until they were both facing a hard cock. Strong hands yanked his pants down his thighs and left him completely exposed.
He struggled to focus on the one in his mouth as Kai unleashed his own hard cock. Lane’s shaft throbbed in Kai’s hand—and then his mouth—as Kai began the same sensual torture he was giving.
They then played this back and forth game, who could make the other stop and moan in pleasure first? He lost more times than he won. Kai was an excellent cocksucker, and took great pleasure in getting Lane off with his lips, tongue, and mouth. Before long, Lane felt his body tensing, the desire to come boiled down to a frantic need. He clawed at Kai’s hips, digging in and holding on when it felt like there was nothing else in the world but the two of them.
Gravity no longer existed. He was spiraling toward some great unknown.
And when it slammed into him, he screamed with pleasure, unloading into Kai’s eager mouth. His body trembled as he crested, leaving him both warm and lethargic. His eyelids lowered some, the languorousness of the other side of release beckoning him toward rest.
But there was still a need within. A need only Kai could sate.
Lane dragged his lifeless limbs up and forced himself onto his knees, kicking off his pants.
“Why don’t you sleep?” Kai murmured, running a warm hand along Lane’s backside.
“No,” Lane said before gripping his brother bear’s still-hard cock. “I need this.”
Kai eyed him a moment before rolling off the bed. He grabbed something from his bag before lying back down. Lane drew his sweater over his head as Kai got into position. Prone, he handed Lane the small tube of lube. “Take whatever you need, love.”
Lane leaned down and pressed his lips to Kai’s, tasting his release. He swept his tongue in, hungry to have more. He’d never tire of Kai’s kisses, no matter how many years they had together. After a moment, he climbed onto his lover. Astride Kai’s strong hips, he squeezed some of the lube onto his palm before coating his puckered hole. After adding a little to the head of Kai’s cock, he then lowered himself onto his brother bear, inch by wonderful inch.
Once they were bound, Kai’s hands were on his hips, the strong fingers burning into his flesh.
But he didn’t push.
Didn’t demand.
He lay there shaking with need yet allowing Lane to set the pace. Kai was used to being in charge. Giving Lane the power in that moment, to take what he wanted, when he wanted… it brought tears to the backs of his eyes.
“No, no,” Kai whispered, lifting a hand to brush away one errant tear. “No, baby.”
“I love you,” Lane whispered back before he turned his face into Kai’s palm. He pressed a gentle kiss there, moments before he lifted up an inch and came back down.
They moaned in unison, and continued to as Lane sought his pleasure from Kai’s body. He moved in frenzied lunges, filling himself with Kai over and over again. Lane felt stretched wide and branded, his body seemingly made for his brother bear.
In their position, Lane could feel the massage to his prostate and moved just right… so the head would stroke him in the perfect spot. The build-up continued, a slow heat filling him. A second orgasm began to hint at the edges of his mind, and he latched hold of it, ready to be shattered.
Lane felt the instant that Kai quickened. He felt the throbbing change, the pulse of life burst through his lover. Kai’s fingers dug in even harder, and an urgency filled the air. Kai was close, and Lane sensed his body readying to take all.
The moment Kai cried out and pulsed his liquid heat deep within, Lane felt the second orgasm hit. Their cries filled the air around them, both of them finding completion. Lane continued to move, the fierce strokes of Kai’s hard cock pushing him higher and higher. The prostate orgasm dragged a scream from his lungs… and even a partial roar.
Cum shot from his cock and landed onto Kai’s tight abdomen—all while he got his own load delivered deep within. When they slowed to a stop, Kai sat up and kissed his chest and moved slowly up his neck.
Kai’s stubble scratched and tickled, a tiny mix of pleasure-pain and echoing the same edge they’d just collapsed from.
He shivered. The sheen of sweat was already beginning to cool in the chilly room.
“Did that do the trick?” Kai asked between nibbles at Lane’s neck.
Before he could answer, Kai twisted them and laid Lane on his back. Lane chuckled and rested his head back on the pillow, looking at his bear above him.
“That more th
an did the trick.” His body was liquid, boneless. Melted from Kai’s fire.
Kai carefully pulled his shaft from Lane’s body before rising from the bed. Lane listened to the footfalls pad across the thinly carpeted floor and then he heard the trickle of water. He imaged a cloth held in Kai’s strong hand, moving along the cock that was likely still hard. Kai had the sex drive of a maniac. He could go for hours and hours, but he rarely pushed Lane farther than he could go. Maybe just a little, but he never demanded more than Lane was willing to give.
Moments later, he felt a warm washcloth behind him and smiled at the care his brother bear gave him. Kai always took care of him.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it,” Kai whispered before tossing the towel at the bathroom and nearly falling into the bed. “Now… we sleep.”
Lane curled into Kai, listening to his brother bear’s heartbeat as he laid his head on the man’s chest. Kai’s breathing slowed… as did his heart… and eventually he drifted off. Unable to sleep, Lane lay there for hours, staring at every line and curve of Kai’s face.
He reached out and barely touched the firm lips he coveted even now.
In times of strife, they’d always reached out to one another. Sex was like their therapy. Instead of talking things out, they often landed in bed until they were too tired to discuss anything. It wasn’t the best way to deal with emotions, but there were so many things Kai kept bottled up inside. Sometimes, the sex was all they had.
Turning some, he stared back up at the ceiling, his mind in overdrive. Thoughts went to his papa… and how his own bear fathers were handling their own stress.
Would they feel lost after losing papa? Of course they would. Lane turned to gaze at Kai again, unable to imagine the man not in his life. His heart clenched as he understood what his fathers now faced, and the urgency to get home clawed at him.
“If only you hadn’t left in the first place! You did this to him!”
Tears burned the backs of Lane’s eyes as he closed them and tried to force sleep.