River Town Box Set

by Grant C. Holland

  Tears started to run down Brody’s cheeks. He didn’t know where they came from. It didn’t hurt that badly. He’d experienced more painful fucks before. He wondered if they were tears of joy or tears of relief. He just knew that he couldn’t stop them from coming.

  Dak began to rock forward and back. “We’re gonna roll you over now, so I can see that handsome face while I give you the best damn morning fuck you’ve ever had.”

  As Brody rolled onto his back, he wiped at the tears and stared up at Dak through glassy eyes.

  “You’re crying, bud?” asked Dak. “I know I’m not quite that good.”

  Brody laughed and sniffed. “Just shut up and fuck me, Dak.”

  Brody wrapped his legs tight around Dak’s body and stared up into his blue eyes. He was able to relax, and the cock slipped deeper inside like it belonged there. Dak grinned and said, “My cock found its way home. It just took the fucker thirty years, but it’s finally there.”

  Brody closed his eyes and moaned, “Yes, damn, deeper Dak.”

  Dak drove harder rocking his hips forward and back. He gripped Brody’s thighs hard and found a rhythm driving his cock ever deeper until the morning air resounded with the sharp slapping sounds of balls hitting ass.

  “Gotta slow it down, Brody. I ain’t cumming so fast this morning.”

  Brody rolled his head back against the pillow and released a bone-rattling moan.

  “Damn, you needed this, didn’t you?” asked Dak.

  “I…needed…you.” Brody clamped his legs tight around Dak’s torso.

  Dak speeded up and slowed his rhythm three more times. When he began pounding hard for the final time, he gripped Brody’s cock and pumped it in his fist. Dak’s gravelly voice growled, “I’m gonna drive you over the edge with me. You’re gonna cum with me, Brody. I wanna see that big load.”

  Brody closed his eyes and squeezed his ass muscles as tight as he could to maximize the friction. Dak’s expert grip brought him close to the edge in a few short minutes.

  “You there, bud?” asked Dak.

  “Oh, fuck, yeah.” Brody pounded the bed with his hands. “I’m gonna cum. I’m so close.”

  “Shit, yeah. Cum with me. Cum with me now!”

  They howled in unison as Dak’s body shuddered in orgasm and Brody’s cock erupted to sling white ropes of cum over Dak’s abs.

  Dak’s rough fingers squeezed tight. “I want every last drop.” Brody’s body shook in response when the last of his cum oozed down over Dak’s fingers.

  Brody felt the ache in his legs for the first time when he released the grip on Dak’s body and lowered his feet to the bed. Dak’s handsome face was filled with a goofy smile as he lay down at Brody’s side.

  “That’s the way mornings should be. I’m so glad I’m off that damn boat.”

  Brody laughed softly. “I am, too. I couldn’t wait much longer.”

  Dak rolled to his side and teased one of Brody’s nipples. “You don’t need to wait anymore. I’m here, and I don’t have anywhere else to go. He reached out for Brody’s chin, and they kissed. It wasn’t feverish. It was gentle, soft and romantic. Brody tangled his fingers into Dak’s coarse red hair. It felt like home.

  21

  Brody

  It was 10:00 a.m. by the time Brody and Dak found their way downstairs to the kitchen to consider breakfast. Neither was fully dressed. Dak said, “I like to be lazy when I can. I’ll put on a shirt later if we decide we’re going out.”

  Brody pulled on a pair of sweatpants and descended the stairs in his bare feet. He asked, “What do you want for breakfast?” on the way down.

  “Coffee first,” mumbled Dak. “Always coffee first.”

  Brody brewed the first mug and asked, “Milk? Sugar?”

  “I just take it black.” Dak looked up when Brody set the mug in front of him. “You’re one of those morning guys, aren’t you?”

  Brody shook his head. “Not really. I’m a last-minute out of bed in the morning guy, and I stuff a bagel in my mouth on the way out the door.”

  Dak chuckled. “I think we’ll get along.”

  “I’ve just got a lot of extra energy now because, well, you know.”

  “You’ve been well fucked,” laughed Dak.

  Brody blushed. “Yeah.”

  “Get yourself some coffee or whatever you drink in the morning and come sit. I’m not in a hurry, and you aren’t either. We’ve got the whole day.”

  Brody sat at the table across from Dak with a glass of orange juice. He said, “I do have something important to tell you. I guess that’s part of the energy, too. I thought about mentioning it last night, but I didn’t want to distract from the fun of just you and me together.”

  Dak raises an eyebrow. “Is it something big? Do I need to brace myself?”

  With a grin on his face, Brody said, “Yeah, I would say it is.”

  “Well, out with it, then. Spill the beans. We’re not gonna start out keeping any secrets from each other. Tell me the big news.”

  Brody asked, “Do you remember when I talked about a condo in Minneapolis?”

  Dak reached out and rubbed his chin. “Oh yeah, and I said you’d better find out Mr. Home Pro hid a lot of cash in his mattress.”

  Leaning across the table, Brody whispered, “I’ve got the cash for it now, and it’s not from Mr. Home Pro.”

  Dak’s brow furrowed in confusion.

  “You might not believe this, but it happened Dak. You can check my bank account if you want to. Do you remember when I said my great-uncle was friends with Wiley Tarrant?”

  “Yeah, you were gonna ask your secretary if he was the mystery man in those old photos. You never reported back about what she said.”

  Brody nodded. “I did ask her, and Lacey confirmed that it was. I guess it wasn’t that important to know for sure, but it was nice to have my questions answered. That’s not the big news. I got a phone call later about Wiley Tarrant.”

  Dak sipped his coffee. Brody saw a combination of curiosity and doubt written on his face. “You’re not trying to pull one over on me, are you? You got a bag of cash out of the blue? How does that happen?”

  Brody shook his head. “Honest to God, this is all true. Anyway, I received a phone call from California. Wait a second. Let me back up. I found out from Lacey that Wiley Tarrant died ten years ago. He moved out to Palm Springs after Great-Uncle Clyde passed away.”

  “Palm Springs is the world’s gay retirement center if you can afford it,” nodded Dak.

  “Exactly, and I think he could afford it. Anyway, I got this phone call from Wiley Tarrant’s financial person. She told me that his instructions were to wait until my mom passed away, but he had a big check to send to me. Wiley Tarrant left me an inheritance.”

  Dak waved a hand. “Hang on just a minute. You got a check from this guy you never met? He left you a big chunk of change when he died? What’s up with that?”

  “I don’t know. I guess Great-Uncle Clyde set up some sort of inheritance for me through his lover.” Brody shrugged. “Whatever happened, my bank account is fatter than its ever been now, and it made me start to think.”

  Dak raised an eyebrow. “Should I be worried? Does money make you crazy?”

  Brody laughed. “I don’t think so. It’s exciting. We can get out of here now, Dak. We can leave Coldbrook Bend behind and move to the Twin Cities now. We could get a condo downtown. Just think of it. You and I in the city. It’s like a wild dream come true.”

  Reaching up, Dak raked his fingers through his hair. “You got this all planned out? I don’t think Eagle Point has an office further north than La Crosse, Wisconsin.”

  “Oh, you don’t need to work the boats anymore. There are so many opportunities in the cities. You can go back to school for whatever you want. You could get a great job with just a few semesters at a community college.”

  Dak leaned back in his chair. “You’ve really got it all figured out, Brody?”

  “Don’t you think it
’s exciting? It’s like a dream come true. I never expected one hundred grand to drop from the sky. It makes me a little nervous, but I think it’s like a gift to us telling us we’re on the right path.”

  Dak’s expression was flat as he repeated, “You’ve got it all figured out, and you made the plans without talking to me.”

  “Oh, it’s just my brain running way ahead, Dak. I don’t have any of the specifics, but it’s our golden opportunity to get out of town and move to the city. It’s a dream. It’s a dream that we can make come true and create an entirely new life. I can’t believe it. It’s a dream come true.”

  Dak sipped his coffee again. When he set the mug back down, he said, “It’s Brody’s dream come true.”

  22

  Dak

  Dak stood up from the kitchen table and walked to the sink in silence. He rinsed out his mug and placed it in the dishwasher.

  “Is something wrong?” asked Brody.

  Dak shrugged and said, “I need to go pick up the keys to my apartment. It’s a newish complex I haven’t lived in before. I made arrangements while I was still on the boat. They probably wonder where I am since I didn’t show up yesterday.”

  Brody stood up from the table and stepped up behind to wrap his arms around Dak’s muscular bare chest. “You don’t need to go there. You can just stay here with me. In fact, you can spend the whole two weeks here. It will save you money, and I’ll be in heaven.”

  “It sounds like I don’t need any money,” growled Dak.

  Brody laughed softly. “Well, it’s not like we’re gonna be millionaires or anything. It just gives us a lot of flexibility.” He leaned in close and whispered softly in Dak’s ear. “Just stay here. I’ve got these two days off. We don’t have to do anything but be together.”

  Dak tore away from Brody’s grip. He shouted, “Don’t smother me!”

  Brody’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh, fuck, I’m sorry. I’m coming on too strong. Yeah, I’ll bring it down. You just need to tell me. I’ll back off.”

  Dak turned around and shook his head. “I’ll go get my clothes and pack my shit up. I need to take care of the apartment. I’ll give you a call later, Brody.”

  When he stepped outside Brody’s front door, Dak exhaled. He felt like he’d been holding his breath for the last half hour. He climbed into his truck and took three deep breaths while pounding on the steering wheel. Dak moaned, “What the fuck? Back to school? Shit, I guess I’m not smart enough for the librarian’s kid. Shit!”

  Dak slammed the key into the ignition and drove off. Ten minutes later, he entered the main office for the apartment complex, and he tried to calm down and relax. He knew that it wouldn’t make a good impression if he tore through the door like a caged beast waiting to explode.

  The receptionist looked up as Dak opened the door. A little bell jingled announcing his entrance. She had long blonde hair and red-framed glasses. He read the name “Mary” on a name tag pinned on her chest. She asked, “May I help you?”

  Dak’s voice and expression were both flat. He said, “I’m moving in. My name’s Dakota Preston. I contacted you about a week ago from the riverboat. Your manager said there would be a furnished studio available for me.”

  He chuckled to himself while he watched the receptionist stare at his arms. She was admiring his muscular body, and she was tongue-tied when she began to speak. “Umm…yes…Mr. P…Preston?”

  “Yes, that’s Dakota Preston.”

  She tore her attention away from his muscles to check her computer screen. “I have it right here. We had you scheduled for move-in yesterday, but it’s no problem today.”

  He asked, “Is there anything special I need to do?”

  She looked up again with a broad smile on her face. “There’s a couple of documents to sign, and then I give you your key. That’s about it. The apartment is ready. If you have any problems, you just need to call the office, or feel free to stop in anytime.” Mary pulled the key out of a drawer and said, “Wow, I live in the next building over.”

  Dak smiled. “It will be good to have you as a neighbor.”

  She blushed in response. “Yeah, I’ll see you around. I’m always here in the office.”

  Dak didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was barking up the wrong tree. He took the documents and a pen before finding a chair in the small waiting room. With a quick glance, he saw that it was a standard rental contract like the ones he’d signed multiple times when returning from the boat. Within seconds, Dak signed it and returned it to the receptionist’s window.

  She handed him the key. “It’s building C. It’s the second building past this one. You’ll find an inventory list. Check to make sure everything is there and then return the list sometime in the next few days. Oh, and there are complimentary towels at the poolhouse if you need those. It’s a great pool.”

  “I’ll have to check it out.” Dak smiled as he turned around and found his way back to the truck. He had a new admirer, and he was a little worried she might be too interested. Fortunately, he was only in the apartment for two weeks.

  The apartment was on the second floor of a two-story building that held a dozen units. Dak had a balcony outside the front door, and the rear of the building faced woods that tumbled down the side of a ravine.

  Dak stepped inside to see a plain but serviceable furnished apartment. The sofa looked like a leftover from the clearance sale room at a furniture store. He tossed his luggage onto it and pulled his phone from his pocket. He wasn’t surprised to see a text message from Brody. It read:

  “I’m so sorry. Way too much way too fast. Please call me later.”

  Dak sighed heavily as he read the message. It was too much. He didn’t want to deal with it at the moment. Instead, he was happy to see that furnished apartment in this complex meant a TV, too. He found the remote control lying on a coffee table and aimed it at the screen. It was time to relax and forget both the boat and Brody. Dak needed relaxing solo time with a reasonably comfy couch, the TV, and take out food later.

  Dak was disoriented when he woke up hours later on the apartment couch. At first, he didn’t know where he was. He glanced around at the nondescript paintings of woodland scenes on the wall while trying to remember. The prickly sensations on his forearms disappeared when he spotted the apartment key on the coffee table.

  He got up and looked out the living room window. It was already starting to get dark outside. That meant he had slept for more than six hours. Dak was used to the pattern of a few days of heavy sleep after getting off the boat. His body shut down when it no longer had to contend with fellow deckhands and the noises of the tow.

  Dak found his way to the shower to wake himself up. He dressed in clean clothes and thought about his plans for the next day. He had a full suitcase worth of clean clothes in his storage unit and pots, pans, plates, and silverware to set up the kitchen. He was eager to go out for dinner. The boat hired a qualified cook, but Dak looked forward to something different. Before leaving the apartment, he set his phone on mute. He wasn’t ready to deal with Brody just yet.

  23

  Brody

  Lacey was startled when Brody walked into the Home Pro office the next day. She said, “I thought you were off. You told me you couldn’t wait to see Dak, and I thought you were spending today in the Twin Cities or maybe Galena. Did something go wrong?”

  Brody wasn’t sure what to tell Lacey. He rolled it around in his head all the way across town as he drove to the Home Pro store. He didn’t want to say the relationship with Dak was over because he didn’t believe that it was. He thought about avoiding Home Pro and staying home, but Brody needed something to take his mind off the absence of Dak.

  “I forgot that he had things that he needed to take care of. I guess I should have talked it all through with him before he got off the boat. We had a good night together, but I’d jumped ahead a little too far with my plans.” Brody smiled remembering what it was like before his comments made matters go so
uth. “Did I miss anything notable here?”

  Lacey pointed to the far corner of her desk. “That arrived yesterday afternoon.” Brody saw a sparkle in her eyes when she pointed. Lacey was excited.

  A large vase stuffed with at least two dozen red roses stood on the corner. Brody inhaled and finally noticed the sweet, slightly spicy, aroma that filled the air. He was too preoccupied with his own issues when he first arrived to be aware of the heady fragrance. “Who gave us those? They are beautiful.”

  Lacey giggled and said, “Seb. Isn’t he a sweetheart?”

  Brody’s jaw dropped. “Seb? The two of you are an item? I had no idea. When did this happen?”

  “It’s been going on for quite a while, but we’ve kept it in here.” She pointed to her chest. “We didn’t want to cause any commotion here at Home Pro until we knew for sure.”

  “So you kept it all private.” Brody shook his head. He marveled at how so many things moved and shifted behind the scenes while remaining invisible to casual observers. He said, “Congratulations! I think the two of you will be great together.” Brody leaned over and sniffed at one of the roses. “They smell amazing.”

  “I know,” said Lacey. “It’s a little overpowering. I think I’ll take them home after today. I’m starting to smell roses in my sleep.”

  Brody took a deep breath and backed away from the desk. He was happy for his employees just setting out on a new relationship, but he couldn’t help the envy he felt inside. “How long have you been dating?”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t notice. Nobody else picked up on it either. He asked me out the first time about four months ago. We’ve been having dinner together at least once a week since then.”

  “Oh, I remember the two of you going out together. I assumed you were just friends. Seb’s a lot of fun for hanging out. He knows so many stories.” Lacey did, too. He wondered what all they shared back and forth. If they joined forces, he was sure that little local news would escape their attention.