by Kate Roman
With a jaundiced sigh, berating himself for a fool, Jake started off in his wake, rubbing his bruised hip.
By the time he made it back to the stallion's corral, Jake was in a fine and mighty temper. So seeing Matthew Dove standing in his city clothes by Kilgawain's side, petting his muzzle, was like a bucket of cold water in the face. Jake slowed his steps, needing to buy some time.
Matthew turned at his approach. "Thought this guy might be yours. He was raising some kind of havoc by the bunkhouse. You should've seen him!" Matthew gave the big horse a friendly rub, reins held loosely in the other hand. "He really doesn't like that cowboy with the red hair -- what's his name?"
"Carl." Jake tried to keep his voice neutral, his heart thudding in his chest. He closed his eyes. "Matthew, that horse has put one man in the hospital and nearly broke another's arm. You wanna come away from him?"
"Who, this guy? I find that hard to believe. This guy's just a big buttercup."
The two of them met each other's eyes briefly. A hollow feeling started in the pit of Jake's stomach as Matthew's alluring blue eyes reminded him of his vow the previous night. But kissing Matthew now was out of the question. Jake turned sharply and busied himself removing Kilgawain's saddle, unbuckling it as Matthew continued to soothe and adore the stallion. Incredibly, the big horse was basking in the attention.
Jake carried the saddle over and set it on the fence rail. He could return it to the barn when he was sure there were no more naked people fucking in the center of it.
"Get some good film this morning?" Jake pulled the saddle blanket off Kilgawain's back, hardly able to look at Matthew. The guy was beautiful, perfect. And the thought of him on the movie set, on the hay bales with Byron like the scene he'd witnessed.... Jake bit his lip savagely. "I'd've said hi, but I felt overdressed. Hopefully though, whoever you were with at least showed you a good time."
Matthew watched in silence as Jake began to rub the big horse down.
"I didn't do a scene this morning," he said finally. "I walked off the set a couple minutes after you left."
Jake focused on the feel of the stiff bristles under his palm, cleaning the sweat and dirt from Kilgawain's coat. "Yeah, sure you did."
"I meant what I said last night. It's never been like that with anyone else. Never. This morning... the thought of anyone else touching me, let alone -- "
"Uh-huh. Sure thing." Jake bit his lip. He wanted to believe Matthew. Badly. But a fierce knot in his chest wouldn't let him. He brushed Kilgawain vigorously and the horse twitched his tail in irritation.
"I know how it must sound, but you've gotta believe me. I can't think of anything but you. Just the thought of someone else near me... I couldn't stand it. I don't know what I'm gonna do."
"Don't you mean who?"
Matthew looked at the packed dirt at his feet, and Jake's resolve faltered. Matthew was just as beautiful as he'd been the night before, coltish and shy. Jake resolutely turned back to the big horse, taking the reins from Matthew's hands and pushing past him to lead Kilgawain into his paddock. He fumbled with the gate and Matthew stepped in, holding the gate wide as Jake and Kilgawain passed.
"Look, I don't know what last night meant to you, and I'm not sure I want to. It was probably..." Jake took a deep breath and focused on a spot over Kilgawain's shoulder, resolutely turned away from Matthew. "It was a mistake, okay? Let's chalk it up to experience or maybe just the ambiance and both move on, okay?"
"A mistake?" Matthew moved around Kilgawain's side, stepping back into Jake's line of vision. "Don't say that!"
"I don't know what you want from me, okay? We fucked and it was fantastic, then the next morning you had a bunch of other guys lined up for their share. Hell, in groups of two or three, even. I don't know. Then you turn around and try to tell me it was special? I look like an idiot to you, or what?"
Matthew stood silent, eyes glittering with unshed tears.
"Just...." Jake shook his head, resting one hand on Kilgawain's powerful shoulder. He looked at the ground. "Just go back to your life. Don't confuse this for something it's not."
"Jake, don't. Please."
Jake willed himself to say silent, biting back everything he longed to say. He didn't dare believe what Matthew was saying could be true, and that he'd felt last night just as keenly as Jake had. Jake set his hat further back on his head, and looked determinedly at the packed dirt.
Eventually he heard Matthew leave, shutting the gate quietly, and Jake raised his head. Kilgawain stomped and snorted, dancing in place as Jake ignored him, watching Matthew's retreating back, aching inside.
Jake spent a restless night in his wide and empty bed under the cottage's sloping eaves. He tossed and turned, thoughts constantly returning to Matthew. He was well aware he'd behaved like a Grade-A asshole that afternoon, but the previous night, with Matthew in his arms.... Jake punched his pillow, kicking the thin quilt away despite the chilly air.
---
Jake rose early, aiming to get his morning chores done and then head into town. There was feed to buy and a new water pump to order, and he figured if he could just get off the ranch, away from the movie people and most of all, away from Matthew, he might be able to think straight again.
He was heading past the barn on his way to his pickup when he heard shouting.
Jake hesitated for a moment, but something about the voice raised the hair on the back of his neck. Uneasily, he hurried around the corner to the rear of the barn, where the tractor and the horse trailer were parked.
The movie director who'd shouted at Jake yesterday was yelling again today. Jake surveyed the scene, brow furrowed. The horse trailer's loading ramp had been lowered, and the director was standing halfway up, waving his arms and berating someone crouching inside, half-hidden by a crumpled horse blanket.
He gestured to someone behind him in the shadowy interior of the barn, and after a few seconds, Byron emerged carrying a coil of rope. A sick feeling started in the pit of Jake's stomach, and he started walking faster. He was close enough now to make out the words.
"I warned you, didn't I? But you wouldn't listen! Now we're gonna do it my way!" The director bent and began tugging on the blankets. Jake heard a muffled cry, and then a mop of blond curls emerged from the horse trailer as the director yanked the hapless victim out. Jake's heart stopped as he recognized Matthew.
Matthew's cry of fear and pain as his assailant flung him to the ground burned through Jake like a firebrand. He saw Matthew clutching uselessly at his inadequate robe and hurried forward, a cold, sick feeling rising in his gut.
"Dove." The director's voice was rough, harsh, filled with anger and contempt. "We signed you up because the paying customers like watching Byron here fuck your tight little ass. Now one way or another, that's exactly what's gonna happen here today. Either you bend over that saddle like I told you and smile for the camera, or I'll rope you to it and have Byron make you beg. Which is it gonna be?"
He grabbed the coil of rope from Byron and knelt, pinning Matthew down. Matthew sobbed. "I quit! Leave me alone!"
The director panted with effort as he tied Matthew's wrists. "Conversation over. You're under contract, and now your pretty ass is getting done the hard way!" He cinched the rope down tight and Matthew whimpered and thrashed.
Jake broke into a run.¶
He barreled into Matthew's attacker and they both went rolling in a heap. Jake wasn't a violent man but he'd never shirked a fight either, and right now, fighting for Matthew's safety, nothing could have stopped him. He wrestled the director onto the ground. "He said he quit! Your ears painted on, man?"
"Get off me, cowboy, right now! What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Jake gritted his teeth. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Leave him alone."
"He quits when I say he quits, and that's after Byron gets through with him, not before! Now get off me!"
Jake did as the man asked, getting slowly to his feet. The struggle had attracted the rest of the crew,
and a small knot of onlookers stood in the barn doorway, watching in silence. Byron had retreated to join them, leaving Matthew where he'd fallen, sprawled in the dirt.
"Matthew!" Jake forgot the director. Eyes wide and tear-stained, wrists half-caught in the heavy rope, Matthew was struggling to cover himself with the skimpy robe.
The director had recovered his feet, and took advantage of Jake's momentary distraction to aim a wild swing at his midsection. Taken off guard, Jake weathered the blow and drew back his arm. With one punch, his opponent was out cold.
Breathing heavily, Jake hurried to Matthew's side. Matthew stared up at him, shivering, fists knotted in his thin terrycloth garment. "He was gonna.... I couldn't stop him...."
"Easy. No one's gonna do anything to you. I've got you. I've got you now."¶
Jake pulled Matthew into his arms. At that moment, he didn't care if the whole world was watching. The only thing that mattered was the fear in Matthew's eyes, the way he clutched at Jake's shoulders. "It's okay, baby. You're okay now. You're safe."
Several crew members were bending over the director, gently slapping his cheeks, trying to bring him around. Byron detached from the knot with an angry squawk. "You! You have got to be kidding me."
Jake glared at him. "He quits. And we're leaving."
"Oh, the fuck he does. That bitch is under contract."
"Byron, we're leaving." Jake's tone brooked no argument, and Byron's cocky air left him. He looked nervously over his shoulder as Jake continued, "And if I catch you within a mile of Matthew, I'm gonna knock you into next week. Are we clear?"
Byron took a look at Jake's eyes and stepped back carefully.
Jake held Matthew against him, feeling him shake still. "Come on. Let's get out of here." Jake grabbed a blanket from the bottom of the trailer as they rose, and he wrapped it gently around Matthew's shoulders. Matthew wavered where he stood, a shudder passing through him, and Jake caught him as he collapsed, gathering him into his arms and lifting him up off the ground, knees slung over one arm. Matthew whimpered softly, eyes squeezed tightly shut. Jake shifted his weight and started walking.
---
Matthew was tense and motionless in Jake's arms all the way back to the ranch-house. He only opened his eyes once they made it onto the porch, and Jake set Matthew down gently on one of the sanded pine benches.
He leaned against the porch railing, unsure how to break the silence.
"I'm sorry you had to see that." Matthew looked down at the painted white boards. He arranged the folds of the blanket around him, slowly, eyes still unfocused. A slick of mud stuck in his hair, and Jake could see a bruise already forming over his collarbone. "Nothing like that's ever happened before and I panicked. I just -- "
"No, baby," Jake said softly. "I heard what he said and I would've been just as scared."
"You would've?" Matthew seemed to focus on Jake for the first time. His voice faltered. "I just can't.... It was so...."
Jake dropped onto the bench next to Matthew, putting one arm loosely around his back. Matthew curled in toward him, pulling his knees up, burrowing against Jake's body. His wrists were red where the rope had been, and Jake had to look away. He bit his lip. "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was a jackass, man. I should've -- "
Matthew looked up at him and shook his head. "No, you were right. I don't think I'd've believed it either. Me showing up out of the blue, telling you one night changed my whole life? I don't blame you for being suspicious."
Jake looked at him closely. "It's just that... I saw you standing there on the set, watching those two guys who were fucking just like they were getting the mail or something, and I thought...."
"I couldn't, Jake. I didn't lie to you. All I could think about was the way you touched me."
Jake sighed. "Come on. Let's get you inside and cleaned up, okay? Then we'll figure out what comes after that."
It was obvious how shaken Matthew was by the whole ordeal, and Jake shelved his plans for going to town. He'd catch hell from Kelly later, but none of that mattered compared to the relief in Matthew's eyes when Jake told him he'd stand guard at the bathroom door while Matthew showered.
Matthew emerged in his sweats and T-shirt, scrubbed and pink from the heat. He stretched his shoulders languorously and crawled under the eiderdown comforter, eyes heavy with fatigue. "Come to bed."
Jake shook his head vigorously. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"Jake, please. I need you to touch me just like you did that first night."
"I know that's not a good idea right now. You've been through a lot and...."
"And what?" Matthew asked in a small voice.
Jake chewed his lip. "And I'm scared I'll hurt you. After what they were doing to you this morning -- "
"You could never hurt me. Never." Matthew's eyes were thoughtful. "Just come to bed and hold me for a little bit, okay?"
After a few seconds, Jake nodded. He rose and removed his work shirt, then crawled in next to Matthew, still wearing his jeans and T-shirt. Matthew turned to him, twining their bodies together against the cool sheets with a soft, satisfied noise. Jake rested a hand on Matthew's back, rubbing gently, listening as Matthew fell asleep with small, hitched breaths against his neck.
"No one will ever hurt you again, baby."
---
Jake leaned in the doorway of the ranch-house office, watching Matthew work his magic. It had been nearly three months since the day Jake had punched the director, and since that day -- Jake smiled -- since that day, he'd never slept alone. He let his eyes roam over his lover's slight, beautiful frame.
Matthew's back was turned, the phone tucked between ear and shoulder. "You wanna come back here, that's the going rate. No ifs, ands, or buts. Take it or leave it."
Jake tossed his hat onto the soft brown leather couch and idly flipped through the bookings register, listening to Matthew rope in another group for a visit. Film crews, school groups, vacationing tourists -- all of them loved Matthew's easy charm and open, sunny manner. And Kelly loved what it was doing to the Lazy R's bank account.
"If you think you can get a better deal somewhere else, go for it, but remember, that price includes accommodations and catering, so...." Matthew trailed off, hands on hips, his back still turned to Jake. "Yeah it is, isn't it? Anyway, I've got another call coming in so let me -- "
Jake smirked. The Lazy R didn't have a second line. Matthew was just good at putting the spurs to reluctant clients.
"Look, Byron, I don't care. Take it or leave it, but let me know by close of business. Thanks."
Jake's smirk disappeared and he looked up sharply as Matthew replaced the phone in its cradle. "Byron? Not the same Byron who -- "
"The very same!" Matthew grinned. "Apparently Montana Stud was such a hit that they want to do a sequel. Of course, after my agent was done suing them into next year, I doubt they'll be able to afford our rates. Which I doubled, just for them."
Jake closed the ledger firmly and came around the desk to stand in front of Matthew, arms folded. "I don't like it, baby."
"Why not? The best revenge is taking all their money."
"The best revenge is living well."
"Well, I'm doing that too. But they might as well give us all their money while they're at it." Matthew's grin widened. "Besides, Jake, I have you to protect me."
Jake relented, pulling Matthew close and claiming his mouth firmly. Ever since Matthew had quit the film business, Jake had kept his vow, kissing Matthew every time he said Jake's name, even when on one particular occasion it caused Kelly to choke on a piece of perfectly good prime rib.
Matthew leaned close, his expression softening. He slid his fingers along the side of Jake's jaw, eyes staring into his with wonder and happiness. "Nothing scares me anymore. I have everything I've ever dreamed of out here."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Now how 'bout you lock that door and protect me a little more, huh?"
Jake drew back, his expression at once inc
redulous and desiring. He'd become well acquainted with that tone of voice.
And was powerless to resist it.
Matthew stepped in close, his kisses hard and needy, and Jake let him take what he wanted, Matthew walking him backward until his ass hit the doorframe. He managed to lock the door with one hand as Matthew grabbed his hips, pushing their groins together, rubbing hard. Jake bit back a moan as Matthew nibbled at his neck, grinding his denim-clad erection against Jake's own.
Matthew broke away suddenly. "I don't have anything on me. For protection." His voice was breathless.
It was Jake's turn to grin, as he pulled a condom from the back pocket of his jeans. "I was hoping I'd find you in a good mood."
Matthew laughed. "Well, my mood's about to get a lot better, I can tell." He reached for Jake's belt buckle with a sly grin.
The two of them kissed and nipped at each other, mouths hot and wet against each other's skin. Jake loved when Matthew got like this, when he was overwhelmed by desire and just took Jake whenever he wanted.
The two of them fetched up against one arm of the leather couch, Matthew tugging Jake's jeans and briefs down over his hips, freeing his hard cock. Matthew captured its length in one hand and groaned, stroking gently. "Need this," he managed. "Right now."
"You got it, baby." Jake fumbled with the button of Matthew's jeans while Matthew grabbed the condom out of his hand, tearing it open and sliding the pre-slicked latex home. His hand strayed lower, fondling Jake's heavy sac.
Jake gasped. He unzipped Matthew's jeans and pushed them down until the heavy denim gathered around his ankles. His proud, erect cock stood out from under the starched white button-down shirt he wore. Jake pulled him close, one hand cupping his tight, round buttock as Matthew stepped out of his jeans. The two of them kissed fiercely, and Jake felt the tip of Matthew's prick leave a smear of pre-come across his thigh. He groaned, tightening his grip on Matthew's ass.
Matthew panted with desire. "Desk?"
Jake ran his tongue up the side of Matthew's neck in one long, wet swipe. "Couch," he answered. Matthew groaned in response, then broke away from Jake's embrace to kneel on the smooth brown leather, knees wide, head ducked coyly. Jake stepped closer, spitting on his fingers and running them the length of Matthew's crease, finding his hot, tight hole with ease.